Safe to use Windows 7 as primary operating system?

[asdftt123]

As many of you may know, MS is releasing the Windows 7 beta on 1/9 PST free to the public (first 2.5 million downloaders) as an upgrade to Vista SP1. I'm currently using Vista SP1 64-bit on my main rig (in sig) and was wondering if it would be safe to upgrade to Windows 7 and use that as my primary OS. The main thing I'm concerned about is program compatibility and whether or not my games and drivers will work as they do under Vista.

Could any current Windows 7 users comment on this or any issues they've previously had? I really want to try it after everything I've heard about it but I don't want to run it as a VM. I use my PC mostly for gaming (I have many games), web browsing, occasionally some photo editing, and office suite with Office 2007. Will my drivers (ATI catalyst, etc) work just as well as it does under Vista? Thanks!

 

[ViRGE]

A beta is never safe to use as a primary OS. This release is for people to find bugs (and there will be bugs, plenty of them, I promise), it's not suitable for actual day-to-day use. For that you need to wait for the gold version of Windows 7 at the end of this year.

 

[haffey]

Wow you are practically me. I am wondering the same thing and I use my PC for everything you do and use Catalyst. Creepy...

Someone commentk please?

 

[Blain]

If you're the type that constantly reformats and reloads Windows or slaps a Linux distro on here and there...
Sure you can use Windows 7 beta as your primary OS.
After all, with that kind of track record, it won't be loaded long enough to do you any damage. :laugh:


You can load Windows 7 on your New HP Firebird.

 

[Andrmgic]

Depends on your definition of "safe".

The only important files I have are in my music collection, which I have backed up in 3 places. I've been using windows 7 as a primary OS for the last month and I have encountered minimal issues.
I have a HD4870 and I'm using ATI's W7 preview drivers (the newer ones based on 8.12).. I've played WoW and The Witcher without any problems as well as Left 4 Dead and the new Prince of Persia game.

My only issues are occasional blue screens that seem to be related to my network driver.. haven't seen one for a while now and a resolution bug with my Receiver/HDTV setup that folks using a normal monitor probably won't see.

As for the resolution bug, my machine boots up in 1080i 30hz instead of 1080p 60hz.. I am forcing 1080p 60hz through a catalyst profile... I bound it to a hotkey.. I need to use it when I first boot and whenever I exit a game. The only game that changes to the wrong resolution (1080i 30hz) is Prince of Persia.. WoW, Witcher and L4D stay in 1080p 60hz.

Aside from that, pidgin.im doesn't always exit properly when I close it... and that's pretty much it.

Overall, it has been a surprisingly smooth experience.

Here are my specs -

C2D E8200 @ 2.66Ghz
4096Mb DDR2 1066
Gigabyte X48-DS4 Mobo
Samsung Spinpoint F1 1Tb 7200rpm 32Mb cache
VisionTek Radeon HD4870
Hp Bluetooth dongle w/ apple wireless keyboard paired
Netgear WN311B network card (broadcom 4329 chip)
Microsoft Explorer Mouse (w/ bluetrack)

I didn't have to go find drivers for any of this.. they were all there.. even my BT dongle.

 

[asdftt123]

Thanks for the info, Andrmgic! What build of Windows 7 are you using and is it 64-bit? Did you upgrade from Vista x64 SP1 directly to W7 and not encounter any issues at all (program compatibility, driver issues)? Any comment on performance increases in gaming or application usage?

 

[Andrmgic]

Build 7000, 32bit.

I did a clean install... doing an upgrade with any OS can cause issues..

Overall, the OS seems very responsive.. performance has been good.. though I think it will get better as drivers mature.

 

[hans030390]

Originally posted by: ViRGE
A beta is never safe to use as a primary OS.

Actually, you're wrong.

Windows 7 beta works better than Vista ever did at release (which isn't saying much).

Outside of a few software incompatibilities (really, I only had problem installing a particular AV software, but I was only planning on testing it...so, no big deal) and a couple beta bugs (must have UAC on to use gadgets, for example), a lot of the beta could be RTM code (and get away with it easily, too).

At the very least, it shouldn't crash on anyone, so if they HAVE to, they can go back to Vista or XP temporarily...shouldn't lose any data that way.

I've been using it, and I see no reason to go back to Vista because of it.

 

[ViRGE]

Originally posted by: hans030390

Originally posted by: ViRGE
A beta is never safe to use as a primary OS.

Actually, you're wrong.

Windows 7 beta works better than Vista ever did at release (which isn't saying much).

Outside of a few software incompatibilities (really, I only had problem installing a particular AV software, but I was only planning on testing it...so, no big deal) and a couple beta bugs (must have UAC on to use gadgets, for example), a lot of the beta could be RTM code (and get away with it easily, too).

At the very least, it shouldn't crash on anyone, so if they HAVE to, they can go back to Vista or XP temporarily...shouldn't lose any data that way.

I've been using it, and I see no reason to go back to Vista because of it.

It's still not safe. If MS was sure it was bug free and stable, they'd already be on the RC stage. These guys aren't Google, they don't slap "beta" on everything just to be trendy. Beta means just that: it's just now feature complete, but we haven't throughly tested and debugged it yet. Furthermore there's still 2 more large beta releases to go, and then 2 (or more) release candidates.

It may be in great shape for a MS beta, but don't confuse it for release-quality software guys, it still has months of testing to go. Otherwise if you want to use it in a production environment, don't be surprised if it: drinks all of your beer, knocks up your wife, leaves the toilet seat down (up if you're a woman), steals your truck, and eats all but the very last Oreo.😉

 

[rudder]

Is it just the 32-bit version being released?

 

[Snapster]

I'm using Windows 7 as my main os to give it a good testing. All crucial stuff is backed up etc anyways. One word of warning, if you are wanting to play MP3's in media player (Which is great with the library useage), make sure you uncheck the 'update files with information from the internet' before using. In default express install this is checked, and it will trim 3 seconds off of your mp3's (VBR only).. strange bug but be aware.

 

[chess9]

Will this be Beta 2?

-Robert

 

[Lepard]

I'm definitely trying this on my main PC, after doing my backups of course.

I've never ran a BETA OS though, how do we submit bugs, errors, etc? Thanks.

 

[blackangst1]

Originally posted by: chess9
Will this be Beta 2?

-Robert

No. Beta 1.

You guys can search for my recent thread "Anyone using Windows 7 as their primary OS?" for responses of people that are. Also, looking at reviews on the net it looks very promising and stable.

 

[Mem]

Originally posted by: ViRGE

Originally posted by: hans030390

Originally posted by: ViRGE
A beta is never safe to use as a primary OS.

Actually, you're wrong.

Windows 7 beta works better than Vista ever did at release (which isn't saying much).

Outside of a few software incompatibilities (really, I only had problem installing a particular AV software, but I was only planning on testing it...so, no big deal) and a couple beta bugs (must have UAC on to use gadgets, for example), a lot of the beta could be RTM code (and get away with it easily, too).

At the very least, it shouldn't crash on anyone, so if they HAVE to, they can go back to Vista or XP temporarily...shouldn't lose any data that way.

I've been using it, and I see no reason to go back to Vista because of it.

It's still not safe. If MS was sure it was bug free and stable, they'd already be on the RC stage. These guys aren't Google, they don't slap "beta" on everything just to be trendy. Beta means just that: it's just now feature complete, but we haven't throughly tested and debugged it yet. Furthermore there's still 2 more large beta releases to go, and then 2 (or more) release candidates.

It may be in great shape for a MS beta, but don't confuse it for release-quality software guys, it still has months of testing to go. Otherwise if you want to use it in a production environment, don't be surprised if it: drinks all of your beer, knocks up your wife, leaves the toilet seat down (up if you're a woman), steals your truck, and eats all but the very last Oreo.😉

I agree with ViRGE,any beta OS should be used with caution no matter how much you like it,back up all your important data etc...remember its beta for a reason, also it can be stable as beta and still have some nasty bugs.

 

[blackangst1]

Originally posted by: Mem

Originally posted by: ViRGE

Originally posted by: hans030390

Originally posted by: ViRGE
A beta is never safe to use as a primary OS.

Actually, you're wrong.

Windows 7 beta works better than Vista ever did at release (which isn't saying much).

Outside of a few software incompatibilities (really, I only had problem installing a particular AV software, but I was only planning on testing it...so, no big deal) and a couple beta bugs (must have UAC on to use gadgets, for example), a lot of the beta could be RTM code (and get away with it easily, too).

At the very least, it shouldn't crash on anyone, so if they HAVE to, they can go back to Vista or XP temporarily...shouldn't lose any data that way.

I've been using it, and I see no reason to go back to Vista because of it.

It's still not safe. If MS was sure it was bug free and stable, they'd already be on the RC stage. These guys aren't Google, they don't slap "beta" on everything just to be trendy. Beta means just that: it's just now feature complete, but we haven't throughly tested and debugged it yet. Furthermore there's still 2 more large beta releases to go, and then 2 (or more) release candidates.

It may be in great shape for a MS beta, but don't confuse it for release-quality software guys, it still has months of testing to go. Otherwise if you want to use it in a production environment, don't be surprised if it: drinks all of your beer, knocks up your wife, leaves the toilet seat down (up if you're a woman), steals your truck, and eats all but the very last Oreo.😉

I agree with ViRGE,any beta OS should be used with caution no matter how much you like it,back up all your important data etc...remember its beta for a reason,remember it can be stable as beta and still have some nasty bugs.

+1. I think its probably pretty safe for those of us who use a seperate HD or partition for our OS and another for everything else. Yeah its a PITA to have to reformat and install, but nothing is lost. I would say go for it. Reviews have been very good thus far.

 

[Jeff7181]

Originally posted by: ViRGE
A beta is never safe to use as a primary OS. This release is for people to find bugs (and there will be bugs, plenty of them, I promise), it's not suitable for actual day-to-day use. For that you need to wait for the gold version of Windows 7 at the end of this year.

Can we make a new thread out of this and make it a sticky?

 

[Andrmgic]

Originally posted by: Jeff7181

Originally posted by: ViRGE
A beta is never safe to use as a primary OS. This release is for people to find bugs (and there will be bugs, plenty of them, I promise), it's not suitable for actual day-to-day use. For that you need to wait for the gold version of Windows 7 at the end of this year.

Can we make a new thread out of this and make it a sticky?

Everyone should have backups of all of their important files regardless of whether the OS is Beta or final.. This beta is pretty solid, but if you need your machine to function perfectly 100% of the time instead of 95%, then don't install it.

 

[Griffinhart]

Originally posted by: hans030390

Originally posted by: ViRGE
A beta is never safe to use as a primary OS.

Actually, you're wrong.

Windows 7 beta works better than Vista ever did at release (which isn't saying much).

Outside of a few software incompatibilities (really, I only had problem installing a particular AV software, but I was only planning on testing it...so, no big deal) and a couple beta bugs (must have UAC on to use gadgets, for example), a lot of the beta could be RTM code (and get away with it easily, too).

At the very least, it shouldn't crash on anyone, so if they HAVE to, they can go back to Vista or XP temporarily...shouldn't lose any data that way.

I've been using it, and I see no reason to go back to Vista because of it.

Sorry, Vista at release was definitely less buggy than Win7 is now. But that's to be expected. I've been trying it on my primary PC since yesterday. There are definitely bugs that need to be worked out. I've come across several so far that do not happen in vista. For example, I use my soundboard for basic windows and gaming sounds, and I use a USB mono-style headset specifically for Ventrilo. Win7 is refusing to change to the soundboard as the default sound device and when I finally get it to happen, by choosing it in media player of all places, it is back to the USB device as the default sound device after a reboot. I'm also having problems with keeping a network printer mapped to an lpt port.

For my needs, it is not fully baked enough for me to use it as my primary OS. I'll continue to play and test with it, but when I want to get anything done or game, I'll be using Vista still.

 

[Mem]

Originally posted by: Griffinhart

Originally posted by: hans030390

Originally posted by: ViRGE
A beta is never safe to use as a primary OS.

Actually, you're wrong.

Windows 7 beta works better than Vista ever did at release (which isn't saying much).

Outside of a few software incompatibilities (really, I only had problem installing a particular AV software, but I was only planning on testing it...so, no big deal) and a couple beta bugs (must have UAC on to use gadgets, for example), a lot of the beta could be RTM code (and get away with it easily, too).

At the very least, it shouldn't crash on anyone, so if they HAVE to, they can go back to Vista or XP temporarily...shouldn't lose any data that way.

I've been using it, and I see no reason to go back to Vista because of it.

Sorry, Vista at release was definitely less buggy than Win7 is now. But that's to be expected. I've been trying it on my primary PC since yesterday. There are definitely bugs that need to be worked out. I've come across several so far that do not happen in vista. For example, I use my soundboard for basic windows and gaming sounds, and I use a USB mono-style headset specifically for Ventrilo. Win7 is refusing to change to the soundboard as the default sound device and when I finally get it to happen, by choosing it in media player of all places, it is back to the USB device as the default sound device after a reboot. I'm also having problems with keeping a network printer mapped to an lpt port.

For my needs, it is not fully baked enough for me to use it as my primary OS. I'll continue to play and test with it, but when I want to get anything done or game, I'll be using Vista still.

I have to agree,Win7 did not detect or install drivers for my onboard sound ,belkin wireless card,Netgear LAN card to name a few ,anyway after manually forcing the driver installation(that was a fight and half) for my wireless belkin I got onto the net and it found some updates including sound drivers,I still don't have native 1680x1050 res for my monitor with my ati 9700 card,to be fair Win7 is beta so I'm not blaming the OS,just don't let anybody try and fool you its good enough for a working OS at this time, there are a lot of little annoying problems,once they are sorted and Win7 is more polished I'm sure it'll be a fine OS.

 

[Griffinhart]

I'm definitely not going to be holding anything against Win7 at this point. It is what it is. A beta OS. The problems I have seen, I'm sure, will get addressed over the next few months.

I have to say I'm not a fan of the new taskbar so far. I don't like not being able to single click on my IE icon to open a second browser window. I have to see what else I can tweak a bit this weekend when I have more time.

 

[SickBeast]

Just give Windows 7 say a 10-20gb partition.

Keep all your files on a seperate partition, and heck, even create a 3rd partition for your applications.

Trap the beta into a little partition and leave it there in case you have to let it rot and die. 😉

 

[imported_TimBob]

I'm having blue screen problems right now in x64. Device IRQ conflict or something in tdx.dll (I think is what it says). I did install the beta version of Norton 360 just to get virus protection. Maybe I'll uninstall that to see if it's the problem.

Only drivers I've updated are the ATI Preview ones. There is no SM Bus driver available for my x48 chipset. Allo ther drivers were found.

I have the same problem with my USB headset wanting to always be my prime sound setup. I have to disable it to get sound from my speakers.

 

[dennilfloss]

They should provide us with a Live DVD to test it like most Linux distros do.