Windows XP Home or Windows 7 Starter ?

[deba]

Dear All,

Heard that the Windows 7 starter edition for Netbooks lacks a lot of features than the complete version of Windows 7.

If a 1GB RAM Notebook can run the full version of Windows XP Home with all the features then I think its a better option to go for XP Home then Windows 7 Starter.

Kindly discuss and guide.......

Thanks.

 

[alcy]

Is there any Windows-specific software that you need to use/must use (games/photoshop etc.) ? If not, there are other OS options available too, in the form of linux distributions which you might give a try.

 

[deba]

Is there any Windows-specific software that you need to use/must use (games/photoshop etc.) ? If not, there are other OS options available too, in the form of linux distributions which you might give a try.

All my softwares are Windows specific and I will go for either 7 or XP Home.

 

[hubballi]

All my softwares are Windows specific and I will go for either 7 or XP Home.

You can buy Windows 7. With that license you can always use Windows 7 or any lower version of Windows including windows XP.

 

[deba]

I can use the Windows 7 license to activate Windows XP........great........

 

[alokbharti]

You can buy Windows 7. With that license you can always use Windows 7 or any lower version of Windows including windows XP.

Thanks hubballi..

have you tried this before?
please confirm..
appreciate your help

 

[kapvin]

I can use the Windows 7 license to activate Windows XP........great........

I am not so sure that this is possible. With Vista, there was at one time a deal that you could downgrade to XP without any license charges for OEM machines. this was due to corporate lack of confidence with Vista (many corporates including mine - made a direct transition to 7 from XP, bypassing vista)

anyway.. to answer the original question.. if you have the RAM, 1GB+ - 7 basic is a good option. I think 7-starter does not allow a more than 3 apps running simultaneously.

if you have 512MB or less - XP-home is the way to go. (I did run 7 RC on a 512MB celeron 1.3Ghz laptop, it ran.. but not very satisfactorily.)

hope this answers the query.

cheers

 

[gobble]

Win 7 is very nice minimalist slick and good out of box. If you like the old Win 2000 you will like the 7.

Unless you are a linux fan ...

Cheers

 

[Spidey]

Win 7 is very nice minimalist slick and good out of box. If you like the old Win 2000 you will like the 7.

Unless you are a linux fan ...

Cheers

i dont see any similarity between the archaic win 2000 and win 7.. both were meant for different audiences. did u use to run ur home pc on win 2000?

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

When I build my new PC, I am planning to buy W7 but install XP. By buying that non-oem copy of 7, I will get portability to any new PC in the future, and upgrade rights to whatever comes in the future, should I decide to go for it. My understanding is MS still "permit" that downgrade to XP. I have several copies of XP, but they are all OEM. Might get away with it, but MS, according to its rules, is under no obligation to let me run any of them on a new PC.

Just at the moment, there is one piece of software, at least, that will not run on 7, and I am sticking to XP. Of course, this may be worse for future versions. One day, MS are bound to "turn off" the version of Office that I run. I have no desire to ever spend any more money on Word, Excel, etc.

 

[kapvin]

When I build my new PC, I am planning to buy W7 but install XP. By buying that non-oem copy of 7, I will get portability to any new PC in the future, and upgrade rights to whatever comes in the future, should I decide to go for it. My understanding is MS still "permit" that downgrade to XP. I have several copies of XP, but they are all OEM. Might get away with it, but MS, according to its rules, is under no obligation to let me run any of them on a new PC.

Just at the moment, there is one piece of software, at least, that will not run on 7, and I am sticking to XP. Of course, this may be worse for future versions. One day, MS are bound to "turn off" the version of Office that I run. I have no desire to ever spend any more money on Word, Excel, etc.

Thad,

I am curious as to how this would happen. You would still need to activate XP using one key or the other, and this would tie that license with that hardware fingerprint. so how would it work differently if you simply installed W7.

also I am unsure that the OEM licenses are restricted to one machine. I bought 2 licenses of XP, and as time passed I upgrade the machines multiple times. I ran through 3 motherboard upgrades in each machine and WGA was validated.

similarly I purchased VHP for my wifes laptop, and while checking out my new HTPC, i installed VHP, which again passed validation. so that 3 events for XP-home and 2 events for Vista confirmed.

also, if your machine is adequately specced, you could run virtual XP directly from the Desktop

Download Windows XP Mode

cheers

 

[gobble]

i dont see any similarity between the archaic win 2000 and win 7.. both were meant for different audiences. did u use to run ur home pc on win 2000?

For two years I had a dual boot config with Win2K and linux. I meant the minimalist look and feel of win2K nothing else ...

Regards

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Kapvin; I am no expert on this at all, but I understand that an OEM copy is "sold for use with one PC", either the one you bought it with, or the one you just built and are supposed to stick the key to. That's why MS started putting the ky stickers on the machines. A non-OEM licence, is yours to load on one machine at a time for ever more into the future.

I hear not only what you say about the motherboard upgrades, but would add that I am in a similar position, with an OEM XP now running on it's second motherboard. It was installed and activated by the maintenance company for Compaq, even though it is not a Compaq board. I suspect that MS activates stuff for them daily; they are probably on first-name terms! I shall certainly give it a try, before spending my money.

theironhorse... thanks, and I will not try to pretend that all the commercial software on my machine was actually licensed to or paid for by me. That would be hypocritical . My copy of W-XP is legal, albeit OEM: if MS activate it for me, I shall wander off whistling and use the the thing --- otherwise, I am actually prepared to pay some money to the beast on this!

Between you and me, (Shhhh!) One of my favourite pieces of software was not paid for, or not, at least, by me. You know, I'd be prepared to pay for the up-to-date version, except I hate what Adobe (maybe gave myself away there) have done with it --- I downloaded it, in its enormity, to try. Google searches tell me that nobody has made my old version work on Vista or 7. If it wasn't for this one thing, I'd probably bite the bullet and give 7 a try.

XP mode would be very interesting to play with, but when it comes to hardware stuff like communicating reliably with sound cards, I understand there are doubts.

 

[marsilians]

Kapvin; I am no expert on this at all, but I understand that an OEM copy is "sold for use with one PC", either the one you bought it with, or the one you just built and are supposed to stick the key to. ....

This is absolutely right. MS does not offer unlimited licenses as its a major income source for them and its very expensive to get these anyways. Usually IT departments are the ones that have these.

If someone is using the same key for multiple installs then its a definite violation of 1 license/machine requirement.

 

[sqvare]

I can use the Windows 7 license to activate Windows XP........great........

Hey Deba;

Check out this link for downgradability of 7 to XP: Understanding downgrade rights

Apparently, you can only downgrade if you buy 7's Pro or Ultimate, and then only to XP Pro or higher, not Home.

Also, here's a features comparison chart for the Windows 7 flavours on Wikipedia.

Enjoy

 

[kapvin]

Hi Marsilians,

My broad point was that there even a OEM copy offers multiple validation opportunities


however, since your reply was more in the legal//moral domain, may I offer my perspective-

there is a line between violation and upgrades..

again, if the license is one machine and is granted in perpetuity, then is the user not within rights to upgrade / change his/her machine?

Imagine yor Audio CDs / DVDs being tied to one player!!! guess what you'd need to do when you change your CDP / it dies on you?

the underlying principle is the same... both are software / intellectual property


sure Microsoft would like to tie it up to one machine, even to one user (ie.e your wife would need to use a different license to use the same comp with the same software) or even for a fixed period of time.. they'll make more money..

but just like you probably thinks it's correct to copy your music onto an Ipod, or your movies on a PC, is it not morally correct for a single user to be able to use his software on more than 1 computer.


ANyDVDHD has a very clear policy on this which is actually quite good.. you can install the software on any number of computers.. just that you can use it on 1 computer at a time- how to they monitor it -> the software calls the mothership everytime a disc is inserted.



So there is a fine line between what M$ wants and what is morally correct.


having said that - I have purchased, licensed copies on all my PCs... following the 1 pc -1license policy.. so my perspective is not a justification


cheers

Kapil

 

[deba]

Using Windows 7 Home Premium with my vaio (4Gb RAM) and found the XP Compatibility mode which works most of the time for softwares not directly compatible with Win 7.
Some softwares do give problem even after the compatibility mode is turned on.
)

 

[kapvin]

Using Windows 7 Home Premium with my vaio (4Gb RAM) and found the XP Compatibility mode which works most of the time for softwares not directly compatible with Win 7.
Some softwares do give problem even after the compatibility mode is turned on.
)

hi deba,

if youhave 4GB you could use the XP mode which I linked to in a previous post. it's big download, but it essentially means that you run an XP virtual box within W7. should allow 100% compatibility.. because it is XP!!

cheers.

Kapvin

 

[deba]

hi deba,

if youhave 4GB you could use the XP mode which I linked to in a previous post. it's big download, but it essentially means that you run an XP virtual box within W7. should allow 100% compatibility.. because it is XP!!

cheers.

Kapvin

Tally 7.2 (Accounting Software - old version) runs fine in Windows XP Home Edition but doesnt run in "Windows XP mode" of Windows 7 Home Premium - Why ??

 

[kapvin]

Tally 7.2 (Accounting Software - old version) runs fine in Windows XP Home Edition but doesnt run in "Windows XP mode" of Windows 7 Home Premium - Why ??

you tried the virtual box in the link I gave? I may be wrong but that only works with 7 Prof and above?

Cheers

Kapil

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/download.aspx