Windows 7 or vista..?

[jk121764]

OK -- I am now excited to try Windows 7. Between our main office and my home, we have something like 8 PC's and 2 Laptops, all running XP Pro except 2 DOS/WIN 98 machines for some legacy engineering software and hardware.

XP Pro is fantastic, fast and stable but Win 7 is intriguing.

I can use a new laptop so I am looking for a good deal on something with decent graphic performance.

Is the new Core I7 that much better than Core 2 Duo? Seems to cost nearly twice as much in a laptop. Any recommendations? Dell has a decent deal on a Vostro 1520 machine but their laptops don't seem to hold up well with a lot of use -- I have owned 4 Dell laptops and the keyboards on each one have worn out overtime (keys breaking).

Windows 7 seems to work extremely well. There is also a windows xp shell that run on top of seven for older programs that might have some compatability problems with the new operating system. As far as Core I7 it still seems pretty expensive. Also not too many programs so far are designed for quad core, so much of that is wasted power.

[davef]

Received the new notebook...

So far I am impressed by Windows 7. Quick and stable and it certainly looks great. My only complaint is that I just don't see what it actually offers over XP? For a new PC, it is definitely the way to go but I see no reason to upgrade our XP machines.

[debo]

I agree Dave, no advantage for your current XP pc's. If your connected to a sever in your office and upgrade the server at some point then upgrade the pc's.

[charlesedwin]

Hello

The only problem I have ever had with Vista is slow shut downs on my laptop before SP1 was released. Now I use it on my desktop and laptop with ZERO issues! Give Vista a chance or sell your soul to Apple and pay the “apple tax” and tell yourself you’re glad to over pay for a product because, hey it looks pretty cool!

[bdfin]

Well......many people don't mind paying a little more for something that works well. Nice looking is just a perk...... ( kind of like sierra 1's ) and these days the price difference in platforms is marginal. Anytime you're taking a perfectly good running system and trying an upgrade you need to take a deep breath. Clean installs almost always raise the chances of sucess.

[maxdakota]

I prefer Windows 7 as it the improved version over Vista as the developers have removed the problems coming while dealing with Vista in Win7. So, it is obvious to like Win7 over Vista.

[ediblestarfish]

Over XP...

I really like the search function in the start menu, so I can just type in part of a program name to bring it up; makes it much easier to find obscure stuff like System Configuration. Much better file viewing options, especially for image thumbnails. Works better with RAM and file caching, so it runs faster. Some people hate it, but I like the task-bar grouping and previews, window resizing by dragging it to the edge. Media Player isn't as terrible this time around, and works with a lot more formats.

I do a lot of photo work so those things matter a lot to me.

[Danielmarkwogh]

I am also agree with you all windows 7 is better then the vista. vista is consuming maximum space to compare with windows 7 and vista makes very slow to our system . I had experienced to use it.

[davef]

I am also agree with you all windows 7 is better then the vista. vista is consuming maximum space to compare with windows 7 and vista makes very slow to our system . I had experienced to use it.

Well I must say that I have really been enjoying Windows 7. I have yet to have a serious crash and all of my legacy software that I have loaded up runs just fine -- which was a major concern of mine.

[krs]

Well I must say that I have really been enjoying Windows 7. I have yet to have a serious crash and all of my legacy software that I have loaded up runs just fine -- which was a major concern of mine.

You're using a 32 bit install of Win7 ?

Win 7 is good - fast and generally trouble free in 32 bit version, but the 64 bit version allows for the use of a lot more memory. XP was limited to less than 4 gb, Win 7 32 bit can use up to 16gb (I think) and 64 bit more than that. More memory means faster loading and operation - it's a good thing, especially good if you use memory and processor intensive stuff like CAD, photo/video, or any that depend on tons of computations - they'll sail along much faster than they did in XP 32 bit environs.

There are a lot of software that still have not gotten 64 bit drivers ironed out, even after what? two years of Win 7 64 bit being out? Even the vaunted Adobe hasn't perfected a 64 bit driver for Flash which limits the usefulness of IE8 64 bit. Luckily Microsoft offers an alongside XP 32 bit environment for buyers of Win 7 professional or higher version that can be downloaded from their site and makes using older 32 bit programs possible.
anyway, if you run into something that doesn't seem to work right go to the software website and make sure you've got their latest driver versions and if you DID get a 64 bit machine make sure you're downloading the x64 versions if available. (I've had several lousy experiences with 'beta' attempts at a 64 bit driver from both Adopie, Canon, and Asus for one of their fancy soundcards, the Xonar Essence STX. You might find more depending on the software you need to use.


If you haven't tried it yet - the Microsoft Security Essentials has made it possible for me to leave my 30 year relationship with Norton behind forever. The anti-everything FREE security suite they're offering works fast, is easy to use, and is continually updated. You have to go get it, they don't include it with their operating systems but it downloads nicely and sets up quickly.