I intend to upgrading my current Vista Ultimate 32 bit to Windows 7 Ultimate 32 bit - AFTER I figure out the best Motherboard for my environment, which includes SCSI etc. Current MB sucks, incompatible with Vista for more than a year and I've been managing and limping along.
Need insight on this type of upgrade from Vista Ultimate to Windows 7 Ultimate AND recommendations for the best Motherboard around. Have used and liked ASUS for decades, so may still opt for that (until this P4P800 Deluxe displayed recent nightwares), since it was never compatible with Vista.
Thanks for your guidance. Currently working day 9 on resolving lockups in that old Vista Ultimate system, another Q in that regard open now in Vista.
Asta
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Thank you for your response. Although a clean install is always the ideal/best route, too many old needed and costly software packages and suites are installed that make that ideal path no option at this point.
I'll definitely do a split point response here when I get some additional input on recommended MBs, but will return within a week if no additional input is received..
Thank you. It is a critical system and I've been using the Vista Ultimate backup functions, although didn't use my old Powerquest Drive Image Pro software to actually Image the drives because I'm unclear if that is even feasible, given that it's nearly 12 years old. I'm really up a creek on all of this, since I can't get my primary system to boot at all now, although actually got into Safe Mode last night. Not sure you saw my other open Q or not, in the Vista topic area, but I'm unraveling after nearly a week of troubleshooting efforts.
Asta
No, I haven't seen your other question. Got a link?
There are free utilities for ghosting drives, though.
http://www.easeus.com/disk
http://www.snapfiles.com/g
And, if you've been having discussions about booting and lockups, I'm sure someone has mentioned running a chkdsk /r on the drive from a Vista boot disk, but it's still among the first things to try when facing problems.
Here's the link about the boot problem
http://www.experts-
Was able to intermittently boot in Safve Mode, checked all drives, they were OK, and scheduled chkdsk, and was advised it would need to run at next boot (typical for my system), but haven't been able to boot since. The other Q talks about the ongoing fiasco.
Thank you very much.
Read the stuff on the other question. Stop everything with that one. Either your motherboard or memory is failing/has failed. Continuing to dink with it will only do further damage to your data. Do the hardware upgrade, do the rebuild of Vista, do the drive copy thing, then upgrade to 7. If you keep trying to make it work under the old hardware, I'm afraid you're going to lose everything.
Remember to get a new, quality PSU when you get the new board, CPU and RAM.
Again, good luck.
Sorry. Since you never did state what you were upgrading to, and given the kind of work you said you do, I assumed you'd be moving on to much faster hardware. If you are, your current RAM isn't likely to work. And, if the PSU has been in use for more than two years, I've always recommended replacement, keeping the old one as an emergency backup. Just one of those experience things.
Of secondary consideration is the fact that when a board goes bad, there's always the real potential for damage to other components, particularly PSU, CPU and RAM.
I wouldn't be doing an upgrade install of a poorly machine. If you're changing hardware it's often best to rebuild anyway, and with a new OS, doubly-so.
I have been a long time ASUS user but given some recent experiences (eg my P5B refuses to take 4 absolutely-identical DIMMs) and also those of a friend, I'm going back to my first love - Gigabyte - next time.
Also, given the way new hard drives improve in performance with successive generations you might just as well buy a new drive for your new system for the clean install. You can then connect in your old drive alongside it to copy data off.
Finances are a key consideration at this time, so although I'd opt for all new everythings, not reality for us at this time.
I'm still researching the ideal motherboard for my environment so I can get the speed and functionality I need to support as much existing hardware and software as possible. Since Vista was (to be kind), less than acceptable on this particular system for nearly 2 years and have limped along nonetheless, making all things work, I'll be looking for sure to migrate to Windows 7 Ultimate.
The PSU is just a little of a year old, and is a 650 watt box. Worked with ASUS for decades on many PCs, and until this Vista upgrade have been very pleased. So much to learn.
Thank you, will keep you posted, and sure hope the existing RAM will be OK, 3GB wasn't cheep.
":0) Asta
Understood, but RAM prices are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down. I bought 4gb of quality DDR2 RAM recently for $70. newegg, buy and fry's have been running some killer sales the last few months.
www.newegg.com
www.buy.com
www.frys.com
Also, check www.geeks.com.
What brand of PSU are you running? Not all 650's are created equal. If it's a good, quality brand, then a year will be fine.
BTW - I've had very good luck with MSI boards the last decade, or so. They are my secondary choice. If I can't find what I want from Asus, I look at MSI. If I can't find what I want from the two of them, I rethink what I want.
SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEET .... thanks. That's so good to know. We have both Best Buy and Frys fairly close. Never checked into MSI... always stuck with Asus. I do a lot of video editing, use lots of large APPS, like doing 3D creations and create music, and much more, not to mention work-a-day stuff so have a lot of demands in terms of speed, security and functionality. Been helping daughter recover her own BSOD Laptop on an XP system, so put my stuff on the back burner for a couple of days, then onward. Not there, so can't tell you the brand of the PSU, but will when I get back to that neck of the woods.
":0)))))))))) Again, thanks so much. When I get a chance to finalize this issue and make the decision, you're getting a BIG FAT "A"!
Asta
Thanks for the upcoming endorsement.
One of my businesses is a production company for SMB advertising - graphics, video and audio. I also do some amateur recording studio stuff. I've got a pretty good idea of your needs and wants, that's why I jumped in with both feet on this one.
If you can dump 6 to 8gb of RAM in the upgrade, you'll do wonders for your performance. Keep a couple high speed SCSI drives for editing. Put a couple large SATA drives in for storage. A high performance SATA or SCSI for OS and programs. And, a good CPU. My experience is that Intel and AMD are neck and neck on speed and performance for this type of work. One has a slight edge on some things, the other on other things. The way I've been putting these types of systems together lately is, if the people insist on nVidia graphics, they get an Intel CPU. If they go with ATI, they get AMD. I've seen slightly better speeds on video and audio editing with the ATI/AMD combo. Intel/nVidia get the nod for 3D creation and manipulation. But, the difference in either case is actually very slim.
BTW, skip Best Buy. You can find much better deals, and much better selection, online.
Top notch! .... shopping this week. ":0) You deserve the big fat A and closing now so you can get the points, but sure hope you hang around while I go through the decision process
Have always been a fan of Intel, not so much AMD, so more to learn.
A few I've considered... with a $30 variance
Serial ATA-300 (RAID), 0 MB / 16 GB (max), DDR3 SDRAM, 7.1 surround, 12 x USB
Welcome to the extreme performance platform brought to you by Intel Desktop Board DP45SG, supporting the Intel Core 2 Extreme processor with up to 1333 FSB. Built in the full size ATX, this board comes with dual PCIe 2.0 x16 graphics connectors, DDR-3 1333 support and overclocking capabilities. Intel Desktop Board DP45SG will take your gaming experience to a higher level.
MSI P55-GD65 Motherboard Review Legit Reviews - Oct 5, 2009 With Intel's launch of the P55 chipset based Core i7 and i5 processors, we knew it would not be long until we saw a slew of motherboards with the P55 chip. ...
.... but early stages of shopping, much to consider and much to learn....
http://www.hardwa
Plus... I thought the 650 PSU was big time, but apparently I'm quickly out of date... Corsair Launches 950 W PSU
http://www.hardwaresecr
I'm
":0
I'm running a Thermaltake 1000 PSU that replaced a 750. It's always better to have way more available than you need. Too many people get caught up in the whole, but I don't need more horse power than this wimpy little one I've already got. The way to look at it is like the recent laps at the track contest between a Toyota Prius and a BMW M3. The Prius had an experienced race car driver flogging it around the track. The M3 had a TV host driving it, leisurely following the Prius. The M3 got several more miles per gallon in fuel economy than the Prius. And, if the host found a need to a quick burst of speed, he had it on tap.
Regarding the mobo's. Go to the manufacturers sites and download the manuals. Give them a going through. Pay particular attention to the RAM sections. That's where you'll get the real scoop on how much and what kind. Factor that into your decision.
Don't forget to check Tom's Hardware website. They're get into the serious stuff, including overclocking to failure, so you don't have to. That's one of the pluses of Asus and MSI boards, they'll overclock, letting you get that last bit of performance. In fact, Asus will do it for you, using built in artificial intelligence.
Things have really come a long way since I was stripping wires and laying out bread boards 33+ years ago.
BTW - Once you've settled on the config you want, check out www.pricewatch.com to see if you can find the combo you want, at a better price.
I'll do my best to be available as long as you need.
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by: knoxzooPosted on 2009-09-30 at 20:21:21ID: 25465761
It's hard to go wrong with Asus. Can't really recommend beyond that without knowing what CPU, memory, cards, etc. you'll be using.
For the upgrade path, I'd do the hardware upgrade, followed by a repair rebuild of Vista, followed by a 7 upgrade, if you're going the upgrade route. The better method would be to backup your important stuff, upgrade the hardware, wipe the drive and do a clean install of 7, followed by clean installs of programs and restoration of data from backups.