Should I upgrade from XP yet???

[beekermartin]

I have been running XP 32bit. I never bothered with Vista for obvious reasons. Windows 7 seems to be doing well so I was thinking maybe it is finally time to upgrade. I just ordered a MSI 460 to replace my 4870. That got me thinking that maybe it is time for me to upgrade my OS. What do you guys think???

 

[Moey_7]

xp is long gone upgrade as soon as possible. windows 7 is much more stable and faster than xp.

 

[Helltech]

Vista is amazing, people just don't know how to use it, its not "babies first OS" like XP and 7 are. I've had Windows Vista 64bit since day one and after tweaking I've never had problems.

Regardless you should upgrade to 7, you gain DX11, Trimm, stability, and speed.

 

[leo2kp]

I will just reiterate what everyone else is saying: go with Windows 7 64-bit

 

[Scotteq]

Fuggit - MSDOS

 

[beekermartin]

I figured it was time. Lol. I guess I will keep an eye out for a good deal on Windows 7. If I buy and "upgrade" version can I still do a fresh install or would I have to install it over XP? The main reason I ask is I prefer to start from scratch rather than install a new OS over an old one.

 

[Scotteq]

You can do a clean install from an upgrade disc.

There's articles on the web how, but basically you install to a blank partition/disc and do *not* enter your product key. That makes your install a trial licence. Then you use the same disc, and "upgrade" your trial.

 

[beekermartin]

Is home premium good enough? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754&cm_re=windows_7_64_bit-_-32-116-754-_-Product

I will probably upgrade my harddrive at the same time. My 320gb is starting to get a bit full. Lol.

 

[17seconds]

I just upgraded from XP to 7 Ultimate 64 bit. I like Windows 7 a lot, particularly after I got everything tweaked the working the way it's supposed to. It runs very smoothly, and has a great way of monitoring your system and offering solutions to problems. Overall, it is the best Windows operating system and I am glad to have upgraded from XP.

With that said, I haven't seen a big reason to upgrade if you are unsure about it. The internet is the same, e-mail is the same and still clogged with spam. If you have older hardware, particularly a buggy hard drive, you will run into problems with Windows 7 and it's indexing service. If you have an older Creative sound card (Audigy 2 for me), you will lose much of your EAX and audio functionality. Older software will not work, for example I lost my Palm Pilot desktop in the upgrade. Finally, don't think that all your games that played so well on XP will automatically work on Windows 7. Fallout 3 for me took quite some time to get to work properly, and that is a common complaint.

So, in short, I would say Windows 7 is the way to go, but don't think that it will just be "plug and play". You may have to spend some time to get everything working just right. If you are unsure and don't want to upgrade, then you are basically only missing the slick Aero interface and some of the more advanced system monitoring capabilities. In the end, though, it's just a matter of time before you will need to upgrade...

 

[Moey_7]

yeah matt gots a point windows xp aint going to last for ever

 

[beekermartin]

Interesting post. I do have a Creative Audigy 2. I don't really play any old games but I will once and awhile.

The only reason I was thinking about upgrading was for DX11. I mainly use my PC for gaming. I figured since I am upgrading my video card this week I might want to consider upgrading the OS at the same time. Of course if I am going to upgrade my OS I mine as well upgrade my harddrive at the same time. That is about $200.00 right there for a new average 1tb harddrive and Windows 7.

I am thinking that if XP is good enough for now that maybe I am just better off keeping it until I am ready to build an entire new rig.

 

[cadder]

I have and use all 3- XP, Vista and 7, in fact I've used all 3 TODAY. If you are happy with XP then there is no reason for you to upgrade. If you get the idea that you WANT to upgrade, then you may not be happy until you do. I upgraded my home computer because I wanted to check it out. I haven't figured out anything that my work computer would do with 7 that I don't currently do with XP, so I'm not in any hurry to upgrade.

As for 32 bit vs. 64 bit- I have some old 16 bit programs that I prefer to run under my 32bit OS so I've stayed with 32bit. At work I built some CAD workstations with 8GB of ram and 64bit Win7. In order to run our old apps we installed XP in a virtual machine, which was a pain. Personally I much prefer not to deal with it myself, but for those machines we needed more ram. We also had problems finding 64 bit video card drivers. If you don't need more ram then I don't know why you would want the 64bit OS.

 

[beekermartin]

I am going to have to do some research to see if it is worth it for me to upgrade. Are there any good articles you guys could point me to that may help me decide?

 

[17seconds]

Right, I forgot to mention as a positive that you do get to make a double jump from DirectX 9, all the way up to DirectX 10 and 11. With the video card upgrade it does make sense to upgrade in order to take advantage of all the enhanced graphic potential and "eye candy". It depends on which games you play, but if they are recent, then they will take advantage of Direct 10 or 11. I noticed a significant difference in visuals after my upgrade.

Don't forget to factor in the cost of Microsoft Office, unless you already have a copy on disk or plan to use Open Office.

With the Audigy 2, I lost the custom EQ tabs under EAX (rock, classical, acoustic, etc.) and only have the Environment tab (theater, concert hall, living room, etc.). I also lost CMSS2, and only have CMSS. I'm also not sure if EAX works the way it's supposed to. Creative has an "Alchemy" download that is supposed to restore EAX functionality, but only supports certain games, most of which I don't play. The sound is still pretty good, though.

 

[beekermartin]

I do have Office XP on disc. I assume that won't work on Windows 7.

 

[Helltech]

I acutally got my Audigy 2 working very well with Windows 7, I had to do some work around stuff, I can upload the different files and drivers I used later when I get on that computer.

 

[17seconds]

Office XP may work on Windows 7, I'm not sure. Microsoft.com has an "Upgrade Advisor" which scans your computer and tells you which current software on your system will work with Windows 7.

They also have an "Easy Transfer Assistant" which will make the upgrade process a lot easier.

 

[iRaiden]

I was hesitant to upgrade to 7 from XP at first.

I'm SO glad that I did, though.


You should absolutely upgrade.

 

[unknown_13]

Upgrade immidietly! Win 7 is light years ahead of XP, faster, more stable OS. Numerious improvements, new taskbar (superbar), aero peek, action center etc.

I recommend that you upgrade to 64-bit Win 7. Very stable.

 

[decode]

An upgrade to windows 7 would be a good thing to do at this point, Its more stable and more secure than windows XP, I recommend Windows 7 Professional for the budget oriented or windows 7 Ultimate who just want the best.

 

[jitpublisher]

I have been using Vista 64 for nearly 2 years. It does a great job for me, I guess it is time to go ahead and upgrade to 7 though. The biggest thing for most people about the upgrade is moving to 64 bit. It allows you to break the 4 gig memory barrier, which is a big advantage for almost anyone who uses their PC for more than email and Internet.

 

[jeffredo]

Do you have any DX10 or DX11 games? If not, don't worry about it yet if you have a stable, trouble-free XP install. Win 7 will generally not improve your FPS in DX9 games (and is occasionally slower). If you choose Win 7 you'll have to do a complete install - there's no upgrade version for XP. Also, try this driver compilation package for your Audigy 2:

http://forums.creative.com/t5/Sound-Blaster/SB-Audigy-Series-Support-Pack-3-8-04-19-2010/td-p/554398

This guy does a very clean install package that's a big improvement over Creative's mess (all the peripheral apps work instead of being broken) plus he includes ALchemy.

Windows 7 is great, don't get me wrong. If you do have DX10/11 games, by all means do it.

 

[beekermartin]

Ok. Everyone agrees I should upgrade. The question now is what version do I upgrade to? Home, Professional, or Ultimate. I assume my system is capable of 64bit but I am not positive. I have a Gigabyte P35 mobo, E6600 CPU, and 4 gb of ram.

 

[unknown_13]

Ok. Everyone agrees I should upgrade. The question now is what version do I upgrade to? Home, Professional, or Ultimate. I assume my system is capable of 64bit but I am not positive. I have a Gigabyte P35 mobo, E6600 CPU, and 4 gb of ram.

You're good to go with 64-bit Win 7.

I'd get the Win 7 Professional , looks like the best price/feature version of Win 7.

 

[17seconds]

Ultimate is definitely not necessary. It mainly offers multiple languages and both 32 and 64 bit versions. Professional is better than Home in that it offers the ability to emulate Windows XP, although I have never tried it out.

Definitely look forward to enjoying the better graphic effects that DirectX 10 and 11 offer. Often times the difference is subtle, but still very cool when you notice it.