W7 XP Mode or Dual Boot?

[Parry]

Hi,

On one of my desptop's want to install W7 but getting restricted due to two of my softwares.

Currently its installed with XP Pro SP3. What should be the right choice out of the two?

Dual Boot System or W7 XP Mode

Desktop Config: AMD Athlon II x4 635
Gigabyte GA-880GM-UD2H
Kingston 2x2GB DDR3
Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB

 

[rraod]

It depends on how frequently you use these two softwares and their requirements.

You mention these softwares are already installed in XP SP3. Do you have the setup programs for these applications for reinstall again? If you do not have them then it is better to leave the system undisturbed with XP SP3.

Assuming you have setup programs....

If the softwares are heavyweight applications needing more system resources like memory, CPU and you use these applications most of the time then it is better to have a dual boot system.

If the softwares are small and you wants to use them less frequently and get back to windows 7 quickly or run both of them concurrently, then it is better to have XP mode or a virtual machine.

If these applications run in XP compatibility mode, then all you need is Windows 7.

 

[Parry]

If these applications run in XP compatibility mode, then all you need is Windows 7.

Thanks rraod for your reply.
Have checked them on my W7 System but they fail to run in compatibility mode.

The softwares are not heavyweight and have setup for them.
One of them is DOS oriented & the other is an accounting software.

What has been holding me back for XP Mode of W7 are the reviews & issues all over the net.
Is that so?

Also, wanted to get onto x64 as most of my installed RAM is sitting idle.

 

[rubyrubyroo]

Hello again Parry,

Just wondered what "DOS" s/w you were trying to install (title and version if possible) and the other xp "based" app info may or may not prove of diagnostic significance to your issue.

I concur w/ rraod's assessment, and if your only installing 2 apps/progs I would really try to put the win7 compatibility mode to use. First, you'll save quite a but of time firing up other methods (rebooting to xp in DB sys, running VM, etc) esp. if you use them much! Second, the hassles that can arise from setting up a dual/multi-boot 7+xp, or virtual machine and it's virtual xp OS or even running XP-mode can be very much more difficult to deal with than xp comp mode execution, although it's like throwing dice, you may never have any type of problem, whereas a near identical system may!

If you have the install disks, as I believe you said you did, I'd try to tweak out xp-compatibility mode first. Even if you try and fail and no one can help you get it setup correctly, you've got the option to uninstall, and the safety net of the other options, right?

In addition to the names and versions (if available) for the s/w, what concerns do you have, more specifically, with win7-compatibility mode, the reports and issues.

Lemme know,
Mike