Windows 7 - The new XP

[Fuzzfas]

I have installed Windows 7 x64 Professional. At last i can say that the heir of Windows XP is here. The only advantage i find in XP now, is the... folders. They look much more tidy and the preview of media files takes like no time, while in 7 it's a long nightmare.


Things that i like in 7:

- The number of default running services is already contained (about 40). Even after consulting Black Viper's guide, one can see that from running services, there aren't many that need disabling out of the box.

- The new taskbar with ability to pin down buttons. Say goodbye to things like Object Dock, Rocket Dock, etc. You don't need them.

- Ready to use Weather Gadget. After Singer's Weather Live had gone payware, this is a relief.

- My internet connections works faster than XP. I had observed the same in Vista. Really better browsing experience.

- Defragmenter that uses multi-pass technique and "consolidation". Auto-defrag in background.

- Aero shake, peek, snap and "show desktop" button on taskbar. They are cosy.

- Windows Media Player 12. If it only had the volume mouse wheel control too. Anyway, i decided not to install 3rd party player, it's very good and you can use the 64bit version as default. Very fast and and quite light.

- Good hardware support. All my hardware except for printer and scanner, worked with pre-installed drivers. The other 2 worked with Vista drivers.

- No need for wallpaper manager. You can set to rotate wallpapers at specified time intervalls.

- Built-in 2 way firewall.

- The "Backup" utility. It can create "system drive image" and "recovery boot CD". Which means, you don't really need 3rd party imaging software (not sure if all versions have this feature), although size compression seems not the strong point (the image is approximately 45-50% of the original size). But for someone who doesn't want to clutter his system with 3rd party tools, it's a viable alternative.

- 64bit native applications do run faster.

- It now has native DVD playback and burning ability.

- Integrated search can spare you the clicks for going to contro panel.

- With the exception of file preview, i don't see much difference in snappiness with XP when opening folders. As a mattter of fact, i didn't feel the need to reduce the visual effects, which is surprising to me.

- It's prettier.

- It's lighter than Vista and it doesn't "feel" slower than XP.


* The bad:

- No email client.(One can download Windows Live Essentials, but after reading the EULA about privacy, i went with Thunderbird).

- The preview of media files is much slower.

- Some folder views are simply confusing.

- The photo slideshow forces all photos to fit the screen, on XP you could maintain their original dimensions.

- Movie Maker, which on XP was default, isn't in Win7 anymore, but you can download Movie Maker 2.6 as standalone program.

- Media codecs are a bit trickier for x64, FFDShow doesn't work properly, you need Win7 Shark's Codecs.

- Program uninstalling keeps leaving garbage behind. I wish MS had done her own "Revo uninstaller" built in Windows.

- Many security programs won't work.

- Some x86 programs won't work too, but the good thing is that it usually alerts you about it in time.



Hardcore XP fans, yes, it's time to move on! And if you have 4GB of RAM, then going x64 is the way to go. If not for anything else, Win 7 gives you the chance to get rid of various 3rd programs, which at least in my case, makes the system feel lighter.


* For die-hard XP Fans who won't surrender (yes, Bellgamin, you know it's you), a chance to "feel" a bit like Win 7 in XP.

Aero Snap for XP
http://www.aerosnap.de/eng/download.htm

Aero Shake for XP

http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/11/Aero_Shake.exe

Aero Peek for XP

http://fogelsoft.extra.hu/progs/aeropeek.zip

Thumbnail preview for XP taskbar:

http://www.visualtasktips.com/

OR

http://www.chrisnsoft.com/visual-tooltip/

Win7 Taskbar for XP (pin down experimental).

http://sbar.codeplex.com/Release/ProjectReleases.aspx?ReleaseId=30731


Note: I 've only used the Visual Tasktips myself on XP, they work.

Make the transition guys, this is going to be the next XP, so you 've ensured a long future with it, just like XP did.



PS: If you have a dual core, with 4GB RAM and a dx9 capable video card, go for 64bit!

[Franklin]

-{ Quote: "
* The bad:

- No email client.(One can download Windows Live Essentials, but after reading the EULA about privacy, i went with Thunderbird).
" }-
Yep, seems way snappier than Vista.

In regards to Windows Mail it's folder seems to be in the Programs Folder and I did manage to get it up and running?

[Fuzzfas]

-{ Quote: "Yep, seems way snappier than Vista.

In regards to Windows Mail it's folder seems to be in the Programs Folder and I did manage to get it up and running?" }-

I do have the folder too, both in 64 and x86 programs list, but, AFAIK, there is only an "import tool" (migration tool) for your settings from previous Live Mail (i presume for Vista users that upgraded).

http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/3070/58915210.png

Maybe you upgraded from Vista , so you have Live Mail ready? I did clean install (and i am doing a new one again today, to get rid of some programs that don't run well on x64 Win7 and aren't uninstalled correctly).

[Franklin]

Winmail.exe is there as well but hidden and seems to be disabled?

Delete the whole Windows Mail folder then c+p the same folder over from Vista then associate .mapimail with Winmail.exe.

Can't remember if I had to take control before being able to delete?

If you don't set the association you can receive but can't send.

Well at least it's sending/receiving fine here now.

[Fuzzfas]

-{ Quote: "Winmail.exe is there as well but hidden and seems to be disabled? " }-

I have the "Show hidden files enabled", but there is no winmail.exe there...

-{ Quote: "
Delete the whole Windows Mail folder then c+p the same folder over from Vista then associate .mapimail with Winmail.exe. " }-

That should probably do the trick in deed. But i don't have Vista. One can however still install Windows Live Mail from Windows Live Essentials. But the EULA is a bit scary.

-{ Quote: "
Can't remember if I had to take control before being able to delete?

If you don't set the association you can receive but can't send.

Well at least it's sending/receiving fine here now." }-

It's certain that Windows Live Mail works in 7 too. Cause it's in Windows Live Essentials, available for download. But i don't think it exists native in 7 anymore...


http://devoracles.com/no-native-mail-client-on-windows-7-what-now

[Franklin]

-{ Quote: "I have the "Show hidden files enabled", but there is no winmail.exe there..." }-
Windows 7 VM where I haven't deleted/replaced the Windows Mail folder and WinMail.exe is there after unticking "Hide protected operating sytem files"

212841

[Fuzzfas]

-{ Quote: "Windows 7 VM where I haven't deleted/replaced the Windows Mail folder and WinMail.exe is there after unticking "Hide protected operating sytem files"

212841" }-

You 're right! There is! But when i click the executable, nothing happens... Why on earth did they put it under system files?

[Franklin]

-{ Quote: "You 're right! There is! But when i click the executable, nothing happens... Why on earth did they put it under system files?" }-
Dunno ???

I've already vLited my Win 7 install anyways and probably another gig of useless data to delete manually and I'll have Win 7 where I want it in getting Ghost images under 2 gig.

212843

[Creer]

-{ Quote: "You 're right! There is! But when i click the executable, nothing happens... Why on earth did they put it under system files?" }-
That's why:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/5481-windows-mail.html

;)

[Fuzzfas]

-{ Quote: "Dunno ???

I've already vLited my Win 7 install anyways and probably another gig of useless data to delete manually and I'll have Win 7 where I want it in getting Ghost images under 2 gig.

212843" }-

Ah, nice. VLite already works with 7? I didn't know that. Good. I will soon make my Vlited version too. As soon as i am positive that i know the basic handling of things in 7.

-{ Quote: "That's why:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials...dows-mail.html" }-

So basically this is useful for folks that upgrade Vista and don't want to lose their data from their Windows Mail. Because it takes much imagination to do that. Oh , and a script. ;D

99% of common mortals will simply google and find they can dl the windows live mail and that's it.

Although that "Take ownership" script seems useful. I downloaded it , just in case. You never know when it can come handy.

[Fuzzfas]

Guys, does anyone know what's the situation on half-open connection limit in Windows 7? By googling i get contraddictory info. Seems there is no such limit, but i also found a software that removes the limit... ???

[Creer]

-{ Quote: "Guys, does anyone know what's the situation on half-open connection limit in Windows 7? By googling i get contraddictory info. Seems there is no such limit, but i also found a software that removes the limit... ???" }-
Here was a discussion about this:
http://www.sevenforums.com/network-sharing/7164-half-open-limit-fix-windows-7-a.html
and here:
http://www.sevenforums.com/network-sharing/6045-windows-7-tcpip-sys-auto-patcher-remove-tcp-ip-connection-limit.html

[virtumonde]

-{ Quote: "Guys, does anyone know what's the situation on half-open connection limit in Windows 7? By googling i get contraddictory info. Seems there is no such limit, but i also found a software that removes the limit... ???" }-
Don't know either.The developer of a useful program for me TCP Z,that i use for XP,reported that his tool is not needed for windows 7.More info here
http://deepxw.blogspot.com/2009/05/say-bye-to-half-open-tcp-connections.html

Regarding 7 vs xp ,on the same computer,one thing i noticed is that when burning a disc,i was able to do other things also(not that is recomanded to do so),on xp everything was slower during this operation.

[Fuzzfas]

I 've found these discussions too, but i am a bit slow to understand...

So, in May, they say that there is no limit.

Then in June, another program, releases new file:

http://half-open.com/history_en.htm

Which btw, says that i have a limit of 10... I guess i must google further.

EDIT: My mistake, i was using a previous version of the tool. I think this is the definitive answer, after installing Half Open 4.1:

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/3306/39264468.png

One more reason to pass to 7 fellas!

[Fuzzfas]

-{ Quote: "
Regarding 7 vs xp ,on the same computer,one thing i noticed is that when burning a disc,i was able to do other things also(not that is recomanded to do so),on xp everything was slower during this operation." }-

Interesting. I haven't burnt anything yet. As a matter of fact my Ashampoo Burning Studio 9.12 seems to have trouble and i downloaded Burnaware free.

[I no more]

-{ Quote: "I have installed Windows 7 x64 Professional. At last i can say that the heir of Windows XP is here. The only advantage i find in XP now, is the... folders. They look much more tidy and the preview of media files takes like no time, while in 7 it's a long nightmare.


Things that i like in 7:

- The number of default running services is already contained (about 40). Even after consulting Black Viper's guide, one can see that from running services, there aren't many that need disabling out of the box.

- The new taskbar with ability to pin down buttons. Say goodbye to things like Object Dock, Rocket Dock, etc. You don't need them.

- Ready to use Weather Gadget. After Singer's Weather Live had gone payware, this is a relief.

- My internet connections works faster than XP. I had observed the same in Vista. Really better browsing experience.

- Defragmenter that uses multi-pass technique and "consolidation". Auto-defrag in background.

- Aero shake, peek, snap and "show desktop" button on taskbar. They are cosy.

- Windows Media Player 12. If it only had the volume mouse wheel control too. Anyway, i decided not to install 3rd party player, it's very good and you can use the 64bit version as default. Very fast and and quite light.

- Good hardware support. All my hardware except for printer and scanner, worked with pre-installed drivers. The other 2 worked with Vista drivers.

- No need for wallpaper manager. You can set to rotate wallpapers at specified time intervalls.

- Built-in 2 way firewall.

- The "Backup" utility. It can create "system drive image" and "recovery boot CD". Which means, you don't really need 3rd party imaging software (not sure if all versions have this feature), although size compression seems not the strong point (the image is approximately 45-50% of the original size). But for someone who doesn't want to clutter his system with 3rd party tools, it's a viable alternative.

- 64bit native applications do run faster.

- It now has native DVD playback and burning ability.

- Integrated search can spare you the clicks for going to contro panel.

- With the exception of file preview, i don't see much difference in snappiness with XP when opening folders. As a mattter of fact, i didn't feel the need to reduce the visual effects, which is surprising to me.

- It's prettier.

- It's lighter than Vista and it doesn't "feel" slower than XP.






Hardcore XP fans, yes, it's time to move on! And if you have 4GB of RAM, then going x64 is the way to go. If not for anything else, Win 7 gives you the chance to get rid of various 3rd programs, which at least in my case, makes the system feel lighter.
" }-



I always get jumped on for these types of posts, but I'll do it anyway. Microsoft has released two operating systems since XP, and yet, XP isn't obsolete (not by a long shot). Nothing you've listed is even a reason to create one new OS above XP, much less two. And your thread title pretty much sums up how I feel.

Anything/everything in Windows 7 not present in XP could probably be added by a service pack or third-party software. I don't care at all about visual effects except for how to get rid of them (even if they don't slow down my OS). They're simply a distraction to me. Yeah, I'm sure I'll switch eventually, when I can't find hardware to support XP. I like to have a good reason for doing something rather than it's new and shiny. It'll take a long time understand a new OS the way I understand XP. And switching all of my apps would be a nightmare. I may get jumped on for this to, but it's been my experience that switching to a new OS is always easier for people without a huge depth of involvement in an OS (i.e. casual users or newbies).


And if I don't think Windows 7 has at least 5 years of supremacy, forget about it. This can't be another Vista. I would really prefer not to see another OS from Microsoft until late 2014 or 2015. Otherwise I'll wait for the next one.

End of old man rant. You young whippersnappers can talk about your Aero now. Time for my nap.

[HKEY1952]

-{ Quote: "I always get jumped on for these types of posts, but I'll do it anyway. Microsoft has released two operating systems since XP, and yet, XP isn't obsolete (not by a long shot). Nothing you've listed is even a reason to create one new OS above XP, much less two. And your thread title pretty much sums up how I feel.

Anything/everything in Windows 7 not present in XP could probably be added by a service pack or third-party software. I don't care at all about visual effects except for how to get rid of them (even if they don't slow down my OS). They're simply a distraction to me. Yeah, I'm sure I'll switch eventually, when I can't find hardware to support XP. I like to have a good reason for doing something rather than it's new and shiny. It'll take a long time understand a new OS the way I understand XP. And switching all of my apps would be a nightmare. I may get jumped on for this to, but it's been my experience that switching to a new OS is always easier for people without a huge depth of involvement in an OS (i.e. casual users or newbies).


And if I don't think Windows 7 has at least 5 years of supremacy, forget about it. This can't be another Vista. I would really prefer not to see another OS from Microsoft until late 2014 or 2015. Otherwise I'll wait for the next one.

End of old man rant. You young whippersnappers can talk about your Aero now. Time for my nap." }-

My sentiments exactly.....very well stated.....:thumb:


HKEY1952

[loli22]

same thing for me regarding my workstation, the OS is xp64 and the softwares i use are certified for mainly Windows XP SP2, XP64 and Linux CentOS 4.5, i dont see myself upgrading the os at least for the next year, saying that doesn't mean windows 7 is useless or crap or anything like that. in fact my laptop wich i use for internet, emails...i got windows 7 RTM and i must say i like it far better than xp (i've never used vista).
my point is, if your living depends on wich OS you use, it's strongly advised against an upgrade (corporate, professionals) otherwise i strongly advise for an upgrade.

[ASpace]

-{ Quote: "Microsoft has released two operating systems since XP, and yet, XP isn't obsolete (not by a long shot). Nothing you've listed is even a reason to create one new OS above XP, much less two. And your thread title pretty much sums up how I feel.

Anything/everything in Windows 7 not present in XP could probably be added by a service pack or third-party software. I don't care at all about visual effects except for how to get rid of them (even if they don't slow down my OS). They're simply a distraction to me. Yeah, I'm sure I'll switch eventually, when I can't find hardware to support XP. I like to have a good reason for doing something rather than it's new and shiny. It'll take a long time understand a new OS the way I understand XP. And switching all of my apps would be a nightmare. I may get jumped on for this to, but it's been my experience that switching to a new OS is always easier for people without a huge depth of involvement in an OS (i.e. casual users or newbies).


And if I don't think Windows 7 has at least 5 years of supremacy, forget about it. This can't be another Vista. I would really prefer not to see another OS from Microsoft until late 2014 or 2015. Otherwise I'll wait for the next one." }-

-{ Quote: "Couldn't agree more." }-

+1

Although I have pre-ordered Windows 7 , although I have Windows Vista , although we have installed a lot of Vistas , if we have to be serious there lis nothing better than XP . It has absolutely everything one may need . It is light on resourse , it can be installed on either very old and very new computers . If there is a need of something additional , the human beings have created so much 3rd party software that one can't even count . There are plenty of improvements in Windows Vista/7 such as better quality of picture/views , regarding security (core protection , rights limitations/UAC,improved firewall , integrated antispyware), easier and faster installation BUT overall XP seems better. I also agree with the statement that (if not all) most improvements can be added to XP with a SP but it must be underlined that SPs are free , new OS versions are not free . Microsoft have no profit from free SPs .

[lodore]

I like windows 7. it has somethings ive wanted from windows for ages.
I got a retail license for my desktop for £45 as a preorder and my new dell laptop has an upgrade to windows 7 home premium so im getting that as well.
Normally i dont look forward to windows releases but this time i am.

im hoping people finaly use a modern OS on there new computers.... XP is 8 years old and does have some issues that never got fixed. since SP1 i havent had problems with vista. 7 works great without a service pack. i think microsoft is finally learning and shipping a product that works well from day 1. wonder if they will do the same with the next office etc.

[Creer]

-{ Quote: "I like windows 7. it has somethings ive wanted from windows for ages.
I got a retail license for my desktop for £45 as a preorder and my new dell laptop has an upgrade to windows 7 home premium so im getting that as well.
Normally i dont look forward to windows releases but this time i am.

im hoping people finaly use a modern OS on there new computers.... XP is 8 years old and does have some issues that never got fixed. since SP1 i havent had problems with vista. 7 works great without a service pack. i think microsoft is finally learning and shipping a product that works well from day 1. wonder if they will do the same with the next office etc." }-
+1.
Totally agree.

[JohnnyDollar]

-{ Quote: "Dunno ???

I've already vLited my Win 7 install anyways and probably another gig of useless data to delete manually and I'll have Win 7 where I want it in getting Ghost images under 2 gig.

212843" }-

If you used vlite and removed parts of the os that you didn't want, don't be surprised if you can't install sp1 when it is released.

-{ Quote: "When you try to install Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2), you receive the following error message:Service Pack installation cannot continue
One or more system components that the service pack requires are missing.


This problem occurs because system components that are required to install Windows Vista SP2 are not present on your computer.

However, a common reason for this problem is that the vLite software was used to customize the Windows Vista installation and some required system components were removed." }-

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/968279

I imagine the same will hold true for Win7 when the service packs are released.

[Fuzzfas]

-{ Quote: "I always get jumped on for these types of posts, but I'll do it anyway. Microsoft has released two operating systems since XP, and yet, XP isn't obsolete (not by a long shot). Nothing you've listed is even a reason to create one new OS above XP, much less two. And your thread title pretty much sums up how I feel.

Anything/everything in Windows 7 not present in XP could probably be added by a service pack or third-party software. I don't care at all about visual effects except for how to get rid of them (even if they don't slow down my OS). They're simply a distraction to me. Yeah, I'm sure I'll switch eventually, when I can't find hardware to support XP. I like to have a good reason for doing something rather than it's new and shiny. It'll take a long time understand a new OS the way I understand XP. And switching all of my apps would be a nightmare. I may get jumped on for this to, but it's been my experience that switching to a new OS is always easier for people without a huge depth of involvement in an OS (i.e. casual users or newbies).


And if I don't think Windows 7 has at least 5 years of supremacy, forget about it. This can't be another Vista. I would really prefer not to see another OS from Microsoft until late 2014 or 2015. Otherwise I'll wait for the next one.

End of old man rant. You young whippersnappers can talk about your Aero now. Time for my nap." }-


It's all right, i love XP too. I consider XP very efficient. I still miss the tidy folder view of XP. But, it will be phased out and if you have more than 3GB RAM and want to actually use them, then win 7 x 64 becomes the natural solution.

It's also true, that MS could have simply added features to XP. But of course that would be bad for business... XP was too good for his era...

I too would have prefered to stay with XP forever. But, since it will eventually be less supported, better move to its successor and enjoy it since the beginning.

Besides, i got Win7 Pro for free thanks to my univ, so why not go for it? I have 4GB RAM and it flies. I could add 4 more right away, but i don't feel the need...

Anyway, long live XP! Probably it will remain the most successful OS release in MS history for a long time to come.

[Fuzzfas]

This is a handy site for those who migrate to x64 and wonder what applications they could use:

http://www.start64.com/index.php

[Fuzzfas]

-{ Quote: "
Regarding 7 vs xp ,on the same computer,one thing i noticed is that when burning a disc,i was able to do other things also(not that is recomanded to do so),on xp everything was slower during this operation." }-

Now i can confirm. Actually in XP, when inserting a DVD in the drive or when preparing to burn a DVD, my whole system would freeze for several seconds. This is not the case anymore in Win 7.

[Aaron Here]

-{ Quote: "Now i can confirm. Actually in XP, when inserting a DVD in the drive or when preparing to burn a DVD, my whole system would freeze for several seconds. This is not the case anymore in Win 7." }-
Fuzz, there's something strange going on in your XP ...we have 3 XP machines here and none of them behave like that.

Win 7 seems to be a smart upgrade for Vista users, as most of them already have a somewhat robust PC. But for those of us with older P4 machines with a gig of RAM (or even less) and legacy graphics cards, there's no considering Win 7 (even if I could think of a good reason to do so). ;)

[Fuzzfas]

-{ Quote: "Fuzz, there's something strange going on in your XP ...we have 3 XP machines here and none of them behave like that." }-

Yes. The strange is that with newer hardware, i haven't had so much easy time with XP. For me each OS is best when it's dealing with hardware of its generation. After that, drivers trouble start.

- In my previous motherboard (i 've changed a lot of configurations), i was getting an error for the infrared device. There isn't a reason to do that really and MS doesn't have a cause. The fix is to manually add a registry entry to the registry of live with the event viewer full of errors.

http://alexwho.com/2007/07/event-id-7026-i8042prt-fails-to-load-on.html

(The "cause" of this error, is absurd, but for me shows the "age" of XP. Of course back in 2002, it was unimaginable not having ps2 keyboard and mouse and a motherboard with IR port was exotic...).

- It's notorious among Realtek HD users, a problem with successive versions of their HD audio drivers for XP in some configurations . Not all had it, i had it. Brand new mohterboard BSODing randomly. The cure came out only after many drivers update. Why? Probably incompatibility with older drivers of other devices... You know how XP is. One software can brake the other.



- In my current motherboard in XP, installation of "My Lockbox", would disable the audio driver. Tried everything, even freshly installed XP. Nothing. The only cure is not to install it.

- In XP running Optidrive control's quality test while emuling, results in emule going down to almost 0 in download. Why? Because probably the SATA drivers for XP aren't so happy with my SATA burner and interfere with GLAN's driver or simply my chipset doesn't like that driver combo... For the same reason, when expecting to open a dvd in XP , there is a lag after i see the icon. While no in 7. And then the freeze when buffering the and spinning up for dvd burning in XP. I changed software in 7, but i can't help thinking that SATA controller works better in 7, without me adding the driver myself.

Hardware and drivers are a matter of luck.



-{ Quote: "
Win 7 seems to be a smart upgrade for Vista users, as most of them already have a somewhat robust PC. But for those of us with older P4 machines with a gig of RAM (or even less) and legacy graphics cards, there's no considering Win 7 (even if I could think of a good reason to do so). ;)" }-

You 're probably right. I use an onboard VGA too, but it's a recent one (HD 3300 ATI) and i get the lowest performance score there (3.9). With older ones, probably aero will be (or should be) disabled.

[Creer]

-{ Quote: "(...)
But for those of us with older P4 machines with a gig of RAM (or even less) and legacy graphics cards, there's no considering Win 7 (even if I could think of a good reason to do so). ;)" }-
Hi Aaron,

I have in home second 'test' machine with this configuration:
CPU: Pentium 4 2.4GHz
RAM: 1,5GB
GPU: Radeon 9250 ('oldie' graphic card - no aero effect)
HDD: 40GB ATA Seagate

... and Windows 7 RC1, works very well on this PC.
Also when I was testing Win7 RC1 on my virtual machine I shared only 512MB RAM for that, and it still worked good.

[chrome_sturmen]

For those who see no reason to stop using windows xp, but yet may be tired of seeing the same old desktop, themes, icon packs etc, check out this site:

"Transform Windows XP into Windows 7 without using Customization Pack"

http://www.askvg.com/transform-windows-XP-into-windows-7-without-using-customization-pack/

I'm running xp on one of my laptops and thought i'd try the things described in the guides - they turned out to work really well, I changed the icons to those of windows 7, the desktop theme to windows 7, the boot screen, logon and shutdown to those of windows 7. It's pretty interesting to see something new on this laptop without actually changing the operating system. *puppy*

[Fuzzfas]

-{ Quote: " It's pretty interesting to see something new on this laptop without actually changing the operating system. *puppy*" }-

In deed! Myself i can already see me switching back and forth between XP and 7 64bit, just for the change. ;D To tell the truth, although 64bit is a viable option already, i do miss some software that doesn't work properly (First Defence PC Rescue for once) and there is also the fact of limited support from software native for 64bit. Most of my programs i use on 64bit are still x86. There isn't even a Flash Player x64 plug in around, meaning you can't use IExplorer x64, which is a shame. Until x64 becomes mainstream, XP will be good.

[Aaron Here]

-{ Quote: "Hi Aaron,

I have in home second 'test' machine with this configuration:
CPU: Pentium 4 2.4GHz
RAM: 1,5GB
GPU: Radeon 9250 ('oldie' graphic card - no aero effect)
HDD: 40GB ATA Seagate

... and Windows 7 RC1, works very well on this PC.
Also when I was testing Win7 RC1 on my virtual machine I shared only 512MB RAM for that, and it still worked good." }-
Creer, that's interesting - but hard to believe that 7 would run nearly as fast as XP in that box!

[Aaron Here]

-{ Quote: "For those who see no reason to stop using windows xp, but yet may be tired of seeing the same old desktop, themes, icon packs etc, check out this site:

"Transform Windows XP into Windows 7 without using Customization Pack"

http://www.askvg.com/transform-windows-XP-into-windows-7-without-using-customization-pack/

I'm running xp on one of my laptops and thought i'd try the things described in the guides - they turned out to work really well, I changed the icons to those of windows 7, the desktop theme to windows 7, the boot screen, logon and shutdown to those of windows 7. It's pretty interesting to see something new on this laptop without actually changing the operating system. *puppy*" }-
Hey chrome, what are the specs of that laptop? Have you noticed any 'performance hit' after the transformation?

[Creer]

-{ Quote: "Creer, that's interesting - but hard to believe that 7 would run nearly as fast as XP in that box!" }-
Yeah I know what you mean but honestly I was surprised also how 7 works on this machine. I didn't noticed any slowdowns. Probably XP could works a little bit faster but hey its 8 yrs old OS and parts from this computer has ~6 years old. Summary It's not so bad. Always you can try (90days trial) it by self and check how 7 works for you.:thumb:

[Aaron Here]

-{ Quote: "Yeah I know what you mean but honestly I was surprised also how 7 works on this machine. I didn't noticed any slowdowns. Probably XP could works a little bit faster but hey its 8 yrs old OS and parts from this computer has ~6 years old. Summary It's not so bad. Always you can try (90days trial) it by self and check how 7 works for you.:thumb:" }-
While that might be tempting, I just don't see any valid reason for me to abandon XP and make yet another deposit into Gates/Balmer's bank account. ;)

[Creer]

-{ Quote: "While that might be tempting, I just don't see any valid reason for me to abandon XP and make yet another deposit into Gates/Balmer's bank account. ;)" }-
That's OK I just thought - from your previous posts, that you would like to change your current OS but you not sure if your computer can handle 7 :)

Cheers,

[chrome_sturmen]

-{ Quote: "Hey chrome, what are the specs of that laptop? Have you noticed any 'performance hit' after the transformation?" }-

aaron - that laptop is a 1.9 processor, 1.5 gigs ram. there's no difference really in performance, because the changes i made were just cosmetic, i used a windows 7 theme, changed the icons and boot screen, and these things just dont affect performance per se. that laptop is a bit dated and it's best i think to keep windows xp on it till its (the laptops) end of life.

[Fuzzfas]

The worst thing in 7 is this dwm.exe, which basically is the desktop manager and handles the visual effects. It sucks CPU cycles all the time... I disabled some useless animations, even disabled transparencies, but kept going. So turned transparencies back on, kept animations off.

Damn you aero! (but it's nice!)

[Fuzzfas]

-{ Quote: "While that might be tempting, I just don't see any valid reason for me to abandon XP and make yet another deposit into Gates/Balmer's bank account. ;)" }-

In fact as long as you find hardware drivers for XP and you are not a gamer, i can't see any urgent reason to upgrade. (Other than helping mother MS get over the economic crisis easier ;D ).

[tgell]

-{ Quote: "Originally Posted by Fuzzfas
In fact as long as you find hardware drivers for XP and you are not a gamer, i can't see any urgent reason to upgrade. (Other than helping mother MS get over the economic crisis easier )." }-

And also don't forget that the RIAA will also rejoice that everybody is going over to an operating system that is full of DRM crap. Hell, look how hard it is to get stereomix on some Vista laptops now (HP and Compaq especially). Downgrade to XP and POOF!, its back. Also, In this economy, I don't think you will see too many IT departments willing to spend the time and money to upgrade all those P4 machines out there, especially if they already have everything locked down, security wise. People in a company don't even get into the OS. Turn on the machine and start the program. That's it. Can you see a person at their desktop trying to get into XP mode in order to run an incompatible program? With security updates available until 2014 for XP, I am still a happy camper, especially since I really don't need the latest and greatest eye candy. XP was indeed a great operating system before it's time; already eight years old and counting.

[YeOldeStonecat]

-{ Quote: "Creer, that's interesting - but hard to believe that 7 would run nearly as fast as XP in that box!" }-

We put Win7 on one of our service department techs older computers, a Dell Optiplex super small form factor. It is an early Pentium 4 HyperThread...2.6 GHz I believe, and only 1 gig of RAM. Onboard Intel video. Yes...not even a dual core Pentium, and only 1 gig of RAM. It ran XP on it for years, very cleanly kept...always ran great.

Windows 7 runs better!!!

I think they hit a home run with Windows 7, I have installed it on 2 of my rigs so far. Fantastic on my laptop which was running Vista, runs so much snappier than Vista, and hibernation 'n all that work 100%.

[Tarnak]

Sticking with XP into the foreseeable future. Perhaps, when I buy my next computer it will be Windows 8, and great, hopefully. ;D

[Fuzzfas]

-{ Quote: "And also don't forget that the RIAA will also rejoice that everybody is going over to an operating system that is full of DRM crap. Hell, look how hard it is to get stereomix on some Vista laptops now (HP and Compaq especially). Downgrade to XP and POOF!, its back. Also, In this economy, I don't think you will see too many IT departments willing to spend the time and money to upgrade all those P4 machines out there, especially if they already have everything locked down, security wise. People in a company don't even get into the OS. Turn on the machine and start the program. That's it. Can you see a person at their desktop trying to get into XP mode in order to run an incompatible program? With security updates available until 2014 for XP, I am still a happy camper, especially since I really don't need the latest and greatest eye candy. XP was indeed a great operating system before it's time; already eight years old and counting." }-

You 're right about DRM, but i am afraid the future Windows releases will only get uglier to that end... For me, it's better to have Win7 as an heir to XP for many years to come than the heir of Win 7, whenever that comes.

There is also certainly problem with several applications running in Win7 x64.

-Ashampoo burning studio 9.12 doesn't run.
-Fastone screencapture 5.3 (the last freeware version), can't capture scrolling window.
- FFDshow can't become default decoder for WMP, because Win 7 has locked down the decoders and uses its own by default. You need 3rd party "intelligent" player like MPC-HC. Which i don't like in its interface.
- Pop Tray won't run.
- Pop Peeper crashes.
- Game NO CD Patches have problems if they use 16bit (happened to me already).

And the list goes on. Personally i see this in a similar way as you, the timing being different. I upgraded my PC a few months ago. So i don't think i will go for Win 8, which will certainly be heavier and stick with 7 for many years to come. It's hard that MS repeats the miracle of releasing an OS (Win7) which is lighter than its predecessor (Vista) and almost as light (if you disable aero) as its "grandfather" (XP). Plus it has a modern interface and eye candy, that should keep one happy for years.
In your case, since you plan PC upgrade later on, yes, getting Win8 while you wait with XP is logical.


-{ Quote: "We put Win7 on one of our service department techs older computers, a Dell Optiplex super small form factor. It is an early Pentium 4 HyperThread...2.6 GHz I believe, and only 1 gig of RAM. Onboard Intel video. Yes...not even a dual core Pentium, and only 1 gig of RAM. It ran XP on it for years, very cleanly kept...always ran great.

Windows 7 runs better!!!

I think they hit a home run with Windows 7, I have installed it on 2 of my rigs so far. Fantastic on my laptop which was running Vista, runs so much snappier than Vista, and hibernation 'n all that work 100%." }-

If one disables the Aero theme, i think it can run on almost any PC that XP runs on. Well, over 1Ghz. It's in deed very well made.
Almost all processes i have are always at 0% CPU except for that wdm.exe that handles aero that keeps eating CPU all the time.

[Fuzzfas]

Well, seems that through Shark's config utility i can make FFdshow work, but only in WMPx32 . In WMPx64 i can make it work for H264 but not for AVIs. Hopefully the x64 issue will be fixed. But now i am happy i got rid of WMP's default ultrasmoothing postprocessing and i can again apply my beloved unsharp mask from ffdshow. :thumb:

[demonon]

I will be buying Windows 7 as soon as it hits the market here.
The only downside I see is that I will be buying the x64 version and that might give some problems because I am not familiar with Windows x64.
As long as Windows 7 runs as great as the betas and the RC's I think it will be a decent OS.

[Fuzzfas]

-{ Quote: "I will be buying Windows 7 as soon as it hits the market here.
The only downside I see is that I will be buying the x64 version and that might give some problems because I am not familiar with Windows x64.
As long as Windows 7 runs as great as the betas and the RC's I think it will be a decent OS." }-

Well, there are some things that look "weird" when you first run x64 (like having 2 program folders, 2 IEs, 2 WMPs) , but once you learn which programs are incompatible, it's not much different than x32.


Use the stickies here as guideline, although some of the "compatible" software for Win 7 , haven't proved compatible to my Win7 x64 or were unstable.

http://www.sevenforums.com/software/

[cortez]

The good thing about Vista and Windows 7 is that I am being given multiple versions of XP retail by family members and friends who better enjoy Vista or Windows 7 to XP!!

This free windfall was earned by helping them with problems with XP thru out the years and as I am considered an "oldtimer" ( in simple terms an XP veteran) --- thus I get the old stuff!!!

To my needs and habits, XP has everything I need and see no need (other than experimentation and curiosity) to spend more money on OS's that I do not need (wanting is a completely different subject).

I do want to get Vista and Windows 7 but my older machines still work (Damm those added ventilation fans [ yes I was forewarned that these would double the life of my machines!!!]) and I am hesitant to buy new machines simply due to WANT.

Perhaps Dual processor machines will also be "donated to the old timer" (that is me ) and I can get at least "Vista" to see what their enthusiasm is all about.

Sometimes being a senior citizen has its perks!!! ;D

[aigle]

-{ Quote: "The good thing about Vista and Windows 7 is that I am being given multiple versions of XP retail by family members and friends who better enjoy Vista or Windows 7 to XP!!" }-That,s really nice.

[tgell]

-{ Quote: "The good thing about Vista and Windows 7 is that I am being given multiple versions of XP retail by family members and friends who better enjoy Vista or Windows 7 to XP!!

This free windfall was earned by helping them with problems with XP thru out the years and as I am considered an "oldtimer" ( in simple terms an XP veteran) --- thus I get the old stuff!!!

To my needs and habits, XP has everything I need and see no need (other than experimentation and curiosity) to spend more money on OS's that I do not need (wanting is a completely different subject).

I do want to get Vista and Windows 7 but my older machines still work (Damm those added ventilation fans [ yes I was forewarned that these would double the life of my machines!!!]) and I am hesitant to buy new machines simply due to WANT.

Perhaps Dual processor machines will also be "donated to the old timer" (that is me ) and I can get at least "Vista" to see what their enthusiasm is all about.

Sometimes being a senior citizen has its perks!!! ;D" }-

My grandfather lived through the Great Depression and always told me buy what you need and not always what you want. I will be staying with Xp until my ancient machine dies, since it does what I need it to do. No gamer here. ;D

[BlueZannetti]

-{ Quote: "My grandfather lived through the Great Depression and always told me buy what you need and not always what you want. I will be staying with Xp until my ancient machine dies, since it does what I need it to do. No gamer here. ;D" }-Basically the same here. I ran the Win7 RC's on my machines are it worked fine, even great. However... Upgrade cost is an issue. I didn't even blink at jumping on Snow Leopard and ordering a copy prerelease for my MacBook. That cost was at an impulse level purchase. If the window on the prerelease order upgrade of Win7 had been longer, I may have considered it. I may have gone for it if Win7 Pro was around $60-75, but for multiple machines even the prerelease Home Premium preorder was adding up and looking a bit costly for the return.
The migration from Win XP is pretty pathetic if they really want people to upgrade. To me, this is the biggest stumbling block. If the benefits were huge..., maybe. However, they're not. They're incremental.
Legacy software - shouldn't be an issue, but it would take some time to verify it.My own bottom line - it's a great OS for a new machine. I'd have no hesitancy jumping for a new machine loaded with Win7. Right now the upgrade from XP or Vista (particularly those of us who have Vista Ultimate and have been pretty much left out in the cold with respect to promised Ultimate features and the cost of the version equivalent Win7 upgrade) to Win 7 is not compelling.

Blue

[Aaron Here]

-{ Quote: "aaron - that laptop is a 1.9 processor, 1.5 gigs ram. there's no difference really in performance, because the changes i made were just cosmetic, i used a windows 7 theme, changed the icons and boot screen, and these things just dont affect performance per se. that laptop is a bit dated and it's best i think to keep windows xp on it till its (the laptops) end of life." }-
Thanks for the feedback c_s ...that does look inviting, so I'll try giving one of my XP machines 'a Win7 makeover' (after first backing-up of course)! On the surface, this appears to be a novel approach for those of us with older WinXP PCs. ;)

[Franklin]

PCWizKids vid.
Windows 7 Vs Vista (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lY0_yIQM8Y&NR=1)

[Osaban]

-{ Quote: "PCWizKids vid.
Windows 7 Vs Vista (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lY0_yIQM8Y&NR=1)" }-
It seems to me that it is more Vista than XP.

[Fuzzfas]

-{ Quote: "It seems to me that it is more Vista than XP." }-

Of course! It's Vista Second Edition. ;D

Anyway, it's all about your video card in how it feels. The main difference that i felt with XP mainly when i tried Vista, was the slow response of opening windows. In 7 this was improved.

But, if you want an XP-ish response feeling in Win 7 , while you want to keep aero's most important features, give a try to my visual effects settings:

http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/1557/27412668.png

Personally i am very satisfied with them. It's as fast as XP was.

I use onboard integrated VGA (ATI HD 3300). If your VGA is too weak, disable aero and then pretty much you have a system that feels like XP without any transparencies.

7 is a good OS. It just needs half decent video card to handle the transparencies.

I 'd say that all in all, it needs less maintenance than XP. I needed less time to do fresh install and configure 7 than XP. And i 've installed XP so many times that i do everything automatically. So that's a good sign for 7.

[Fuzzfas]

And this is one good advantage of 7 over XP and even more if you have x64 version:

It will take advantage of all your RAM , caching it (like Linux does):

http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/3757/61013170.png

(note the Free is to 0 from the 4GB i have installed. Well 4GB - 256 MB which go to the VGA shared memory).

I am thinking of going to 8 GB RAM because of this. I already have the extra RAM modules ready, the only thing keeping me away from it is that i would have to put memory Timing from 1T to 2T.

That's the future gentlemen. I think someone with 7 will be good for many years to come (just like XPers today). It has the eye candy that modern times require, but not too heavy. The next Windows OS will probably be heavier and i can't think of much more it could add to 7 to keep a home user happy.

[Capp]

Any chance Windows 7 included the ability to revert back to the "classic" interface? Like you can do with XP.

I absolutely HATE how vista looks and so far Windows 7 looks identical. It looks retarded. I cannot stand Fisher Price interfaces at all. Animated icons, bouncing windows, gradients, see-through windows, the new start menu, etc.. are all completely useless and do nothing but take up resources. Having a "sidebar" is another useless tool to me as I have always disabled it. I have hated the new look of Windows since the first press conference I attended announcing the upcoming Vista.

If it's not possible to get rid of all the useless graphical "improvements", keep it....I'll stick with XP.

Pardon the rant. ;D

[Fuzzfas]

-{ Quote: "Any chance Windows 7 included the ability to revert back to the "classic" interface? Like you can do with XP.

If it's not possible to get rid of all the useless graphical "improvements", keep it....I'll stick with XP.

Pardon the rant. ;D" }-

You can use classic theme (Win98 like):

http://www.askvg.com/microsoft-windows-seven-bug-report/

You can also use The "basic" theme, which is with no aero,transparencies etc.

I think you can also order the control panel to show icons instead of the current menus.

[Creer]

-{ Quote: "Any chance Windows 7 included the ability to revert back to the "classic" interface? Like you can do with XP.

I absolutely HATE how vista looks and so far Windows 7 looks identical. It looks retarded. I cannot stand Fisher Price interfaces at all. Animated icons, bouncing windows, gradients, see-through windows, the new start menu, etc.. are all completely useless and do nothing but take up resources. Having a "sidebar" is another useless tool to me as I have always disabled it. I have hated the new look of Windows since the first press conference I attended announcing the upcoming Vista.

If it's not possible to get rid of all the useless graphical "improvements", keep it....I'll stick with XP.

Pardon the rant. ;D" }-
You can always choose in settings option:
Adjust for best performance instead of Adjust for best apperance.
after that 7 will looks very similar to oldie XP without Luna.

[Cherub]

I'm getting the upgrade disk since I bought a new computer with Vista in July. I see most everyone thinks a clean install is the way to go, but I was wondering about two things.

1. Since 7 uses the same kernal(i've been told) that Vista uses, would just upgrading be better and possibly without the problems people had from xp to Vista?

2. If I did just upgrade, not clean install and the system was bogging down or I didn't like the way it ran, could I not then do a clean install?

I've never upgraded a OS and a bit wary of doing a clean install. When I download programs and files, I save them all to an external hard drive, not the C:, so not sure what I would have to back up before doing a clean install. I guess it comes down to what is on the C: drive that I would need after switching to 7.

[firzen771]

-{ Quote: "I'm getting the upgrade disk since I bought a new computer with Vista in July. I see most everyone thinks a clean install is the way to go, but I was wondering about two things.

1. Since 7 uses the same kernal(i've been told) that Vista uses, would just upgrading be better and possibly without the problems people had from xp to Vista?

2. If I did just upgrade, not clean install and the system was bogging down or I didn't like the way it ran, could I not then do a clean install?

I've never upgraded a OS and a bit wary of doing a clean install. When I download programs and files, I save them all to an external hard drive, not the C:, so not sure what I would have to back up before doing a clean install. I guess it comes down to what is on the C: drive that I would need after switching to 7." }-

i can personally tell u, ive yet to come across on of my programs that arent working in Win7. compatibility is almost perfect.

[Cherub]

-{ Quote: "i can personally tell u, ive yet to come across on of my programs that arent working in Win7. compatibility is almost perfect." }-

firzen, you mean in just using the upgrade option? That would be a better option for me, just for my sanity. lol

[firzen771]

-{ Quote: "firzen, you mean in just using the upgrade option? That would be a better option for me, just for my sanity. lol" }-

well me i personally did a clean install, so not sure, but every application ive installed has worked fine.

[Osaban]

-{ Quote: "Any chance Windows 7 included the ability to revert back to the "classic" interface? Like you can do with XP.

I absolutely HATE how vista looks and so far Windows 7 looks identical. It looks retarded. I cannot stand Fisher Price interfaces at all. Animated icons, bouncing windows, gradients, see-through windows, the new start menu, etc.. are all completely useless and do nothing but take up resources. Having a "sidebar" is another useless tool to me as I have always disabled it. I have hated the new look of Windows since the first press conference I attended announcing the upcoming Vista.

If it's not possible to get rid of all the useless graphical "improvements", keep it....I'll stick with XP.

Pardon the rant. ;D" }-

Everybody is different, thank God for that! (that is true even if you don't believe in a god). Lately I had the opportunity to see and try a new demo area for Apple computers: The McBooks series is just gorgeous in terms of design, graphics and speed, one can have a raw laboratory computing machine, anonymous, fast, efficient etc... But for some people, looks are as important as performance, and I think MS has finally understood this important factor for many people.

Why don't I go Mac? Too expensive (at least here in Seoul) and... Vista looks good, IMHO!

[lodore]

-{ Quote: "Any chance Windows 7 included the ability to revert back to the "classic" interface? Like you can do with XP.

I absolutely HATE how vista looks and so far Windows 7 looks identical. It looks retarded. I cannot stand Fisher Price interfaces at all. Animated icons, bouncing windows, gradients, see-through windows, the new start menu, etc.. are all completely useless and do nothing but take up resources. Having a "sidebar" is another useless tool to me as I have always disabled it. I have hated the new look of Windows since the first press conference I attended announcing the upcoming Vista.

If it's not possible to get rid of all the useless graphical "improvements", keep it....I'll stick with XP.

Pardon the rant. ;D" }-
tbh i think windows vista and 7 look modern.
windows xp standard theme reminded of fisher price lol.

[Cherub]

-{ Quote: "well me i personally did a clean install, so not sure, but every application ive installed has worked fine." }-


I get what you're saying now.

I know this is a basic level question, but say I do a clean install of 7. Will it search and install drivers on its own and then I could look for updates or would it not install any drivers at all?

And, my semi new computer is HP. It's got all that stuff HP puts on their computers, so my understanding is that all that would be wiped off if I do a clean install. Is that correct? Do you think having that factory installed Vista from HP would cause any trouble in doing a clean install from an upgrade disk?

[lodore]

-{ Quote: "I get what you're saying now.

I know this is a basic level question, but say I do a clean install of 7. Will it search and install drivers on its own and then I could look for updates or would it not install any drivers at all?

And, my semi new computer is HP. It's got all that stuff HP puts on their computers, so my understanding is that all that would be wiped off if I do a clean install. Is that correct? Do you think having that factory installed Vista from HP would cause any trouble in doing a clean install from an upgrade disk?" }-

Hello,
windows will have most of the drivers for the hardware but some it wont. sometimes it will pick up some from windows update.

its best to go to the hp website and download all the drivers for your hard ware and store them somewhere for example usb stick.

yes you would lose all those applications. you may have the discs for some of them and some maybe avaliable from the HP website along with the drivers.

do you have a vista disc from HP? if so i dont think there will be any problems using that.

[Cherub]

-{ Quote: "Hello,
windows will have most of the drivers for the hardware but some it wont. sometimes it will pick up some from windows update.

its best to go to the hp website and download all the drivers for your hard ware and store them somewhere for example usb stick.

yes you would lose all those applications. you may have the discs for some of them and some maybe avaliable from the HP website along with the drivers.

do you have a vista disc from HP? if so i dont think there will be any problems using that." }-


Didn't get a Vista disk but made the "recovery disks" that HP said to make. On the D: drive(it was pre-installed), I have a recovery partition(I think that is what HP calls it). This was new to me, but from what I understand this also has the original Vista setup on it. At the time, I didn't know that HP put this in as part of the installation. So, if I install W7 on the C: drive, I assume that the D: drive would be left alone and would still have all the Vista backups?

I'm just average on all the security stuff I have learned from this site and way below average on stuff like partitions,etc. That's why I was hoping that the upgrade option wouldn't be a bad thing.

But I don't want to have any problems in the future and if a clean install is the best, that's what I want to do.

I know where the drivers are on the HP site, so I can download them there. Like I mentioned, all my software stuff is already saved on an external drive, so I can just add the drivers on that drive.

Most of the HP software isn't necessary, or at least hasn't been to date. Don't think it would be that big of a deal to lose those and might even be a good thing.