Windows 7 upgrade

polktiger
polktiger Posts: 556
edited September 2009 in Electronics
I just wanted to get some feedback on this idea...

I want to upgrade my HTPC to windows 7. I am currently running vista. For simplicity, I was thinking of getting a new HD to install windows 7 on. I didn't want to put Win7 on my vista OS drive becuase I want to keep it as a fall back. Basically if I am unable to get 7 running smoothly, I will just swap out the boot drive and resume running Vista.

Any problems with this route?
Post edited by polktiger on
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Comments

  • AsSiMiLaTeD
    AsSiMiLaTeD Posts: 11,728
    edited September 2009
    Why not just set up a dual boot config on the one drive?

    If you're upgrading from Vista to 7, you won't be looking back anyway
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  • restanim
    restanim Posts: 227
    edited September 2009
    Get Windows 7. You will not regret it. I am currently running Windows 7 RC and it is much faster than Visa. Also, it does not stop and ask you if it is OK to perform an action every time you add a program or change a setting.

    There are many other reasons to get Windows 7.

    Just do it!

    Mike
    polkaudio

    Currently Own:
    RTA-11T Light Oak, Aug/2011 to present
    SDA-CRS+ Aug/2011 to present
    RTA-11T Black, Dec/2013 to present

    Previously Owned:
    SDA-SRS 2.3 May/1990 to June/1991
    SRS 1.2TL June/1991 to May/1995
    SDA-1C Aug/2005 to Dec/2011
    SRS 1.2TL Sept/2009 to Sept/2015
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  • blakeh
    blakeh Posts: 491
    edited September 2009
    I have Win 7 running here as well, and it is what Vista should've been. I haven't run into any dirver issues yet, but that's the first thing I would check on an HTPC.

    If it were me in your situation, I would get a bootable USB drive to load Win7 on and test it out that way so you can easily boot to either OS without any hassle. Dual booting is a good option as well.
    /COLOR] [U][URL="http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showcase/view.php?userid=68366"][COLOR="Blue"]My Rigs[/U][/COLOR][/URL] [COLOR="Red" Balanced Audio Technology | Revel | Dodd | Monarchy | PS Audio | MIT | Polk | Etc.
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  • AsSiMiLaTeD
    AsSiMiLaTeD Posts: 11,728
    edited September 2009
    restanim wrote: »
    Also, it does not stop and ask you if it is OK to perform an action every time you add a program or change a setting.
    That's called User Account Control, and it's easily turned off in both versions...
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  • Sami
    Sami Posts: 4,634
    edited September 2009
    polktiger wrote: »
    I just wanted to get some feedback on this idea...

    I want to upgrade my HTPC to windows 7. I am currently running vista. For simplicity, I was thinking of getting a new HD to install windows 7 on. I didn't want to put Win7 on my vista OS drive becuase I want to keep it as a fall back. Basically if I am unable to get 7 running smoothly, I will just swap out the boot drive and resume running Vista.

    Any problems with this route?

    Not really, assuming you want a fresh start and don't mind installing your applications again. If you want to do the latter but still keep your original Vista drive as a backup, several options there.

    If you go with new HD, these might be handy but considering you're not going to swap them out consistently might be a waste of money. For someone who does it all the time, these are life savers.

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817998041
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  • Sami
    Sami Posts: 4,634
    edited September 2009
    AsSiMiLaTeD wrote: »
    That's called User Account Control, and it's easily turned off in both versions...

    Who would run their Windows machine is full admin mode anyways? :p
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  • Face
    Face Posts: 14,340
    edited September 2009
    I've tried to install it twice, it will only allow me to install it to a small partition on my C: drive, meanwhile it will not allow me to select my almost empty D: drive or completely empty E: drive. :mad:
    "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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  • nguyendot
    nguyendot Posts: 3,594
    edited September 2009
    I've had it installed for some time now - it's great. Fast, simple, easy.

    I'm launching it for my company soon - and then HP/gateway/etc will follow suit. We always seem to launch first lol.
    Main Surround -
    Epson 8350 Projector/ Elite Screens 120" / Pioneer Elite SC-35 / Sunfire Signature / Focal Chorus 716s / Focal Chorus CC / Polk MC80 / Polk PSW150 sub

    Bedroom - Sharp Aquos 70" 650 / Pioneer SC-1222k / Polk RT-55 / Polk CS-250

    Den - Rotel RSP-1068 / Threshold CAS-2 / Boston VR-M60 / BDP-05FD
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  • AsSiMiLaTeD
    AsSiMiLaTeD Posts: 11,728
    edited September 2009
    Sami wrote: »
    Who would run their Windows machine is full admin mode anyways? :p

    Not me, that's for sure.
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  • ryanjoachim
    ryanjoachim Posts: 2,046
    edited September 2009
    Dual-booting would be the easiest and most convienient way to go about it. Create a small partition (50-60GB), install win 7 on that partition, and afterwards whenever you boot the machine you'll get a prompt asking you which OS you want to run.

    Standard timer is 30 seconds for that prompt, but you can easily make it a 1 second prompt so it automatically chooses win 7 until you want to boot into Vista.
    MrNightly wrote: »
    "Dr Dunn admitted that his research could also be interpreted as evidence that women are shallower than men. He said: "Let's face it - there's evidence to support it."
    mystik610 wrote: »
    Best Buy is for people who don't know any better. Magnolia is for people who don't know any better and have more money to spend.
    My System:


    TV: SAMSUNG UN55B7000 55" 1080p LED HDTV
    HTPC: Chromecast w/ Plex Media Server. Media streamed from Media Server.
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  • mshan242700
    mshan242700 Posts: 823
    edited September 2009
    Acronis True Image?

    I would still back up any important documents, media, etc. before any attempted in place upgrade:

    http://mossblog.allthingsd.com/files/2009/08/windows-upgrade-chart.png
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  • Sami
    Sami Posts: 4,634
    edited September 2009
    mshan242700 wrote: »
    Acronis True Image?]

    ddrescue would be free alternative.
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  • Roy Munson
    Roy Munson Posts: 886
    edited September 2009
    I've been dual booting Win 7 RC and Vista since the RC first came out and I have to say Win 7 is great. If you try Win 7 you will most likely wind up liking it better than Vista..I did and I think it's safe to say that most people feel the same. YMMV
    2 Channel:
    Amp/Parasound Halo A23
    Pre/Carver C-1
    Tuner/Carver TX-11a
    CDP/Jolida JD 100A
    Turntable/AR XB-Shure V15 III
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  • olilugo
    olilugo Posts: 405
    edited September 2009
    How is the support for all XP programs. I have a few I run under XP and I notice some of them did not run on vista.
    Current HT setup
    Mains: B&W 804s
    Center: Polk CSi5
    Surround: Polk FXi3
    Sub: Velodyne DLS-3750R
    Receiver: Pioneer SC-07
    Amplifier: Sunfire TGA5200
    TV: Sony KDS60A2020
    DBP: Sony DBP-S350
    CDP: Pioneer DV-48AV
    Interconnect cables: SignalCable analog II
    speaker cables: SignalCable Ultra Speaker Cables Bi-wire
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  • ryanjoachim
    ryanjoachim Posts: 2,046
    edited September 2009
    If you get the "ultimate" version (or corporate) you can get XP virtualization. Otherwise, deal with it.

    According to Microsoft.
    MrNightly wrote: »
    "Dr Dunn admitted that his research could also be interpreted as evidence that women are shallower than men. He said: "Let's face it - there's evidence to support it."
    mystik610 wrote: »
    Best Buy is for people who don't know any better. Magnolia is for people who don't know any better and have more money to spend.
    My System:


    TV: SAMSUNG UN55B7000 55" 1080p LED HDTV
    HTPC: Chromecast w/ Plex Media Server. Media streamed from Media Server.
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  • kuntasensei
    kuntasensei Posts: 3,263
    edited September 2009
    Just installed Win 7 Ultimate on a spare drive and ran the same benchmark program on both that and my Vista install. Peculiar thing... The Vista install benches faster and has vastly better video performance on video benchmarks. However, the Win 7 was 64-bit and the Vista is 32-bit. Memory footprint at boot was about the same, but the Win 7 installation boots up WAY faster.

    I'll probably go ahead and roll with Win 7, but I think I'm gonna stick with the 32-bit version.
    Equipment list:
    Onkyo TX-NR3010 9.2 AVR
    Emotiva XPA-3 amp
    Polk RTi70 mains, CSi40 center, RTi38 surrounds, RTi28 rears and heights
    SVS 20-39CS+ subwoofer powered by Crown XLS1500
    Oppo BDP-93 Blu-ray player
    DarbeeVision DVP5000 video processor
    Epson 8500UB 1080p projector
    Elite Screens Sable 120" CineWhite screen
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  • WilliamM2
    WilliamM2 Posts: 4,788
    edited September 2009
    I'll probably go ahead and roll with Win 7, but I think I'm gonna stick with the 32-bit version

    My employer is an Action Pack subscriber, and registered Microsoft partner. We received the retail and OEM 32 bit versions of Windows 7 business and ultimate this week. I was waiting for the 64 bit versions before installing, to take full advantage of my 4 GB of memory, but after reading your post, maybe I'll install the 32 bit version this weekend.
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  • Sami
    Sami Posts: 4,634
    edited September 2009
    olilugo wrote: »
    How is the support for all XP programs. I have a few I run under XP and I notice some of them did not run on vista.

    http://www.virtualbox.org/

    I have WinXP and Ubuntu running in VirtualBox on my Win7 machine without any problems.

    It's also a great tool if you want to test out a program. I use it all the time with a "virgin" OS to test software installations.
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  • ryanjoachim
    ryanjoachim Posts: 2,046
    edited September 2009
    I'm running the 64-bit win 7 RTM, and I'm having 0 issues with performance/speed compared to my previous vista install.
    MrNightly wrote: »
    "Dr Dunn admitted that his research could also be interpreted as evidence that women are shallower than men. He said: "Let's face it - there's evidence to support it."
    mystik610 wrote: »
    Best Buy is for people who don't know any better. Magnolia is for people who don't know any better and have more money to spend.
    My System:


    TV: SAMSUNG UN55B7000 55" 1080p LED HDTV
    HTPC: Chromecast w/ Plex Media Server. Media streamed from Media Server.
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  • lukewayne
    lukewayne Posts: 80
    edited September 2009
    i've also got 64-bit win7 running on my htpc. working great with hdmi video and sound.

    i suggest you buy a solid state hard drive to install windows on. either get a ocz vertex, or a new intel (check anandtech.com for really detailed advice)

    its super super super fast, silent and makes almost no heat. perfect for htpc!

    then you'll also have your vista drive if things go south, but they wont.
    ________________________________
    Panasonic TH-50PZ800U; Sony BDP-S350
    Sony STR-DA5400ES; Carver TFM-55
    Carver TFM-35; Carver A-500x
    Sony Playstation 3; Custom HTPC
    Polk Monitor 10B Front; 2xPolk CS350LS Center;
    Monitor 5B rears (RB0194-1 Upgrade);
    Velodyne VA1012XII sub
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  • Sami
    Sami Posts: 4,634
    edited September 2009
    lukewayne wrote: »
    its super super super fast, silent and makes almost no heat. perfect for htpc!

    Just don't use it as a data storage, try to keep it as much read-only as possible. Do not use it as swap space! For static OS it is ok but they still have somewhat limited lifespan for write operations.
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  • DeusExa
    DeusExa Posts: 491
    edited September 2009
    Win7 is awesome. Not revolutionary, but definitely a nicer OS.
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  • kuntasensei
    kuntasensei Posts: 3,263
    edited September 2009
    Tried the in-place upgrade on my machine for s#its and giggles... 17 hours later, it was still at 62%, so I rebooted and let it restore Vista. So the lesson here is: Clean install = an hour. In-place upgrade = Pack a couple of lunches.
    Equipment list:
    Onkyo TX-NR3010 9.2 AVR
    Emotiva XPA-3 amp
    Polk RTi70 mains, CSi40 center, RTi38 surrounds, RTi28 rears and heights
    SVS 20-39CS+ subwoofer powered by Crown XLS1500
    Oppo BDP-93 Blu-ray player
    DarbeeVision DVP5000 video processor
    Epson 8500UB 1080p projector
    Elite Screens Sable 120" CineWhite screen
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