Windows 7

I mean, if you run into an issue where some game just won't work on Windows 7, you could always just fire up a virtual machine running Windows XP and play it there instead

darkviper7 said:Look, if some game just won't run on Windows 7, you can just fire up a virtual Windows XP machine and play it there.

Wait, how do you even run a virtual XP??

So, do you install those (older) programs through that virtual setup, or what? I guess.
Anyway, I stumbled upon this

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/vir.../download.aspx

Could someone maybe drop a quick little tutorial on how to actually set this thing up?

darkviper7 said:Look, if some game won't run on Windows 7, you just fire up a virtual Windows XP machine and play it there.

What is even the point of installing Windows 7 then? It’s like selling an old car—one that actually worked fine and did its job—just to buy a new one. But then, the new car has a tiny trunk, so you can't haul the same stuff you could with the old one. So, what do you do? You go rent the old car from a rental agency. I mean... why bother?

Nah, you can't really look at a virtual machine that way. It’s more like having a... I don't know, a free trailer you just hitch onto your car whenever you need it...

But honestly, that's exactly the point! You don't end up with "more cars," you just have more car tucked inside one single vehicle. 🙂

driftingnomad68 said:No, you can't display a virtual machine like that. It's more like having a (free?) trailer you can hitch to your car whenever you need to...

The whole point is that you don't have "more cars," you just have more car capacity within one 🙂

Depends on which analogy you use (see below).

But it could also be phrased like what you said, or something similar. One car (old, Windows XP) is towing another car (new, Windows 7). That’s why the old car doesn't perform as well as it would without the tow. After all, a virtual machine requires resources for both Windows 7 and Windows XP simultaneously.

Thomas Hernandez21 said:What he described would actually be a dual boot.😁

No, dual-boot would be like having a garage with two cars and picking whichever one you want.

This is more like a rental car service. Just like you pay to use a rental, here you "pay" with extra system resources on Windows 7 while running Windows XP.😉

lol those comparisons are wild xD
but seriouslyyy—is it just me, or does it feel weird that there hasn't been a single update through Windows Update for a whole week yet?
There was just that one lone little thing, lol🙂
I guess they'll probably dump a massive batch of them on us around October 22nd.

Harold Taylor6 said:I haven't run into any issues with packs so far.
I made a custom pack, tried running it without any extra tweaks, and got the exact same result. I even tried using the codecs from BS Player, but still nothing changed.
Everything runs perfectly on Windows XP.

K-Lite is only really worth using if you're still running Windows XP. For anyone on Windows Vista or 7, you're better off looking elsewhere. Hey. And here's the extra file for x64. Click..
Everything originates from this site.If you're looking to get your video playback sorted out, check this link: http://shark007.net/win7codecs.html

Just a heads-up. Go ahead and uninstall all your current codecs first. Once you've rebooted, install the x86 version (using that first link), then add the x64 plugin, and voilà—you're all set.🙂

One more thing. You should first try playing various video formats to narrow this down. For instance, test out an .avi file, then maybe a .wmv if you have one, along with some DivX or MKV files. If the issue persists across all of them, then we’re likely looking at your graphics card settings. Regardless, I’d recommend installing these codecs; they're excellent. Everything runs flawlessly on my end except for one specific codec, but that's getting into much more "professional" territory, and I don't want to bore you with the details.

Quote : Mini me

steeleagle2 said:K-Lite is honestly great if you're still rocking Windows XP—it really hits that sweet spot there—but for anyone running Windows Vista or Windows 7, you're definitely better off looking elsewhere! Hey! Oh, and don't forget—there's an additional file specifically for x64! Click!.
Everything you need—absolutely everything—is sourced right here from this page!If you're looking to get your media playback sorted out—seriously, if you've ever sat there staring at a video file that just refuses to play properly—you really need to check this out: http://shark007.net/win7codecs.html It’s basically a lifesaver for anyone running Windows 7. I know, I know, sometimes these codec packs can feel like a bit much, but this specific one is quite the essential tool—it's almost like having a Swiss Army knife for your media player! Whether you're using VLC Media Player or trying to make things work seamlessly within the standard Windows environment, having these codecs installed just makes everything... smoother? There—I said it! It saves so much headache when you're just trying to watch a movie after a long day. Definitely worth a click if you want to avoid those annoying "format not supported" pop-ups. Happy watching!

Just a quick heads-up for anyone trying this—you’ll want to uninstall every single codec you currently have installed first. It’s super important! Once you’ve given the system a good restart, go ahead and install the x86 version (that's the first link in the list) and then just add the x64 plugin right after... and voilá! You're all set!🙂

Oh, one more thing! Before you dive too deep into the settings, try testing out a bunch of different video formats first. You know, grab an .avi, maybe a .wmv if you have one lying around, or even some DivX and MKV files. If the issue persists regardless of which format you throw at it—then we’re likely looking at a configuration problem with your graphics card settings. Honestly, just go ahead and install those codecs I mentioned; they are absolutely fantastic. Everything runs flawlessly on my end—well, except for one specific codec, but that’s getting a bit into the "Professional" weeds and I don't want to bore you with the technicalities!

Thanks a million!
The thing is—and this is driving me a little crazy—the picture quality looks absolutely stellar in Real Player, but then I switch over to BS Player and it’s just... well, it's a total disaster!
So, at the end of the day—just like that one guy mentioned earlier—you just set everything up, fire up VLC Media Player (using those standard default codecs), and honestly? It works like a charm so far! I’m definitely going to take a closer look at what you sent over, because my neighbor is actually dealing with the exact same headache, though he hasn't quite jumped into tinkering with it yet... mind you, he is running x86 Windows 7.

silvergardener93 said:How do you even get virtual Windows XP running??

Can someone please just drop a quick tutorial on how to install this thing?

Here I am again, asking if anyone feels like explaining. Otherwise, I might have to bug @Jack Jackson51😍

Jacob Foster11 said:Then why bother installing a whole new OS? It's like selling an old car—one that actually worked fine for you—just to buy a brand-new one. But then the new car has a tiny trunk, so you can't haul the same stuff you used to. So, what do you do? You go out and rent the old car from a rental agency. I mean... why?

Well, look, for example, I do music production on Cubase SX. I've got a ton of VST plugins that just don't work on Windows 7, so I’d basically use Windows 7 for web browsing and gaming (DirectX 11).

So, I guess it's just easier to run a virtual Windows XP on top of Windows 7 than dealing with a dual boot setup with Windows 7 and XP.

As for the other perks of Windows 7, I won't go there. It's pretty much been said already.

silvergardener93 said:For instance, I handle music production on Cubase SX, and I have a massive library of VST plugins that just won't run on 7. I’d basically be using 7 as my main OS for web browsing and gaming via DirectX 11.

So, running a virtual XP instance on 7 is just easier than setting up a dual boot with Windows 7 and XP.

I won't even get into the other advantages of 7; they've already been covered.

Easier isn't the same thing as better. Sure, spinning up a virtual machine might be simpler, but dual-booting is the superior way to go.

Since you've been working on XP until now, you might as well stick with it. You can migrate over to 7 in six months or a year once you don't need XP as a fallback anymore. Plus, that'll give time for the security holes that are bound to be discovered in the coming months to actually get patched.

Jack Jackson51 said:Everything runs perfectly on my end. I've been running Windows 7 RTM for quite a while now without a single complaint, except for one minor thing... nothing deal-breaking, but they ditched the Classic Start Menu. It’s not like I actually use it, but I still miss seeing it there.

If you want IT, you can grab IT here (link) 😉

Olivia Watson46 said:Is it hitting the US stores on October 22nd or later, and what's the price tag looking like? Does anyone know how much more it'll cost than Vista? I'm assuming it'll be higher...
Also, is it true they're throwing in a free week's worth of DVDs with laptops that come pre-installed with Vista?

Check here for info on the release dates and pricing.
Compared to Vista, Windows 7 isn't actually any more expensive (Home Premium is actually cheaper, while Professional and Ultimate versions basically stay at the same price point).

Read about upgrading to Windows 7 here.

Just one quick question here:

If I install Windows 7 and use various "activators" to get it running, is there still a chance for updates and security patches to work properly?
Is there any real risk of Microsoft deciding to "block" my access to Windows 7 entirely?

If you just head down to Best Buy and pick up a copy of Windows 7, you can activate it and everything will run smoothly without any sudden crashes... honestly, that’s really your best bet at this point. 👍

Can someone lend me a hand?

So, I downloaded Windows 7 (the version slated for end-of-life on October 22nd) as a WinRAR archive split into 11 parts. I ran the first part, everything seemed to proceed without issue, but then I was met with this:

Please resize your images to 800x600 before posting next time.
Best regards,
I burned the files onto a DVD and attempted to install Windows 7 on my machine...
I restarted the computer and configured it to boot from the DVD...
However, I’m not seeing the "press any key to boot from CD" prompt at all...

If anyone could offer some guidance, I would be quite grateful...

How did you burn it? Did you set it to burn like a boot DVD?

You’ve got all the files right there, so you probably didn't even fry them into an ISO image.

Just grab PowerISO, get it installed, punch in the key, and burn it.

I guess you could probably use that magic ISO too👍

And you can even use BurnerApp 😉