Windows 7 worth the upgrade?

[whels]

Skuzzy or anyone,

Is windows 7 worth going from XP or is it a headache like vista.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

Win7 is a definate improvement from Vista but it's still new and works depending on your hardware.

[Tigger29]

It's worth it... and here's why:

1> Technology evolves... as a result hardware does also... and as a result, software and operating systems well need to advance to take advantage of it all.

2> Eventually XP will be obsolete (as sad as it may seem).  Microsoft will cease support, and soon there will be no more updates, security fixes, etc...

3> WIN7 is CHEAP right now.. you can pre-order the upgrade for $50

4> WIN7 is basically all of the good parts of Vista, and few of the bad.  I've been running the RC for awhile and I've come to really like it.

5> I'm really impressed that MS decided to release the Beta and RC versions to the general public for free (at least for several months).  This is a complete
opposite strategy than what they have done in the past... make beta testers run through hoops to get a copy and keep it as secret as possible until they
have time to fully market it for a huge opening...  This way there are few surprises, and people know what they are getting beforehand.

Now until recently.. I was a DIE HARD XP fan.  I have used Vista a bit and it never was a good experience.  I was VERY SKEPTICAL with Win7 going into it, but ended up being pleasantly surprised!  Performance seems very well... Graphics are very nice and it just seems more.. convenient in general!  Even the beta/RC versions have been nothing but completely stable.. in everything...

[BaldEagl]

I'm considering preordering to upgrade my gaming/main machine.  My question is is Win7 Pro worth it vs Home Premium.  I'm running XP Pro now.

[TequilaChaser]

Skuzzy or anyone,

Is windows 7 worth going from XP or is it a headache like vista.

heya whels,  I have had the RC candidate Windows 7 RC 64 bit loaded since early May..........and it simply rocks......

Aces high II Beta even performs just as good if not better than it does on my WinXPpro 32 bit partition.......

have had no major problems at all, only one lil problem and it was with my video driver ( thought I had loaded the catylst 9.4 Ati Driver for windows 7 64 bit, found out it was the very 1st intital released 64 bit driver, swapped it out for the 9.6 and everything runs smooth as a well you know what I mean......it ROCKS )

I will definitely purchase the 64 bit ultimate version when it comes out in the stores..........

you can install the RC ( either 32 bit or 64 bit flavours ) right now and use them for free to get a feel of things to come, check out the other Windows 7  threads. I posted in them where to go and get you a valid technet beta copy & License Key ( microsoft tech site )

or just call me tomorrow  ( or I can call you my dime  if  needed ) and point ya in the right direction........

you gonna love it.......

[MrRiplEy[H]]

As a general rule of thumb you should upgrade the operating system only when you're building a new computer for yourself.

If you already have XP on your old computer getting W7 is just a waste of money really. I run it simply because it was free and OTOH I need to test it as a part of my work profile.

So far I've found two unresolved problems: My Radeon 4830 gets corrupted if I run WMP12 or built in games (chess). The whole screen just fills with garble slowly untill it crashes. Haven't tried a reinstall yet but I will do that.

Another problem with 7 has been that my HP Color Laserjet printer refuses to work with it. No driver support. Other than that it's been smooth as silk.

[Skuzzy]

What Ripley said.

My home box has XP on it.  It will never get changed.  As long as all the applications I need to or want to run, all work reliably on XP, then I see no reason to waste the money on a new OS.  There is nothing in Windows 7, I cannot accomplish in XP.

Whether or not Microsoft release updates to XP is a moot point.  I have downloaded and saved all the updates to date.  Microsoft can fall off the planet tomorrow and I would still be able to bring my XP to the current level it is at today.  The OS is stable at this point.  Or about as stable as any Microsoft OS will ever get.  That said, it is also more vulnerable to being corrupted.

On the other hand, there are compatibility issues with Windows 7.  Older hardware will not work with it.  Printers that are a couple of years old will not work with it.  Many older applications will not work with it.  I have a couple of applications which will not work with Windows 7.  It is impetus enough to keep me from installing it.

Overhead for the sake of overhead never made any sense to me.  Some say it is moving forward.  I say it is wasting resources, but then there are those who seem to think the more bloat the better.  Just because it is newer does not make it better.  It just makes it different.

[Ghosth]

I havn't got much time in it, but from what I've seen so far, its a mixed bag.

Some features I liked, some of the things it does I dislike.

It seems it tends to hide things somewhat like vista.

But overall I think its doable.

[Skuzzy]

It is definitely better than Vista.  Of course,...that is not saying much, given the train wreck Vista is.

[BaldEagl]

Well as some of you know I just finally upgraded my two older machines from Win98 to XP over the past several months so I haven't exactly been one to jump early.  The only real reason I finally did that was that I was scrounging the internet only to find inferior apps that would run on Win98.  I'm sure over an extended period the same will happen to XP and with the preorder deal it's tempting not to get left behind again even if it were just to have the disc for future use.  Anyway, that's my motivation.  I just wish I knew if Pro was worth the extra vs Home.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

Well as some of you know I just finally upgraded my two older machines from Win98 to XP over the past several months so I haven't exactly been one to jump early.  The only real reason I finally did that was that I was scrounging the internet only to find inferior apps that would run on Win98.  I'm sure over an extended period the same will happen to XP and with the preorder deal it's tempting not to get left behind again even if it were just to have the disc for future use.  Anyway, that's my motivation.  I just wish I knew if Pro was worth the extra vs Home.

Pro supports windows domains, Home does not. So for home use getting pro is a waste of money.

[Irwink!]

Pro supports windows domains, Home does not. So for home use getting pro is a waste of money.

That's not the only difference. There's also XP virtualization and built in backup imaging in Pro that aren't in the Home version. While that may not be important to you it might be to others.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/products/compare-editions

[Tigger29]

That's not the only difference. There's also XP virtualization and built in backup imaging in Pro that aren't in the Home version. While that may not be important to you it might be to others.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/products/compare-editions

I'm a bit confused over the whole virtualization thing... I'm assuming it might be nice for some companies that might have some old legacy software but is the average home user ever really going to need it?  Aces High obviously doesn't need it.. I have a few old games sitting in a desk drawer somewhere that I never could get to work right even with XP, but they're obviously not important, being that they are sitting in a desk drawer...

And on top of that, it would seem to me that someone is going to create software based virtualization software (emulator) anyway which might hinder performance.. but then again we're looking at legacy software on modern hardware...

So how necessary is it really going to be?

[Irwink!]

I'm a bit confused over the whole virtualization thing...

So how necessary is it really going to be?

Once again it might not be important to you personally. It certainly isn't necessary for everyone. XP virtualization is not going to be good for any kind of intensive gaming anyway. It's geared more to legacy productivity applications. Maybe it doesn't matter to you. Maybe it might matter to others. The point is that the ability to join a domain environment is not the only difference. The built in imaging is nice and is one of the nice features already available in the higher level versions of the "evil" Vista. While I haven't investigated the intricate details of Win 7 Pro vs. Home I also fully expect there are more administrative options available in the Pro version just like XP and Vista. The bottom line is what's important to each individual. Just know ALL the differences before you decide. By all means if you all you want to do is run AHII or check Twiiter and Facebook then buy the cheapest thing out there - but only when you're forced to retire the old box or AHII or other needed applications require it. No home user needs to move to Win 7 or Vista just because they're available. Not yet.

[Chalenge]

Now I have a question. Is buying a new MB CPU and RAM going to be considered a 'new computer' so I can have the OS for nothing?