I decided to go for a dual boot setup. In Vista, I couldn't shrink its partition down all that much because you can't move the MFT with the Vista Disk Management tool. Looked at freebie recipies, thought about wiping Vista, shrinking the partition, restoring from an image, etc. But decided to plunk down $50 for Acronis Disk Director, which worked its magic in 10 or 20 minutes (from 287 Gb to 66 Gb on a mostly empty drive).
Windows 7 64-bit is up and running with no problem (and Vista still works great). A whole bunch of new drivers downloaded with Windows Update, especially the Nvidia driver needed to support dual monitors. The one irksome difference with 64-bit is moving my cursor along the icons on the Taskbar does not show minature windows as popups as in the 32-bit, only a list of all the windows under that icon. Maybe I have turn turn on Nvidia acceleration or the 64-bit driver just ain't supporting it (yet, I hope).
EDIT: Actually, the answer to the Taskbar Preview is simple. Somehow the Win7 install happened without a Windows Experience Rating (computer speed evaluation). So I rightclicked on My Computer, picked Properties, and then the link Rate This Computer. I got a high score so now have an little Window popups in 64-bit, too, when I hover my mouse over taskbar icons.
edit: this was typed before seeing your last post! looks like your are working smoothly! very glad to hear it!
sorry for taking so long to get back...
i dont think you will have any issues and if you do, like you said, you can get the latest drivers for vista from dell.
also, be like me now - keep everything in the cloud (live mesh) or on an external and all your outlook stuff synced between multiple devices and it is no big deal to have to reformat when necessary!!!
i must say, windows live mesh is really awesome. i have my mesh folder syncing between 6 PC's now (some XP, some Vista, 1 Win 7) unfortunately not my BB but can be synced with WinMo's though.
edit: this was typed before seeing your last post! looks like your are working smoothly! very glad to hear it!
sorry for taking so long to get back...
i dont think you will have any issues and if you do, like you said, you can get the latest drivers for vista from dell.
also, be like me now - keep everything in the cloud (live mesh) or on an external and all your outlook stuff synced between multiple devices and it is no big deal to have to reformat when necessary!!!
i must say, windows live mesh is really awesome. i have my mesh folder syncing between 6 PC's now (some XP, some Vista, 1 Win 7) unfortunately not my BB but can be synced with WinMo's though.
Thanks for the advice, Lou. Reading what I might have to do to shrink my partition, I balked at doing it and was going to stick with Vista. It wasn't until I took my hard drive out of my old, dead laptop - I had so much fun taking the fittings off to get down to the bare SATA connectors and then mounting it in an external enclosure and seeing everything come back to life, that I needed a new adventure.
Vista and Windows co-habitate with other live partititions
Quote:
Originally Posted by Miata492
oh yeah, that is always fun! nothing like trying to save old hard drives!
btw, if you need any dell driver discs let me know...
Vista and Windows 7 seem a lot smarter about booting when connected to a hard drive/partition with a live OS on it - but then this time around my old hard drive was only connected externally through USB. Have had a great learning experience years ago having both old and new drive in same computer with IDE connections learning master/slave settings mean nothing with old one retaining its drive 0 status! Ah, the good ol' days.
A co-worker says Linux has forced Windows to shape up by its facility for existing in multi-boot systems.
yeah, does dual boot really well. i am looking forward to getting the android OS to setup as a dual-boot on my acer netbook - that should be pretty cool! android is the big buzzword in the netbook world - all the manufacturers are scrambling to launch an android netbook. should be WAY more popular than regular linux versions.
I was contemplating how I'm likely to have to call Adobe to get another install of Adobe CS3 activated on my new computer since I'm already at my license limit. Light bulb! Perfectly good OS on old hard drive mounted in external eSATA enclosure. Maybe I could boot from that attached to my new dual boot computer, uninstall Adobe CS3 (which would deactivate a usage over the web), and then I'd be good to go reinstalling the product on a partition of my new computer's primary drive.
Since I'm adding yet another hard drive to the mix, was wondering if the old OS on the old, now external hard drive is going to screw things up and even so, I'm booting an old OS with old drivers on a different new computer. It's going to want to reinstall a lot of drivers (hopefully in the right place) on the new computer.
Sorry this is way off topic. Hopefully, just entertainment while we're waiting for Vzw's latest official ROM.
Web blogs seem to indicate it's doable on a Dell-booting from an external hard drive. We shall see!
EDIT: No cigar. Can boot from disk. Gets past Win7 splash screen to flashing horizontal bar, then BSOD, reboot. Probably the killer is I'm trying to boot a previous 32-bit Win7 install on a 64-bit computer!
Back on topic, I will see as I reinstall everything whether I have any problems with any WM programs/installs running under 64-bit Win7, e.g. PDAnet, etc.
__________________
-Jim-
Use every part of the buffalo - Brad Bird
Last edited by Jim Lewis : 06-04-2009 at 12:26 AM.
Success! Booting from old 32-bit Win7 from HP on 64-bit Dell! HooRAH!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Lewis
I was contemplating how I'm likely to have to call Adobe to get another install of Adobe CS3 activated on my new computer since I'm already at my license limit. Light bulb! Perfectly good OS on old hard drive mounted in external eSATA enclosure. Maybe I could boot from that attached to my new dual boot computer, uninstall Adobe CS3 (which would deactivate a usage over the web), and then I'd be good to go reinstalling the product on a partition of my new computer's primary driver.
EDIT: No cigar. Can boot from disk. Gets past Win7 splash screen to flashing horizontal bar, then BSOD, reboot. Probably the killer is I'm trying to boot a previous 32-bit Win7 install on a 64-bit computer! ......
Well, necessity is the Mother of Invention - and it's a mother. The activation problem happened with Paperport 11, instead. Sorry! You've exceeded your limit. Buy another copy! (and if you've ever tried to get support from Nuance, formerly Scansoft, you know they have a "let them eat cake..." atttitude).
So I had done a boot repair job and installed the bootloader for my 32-bit Win7 - but that was with a USB connection. I switched over to an eSATA connection, somehow got the options Boot in Safe Mode, Safe Mode with Networking, etc. (maybe because of the previous BSOD on a straight boot). Chose "Boot in Safe Mode". SUCCESS!!!!! Bunch of drivers were loaded. Rebooted normally into full Win7 32-bit. More drivers were loaded. Windows Update. More drivers included the Win7 Nvidia. WiFi networking flaky. Installed Dell driver. Thought I needed Bluetooth. Win7 refused saying a newer driver was already installed.
So moral of the story is you can boot an old 32-bit OS on an external eSATA-connected hard drive in SAFE MODE. Don't install any old or special drivers unless computer performance indicates you need them. And don't forget to run the Windows Experience rating after updating drivers to refresh your rating and be qualified for maximum graphic OS display (before loading the Win7 Nvidia driver, I had a graphic rating of "1" - which is terrible).
So the potential activation problem was real and now I am going to uninstall everything in sight from my old HP-Laptop hard disk to be able (hopefully) to freely install on the Dell hard disk.
Hope this shaggy dog story helps someone else out!
__________________
-Jim-
Use every part of the buffalo - Brad Bird
Last edited by Jim Lewis : 06-06-2009 at 12:47 AM.
WM programs that work in 64-bit Windows 7 Release Candidate
I tried Windows Mobile programs that I own with a desktop component to see if any would have a problem running under 64-bit Windows 7 RC. None have so far and a ton of other PC programs from the past work great, too. (the possibility of not having a 64-bit driver available for a hardware device seems to be the main danger of going 64-bit)
The key to success seems to be if Win7 senses it's a 32-bit x86 program that ain't gonna work in 64-bit mode, it runs the program in virtual 32-bit mode and puts it in a directory that's located in (your user name)\App Data\VirtualStore\Program Files.
So far, PdaNet works (have to install the 64-bit Vista version)
Ilium's ListPro v5.0
Spb Finance v2.8
Phatware PhatNotes v5.3
Phatware PhatPad v4.7
Sprite Backup v6.5.4
There is a great mid-90's organizer called Ecco Pro (desktop only). That has a 16-bit installer that fails under 32-bit Win7 RC. But a packaged install file that puts all the program components in the folders they should be and imports a set of DWORDS into the registry can install the program in 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7 RC (the files that would go into the Windows directory are put into a VirtualStore Windows directory - Win7 is smarter than the average bear watching over installers).
The VirtualStore mode can be confusing because your program files and data aren't always where you think they are based on apparent path.
EDIT: Correction to above: These virtualization abilities are also built into 32-bit and 64-bit Vista to protect the OS from legacy programs that want to violate User Account Control (UAC) security and write to privileged locations (Program Files) or insist on using absolute path addresses, e.g. Documents and Settting. Just never noticed them because I wasn't rebuilding my OS and programs from the ground up before. Windows Vista Inside Out, Deluxe Edition by Bott, Siechert, and Stinson is a great book. Extremely detailed, very well-indexed. Relatively cheap online (33% off). You won't use it 'til you need it, but that's when you REALLY need it. Looking forward to the Win7 Edition!
With my HP laptop and Win7 RC 32-bit, no problema. I used all the drivers Win7 found.
With my replacement Dell XPS 1340, I figured I'd go with the Win7 nVidia driver and anything else Win7 offered via Windows Update. Apparently a fatal mistake.
After an initial Win7 driver, system maintenance urgently suggested a driver update from Nvidia. Things went from bad to worse. My computer would hang and I suspected the video driver as changing the screen in some way, a mouse movement, etc., typically coincided with the hang.
Went to nVidia site and let their ActiveX tool scan my computer. Told me I must get any video drivers only from Dell web site.
So with that clue, went back to the driver disk that came with computer, installed the "old" Dell Vista 64-bit nVidia driver and things have been smooth sailing since. Like Adrynalyne commented about ROM's "Better old and stable, than new and broken!"
Would go with the hearsay that HP drivers are more generic, Dell nails you down to system-specific drivers, e.g., if I want to buy an upgrade to Win7, guess who I'll probably have to be buying the upgrade from?
Why is it you always have to discover very useful things the hard way?
Wanted to back up software to DVD using open file-by-file transfer DVD's I'd created with Roxio Easy Media Creator 10. Don't know if it was lack of the properr driver or a conflict between Roxio and the Windows software as occurred with Windows XP and earlier versions of Roxio, but Roxio wrote the tracks but couldn't close the DVD (missing SCSI driver error msg?!). Looked like I'd made a coaster of a valuable file archive.
Amazing. The built-in Windows burning tool can recognize an open Roxio DVD, allows more files to be incrementally added, and then the DVD can be closed. I did not try multi-session file addition before closing.
When you pop fresh media into your burner, you get two options: 1) Use as removable storage (Live File System) and 2) Create CD or DVD (one shot and you're done, I presume).
Interesting, Roxio EMC 10 and Win7 must both be using mult-session ISO recording for incremental file additions. Even though trying to add and close the DVD with Roxio on Win7 trashed the first open Roxio DVD I tried, I was still able to recover all the files I previously added by copying them off the trashed DVD using Explorer copy. Once I realized that Win7 was "in control" of other open DVD's, I used Win7 to add files and close DVD's and had no problem.
I have also found IsoBuster Pro very useful at bringing burn failures back from the dead. I like to add files incrementally to a DVD and if something goes wrong, it's nice to know there is a software tool that can read and usually recover your already archived files. (even seems to work with earlier open DVD's created with UDF packet writing).
Bottom line might be if you use Roxio and have open DVD's, look out attempting to use Roxio under Win7 (might need to upgrade to the latest Roxio or use Win7 to continue to work with open DVD's or turn off Win7 DVD burning as people did for XP burning).
__________________
-Jim-
Use every part of the buffalo - Brad Bird
Last edited by Jim Lewis : 06-14-2009 at 07:24 PM.
Installed Windows 7 on personal PC. Working fine. Speedy as advertised. EXCEPT hooked up Omnia. Got installing hardware. Then Windows Mobile Device Center failed. So currently am looking at "Connecting..." Anyone successfull installed run an Omnia off WMDC in Win7?
On Windows 7 everything is good except not everything fits on the screen running my external LCD monitor at 1680x1050 (max and optimal resolution). Have to cut down the resolution to fit everything on.
Thanks for the advice, Mike. I got things fixed up by following KitchMD's advice further along in the thread and uninstalled and reinstalled WMDC v6.1. That got synching with my Omnia working. At this juncture, the original PC died (an HP-Laptop) and I got a Dell with an Nvidia 9400M graphics adapter. The Nvidia control panel makes it very easy to identify and configure multiple monitor and adjust the resolution.
What do you think about Windows 7? Is it worth the upgrade? Win7 RC with my new computer doesn't seem to kick in as fast - perhaps because Win7 offered to run a performance enhancement tool and offered to remove Activesync as a startup process! So now sometimes I have to fire off WMDC from the Start/Programs menu to get Activesync to work but I'd rather have faster boots all the time and remember to fire up WMDC occasionally.
yes... the google chrome OS... does make thing interesting but...
i dont think you can really beat the experience of Win7 on a netbook... we shall soon see!
Useful feature of Win7 for testing pairing BT devices?
I am getting a Blue2can BT adapter for my Nikon D300 to geotag pictures. There is a problem in that the Blue2can adapter (it's very small to go on a camera) can only pair with GPS receivers that don't need a pairing code. When I pair with my Omnia, WM asks for a pairing code for my external BT338 GPS receiver. But I figured that might just be WM doing due diligence because pairing established with a passcode is more secure that just a BT "network" connection. So how to tell if my BT338 will work with a Blue2can?
It occurred to me in Win7, there is the option in "Add Bluetooth Device" to "pair without a passcode." I found that I could pair my BT338 GPS receiver with my Win7 laptop this way and the BT338 shows up in My Bluetooth Devices.
Independently, Red Hen Systems, the makers of the Blue2can, confirms that a BT338 will pair with a Blue2can.
At any rate, I offer the suggestion that the Win7 test may be a good way to tell whether a BT device is capable of pairing without a passcode. Might not be desirable as your non-passcoded device can be "hijacked." A number of photographers have found that their camera can potentially store the GPS coordinates received from another nearby GPS receiver unit if you wander into a gaggle of photographers that happen to have geotagging setups. If someone else turns off their GPS device (paired with your camera), you may think you're tagging your next picture when instead you've lost your GPS fix, etc.
I did a trial restore of the folder that backs up my Pocket PC Programs and discovered that no .ZIP or .CAB files were being backed up. Apparently, this is because on my computer WinZip owns the file associations and the Win7 backup program is not able to get a hold of them to back up. Changing the file associations of these file types to Windows Explorer seems to help. There is also a theory that turning off your antivirus software and your firewall helps (but that's not a good idea even if you're not connected to a network!). Others report the same failure to backup files associated with StuffIT, another compression utility.
The following is one of several threads on Win7 Backup errors at the Microsoft TechNet forum
Our university system has had the Win7 release since about 9/22ish or so (early for educational institutions). The install won't let you upgrade a Win7 RC version. I used Windows Easy Transfer to back up all my data files and settings (and all the Shared Files, too) to an external WD eSATA drive (took about 6 hours for 250 Gb). Then I reformatted the Win7 partition. I brought all my data files and settings back BEFORE reinstalling all my apps (we'll see if that's bad). The nice thing about the RESTORE with Easy Transfer is it furnishes a report of the apps it finds you need to reinstall based on your user settings, if you haven't reinstalled them.
So far I haven't noticed much difference in the "RTM" version of Win7 from the RC version. If I find any WMDC idiosyncracies, I'll update my post. I did have to install my nVidia driver and my Bluetooth driver myself. The Dell site now has advice on Windows 7 reminding people to select the correct option, 32-bit vs 64-bit on the drivers home page, stating that most Vista drivers will work O.K., and actually (incredibly for Dell) saying that it's O.K. to use Windows Update as a source of drivers.
__________________
-Jim-
Use every part of the buffalo - Brad Bird
Last edited by Jim Lewis : 10-02-2009 at 12:12 PM.
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