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Author Topic: Paging APS' Geek Corps  (Read 1268 times)

Waitone

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Paging APS' Geek Corps
« on: October 25, 2012, 07:26:38 PM »
I've posted this problem on a number of tekkie boards and received conflicting advise.  I figger is APS can talk nuclear reactor design it can help me with my 'puter problem.

My existing system is 10 year old single core technology running XP home.  It is also dead and sitting in a pile one room to my left.  Rather than cull used parts and try to make it live again, I've decided to upgrade.  I want to build a 4 or 6 core system (which I've spec'd out).  Now to the problem.  Will I be able to UPGRADE to Window 8 or will I have to purchase a new system.. Reason I ask is former upgrade paths permitted installation of the new OS by simply inserting the old system disk.  MS evidently changed the upgrade method with W7 to require an installed and registered system before W8 installation will proceed. 

One suggestion was to install the old system disc, do a repair XP install, and then upgrade to W8.  Fine, except MS position is XP home runs single core and the new system will be somewhere between 4 and 6 cores.  Someone else says I could install XP home, diddle the registry to run a dual core, then install W8.  The issue is cost.  Simplest solution is spring for an OEM system.  Cost is about 2.5x an upgrade; the extra could be used to load up on ram for the new system.

Any advice?
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Hawkmoon

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Re: Paging APS' Geek Corps
« Reply #1 on: October 25, 2012, 09:45:58 PM »
I'm running Xp Pro on my home/office computer (and my notebook, for that matter). I am not interested in Windows 8 but I have bought a 3-station upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium. I'll use one license to move my wife's notebook from Vista. But I am holding off on the other two computers BECAUSE -- while an upgrade from Vista to Windows 7 is basically transparent, upgrading from Xp to Windows 7 kills everything on your drive and you have to re-install all programs. Don't recall whether or not data are safe, but of course data can (and should) be backed up before anything as dodgy as an operating system "upgrade" anyway.
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Waitone

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Re: Paging APS' Geek Corps
« Reply #2 on: October 25, 2012, 09:52:31 PM »
In another forum a MS tech type said XP can run multi-core processors (not multi-CPU's),  That being the case it will simplify things grandly as I can live with performance issues until I can complete the job.  Right now I need more than what I am currently using which features 256meg or ram. 
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"Men, it has been well said, think in herds. It will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one."
- Charles Mackay, Scottish journalist, circa 1841

"Our society is run by insane people for insane objectives. I think we're being run by maniacs for maniacal ends and I think I'm liable to be put away as insane for expressing that. That's what's insane about it." - John Lennon

Azrael256

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Re: Paging APS' Geek Corps
« Reply #3 on: October 25, 2012, 09:56:07 PM »
I'm confused.

Why install XP on the new box to start with instead of The Ocho?
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zxcvbob

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Re: Paging APS' Geek Corps
« Reply #4 on: October 25, 2012, 09:59:51 PM »
Quote from: Azrael256 on October 25, 2012, 09:56:07 PM

I'm confused.
 
Why install XP on the new box to start with instead of The Ocho?

So he can buy a cheaper upgrade license instead of a full license.  (I dunno if that works or not, but it's a pretty good reason to try)

Quote
In another forum a MS tech type said XP can run multi-core processors (not multi-CPU's),

It definitely works on dual-core.  That's what I'm running right now on my #1 laptop. And I think the XP-Pro workstation I just got rid of at work was dual-core with hyper-threading (4 processors, sort of)
« Last Edit: October 25, 2012, 10:03:54 PM by zxcvbob »
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Azrael256

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Re: Paging APS' Geek Corps
« Reply #5 on: October 25, 2012, 10:08:14 PM »
Ah.

I think it's just "XP SP3" that's eligible for the $40 upgrade.  I didn't look super closely, but I didn't see "home" or "pro."
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lee n. field

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Re: Paging APS' Geek Corps
« Reply #6 on: October 25, 2012, 10:28:49 PM »
Quote from: Hawkmoon on October 25, 2012, 09:45:58 PM
I'm running Xp Pro on my home/office computer (and my notebook, for that matter). I am not interested in Windows 8 but I have bought a 3-station upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium. I'll use one license to move my wife's notebook from Vista. But I am holding off on the other two computers BECAUSE -- while an upgrade from Vista to Windows 7 is basically transparent, upgrading from Xp to Windows 7 kills everything on your drive and you have to re-install all programs. Don't recall whether or not data are safe, but of course data can (and should) be backed up before anything as dodgy as an operating system "upgrade" anyway.

I think it bundles all the old stuff up into a directory, from whence it can be copied out.  That's my recollection. 
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Sergeant Bob

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Re: Paging APS' Geek Corps
« Reply #7 on: October 25, 2012, 11:11:49 PM »
You could just get the "Upgrade" version of Windows 7, do and install to the point it asks for the user Key. It will say you can't complete the install. Then just do the install again and it will recognize the previous install attempt and allow you to complete the user key and voila, you have a valid install of Windows 7.
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erictank

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Re: Paging APS' Geek Corps
« Reply #8 on: October 26, 2012, 05:02:06 AM »
Quote from: Azrael256 on October 25, 2012, 10:08:14 PM
Ah.

I think it's just "XP SP3" that's eligible for the $40 upgrade.  I didn't look super closely, but I didn't see "home" or "pro."

SP3 is just Microsoft's Service Pack 3 - the collected updates to the OS, XP in this case. Home or Pro does not, IIRC, make a difference, both got SP3 at the same time because they're the same base OS.

I too have been running XP on a dual-core system for several years. I've got a $15 upgrade to Win8, and will most likely use it to upgrade the netbook rather than the desktop-replacement laptop which qualified me for the upgrade. Since that's explicitly authorized by the conditions of the upgrade, I don't even have to feel a little bit of guilt over it!  =)
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