Windows 7 ?

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randywa

randywa

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The wife and I are thinking about new computers and everything she points at has Windows 7 on it. Windows XP and XP Pro are the only ones we've used. Would we be in for some tough learning to go to Windows 7 or is it similar to the XP stuff? Any pros or cons about 7? Is there something we might like better? She uses hers to work from home and mine is used to keep me from bothering her. Thanks
 
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Windows 7 is MUCH better than Vista. I would lean towards the Professional version vice the home version. Updates and patches happen faster on the professional version.
my 2 cents worth.
 
I'm getting used to the windows 7. It was definitely a learning curve. I was much happier with xp but that's just not a realistic option anymore. Eventually I'll be so used to windows 7 that when windows 8 comes out I'll be upset about that I'm sure.
 
Avoid vista like the plague! Windows 7 has been pretty stable and works well as much as I have played with it. When you buy the new computers opt for as much memory as you can stuff into the machines.... Microsoft tends to work better and faster with lots of memory and big hard drives. +1 on the pro version, you'll be happier with it.:wink:
 
I didn't have any problems jumping from XP to Win7. In fact, it was hard to pull me away from the computer for a few days I was so delighted. I also upgraded from MS Office 97 to 2010 at the same time. Now that was nightmare. Like going from horse and buggy to a Mustang GT.
 
randywa said:
The wife and I are thinking about new computers and everything she points at has Windows 7 on it. Windows XP and XP Pro are the only ones we've used. Would we be in for some tough learning to go to Windows 7 or is it similar to the XP stuff? Any pros or cons about 7? Is there something we might like better? She uses hers to work from home and mine is used to keep me from bothering her. Thanks
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XP goes end of life in 13, so you are going to have a hard time finding a "new" pc that runs it. i used to be the PM that bought all the hardware and software for the Marine Corps, we couldn't get vendors to bid on machines that spec'd XP.

I have not had a hard time making the jump, but I am a geek...it has some inherent differences, but all in all is not that hard to learn. Its much more secure and has some pretty neat features.

I'd go 7...
 
jump is easy, used 32bit xp, went to win7 because i needed a 64bit OS and win7 was better built for that than XP - used both for everything from 3d modeling/animation to photoshop to programming in various languages :biggrin: and the occasional movie
 
The new windows 7 works really well. I've spent a lot of this year getting used to it myself at work, and then when my XP machine at home bit the dust this summer, I happily replaced it with a Windows 7 machine and haven't looked back. I've had more trouble getting used to the newer Office 2010 over Office XP than I have getting used to Windows 7 over XP.
 
I have noticed and I am sure everyone else has too. Microsoft will come out with a awesome Op system. then have 1-3 that are utter crap.... this has been repeated since the dawn of Microsoft.

I still have an Antiquated system with XP. When this system pukes out I will get one with window's 7.
 
randywa said:
This is the computer that she's leaning toward. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Lenovo+...rive/2677297.p?skuId=2677297&id=1218343869103
Being an idiot, I don't know the differance between 32 bit and 64 bit. This one has all the big numbers and I figure computers are like hammers, the bigger the better, right?
Click to expand...

That one will certainly do the job. And don't forget to get a nice big Widescreen HD monitor. If you've been using a monitor that dates to the XP days, the Hi-Def Widescreens will blow you away.
 
I was reluctant to step away from XP but now I see how so much better windows 7 is in many ways.. XP was too far out of date and a great many things are faster in 7 because it makes much better use of modern hardware. Being able to do work on your computer while simultaneously transferring large files (efficiently) without even a noticeable hiccup is awesome!

I also found it quite easy to make the switch myself. I don't like how Microsoft always has to completely revamp how they do home networks however.
 
32bit is limited to 4gb of ram, less the video card ram, which in my case is now 2x 1gb video cards, i simply couldnt survive with the remaining limit of 2gb system ram

64bit can hold higher ram limits, currently only limited by $, but most programs are still only 32bit based, so what you gain is mostly the ability to run more of those at once (on 64bit machine), while programs made for 64bit are slowly becoming more becoming more common and soon replace those :biggrin:

bare minimum, i would recommend 2+ core cpu (more if you run things needing alot of cpu, such as video encoding, rendering, mass scripting), 4gb ram (more if you many things at once, or do alot of graphics work), then a 512mb video card (1gb if heavy movies, 2x 1gb if gaming)
 
Switched from XP pro about 6mo ago. Got new pc with W7 pro. It was relatively painless. Some learning curve but you'll catch on quickly.

Carl
 
If you have older printers or scanners etc. you will likely have trouble finding drivers for them if you go with the 64bit version of Win7.
Older could be just a year or so.
 
xxShadowxx said:
32bit is limited to 4gb of ram, less the video card ram, which in my case is now 2x 1gb video cards, i simply couldnt survive with the remaining limit of 2gb system ram

64bit can hold higher ram limits, currently only limited by $, but most programs are still only 32bit based, so what you gain is mostly the ability to run more of those at once (on 64bit machine), while programs made for 64bit are slowly becoming more becoming more common and soon replace those :biggrin:

bare minimum, i would recommend 2+ core cpu (more if you run things needing alot of cpu, such as video encoding, rendering, mass scripting), 4gb ram (more if you many things at once, or do alot of graphics work), then a 512mb video card (1gb if heavy movies, 2x 1gb if gaming)
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I think it is 4GB of total memory, which means it might only utilized 3GB and some change. That is why a lot of 32-bit OS laptops for sale will have 3GB on board.

BTW, to get into all of the details about each component would be long and boring, but just don't fall for the marketing ploy that all quad cores are better than all dual cores and 4GB of x memory is the same as 4GB of y memory, etc. There is a LOT of apples to oranges comparison that happens in the computer marketing realm!
 
If you are simply wondering about an OS.. Windows 7 is more than adequate. It will be a little different than XP but does not have a very high learning curve.

randywa said:
The wife and I are thinking about new computers and everything she points at has Windows 7 on it. Windows XP and XP Pro are the only ones we've used. Would we be in for some tough learning to go to Windows 7 or is it similar to the XP stuff? Any pros or cons about 7? Is there something we might like better? She uses hers to work from home and mine is used to keep me from bothering her. Thanks
Click to expand...
 
Windows 7 is fine. It is stable, incorporates a lot of XP features. If you can, go for a 64 bit machine.
 
I'm in the process of getting a the peices of new computer put together. My computer guy says to stay away from the OEM version of Windows 7 and go for the next one up. He says that the OEM is worth about $100 while the next one up is about $220 and the difference is well worth it. I know very little about computer specs but will learn as he will be having me put the machine together and then install the programs which is supposed to give me some idea of how things work.
 
Microsoft has already stopped or will very shortly stop support for XP. Vista is junk and nothing but trouble. Windows 7 is stable and works well, my wife had no trouble changing from XP to windows. 90% of what you are using now in XP will run fine on Windows 7. A few older printers and scanners won't work because the companies just don't want to be bothered making drivers for them.

Look for at least a dual or quad core CPU the one you are looking at doesn't have it. Depending on what you are doing the dual core can almost double the speed compared to a single core CPU.

Take a look at tiger direct for a machine as well, good prices and if you are not scared to put the machine together yourself you can get a machine 2 or 3 times as powerful as the one you were looking at with their barebones kits. You can pm me for help on that if you want.

If you get a machine that does not have windows 7 installed look for the windows 7 family pack. Microsoft sells it here http://www.microsoftstore.com/store...ferralID=f7901066-f74d-11e0-9866-001b2166becc

Looks like it out of stock right now but they seem to sell it for a few months drop it for a few then bring it back so if you are not in a big hurry that's the way to go. Also look at other places for it.
You can install a copy on 3 machines. Usually works out much cheaper than buying a copy for each computer.
 
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randywa said:
This is the computer that she's leaning toward. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Lenovo+-+IdeaCentre+Desktop+/+Intel%26%23174%3B+Pentium%26%23174%3B+Processor+/+6GB+Memory+/+1TB+Hard+Drive/2677297.p?skuId=2677297&id=1218343869103
Being an idiot, I don't know the differance between 32 bit and 64 bit. This one has all the big numbers and I figure computers are like hammers, the bigger the better, right?
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Not necessarily - what exactly is her usage going to be? Email, word processing, etc?

By the way, this is all you need to know about 32 vs 64 - 32 bit operating systems will only support a little over 3GB of memory (RAM). If you ever wanted to upgrade/add more memory, a 32-bit operating system won't "know" how to use it. If you get 64-bit, your future upgradeability is secure =)
 
Rick_G said:
Microsoft has already stopped or will very shortly stop support for XP. Vista is junk and nothing but trouble. Windows 7 is stable and works well, my wife had no trouble changing from XP to windows. 90% of what you are using now in XP will run fine on Windows 7. A few older printers and scanners won't work because the companies just don't want to be bothered making drivers for them.

Look for at least a dual or quad core CPU the one you are looking at doesn't have it. Depending on what you are doing the dual core can almost double the speed compared to a single core CPU.

Take a look at tiger direct for a machine as well, good prices and if you are not scared to put the machine together yourself you can get a machine 2 or 3 times as powerful as the one you were looking at with their barebones kits. You can pm me for help on that if you want.

If you get a machine that does not have windows 7 installed look for the windows 7 family pack. Microsoft sells it here
http://www.microsoftstore.com/store...ferralID=f7901066-f74d-11e0-9866-001b2166becc

You can install a copy on 3 machines. Usually works out much cheaper than buying a copy for each computer.
Click to expand...

That Best Buy does have a dual-core. Really, it all comes down to usage for what you actually need in a computer.

Also Newegg is another great place to get components.
 
If you are buying a new computer, my recomendation is to find a local computer company that will custom build your computer. This way you can discuss what your needs are and what you are looking for now and down the road. You will pay for what you need and not have extras you will never use. Bigger isn't always better. Example, if you don't do games or need high quality down loads you won't need a high preformance graphics card. For pen photography I have a standard computer, nothing flashy or trashy. Windows 7, Windows 7, & Windows 7, by all means, I had XP and the conversion to Windows 7 was easy for me.

Richard Van Hulle, Aiken Pen & Pencil
 
What you plan to do with the computer is a *BIG* part the questions towards whether a given computer is right for you or not.

If your activities limited to forum discussions, uploading and downloading a few photos, email and some word processing then I would say the computer you linked to is is more than enough and you could probably even get by for a little less, although less would get dated pretty quickly as time marches on and software gets bigger and memory needs grow. Anything more than what you linked to will only cost you more money and gain you little for these simple needs.

Now if you plan on doing tremendous amount of photo editing. Or making movies. Or work with large spreadsheets and databases. Or play a lot of graphics intensive games, then you need some specific additional hardware and/or software to handle these various activities.

Regardless, Windows 7 is going to serve you well and once you get used to the new interface it's definitely a great improvement over XP. For future expansion (or higher current needs) the 64 bit version is preferable for many reasons, some already listed.

Good luck on your decision!
 
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Thanks to everyone for all the responces. My wife works from home on hers as a broker and dispatcher. She always has a ton of stuff going on at the same time, and she wants to upgrade soon. All I use mine for is a footrest and a flight sim sometimes. I don't really know how much demand she actually puts on hers, but she's kind of vocal when it starts slowing down on her. All I wanted to do was get the kick starter fixed on mine. I think she wants to get used to the new system for a while before she starts having to depend on it.
 
randywa said:
Thanks to everyone for all the responces. My wife works from home on hers as a broker and dispatcher. She always has a ton of stuff going on at the same time, and she wants to upgrade soon. All I use mine for is a footrest and a flight sim sometimes. I don't really know how much demand she actually puts on hers, but she's kind of vocal when it starts slowing down on her. All I wanted to do was get the kick starter fixed on mine. I think she wants to get used to the new system for a while before she starts having to depend on it.
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For her, a dual-core version of what you listed would be a good starting point then. I work a similar job in IT support and constantly have at least 15-18 things running at once (and across 3 monitors). A dual core 64 bit version of windows would probably be in order. I'm not sure the home premium listed on that one would be a good solution for her either, she may need Windows 7 Professional.

ETA: You can read about the different versions here: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/bu...pdate&ef_id=YkNOmckgIw4AAIUY:20111015193257:s
 
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