WIN 7, Which Version?

[pipTheGeek]

You are unlikely to notice any difference between home premium and ultimate. There is already a link to the comparison chart so I won't repeat that, but I did want to add a bit about the xp virtual mode.
Virtual PC is currently a free download, although the Win 7 version is currently only an RC, I doubt that it will become non-free. It can run on any of the flavours of windows 7. What you are getting with the xp mode is an XP licence. If you buy a new full version of Windows 7, then your previous XP licence may still be usable (depends if it was OEM or not). So don't necessarily let this one feature sway your choice.

[roto41]

As things stand I have the evaluation Win 7 Ultimate installed.

Until I install a purchased copy of Win 7, what will happened to my PC after the 22nd, do I start getting nag screens or what, is the desk top rendered inoperable for a while, what happens?

I know I have till June 2010 I think but what happens mean while?

Also If I purchase Win 7 HP do I need to specify 32/64 bit OS or do both versions come on the same DVD?

[watercooled]

The RC should work fine even after the full version is released however it wil start shutting down every two hours after 1st March 2010 then expires on 1st June. I'm not exactly sure what they mean by 'expires' but I think the OS will be non-functional possibly with some way of retrieving your files.

[roto41]

Thanks WaterCooled at least that's put my mind at rest for a while.

Are you able to answer my question about 32 and 64 bit versions being on the same DVD.

[Vimeous]

Thanks WaterCooled at least that's put my mind at rest for a while.

Are you able to answer my question about 32 and 64 bit versions being on the same DVD.

Microsoft have stated that Windows 7 will ship with both 32-bit and 64-bit versions in the same box (though I assume on different DVD's).
However I don't know if this is true for the upgrade versions when they are released.

As you are looking at the full retail version the box should include both.

[tfboy]

AIUI, the Ultimate version comes with an XP licence so you can use it in a virtual machine. I wonder what kind of licence this is, and, if you weren't needing it in the virtual PC of the host OS running ultimate, you could use it on a separate PC as the dedicated host OS.

The other way around is valid I guess - one has a retail version of XP, then buys the retail version of W7 (any version). He can then presumably use his retail licence of XP as a virtual machine. But the first way around...?

[watercooled]

The 64/32 bit question wasn't there when I originally answered. Anyway, like Vimeous said, both 32 and 64 bit DVDs are supplied in the box and I'd be very surprised if the same didn't apply to the upgrade version. OEM versions however will probably be one or the other like previous versions.

@tfboy - I think you are getting a bit confused about XP mode. It's not a full license so no you certainly could not legally use it on a separate machine - it's licensed to run on the same machine as 7 in VM-mode only. As for your second question - yeah if you had a full XP licence and a FULL (not upgrade) 7 license then you could run XP in a virtual machine on 7. Anyway XP mode is a VirtualPC exe, not an iso or something so can only be used as a VM.

[roto41]

The 64/32 bit question wasn't there when I originally answered. Anyway, like Vimeous said, both 32 and 64 bit DVDs are supplied in the box and I'd be very surprised if the same didn't apply to the upgrade version. OEM versions however will probably be one or the other like previous versions.

Hi Watercooled,

Yes I added it as an after question.

Slightly off topic but it's my thread, running RC Win 7 Ultimate I found XP mode very unstable and/or slowed my PC right down or crashed it.

Also by disabling XP mode, even after this amount of time with the new OS, my boot up time is still around 60 seconds which is excellent.

End Users will either like or dislike XP mode, I can see the thinking behind it, having such a facility, I think many will find it a bother and get tired of it.

[watercooled]

Lol don't worry about going off-topic
Yeah I've just tried it myself and didn't think much of it TBH - certainly not impressed considering the asking price of 7 Pro. The only reason I would want it is to run my laser printer which has no 64 bit drivers or any for 7 however it's not ideal for this - yeah the drivers might install OK in the VM but then I'd have to go and install all the programs again in it and faff about transferring files between host OS and VM. I was expecting a seamless VM really where I could have XP compatibility on 7 and so run older drivers for example. Also considering the price premium it would probably be cheaper to go and buy another printer. Most programs that ran OK on XP will work fine on 7 apart from maybe some older bespoke apps but for the average home user I really don't see the point in spending the extra. If you're thinking about using it for games or any high-performance apps forget about it - you get 16-bit colour depth and basic graphics performance along with just 1 core and all-round sluggish performance. Also remember that you must have enough spare RAM on your PC and a CPU that supports hardware virtualisation - many don't. If you have an XP license already just get 7 Premium and run your spare copy of XP in VirtualBox or something...

[tfboy]

The 64/32 bit question wasn't there when I originally answered. Anyway, like Vimeous said, both 32 and 64 bit DVDs are supplied in the box and I'd be very surprised if the same didn't apply to the upgrade version. OEM versions however will probably be one or the other like previous versions.

@tfboy - I think you are getting a bit confused about XP mode. It's not a full license so no you certainly could not legally use it on a separate machine - it's licensed to run on the same machine as 7 in VM-mode only. As for your second question - yeah if you had a full XP licence and a FULL (not upgrade) 7 license then you could run XP in a virtual machine on 7. Anyway XP mode is a VirtualPC exe, not an iso or something so can only be used as a VM.

OK. But it's not really clear technically how it works or what it entails. From MS's info on XP mode (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/w...indows-xp-mode), it says the XP mode is a separate download, in addition to Virtual PC. So I'm curious as to what exactly is downloadable and only enable-able on Pro and Ultimate versions of W7. An virtual PC image perhaps?

[watercooled]

I have both, you can download both for the RC here http://www.microsoft.com/windows/vir.../download.aspx
One is the standalone update which installs VirtualPC, the other is an exe that installs XP Mode so it can be run by VirtualPC - so yeah a VirtualPC image basically. AFAIK you can use VirtualPC on any version but the XP Mode Image will only run on certain versions.

[roto41]

Hi watercooled,

I so agree with you, I have been pleasantly surprised how much older software will work under Win 7 64

I understand your take on printers, I took a backward step in that department.

We have laser printers for bulk printing but for my personal use, having purchased a new Epsom, I got my old brick of a printer back out of the box, a Lexmark all in one X5470, Lexmark to my amazement issued 64 bit drivers for it.

I would buy a new printer, something I can get cheap 3rd party multiple cartridges for, ( hate being ripped off by Lexmark ) but so far the one thing I can't beat on the Lexmark is black printing output, very fast.

As for versions of Win 7, as I write I am convincing myself more and more I don't need Ultimate and H.P will do me, which was one of the reason for my original question.