Questions about Windows 7 v's my current PC ---> WinXP

ghosts 2012-02-18 00:15:50 UTC #1

i am currently running Win Xp pro sp3 , and i am thinking of getting a whole new PC with win7 on it .
I would like some info on how much faster and better this new PC would be compared to mY current one . both are listed below .

these are some of the specs of the new PC i may buy,
Windows 7 home premium
Intel i7 2600 3.40ghz 8mb cache
Sata HDD (sata 1, 2 and 3 , what are the differences. )
DDR3 8gb
Nvidia GTX550 1gb or ATI Radeon HD6770 1gb graphics card , ( not sure which is better ) and maybe i need more then 1gb ? to be better then my current PC
Blu-ray DVD combo drive (i dont know if this means its a DVD burner as well)
Asus H61/USB 3.0 Mobo

My current PC specs
Windows XP PRO SP3
Intel Core2 e6700
Ga-965p-dq6 motherboard 2.67ghz
2gb ddr2 memory
Nvidia Geforce GTS 250 1gb
Seagate sata2 250 GB 16m cache
LG HL-DT-ST_DVDRAM_GSA-H62N
500 w power supply

now i have a few questions , if you know answers to them please help.

1- generally is the change form Xp to win7 very different in the way of its usabilty ease of use.

2- i have a fair few programs which i use for video/audio editing and other personal programs for video stuff, what are the chances of XP programs running on a win7 machine ?
would there be drivers i need to get in order for them to run if they dont work on win7, or is it just a chance thing , where they might run or they might not ?

3- also i have a canon printer ,would changing from XP - Win7 make my printer not work ?

4- If i buy this PC and dont like win7 , am i able to install the same win XP Disc i had on my old PC and take off win7 , or would it not be compatible with newer pc specs , my current pc could be around 5 or 6 years old , but was very good for when i bought it . it wasnt a cheep PC.

5- Does outlook come with winows 7 ? if so what version is it ?

6- What other programs are on the window7 Home premium disc?

if there is anything i have missed here please feel free to help me , as these are the only questions i can think of at the moment ., i dont want to buy this new PC without knowing what i am in for.

if you need to know any other specs that i have missed let me know .

thanks.

chef 2012-02-18 00:29:04 UTC #2

Is 5 a serious question? LOL

And as for 6, browse ms sites and you will know the answer!

coolcolors 2012-02-18 05:49:23 UTC #3

[QUOTE=ghosts;2623156][B][U]My current PC specs [/U][/B]
Windows XP PRO SP3
Intel Core2 e6700
Ga-965p-dq6 motherboard 2.67ghz
2gb ddr2 memory
Nvidia Geforce GTS 250 1gb
Seagate sata2 250 GB 16m cache
LG HL-DT-ST_DVDRAM_GSA-H62N
500 w power supply

now i have a few questions , if you know answers to them please help.[/QUOTE]

Seven should load and work fine in that current system state and configuration. You will just have to look at the motherboard site to get the latest drivers for W7 (Vista drivers will work in W7 if you can’t find any for W7) and make sure you get the latest Nvidia drivers as well.

[QUOTE=ghosts;2623156]1- generally is the change form Xp to win7 very different in the way of its usabilty ease of use.[/QUOTE]

It could be but if you had experienced using vista then you at least seen how W7 will look like and function. W7 has features from both XP and Vista hybrid together.

[QUOTE=ghosts;2623156]2- i have a fair few programs which i use for video/audio editing and other personal programs for video stuff, what are the chances of XP programs running on a win7 machine ?
would there be drivers i need to get in order for them to run if they dont work on win7, or is it just a chance thing , where they might run or they might not ?[/QUOTE]

I should work but in some programs you have to install using the “install with windows compatibility function setting” to get some older XP programs to work. But do check those software sites to see if they have software updates to work with W7 of which some might have.

[QUOTE=ghosts;2623156]3- also i have a canon printer ,would changing from XP - Win7 make my printer not work ?[/QUOTE]

That depends on which model and make of Canon printer you have. I have a HP 8450 and W7 was able to load it’s own HP printer driver that looks and function just like the HP software but is from windows. And some require you to do a windows update to find the right drivers. So again you have to check with the Canon to see which category your printer falls into.

[QUOTE=ghosts;2623156]4- If i buy this PC and dont like win7 , am i able to install the same win XP Disc i had on my old PC and take off win7 , or would it not be compatible with newer pc specs , my current pc could be around 5 or 6 years old , but was very good for when i bought it . it wasnt a cheep PC.[/QUOTE]

If you have both license you can install whatever O/S you like on whatever computer assuming it has the requirements to handle that O/S install and running it. But I would recommend sticking with W7 it’s more up to date and works with older hardware as compared to Vista. But look back at my earlier reply before you first question.

[QUOTE=ghosts;2623156]5- Does outlook come with winows 7 ? if so what version is it ?[/QUOTE]

No, that is part of M$ Office package there is no freebie there.

[QUOTE=ghosts;2623156]6- What other programs are on the window7 Home premium disc?[/QUOTE]

Just you don’t have the admin privileges control and tweaking abilities if you want those you have to go with Professional or higher to have those features.

[QUOTE=ghosts;2623156]if there is anything i have missed here please feel free to help me , as these are the only questions i can think of at the moment ., i dont want to buy this new PC without knowing what i am in for.

if you need to know any other specs that i have missed let me know .

thanks.[/QUOTE]

You should read up on Windows 7 and it’s various O/S type to know what your looking for and what your needs are.

olyteddy 2012-02-18 09:52:26 UTC #4

1 - no. W7 does have some additional stuff, but the basics are the same.
2 - usually very good. I haven’t had an issue.
3 - maybe, maybe not. depends on how old the printer is (did they make W7 drivers for it?)
4 - XP may not run on newer hardware, again it depends on drivers.
5 - don’t know, don’t use it.
6 - backup and DVD writing are 2 that come to mind.

PS: The i7 2600 will run lots faster, especially for CPU intensive tasks like video encoding.

Mr_Belvedere 2012-02-18 10:37:31 UTC #5

[QUOTE=ghosts;2623156]
1- generally is the change form Xp to win7 very different in the way of its usabilty ease of use.[/quote] It’s the same and more. There are now more and easy ways to get to your goal.

2- i have a fair few programs which i use for video/audio editing and other personal programs for video stuff, what are the chances of XP programs running on a win7 machine ?
would there be drivers i need to get in order for them to run if they dont work on win7, or is it just a chance thing , where they might run or they might not ?
Most XP drivers work on Windows 7 32 bit version. Old scanners and old hardware may never work.

3- also i have a canon printer ,would changing from XP - Win7 make my printer not work ?
You can check that yourself in the hardware compatibility list and the canon website.

4- If i buy this PC and dont like win7 , am i able to install the same win XP Disc i had on my old PC and take off win7 , or would it not be compatible with newer pc specs , my current pc could be around 5 or 6 years old , but was very good for when i bought it . it wasnt a cheep PC.
Legally no, possible yes. There may be no XP drivers for this hardware environment though.

5- Does outlook come with winows 7 ? if so what version is it ?
Outlook Express does not exist anymore. There is Windows Live Mail

6- What other programs are on the window7 Home premium disc?
Check microsoft.com

ghosts 2012-02-18 13:06:30 UTC #6

ok thanks a lot coolcolors , Mr. Belvedere and olyteddy your answers will help me heeps .
i wll start to find out all these points you made .

one other thing which of these would be better Nvidia GTX550 1gb or ATI Radeon HD6770 1gb graphics card , maybe i need more then 1gb ? to be better then my current PC which has an Nvidia Geforce GTS 250 1gb

olyteddy 2012-02-18 15:11:54 UTC #7

The Sandy Bridge processors have fairly decent HD Graphics built into the processor. I use my i7 2600 without an extra graphics card, and I hear the 2600K has even better graphics as well as an unlocked clock (for overclocking), therefore I can’t comment.

coolcolors 2012-02-18 18:06:58 UTC #8

[QUOTE=ghosts;2623239]ok thanks a lot coolcolors , Mr. Belvedere and olyteddy your answers will help me heeps .
i wll start to find out all these points you made .

If you have the money go for it either one should do you good it just depends on what your looking to do with each GPU and will it fit your needs if your a gamer then I say getting either one of those GPU would suffice your gaming needs. Even if you don’t do gaming those GPU would improve your visual computing needs and only push the limits when they are called into action.

ghosts 2012-02-19 00:26:08 UTC #9

ok guys , thanks again , i will take all your advice onboard .

AllanDeGroot 2012-02-27 08:22:54 UTC #10

one thing I see users doing all the time, and consider to be nothing less than “a horrible mistake” is getting a computer with windows 7 and installing XP on the bew computer.

Often the “new” computer NEVER works correctly because system drivers for some bit of hardware or another simply does not exist.

What’s worse is people often fail to consider what their fallback position will be if their XP installation goes horribly wrong… as it often does.

Not that I complain, I make money off this type of miscalculation.
(I get paid to clean up the train wreck, so…)

IF you want to run XP on a new computer practice a little forward thought
install XP on another drive with the Windows 7 drive physically disconnected and SEE if you actually can install windows XP AND get all the drivers installed and the hardware working.

STRONGLY RESIST the temptation to create a “dual boot” computer with
both operating systems on the same drive OR even two operating systems on SEPERATE DRIVES that will both be connected at the same time, because regardless of how you do this there will only ever be one “BOOTLDR” and if that becomes corrupted or unavailable you lose BOTH operating system installations.

This is something that is refered to as a “single point of failure”

I often call dual boot computer setups as “false redundancy”

Frankly I’ll tell you that I actually prefer windows 7 to XP and am currently dragging all my operators (some literally screaming and kicking) to
windows 7.

as for the arguement “why not wait for windows 8?”

I have downloaded and tried all the versions of windows 8 so far and have them setup on seperate drives for my favorite notebook… and while the OS works I don’t like the “feel” of windows 8.

Windows 7 is still a lot like XP to the user in someways Windows 7 is more like XP than Vista is… and on a FAST computer I never really minded Vista