can someone advise on Vista please ?

[spyderman]

Correct - an update CD will expect to see certain files on the HD already - some of which are probably hidden files. I think you know this, but if you still have the sticker (on the computer case) with the license number any CD of the same version of Windows will do. Personally I would use XP over Vista.

 

[Hairyarse]

Can I just add my opinion that if spend no object, windows 7 seems a lot quicker than Vista. I've upgraded a few PC's and laptops at work to 7 and it does seem so much quicker, I did find Vista slow compared to XP

 

[spyro_x]

You shouldn't actually need to purchase a CD to reinstall since the code is what is unique (all discs are created equal, of a specific version that is). You can probably download a copy or find one on fleabay - as long as you use your original code there should be no problem (if memory serves when you install Vista it gives you the option to choose which version you want, then you have to put in the appropriate code at the right time, otherwise it will give you a 30 day trial). I think that's right but I'll be honest I haven't installed Vista for some time.

 

[peanut]

thanks spyderman. My main pc has XP pro and I'm pretty happy with it but my partner's laptop was supplied with Vista Home premium and has become corrupted.We mainly use it for ripping MP3 and uploading to mobiles and editing video /stills etc which Vista is good at. I'd like to repair it if possible but may decide to do a fresh install . if i buy a full version it will be more versatile than an upgrade version. We also have a couple of netbooks which have basic Win7 on which is the pits. We may decide to downgrade to Vista . The problem is most of the people selling Windows Vista discs are not very clear about which version they are selling. Some have even used the discs and are advertising them as new and unregistered.

 

[ukmastiff]

Ditto above re upgrades not being suitable/intended for a full install and ditto my opinion of Vista, it was no more than piffle and fluff like a lot of Microsofts cash extraction software , sorry I mean Windows upgrades. As for ways round not having your disks , most machines these days dont come with and never had a disk as they are cloned in the first place then have the keys manually edited/added. Also an engineers install disk for example will install the same copy on 50 machines as long as you then use seperate legit 'keys' on each machine. And if I may be so bold , as touched on by a prior poster why would you install Vista when it is so inferior to Windows 7. 7 is without any doubt faster and has so many advantages in terms of features and performance. If you are buying a new copy of Windows then buying Vista now and putting it on to a formatted hard drive would be like converting a 944 to run with twin Webbers. Do you have an item which has issues working under Windows 7 ?, if not treat yourself to the best Wndows since Everest ! Regards Mas

 

[peanut]

sorry this is a bit off topic but I'm pulling my hair out today.

I have lost my Vista Home premium disc although I still have my original COA on the laptop.

I have been looking for a new Windows Vista package on ebay and Amazon but I'm totally confused.[]

Sellers seems to think that upgrade and retail vesions of Windows are the same but surely only a full version of Windows can be installed on a formatted drive yes ? An upgrade version of windows has to be installed over an earlier vesion of windows yes? which I believe cancels the license of the previous version you have upgraded from.

There seems to be 8 versions of Vista and also oem versions too Oh my head hurts []

 

[peanut]

I appreciate what you are saying about Win7 but the cutdown version we have on our HP Mini 110 -3008 netbooks is rubbish. You can't even create your own desktop![] i tried to create a new partition and it won't even let you do that ! i'm not sure Win7 would run on these HPG6000 laptops we have. They only have 2Gb of ram There may be issues with some of the hardware drivers also . The other problem is compatability . I have a huge number of files collected over years which I'm pretty sure wouldn't be compatable with Win7 especially all my excel accounts I'd also have to purchase new office suite and a new Corel graphics suite so it would cost over £600 to switch to Win7 . Decisions decisions ughhhh . Did you know that in 9 out of 10 tests XP beat both Win7 and Vista hands down ![]

 

[djaychela]

OK, a few things: Firstly, an "upgrade" version of Windows is identical to a clean install one in every respect when installing onto a fresh hard drive OTHER than one thing: It will ask you for a CD/DVD of a qualifying product during the installation to 'prove' that you owned the version you are upgrading from. Nothing else is needed. So your first comment about needing a full version is wrong; as long as you can beg/steal/borrow a CD of XP then you will be OK. There's NOTHING about hidden/existing files or any other such mumbo-jumbo! Secondly, you will need the RIGHT version of Windows to match your licence number; manufacturers versions are typically OEM ones, so you would need an OEM version of Vista Home Premium to install it. This will usually be tricky to get, and it is possible that you may even be out of luck then; sometimes there are specific versions which use specific keys, so it's possible you would need the one from your manufacturer to be sure. Third, don't judge Windows 7 by something you've seen on a Netbook install - that's like saying you drove a knackered 1978 Fiesta once so therefore all Fords are crap! W7 is easily the best OS Microsoft have produced, it works much better than Vista on identical hardware in every respect. There is no comparison in terms of performance, reliability or stability. Fourth, compatibility. You seem not to know the difference between an operating system (i.e. Windows XP, Vista, 7) and an application (Excel, Corel, etc). There is no reason whatsoever that any of your excel files wouldn't be accessibly when using Windows 7 -if you have any recent version of Office (from 2000 onwards) then it will be able to work on Windows 7, so it's unlikely you'd have to "buy a new office suite" (and if you did then why not use OpenOffice instead), and which version of Corel is it you're using? If it worked on Vista, it's highly likely to work on Win 7 as the way applications work hasn't changed much between Vista and 7 and Windows is generally pretty good at back-compatibility - one of the major reasons for its success. If you really have issues with old software (and I don't actually know anyone who does other than those using DOS-based bespoke programs written in the late 80s/early 90s to control esoteric hardware devices) then you can run a virtual machine to allow you to run it; the number of people needing to do this is vanishingly small. Fifth, drivers - you should be able to check easily enough whether a specific computer will run with Windows 7 without too much trouble; I've not found a relatively recent computer (built in the last 4 years) that couldn't run Windows 7, BTW. Finally, please show me the tests that XP beat Win7. Hard to believe given that XP (reliable though it was) is very old and there simply aren't the drivers available to take advantage of modern hardware to the same degree. Windows 7 is very good and causes very few problems.

 

[peanut]

ORIGINAL: djaychela OK, a few things: Firstly, an "upgrade" version of Windows is identical to a clean install one in every respect when installing onto a fresh hard drive OTHER than one thing: It will ask you for a CD/DVD of a qualifying product during the installation to 'prove' that you owned the version you are upgrading from. Nothing else is needed. So your first comment about needing a full version is wrong; as long as you can beg/steal/borrow a CD of XP then you will be OK. There's NOTHING about hidden/existing files or any other such mumbo-jumbo! Secondly, you will need the RIGHT version of Windows to match your licence number; manufacturers versions are typically OEM ones, so you would need an OEM version of Vista Home Premium to install it. This will usually be tricky to get, and it is possible that you may even be out of luck then; sometimes there are specific versions which use specific keys, so it's possible you would need the one from your manufacturer to be sure. Third, don't judge Windows 7 by something you've seen on a Netbook install - that's like saying you drove a knackered 1978 Fiesta once so therefore all Fords are crap! W7 is easily the best OS Microsoft have produced, it works much better than Vista on identical hardware in every respect. There is no comparison in terms of performance, reliability or stability. Fourth, compatibility. You seem not to know the difference between an operating system (i.e. Windows XP, Vista, 7) and an application (Excel, Corel, etc). There is no reason whatsoever that any of your excel files wouldn't be accessibly when using Windows 7 -if you have any recent version of Office (from 2000 onwards) then it will be able to work on Windows 7, so it's unlikely you'd have to "buy a new office suite" (and if you did then why not use OpenOffice instead), and which version of Corel is it you're using? If it worked on Vista, it's highly likely to work on Win 7 as the way applications work hasn't changed much between Vista and 7 and Windows is generally pretty good at back-compatibility - one of the major reasons for its success. If you really have issues with old software (and I don't actually know anyone who does other than those using DOS-based bespoke programs written in the late 80s/early 90s to control esoteric hardware devices) then you can run a virtual machine to allow you to run it; the number of people needing to do this is vanishingly small. Fifth, drivers - you should be able to check easily enough whether a specific computer will run with Windows 7 without too much trouble; I've not found a relatively recent computer (built in the last 4 years) that couldn't run Windows 7, BTW. Finally, please show me the tests that XP beat Win7. Hard to believe given that XP (reliable though it was) is very old and there simply aren't the drivers available to take advantage of modern hardware to the same degree. Windows 7 is very good and causes very few problems.

boy you sure are an arrogant sob arn't you.! Can you not find a way to speak to people politely with a little respect .? i was looking for information and advice not for a lecture . You should check your facts before making so many assumptions. Win7 is very memory hungry microsoft recommend a minimum of 2Gb at least to run the os. When you add graphics loads like video editing or raw files you'd be right on the edge with a HP G6000 laptop. I said what laptop it was for but you presumably didn't read the post properly. Re Win7 drivers I really don't care too much because my question was about Vista remember ? Regarding Win7 performance you really should check out some of the comparison tests that have been done before making rash statements like that. The fact is Win XP is consistantly faster than Win7 in most respects. Some of my accounts files are nearly 10 years old and there are already compatibilty issues with Vista running later versions of excel. I just spent 3 fruitless hours trying to install Adobe 10 on my XP pc so that I could submit my anual return to Companies House so please don't talk about compatability issues. Unless like me you run 2x Limited companies from a PC running XP you have no idea what is involved in compatability between the various operating systems and older software. Have you any idea what it would cost to upgrade Sage accounting software and all the documents and files from the past 10 years made on various expensive software suites ? why just so I can have some pretty desktop pictures and flashy media graphics . lastly the Vista os on my laptop is not an oem version it is a full one installed after purchase. I can not use a upgrade version of Vista to do a fresh install only upgrade a previous version of windows. In doing that the Vista upgrade install process cancels your Win Xp license so it cannot be used again. Thats really helpful seeing as my work pc runs XP. Finally here is the XP vs Vista vs Win7 test you were interested in enjoy [link=http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/information/windows-xp-vs-vista-vs-7/]http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/information/windows-xp-vs-vista-vs-7/[/link]

 

[djaychela]

ORIGINAL: peanut boy you sure are an arrogant sob arn't you.! Can you not find a way to speak to people politely with a little respect .? i was looking for information and advice not for a lecture . You should check your facts before making so many assumptions.

I don't think I'm "an arrogant sob", no. Sorry if you found my forthright writing style offensive, it wasn't meant to be. As for checking facts, I think you need to provide more info, but a number of the things you have said about files not being compatible with an OS would seem to indicate that is the case for you.

Win7 is very memory hungry microsoft recommend a minimum of 2Gb at least to run the os. When you add graphics loads like video editing or raw files you'd be right on the edge with a HP G6000 laptop. I said what laptop it was for but you presumably didn't read the post properly.

Yes I did. I've got loads of clients running Win7 on similar-spec machines, many of them using 1GB of RAM. All of them work perfectly well.

Regarding Win7 performance you really should check out some of the comparison tests that have been done before making rash statements like that. The fact is Win XP is consistantly faster than Win7 in most respects.

It's not. Win7 boots up faster, launches apps faster, etc. This is on same-hardware back-to-back testing. Of course if you do the test on something which is below the minimum spec for Win7 but which XP works well on then it will skew the results, but that's generally not the case; anything modern enough to have been released with Vista will work well.

Some of my accounts files are nearly 10 years old and there are already compatibilty issues with Vista  running later versions of excel.

Really? First things first - just because you created a file 10 years ago, doesn't mean to say it's not been changed since. Every version of Excel I have seen works well with all versions of the files that previous versions of excel have created. And bear in mind that 10 years ago could still have been created on Office 2000, which itself will run on any version of Windows from 98 upwards. Which version of Office are you currently running, and what version is the file?

I just spent 3 fruitless hours trying to install Adobe 10 on my XP pc so that I could submit my anual return to Companies House so please don't talk about compatability issues.

What do you mean by "Adobe 10"? Adobe reader? And is there a specific feature in the current annual return that requires specific facilities that meant you needed to upgrade before submission? Usually something like that is the last thing you do, upgrade before a deadline.

Unless like me you run 2x Limited companies from a PC running XP you have no idea what is involved in compatability between the various operating systems and older software.

I don't run 2 limited companies from a PC running XP. I run one from a number of different OSes including Linux, and I provide support for a number of businesses in their IT needs, from one-man bands to a couple of companies with around 200 employees, and have done for the last 14 years. I have plenty of experience of running different OSes across a corporate environment and the issues which they create; many of them are not actually issues at all, having been 'made' by people saying they will have problems when in practice they don't, often based on people repeating incorrect information as gospel; as I said above there are situations where people have specific issues, usually with old bespoke software or hardware. There have been very few situations where sticking with an old version of Windows is necessary.

Have you any idea what it would cost to upgrade Sage accounting software and all the documents and files from the past 10 years made on various expensive software suites ? why just so I can have some pretty desktop pictures and flashy media graphics .

Why would your documents and files need to be upgraded? What have they been created on? As for Sage, I've heard many times from people that it needs to run on (insert whatever old version of Windows here) to work; I even had one company director insist that it needed a specific network protocol (NetBEUI) to work, which was why he insisted that the machine needed to stay on Windows 95/98 for their Sage systems to work. Of course, it didn't, and Sage worked fine. You said in an earlier post that the laptop was mostly used "for ripping MP3 and uploading to mobiles and editing video /stills etc", so I'm not sure where Sage comes into the picture here?

lastly the Vista os on my laptop is not an oem version it is a full one installed after purchase. I can not use a upgrade version of Vista to do a fresh install only upgrade a previous version of windows. In doing that the Vista upgrade install process cancels your Win Xp license so it cannot be used again. Thats really helpful seeing as my work pc runs XP.

If you're using an upgrade version of the software, why shouldn't it cancel your XP licence? It's part of the licencing that you are doing so - otherwise you'd be trying to use the same licence of XP twice. You said above that the laptop was supplied with Vista, and that you have the original COA on the laptop; that implied that it was supplied with Vista, rather than installed later. As for the XP/Vista/7 test, it doesn't really hold up in many areas; aside from it being in 2009 before Win7 was released fully, there are lots of holes in it, and interestingly in the areas that XP loses the guy either says it doesn't matter or that it's close. Win7 has much better memory management than XP or Vista, and as a result works a lot better in many situations. Also bear in mind that some of the figures given there would have been based on non-optimised drivers given the date of the test. Anyway, as far as I see it, you have the following options: 1) Locate a DVD or DVD image of the correct version of Vista that you bought, and install that using the COA that you already have. If it's an upgrade one you will need to provide the right details to allow that to happen, so you may need to get a copy of XP. 2) Buy an unused full version of the OS to install from scratch. If that's the option you take there's little reason to choose Vista, getting 7 will be easier and work better, hence everyone's comments above. The OEM version is around £70 (plus a qualifying hardware upgrade, but that can be easy enough to get particularly if you know someone who needs a new hard drive or similar). If you're running two Limited Companies then surely this won't break the bank? However, you seem committed to Vista, so you'll need to do some looking for it. 3) Downgrade the system to XP. Cheap, easy and simple providing there is driver support (this is a limiting factor in some cases, particularly post-Vista released laptops, but given that you say Vista was installed after the laptop was bought then it should be OK) 4) Install Ubuntu/SuSE or similar, and never have to worry about paying out again. There may be some compatibility issues with Corel, mind you. So, some info please: What version of Excel/Office are you currently running? Which version of Sage are you running? What version of Excel were your oldest files created, and what version are they currently at? What file format are they? What version of Corel are you running? What were the specific problems you had installing "Adobe 10" on your XP PC? What specific version of Vista does your COA say on it?

 

[peanut]

ORIGINAL: teamsequipe This thread's made my evening.......... so many incorrect statements above it'd take me all night to put you right.

as usual lots of 'expert' lurkers jumping out of the woodwork but has anyone actually answered the original question ? ....no [] The original question folks was about Vista NOT Win7 []

 

[djaychela]

Yes, they have...

 

[FistsOfHam]

ORIGINAL: peanut sorry this is a bit off topic but I'm pulling my hair out today. I have lost my Vista Home premium disc although I still have my original COA on the laptop. I have been looking for a new Windows Vista package on ebay and Amazon but I'm totally confused.[] Sellers seems to think that upgrade and retail vesions of Windows are the same but surely only a full version of Windows can be installed on a formatted drive yes ? An upgrade version of windows has to be installed over an earlier vesion of windows yes? which I believe cancels the license of the previous version you have upgraded from. There seems to be 8 versions of Vista and also oem versions too Oh my head hurts []

Just to go back to your original question (that's why this thread is here after all). An upgrade version can be used to install Windows from scratch but will normally require the disc of the previous version of Windows to prove that you have it and most likely a valid CD key also. Since you already have the original sticker on your laptop do a search for an ISO of the OEM copy of Vista Home Premium. It's not entirely legit to download the disc but since you have already purchased the software (when buying the laptop in this case) I see no problems with it especially since you're using your current key. Another option is to contact the manufacturer of your laptop and they can then send you a restoration disc so you can reinstall from that using your key (I've never gone for this option though). Essentially what you need is a Vista Home Premium OEM disc so you can continue to use your existing key.

 

[colin944]

I would like to throw in my tuppence worth about this subject. Can I just say that I don't have a clue what you are all on about !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know loads of stuff about computers so I will give you all the benifit of my extensive knowlage [ol][*]Computers come in all different shapes and sizes and colours [*]Some of then can be carried around with you and others are to big. [*]You can get some really small ones now [*]My favorite is a black one that opens up like a book. [*]You can get alot more stuff on them now that you used to be able to [*]Some of them are made by people you have heard of Ie Sony and some of them come from people you have never heard of. [*]You can buy one at the same time as your weekly food shop in a suppermarket. [*]They work using a mixture of electricity and witch craft. [*]That's all I know about computers[/ol]

 

[peanut]

thank you Rob for your clear reply . Unfortunately I cannot download a copy because my connection is too slow and my bandwidth too small which is why i need to buy a disc I'd prefer to get a full new version because I don't want any registration problems later if I decide to do a fresh install on this laptop or one of the others we have. My question was really, what are the limititations of an upgrade disk as apposed to a full version? . It would seem that if you use an upgrade version of windows you cannot use the disk to do a fresh install and the earlier version of windows you need to upgrade from has its license cancelled so you'd lose your existing XP or 2000 license which would be a problem if you needed it for another pc. The problem with asking advice on these issues is that invariably everyone has an opinion on the subject and is only too keen to voice it and tell you what you should be doing/buying/installing/ using/driving etc. If people were just to stick to answering the question put by posters it would be a lot more helpful and less controversial. Thanks again everyone for your help

 

[peanut]

I think Rob has already answered my question satisfactorily hasn't he ? Why are you still posting ? is it that you must always have the last word or something.? You are still wrong about upgrading because you don't bother to check your facts before answering. Here is the instructions from the mictosoft website about using an upgrade disc as apposed to a full product version . [link=http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Installing-and-reinstalling-Windows-Vista]http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Installing-and-reinstalling-Windows-Vista[/link] Note You cannot install an upgrade copy of Windows Vista on a partition unless a copy of Windows 2000 or Windows XP is already installed on that partition. Depending on which version if Windows you are upgrading to and from, you might have to perform a clean installation. Warning If you have an upgrade copy of the 32-bit version of Windows Vista, you must start Windows installation while running your existing version of Windows. Note If you have an upgrade copy of a 32-bit version of Windows Vista, you will see a message telling you to restart your computer and start Windows installation from within your existing operating system.

 

[colin944]

That's a bit harsh Peanut.

 

[djaychela]

Amen to that.

 

[944 man]

Wow - this is just like Pistonheads. I hate software. Simon (hardware engineer)

 

[peanut]

ORIGINAL: colin944 That's a bit harsh Peanut.

well i thought that his posts were all unreasonably arrogant, confrontational and bloody rude but no-one said anything about his posts did they ? I have now received sensible advice from another forum where nobody ridiculed my comments or tried to pursuade me to use another operating system that I didn't want or need. Lets draw a line under this thread now shall we ? I have already said I have the answers I asked for . Why don't you all just have the last word below whilst I cancel my post notification .[]