# The Downhill Slide... Windows 7 is Upon Us..



## LarryFlowers (Sep 22, 2006)

Many of you will shortly be receiving your copies of Windows 7. Just a heads up to let you know that I and others who have been living with the OS for quite a while will help however we can if you need it. 

I have subscribed to all of the "pinned" Windows 7 threads in this forum so i will receive an email instantly when you post if you have a question and I will try to assist.

I was talked into (shamed, perhaps hoodwinked) into a twitter account "LarryFlowers" if you want to reach me that way.

In all honesty, if you have taken earlier suggestions as to how to get ready for this install and you are prepared, this should be the easiest Microsoft OS change you have ever made.

Good Luck!


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

Larry, thanks for all the hard work you've put into this!


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## FHSPSU67 (Jan 12, 2007)

Amen to that Stuart!
He also should be getting commissions from HD mfgrs. for all the hard drives he's been selling via the excitement he's been building for Windows 7. I'll soon be on my way to Best Buy this afternoon to pick up a WD 1 TB, Black Caviar this afternoon.
My Win 7 Pro from Amazon will be arriving, I've decided to do a clean install to this new HD.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Thank you Larry.

I have been relentlessly been reading and following your threads, attempting to shameless learn enough to actually dispell any fear of moving from XP to WIN7 on 2 PC's.

Your great information and advice has significantly reduced my risk tot he point where 98% of the fear has vanished.,,in fact, I'm now looking forward to running WIN7 here very soon.

Appreciate all that you have done to help the many folks here.


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## dorfd1 (Jul 16, 2008)

LarryFlowers said:


> Many of you will shortly be receiving your copies of Windows 7. Just a heads up to let you know that I and others who have been living with the OS for quite a while will help however we can if you need it.
> 
> I have subscribed to all of the "pinned" Windows 7 threads in this forum so i will receive an email instantly when you post if you have a question and I will try to assist.
> 
> ...


don't forget about the one guy who will find out the hard way they can't use xp mode and will sue Microsoft because he did not know about hardware virtualization being a requirement.


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## kfcrosby (Dec 17, 2006)

dorfd1 said:


> don't forget about the one guy who will find out the hard way they can't use xp mode and will sue Microsoft because he did not know about hardware virtualization being a requirement.


There's an app for that 

http://www.grc.com/securable.htm

Steve Gipsons app will tell you if you are ready for virtualization!


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

dorfd1 said:


> don't forget about the one guy who will find out the hard way they can't use xp mode and will sue Microsoft because he did not know about hardware virtualization being a requirement.


For the 64-bit version maybe....but not for everyone...


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Mr. Flowers.....is virtualization a "show-stopper" for folks wanting to run WIN 7...simply a limitation, or does this impact just for the 64-bit version?


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## LarryFlowers (Sep 22, 2006)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> Mr. Flowers.....is virtualization a "show-stopper" for folks wanting to run WIN 7...simply a limitation, or does this impact just for the 64-bit version?


Windows Virtual PC for Windows 7 requires the presence of a chip capable of of Virtualization Technology (VT).

You can quickly check if your PC or laptop is capable by simply running SecurAble from Gibson Research http://www.grc.com/securable.htm (As noted above by kfcrosby). This will tell you instantly what your machine status is.

VT capability may be irrelevant to you.. it depends.

Scenario...

Your laptop runs Windows 7 but your company has an application that requires IE6. In this instance, you would download Windows Virtual PC and the free virtual XP (pre licensed - no charge) and install both apps. From here you would follow specific instructions ( Ihave them if anyone needs them) to make IE6 run _*in Windows 7*_ without any problems. Other XP specific applications can run the same way.

Note: most modern chips, say the last 2-3 years worth are VT capable HOWEVER some manufacturers have disabled the feature for reasons unknowable. Sony is one.


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## Movieman (May 9, 2009)

When will my Windows 7 RC finish? I got my new ACER and it came with a free upgrade but am not ready to get this upgrade yet. 

Thanks again for all your support.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

LarryFlowers said:


> Windows Virtual PC for Windows 7 requires the presence of a chip capable of of Virtualization Technology (VT).
> 
> You can quickly check if your PC or laptop is capable by simply running SecurAble from Gibson Research http://www.grc.com/securable.htm (As noted above by kfcrosby). This will tell you instantly what your machine status is.
> 
> ...


Thanks a bunch for the clarification....YUP...my AMD Athelon 64 X2 has it disabled.

I suspect I will not ever have a need for that, but it is good to know specifically how it comes into play.

A great "learning opportunity" here indeed.

Everything passes fine on the WIN7 Upgrade Advisor....so just counting down the clock at this point...


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## kfcrosby (Dec 17, 2006)

LarryFlowers said:


> _Windows Virtual PC for Windows 7 requires the presence of a chip capable of of Virtualization Technology (VT).
> 
> Note: most modern chips, say the last 2-3 years worth are VT capable HOWEVER some manufacturers have disabled the feature for reasons unknowable. Sony is one._


side note: Most NETBOOKS with ATOM processors are not VT capable.

Kevin


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## LarryFlowers (Sep 22, 2006)

Movieman said:


> When will my Windows 7 RC finish? I got my new ACER and it came with a free upgrade but am not ready to get this upgrade yet.
> 
> Thanks again for all your support.


March 1 2010 it will start annoying you ALOT... expires completely on June 1 2010


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## Movieman (May 9, 2009)

Thanks. I will have time after the holidays to work on my upgrade which I know wont take that long but will have it done before the deadline.


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## Grentz (Jan 10, 2007)

LarryFlowers said:


> Note: most modern chips, say the last 2-3 years worth are VT capable HOWEVER some manufacturers have disabled the feature for reasons unknowable. Sony is one.


Building on this, be careful if building your own PC as well. Different classes of Intel chips either have it or dont. Some just randomly pretty much. Many have been upset at intel for doign this, but in reality if you check before buying you should have no issue.

Most truly dont need it, I only have a few programs that I run XP Mode for and they are some specialized programs for work.


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## ncxcstud (Apr 22, 2007)

Thanks for all your hard work Larry 

I just noticed that I believe I will get my copy of Windows 7 on Thursday from the Microsoft Store . They said my card wouldn't be charged until it was shipped, well...it was charged this morning! Woohoo!! I may actually get to set it all up on my day off on Friday!!


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## LarryFlowers (Sep 22, 2006)

Thank you everyone for the kind comments.

Though I have 2 desktops and a laptop currently on Windows 7 RTM, I will be joining the rest of you as I construct a brand new i7 Desktop. This will be my first PC specifically designed to be overclocked "on demand".

I will be retiring my oldest PC (In other words my sister will inherit).

New PC:
Thermaltake V9 Black Case
ASUS P7P55D Motherboard
Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz CPU
Crucial 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V Power Supply
"C" Drive Seagate Barracuda ES.2 ST3250310NS 250GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb
"D" Drive SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD103UJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA *3.0Gb*
PLEXTOR Black 8X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA Internal BD Combo Model PX-B320SA
XFX GX260XADJC GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP 
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 92mm Fluid Dynamic CPU Cooler


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## kfcrosby (Dec 17, 2006)

And may we assume Win 7 Ultimate 64bit ?



Kevin



LarryFlowers said:


> Thank you everyone for the kind comments.
> 
> Though I have 2 desktops and a laptop currently on Windows 7 RTM, I will be joining the rest of you as I construct a brand new i7 Desktop. This will be my first PC specifically designed to be overclocked "on demand".
> 
> ...


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## LarryFlowers (Sep 22, 2006)

kfcrosby said:


> And may we assume Win 7 Ultimate 64bit ?
> 
> 
> 
> Kevin


You May Indeed!


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## barryb (Aug 27, 2007)

Hoodwinked?


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## FHSPSU67 (Jan 12, 2007)

LarryFlowers said:


> Thank you everyone for the kind comments.
> 
> Though I have 2 desktops and a laptop currently on Windows 7 RTM, I will be joining the rest of you as I construct a brand new i7 Desktop. This will be my first PC specifically designed to be overclocked "on demand".
> 
> ...


If you don't mind, what kind of $$$ do you have wrapped up in what looks like a great & beautiful system. I completely understand if you'd prefer not to or if you just haven't sat down and figured it all out


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## LarryFlowers (Sep 22, 2006)

FHSPSU67 said:


> If you don't mind, what kind of $$$ do you have wrapped up in what looks like a great & beautiful system. I completely understand if you'd prefer not to or if you just haven't sat down and figured it all out


$1324.. spent a little extra for the Blu_Ray drive.


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## HDJulie (Aug 10, 2008)

LarryFlowers said:


> Thank you everyone for the kind comments.
> 
> Though I have 2 desktops and a laptop currently on Windows 7 RTM, I will be joining the rest of you as I construct a brand new i7 Desktop. This will be my first PC specifically designed to be overclocked "on demand".
> 
> ...


What level of system are you upgrading from -- is this a huge upgrade, or more along the lines of keeping up with the latest.


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## dorfd1 (Jul 16, 2008)

my 350$ emachines computer I got has hardware virtualization enabled.


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## LarryFlowers (Sep 22, 2006)

HDJulie said:


> What level of system are you upgrading from -- is this a huge upgrade, or more along the lines of keeping up with the latest.


My current Primary PC has the following:

Asus P5TK-E motherboard
Intel Wolfdale 3.0Ghz Core 2 Duo
Crucial 6 GB DDR2 Memory
3x 640GB Samsung Spinrite Drives
LITE-ON COMBO SHC-52S7K ATA Device [CD-ROM drive]
TSSTcorp CD/DVDW SH-S183L ATA Device [CD-ROM drive]
3.5" format removeable media [Floppy drive]
NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250 512MB
Arctic Cooler CPU Fan

This will become my backup PC.


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## LarryFlowers (Sep 22, 2006)

There was a good size batch of patches for Windows 7 RTM this past Tuesday.. you want to check to make sure they got installed... an additional follow up patch was released for the Windows 7 64 bit RTM software on the 20th... make sure that one is installed as well if you are on 64 bit.

I will post information through out the transition period in appropriate threads as well as thru Twitter... you can follow my Twitter account here... http://twitter.com/larryflowers


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## Movieman (May 9, 2009)

LarryFlowers said:


> There was a good size batch of patches for Windows 7 RTM this past Tuesday.. you want to check to make sure they got installed... an additional follow up patch was released for the Windows 7 64 bit RTM software on the 20th... make sure that one is installed as well if you are on 64 bit.
> 
> I will post information through out the transition period in appropriate threads as well as thru Twitter... you can follow my Twitter account here... http://twitter.com/larryflowers


I was going to ask you about this. My laptop and PC were downloading and installing like crazy last night and wasnt sure why they would do that if the full version would be released soon. Thanks for posting. Now im not worried.


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## ncxcstud (Apr 22, 2007)

two of the updates pertain to Media Center. Netflix is now available on Media Center on Windows 7 and Internet TV2 Beta (or whatever the option is) is now, out of beta and available for download.


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## Movieman (May 9, 2009)

Larry do you think it would be better to wait a few months for those of us that have the RC for maybe more updates to be released? Im in no rush and know that sometimes these things come out and then updates follow as new things are discovered. Wanted your feedback. I was going to wait either until after the holidays.


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## LarryFlowers (Sep 22, 2006)

Movieman said:


> Larry do you think it would be better to wait a few months for those of us that have the RC for maybe more updates to be released? Im in no rush and know that sometimes these things come out and then updates follow as new things are discovered. Wanted your feedback. I was going to wait either until after the holidays.


None of the updates so far to Windows 7 have represented any major change or new feature, nor are they likely to. Windows 7 has been throughout beta testing extremely stable. The final RTM release has been in user hands for several months with no real issues of any kind.

The product you get now vs. the product you get several months from now will probably differ only in security patches, which will continue through the life of the product. I doubt there will be any major features added... Windows 7 is an OS stripped of auxillary "stuff" (Movie Maker, Pictur Manager, etc.) and I expect anything new will be made available the same way.

The only major event I expect where Windows 7 is concerned is that the VPN companies will get their ducks in a row... they are always late to the party.


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## Steve615 (Feb 5, 2006)

Many thanks for your insight and info Larry. 

On another note,I received an e-mail from Best Buy regarding my pre-order today.

Windows 7 is on its way.


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## wilbur_the_goose (Aug 16, 2006)

Bad news - Amazon has my ship date set as 10/26 for my order placed in June.


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## FHSPSU67 (Jan 12, 2007)

wilbur_the_goose said:


> Bad news - Amazon has my ship date set as 10/26 for my order placed in June.


Same story here (actually ordered Jul 5), but this just means we have more time to study Larrys' threads and get it right the first time


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## dorfd1 (Jul 16, 2008)

Windows 7 service pack 2 is avaible

http://www.betaarchive.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=952


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## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

wilbur_the_goose said:


> Bad news - Amazon has my ship date set as 10/26 for my order placed in June.


Mine shipped this morning (also pre-ordered around June).


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

All three of ours from Amazon pre-ordered should be delivered tomorrow based on the tracking info. Of course we have Amazon Prime. Personally, I'm not in any rush. I'm getting to old for this stuff, but I'll be following Larry's suggestions.


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## afulkerson (Jan 14, 2007)

Both of mine shipped yesterday and are somewhere between Seattle and here.


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## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

wilbur_the_goose said:


> Bad news - Amazon has my ship date set as 10/26 for my order placed in June.





FHSPSU67 said:


> Same story here (actually ordered Jul 5),


Holy crap! Mine is "Out for Delivery" and I ordered it last week. I wonder if the version has anything to do with it. I ordered Pro Upgrade.


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## FHSPSU67 (Jan 12, 2007)

Herdfan said:


> Holy crap! Mine is "Out for Delivery" and I ordered it last week. I wonder if the version has anything to do with it. I ordered Pro Upgrade.


Mine's PRO , too.


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## HDJulie (Aug 10, 2008)

So Larry - have you built the pc yet?


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## LarryFlowers (Sep 22, 2006)

HDJulie said:


> So Larry - have you built the pc yet?


No... I am actually building 4 of them... 3 for clients, 1 for me. Once all parts arrive, the client machines will come first, then mine. I will probably assemble mine over Thanksgiving. I already have 3 machines on 7.


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## HDJulie (Aug 10, 2008)

I'm curious to see what your Windows Experience Index scores will be .


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## ncxcstud (Apr 22, 2007)

HDJulie said:


> I'm curious to see what your Windows Experience Index scores will be .


Mine is...

Processor - 6.1
Memory - 6.1
Graphics - 6.8
Gaming Graphics - 6.8
Primary hard disk - 5.9

AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+
4GB of Ram
2TB of HDD space
Nvidia 8800GS

Larry's will be better, i'm sure of it


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## HDJulie (Aug 10, 2008)

I get 7.3, 7.3, 6.8, 6.8, & 5.9. I have a Core2 Quad Core processor -- I forget the speed but it is the 45nm(?) one. I think it's 2.8Ghz. I'm betting the i7 is going to hit 7.9 which is the max.


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