Planning to Switch from XP to W7...a few questions

[sblev99]

Hi. I'm one of the multitude leaving Windows XP for Windows 7 and I'm trying to decide which edition to buy. I was hoping I can get some guidance here.

I'm a professional illustrator. The machine I'm using is a custom build currently housing 3 separate physical hard drives. I was reading some Win7 buying guides on eBay and it looks like I need to decide between the Home Edition and the Professional Edition.

The guide I read mentioned something about having to buy a new installation of the OS if my system crashes so badly that it can't be restored. Is that true?

Also,since I have 3 drives would I have to buy 3 separate installations? Is there an option for multi-drive systems? I saw a reference to a "Family Group" feature. What's that?

I regularly use Photoshop, Corel Paint, and Manga Studio to do my work and the files are usually around 15 to 35 megabytes in size. The one I'm working on right now is almost a full Gigabyte! What are the chances I'll need to purchase new versions of those programs?

I appreciate your help. Thanks, and take care.

SteveB

 

[linnemeyerhere]

Welcome sblev99 to SF. You'll only need one copy of W7 and when I got my first copy I went for W7 Ultimate but in reality it's overkill in most instances. I've settled on W7 Home edition but maybe for you the sweet spot would be W7 Professional.

This one copy will likely be a OEM version and it's registered to the mobo but if you have issues with the mobo and it needs to be replaced you can call and explain this to MS, should have no issues as it's done all the time. If you have a system crash or virus or malware attack and need to re-install the OS you will only need that original disc and product key.

Your existing software should have no problems and in fact once you get the hang of the new W7 OS you'll love how it looks and functions. I would look to installing W7 and all your software on a SSD and suggest min. 128gb to 256 gb and look to a Samsung, Intel or Crucial SSD you'll thank me later. Then use your three HDD's for your data and back plans.

Your spec's show 32 bit XP and that is old school so make sure you go 64 bit W7 and for sure max your ram with as much as the mobo can handle. Go for minimum 16gb matching sticks and get at least 1600 Mhz. or as high as the mobo can handle and you can afford. Your Photoshop will totally love the SSD and maxed ram.....huge improvements.

 

[King Arthur]

Since you're using your computer for professional means, I highly suggest going with Windows 7 Professional. Windows 7 Professional has some key networking capabilities that Home Premium lacks and you also receive the right to use "Windows XP Mode". Windows XP Mode is a virtual machine of Windows XP Professional SP3 that you can install and run within Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, or Ultimate (not Home Premium!) in order to run software that might be incompatible with Windows 7.

I also suggest very strongly that you purchase a retail copy of Windows 7 Professional, not an OEM copy. A retail copy of Windows 7 will allow you to newly install that copy of Windows into another computer if your current one were to die or be replaced. OEM copies of Windows register themselves to a specific computer once they are activated and cannot be transferred unlike retail copies. Yes, you can try and convince MS to allow you to transfer OEM copies over, but having a retail copy to begin with allows you to avoid all that nonsense.

All versions of Windows supports accessing multiple hard drives inside a single computer, you have nothing to worry there.

Regarding your software that you're using to do your work, you're going to have to consult with the devs and publishers of those software in order to see if they are compatible with Windows 7 or not.

Feel free to ask any other questions you might have, we're all happy to help!

 

[derekimo]

I also suggest very strongly that you purchase a retail copy of Windows 7

That may be harder to find than an OEM copy.

 

[Slartybart]

Your hardware is 32 bit, so you won't get the memory advantage from Win7 x64
Your hardware is 64 bit, so you will get the memory advantage from Win7 x64
Memory Limits for Windows Releases (Windows)

linnemeyerhere and King Arthur give some good advice - the XP mode might be something you'd be interestedin (it might also be a crutch )

Home Prem or Pro x64 x32 retail version - it might be a cost basis decision.

edit: Derek makes a good point on the retail version......

 

[linnemeyerhere]

I haven't seen a W7 retail copy offered for some time, it all seems to be OEM. If someone can source retail copies please let us know.

 

[ThrashZone]

I believe LadyFitzgerald had a link post on her profile,
But it isn't cheap
You can most likely get three oem's for the same price,
Cheers.

 

[whs]

The guide I read mentioned something about having to buy a new installation of the OS if my system crashes so badly that it can't be restored. Is that true?

This is BS. What you do is make frequent images - e.g. to one of the other drives.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/73828-imaging-free-macrium.html?ltr=I

Also,since I have 3 drives would I have to buy 3 separate installations? Is there an option for multi-drive systems? I saw a reference to a "Family Group" feature. What's that?

Why would you want an OS on each drive. That sounds like an overkill.

I regularly use Photoshop, Corel Paint, and Manga Studio to do my work and the files are usually around 15 to 35 megabytes in size. The one I'm working on right now is almost a full Gigabyte! What are the chances I'll need to purchase new versions of those programs?

Those files are not really very large. I don't see the relevance of the filesize to the program versions. Check whether the product keys for the XP versions of these programs are valid for the Win 7 versions. It could be that you need new product keys - meaning you might have to buy the one or the other program again. But that is very program specific.

What you might need is bigger disks. But those are inexpensive these days. You can get 1TB for $60 (on sale at Newegg).

 

[whs]

Why retail. I have never bought a retail license in my whole life and never saw a disadvantage in that. Newegg had OEM versions for $80 - hard to beat.

 

[Slartybart]

You might consider Win8.1 (only $10 more)
Operating Systems | B&H Photo Video

You'll have to check your hardware for either Win7 or Win8.

You should do your own research on Win8 before deciding. BH photo has both Win7 and Win8, they're fair priced and might have any hardware components needs for either upgrade.

That's all I have... good luck with the upgrade.

Bill
.

 

[whs]

Your hardware is 32 bit, so you won't get the memory advantage from Win7 x64
Memory Limits for Windows Releases (Windows)

linnemeyerhere and King Arthur give some good advice - the XP mode might be something you'd be interestedin (it might also be a crutch )

Home Prem or Pro x32 retail version - it might be a cost basis decision.

edit: Derek makes a good point on the retail version......

His AMD 5600+ is a 64bit CPU.

 

[Slartybart]

His AMD 5600+ is a 64bit CPU.

Ooops - I only took a quick look at the specs and saw x32 XP.

thanks for catching my error whs.
edit: I corrected my error in my original post

Bill
.

 

[strollin]

You might want to download the Win 7 upgrade advisor from here: Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor - Download - Microsoft Windows

I personally think you should stick with Home Premium. Professional is really aimed toward those in a corporate environment that need the capability to join a domain. XP Mode is a nice feature but even though I have it installed on several computers, I've never encountered a program that required XP Mode to run. That doesn't mean that they don't exist but, in my experience, they're pretty rare. If you go with Home Premium and later find you do have a need for XP Mode then you can install the free VirtualBox and create a VM running XP. The drawback is that you will need to supply the copy of XP.

 

[whs]

His AMD 5600+ is a 64bit CPU.

Ooops - I only took a quick look at the specs and saw x32 XP.

thanks for catching my error whs.

Bill
.

No problem Bill. That's why we are a team.

 

[whs]

Here are some suggestions when you come to Windows 7 land.

1. Get a 128GB SSD for the OS. That will really speed up your system. Here are some examples: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...TMATCH&Description=128+gb+ssd&N=-1&isNodeId=1 I would buy the Kingston for $63. I have always bought the cheapest SSD and now I have seven, LOL.

2. Keep your XP license and run it in virtual - e.g. VMware Player. Here is how that works - the example is with Windows 8.1 but it would be the same with XP. Windows 7 and 8 side by side - YouTube

3. Get a Windows 7 64bit OEM license. Best milage for the money.

4. Don't know how many external drives you have. Here is a good buy: Seagate Expansion 1TB USB 3.0 Black Portable Hard Drive STBX1000101 - Newegg.com

5. A USB3 PCI card is also not a big deal and very useful.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I also suggest very strongly that you purchase a retail copy of Windows 7

That may be harder to find than an OEM copy.

More like impossible now. I wouldn't even look since most of the few retail versions out there are counterfeits or are horribly overpriced. It wouldn't hurt to get a second copy, just in case you decide to replace the entire computer or get a second one a year or two from now.

Unless each HDD is run as a separate computer, all you need is one OS to access all three HDDs.

Before you buy anything, go to this site and download the upgrade advisor to make sure your present computer is compatible with Win 7. You may be able to run only 32bit (otherwise, 64bit is highly recommended). You should have a bare minimum of 4GB of RAM (anything less will drive you nuts) although 8GB will be much better. You would have to check with the manufacturer of your computer to see how much RAM it will support.