Windows 7

I tried running Windows 7 64-bit, but honestly, I didn't notice much of a speed boost over the 32-bit version. I ended up switching back because so many programs just aren't built for 64-bit Windows yet, and I ran into some annoying driver issues. It wasn't like the whole system would crash, but certain apps were pretty glitchy and would hang quite often.
For me, the 32-bit version still feels like the better way to go. 🙂(Intel Core 2 duo E6300, 4 GB RAM).

Joseph Foster65 said:Hey there.

Right now, I've got Windows XP installed on my C drive and Windows 7 build 7100 sitting on my H drive. When I boot up, I get the choice between "Older version of Windows" and "Windows 7".
1. If I want to install the latest version of Windows 7 over this Windows 7 7100 version, will XP still show up under "Older version of Windows" if I just install Windows 7 onto the H partition?
2. One more thing. I noticed that whenever I boot into Windows 7 7100, my drive letters go haywire—C becomes D, D becomes F, F becomes E, and H becomes C... can I just rename them, or is that going to cause massive headaches?

Thanks in advance.

1. Since Windows 7 build 7100 is just a Release Candidate (RC), if you want to upgrade from the RC to the RTM version (the actual Final one), you're going to need a little hack 😉

2. Haven't dealt with that specific issue before, so I wouldn't know.🤷

Keith Bennett38 said:I had Windows 7 64-bit installed, but honestly, the speed boost was negligible compared to the 32-bit version, so I reverted back to 32-bit simply because there just aren't enough programs optimized for 64-bit Windows yet, and I ran into constant driver headaches. It wasn't that the OS itself was crashing, but certain applications refused to behave and would crash unexpectedly.
As far as I'm concerned, 32-bit is still the superior choice. 🙂 (Intel Core 2 duo E6300, 4 GB RAM).

That is an undeniable fact. It was the exact same scenario with Vista. In reality, the whole narrative has just been about cramming more RAM into machines—and paying more for it—all because Vista, specifically, could never seem to satisfy its own hunger for memory.
Meanwhile, this entire debate regarding standards for 64-bit processors has been dragging on since they first hit the market. It’s the same old story with no happy ending in sight for the average user.

Pros and Cons of :
You gain the ability to utilize significantly more than 4GB of memory, which is perfect for hardcore gamers, CAD professionals, video editors, and anyone performing heavy multitasking. However, keep in mind that any 32-bit software you run will still be capped at 4GB—you absolutely require a 64-bit CPU, a 64-bit OS, and 64-bit applications to truly leverage that extra RAM.
16-bit applications are dead in the water. While this likely won't affect most people, if you are clinging to ancient software (relics from the Windows 3.1 Days!), it simply will not function on a 64-bit OS.
Existing 32 bit drivers are obsolete. If you are rocking older hardware or gear with lackluster support, you might find it completely useless. Have a seven-year-old scanner that barely limps along in Vista? You probably won't be able to get it to work on 64-bit Windows 7.
Unsigned kernel-mode drivers are no longer supported. Compounding the previous issue, the inability to execute unsigned kernel-mode drivers will wreak havoc on legacy hardware. (Word on the street is there might be a workaround to bypass this check, but don't hold your breath).
Running certain 32-bit applications on a 64-bit OS can actually result in slower speeds. The added overhead required to run 32-bit software within a 64-bit environment can lead to a slight degradation in performance.
It is going to take quite a while before 64-bit software becomes the industry standard.

Joseph Foster65 said:2. One more thing. I’ve noticed that whenever I boot up Windows 7 7100... If I had my way, we would just swap them all around at once: let's turn the C partition into D, move D over to F, shift F to E, and then finally land that H drive right where C used to be. It’s a complete reshuffle.Can I just simply rename it, or is that going to cause some serious headaches?

Thanks in advance.

You have absolutely nothing to rename here! 🙄 That’s exactly why...

Joseph Foster65 said:At the moment, my setup consists of Windows XP running on my C drive, while I have Windows 7 build 7100 installed over on my H partition. Whenever I shut down my computer, I am presented with two specific options: "Older version of Windows" or "Windows 7."

Well, it looks like you just answered your own question. 😉

Just picked up a new rig and immediately went straight for Windows 7. It seems to have handled all the drivers just fine, except for the motherboard and my WLAN-internet connection. I can't find anything for them on the manufacturer's official site. Is there some kind of universal driver out there that might save my skin?

Here’s the link to the official support page:
http://www.edimax.com/en/support_det...id=1&button=Go

In today's edition of the New York Times, the Multimedia feature asks a big question: "Do we actually need new Windows versions?" (link)

Read it if you feel like it—or don't. I'll leave it to you to decide if there's anything worth commenting on. 🙄

coastalscout2 said:I just picked up a new rig and went ahead and installed Windows 7 right away. It seems to have automatically pulled in most of the drivers, but I'm stuck on the motherboard chipset and the WLAN-internet connection—neither of those are listed on the official support page. Does anyone know if there might be some universal drivers out there that could actually help me here?

Official support page link
http://www.edimax.com/en/support_det...id=1&button=Go

Regarding that WLAN issue, you really ought to try finding the specific ones first. They should be compatible and work perfectly, whereas hunting for some generic driver is a fool's errand—you won't even find them for Windows 7, let alone have them work properly. Definitely stick to the specific ones.

The same logic applies to the motherboard components (?); things like sound or LAN should have been handled by Windows 7 during the installation process.

Noah Sanchez39 said:In today's edition of the New York Times, the Multimedia feature headline asks, "Do we really need new Windows?" (link)

It is up to you to read it (or not) and perhaps offer some commentary. 🙄

I have to disagree—as for the pricing, I’ve already looked into it, but it seems people are just jumping to defend those exorbitant costs because, hey, it's Microsoft... as if that matters. And since we are in the US, I suppose everything is perfectly clear to us, right? 🙄
That's just how it goes—you deal with it and don't make waves. If it suits Bill, it suits me. 😍 After all, he and his entire X generation have already made their fortune and secured their positions.

Now, regarding this bit:

3. Existing 32 alternatives
Alongside Windows 7, there has emerged
Apple's Snow Leopard and a new version of Ubuntu
Linux—we are talking about two exceptionally high-quality
operating systems that are worth considering.

Please. I’d love to see which "Windows enthusiast" is actually going to switch to Leopard just like that. The price is laughable. Sure, it is, but you have to pay Apple the price of several decent PCs just to get it!!!
Or switching to Linux once you're already accustomed to Windows !?! That is a weak counterargument.

And then there is this:
7. No upgrade path for XP
Users of Windows XP who decide
to move to Windows 7 will not be able to
upgrade their operating system to the new
version; instead, they will have to perform a "clean"
installation from scratch.

We have already discussed this. Even that isn't much of a reason, provided we are looking toward the future rather than just treading water while staring at yesterday! 😁

Noah Sanchez39 said:In today's edition of the New York Times, the main feature in the Multimedia section is titled "Do we really need a new Windows?" (link)

It is entirely up to you whether you choose to read it (or not) and perhaps offer your own thoughts. 🙄

THANK YOU SO MUCH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😍😍😍😍🙏👍

Regarding Windows, I’m hearing nothing but praise, though I have heard some chatter about certain video editing software and a few games acting up. Honestly, it makes sense since everything is still pretty fresh out of the box, and once the developers drop updated versions with full support for Windows 7, it should all be smooth sailing—everything coming out soon or any new games should run without a hitch. Personally, though, I think I’ll hold off until next year... maybe grab an 🙂 Ultimate version
when spring rolls around.
I just wanted to ask those who know the deal, is it actually worth going with the 64-bit version over the 32-bit one? Is the main reason just to get past that 4GB memory limit, or are there other hidden perks I should know about? Right now, I'm just running 😍 Windows XP Pro SP3 32-bit
.

Help me out here!!!

I just finished installing Windows 7 64-bit and now my digital TV card is being a total pain. I can't find it or get it installed to save my life. I downloaded the drivers and ran them, but the PC still won't even acknowledge it exists. It’s a TerraTec Cinergy HT PCI card... the exact same card worked perfectly fine for a year and a half back on Windows XP Pro SP3.
I'm also running into issues getting things to look right on my TV. In "Extend this" mode, the resolution on the TV looks fine, but once I switch to "Duplicate these displays"—which is actually what I want to do—the picture on the TV looks like it's stuck in a 4:3 aspect ratio. I've already installed the latest drivers, but I still can't get both the monitor and the TV to handle different resolutions properly. My setup uses a Sharp LCD 82cm and an ATI Radeon 3870 512 RAM GDDR3.

Thanks in advance.

frozencanyon4 said:Regarding Windows, I'm mostly hearing praise, though some people say certain video editing software and games aren't working yet... which makes sense since everything is still so fresh. Once newer versions of software come out with support for the system, that'll be it—everything coming out soon plus games should run without a hitch. Personally, I might wait until next year...so I'll pick up an Ultimate version in the spring 🙂

Just wondering if anyone knows whether it's actually worth installing the 64-bit or 32-bit version? If it's just about being able to see more than 4GB of RAM, is there anything else to it? Right now I've been running Windows XP Pro SP3 32-bit 😍

The question isn't "buying" it, it's "acquiring" it right now 🙄
To get your hands on the Ultimate version, you're going to need a whole crew of specialists, man
If those specific programs and games are a dealbreaker for you, then wait until spring (maybe they'll have their 64-bit versions ready by then; otherwise, stick with 32-bit Windows)

The difference between the Windows 7 Ultimate and Professional editions isn't even that massive (link)

John Clark6 said:I mean, he’s got drivers for everything, but look at what happened to me. I have headphone jacks on the side of my motherboard, but with these Windows 7 drivers, it's like they don't even exist. My headphones just won't work. I tried installing the old drivers but they refuse to cooperate, so I grabbed the new ones from the Gigabyte homepage, but it feels like they just slapped Windows 7 onto them anyway. Plus, Firefox keeps blocking stuff and other little annoyances. Honestly, I've been second-guessing this whole thing for two days now. It's just constant little headaches...

John Clark6,

Regarding Firefox—does it ever act weird with the HTTP protocol? Like, sometimes it's fine, but when you have a bunch of tabs open or torrents running, it just hangs while trying to load new tabs. If that's what you mean, I deal with that too... feels like it might be an issue with having too many half-open TCP/IP connections.

As for the headphones, try going into the Realtek audio driver settings and check "disable front panel jack detection." That usually fixes it.

And about opening those old Word docs, it really shouldn't matter whether you're using Office 2003 or Office 2007.

Noah Sanchez39 said:the difference between the Windows 7 Ultimate and Professional editions isn't actually that huge (link)

Haha, I just realized looking at the price gap between them over there and here in the States 🙂 and yeah, that's a massive difference! Honestly though, I'm all for buying an original copy because I dealt with way too much headache a couple of years back, blah blah... 😁
So right now I'm running an original version and I'm planning on picking up another one, I'll just hang tight for a few months since there's no rush while XP is still running perfectly 👍 and I don't really need anything else yet... And like you said, the jump from Professional to Ultimate isn't much of a deal, except that Pro is maybe $67 cheaper, but even then it's not a ton. There's plenty of time, but I'm definitely looking forward to next 🙂

frozencanyon4 said:Ha, I just noticed the massive price gap between them and what we're seeing here in the States. 🙂 That is a massive jump. Honestly, I'm all for just buying the legitimate software from the jump—I learned that lesson the hard experience about two years ago when everything went sideways. 😁
I'm currently running the original version, and honestly, I’ll probably pick up another one. That said, I’m going to hold off for a few months. There's no real rush right now since XP is still running perfectly fine. 👍 There’s honestly no need for it yet... Besides, looking at how you laid it out, there isn't much of a difference between Professional and Ultimate. Honestly, Pro is just a bit cheaper. $67Not that it matters much. There's still time, but I'm definitely looking forward to next week. 🙂

Just sitting here, watching for a bit. That's all. At one retail location. Found Windows 7 listed under software in one of my searches. Only three results popped up.

Just doing a quick price comparison with what things cost in the States. I factored in the Federal Reserve's exchange rate for the dollar...$1.75Including sales tax at 23%, it looks like the Professional version is actually the best move. It’s only about 6% more expensive—maybe an extra $10 or so—compared to that basic one you find floating around online. As for the Home Premium or Ultimate versions? Those prices are absolutely ridiculous.

Well, whenever you finally decide to acquire a legitimate license for the week...🙄

I have to say, I really appreciate the new Windows versions, though I've already run into my first set of headaches, specifically regarding drivers...
I'm struggling to get my LaserJet 1010 printer working properly—I tried installing the 32-bit version of Vista and it technically functions, but certainly not as smoothly as it should—and I'm also having a major issue with my Gigabyte u8000 TV tuner card, which I can't seem to get running at all...
Has anyone else dealt with similar issues? Best regards...

Daniel Bishop8 said:I have to give credit where it's due regarding the new Windows releases, but I'm already hitting walls with drivers...
My HP LaserJet 1010 is acting up (even though I rolled back to Vista 32-bit and it works, just not perfectly), and now I'm stuck with my Gigabyte u8000 TV tuner—can't get it to run at all.
Anyone else dealing with this? Cheers.

🤷

1) That specific model isn't supported on Windows 7; basically, it isn't compatible
.
2) Under the U8000 label, there are actually three different versions of the Gigabyte TV tuner; all of them support Windows 7 (both 32-bit and 64-bit).

I downloaded these drivers for my TV tuner card, but unfortunately, I haven't had any luck so far (I'm not quite sure why)... Everything worked perfectly back on XP, and while the installation process here seems to go smoothly, once I launch PowerCinem, it just displays a 'No TV tuner' error, and the indicator light on the card won't even turn on...
thanks for the quick response

Daniel Bishop8 said:tried downloading these drivers for the TV card, but no luck—not sure why. Everything was running perfectly on XP, but now? Installation goes smooth as silk, then I fire up PowerCinem and it just hits me with 'No TV tuner.' Even the light on the card won't turn on..
thanks for the quick reply

Running into the exact same headache with my TerraTec Cinergy HT PCI card. Grabbed the drivers that supposedly support Windows 7 64, but it’s a total wash if they don't actually work. If anyone out there has a fix...

frozencanyon4 said:Man, I just realized how much the prices differ over there compared to here 🙂 it's actually wild!

But what exactly do you mean by "wild"?

The full price for the Ultimate version is $320, or maybe around $0.52, but even here it sits at about $0.50

Look, obviously I’d prefer a lower price point, but this whole idea of "abnormal" gaps is kind of funny to me... considering how much the government takes and that insane sales tax, I'm honestly surprised it isn't even 🙄