XP -> Win7 upgrade path question

[Cyberia123]

So, I am finally going to drop my beloved XP for Win7 and have a few questions that I cannot find easy answers for on the net.

Current System
Win XP Pro
Intel Core Duo EE
4 GB Corsair RAM
Gigabyte-AMD HD5870
Dell 3007WFP 30" monitor @ 2560x1600
SB Fatality -> Optical SPDIF -> Midiland 5.1 decoder+surround

This box is primarily for gaming, audio/video encoding/editing, hifi movies/music, and of course, surfing.

I am leaning towards Win7 Pro due to it having XP-mode, and at least one game I play is very, very old. I don't see any features in Enterprise or Ultimate I might need, correct me if I'm wrong. Also, is there a multi-computer pack for the Pro edition? I don't see one out there.

32-bit or 64-bit? I feel like 32-bit would be a better match for my situation, being faster(?) and more compatible(?), but need input here.

IIRC, I will lose my audio EAX ability? Has Creative developed a work around for this?

If, in a few months, I upgrade (aka: gut) this computer's CPU, Mobo and RAM after Win7 is installed, will I have to re-purchase W7? Or will it recognize the computer after such a massive upgrade?

 

[Chiefcrowe]

re: 64 bit -
I would go with it. You have 4 GB ram so it will be able to use all of it. I have been using it for months and it is great, no incompatibilities found yet. it should run almost all 32 bit software you throw at it anyway. Home edition should be fine but personally I prefer Pro or Ultimate.

If you upgrade hardware it may ask to reactivate but at most you'll have to call microsoft.

 

[Lorne]

64bit > 32bit

I have found more older games able to run under Win7 then XP, The only issues Ive come across are some trainers might not work.
Also those GFX card settings you use for performance under XP can make things worst and found going backwards worked better (eg in Win98/XP you set TNL for performance and I found that you turn that off in Win7 or it gets horrible flicker/tearing) but thats just a few.

Didnt even know there was a problem with EAX, worked fine for me.

 

[WildHorse]

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[Steltek]

I am leaning towards Win7 Pro due to it having XP-mode, and at least one game I play is very, very old. I don't see any features in Enterprise or Ultimate I might need, correct me if I'm wrong. Also, is there a multi-computer pack for the Pro edition? I don't see one out there.

No multi-pack for Win7 Pro, only for Home Premium.

However, are you aware that the requirement to have XP Pro or higher to run XP mode is an artificial limitation created by Microsoft for XP Mode? Pretty much the only real advantage Win7 Pro has over Home Premium is XP Mode and the ability to join network domains (not something the average user would normally need). Absent Microsoft's requirement, Home Premium is easily capable of running virtual machines with the right software.

If you already have a retail Win XP license, you can save a few bucks by buying a Win7 Home Premium upgrade pack and using either VirtualBox or VMware Player (which are both free for home use) to brew your own XP mode. If you are to the point of building your own machines you will find this to be childs play to do - you install VirtualBox/VMware, use the wizards to set up the virtual machine, and then install XP on it just like you would on a new computer. You gain the additional advantage that both Virtualbox and VMware both support 2D and 3D graphics acceleration in Windows guest OSes (which will make your games run a little faster in the virtual XP) and is not something supported by XP Mode. I have both Virtualbox and VMware installed on my machine - I consider VMware to be a little more polished and easier to use (mainly due to the user interface and ease of copying files to/from host and guest), but the difference isn't enough to recommend one over the other.

32-bit or 64-bit? I feel like 32-bit would be a better match for my situation, being faster(?) and more compatible(?), but need input here.

Unless you have hardware that doesn't have a 64 bit driver, I'd go with 64 bit Win7. You actually need it in this case because your total system memory (system memory+video card memory) exceeds the 4GB limit that is addressable by a 32 bit OS, while 64 bit Win7 can address all of the memory in your present system. The license keys are the same for 32/64 bit versions, so you can always get a 32 bit Win7 CD and downgrade without penalty if you need to. You can presently download a 32 bit ISO from digitalriver if you need to.

If, in a few months, I upgrade (aka: gut) this computer's CPU, Mobo and RAM after Win7 is installed, will I have to re-purchase W7? Or will it recognize the computer after such a massive upgrade?

So long as you purchase a retail copy of Win7 rather than OEM, you shouldn't have to worry about massive hardware changes in the future as you are allowed to reinstall retail copies of Windows as many times as you want or need to.

It is only the OEM versions of Windows that are tied to specific hardware (though a lot of folks have had good luck in getting MS to authenticate massive hardware changes on an OEM version, it isn't assured as it is technically a license violation). OEM copies are cheaper, and are clearly marked as being such on the packaging.

 

[boeckelr]

Does anyone know how many times the different versions of Windows 7 can each be reinstalled?

I am having trouble trying to figure out which version of Win7 to buy.

If I buy the OEM version, it can only be used on one system, correct? If I were to change the CPU or video card, could I still use it? How strict is this? How about a motherboard change?

If I decided to buy the Windows 7 upgrade version (from Windows XP).....can that be installed on more than 1 PC? Or is that limited to just 1 PC?

And can I use the Windows 7 upgrade version if my Windows XP version was an upgrade version also? IIRC one or more of my copies of XP were upgrade versions from Windows 98....but I dont know if I can find the original Win98 disks at this point.

What I am trying to do is put Windows 7 64bit Home Premium or Professional on 2 PC's. I dont forsee massive hardware changes on either PC in the near future, but a CPU upgrade may be in the not so distant future on one of them.....I also dont want to be handcuffed by the license not allowing me to periodically reinstall the OS.

What would be the lest expensive way to do this?

Thanks, Mike