Anyone still running Windows 7?

Benjamin King2 said:Nah, you aren't gonna get a better picture. What do you mean by "Windows XP can't do HD"?!? 😕

alright fine. if Windows XP can't handle HD then just go on YouTube and play an HD video and see how much pixelation or blockiness you get... lol.

and also i'm wondering if my monitor is actually an HD monitor since it says ''BenQ G2225HD''?

The OS isn't really the issue here—what matters most is whether your monitor actually supports HD Ready, meaning 720p or Full HD 1080p,
I also found this video link so you can see for yourself. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLTgLgKrsR8
And regarding whether your monitor is HD... isn't it pretty easy to just Google the specific model number?

Larry Ortiz5 said:The OS doesn't matter here, what really counts is having a monitor that actually supports HD, so you need something that handles 720p or 1080p full HD...

but when I'm running Windows 7 it gives me an HD picture no matter which HD setting I click, whether it's 720p or 1080p, but on Windows XP it just won't work. :S xD. and while I have you, is that BenQ G2225HD actually an HD monitor or what? because the image doesn't really look HD to me when it's like this, at least not when I'm watching a movie or some video on YouTube...

swiftdriver30 said:When I'm running Windows 7, I get HD quality no matter which HD option I pick—720p or 1080p—but it just won't work on Windows XP. :S xD. Also, let me ask you, is that BenQ G2225HD actually an HD monitor? Because the picture doesn't really look HD to me, at least not unless I'm watching a movie or something on YouTube.

Well, your monitor is definitely Full HD—that means 1920x1080. So, when you're watching a Full HD video on YouTube, the picture should look great.
Of course the quality looks off if you haven't actually toggled the setting to 1080p on YouTube, right? Just make sure you have enough bandwidth to handle the stream, too.

Larry Ortiz5 said:Look, if your monitor is Full HD, that means it's 1920x1080. So when you're watching some Full HD stuff on YouTube, the picture should look crystal clear...

Yeah, I get that, but then how the hell does it not have an HDMI port? Or anything modern... :S

swiftdriver30 said:Yeah, but how is it possible there isn't an HDMI port? Or something like that... :S

Mine doesn't have one either—and honestly, even if it did, I don't think it would actually make the picture look any better.

Larry Ortiz5 said:I don't even have one, and even if I did, I wouldn't be getting a better picture out of it anyway...

Alright, fine then.

Honestly, I don't see the big deal with HDMI on a monitor most of the time. Most of them don't even come with built-in speakers anyway, right? So, if you look at the actual technical difference between DVI and HDMI, the main thing is that HDMI carries audio along with the video, whereas DVI is really just for the picture. Then there's DisplayPort, which is a slimmer connector—kind of like HDMI—but it hasn't exactly taken over the world just yet.

VGA is an analog connection, so if you actually have the option to hook up your monitor via DVI, just do it. I mean, look, it’s not like you’re going to see some massive, mind-blowing difference or anything, but honestly? If you have a free DVI port sitting right there, using VGA just feels like a waste of time. No real reason to go that route.

Why don't you try reinstalling the graphics driver on Windows XP, or maybe just test out a different version altogether? It doesn't necessarily have to be the absolute latest release. As long as your internet speed is decent enough to actually download the files, like people have already mentioned, it’s worth a shot.

😉

driftingnomad68 said:Using HDMI on a monitor is kind of pointless since most monitors don't even have built-in speakers, and the main difference between DVI and HDMI is just that HDMI carries audio while DVI is strictly for video. Then you've got DisplayPort, which is a slimmer connection similar to HDMI, but it hasn't really gone mainstream yet...

VGA is an analog connection, so if you even have the option to hook up your monitor via DVI, just do it. You aren't going to see some massive "wow" factor, but honestly, if you have a free DVI port lying around, sticking with VGA is just plain stupid...

you know how it goes, I've got this DVI adapter sitting in my PC and I tried plugging a VGA cable into it, but then I look at my monitor and it only has a DVI-D input so the adapter won't even fit... guess I'll have to go out and actually buy a real cable. lol

swiftdriver30 said:so I've got this DVI adapter plugged into my PC with a VGA cable, but the monitor only has a DVI-D port and the adapter won't fit... looks like I'll have to go buy a specific cable. haha

Usually, they include a DVI cable with the monitor.😢
When I picked up my Samsung, it came with both a VGA and a DVI cable.

If you didn't get one, I guess your only real option is to just grab a cable that works.

I'm curious if anyone here has actually picked up some Windows licenses from licensekeybuddy.com? The prices look a little too good to be true—like, suspiciously low—and I can't find anything about them on Microsoft's official sites. Their FAQ is pretty thin, too, and they don't seem to carry any specific certifications, which definitely raises a red flag for me... Has anyone actually gone through the process with them yet?

Walter Bennett32 said:I'm wondering if anyone here has picked up Windows through licensekeybuddy.com? The prices seem a little too good to be true, there's nothing about them on Microsoft's own site, their FAQ is pretty thin, yet I see people praising them online. Plus, they don't have any visible certification, which feels sketchy... has anyone actually dealt with them?

I'd say it looks like a total scam. That Verisign badge isn't even clickable, so you can't actually verify anything. Usually, a legitimate company uses a clickable Verisign link to prove they're authentic and to guarantee secure transactions and data encryption.
Anyway, Microsoft doesn't sell its keys like that. 😢
I wouldn't give them a dime, but hey, it's your money!

Walter Bennett32 said:I was wondering if anyone here has actually bought Windows through licensekeybuddy.com? The prices seem a little too good to be true—there's nothing about them on Microsoft's official pages, their FAQ is pretty thin, and they don't really show any certifications, which makes me a bit suspicious... even though I see people praising them online. Has anyone actually dealt with them before?

So, I ended up getting a key for Windows 8 and it works just fine. Well, technically I didn't buy it—someone actually gave it to me for free! Honestly, I couldn't believe it. I told him I didn't even have a credit card and asked if he could give me his banking info so I could wire him some money, but he just told me that wasn't possible right now and handed over a key for Windows 8 Pro instead. At first, I thought the guy was messing with me, so I asked him if he was being serious, and he just said he was glad I found his site and since we're both from the same small part of the US, he wanted to hook me up. I went ahead and tried installing Windows, entered the key, and sure enough, when I checked "My Computer," everything showed as activated. If you take a look at the Windows 8 threads, you'll see people saying nothing but great things about that site. And if people on other forums are vouching for them too, I don't really get what there is to be afraid of, right?

Honestly, it all sounds a little sketchy to me. It’s not like we’re talking about a massive fortune here, but I’ve never been one to enjoy being ripped off—you know how some people are. I’ve read stuff online suggesting the activations went through fine, but I can't help wondering what happens if those keys end up on a "blacklist" and just stop working altogether...

Walter Bennett32 said:Honestly, that sounds a bit sketchy to me. It’s not like we’re talking about a fortune here, but I really hate the idea of getting ripped off—you know? I’ve seen stuff online saying the activations worked fine, but what if those keys end up on a blacklist and just stop working down the line?

Look, someone actually running a business isn't going to hand out the same key to multiple people—that would be asking for Microsoft to blacklist them immediately. And besides, if they screw you over, you can pretty much ruin their reputation on every forum out there by making sure nobody else buys from them. It’s not like they’re stupid enough to lose all their customers just to make an extra $30, right? I don't really get your hesitation—I actually got a free key and it works perfectly. Even if I hadn't, I still would have paid $67 because I really don't want to deal with a pirated version. If you're that worried about it, maybe just skip the purchase and call it a day.

I’ve got a feeling this is some shady business.
If you're just a home user, I guess nobody really checks if your software is legit. But for a business? They're gonna have a hard time proving their Windows licenses are valid. From what I know, you usually get a sticker for every license that stays on the computer case.
Besides, Microsoft has its own licensing pages available in American.

Keith Bennett38 said:I'm pretty sure we're looking at some illegal activity here.
If you're just a home user, nobody's really going to come knocking to check if your software is legitimate—but what happens when you're a business? How are they supposed to prove their Windows setup is legal? As far as I know, every license comes with a sticker physically attached to the computer case.
Besides, Microsoft's licensing pages are available right there in English.

Sure, you might get a sticker, but at the end of the day, it’s the product key that matters most—that's the part you actually hold in your hand, especially if you're trying to ensure you have an original product. And as for businesses? Most small companies aren't going to take that kind of risk; they'll just buy whatever version of Windows allows them to install it on five machines and call it a day. It reminds me of people on eBay selling genuine game keys—you pay them, they email you the code, and you get the official game for less than $67. Personally, I think that's a great deal. Of course, it doesn't make sense for massive corporations or high-end professional users—I mean, why wouldn't a major firm spend a few thousand dollars to stay compliant? For them, it's not even an issue.

Larry Ortiz5 said:but at the end of the day, you just have a key in your hand, and what really matters is actually owning an Genuine product.

Unfortunately, you don't actually own an original product since you didn't buy one. You just have a key that passes Microsoft's "Genuine" check. (The real question is how long that lasts before the next 🙂 update hits.)
I guess I don't see the point in paying $67 for a key if I still can't be sure I actually bought an original product. 😢

Keith Bennett38 said:Unfortunately, you don't actually own an original product since you didn't buy it directly. All you have is a key that happens to pass Microsoft's "Genuine" check. (The real question is just how long that lasts before the next 🙂 update hits.)
I don't see why I would pay someone $67 for a key when, at the end of the day, I still wouldn't have the peace of mind that comes with buying an official product. 😢

Well, hey—everyone has their own way of doing things. If it doesn't sit right with you, that's fine, but it works for me. Just so you know, I've already downloaded a few updates without any issues at all.