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The Windows 7 Thread


Will you be getting Windows 7?  

33 members have voted

  1. 1. Will you be getting Windows 7?

    • Yes (Buying it or getting it through a new PC)
      20
    • Haven't Decided Yet
      9
    • No, I'm sticking with my OS
      2
    • I'm a Mac
      2


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^If you can get it to work on Vista, it's almost certainly going to work on 7

 

Check the KOTOR sticky - Ive updated in with a report of a test I (finally) ran in W7. Looking good ;)

 

Also, Im pleased to report Ive sorted out the sidebar issue in W7 ;) You can hack vista's sidebar files back in and get it working as normal, though I hope they restored it properly by RTM...

 

mtfbwya

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I do not believe you can use the "upgrade" versions of Windows 7 to go from 32 bit to 64 bit without doing a clean install...so in this sense you need to back-up your files (always do it anyway)...and yes, if you do a clean install you will need to reinstall stuff...

 

If you go from 32 bit to another 32 bit OS...you will have the option to install right on top of Vista, so you wouldn't have to reinstall anything, but no matter what...backup your computer before you ever make any major changes.

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OEM? Still quite a bit more. Look at Vista's current pricing. It should be similar. If you want a separate license that would be the way to go. Otherwise just get the upgrade. I'm actually thinking of getting Pro for the built-in XP.

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Thing is, AFAIK with the upgrade you'll get both 32- and 64-bit versions. With OEM it's either one or the other.

 

64-bit is becoming more and more preferable nowadays with RAM being as cheap as it is.

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and the x86 comaptibility layer being as clever as it is :)

 

At this stage, unless you run multiple VMs, a server of some type, or niche x64 apps(adobe CS4 64 bit Edition for example), the only advantage to x64 is saying you use x64 to sound impressive :p (Unfortunately it usually impresses no one, especially not hot babez)

 

Ive been jumping between Vista and W7 x86 v x64 for htpc/games and apart from the niche apps on an editing rig, cannot conclusively say x64 is *clearly superior* A net search will also display a similar paucity of information illustrating a clear impetus to move towards x64 outside of niche apps.

 

Until devs start coding for it(games and apps), its not going to reach its potential. MS is working on the transition by having a more through compatibility layer, and XP virtualisation in W7.

 

Dont get upset at me though, I say this as an x64 user of course :D (but only 3gb RAM atm... and I was given the x64 oem by someone I built a htpc for)

 

It wouldnt be unusual if Windows8 was to be entirely x64, but then again, this was predicted when W7 was still Project Blackcomb...

 

mtfbwya

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and the x86 comaptibility layer being as clever as it is :)

Yeah, I should have mentioned that, too. Vista64's x86 compatibility layer makes XP64's look like a joke. There's very few reasons not to go ahead and get 64-bit these days.

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Well, I went ahead and got in on the Home Premium upgrade deal. I got it for $45.00, so I can't really complain about the price. Buying an OEM copy will be at least twice that much.

 

This whole discount program appears to be M$' way of saying, "we're sorry about Vista," while making money at the same time. :p The thing is, I've been playing around with Vista since before Service Pack 1 came out and I've never had any problems with it other than the minor inconveniences that usually accompany getting used to a new OS. The transition from 9x to XP was rougher, IIRC.

 

Sorry about the double post, Astro, but I figured that it would be OK after 3 days. ;)

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Sorry about the double post, Astro, but I figured that it would be OK after 3 days. ;)

 

lolz....I'll let it slide...this time :p

 

Unless we're posting news items in the news threads, (which can be of varying subjects), then we should endeavour to use the edit function, as the admins have not imposed a time period edit lock out :thmbup1:

 

mtfbwya

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Well, I went ahead and got in on the Home Premium upgrade deal. I got it for $45.00, so I can't really complain about the price. Buying an OEM copy will be at least twice that much.

 

This whole discount program appears to be M$' way of saying, "we're sorry about Vista," while making money at the same time. :p The thing is, I've been playing around with Vista since before Service Pack 1 came out and I've never had any problems with it other than the minor inconveniences that usually accompany getting used to a new OS. The transition from 9x to XP was rougher, IIRC.

 

Sorry about the double post, Astro, but I figured that it would be OK after 3 days. ;)

 

Well most people that don't like it haven't had enough time to mess around with it to realize that it's actually better and easier than XP...Vista's problems are more related to image rather than incompatibility, bugs, etc.

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Well most people that don't like it haven't had enough time to mess around with it to realize that it's actually better and easier than XP...Vista's problems are more related to image rather than incompatibility, bugs, etc.

 

Yep. Youtube wasnt around in the days when people were trying to pop XP on the win 98 rig. Also, less people were DIY'ing OS installs back then.

 

mtfbwya

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Well me and the missus got us a shiny new laptop (on contract cause we're poor lolz) that has Vista Premium on it, but we also got a free upgrade to Windows 7 Premium when it gets released on Oct 22nd, must say I'm quite excited!

 

I've tried the RC on my old laptop and I must say I like :)

 

Edit: 17" screen 1440x900 is very pretty for a laptop to watch movies n stuff on :)

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Just to let you know...

 

Windows 7 Upgrade Versions are now at their regular price...if you missed the pre-order special...well...sorry. :(

 

Here are the prices

 

Home Premium: $119.99

Professional: $199.99

Ultimate (which never received a pre-order special price): 219.99

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Build 7600 (RTM) has now started making its way to (very) select MS partners. So select in fact that the p2p leak sourec was pretty obvious :p

 

Msdn/technet subscribers (etc) have been told to wait until July 24th....

 

MS has also clarified upgrade pathway details:

 

Clickity

 

mtfbwya

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Just to let you know...

 

Windows 7 Upgrade Versions are now at their regular price...if you missed the pre-order special...well...sorry. :(

 

Here are the prices

 

Home Premium: $119.99

Professional: $199.99

Ultimate (which never received a pre-order special price): 219.99

I'm glad that I splurged and got in on the special. :D

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I need 64bit Windows with my 4gigs of ram (and another gig on my graphic card :D).

 

But really, there's no reason to avoid the 64-bit version. It's the future. If anyone's worried about compatibility, I can tell you it's not a problem anymore. Unless you have some pesky apps installed that you use for work (yeah, there can be problems... especially if they're bloated and require a ****-load of drivers to run) or an ancient printer, I wouldn't worry. 64-bit drivers are available nowadays for pretty much every device that's less than 2 years old. So, if you have a new PC, 64-bit is the way to go, IMO.

 

 

Also, does anyone miss XP's status bar functionality in Win7 (and Vista also)? It displayed some useful information like how much free disc space you have left and the size of all files within the folder you're in. I miss this quite a bit, and I see no logical reason why M$ removed it.

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and another gig on my graphic card :D

 

The size of your GPUs video memory is not entirely pertinent to requiring a x64 OS - unless you have a workstation card perhaps(like a quadro), and are using it within an application like Adobe CS4 x64.

 

Unless you have some pesky apps installed that you use for work (yeah, there can be problems... for pretty much every device that's less than 2 years old.

 

I know it seems unusual to techheads like us, but there are many people that dont want to buy new kit that frequently. The amount of individuals and business I know using XP far outshadows those using Vista/W7.

 

Also, does anyone miss XP's status bar functionality in Win7 (and Vista also)?

 

Do you have a pic ? There are many things you can switch on and off in Vista.

 

If you are a stickler for file and folder details, then something like cubic explorer might be what you're after. It can be configured to show you pretty much everything. Tis also free ;)

 

mtfbwya

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The size of your GPUs video memory is not entirely pertinent to requiring a x64 OS - unless you have a workstation card perhaps(like a quadro), and are using it within an application like Adobe CS4 x64.

 

No, but if you have 4GB or RAM, 32-bit OS will only see 3GB if you have other devices taking up to 1GB of the total of 4GB allowed/possible (I know there are ways around, but I prefer 64-bit, thanks) on 32-bit systems.

 

I know it seems unusual to techheads like us, but there are many people that dont want to buy new kit that frequently. The amount of individuals and business I know using XP far outshadows those using Vista/W7.

 

Yes, believe me, I know. It kind of bothers me, but there's nothing I can do about it. Fear of a bad investment is there, as is the people's unwillingness to try something new.

 

Do you have a pic ? There are many things you can switch on and off in Vista.

 

I'm not on XP at the moment, but here's a pic I snatched off Google. You can see the stuff displayed in the status bar (free disc space, folder size). There's no way to get those back in Vista/7.

 

If you are a stickler for file and folder details, then something like cubic explorer might be what you're after. It can be configured to show you pretty much everything. Tis also free ;)

 

I'll take a look, though I think it will take some time for me to get used to it.

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No, but if you have 4GB or RAM, 32-bit OS will only see 3GB

 

The physical address extension limitation is well known, however when recommending x64 as a purchase decision(as you seem to be) some details need to be made clear. At the moment, the benefits of x64 can only be seen in very specific contexts - most of these meaning naught for the average user/gamer:

 

*niche applications (video editing/animation/computational)

*multiple client server setup

*multiple OS virtualisation

 

x64 is 'the future' but most devs are not coding for it just now. Same goes for games. The overwhelming popularity of Vista x64 among the enthusiast crowd comes from the magic trick that is the x86 compatibility layer.

 

Have a look at the 'Program files' folders from my very own vista x64 rig.. There are hardly any aplications running in x64 mode/utilising the x64 registry

 

x64atitsbest.jpg

 

One day, proper x64 computing will get here.. but not quite yet :p

 

There's no way to get those back in Vista/7.

 

organise>layout>menu bar>view>status bar.

 

Im pretty sure they've removed the free disk space info, and reported that instead in your drive menu. Alternatively you can use the drive space gadget or a third party applet like cubicexplorer, to give you that info as you flit about between directories.

 

To tell truth, I myself never even noticed it was missing :p

 

mtfbwya

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