Thanks for all the help. Looks like I've got a bit of homework for tonight.
Printable View
Thanks for all the help. Looks like I've got a bit of homework for tonight.
I really like Vista.
It is very stable for me; I leave it on for weeks at a time as it goes very well into, and out of sleep mode.
I don't have any software that doesn't work with Vista. ( I don't have much in the way of old software though) I still have 1 pc with XP on it (media pc)
32 bit or 64 bit is up to you. I don't need 64 bit. :)
I'd say this. Yes 64bit is faster at lots of things I do over 32 bit. But that's under Linux at work. Will your current XP license work on the new box(i.e. like a Dell XP license usually only works on that box).
If the license works, just stick with XP for now. Unless you absolutely need a reason for Vista. Depending on your data storage needs, oversize your harddrive a bit, and leave some space unformatted. When you get a bit more time, go grab a license for Vista and play with it on the unformatted space and see how it runs. In the meantime, you can play around with Linux and things on the unused space. I have my 750 gig drive formatted
300 megs NTFS, WinXP
100 megs FAT32 (for data tranfsfer between OS's)
150 megs Fedora 9
100 megs Ubunto
~50 megs .... drum roll here... BeOS 4.5(yes it actually works on my box yet, graphics drivers a problem, but hey its just fun to see that in the grub boot loader.)
And, always a good idea... my last partition.
50 megs NTFS, WinXP (same license as above...)
This is my Virus scan only partition... I boot to it once a month, plug in the network to quick update WinXP and Virus software, disconnect network, and scan my main WinXP 300 meg NTFS partition "offline"
Interesting and helpful advice and I like your dual-XP strategy.
One thing's for sure, you definitely have much more free time on your hands then I do :)
What do you use for boot management?
In my own circumstance, I actually run 6 internal drives total, so I have a bit of flexibility there.
I suppose you keep the backup XP on the same boot drive so that it does not prompt you to reactivate ... ? Or does it?
My XP license will work on the new box - it will just ask for reactivation. But whether or not I go XP or Vista, I'm going to move up to 64-bit, so I'll need a new license either way.
I would go Vista at this time. Finding XP drivers is starting to be a problem. It's time to move on.
I would go 64-bit too and get it over with. x64 will soon be inevitable as well. Virtualize XP 32b with MS Virtual PC for legacy support. That way, when you're finally done with XP, you can just throw out the virtual drive instead of fiddling with boot menus. :)
The XP VM may ask to reactivate. You can try backing up your activation files. I haven't tried it with SP3, though.
http://www.theeldergeek.com/activation_workaround.htm
Great - thanks. I am indeed going with Vista 64-bit.
Vista Ultimate Edition is the way to go, correct?
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/win...s/default.aspx
Home Premium is probably enough, but you can get Ultimate if you want all the bells and whistles.