Revisiting Moving From W7 32 to 64, NO HITTING!

[Virgorising]

Hi, & Happy Hotfix Tuesday.

Just when you think your plans are soundly evolved and you are clear & stoked, you start delving, reading, learning and sometimes, question marks present. It’s a GOOD THING….means you are not rigid OR afraid.

As I have shared elsewhere, I am running W7 32 on this, remarkably fast for its age, upgraded by little me, Optiplex MT (the biggest configuration) GX620; Presler PD 3.40 (64 bit capable), 3 GBs of DDR2, integrated video (works just fine including Aero).

Nobody believes how fast it really is, esp cause I keep it clean and perfect in EVERY way.

My new/used system I got for amazing price at eBay auction (I always choose the chip first), I feel almost guilty about lusting for, but you don’t have to be a gamer to want more speed.

The only CPU intensive thing I do, actually, is video encoding/converting, and my frames per second has been good running 7 and the CPU, using both cores not even at 100%.

So, new/used system: Optiplex MT 980, i7 870 2.93. Yep, first generation i7, but boy, the benchmarks are, for me, amazing still compared with all other good chips, and believe it or not, people are still buying this chip (stupid for the now reduced but still high price (say, on the Egg) given alternatives, but still true.

System came with 4 GBs of DDR 3…..and, convinced my plan was to upgrade to W7 64 bit, I have two more GBs on the way. Unremarkable discreet graphics, ATI 512 Radeon HD 4550, AND this will be my FIRST DEDICATED GRAPHICS SYSTEM; my apps actually don’t need beyond integrated, even now.

I would be very grateful for well arrived at, objective feedback.

After now having been moved to read all I have re this upgrade via savvy humans on the net….. I am now, unexpectedly rethinking this whole original plan. I feel most people on this site have systems far beyond anything I ever will have or ever NEED (NEED BEING THE OPERATIVE ISSUE.....and I am asking those people to please be open and objective and not attack me for my rethinking.

PLEASE, nobody reiterate the foundational ram usage issue. I have known all about if for EVAH. New board maxes out at 16, but my original plan was to do the 8…..given new chip can use every bit of it (and more) with 64, and can’t with 32. I KNOW.

But a lot of my apps are 32. While many on the net say, no biggie, now, they will run just fine on 64 bit platform……they sure won’t run any faster, it seems, sometimes even slower.

Then---and this is just me, pls respect it---I have a beloved printer issue. I am wicked crazy nuts about my old HP P1000. Made to last forever, when, back in the day, they were making peripherals the right way. I have gone thru two newer printers since getting it way back…..they were crap and I gave them both away and returned to my soulmate printer.

I was THRILLED, when upgrading to W7-32, I found a way (online, took a long time) to use drivers from another old HP model to run it! But no way would I ever be able to run it running 64 bit……couple people on the net delineate convoluted stuff they invented to kinda run it (I am not the only one crazy about this printer……but it’s all above my pay grade. Their convoluted solutions.

I am now thinking, well, the new system will still be significantly faster than this simply because of the chip I chose and the increased efficiency of DDR3 versus DDR2, even running W7 32 bit….which I happen to love. This older i7 will not break a sweat by anything I do.

I would be most grateful for objective input from anyone sharp (sooooo many impressively sharp humans here!) and not arbitrarily invested on autopilot in upgrading every 11 seconds and having cutting edge systems/SSD, etc. for the same reasons everyone lined up today, again, for that new, plastic iphone 5 at Apple stores. (I like ANDROID.)

Unless females are gamers, we are mostly not about my electronics are way newer and faster than yours, must mean I am SOMEBODY AMAZING.
Why I feel I should now duck posting is a whole other thing. Please, no hitting. Course I could just open this tower and crawl inside. The big Optis (I only get the big ones) are that roomy….and I am narrow and can fold up.

THANK YOU, GUYS.

 

[Compman55]

Could you please condense what you are asking into "to the point" questions. I would like to assist, but by the time I am done reading, I am lost.

Its like my mother telling me she had a flat tire last week,

"I went to get gas and the wash bucket had paper towels in it, so when I went to wash the windshield, the paper towles got stuck in the defroster grille. Then to make matters worse the wash water was dirtier than my windshield and I questioned why I even decided to use it in the first place. While driving up the ramp on the highway I noticed the steering was tight and decided to look at the tires before getting on the highway. The tire was almost off the metal and I was not sure how to change it. While waiting for AAA to arrive I have to put sunblock on because I did not want to wait in the car for fear of being rear ended, so the container of sunblock opened up and spilled all over the carpet, which now I have that to try to clean, it literally took over 2 hours for them to arrive and by that time I could have flagged someone down and paid them to do it."

-No joke, it was painful to hear all the filler material.

 

[Chiefcrowe]

I think it could be slightly faster or about the same, but since everything is moving in the 64-bit direction, if I were you I would upgrade. Easier to do it now than later imo.

 

[Virgorising]

Could you please condense what you are asking into "to the point" questions. I would like to assist, but by the time I am done reading, I am lost.

Its like my mother telling me she had a flat tire last week,

"I went to get gas and the wash bucket had paper towels in it, so when I went to wash the windshield, the paper towles got stuck in the defroster grille. Then to make matters worse the wash water was dirtier than my windshield and I questioned why I even decided to use it in the first place. While driving up the ramp on the highway I noticed the steering was tight and decided to look at the tires before getting on the highway. The tire was almost off the metal and I was not sure how to change it. While waiting for AAA to arrive I have to put sunblock on because I did not want to wait in the car for fear of being rear ended, so the container of sunblock opened up and spilled all over the carpet, which now I have that to try to clean, it literally took over 2 hours for them to arrive and by that time I could have flagged someone down and paid them to do it."

-No joke, it was painful to hear all the filler material.

Hi, Compman55:

Well....on the personal side, I kinda feel as if I am being overclocked.

On the objective side, WE here are neither software nor Twitter(tho I do Tweet). We are complex humans....and, please know, I spent much time when I should have been sleeping, exploring this unexpected issue online.....and, given the length, depth, diversity and complexity of most posts.......methinks most of them would have raised this mama generated annoyance in you.

But, you see, Compman, it IS, AS IT TURNS OUT, COMPLEX. Only NOW, do I GET THAT!!!! If it did not turn out to be that....I would not now, unexpectedly, be ambivalent, nor, would I be posting! We are each unique and so are the ways we use our computers. If you can endure the confusion of what is there, you won't leap before you look.

I tried to present my individual realty for feedback to end up with: will the downside of 64 for ME AS AN INDIVIDUAL (NOT a mass produced ICB) trump the upside???

Always impresses me, when I read stats re how many businesses are still running XP Pro and plan to continue past next April when MS will stop writing patches for it. Yes, I get that's a lot about money, but apparently, it's still working for them.

Recently had the privilege of reading Phil Jackson's last, exhaustively detailed book (ebook format), ELEVEN RINGS. I bought it BECAUSE Phil is about as dense in everything he comes to and does as any human, starting with what some might consider mundane stuff. And, were he less dense, he would not have those 11 rings.

I appreciate you were moved to try to help.

 

[Virgorising]

I think it could be slightly faster or about the same, but since everything is moving in the 64-bit direction, if I were you I would upgrade. Easier to do it now than later imo.

Hey, Chiefcrowe;

Thanks for helping. I did factor that in before the complexity presented, I totally did!

 

[tcsenter]

1. Make image or complete backup of current system, store on another partition, drive, or other solution. Alternatively, and probably superior way, disconnect/remove current system hard drive and install another blank drive for the new OS.

2. Install Win7 64-bit, along with updates, drivers, apps

3. Try out 64-bit OS for a couple-few weeks, test your apps and devices

4. If you don't like the result, go back to previous configuration (either from your image, backup, or just plug the old drive back). If you do like the result, WIN the internet.

 

[Virgorising]

1. Make image or complete backup of current system, store on another partition, drive, or other solution. Alternatively, and probably superior way, disconnect/remove current system hard drive and install another blank drive for the new OS.

2. Install Win7 64-bit, along with updates, drivers, apps

3. Try out 64-bit OS for a couple-few weeks, test your apps and devices

4. If you don't like the result, go back to previous configuration (either from your image, backup, or just plug the old drive back). If you do like the result, WIN the internet.

OMG....seeing above, and then, yr avatar, I got goosebumps. YES, in its rich potential.....everything is a Can of Worms! IF, that is, one has the courage to get that and OPEN THE CAN.:biggrin:

Your offering, is BRILLIANT. And I have considered very similar things. Thing is, tho.....Before I bid on this system on eBay, I emailed the vendor saying is the OS 32 bit or 64? I never heard back.

As it turns out, it shipped to whatever business bought it with W7 32 in March of 11. After a live chat with someone nice at MS.....she said, U gotta go to Dell. I then did live chat with adorable guy at Dell, when I still felt certain I wanted to install 64 bit.....he kinda liked me, said we need to get the puppy in your name, fill out this form and submit....and, if U could get the original owner info from the vendor, we could do this almost immediately; I will get my boss to expedite and we will send you the disk with the 64 immediately!

I was blown away. I then send the whole chat log to the vendor.....and did not hear back.

So.....pls understand, currently, the system is loaded with W7 32.....which I am also running on the system I am on, and which I LUV.

So.....after all the complexity presented, I was like, well, maybe I should just stick with the 32 the system arrived with and forget the agony of following up re what the adorable Dell guy said I needed to do to be sent the 64-bit disk.

After reading yr post, I think I should follow up no matter how miserable it is, and long it takes.

THANKS SO MUCH!!!!:wub:

 

[Compman55]

In regard to windows 7 x86 or x64, if your dell had a windows 7 professional COA sticker the good news is either is legal to install from the dell media. It is not specific to the bit version.

**Most** of the time, you will not have problems using the 64 bit version for printers as the print spooler allows for 32 bit drivers.

If you do have problems you can always hook the printer to windows 7 32 bit pc, and share it. Then just print to it using the 64 bit machine.

 

[Virgorising]

In regard to windows 7 x86 or x64, if your dell had a windows 7 professional COA sticker the good news is either is legal to install from the dell media. It is not specific to the bit version.

**Most** of the time, you will not have problems using the 64 bit version for printers as the print spooler allows for 32 bit drivers.

If you do have problems you can always hook the printer to windows 7 32 bit pc, and share it. Then just print to it using the 64 bit machine.

I VERY much appreciate yr palpable underlying apology and I accept it.

As I posted the details above, of course the system has a COA. When I discovered it was running w7 32 bit, I chatted with a lady at MS; she sent me to Dell. I then then chatted with awesome guy there, Terry Stout at Dell Support....and, as I posted, with some trouble, I can get the system registered in my name and Dell will send me the media for 64 bit.

You buy used on eBay, you just factor in there might be issues to deal with, tho this is my third Opti MT from ebay 9the MTS truly are the no frills workhorses of workstations, and that is why so many businesses choose them). I have never had any serious issues, and I have saved a TON, even with my upgrades. I got this system for around $372 WITH shipping which was like $23. Was happy to see later, from his bidding history, my main underbidder must have been a dealer, cause he only bids on systems, dozens of them.

Your get around/fix for the printer issue.....is amazing. I had no clue and I thank you for this!!:thumbsup: I will now learn more about how to do this!!!!!

Thanks again.
______________________________________________
Edit: In exploring the nuts and bolts of yr Printer get around, unless I am wrong, it seems, this, the 32 bit system would have to be hooked up and ON.

When I finally set up and configure the new system, I Plan to only use this system as emergency backup. As I now do with this one re the Optiplex before it. Tho sometimes too, my laptop.

Is that the 32 bit system would have to be hooked up and on right?

 

[SimMike2]

Go 64 bit if you have the choice. No reason not to.

BTW, I don't think you have a marvelous economy with the English language. Most people aren't willing to go on a long meandering journey with someone they don't even know. Don't bury the lead.

 

[Compman55]

Yes you would leave the PC running 32 bit with the printer attached turned on when you need to print. The 64 bit machines would see the attached network printer, and print "thru" the 32 bit machine. Frankly it could be done with even windows xp.

Another option would be to move over to a higher quality color lazer printer, but thats a topic for another thread.

 

[Chiefcrowe]

Great idea, I would go with this too!

1. Make image or complete backup of current system, store on another partition, drive, or other solution. Alternatively, and probably superior way, disconnect/remove current system hard drive and install another blank drive for the new OS.

2. Install Win7 64-bit, along with updates, drivers, apps

3. Try out 64-bit OS for a couple-few weeks, test your apps and devices

4. If you don't like the result, go back to previous configuration (either from your image, backup, or just plug the old drive back). If you do like the result, WIN the internet.

 

[escrow4]

32 bit is dying. Even phones are moving to 64-bit. I can't remember the last time I used a 32-bit OS (minus the tablet), most boxes sold are 64-bit. You want it simply for the RAM support at least, most systems should have 4GB minimum these days.