Posted on 06/30/2010 2:00:01 PM PDT by Oshkalaboomboom
I've recommended Windows 7 to people several times so far, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone who doesn't have specific reasons not to run it. Two VMs on my Mac, side-by-side, same configuration, one XP and one Win7, and the Win7 VM is much more responsive.
Or do you not have enough experience to make a recommendation either way?
Oh, did I not tell you? I have an MSDN membership and have a full Windows network running in VMs on my Mac.
Then how about addressing the original post, asking about Win7 or XP? Your SOLE contribution to this thread has been muck-raking and complaining about others hurling insults.
So, how about it? My $0.02 is already in here, a few times. Yours? Which do you recommend - WinXP or Win7?
Brought into it by your troll buddy. Yes, I bit the bait.
Which do you recommend - WinXP or Win7?
In general or for this specific case?
This case.
I thought I made it clear, I recommend Windows 7.
I installed it today. Nothing else, I had to leave for work. I’ll spend my 3-day weekend reloading programs and tweaking things up. It picked up my network settings and recognized the other 3 pcs (1 hadrwired to the router, 2 wireless) first try. I haven’t tried the Internet yet. My main uses will be for high-speed downloads, burning to DVD and converting .avi files. No fancy games, no Facebook. A workhorse, stable and always on. If it can do that I’ll be happy.
And btw, thanks for the heads up on macs. I’m aware of them but have zero use for one. When my daughter was starting college they wanted her to buy a Macbook for big money. I bought her a $400 Compaq laptop and it served her needs just fine. I’ve known about them since the company was formed and never saw them as being worth the cost.
“I’m just wondering what happened to our Linux guys who would suggest saving money by upgrading to Linux.”
We’re here, just lurking. Seriously though, computers and OS’s are tools (not a religion) and I pick whatever seems most appropriate for the job. My chief complaint against Windows 7 (besides all Windows versions being virus magnets) is the redesigned interface - I have trouble finding my way around. I prefer the classic Windows design. I use XP on my standalone quad core video editing computer and I use Linux on my web surfing computers.
I’m thinking of turning an old XP laptop into a Linux web server. It is an Athlon XP chip and I think one gig of memory.
Do you have any recommendations on Linux flavor? I downloaded a few versions last week and took a look at them. They were interesting, but they did not find the built in WiFi. Are some versions better than others for that or do they all require manual settings?
I bought a Ubuntu book last week and may start digging into it if I have time.
Doc, I have only used Linux for browsing and never tried it as a server. WiFi is often problematic due to lack of drivers - some manufacturers simply don’t bother to support Linux. Some WiFi cards such as Edimax (at newegg.com) do have chipsets that are natively supported in Linux, meaning true plug and play without installing additional drivers. I use older 32-bit versions of Ubuntu or Linux Mint - they are very stable. The latest release of Ubuntu is still buggy and I cannot recommend it yet.
Four years is sufficient time if current users begin the process of migrating now.
Waiting until 2014 to begin migrating to Windows 7 is asking for trouble, though.
But then you’re forking out money twice.
Not if new licenses are Windows 7 licenses, and the downgrade rights to Windows XP are exercised.
Win7 64bit... and all the RAM you can afford.
You will be well satisfied in the next 30 days or so... (the learning curve is operationally mild, but finding and using settings and new features might take a bit).
True.
I was hoping to have begun the build on the replacement for the current computer by now, but some punk driving his pickup truck through the nose of my car kinda pushed that project off a bit.
So I’m stuck with waiting until I build up the cash for it again.
(Third shift zombieland.. gotta love it.)
Win7 lasted less than 2 days before I deleted it and put XP back on. Its 2 major flaws were bad running of one of my major programs and unable to print to a network printer, even though it downloaded the driver, installed it and recognized it correctly (it would always say that the printer was offline). I probably could have worked around the first problem with an XP VM but the 2nd killed it for me. Easier to delete the partition and start over while I didn’t have a lot of stuff reloaded.
Had the same problem with one of my printers. The printer would work fine, but only if it was connected to the actual computer trying to print. It wouldn’t work through the other computer. My other two printers didn’t have the problem, and I wasn’t ready to ditch the printer yet. It’s been a real workhorse for a dozen years.
Solved the problem with a $30 printer sharing switch at Best Buy here: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/IOGEAR+-+2-Port+USB+2.0+Printer+Auto+Sharing+Switch/9245667.p?id=1218066809580&skuId=9245667&st=iogear&cp=1&lp=5
Sorry to hear you had problems... I have had *zero* (other than my diagnostic suite (All of it :( ), which died on 64bit). Of all my SOHO and Residential clients, one printer (an Epson 860, *won't work*), and several network (replaced router)
bad running of one of my major programs
IF you bought retail, you should have been provided both a 32bit and a 64bit copy. If you used 64, you might try 32... It is more compatible, no doubt. However, 32 is not able to handle the RAM that 64bit can. One can also upgrade from Win7 Home Premium to one of the more expensive versions in order to get an in-built "XP mode" VM which is pretty seamless running old soft.
but the 2nd killed it for me. [printer... unable to print to a network printer, even though it downloaded the driver, installed it and recognized it correctly (it would always say that the printer was offline). ]
Hsd a few installs with this symptom - Generally the problem was that the printer driver was ported to a local port rather than network - a glitch in the auto-setup, no doubt. The Epson I mentioned above was the only one I could not repair with a distributable driver installation or basic settings changes.
Have you a spare drive that you could use to dual boot the Win7 as a secondary system? You could then troubleshoot your problems at your leisure... That 64bit is really worth it.
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