biglouis Posted November 26, 2009 Share #41 Posted November 26, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) I think the first piece of Microsoft software I ever used was back in 1980 or possibly even earlier. I do recall having to call Albuquerque, New Mexico for some support. I'm too much of a veteran to go anywhere near a Windows 7 until Service Pack 1, or even possibly 2. You only have to experience the disaster of being compelled to move from Office 2003 to Office 2007 for reasons which completely escape me in terms of so-called better functionality to know that if you can avoid changing something on a PC running Microsoft products which are working perfectly well, then leave it alone. LouisB the old man who still can't figure out why C/PM didn't take over the world instead of MS-DOS Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted November 26, 2009 Posted November 26, 2009 Hi biglouis, Take a look here Windows 7 64 bit experience. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
B&W Posted November 26, 2009 Share #42 Posted November 26, 2009 Jarle - not an expert in this! However, for the motherboard you should look at driver updates here: ASUSTeK Computer Inc.-Support- But I don't think this is going to be your problem. What I'd recommend is to go to Device Manager and check DRIVES (see the attached image). You should then see what's working and what isn't - and if need be update drivers. On my system the card reader is listed as a TEAC advice. Whatever, the SD reader is going to be something quite seperate from your mother board / CPU and will have been sourced from a third party supplier. Your job is to find what make it is and then get drivers (Vista 64 bit will probably work if you can't get Windows 7). Best of luck! Thanks Chris, The device manager was a great advice. I'm up and running sucsessfully:) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_tribble Posted November 28, 2009 Author Share #43 Posted November 28, 2009 Jarle - great news. Overall I'm very happy with Windows 7. I know I know that I should be using Apple - but I'm not. With 7 Professional 64 I'm able to run some very old DOS survey software in the VM and run 64 bit Lightroom really smoothly. No system crashes. Most of the issues I've faced have been to do with the limitations of hardware and lack of clarity of specification by manufacturers. I'm pi**ed off with Sony because they've sold me a laptop who's processor doesn't support virtualisaion so I can't run the old DOS stuff on that (though LR is very nice to use on it - and the screen's great for a laptop) and angry with HP for the fact that the LJ 1018 I have isn't adequately supported for sharing. But this isn't Microsoft's fault - and by and large, I'm very impressed with what I now have (and the good news is that my slightly ancient I1 monitor calibration works fine too!) BTW - for others following this thread, I'd personally not use a Driver Scanner - all too often they either drag you off to paying sites or to nastier places. If they exist, you can almost always find things directly from the manufacturer's site... A second BTW - if you're wanting to use an older Nikon Coolscan with Windows 7 64, the information at this link is invaluable: Getting a Nikon Scanner to Run on 64-bit Vista - Photo Tips @ Earthbound Light Best Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
farnz Posted November 28, 2009 Share #44 Posted November 28, 2009 ... BTW - for others following this thread, I'd personally not use a Driver Scanner - all too often they either drag you off to paying sites or to nastier places. If they exist, you can almost always find things directly from the manufacturer's site... Quite true, Chris, it's important to be awake to that. I suggest not to immediately dismiss them though because the benefit of (free) driver scanner software is that they will do all the 'legwork' of finding out if there are later versions for all your drivers. Once you've discovered there are later versions then you can go to the manufacturer's site yourself armed with all the numbers etc that you need and download the drivers for free. The alternative is to visit each manufacturer's site regularly yourself and look for updates, which loses its shine very quickly. YMMV. Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
proenca Posted November 29, 2009 Share #45 Posted November 29, 2009 Yeah-I know. The problem is that the Macpro I'd like to have costs over 3000 Euro.... Hey Jaap. I bought my MacPRO refurbished from the UK ; its tremendous value for money as you can access the MacPRO line for quite substancial cost savings. Have a look in Mac Pro - Apple Store (U.K.) I got a "early 2008" eight core, 2.99 mhz MacPRO for under 2000 pounds a year ago and still is a powerhouse and will continue to be. My next upgrades to it are a bit more RAM and a SSD boot disk. One tip with macintosh ( and I have them for over 12 years ) is NEVER to buy , EVER EVER, disk or memory upgrades with them. E-V-E-R They cost you an arm and leg. RAM Memory Upgrade: Dell, Mac, Apple, HP, Compaq. USB drives, flash cards, SSD at Crucial.com and Performance Upgrades; FireWire USB SATA Storage; Memory, more at OWC for mac memory and disks at PC prices. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danyves Posted December 1, 2009 Share #46 Posted December 1, 2009 After the Blue the Black Screen of Death BBC News - Microsoft investigates Windows 7 'screen of death' Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wda Posted December 7, 2009 Share #47 Posted December 7, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) I got a new machine about a month ago and decided to take the Win 7 64-bit RC plunge. I've been using XP Pro and decided to skip over Vista. It has totally been worth it. Win 7 feels like a totally modern OS. It is snappy, stable, and the UI improvements are really, really nice. I have the CS4 Master Collection, LR 2.4, C1 v4.8, Office 2007, and other programs running with no problems. 64-bit is a dream. The difference between having only 2GB of RAM and having to close one program before opening another and now having 8GB that I can actually use is amazing. I can have LR, PS CS4, IE, Firefox, Acrobat, and Office apps all open and I'm still only using 60-70% of RAM. Coupled with quad core, a fast video card, and SSD drives, my Win 7 experience has been enjoyable with absolutely no hassles. I'm amazed at just how simple, seemless, and instantaneous everything is. For those considering the jump, I highly recommend it. David David, this is heartening news. I must upgrade my 7-year old PC; it is simply complaining too much trying to process big files. My existing system really struggles with CS4 and Bridge keeps crashing; so I have reverted to using CS2. I skipped Vista but really need a new more powerful PC system. I feel more confident after reading your positive report in getting Windows 7 with my new machine. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_tribble Posted December 8, 2009 Author Share #48 Posted December 8, 2009 David, this is heartening news. I must upgrade my 7-year old PC; it is simply complaining too much trying to process big files. My existing system really struggles with CS4 and Bridge keeps crashing; so I have reverted to using CS2. I skipped Vista but really need a new more powerful PC system. I feel more confident after reading your positive report in getting Windows 7 with my new machine. Seconded re overall ease of use - the one (potentially) big hassle is that some scanners and printers won't work with Windows 7 (no drivers) and some 32 bit software you might need can be a problem unless you get Windows 7 Pro AND you're PC supports virtualisation. My Dell desktop is fine (workstation series - strongly recommend), my Sony Vaio laptop (great in other respects) doesn't support this and this has been a nuisance.. Caveat Emptor (but the Windows 7 Advisor application is useful in this respect - it does warn you about what's not going to work... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted December 8, 2009 Share #49 Posted December 8, 2009 Presumably, it advises you AFTER you've bought it... Chris, are you saying that Windows 7 and some 32 bit software doesn't work properly on some supported PCs? What a nightmare. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert_parker Posted December 8, 2009 Share #50 Posted December 8, 2009 I think the first piece of Microsoft software I ever used was back in 1980 or possibly even earlier. I do recall having to call Albuquerque, New Mexico for some support. I'm too much of a veteran to go anywhere near a Windows 7 until Service Pack 1, or even possibly 2. You only have to experience the disaster of being compelled to move from Office 2003 to Office 2007 for reasons which completely escape me in terms of so-called better functionality to know that if you can avoid changing something on a PC running Microsoft products which are working perfectly well, then leave it alone. LouisB the old man who still can't figure out why C/PM didn't take over the world instead of MS-DOS One of the experiences I've had recently is of Windows 'updates' disabling Office 2003 in favour of Office 2007 trial versions - I wonder how many people make the switch as a result (the propblem is easily sorted by 'repairing' Offcie 2003) but I also remain bemused as to what additional functionality Office 2007 has over Office 2003 - when I looked at O.2007 for the first time it had this 'ribbon' which had lots of fonts and typefaces but it took me half an hour to find where the 'print' command was.... He who croaks first croaks longest...but to leap is a different matter... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted December 8, 2009 Share #51 Posted December 8, 2009 We still use Office 2003 in the office. I was talking with our IT support company last week, and they were saying that we will probably be "compelled" to switch to Office 2007 by the end of next year. Just ridiculous Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
theendlesshouse Posted December 8, 2009 Share #52 Posted December 8, 2009 I use a laptop and a workstation both running Windows 7 the workstation is 64bit for 3DS Max, Autocad and CS4. I have only ever encountered two issues, LIDE software compatibility and a plugin for 3DS Max Design 2010, both rectified now. My upgrades went without fault, considering the b*llache I had with vista, I was astonished. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
haroldp Posted December 8, 2009 Share #53 Posted December 8, 2009 When I switched to Mac last year, DXO, Nikon (capture NX2) and Autopano provided cross platform versions for free as long as I promised not to use both concurrently. I switched from Office to OpenOffice without issues, but I am a basic, not a power user of Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. Power users may well find issues. I run PS, and Qimage (for printing) in a parallels (currently 4.0, upgradng soon to 5.0) VM on the Mac running WinXP 64, without issues once I learned how to map devices, disk drives etc. Parallels is free (after rebates). I suspect VMWare fusion is as good but have not tried it. Everything, including the Virtual Machine Windows runs better and faster.. Apple tells me that Snow Leopard will enable apps that are not multi-processor enabled to benefit from multi-cores (I have eight). I am looking forward to testing this since CaptureNX can certainly use the help (24 mp D3X raw processing is grim, even on the 8 way macpro). Autopano rips however, clocking 700 + % cpu usage, even on Leopard 1.58. I have spent $ 0.00 on virus and spyware software, but have taken basic precautions such as working from a user ID that has no admin priveleges ( installing software etc.) and setting up a super user that has exclusive write privileges to system and OS libraries / directories. I have had no hits or degradation in over a year, and am constantly running and web connected. Leopard makes this practical because if you try to do something you are not authorized for, it asks for an id and password that is authorized, rather than making you log out, and into another ID. As long as Windows allows applications to directly access hardware, attempts to secure it are futile. I have stayed running for months without booting and not been slowed by memory leaks, and the UFS based ( and journaled ) file system does not seem to fragment, or repairs itself. I am finally spending more time using the computer than servicing it. Regards ... Harold Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtZ Posted December 9, 2009 Share #54 Posted December 9, 2009 I'm a bit puzzled by this. Windows 7 is supposed to incorporate a virtual XP to enable older programs to run on it. Yes, Jaap, but only "Professional", "Enterprise" and "Ultimate" Editions. Guys, remember... that you need a minimum of 4GB RAM to see a difference in performance/speed between 64-bit and 32-bit editions!!! So, if you install a Windows 7 64-bit on a computer with 2GB RAM, it will be slower than with Windows 7 32-bit! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wda Posted December 10, 2009 Share #55 Posted December 10, 2009 While I absolutely agree with David that 64 bit is the way to go, the frustrations I had with software / hardware incompatibilities were a real issue. My problem's compounded by having to run two homes, and therefore two static machines and a laptop. Win 7 was going to involve replacing two perfectly adequate flatbed scanners, a laser printer, quite probably a perfectly well functioning A3 photo printer + software that I like but only use from time to time and don't want to "upgrade" / replace (Omnipage 12, Acrobat Pro 7, Dreamweaver 8, Illustrator CS3 appear to be main candidates)... As my older (twin Xeon processor workstation) PC was going to also be a problem for drivers, the whole thing was beginning to look very expensive - especially as everything's working at the moment. My strategy (I have a strategy?) now will be to wait until I need to replace kit, and to recognise that 64 bit is going to be the way to go. I will then look for software / hardware bundles when I do the buying and make it as economical as I can. I'm going to regret not having the smoothness of Win7 64 - it really did fly and looked pretty too... but for the moment I'll have to work on the "it's not broken so why fix it" principle. PETE - BTW - if you're in the market for a new PC, I strongly recommend the Dell T3500 series. They're remarkably good value + they run really quietly. Chris, is it possible that your problem arises because of old defunct drivers lurking in the background? I wonder whether the same problems would arise with a totally new computer with W7 as OS? Like Pete, I am wanting to update my seven years old PC which grinds to a standstill with PS and LR. Regarding incompatibility between 64 bit and PS plug-ins (and other older but in-use software), is it possible to choose whether to run as a 64 or 32 bit machine? I am tempted to forgo the 64 bit option and settle for 32 bit operation if that allows my software and plug-ins to run smoothly. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wda Posted December 10, 2009 Share #56 Posted December 10, 2009 Chris, further to my post above; I believe W7 will run in switchable virtual XP mode. Have you done this successfully without impairing performance? Also, which version of W7 do you recommend for digital imaging work? Many thanks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcoombs Posted December 10, 2009 Share #57 Posted December 10, 2009 David, you can buy Win7 in either 32 or 64 bit versions. The Virtual XP mode is not available if you buy Win7 in the Home version. You would need the upgraded version (Professional?). As for your 7 year old pc struggling with PS and LR, that is probably due to insufficient CPU processing power, lack of RAM, single core technology, or all of the above. Seven years is a looong time in pc land. Doug Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wda Posted December 10, 2009 Share #58 Posted December 10, 2009 David, you can buy Win7 in either 32 or 64 bit versions. The Virtual XP mode is not available if you buy Win7 in the Home version. You would need the upgraded version (Professional?). As for your 7 year old pc struggling with PS and LR, that is probably due to insufficient CPU processing power, lack of RAM, single core technology, or all of the above. Seven years is a looong time in pc land. Doug Doug, that is very helpful. Your assessment of old PC problems is spot on! My probable supplier has said that W7 Professional or Ultra (whatever that is?) has the option to run in XP simulation mode. You infer that it is either/or and not a switchable option to meet a later situation when software catches up with hardware progress. Is that so? A single permanent choice? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcoombs Posted December 10, 2009 Share #59 Posted December 10, 2009 Doug, that is very helpful. Your assessment of old PC problems is spot on! My probable supplier has said that W7 Professional or Ultra (whatever that is?) has the option to run in XP simulation mode. You infer that it is either/or and not a switchable option to meet a later situation when software catches up with hardware progress. Is that so? A single permanent choice? No, your supplier is correct. I wasn't sufficiently clear. I don't have Win7 Professional but I understand it allows you to run XP as a virtual OS in parallel. So you can have your cake and eat it, too. Doug PS: whichever version you decide on, get the 64 bit OS. It will be more "future proof". Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wda Posted December 11, 2009 Share #60 Posted December 11, 2009 Doug, thank you very much for clarifying that point. It now makes sense to get W7 Pro version. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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