A tale of two Windows installs
CNET News' Ina Fried installed Windows twice this weekend. On one machine, she installed the beta of Windows 7. But on the other, an old machine she was giving to a friend, she "downgraded" the machine from Vista to Windows XP.
(Credit: Ina Fried/CNET News )This weekend, I loaded fresh copies of Windows onto two PCs.
Like many people, I downloaded the Windows 7 Beta and installed it. But that wasn't the only PC task I had over the weekend.
I had an old PC I used for my early Vista testing that my partner was complaining had begun to gather dust. So, I offered the machine to a friend of mine that had only a very old PC. I gave her the option of XP or Vista and she quickly proclaimed, "Oh, XP, definitely."
And, of course, therein lies Microsoft's challenge with Vista, a challenge that hasn't abated despite ads such as the Mojave campaign that Microsoft has run in an effort to convince PC users that Vista has gotten a bad rap.
Had my friend been interested, I would have happily explained the pros and cons of each operating system, at least as I see things. But, she wasn't looking for that. She'd heard enough about Vista.
I've been writing about people "downgrading" to XP for a long time now, but this is the first time I've actually gone through the process myself.
The technical maneuver was fairly simple. Vista itself didn't want to let my make the move, but it was no problem once I rebooted with a Windows XP disk. I decided to do a clean install, as opposed to using the recovery disks. It was a consumer Compaq machine I bought in late 2005 and it came loaded with a ton of "crapware."
First, though, I unplugged the PC's Ethernet cable, knowing full well that putting an unprotected Windows XP machine on to the Internet is akin to pushing a baby carriage in the street to see if there is traffic.
I connected the computer back up only after I had loaded Service Pack 2 and security software. That's a precaution I might not take were I installing Vista, or even Windows 7. Not that I wouldn't run security software, I just wouldn't worry about connecting it to the Internet for a few minutes unprotected.
Anyway, within a few hours, I was done. The Compaq machine was zippier as an XP machine than it had been as a Vista computer. It was a low-end Vista machine to be sure--512MB of memory and an integrated graphics card.
As for the Windows 7 machine, it's a loaner Lenovo X300 from Microsoft. I will be using it as my main machine for the next little while, testing it out both at work as well as playing with some of its consumer features.
The install itself, an upgrade installation from the pre-beta build I had been running, was quick and painless. I found the machine as I'd left it, but now with all of the eye candy that was missing from the version given out in October.
On Monday, I decided to give Windows Media Center a whirl. I took a Hauppauge WinTV tuner out of the box, plugged it in. Without bothering to look at a manual, I started clicking on menu options.
In just a few minutes, I had Sesame Street up and running in high definition. I clicked record and Windows 7 started burning Elmo's giggly face to my hard drive. As I tried to annoy my co-workers by playing the furry red monster back while it was still recording, though, I managed to crash my graphics driver. It got locked in a loop, eventually prompting a blue screen of death.
That said, after a reboot, Windows 7 was back and zippy as ever. Elmo has been recording the whole time I have been writing this piece without a hitch. Nonetheless, Microsoft suggested I do a clean install of Windows 7, as opposed to the upgrade from the pre-beta, so I am doing that as well.
As for Windows 7, I am a big fan so far. I really enjoy using the new taskbar to move between a whole host of open windows.
As my real-world desktop all too clearly indicates, I don't like keeping things organized. So I'm a big fan of anything that lets me navigate, rather than clean up, my mess. Particularly handy is the button in the bottom right-hand corner that lets me make all the windows disappear from the screen.
Over the coming days, I'll be installing more software, connecting the machine to various networks and otherwise putting it through it's paces. And of course, I'll be letting folks know what I find out. In the mean time, feel free to share your own experiences below, or drop me a note.
Elmo learns to ride a tricycle as CNET News' Ina Fried learns the ins and outs of Media Center in Windows 7.
(Credit: Ina Fried/CNET News )
During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft. E-mail Ina. 
"The technical maneuver was fairly simple. Vista itself didn't want to let my make the move, but it was no problem once I rebooted with a Windows XP disk." -- let my make the move. Let my what?
2nd, how about you install Windows 7 on the 2005 PC and see how it runs -- that is if it will let you install on 512MB of ram. Just curious. Or at least drop 1GB in there and test their min. requirements.
Da Worfster
The whole recount of Day One with Windows 7 is here http://www.ryangroom.com/2009/01/09/windows-7-beta-and-dell-xps-laptop-gen-1/
Please everyone, be aware that there will be issues later for everyone installing a beta version - read the warning page before downloading carefully and do not get drawn into the hype.
If you are happy with XP.... stay there for a while!
We really do need some real world testing of Windows 7 with drivers and software before judging whether the eye candy is worth the cost.
As I see it the operating system should be known about but be discrete enough to not interfere in the operations of the software used on the machine!
As a professional machine, Vista has been a nightmare. For the home it's an absolute joy. I'm hoping Windows 7 can be exceptional at both. Thanks for the article.
I think if you are looking for a Picaso from Microsoft, thats the wrong road to go down.
Microsoft is the embodiment of US industry, which has always been light on home grown break throughs. But takes very good ideas, wraps them in marketing and sping, packages them and gets them out to the mass's. Much like the old Model T.
How about checking out any of the actual new features? Running HD on your computer isn't one of them, by the way.
i have installed windows 7 on a athlon xp 2800 that is 2.1 ghz
with 1 gig of ram and an ati x800 graphics card now i know this isnt rock bottom specs but it is rather close and windows 7 runs great there is no lag in any features that i have tried so far
Just curious. You'll be returning this "loaner" to Microsoft when you're done with your testing, yes?
You did this at work right? Let me guess.... your department got a full /24 from the ISP so that every pc is in your group can be connected directly to the internet with an internet route able address and no firewall. Stupid is as stupid does.
How exactly is this "A Tale OF Two Windows Installs"? Why didn't you do a speed test between the two computers on similar tasks (nevermind you didn't attempt to install XP on a similar desktop or laptop..so you really couldn't have done any real comparisons), or relate more to some of the problems you have had (or your friend has had)?
This is comparable to an entry in someone's Livejournal...definitely not worth the money you made today. Perhaps you need to make this a part of a series of "journal entries" as you follow the ups and downs of using these machines...perhaps even seeing if you can dual-boot XP and 7 on that "loaner" you have?
Even better, have a three way brawl between XP, Vista, and Windows 7.
- by patddymac January 13, 2009 6:10 AM PST
- You gave a friend the option of XP or Vista? Can I have a copy?
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Showing 1 of 6 pages (255 Comments)You burned Elmo's giggly face to your hard drive? Wow, an optical hard drive?