Windows 7?

Anyone using it?

Since I'll be leaving the land of the cheap operating systems soon, I'm wondering if I might not snag a CD before I go.  My laptop came with Vista, which I've read mean it's Win7 capable, but I'm currently running WinXP because me no likee Vista.  I have however read that Win7 is a considerable improvement on Vista, to the point of actually being good.  What say you?

I've been using the Windows 7 release candidate for about 6 months now and recently upgraded to the final release and can say it is a huge improvement over Vista. It requires less rigorous hardware and solves all of the annoying "little things" associated with Vista. I highly recommend it.

Unfortunately, in your particular situation using Win XP, there is no upgrade option to Windows 7. So you would need to do a clean install which will require you to reinstall all of your applications. But in my humble opinion this is a small price to pay for better operating system.

A clean install is no probs, for reasons of mystical superstition I prefer them.  I was wondering about drivers, tho.  Lenovo doesn't seem to have Win7 drivers officially available for my particular laptop yet.  Presumably I can use the latest Vista drivers instead?

I've been waiting to hear more reports on W7 as I'da been thinking lots about replacing my 3 y/old Viao & was waiting until MS puts it out & Hong Kong stores will be incluing an English version of it with new computers. Already seen a ccouple  for W7 around forums I frequent & it seems the time is growing nearer.

In the coming weeks I'll make a thread askin about
Starting with a `Clean install on a new computer, which applications to go with & which to leave out...
Unless someone else has/can make a thread for
Setting up a NEW computer with info/ recomendation /warnings about operating systems & pre/not yet installed programs to un/reinstall before starting to use a new puter. 
.
 
Once I get the new computer, I'm thinkin bout taking everything off this old one & doing a fresh clean install with the new authentic W7, then only adding what I  use & need so this one can be a good 2nd pc.
`Good idea?


Having a legal copy of W7 preinstalled on a new computer, can one use that same program & authorization code for different computers & get updates & other MS crap will be k?
Or one program /code - one computer?

As a rule of thumb i don't upgrade windows when a new one comes out. We know the first release will be crap with a million bugs that will take several months to clean up. I'd recommend waiting at least 6-9 months before switching.

I've seen it said that with Windows, it's better to wait for the inevitable service pack before committing to a new operating system.  Nonetheless, ye olde desktop has a Celeron(R) 2.93 GHz, NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200, and 1 Gb of RAM, and there's a copy of the retail Home Premium edition of Win 7 out there for torrenting, so I believe I may check it out maybe this weekend and see what happens.

Well, shit.

Here's what I did:

Couple of days ago I fired up ye olde desktop for the first time in months.
Installed a Chinese language WinXP on ye olde desktop.  It worked fine.
Then I got hot for Windows 7.  By accident.  I had no idea it had just been released.
Anyway, I got me a retail version of Windows 7 Home Premium burned to disk.
I booted ye olde desktop with this Windows 7 install disk.
From that Windows 7 install disk, I deleted the XP partition, and then...
Successfully installed Windows 7.

It's pretty.  It looks a little bit crap on ye olde desktop because ye olde GPU won't go quite high enough in screen resolution to get a good screen.  But still, it's pretty.  So, I decided to get cocky.  What I wanted was to mimic on the desktop the state of my laptop, namely, a 20 Gb primary partition containing Win XP (upon which Windows 7 could be inflicted in a dual boot scenario).  So...

I popped ye olde Win XP install disk into ye olde desktop, rebooted, and using ye olde Win XP install disk, I deleted the Windows 7 partition... both of them.  Yes, there's two.  A tiny hidden primary and a normal big, I guess also, primary.  The little one is a system partition of some kind.

And that's where it all went to shit.

I don't know how to make the Win XP install cd join up to adjacent unpartitioned spaces.  If I did, I would, because the primary unallocated space part is only 16Gb, not enough for XP and 7.

So... I halted the re-installation of Win XP, took out the disk, and went in search online for some bootable partitioning tool.  I found a few.  Makes no difference though.  Because ye olde desktop no longer boots.  It gets as far as detecting the HD, the CD/DVD, and something about the HD, and then it stops.

Can't boot a CD.  Can't get into BIOS.  The computer is now a large, noisy paper weight.


I wish to blame Windows 7.  But it probably has nothing to do with Windows 7.  Probably my own screw up.  Somehow.

Fuck.

First guess is by merely deleting the partition (indeed probably by merely deleting that small system partition) I screwed the Master Boot Record, or screwed the working of the Master Boot Loader... whatever those things are.  When uninstalling Windows 7 one is supposed to take into account that Windows 7 alters the Master Boot Loader... whatever that is.

I'm afraid I just can't get very excited about the propsect of the same in a different box. It's still Microsoft Windows. I'll use it when I next get a new computer (which won't be any time too soon, I hope) because I lack the cash to go Mac or the cojones to go Ubuntu.

I have a story too (surprised?)

I bought a new PC 6 months ago.  A legitimate, real, fully licensed, Lenovo PC.  It had 32bit Vista Chinese version on it .... I still don't understand why as It has 4G memory and needs a 64bit version.

So I got me a copy of Vista 64bit English and installed it with zero problems.  Until it asked for the activation code.  Since I had bought a real copy of the Chinese version, I typed in that code and guess what?

Not accepted.  Sorry Charlie ....

Now I get the daily "please activate" notices.  And I cannot upgrade any of the security or patches.  Semi-pissed as I bought a new PC!  I should not have to deal with this.

So I need to get a legitimate copy of WinXP, Vista, or Win 7.  I want legitimate as I am done with all the BS dealing with copies and trying to get updates. Win7 is expensive .... almost ¥1400 for the premium package ... bastards ....

As I understand it, you don't need the 64bit version.  The 64bit is essential if you have and want to use more than 4Gb of RAM, but otherwise it's only really useful if you use a lot of 64-bit software (and, in a Windows environment, most people don't because 32bit is still by far the norm).

I presume the Vista that came with my laptop was properly licensed too.  The guy said it was.  I replaced it with a pirated XP anyway.  Mostly just because I figured XP would run quicker and better.

The XP I have allows for automatic updates.  But I stopped using updates a while back when one update diddled my network connection in some idiosyncratic way and it started working again only when I de-installed the most recent update.

And for my last non sequitur for this post: *cough*



Still pondering the merits of moving to Win7.  It looked nice back when the desktop was still working.

Ooo, and then he discovered Windows XP Pro Black Edition.

Win7 may have to wait.

Windows Black is good - I've been using it for a fair while with (touch wood) no hassles.

I give ... what is XP black?

I don't know if it's produced by one person or it's the general name for one way of pirating Windows.  What I am lead to believe ("It on the Interrets!!1") is Black editions are a combination package all put together into a one dvd install disk containing: a Win OS installation that does not require an activation key and has had some stuff deemed useless and removed, but included is also a bunch of other cracked packages.  Apparently also the OS includes bits and pieces of other Windows OS's made to work together.

And the whole thing always includes a recognisable black theme.



O my, such a combination of nerd, coolth and geek.  Somebody just had to make the cool kid Windows..