Windows 7 32-bit or Windows 7 64-bit and FileMaker Pro 9

I am buying a new computer which will have windows 7 Home Premium installed on it. Im not sure of which version it will have yet.  When I contacted FileMaker customer support they told me that 9 would not run on either version and I should upgrade to FileMaker 11 which would run on the 32-bit version.  Then I read that if I upgraded to Windows 7 Professional I would be able to run a virtual XP system on the computer.  When I asked FM customer support about that, they said that it wouldn't work on that part of the OS.

I hope this doesn't sound really lame, but I don't know what to do or who to believe.  I know there have been some questions about this in the past, but I would like to know if anyone has used FM9 and if it worked on either system and if they had the Home version of Windows 7 or the Profession version.
neysa95Asked:
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billmercerConnect With a Mentor Commented:
FM9 is not supported on Win7 by FMI.
That doesn't mean it won't work, it just means they don't know what will happen, and won't help you if something doesn't work. Of course, given how useful FMI support is in general, that may not be a big problem for you. However I can tell you that people I know who have tried this have seen random crashes, so I personally wouldn't try it.

The XP Mode option from Win7 Pro should work fine, since it's just a virtual machine running a real XP OS. I can't imagine there being any major issues, even if FMI doesn't support it.

Another option would be to use a different vm platform, like VirtualBox. I've run FM9 in virtual machines before with no problems.
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grayeCommented:
Although I have no direct relevant experience, I just can't image you'd have problems running the software in the XP Mode.  After all, that's why they created it.... to be compatible with WinXP!

Here is something to try.... download the Virtual PC application (I assume you're currently running WinXP?) and see if a virtualized version of XP can run FileMaker Pro 9.  That way, you can test it yourself on your current system.

Let us know if you need help finding/installing Virtual PC on you current system
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ken2421Commented:
FM could be troublesome in the way that it connects to the database. If you are in a domain environment I would say you have a low probability of getting it to work. The trouble with database driven programs is the way they connect using a virtual ethernet on a virtual IP.

Localized installs with local databases are generally fine.

HTH,
Ken
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neysa95Author Commented:
My preseent computer is running on XP Home Edition Version 2002 Service Pack 3 which I do not think would work with Virtual PC 2007 from what I read on the Windows website.  I am running FileMaker9 on my home pc and do not share files with any other person or via a vitual ethernet on a virtual IP.  Perhaps I should just leave things as they are with my old computer (which is 4 years old) and just increase the amount of RAM on it.
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grayeCommented:
Sure, Virtual PC runs fine WinXP SP3....   Where did you read otherwise?
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neysa95Author Commented:
I read what I thought it said about virtual PC on the Microsoft website.  I think that I may try to add more RAM to my present pc and stick with FileMaker 9.  Upgrades here in the UK are very expensive.  Ram seems to be much cheaper.  
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ThomDrozConnect With a Mentor Commented:
Don’t be surprised if Filemaker 9 runs on windows 7.  I have had Filemaker mislead me in the past.  What they might really mean is they will not guarantee it because they have not fully tested it in windows 7.  They want you to upgrade.

On that point Filemaker 11 has lots to offer over 9 and if it doesn’t work, maybe upgrading is not a bad idea.  Filemaker 11 has graphing and best yet conditional formatting and script triggers (which I think are great!)
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neysa95Author Commented:
Thanks for your comments on FileMaker.  Of all the software I use, their tech support is by far the most unhelpful.  I won't go into details, but the last time I upgraded from an early version of FM to 9,  I only found the answer to my problem by using  one of their forums.  I would have expected the people at customer support to know more than they did.  I am sure that version 11 has lots more bells and whistles, but 9 does all I want it to do.  I share a data base with someone in the USA and having FM9 means that I can see her data on my pc when she sends me a file.  As they always say, I wouldn't start from here, but that's where I am.  So thanks for your advice.  As a temporary solution I am buying more RAM and having it installed.  Buying a new pc when money is tight, is not a very good idea, unless all else fails.
And to all those other very thoughtful experts, thanks for your comments too!
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TocacarCommented:
This question has been classified as abandoned and is being closed as part of the Cleanup Program.  See my comment at the end of the question for more details.
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