Compare WinXP, Vista and Windows 7

~~Johnny Tremaine~~ · 07-30-2009, 11:28 PM

I'm reading some Newegg reviews and it seems Windows 7 driver compatability is important to a lot of people. My initial impression of Win7 is that it's not even worth thinking about until WinXP is completely unsupported, given my year-long nightmare with Vista.

But then, if it's going to be popular, I'm going to have to learn how to fix it, and now is a good time to get learnin'.

How do these 3 Operating Systems compare ? Are OEM's shipping computers with Win7 installed ? Are retail customers dropping Vista in favor or Win7 ?

Which O/S uses the most resources -or- Leaves the most resources for the User ?

Substantive links appreciated; this is a medium-term project for me. I intend to spend some time reading about this new O/S.

Braffers · 07-30-2009, 11:57 PM

Hi
The reason Windows7 came out quite early is because of Vista's processing power demands. It has been said that vista halves your computing power and that is why windows 7 is available as a replacement. Windows XP will still be the fastest but if it weren't for the netbooks it would be unsupported. So in answer to your question yes Win7 will soon replace Vista! Good luck

~~Johnny Tremaine~~ · 07-31-2009, 10:22 AM

Thanks. I suspected Win7 would be an improvement with User's Computer Resource availability, but had never actually heard anyone say this explicitly.

How does it compare to Vista (ballpark) ? Do you get 20% more resources ? 50% ?

Also, how does it compare to XP. If the customer's computer is capable of running it, would there be an advantage to upgrading from WinXP to Win7 ? Most of my customers are basic users with lower-end machines such as a Dell Dimension 4600 (Pentium 4 with about 1 Gbyte of RAM).

What are the hardware specs for Win7 ? Any links ?

Thanks again.

TJ Belfiore · 07-31-2009, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny Tremaine

How does it compare to Vista (ballpark) ? Do you get 20% more resources ? 50% ?

0% .

Vista is not worse/better than 7 . It's all hype, I'm happy with Vista as it stands .

**simpswr** · 07-31-2009, 01:47 PM

My two Windows 7 systems run noticable more nimble than with Vista . . Win7 had all the drivers when I installed except for now which I used the Vista driver . . I have one win7 system with 2 Gig oF ram which runs much faster than Vista with 4 Gig. ( other hardware is roughly the same )

So far the only issue has been with an external drive which one system will not recognize. I'm still troubleshooting that one.

I'm gonna try it on an older system jsut to see how it runs . . it is supposed to do as well as XP on older hardware

**kodi** · 07-31-2009, 02:49 PM

Windows 7 is definitely the better option if you have a fairly new computer.
On older computers the problem is finding drivers (same problem as Vista)
I installed it on an old Compaq laptop and it seemed to run better than the XP it came with but could not find drivers for ethernet/wlan/sound, so it would not be an option for the Technically challenged to install on older computers

**jcgriff2** · 07-31-2009, 04:23 PM

I myself like both Vista and Windows 7 (no offense re: XP - just never really used it much). I have never had any problems with Vista. I will say that Windows 7 does run much leaner opposite system resources.

I have never nor would ever advise an XP --> Vista upgrade and certainly do not advise an XP --> Windows 7 upgrade, either.

The only exception to this is if your system was manufactured in 2006.

However, with Windows 7 RC still available for another 2 weeks, you may want to give it a try. But I would advise that you upgrade RAM to 2GB MINIMUM, Vista or Windows 7.

You should run the Windows 7 upgrade adviser - http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...displaylang=en

Regards. . .

jcgriff2

.

**simpswr** · 07-31-2009, 04:38 PM

The upgrade path frm XP requires a clean install does it not?

~~Johnny Tremaine~~ · 07-31-2009, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcgriff2

I have never nor would ever advise an XP --> Vista upgrade and certainly do not advise an XP --> Windows 7 upgrade, either.

The only exception to this is if your system was manufactured in 2006.

Why ? Because of loss of performance, inadequate (older) hardware, lack of driver support, or some combination ?

When customers ask about upgrading to Win7 from WinXP, what should I tell them ?

Also, what's special about 2006 ?

**jcgriff2** · 08-01-2009, 04:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcgriff2

I have never nor would ever advise an XP --> Vista upgrade and certainly do not advise an XP --> Windows 7 upgrade, either.

The only exception to this is if your system was manufactured in 2006.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny Tremaine

Why ? Because of loss of performance, inadequate (older) hardware, lack of driver support, or some combination ?

When customers ask about upgrading to Win7 from WinXP, what should I tell them ?

Also, what's special about 2006 ?

Hi -

Think of ROI

The #1 reason that I do not advise XP upgrades is the lack of driver support. I have seen many BSOD threads involving XP --> Vista upgrades where the driver update needed to quell the system crashes is simply not available - nor will it ever be. Any replacement hardware parts of course add on to the net upgrade cost.

The meaning of "performance" to me has always been in the eye of the system user. What is slow to me can easily be fast to another. I have typically found a 2004-vintage XP Pro system to be among the fastest systems that I have ever had (Intel dual P-4s @ 2.6Ghz; 768M RAM) - even the kiddies sometimes fight over it instead of the Vista laptops. These days, I find my Vista x64 and Windows 7 x64 systems to be the fastest; however I would have to say that Vista lags behind Windows 7 and XP by at least a second, maybe more, depending on the task.

The hardware question is one best left up to others here. I get rather frustrated when a hardware issue arises - I can take a laptop apart very easily, but when I put it back together I always have "left over parts".

I would just say to be sure all hardware is compatible with Windows 7.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/get/faq.aspx

As for 2006 - that is the year that Vista went RTM. I have noticed that laptops manufactured during 2006 seemed to have been made with (the potential for) Vista in mind. I see many are dual core, have increased RAM, better graphics than those laptops built in early 2006 or before. This is nothing more than a personal observation on my part based on the thousands of system files that I have seen on just such laptops. I would classify most of these as "Vista capable" - but I would not necessarily run out and install Vista on it.

Give the 8 months that the public has had to test and evaluate Windows 7 (beta & RC), I would hope by now that (most of) those considering upgrading from XP to Windows 7 have either already made a decision or will make one prior to the expiration of the current Windows 7 RC.

I look at the Net Return on Investment when discussing a subject such as this I believe it is less expensive to purchase a new system (middle ground) rather than to upgrade an existing one -

The ROI equation looks like this -

Code:


   cost of the OS upgrade 
+ cost of hardware upgrade(s) 
+ aggrivation/ time lost on upgrade & repair
__________________________
Cost of Windows 7 upgrade
==========================

In my book --- Cost of a new system < cost of system upgrade

There are of course exceptions to everything. I won't sit here and say that there is not a single XP system out there that I would not upgrade. I just think the average consumer would be better off purchasing a new Windows 7 system rather than upgrading an existing XP system.

Systems that came with Vista pre-installed can be upgraded to Windows 7 without major headaches. I run Windows 7 on 3 former Vista laptops.

As for your customers - tell them about your experiences with Windows 7 as well as those with XP --> Vista upgrades back when.

Regards. . .

jcgriff2

.

~~Johnny Tremaine~~ · 08-02-2009, 08:59 PM

Thank you very much for the extended response. I appreciate the value of the time as well as the expertise.

07-30-2009, 11:28 PM	#1 (permalink)
~~Johnny Tremaine~~ Troubled Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 448 OS: WinXP	Compare WinXP, Vista and Windows 7 I'm reading some Newegg reviews and it seems Windows 7 driver compatability is important to a lot of people. My initial impression of Win7 is that it's not even worth thinking about until WinXP is completely unsupported, given my year-long nightmare with Vista. But then, if it's going to be popular, I'm going to have to learn how to fix it, and now is a good time to get learnin'. How do these 3 Operating Systems compare ? Are OEM's shipping computers with Win7 installed ? Are retail customers dropping Vista in favor or Win7 ? Which O/S uses the most resources -or- Leaves the most resources for the User ? Substantive links appreciated; this is a medium-term project for me. I intend to spend some time reading about this new O/S.

07-30-2009, 11:57 PM	#2 (permalink)
Braffers Registered User Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 4 OS: Windows XP SP3	Re: Compare WinXP, Vista and Windows 7 Hi The reason Windows7 came out quite early is because of Vista's processing power demands. It has been said that vista halves your computing power and that is why windows 7 is available as a replacement. Windows XP will still be the fastest but if it weren't for the netbooks it would be unsupported. So in answer to your question yes Win7 will soon replace Vista! Good luck

07-31-2009, 10:22 AM	#3 (permalink)
~~Johnny Tremaine~~ Troubled Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 448 OS: WinXP	Re: Compare WinXP, Vista and Windows 7 Thanks. I suspected Win7 would be an improvement with User's Computer Resource availability, but had never actually heard anyone say this explicitly. How does it compare to Vista (ballpark) ? Do you get 20% more resources ? 50% ? Also, how does it compare to XP. If the customer's computer is capable of running it, would there be an advantage to upgrading from WinXP to Win7 ? Most of my customers are basic users with lower-end machines such as a Dell Dimension 4600 (Pentium 4 with about 1 Gbyte of RAM). What are the hardware specs for Win7 ? Any links ? Thanks again.

07-31-2009, 01:47 PM	#5 (permalink)
simpswr Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: May 2007 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 12,228 OS: XP, Vista, Win 7	Re: Compare WinXP, Vista and Windows 7 My two Windows 7 systems run noticable more nimble than with Vista . . Win7 had all the drivers when I installed except for now which I used the Vista driver . . I have one win7 system with 2 Gig oF ram which runs much faster than Vista with 4 Gig. ( other hardware is roughly the same ) So far the only issue has been with an external drive which one system will not recognize. I'm still troubleshooting that one. I'm gonna try it on an older system jsut to see how it runs . . it is supposed to do as well as XP on older hardware __________________ Rich MemTest86 \| BenchTest \| Virus/Trojan/Spyware Help How to post a Screen Shot \| PC running slow?

07-31-2009, 02:49 PM	#6 (permalink)
kodi Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Sydney Australia Posts: 7,397 OS: Windows 7-Ultimate 64 Bit My System	Re: Compare WinXP, Vista and Windows 7 Windows 7 is definitely the better option if you have a fairly new computer. On older computers the problem is finding drivers (same problem as Vista) I installed it on an old Compaq laptop and it seemed to run better than the XP it came with but could not find drivers for ethernet/wlan/sound, so it would not be an option for the Technically challenged to install on older computers __________________ Brian

07-31-2009, 04:23 PM	#7 (permalink)
jcgriff2 Moderator, Microsoft Supp Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: The Great State of New Jersey - away from the gross corruption of the Riverside County, CA, SO office. SHAMEFUL ! Posts: 10,083 OS: Windows 7, Vista Ultimate My System	Re: Compare WinXP, Vista and Windows 7 I myself like both Vista and Windows 7 (no offense re: XP - just never really used it much). I have never had any problems with Vista. I will say that Windows 7 does run much leaner opposite system resources. I have never nor would ever advise an XP --> Vista upgrade and certainly do not advise an XP --> Windows 7 upgrade, either. The only exception to this is if your system was manufactured in 2006. However, with Windows 7 RC still available for another 2 weeks, you may want to give it a try. But I would advise that you upgrade RAM to 2GB MINIMUM, Vista or Windows 7. You should run the Windows 7 upgrade adviser - http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...displaylang=en Regards. . . jcgriff2 . __________________ . . . . . . . . BSOD Posting Instructions B Expecting a reply and waiting > 36 hours ? Send a PM to me containing a link to your thread My availability will be limited through ~ December 1, 2009

07-31-2009, 04:38 PM	#8 (permalink)
simpswr Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: May 2007 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 12,228 OS: XP, Vista, Win 7	Re: Compare WinXP, Vista and Windows 7 The upgrade path frm XP requires a clean install does it not? __________________ Rich MemTest86 \| BenchTest \| Virus/Trojan/Spyware Help How to post a Screen Shot \| PC running slow?

08-02-2009, 08:59 PM	#11 (permalink)
~~Johnny Tremaine~~ Troubled Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 448 OS: WinXP	Re: Compare WinXP, Vista and Windows 7 Thank you very much for the extended response. I appreciate the value of the time as well as the expertise.