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Posted: Nov 28 2010 06:22 pm

Right, so I figure it's finally time to get with the times, and ditch my x32 Vista for a x64 Windows 7 OS. Obviously I'll have to do a completely clean install since I'm going from 32 to 64 and that's a PITA, but I think the tradeoff will be worth it--I'll just have to back up everything beforehand, and spend some time reinstalling programs I use. My computer is so clogged at this point that I actually think the fresh start will be a good thing, though.

Now here's my question: since I already have Vista, can I just buy an "upgrade" version, or do I need the "full"? Does anyone know any good deals I can take advantage of, since I'd rather not have to pay $200 plus if I can help it? Any tips or tricks those of you who have already upgraded can pass on?

Posted: Nov 28 2010 07:29 pm

Yep.

If you have a student email, you can get Windows 7 Professional (don't bother with the Home Premium) for $65 HERE.

You're going to need to get the full version, because as you said, you're going from 32-bit to 64-bit. You could do the downloadable upgrade if you weren't changing that, but a clean install is your only option here.

As for tips and tricks, W7 has a completely revamped start bar that looks like http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/bd/Windows_7.png]this -- open icons are those tiny squares, and you hover over them to pull up a visual representation of the windows you have open. I personally found this super-bothersome, so I changed it back to the traditional Pre-7 style. (If you decide to change it, rightclick on the startbar, Properties->Taskbar Tab->set "Taskbar Buttons" dropdown to "Never combine")

If you have any issues or questions while/after installing it, drop me a line. I've been using W7 since early beta release and I think I know the ins and outs of it by now, so I'll be more than happy to provide what help I can.

Also, if at all possible I recommend upgrading to Office 2010 -- Word 2010 is the best word processor I've ever used, and my history dates back to early versions of Corel Wordperfect. Unless you use OpenOffice or something and then of course no reason to bother.

Also also can I interested you in an XBOX 360 home ent*shot*

Posted: Nov 28 2010 10:54 pm

Ah awesome, I really appreciate the time you took responding.

Now, I did sign up for the W7 Pro (exactly what I wanted anyway) deal. However, it seems like you don't get a physical copy; you download it. Not that that's a big deal, but I've never installed an OS without discs before. I assume it won't give too much hassle? And, this is a small point, but it does say "Widowns 7 *upgrade*. The install will still work without me having anything but Vista installed on my machine, yeah?

Mucho thanks for the tips on the toolbar. I have heard they were trying to make it more mac-like, and I hate that myself. I'll be sure to set it back to the 'regular' interface asap.

OH, and do you mind expanding a little about Office '10? I'm loathe to drop an extra $80 bucks on it when the current version works fine for me, but I just might be talked in to it depending on what differences/features it offers.

Posted: Nov 29 2010 12:54 am

When I purchased my full copy of Windows 7, it gave me the option either get a physical copy or simply download it. If that site is only offering upgrades (It seems to offer both, but I could be wrong) you can try the student page here. If you can't get a physical copy, you'll just need to burn your own from the downloaded file, which isn't too hard and IIRC it walks you through doing it.

Office '10 is an improvement for several reasons, the first one being speed -- when you start it up, it opens instantly, no waiting like with previous versions. Things are far more intuitively organized on the Ribbon, which has come into its own as a format after '07's clumsy initial implementation. If you already have 07 there's nothing major that would force an update, but earlier than that I would simply for compatibility and supporting the docx/pptx/etc filetypes. I got mine for like $5, so it was a no-brainer upgrade, but $80 is a much steeper price.

Posted: Nov 29 2010 02:31 am

Hm. I'll probably hold off on the Office upgrade for now then. As nice as it sounds, I just don't have the cash right now. I'll keep it in mind come summertime though, when a real, decent paying job should be in the works.

Site's still only giving me the upgrade, sadly, but I'll do some shopping around to see what I can find.

Joined: Dec 06 2007 Location: Connecticut Posts: 11244

Hawk,

----------- SELECT A VERSION -----------
First up, you probably don't need Windows 7 Professional. The Home Premium version is most likely fine for your needs. You should figure out what version you need by reading the differences.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/compare/default.aspx
* If you require XP Mode (A free XP Virtual environment) you must get Pro.
* In addition you can join domains with the Pro version.
If you won't use either of those features, you can skip the price bump. Remember that you can run VirtualBox or VirtualPC for free for a Windows VM... it just won't come with XP for free. So if you already have a full copy of XP, you might be all set.

----------- FIND A VENDOR ----------
The best price is usually the key to buying an OS... but is it worth it if there are strings attached?

The student deal requires a .edu email address and only offers a digital distribution of the OS. You will need to burn the ISO file to a DVD or understand how to extract it to an external disk. Either way, you will need to keep the ISO file on hand incase you ever need a reinstall. In addition they make no claims about the platform being x86 or x64. As an upgrade, I am not sure if it comes with both and I can't find any information about it.

OEM copies are generally about $100-$140 but they have some restrictions. From what I can tell, they can be installed on one system only and are either x64 or x86 but never both. They do not come with Microsoft OS Support (but no one ever uses that anyways).

Retail copies are the most expensive and usually cost retail prices.

Sorry... I am being cut off time wise but will post more later.

Joined: Dec 06 2007 Location: Connecticut Posts: 11244

Ok, I did some research and found out the following:

If you do the Student Version from Digital River you will get one chance to download and I believe that you will have to make the choice of x86 or x64. At that time you must pick and then download the file.

I found the details here:
http://www.appscout.com/2009/09/microsofts_2999_windows_7_stud.php

If you are unable to get the student discount the Upgrade option is a better choice than the OEM as long as you OWN a copy of Vista (Which it sounds like you do).

The Upgrade DVD for Windows 7 in any version is both x86 and x64. You cannot do an "In place" upgrade if you change platforms, but you already said you know that.

Posted: Nov 29 2010 07:05 pm

Alright, thanks GP. So what I think I'm hearing is that Vista (which yeah, I run a legit copy of) can be *upgraded* to Windows 7, so buying a copy entitled "upgrade" will be fine.

I was thinking Pro because I do want XP mode so I can run some of my older games--Starcraft, MechCommander and the like. If those run ok on Windows 7 proper, then yeah, Home would be my version of choice. (Although if W7 Home has at least an "XP *compatibility* mode like Vista, it shouldn't be an issue.)

Now...x64 vs x86. I had planned to go with x64, but is there a compelling reason to go to x86? I'm pretty sure my machine can handle it, but I wasn't sure it's necessary.

Posted: Nov 30 2010 01:04 am

x64 is necessary to take advantage of more than 4GB of RAM. If you have more than 4, you'll need x64 because x86 can't utilize more than that.

Starcraft works fine on Windows 7, I played it a bunch over the summer. XP mode is good because it emulates a 32-bit environment, so if you have older programs that aren't compatible because of x64, you can run them that way.

Joined: Dec 06 2007 Location: Connecticut Posts: 11244

I would make the jump to x64. At this point it makes more sense since you are going to reinstall the OS anyways.

If you own a copy of XP, you don't need XP Mode, you can just use a free Virtual Machine software such as VirtualPC or VirtualBox. Also if it runs in Vista, 99% of the time it runs in Windows 7. Yes there are a few things that don't, but they are rare, and usually not games.

Posted: Nov 30 2010 12:04 pm

If you know a few people who also want Win7, you can all go in on the family pack. Which gives you three licenses for Home Premium for $149 (or about $50 each.) Also, if you buy right now, you get a free Cisco Wireless router:
http://store.microsoft.com/FPCisco-offer?WT.mc_id=pointitsem_US_win7_wfprouterpromo_wfpgen&WT.srch=1&WT.term=windows+7+family+pack&WT.campaign=502&WT.source=google&WT.medium=cpc&WT.content=2360393&cshift_ck=2226065930cs2360393&WT.srch=1

Joined: Dec 06 2007 Location: Connecticut Posts: 11244

Wow.. that is a great deal Knyte. Definitely the best I have seen.

Posted: Nov 30 2010 11:00 pm

Hm. 4 gigs of RAM is all I have now...is it still worth doing a full reinstall just to get something I can't take advantage of? Would it be worth just getting a WIN 7 x32 upgrade I can install on top of my current OS, and then go x64 when I buy my next > 4gig computer down the road?

Joined: Dec 06 2007 Location: Connecticut Posts: 11244

SoldierHawk wrote:

Hm. 4 gigs of RAM is all I have now...is it still worth doing a full reinstall just to get something I can't take advantage of? Would it be worth just getting a WIN 7 x32 upgrade I can install on top of my current OS, and then go x64 when I buy my next > 4gig computer down the road?

Personally, when I switch OS's I like to do a clean install. It is easier to figure out what is going wrong in the future... and something eventually goes wrong 100% of the time.

Posted: Dec 01 2010 10:48 am

The RAM isn't the only thing that x64 does. Wikipedia has a good overview of some differences and the pros/cons.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/64-bit#32-_vs_64-bit

Joined: Dec 06 2007 Location: Connecticut Posts: 11244

LordHuffnPuff, can you explain what this is:

Code:

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CODE: http://pastie.org/private/qdrtlii1c2bgdvy5juaupq
RAW: http://pastie.org/pastes/1338548/text?key=qdrtlii1c2bgdvy5juaupq

Image:

Posted: Dec 01 2010 03:56 pm

Also, worth noting:
95% of viruses are still written to attack 32bit OS code, not 64 bit.