Win7 - What version to buy?

photoshop · 28 Aug 2009 at 22:08

Which version of Win7 should i buy?

Windows 7 Ultimate N
Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit
Windows 7 Enterprise Edition 64bit
Windows 7 Professional Edition 64bit
Windows 7 Ultimate

Does Win7 come with the Virtual PC and XP Mode or is that separate addon??

Any benefit in installing 64bit or will 32bit be fine?

Ascendancy · 28 Aug 2009 at 22:11

Professional and Ultimate have XP mode. You have to download it separately, but it's free.

Go for 64bit.

photoshop · 28 Aug 2009 at 22:12

Ascendancy said:
Go for 64bit.

will my current programs on winXP 32bit run on 64bit?

Alex74 · 28 Aug 2009 at 22:31

Any program running on a 32-bit system should run on a 64-bit system, they wont 'know' the difference

However, it is not guaranteed that all programs on XP will work with windows 7, many do though

EDIT: If in doubt, do a google search on the specific program. You should be able to find out if there will be any compatability issues on windows 7..

Ascendancy · 28 Aug 2009 at 22:32

photoshop said:
will my current programs on winXP 32bit run on 64bit?

As said above, 64bit versions of Windows are able to run 32bit code just fine.

photoshop · 28 Aug 2009 at 22:43

Cheers Guys.
Think I'll get the Ultimate 64bit version then.

Kennysevenfold · 28 Aug 2009 at 22:47

photoshop said:
W
Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit

This

stifler · 28 Aug 2009 at 22:57

sorry to hijack the thread but do the pre-order retail versions http://www.overclockers.co.uk/searc...arch=win7&utm_source=forums&utm_medium=banner come in 64bit or do i have to get the oem version.

only asking because it doesn't say weather they are 32 or 64bit.

Daegan · 28 Aug 2009 at 22:57

Why do you need Ultimate?

Daegan · 28 Aug 2009 at 22:58

stifler said:
sorry to hijack the thread but do the pre-order retail versions http://www.overclockers.co.uk/searc...arch=win7&utm_source=forums&utm_medium=banner come in 64bit or do i have to get the oem version.

only asking because it doesn't say weather they are 32 or 64bit.

Comes with both.

photoshop · 28 Aug 2009 at 23:07

Daegan said:
Why do you need Ultimate?

figured it would be best to get as its the top end.

Daegan · 28 Aug 2009 at 23:22

photoshop said:
figured it would be best to get as its the top end.

Buy the edition with the features you need, then use any money you save for something you'll actually benefit from

Paddyw01 · 28 Aug 2009 at 23:24

I was wondering the same thing. Ultimate is nearly three times the price of Home Premium so is it really worth it? 160 quid compared to around 60 quid.

Oh, this is probably a stupid question but I should think it relevant here, but if you buy a retail version, http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=SW-123-MS&groupid=33&catid=20&subcat= then can it be installed on as many machines as you like because it is retail rather than OEM?

Daegan · 28 Aug 2009 at 23:32

Paddyw01 said:
Oh, this is probably a stupid question but I should think it relevant here, but if you buy a retail version, http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=SW-123-MS&groupid=33&catid=20&subcat= then can it be installed on as many machines as you like because it is retail rather than OEM?

No, the license only allows it to be used on one machine. A retail license does allow you to transfer it to another machine however (for instance if you upgrade/replace your PC), unlike an OEM license which is tied to the motherboard.

Paddyw01 · 28 Aug 2009 at 23:41

Daegan said:
No, the license only allows it to be used on one machine. A retail license does allow you to transfer it to another machine however (for instance if you upgrade/replace your PC), unlike an OEM license which is tied to the motherboard.

And people wonder why MS make so much money. If Bill Gates weren't so philanthropic, than I'd download the ummm... can't say it on here but you get my meaning

but for crying out loud, I'd just want to install it on two machines! That's it! :mad:

Broken Hope · 28 Aug 2009 at 23:44

Just get home premium unless you want the virtualised XP and remote desktop, then get pro. Ultimate really doesn't give much extra for most users and costs a lot more.

With the virtualised XP being seamless, e.g you can run programs from the virtualised XP as if you were running Windows 7 programs, without having to even see the virtual PC, I'm planning on using a web browser installed in XP mode to do most of my web browsing, that way it's completely sand boxed and makes it a lot harder for virus's and such to infect the host OS.

photoshop · 29 Aug 2009 at 00:02

So the Virtual PC and XP mode can be downloaded from MS site?

What you say is that I just run the programs like I would do anyway such as going to start - programs - photoshop without faffing on first?

Broken Hope · 29 Aug 2009 at 00:20

photoshop said:
So the Virtual PC and XP mode can be downloaded from MS site?

What you say is that I just run the programs like I would do anyway such as going to start - programs - photoshop without faffing on first?

Yes once you have set up the virtual XP and installed programs on it any programs you install in the virtual XP will automatically be added to your Windows 7 start menu. You can then load these programs like you would normally and it will open them as normal, but they will be running on the virtual OS instead of the host OS. You need at least the pro version of Windows 7 for XP mode though. Note you'll need a CPU that has hardware virtualisation support though.

You can see a promo video for XP mode here https://partner.microsoft.com/40109449

Daegan · 29 Aug 2009 at 00:41

photoshop said:
So the Virtual PC and XP mode can be downloaded from MS site?

What you say is that I just run the programs like I would do anyway such as going to start - programs - photoshop without faffing on first?

One word of warning. According to the official page you need a CPU with Intel Virtualization Technology. If you're talking about installing Windows 7 with the specs detailed in your sig I'm not sure if the E2xxx processors support it.

photoshop · 29 Aug 2009 at 01:19

Broken Hope said:
Yes once you have set up the virtual XP and installed programs on it any programs you install in the virtual XP will automatically be added to your Windows 7 start menu. You can then load these programs like you would normally and it will open them as normal, but they will be running on the virtual OS instead of the host OS. You need at least the pro version of Windows 7 for XP mode though. Note you'll need a CPU that has hardware virtualisation support though.

You can see a promo video for XP mode here https://partner.microsoft.com/40109449

Cheers

Daegan said:
One word of warning. According to the official page you need a CPU with Intel Virtualization Technology. If you're talking about installing Windows 7 with the specs detailed in your sig I'm not sure if the E2xxx processors support it.

I will be putting together a new system for win7 with possibly a i5 chip.

Another question. If I install the 64bit version, do I then have to buy 64bit programs in the future? I'm talking about new software not existing.