Adventures with Windows 7...

[rdamurphy]

Thought I'd share my experiences, trials, and tribulations of my Windows 7 RC1 project...

First, I tried install W7 on my daughter's P4 HT 2.8/1G RAM machine.

Downloaded (had to install a third party download manager to do it) and burned the 3 Gig ISO of the W7-32 onto a DVD, and went for it. Everything installed quickly and cleanly, but, the machine wouldn't boot into Windows, all I got was a black screen.

Did some Internet research, found a compatability problem with some nVidia cards, suggested fix is to hit F8 while booting, select the low resolution mode, install the new nVidia drivers. Tried it out, success!

Still, one must wonder why this problem existed in Beta1 and Beta2, why it's still a problem in RC1?

Next problem: No internet, checked, no device drivers for daughter's network card.

Card is a Cisco Aironet, a pretty common, not off the wall card. Went to Cisco's website, and found a perfect example of how not to build a website. What a horrid mess! Almost impossible to find drivers and every direction you go you have to "register" which invariably takes you to a screen asking for credit card information to charge you for "levels of registration." Mental note: NEVER buy anything from Cisco ever again.

Searched the net for drivers, apparently Cisco never even got around to making Vista drivers for any of their products, and some of the ones that people suggested didn't work. Mental note: NEVER EVER buy anything from Cisco ever again.

Reinstalled XP.

OK, round 2, main computer, Core2-Duo E7200, 4G Ram, downloaded W7 64, 3 gigs, (again had to install download manager), and burned it onto a DVD.

Spent 12 hours yesterday trying to install it. No joy.

Got up this morning, started over, tried doing it from a hard drive, no joy.

Searched the net, found several hints, including backing off overclocking and removing RAM(?). Backed overclocking down to stock FSB, no joy.

OK, why not? Removed half of my RAM, I have 2 2 Gig sticks. Fast install, 25 minutes to desktop!!! JOY! Replaced RAM and ramped up OC, and no boot... OK, backed off OC again after considering killing off Windows7... No boot.

Went into Vista (computer is now triple boot, XP32, Vista32, Windows7 64), and searched the web, found problem with my MB with the way it handles RAM addressing in 64 bit OS's. BUT, they had a new BIOS for it.

Flashed BIOS. (OK, if your eyes are glazed over, by now, I don't blame you.) It worked!

So, now, 4 hours later, I've got my AV installed, updates applied, Video card drivers working, and I'm on the internet bragging about...

16 hours to install Windows Vista.

Robert

[cp5513]

OK, I know this is old now, yet this video is still so applicable...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOh6Nh8w6f8

[NorfolkSouthern_37]

lets be clear that this will not be, and has not been, everyone's experience.

took me maybe 40 minutes to get win7 installed and get back to driving trains with my raildriver.

[chucksc]

Robert you got to quit buying that non name brand junk :-) - Clean install with Intel MB, QX9650 Quad Core, eVGA 260-216, 600GB raid 0 disk set - installed clean in 35mins with no drama...

[djt1]

lets be clear that this will not be, and has not been, everyone's experience.
took me maybe 40 minutes to get win7 installed and get back to driving trains with my raildriver.

Same here Justin, I’ve lost track of how many machines I’ve installed the Windows 7 RC on, including two, three year old laptops. I haven’t had any problems yet and installing/reformatting has always taken a lot less time than installing XP.

Robert you got to quit buying that non name brand junk :-) - Clean install with Intel MB, QX9650 Quad Core, eVGA 260-216, 600GB raid 0 disk set - installed clean in 35mins with no drama...

Lol, isn’t that the truth.

[BNSF4723]

Yah, I had no problem installing one of the older betas on my P4 3.0E machine. Install took about 20 minutes and generic drivers were installed right off the bat. Only problem I ran into was a crashing issue with Creative's Audio Console software, which I would assume has been fixed by now either by Microsoft or Creative.

[rdamurphy]

Windows CEMENT, now that's funny!

Interestingly enough, I had absolutely no problem installing Beta 1 or Beta 2...

I'm not sure what "junk" I'm buying, Intel CPU, MSI MB w/Intel Chipset, Crucial memory (matched set), ATI Radeon video, Creative X-FI sound card (PCI-E). Logitech USB keyboard, MS mouse... OH< that's it!

Now, for the good news: MSTS runs perfectly! Didn't even bother installing it, believe it or not, just ran the one off of my Vista install by clicking on the .exe, using the lastest .bin, it fired right up, made me click on the license agreement, and went into the game, no issues, runs just as well as it does on Vista. I haven't tried the editors yet, nor have I tried GMAX.

Seriously, though... IF GMAX, the RE and the AE work as well as XP, I'll be done with both XP and Vista... Forever. I'm kind of liking 7, well, except for the stupid rotating desktop wallpaper thing... Now, if I could just get it to use pictures of the kids or MSTS screenshots, with different backgrounds on each monitor...

Robert

[djt1]

MSTS runs perfectly!

How’s it running “perfectly”? Is this another story about MSTS running at 80 FPS when it’s capped at 60?

I'm kind of liking 7, well, except for the stupid rotating desktop wallpaper thing...

Why would you put up with the “rotating desktop wallpaper thing” if you did’nt want it?
It takes about two seconds to disable that.

[boleyd]

If you run Windows 7 pre-release does that present a problem when you try to update to the production version?

[djt1]

If you run Windows 7 pre-release does that present a problem when you try to update to the production version?

How would running the Windows 7 RC and then installing the RTM/retail version of Windows 7 present a problem?

[rdamurphy]

If you run Windows 7 pre-release does that present a problem when you try to update to the production version?

You probably won't be able to upgrade, you'll most likely have to do a clean install. Just like you can't upgrade Beta 2 to RC1. It only allows an upgrade from XP or Vista, but not Beta 1 or Beta 2.

Robert

[djt1]

You probably won't be able to upgrade, you'll most likely have to do a clean install.

Which is the proper way to install it to begin with.

It only allows an upgrade from XP or Vista

Windows XP users will have to do a fresh installation of Windows 7 and manually migrate your files and apps to Win7.

Vista users can do an “upgrade” so files and apps supposedly should migrate to Win7 without any problems, although a fresh install is the best way to go regardless.

[BNSF4723]

If you were to purchase the retail edition later, just keep using the RC version until the key expires (some time in summer 2010) or until you next need to reformat. I don't think theres actually any big differences between the RC versions and RTM, at least not warranting completely reformatting and reinstalling.

Also agreeing with the above post. If you practice smart drive partitioning or just back up your things properly, you shouldn't have to bother with an "upgrade" install. It makes more of a mess than it's worth.

[CottonBelter]

What does Windows 7 have that XP doesn't have apart from all the eye candy, and unnecessary functions.

Basically, what do I need that is included with Windows 7 that is not already included with XP. Need being the key word.

[NorfolkSouthern_37]

oh please...

if you dont want it dont get it. there is no point in blathering on about how you dont like x feature or its not good enough. when i use XP now it feels like driving an old clunker car.

btw, i like the ability to arrange my taskbar, it really does help with multitasking a lot.

i think its a dang fine OS. you can keep old clunky XP.