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General discussion

Some doubts on switching to Windows 7

May 27, 2010 11:05AM PDT

Hi guys, i am currently using a Core i7 based machine with Windows XP and i've been feeling the need for a snappier interface like the one OSX and 7, since XP doesn't do the job anymore in 2010

I've used 7 when it was in beta and i had some problems with it like printers not working and so on, but now it seems to get more popular and most of my stuff will probably work on it, however i have some doubts, first of all, are there any annoying problems with it like on vista?

I've also been thinking to get 7 Pro x64 since i plan to have this OS for some 5 years and my motherboard supports like 16GB of ram so a 64 bit OS would be future-proofing it, however is 64bit Window 7 as painful as 64 bit XP?

I saw this Comparison chart http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_7_editions and Windows 7 Pro seems like the best option after Ultimate, (i want to save some money) and i don't even know what most of the features that don't come in Pro mean, however i might jump on Ultimate just to future proof and make sure that i have the right thing

So looking at it closer i think my 2 questions are if 64 bit is ok and if Ultimate is worth the extra cash

Discussion is locked

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What I'd suggest
May 27, 2010 12:36PM PDT

What I'd suggest, is checking to see whether or not drivers actually exist for the hardware you want to use, then decide in large part based on that. And if you go 64-bit, make sure there are 64-bit drivers, not just drivers period.

I don't really know what "annoying problems" Vista had, since it was nothing but smooth sailing for me while using it. Most of the complaints I've seen are from people who either hate any kind of change, were expecting a lot of whiz bang features and weren't happy with a lot of major "plumbing" improvements, or bought some really low end system and expected it to perform as well as a top of the line $2500 system. Not to mention the people who buy some really cheap low end Acer or HP system, so not only are the specs barely adequate, you have to contend with hardware of questionable quality. I don't care what OS you put on a system, if the hardware's defective, or even just dodgy, it'll have problems. If you could be a bit more specific as to what "annoying problems" you had with Vista we might be able to offer a better opinion.

As for me, I've been using Win7 x64 since pretty much the day it was released, no problems. But I am very particular and selective about hardware and planned for this sort of thing. If you do the same, you should be fine. You just have to realize you can't go out and buy any random cheap POS printer or scanner out there, which is kind of a blessing in disguise if you ask me. True, you have less selection when looking for 64-bit compatible devices, but if a company goes that extra little ways to add 64-bit support, odds are this isn't some device being dropped onto the market for 6 months which will have one and only one driver release, etc.

And on the Pro v Ultimate question. That's a purely subjective question, so only you can answer what is best for you. Type in each of those features to your friendly neighborhood search engine and see what comes out. Then decide if that's something you care about or not. Also, with the anytime upgrade system, you can always buy Pro, and then upgrade it to Ultimate in place.

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Jimmy's right
Jun 11, 2010 4:20PM PDT

Glad to hear someone say it like it is (or was) concerning Vista. I have upgraded to Win 7 from Vista just because I like to do these things. My two boys still Have Vista no problems for 2 years. I hate using my wife's XP machine, Ugh! I learned on Vista when it was going thru growing pains. Learned a lot about computers. My friends and family come to me to fix problems with theirs. Vista much better than XP if even for just the search function. Almost wanted my Vista back, but like 7 a lot now. Seems better for video editing. Especially like 'God mode'.

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Only went to Pro x64.
May 27, 2010 8:04PM PDT

And I found the XP Mode interesting as I was able to (sorry this gets technical now) to create a VHD of an old laptop with http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/ee656415.aspx and run that image under XP Mode. That was important as that old machine gives us a virtual backup to a dev system we use.

I have one device that didn't get a 7 driver and it now lives on with XP Mode.
Bob

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The choice is yours...
May 28, 2010 1:16AM PDT

Hi Alvi,

The choice is really yours to make, but I find that people using Windows 7 are much happier than they were with Vista...take that however you'd like. Since you have 16GB of ram available, I'd say 64-bit is the way to go. Here is a good read on 64-bit Windows 7 - http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/taking-the-mystery-out-of-64-bit-windows

As far as Pro vs. Ultimate, it really depends on what features you want. The comparison chart should help you decide: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/products/compare

Cheers,
Cassandra
Microsoft Windows Outreach

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Upgrades vs Full OS?
May 28, 2010 3:37AM PDT

Yeah seems the best would be to get 64 bit 7, but one question, i have XP on my current computer and i see there are some better upgrade prices, how does that work? will i get a CD and everything? i want to have a clean installation

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You're in luck then
May 28, 2010 4:29AM PDT

You're in luck then, because there is no upgrade path from XP to 7, you must do a clean install. In this case, upgrade just means that the 7 installer will accept XP as proof of license.

There are also some download options now for Windows, where you burn your own disc. I'd be sure to hold onto that ISO file somewhere, like another computer, just in case.

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What Jimmy said...
May 28, 2010 5:11AM PDT
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On the + side of the upgrade
May 28, 2010 9:35AM PDT

versus the full OEM, the upgrade box contains both 32 bit and 64 bit disks, the full OEM you only get one, whichever one you choose.

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Vista ---> Win 7
Jun 25, 2010 1:49AM PDT

People are probably happier with 7 because all of their friends an family aren't telling them how lousy their OS is like they did with Vista. Vista was never as bad as what everyone said about it. My opinion is that the people (like myself) should have received a discount for upgrading to 7.
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Message was edited by: admin to remove signature link which is prohibited.

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Sorry, no taglines.
Jun 25, 2010 2:01AM PDT

Good to hear what you think but drop the taglines please.

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Switching to Windows 7
May 28, 2010 10:14AM PDT

I am running a custom built PC, with Q9550 CPU, Gigabyte P43 mainboard, 8GB RAM, Radeon PCI express 2.0 x16 1GB Vid card, 2 SATA HDD's, 500 watt PSU, 2 optical drives, and Windows 7 64 Bit Professional. I have had NO problems finding the drivers for my old Epson flatbed scanner, or for my really old HP Deskjet 940c printer! I have helped other folks install Windows 7 on there machines from both XP, and Vista. I performed clean installs, and had NO problems finding, and installing the drivers for their printers, scanners etc. Whatever printer, scanner, card reader you have attached, most likely Windows 7 can find the drivers for you, or the manufacturers have them available by now. Windows 7 is here to stay for awhile. It is a stable, fun, and easy O.S. to work with, and the 64 Bit version runs quick, and clean.

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Windows 7 for sure
May 28, 2010 11:57AM PDT

I would definitely go from Windows XP to Windows 7 for a lot of reasons. More security, Windows 7 is going to be supported for a lot more years than Windows XP, and Windows 7 has nice graphics and ease of use features. If you want to take full advantage of the new security features, don't run as an administrator at all except when you absolutely have to...the same thing can be done with Windows XP, but it isn't nearly as easy, the UAC stuff makes it simple to just give the admin password when you need to do something admin-ish without having to switch from your normal "limited user" to "admin" accounts.

As far as drivers/hardware goes, the MS Windows 7 upgrade advisor has already been mentioned. Run that and you'll get a good idea of where you stand as far as hardware and drivers go. For my printer, there wasn't a Windows 7 driver, but the Vista driver works well on Windows 7. That's what they advise you, if there's no Windows 7 driver for a particular piece of hardware and there is a Vista driver, try the Vista driver, it works on Windows 7 a lot of the time.

I had originally installed 32-bit Windows 7 as a fresh install (I don't like upgrade installations) on this system that came with Vista. Then I decided to install 64-bit Windows 7 so that I could add memory (at 6GB now), and for other reasons as well, another fresh install. I really like the 64-bit Windows 7, so that's where I'd start if I were you and my hardware allowed it. Most Intel processors have been 64-bit processors (using EM64T/AMD Opteron architecture) for some time now, you can look that up on the Intel web site for your particular processor.

Anyways, moving from Windows XP to Windows 7 would be a no-brainer for me as long as my hardware would allow it.

-Roger

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Window 7 is fine
May 28, 2010 7:15PM PDT

I have had problem with intermittent slowdowns due to updates running in the background but this was easy to fix by enabling alerts instead of auto updates. This might be a PC hardware problem though.

Windows 7 is far better then XP and for awhile it might be safe from most malware (due to a phenomena known a Malware developer lag). <<<<<<<<< just kidding there, sorta. Happy

With 16 GBs of RAM all OS might start slowly. More RAM was the reason Vista loaded so slow. In windows 7 they hide it with a few new tricks. You might wish to look into sleep mode as an option to slow starts with 16 GBs of RAM.

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That's news to me
May 28, 2010 10:37PM PDT
"With 16 GBs of RAM all OS might start slowly. More RAM was the reason Vista loaded so slow."

That's news to me. Care to share any sources you have for that?
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switching to Windows 7 doubts
May 30, 2010 9:41AM PDT

I also have XP pro 64 bit but a multimedia edition and am pondering the same as you.
I think to future proof it you need to go for the Ultimate as this will cover you for the best options for the future.
If you go to MSN website and type in "windows 7" you can navigate through their webpages and fill in the self answer or look at the different versions it shows you and what you want it for mainly and you will see which version is best for you.
Good Luck!

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W7 which one
Jun 11, 2010 3:27AM PDT

OK, no one reads. Use the Window 7 upgrade advisor.....you may need drivers especially for your printer.....Laptop you will lose your biometric.

Which version...this is where people need to read and NOT look at the name. Look at MS comparison chart for versions of W7. I did not see anything in ultimate or professional that I needed. Oh, running XP in a virtual machine is nice, but to spend another $200, forget it. Is MS charging a lot for W7?........yes......So, buy only what you need. Do you really want to encrpyt your file....NO.....forget Ultimate. Are you running a HUGE network and playing System Adminstrator (SA) on your weekends?......No....forget Professionl. Sorry, but Windows 7 HOME has everything you need. I debated for a while before I made my decision and could not find a need beyond W7 Home. As for licensing I will not get into the legalities, BUT for $$$$ figure which version you want>>>>64 bit and buy the OEM version. PC magazine did a NICE short article that with a few "freeware" you make W7 Home have the same features as Ultimate but again if you have 16 Gbytes of RAM obviously $$$ is no concern. And Yes by NOW almost 2 years later since W7 Beta almost all the drivers have been developed.

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Some doubts on switching to Windows 7
Jun 1, 2010 5:28PM PDT

I think you need to identify why you need to change from XP. What job doesn't it do anymore ??
What do you actually do with your computer ??
You are going to encounter the same problems as XP with Windows 7. It comes with lots of bugs and there will be many fixes, some of which you must expect to pay for. Eventually Microsoft will replace it with another "new" operating system which will have to be purchased.
If you are really looking for more stability,privacy and reliability why don't you change to change to Linux.
Remember that Microsoft's customer strategy is to make as much money as possible out of their customers - that is why they keep launching new "operating systems".

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LOVE windows 7/Vista was CRAP
Jun 11, 2010 5:56PM PDT

Never had any problems with drivers, was a breeze windows 7 is the new xp but way BETTER!

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Windows 7 better than Windows 6?
Jun 27, 2010 5:14PM PDT

Not really. Windows 7 is merely a seriously patched and scripted O.S. upgrade onto Win. 6.

Since, Win. 7 has the version # 6.1.7600 onto its main Win.ini/exe program files. The driver matrix for it is the exact, same ones. You still have to, go to the manufacturer's web-site and download-install all of the latest drivers for your mainboard's/machine's chipsets(internal hardware also).

You might, also, have to go to the video/graphics card's web-site for its own, exclusive drivers. The same for the sound card's chipset one. Not to mention your Monitor's newest one and, finally, your Keyboard's and mouse's ones too. If you happen to have a web-cam and a game-pad, you will have to reach out and get their respective newest drivers for them too.

Windows 6(Vista) and Windows 7 both have the exact same Spring-Summer-Fall dates of 2006's time. For people where they have been able to assemble their own machine piece by piece, installing the latest drivers onto every hardware unit has been, a revealing experience for them all. They've been able to get the latest driver for their newest multi-processor die via the manufacturer's thorough retail packaging's ensemble.

Hope that clears up a lot of non-sense myths about the differences between the two out-most recent Operating Systems.