Some of the codecs on the page that I listed are free. I'll have to try the Canon one to see if it lets me view thumbnails in Windows Explorer for their .cr2 files. That would be neat.
I can't explain Microsoft's bundling practices. On the one hand, they've included DVD playing in WMP in 7, where it was absent in XP and Vista. On the other hand, apps like Windows Mail are gone, although replacements (like Live Mail) are free downloads. I suspect that it's due to antitrust considerations rather than natural market forces. (If something is bizarre, I like to blame the lawyers rather than the engineers.)
If you prefer what's bundled with a Macintosh, buy one. The price penalty is much less than it used to be. I doubt that Microsoft reads these forums, so bold declarations as to what must be included in Windows probably are ineffective.
Later: I tried the Canon codec (free) on a laptop running 7201 X86. Seemed to work fine. It installed on my desktop running 7201 X64, but it would not run with the default Windows photo viewer. The ArdFry codec worked, but it's far from free.