I hope you guys don't mind a thread here about Windows 7

I just upgraded a Vista 32 bit machine to Win 7 and it went pretty well: the machine hung up near the end of the install but a forced reboot fixed it

I did an upgrade so as not to risk loss of any files: I know a clean install is preferred

The new OS does seem a bit faster but I have not had much time with it yet

One thing I do notice is CPU fan noise: the CPU fan noise is more noticeable now since I upgraded

Start performance manager while you are not doing anything. Look at the CPU usage. What does it say?

I am wondering if you have a process stuck in a loop, causing CPU usage to increase, and with it, the fan speed to keep the CPU cool.

I see CPU usage settle down to 1% with nothing running

the problem was the BIOS setting for the CPU fan needed to be reset to auto: now nice and quiet again ;)

I'm thinking of doing the same from Vista Ultimate. Too lazy to re-install too many programs. What are the potential pitfalls of just upgrading?

Switch to a Mac ;)

I'm thinking of doing the same from Vista Ultimate. Too lazy to re-install too many programs. What are the potential pitfalls of just upgrading?

I received my Win 7 over two weeks ago. I just upgraded and everything went perfect. Win 7 is so much better. Microsoft really got this one right. One word of caution is that the upgrade will remove your e-mail program. Your info will still be there but you must install a mail program of your choice. Win 7 does not include Window's Mail or Outlook Express.

I read there is risk that old programs and apps in the registry could slow the PC when you do an upgrade

I backed up all my files first anyway: use a Linksys Media Hub which runs all the time and also used Win Easy Transfer onto a WD Mybook HD: so I think I still have the option of doing a clean install if the upgrade did not work out: seems like it is fine so far

My upgrade from XP to Vista was a disaster and I complained bitterly since there were no drivers available for printers and other devices: this time there was only one non compatible device which was not being used anyway

edit: I switched to Windows Live mail several months ago: the Live Mail program and all contacts and emails are preserved in the upgrade

Switch to a Mac ;)

tried that as well: some of my programs don't run on a Mac (even a Mac running Windows): I seem to always come back to Windows: it is a love/ hate relationship sometimes though

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2009/10/22ng560734059.jpg

Oh yaaa.

And to think that someone deleted my "HT stripper pole" thread.:)

One thing I do notice is CPU fan noise: the CPU fan noise is more noticeable now since I upgradedTo get this more on topic for this forum, are you using a cheap power cord or a high end power cord?

;) :D

--Darin

You forgot the important one, what kind of cable are you running to the monitor? :D


Earl

Mark, one way to do clean install without data file loss is partitioning the hard drive. You still have to reload software but all the other files are unaffected on the other partition. Of course you have to remember to move anything you want saved before wiping the C drive to the other partition. Not as handy lately but with Win 3.0, 3.1, 95, 98, Me that tended to go belly up at short random intervals it was helpful.

Switch to a Mac ;)

I just picked up 2 Macbook Pros for each of my daughters tonight.

They're fast, reliable and very slick.

I use VMWARE Fusion and Windows XP for the few Windows programs I need. No issues.

If Windows 7 turns out to be the real deal, I add it to my Mac.:)

And to think that someone deleted my "HT stripper pole" thread.:)Maybe a Windows 7 upgrade could bring it back to life.

To get this more on topic for this forum, are you using a cheap power cord or a high end power cord?

;) :D

--Darin

cheap: all you need to power a 350/500w switching PS

You forgot the important one, what kind of cable are you running to the monitor? :D


Earl

cheap HDMI cable :o

I upgraded a second machine: 64 bit Vista to 7 Home Premium with no issues

Switch to a Mac ;)

When I saw the thread title I knew it was only a matter of a few posts... :D

Maybe a Windows 7 upgrade could bring it back to life.

I dumped the pole idea, they're getting too common in HTs, and went for a cage instead.

MAC, schmac ... still running VMS :D

MAC, schmac ... still running VMS :D

Well, NT is VMS reborn, so ya!

I dumped the pole idea, they're getting too common in HTs, and went for a cage instead.How about a cage and a pole? After all, one can never have to much recreational sports equipment.

How about a cage and a pole? After all, one can never have to much recreational sports equipment.

I'm ahead of you on that one,

I've had a retractable pole installed in the floor that extends through the cage base. The cage can also be hoisted to allow use of the pole on its own.

I'm ahead of you on that one,

I've had a retractable pole installed in the floor that extends through the cage base. The cage can also be hoisted to allow use of the pole on its own.Well there ya go. Proving once again, necessity is the mother of invention!

I'm buying a mac actually, I was thinking of doing it to celebrate the release of windows 7. I am so sick of windows, I figured I should explore a new OS, and find an entirely new software system to hate with a passion! I've spent so many years with such narrow vision just hating one OS, I figure I should be more fair and open-minded and spread the hate around. Equal opportunity anger and frustration. :|

Since this all off OT, I'm going to ask if W7 might help me w/my problem.

I have a 17" Dell laptop w/Vista Business, and ever since I've had it (it was a refurb), it has an issue where much of the time it won't recognize that it's connected to the internet.

In order to "wake it up", I need to unplug the ethernet cable and plug it into my old Toshiba laptop, which is on all of the time for this, to "prime" it, then plug it back into the Dell, and then it works.

When I first got it I had to do this 80% of the time, now it seems to be less than half the time, perhaps do to service pack updates.

I had a service guy out when it was still under warranrty, but of course it behaved for him.

Well, NT is VMS reborn, so ya!
Yeah...I knew that David guy.
I was offered the job of running SQL development for DEC ... seems like 100 years ago.

I just picked up 2 Macbook Pros for each of my daughters tonight.

They're fast, reliable and very slick.

I use VMWARE Fusion and Windows XP for the few Windows programs I need. No issues.

If Windows 7 turns out to be the real deal, I add it to my Mac.:)

And you (they) will soon discover that the viruses that plague Windows users are virtually non existent with the Mac.

I'm sure there are some specialty applications where the Mac doesn't work (I have one), so in my case, I still a keep Windows machine.

My wife has a Vista PC which is a MAJOR disaster so, either she is going to dump it and get a Mac or try Windows 7 (at least based upon what I'm reading here.

Fire-up my new Latitude Z from Dell with Win 7 Ultimate. Installed Xp Virtual Mode from Microsoft. Works like a charm for older software. SSD makes the largest improvement. Thinner than a MACbook too. It doesn't have the night light on the cover though. But I can live without that.

Vista did a better job at multi-core processing and utilization of more memory than Xp. Other than that it was a poor excuse of an upgrade. Win 7 is what Vista was supposed to be. It is the real deal. Rock solid so far.

Since this all off OT, I'm going to ask if W7 might help me w/my problem.

I have a 17" Dell laptop w/Vista Business, and ever since I've had it (it was a refurb), it has an issue where much of the time it won't recognize that it's connected to the internet.

In order to "wake it up", I need to unplug the ethernet cable and plug it into my old Toshiba laptop, which is on all of the time for this, to "prime" it, then plug it back into the Dell, and then it works.

When I first got it I had to do this 80% of the time, now it seems to be less than half the time, perhaps do to service pack updates.

I had a service guy out when it was still under warranrty, but of course it behaved for him.

Vista is known to have network issues. Especially with connection speeds. Win 7 blows it away according to benchmarks I've read (if you trust Maximum PC... I do).

And you (they) will soon discover that the viruses that plague Windows users are virtually non existent with the Mac.

I'm sure there are some specialty applications where the Mac doesn't work (I have one), so in my case, I still a keep Windows machine.

My wife has a Vista PC which is a MAJOR disaster so, either she is going to dump it and get a Mac or try Windows 7 (at least based upon what I'm reading here.

one would think Mac users would want to keep people off of Mac's. The bigger the bulls-eye the Mac gets, the more interest hackers will have at targetting it. The issue is not that the OS is infalliable, the issue is that it isn't a big enough target to be worth anyones time.

I'm buying a mac actually, I was thinking of doing it to celebrate the release of windows 7. I am so sick of windows, I figured I should explore a new OS, and find an entirely new software system to hate with a passion! I've spent so many years with such narrow vision just hating one OS, I figure I should be more fair and open-minded and spread the hate around. Equal opportunity anger and frustration. :|

got root? why not a linux derivative?

honestly, they all have problems.

btw, you can install OSX on wintel hardware. You don't have to buy a Mac to do it. search the web.

And you (they) will soon discover that the viruses that plague Windows users are virtually non existent with the Mac.

I'm sure there are some specialty applications where the Mac doesn't work (I have one), so in my case, I still a keep Windows machine.

My wife has a Vista PC which is a MAJOR disaster so, either she is going to dump it and get a Mac or try Windows 7 (at least based upon what I'm reading here.

I have a Mac myself. I use a couple airport expresses around the house to stream audio to my music system / printer and a Time Capsule back up / router. I am a big fan. I have a daughter in high school and an 8th grader and I don't even get to use my Macbook anymore as they have quite a bit of homework.

How about a cage and a pole? After all, one can never have to much recreational sports equipment.

What about a Mud Wrestling/KY Jelly pool that rises from the floor?

Yeah...I knew that David guy.
I was offered the job of running SQL development for DEC ... seems like 100 years ago.Sorry Dennis, but that was 100 years ago.;)
I know, I started as a Cobol programmer.

And you (they) will soon discover that the viruses that plague Windows users are virtually non existent with the Mac.
I'm sure there are some specialty applications where the Mac doesn't work (I have one), so in my case, I still a keep Windows machine.
My wife has a Vista PC which is a MAJOR disaster so, either she is going to dump it and get a Mac or try Windows 7 (at least based upon what I'm reading here.
At least you only picked the 2nd worst OS released in the last 15 years.

There's 2 reasons why hackers don't target Macs:
1. None of the users could tell they were infected.
2. No systems of any significance or sophistication use Macs so the impact would be mostly limited to people surfing the internet at Starbucks.

Sorry Dennis, but that was 100 years ago.;)


There's 2 reasons why hackers don't target Macs:
1. None of the users could tell they were infected.
2. No systems of any significance or sophistication use Macs so the impact would be mostly limited to people surfing the internet at Starbucks.

+1

mani

Macs are for people who can't remember control/alt/delete and would rather just do actual work :-)

MACs have their place. Mostly in the arts, desktop publishing, and photography. Where MACs were way behind were games and business applications that work in a corporate friendly environment.

Apple has for the most part had a polished GUI (except Apple ][,][e,][c) that has grown with the times. Microsoft has struggled since Windows 3.1. And as they have gotten better, it wasn't until Vista/Win7 that it actually starts to look semi polished. The Amiga had them all beat when all 3 were compared day and date of release. Too bad they never took off in the right direction.

So as it pertains to home theater, Apple is getting better. Still don't care for their audio codec as an audiophile standard. Their MP4 lossless is pretty good compared to their AAC codec. Still for home automation, and touch panel remotes, windows is still king.

got root? why not a linux derivative?

honestly, they all have problems.

btw, you can install OSX on wintel hardware. You don't have to buy a Mac to do it. search the web.

I don't have the time.

WOW - a Mac vs. PC thread - how novel.

Listen, with the exception of the OS, they are both PCs. Sony manufactures the Macintosh (laptops at least) for Apple, side-by-side with their own laptops - no difference here.

They are both modern, 32/64-bit operating systems.
They both crash - in my usage, about the same amount, though the Mac is a bit more elegant in how it handles it.
Vista was fine, though a HUGE shift in architecture, causing many device drivers to need to be re-written.
OSX 10.6 has its fair share of problems as well. Patches are coming quickly though.

The issue is design philosphy.

Apple - we make the hardware and we make the OS for THIS PARTICULAR HARDWARE! If you like the generic approach, as you are doing generic computing, this is fine for you.

Microsoft - we make no hardware, but have designed the OS to virtualize almost everything so that ANY hardware can work and interoperate. You can do MORE with Windows (by quite a huge margin) than you can with either OSX or Linux because of this.

This means that Microsoft's OS will be somewhat more unstable as random devices can interfere with the operation of the OS. It also means that it has 90+% of the market - and thus attracts far more attention from hackers/attackers. However, many studies have shown that Vista was far more robust in its ability to repel these attacks than either OSX or Linux - it was just that there are far more against Windows.

In the end, the OS is truly irrelevant. We don't run OSes, we run applications. If you like/need the applications on one OS or the other, than that determines the computer/OS for you. Frankly in the AV area, there really is only one option as Apple has not sought to truly address this market - yet. It may do so in the future, and I am sure if it really wants to, it will produce a very credible product.

^^^^^^
Just having some light hearted fun.
You left out one important item.
The cost of a MAC compared to the cost of a PC.
THAT is the main reason for the vast disparity in home user bases.
In my experience, XP is as solid and stable as any OS except for Server 2003.
Vista failed because of the steep hardware requirements and because of the onerous and highly annoying UAC.
Most didn't want to switch from XP\Media Center and deal with that crap.
Vista, while offering a lot of control for desktop admins, required a lot control from desktop admins. Who wants to deal with that mess?

Macs are for people who can't remember control/alt/delete and would rather just do actual work :-)

Except for the fact that...wait for it...NONE of the applications I use on a daily basis for work will run natively in OSX.

But yeah, if you consider surfing the internet, loading your iPod, and editing family photographs as work well...

For this forum..... 7MC is the best "PVR" on the market expecially with cablecard... when the Centon mutli-stream, 2-6 streams, are out it will be better than TIVO, U-Verse, Cable DVR and DTV DVR.

The internet TV app with CBS streaming flash content into 7MC, Netflix and the continual updates and improvement makes it the best frontend for media distribution...

7MC is better than SageTV as it is the only that support CableCard tuners with premium HD content.... the HD-PVR has too many issues and the drivers are beta drivers... heat issues and such

Apple has nothing that compairs to 7MC and does not look like they care.

The music wall, MyMovies 3.0, Mediabrowser and many other addin make 7MC awsome...

Everyone who comes over and sees my setup with my 100" LCD PJ is amazed...

They all are astounded that it is all running off of a Windows. Even Vista was great for Media Centers and now 7 is sooo much better..

for web surfing, doc writing and excel... which is 90% of what people use their computers, expecially notebooks, it doesnt really matter what OS you are using... they all have a wod processor, web browers and all are fairly quick....

the who OS debate is really pointless for 90% of the usage of computers...

Apple = media developement, graphic deisgn and audio...
PC= Everything else....

really apple has made themselves as a status symbol like BMW and people buy them because they are cool.....

no big deal, BMWs are nicer than Fords and Macs are nicer than PC....

except when you need to haul 2 tons of alfalfa then that BMW sucks and you want your Ford F-250....

Yeah...I knew that David guy.
I was offered the job of running SQL development for DEC ... seems like 100 years ago.

See if you can get him to give us the inside scoop on what REALLY happened with Mica, Prism, and Emereld.. ;)

-sc

I switched from a PC to a Mac over 3 years ago and my only regret is why I did not do
it sooner as for work we use both. Its not a religion or status symbol its a tool use the
right one for the job you are dealing with. As for Windows 7 I have only used it a little
but my first impressions its not bad.

See if you can get him to give us the inside scoop on what REALLY happened with Mica, Prism, and Emereld..
I know what really happened in his project and I'm keeping that to myself.

Frankly in the AV area, there really is only one option as Apple has not sought to truly address this market - yet. It may do so in the future, and I am sure if it really wants to, it will produce a very credible product.

It is interesting that years ago, the MAC was the way to go for video editing. Today, IMO, that has done a 180. There are so many credible, stable, high-end editing programs available for the PC, it's the only platform I would consider for this purpose.

Yes, Final Cut is a great program, but that's about it for high-end video editing on a MAC.

Sony manufactures the Macintosh (laptops at least) for Apple, side-by-side with their own laptops - no difference here.


I didn't think Sony was an original manufacturer of laptops, as there are only a handful of companies that actually do that. Last I checked Apple's stuff was made by Asus and Quanta.

But I'm definitely excited to see Windows 7, as I've been running XP Pro on all my machines. I just purchased a new Acer 8940 with the new core i7 mobile chip. For the price the specs are very impressive, and I'm looking forward to see how Win7 runs on some fast hardware.

But yeah, if you consider surfing the internet, loading your iPod, and editing family photographs as work well...

I must have been in a dream the past 5 years I went to work where the entire company runs in a corporate environment on a Mac.

I must have been in a dream the past 5 years when I did web development, 3D modeling, and video editing on a Mac.

I must have been in a dream when it all worked and I'd go months without my OS bombing.

I blame the guy who typed "buy a mac" that started this, but darn it, stereotyping with comments like the one above aren't about making anyone feel better except the one who typed it, and I felt the need to divulge that millions bunk that stereotype everyday.

It is interesting that years ago, the MAC was the way to go for video editing. Today, IMO, that has done a 180. There are so many credible, stable, high-end editing programs available for the PC, it's the only platform I would consider for this purpose.

Yes, Final Cut is a great program, but that's about it for high-end video editing on a MAC.

No love for Avid Media Composer 4?

I know what really happened in his project and I'm keeping that to myself.

:)

I just finished the Windows 7 ultimate upgrade on the desktop (64 bit), and did the the laptop as well (32 bit), and I must say, coming from Vista ultimate on both machines was very smooth. A couple small programs had to be removed on the 64 bit and then re-installed, but other than that, no issues. Very pleased so far with the upgrades.

Apple's Snow Leopard took a good OS and truly turbo charged it for $30.

What does it cost someone who bought the defective Vista to upgrade to W7?

Inquiring jackasses want to know.

MACs have their place. Mostly in the arts, desktop publishing, and photography. Where MACs were way behind were games and business applications that work in a corporate friendly environment.

This isn't really true, especially for photography/desktop publishing. None of the programs used in these fields are OS X specific, and apple hardware is woefully underpowered compared to (ironically enough) Dell's. The single most important computer spec in those fields is accurate color reproduction. Apple doesn't even sell displays that match Dell's for gamut.

The reason that Apple enjoys such popularity there is that people who work on graphics and design place a greater priority on the design of their computers.

It's like everything else.. Macs are unique, reliable and slick, but cost more. But then again, all hardware is designed by Apple and made to work with Apple's own OS. Of course, they'll be better. Not a plethora of 3rd party hardware suppliers trying to get all their stuff to work together.

Make sure you have all the Windows 7 drives when you do a clean install. I did upgrade my laptop with a clean install. However, built in web-cam and customizable button drives are for only Windows Vista. So far it has been proving a pain to receive new drives from my dealer (CyberPower) for some crazy reason. I don't see why it should be so difficult. They are refusing to send me a new CD since I already received one. I said "fine, then show me where can I download". For that they sent me to the original manufacturer's (Lenovo) website which is a puzzle to find which drive is which.

I mean it is not a deal-breaking problem since it will surely be solved. But frustrating still.

I had a similar problem: just bought a new Toshiba laptop with Win 7 and wrapped up my older notebook PC with XP to give to my nephew as a gift

Downloaded some new firmware for RTI remotes: said it was for XP, Vista and 7: spent hours trying to get it to work on 7

Finally unwrapped the trusty old XP machine and it worked first time

About a month ago, I bought a Mac, and I absolutely hated it. Returned it shortly afterwords. I didn't like the hardware, or the software. I was really surprised given all the hype over that system!!

About a month ago, I bought a Mac, and I absolutely hated it. Returned it shortly afterwords. I didn't like the hardware, or the software. I was really surprised given all the hype over that system!!

What did you hate about it? Hard for me to imagine... For me it's simplicity and intuitiveness and less needing to **** around with settings, etc are refreshing changes from the Windows world.

What did you hate about it? Hard for me to imagine... For me it's simplicity and intuitiveness and less needing to **** around with settings, etc are refreshing changes from the Windows world.

I can relate to him. It may be intuitive in essence, but to a decade-long windows-user, it still feels unintuitive.

I guess it is similar to having difficulty driving an automatic car after getting used to manual.

Best upgrade I did was moving to SSD. Good SSD drives are still too expensive for the masses, but worth it for the performance. It eliminates most of the little hitches where the PC just sits there and wastes your time. The drives work on any modern hardware and OS. Intel makes a solid line up and is easy to recommended.

Best upgrade I did was moving to SSD. Good SSD drives are still too expensive for the masses, but worth it for the performance. It eliminates most of the little hitches where the PC just sits there and wastes your time. The drives work on any modern hardware and OS. Intel makes a solid line up and is easy to recommended.

Any reliability issues?

What did you hate about it? Hard for me to imagine... For me it's simplicity and intuitiveness and less needing to **** around with settings, etc are refreshing changes from the Windows world.

Well... I didn't find it simple, or intuitive. Rather backwards, and cumbersome. I also didn't like the lack of customizeability. **** around with settings, I see as the ability to customize, font's, and screen sizes etc. that were lacking on that platform.

As for the hardware, I just couldn't get over the way the Macbook pro has a HUGE base, with a Tiny keyboard. My netbook keyboard is bigger. Really ridiculous if you ask me.

For this forum..... 7MC is the best "PVR" on the market expecially with cablecard... when the Centon mutli-stream, 2-6 streams, are out it will be better than TIVO, U-Verse, Cable DVR and DTV DVR.

The internet TV app with CBS streaming flash content into 7MC, Netflix and the continual updates and improvement makes it the best frontend for media distribution...

7MC is better than SageTV as it is the only that support CableCard tuners with premium HD content.... the HD-PVR has too many issues and the drivers are beta drivers... heat issues and such

Except for when you want to watch your 7MC recorded content anywhere else in your home, or via your iPod, or laptop on the road. How's the 7MC, XBox extender, Zune integration working for you...sharing that premium HD content between devices easy for you?

Most (But I do agree that not all) HD PVRs run solidly and I can enjoy all my premium HD content in any way I'd like. SageTV lets you use a variety of devices with no DRM concerns, while 7MC locks you into a DRM'd system with no other devices allowed to support that premium content DRM.

I also hope the system meets 100% of your needs as it stands today, beacuse don't count on too many new updates until Windows 8 comes out.

Glad I could help either continue the thread's downward spiral...or put it back on track...

I just picked up 2 Macbook Pros for each of my daughters tonight.

They're fast, reliable and very slick.

I use VMWARE Fusion and Windows XP for the few Windows programs I need. No issues.

If Windows 7 turns out to be the real deal, I add it to my Mac.:)

I have to support Mac's and I've been my share of issues with Fusion and Mac O/S in general...so you can't really say your stuff doesn't stink too. :rolleyes:

This isn't really true, especially for photography/desktop publishing. None of the programs used in these fields are OS X specific, and apple hardware is woefully underpowered compared to (ironically enough) Dell's. The single most important computer spec in those fields is accurate color reproduction. Apple doesn't even sell displays that match Dell's for gamut.

The reason that Apple enjoys such popularity there is that people who work on graphics and design place a greater priority on the design of their computers.

I have a Nikon School DVD that has Bob Krist using a MBP with Aperture hint
he did a lot of work for National Geographic. Also have some clients that are
in the media business that use Final Cut Studio so yes people that are serious
about photography and film editing do use a lot of Apple products especially
if their lively hood depends on it. Add Joe McNally for the use of creative lighting.

I have to support Mac's and I've been my share of issues with Fusion and Mac O/S in general...so you can't really say your stuff doesn't stink too. :rolleyes:

Can't imagine. Fusion works as advertised. Certainly, Mac's are not perfect but compared a PC, they're pretty close. I've used PCs for the last 10 years and finally dumped my last lap top. Dell piece of crap. The Mac's, Time Capsule back up and Mac Airport Expresses to handle streaming and wireless all work in concert. I'm very impressed.

I feel as liberated as I did when I dumped Comcast and their BS and went to Directv.

I feel as liberated as I did when I dumped Comcast and their BS and went to Directv.Whoa, comparing a PC to Comcast? And a Mac to DirecTV?
There's no need to get ugly;)

whoa, comparing a pc to comcast? And a mac to directv?
There's no need to get ugly;)

Did I say that?! :D

About a month ago, I bought a Mac, and I absolutely hated it. Returned it shortly afterwords. I didn't like the hardware, or the software. I was really surprised given all the hype over that system!!

My wife would have done the same. But I wasn't buying her another PC with several Macs laying around. Now we have a PC also and she hates using it because she prefers how the Mac works.

I guess we'll see how well Windows copied Leopard.

This isn't really true, especially for photography/desktop publishing. None of the programs used in these fields are OS X specific, and apple hardware is woefully underpowered compared to (ironically enough) Dell's.

That's funny. Final Cut on a PC? :confused:

The single most important computer spec in those fields is accurate color reproduction. Apple doesn't even sell displays that match Dell's for gamut.

Huh? The single most important color spec is something that has nothing to do with the computer at all?

Well gee, here's one Mac user who has Dell displays. OOGITY BOOGITY-BOO! And my reference for video I just hook up my calibrated JVC projector for that side of things. What the hell do mac displays have anything to do with anything!? They're overpriced but they look cool. So? Noone in the graphics/video industry is wasting money on MAC displays unless their vanity gets the best of them and they like the aesthetics of the display when it's turned off. I don't know any professionals like that... :rolleyes:



The reason that Apple enjoys such popularity there is that people who work on graphics and design place a greater priority on the design of their computers.

Ridiculous.

I use both Mac and PC.

I regularly use both Mac OS 10.6.2 and Win7. In my view, both are excellent operating systems; stable, fast, plenty of eye candy for those that need that sort of thing. Both are wildly customizable (maybe too much so). The only thing I am certain of is that Win7 is light-years better than Vista in terms of compatibility with hardware (and software, given the XP emulator).

At home, I tend to use the Mac OS, because I do a lot of stuff on the iLife suite, which I haven't been able to find a good replacement for on the Windows side. At work, it's Win7, mostly because I'm in a Windows network and life is just easier - plus MS Outlook (Windows) is better than MS Entourage (Mac). And no, I can't use Apple Mail for our Exchange Server since we're still using Exchange 2003. But from my vantage point, arguing that one OS is "better" than the other is like arguing about whether a California Cabernet is better than an Australian Shiraz or an Italian Barolo. They all can be great; they all can suck depending on the context and the meal. So pick what's best for the food you are serving and charge ahead.

John C.

The Evil Empire did a fantastic job on Win7!

I built a home theater PC to integrate digital music into my sound system. My audio guy cautioned this as XP had problems with interruptions streaming music, so he bought a mac mini for this purpose.

I threw caution to the wind and went for it anyways. Glad I did as there has been ZERO problems and its been up running and used daily for about 1 month now since it was set up!

The HTPC is using the iTunes software, USB out to Audio Research DAC7 (the DAC7 is freaking insanely good btw).

The PC is as quiet as a mouse with the solid state hard drive and super quiet processor fan (no chassis fans)!

If you want the best of both worlds look at this:
http://www.expresshd.com/
It alows you to run Windows and OSX on the same PC.

Stripper pole.

I installed Windows 7 and Linux in VMware fusion on a macbook running Snow Leopard about a week ago. I have run each guest OS in a different space. With 4GB RAM, the performance is quite good.

I haven't used Windows for years, but I find that I like Windows 7. It has a cool feature with Internet Explorer where it will display a thumbnail image of the contents of each tab when the mouse hovers over the icon in the task bar. It also comes with powershell, which appeals to someone like me who comes from a Unix background.

If you want the best of both worlds look at this:
http://www.expresshd.com/
It alows you to run Windows and OSX on the same PC.

Or just buy a Mac, which will also let you run both operating systems on the same hardware.

John C.

Or just buy a Mac, which will also let you run both operating systems on the same hardware.

John C.

It's great that that Mac users can finally get a good os for there computers.
:p

It's great that that Mac users can finally get a good os for there computers.
:p

I use both jdcolombo summed it up correctly but I have the least amount of
trouble with OSX.

I've used most OS over the last few years. ( I still like irix on an sgi for sheer bullet proofness).

I use Mac workstation at work but I've also used the same software on linux boxes. They are much of a muchness to be honest. The Macs are a bit cheaper compared with the equivalent performance linux box.

I've used windows in my home cinema stuff for years. I also have a powerbook G4 that is getting a bit long in the tooth.

Windows: very open , can usually find an app to do what I want and it usually behaves in a predictable way: hardware is as good as you build it.

OsX/Mac : Pretty hardware but generally unreliable . I have NEVER seen a bit of Apple hardware that didn't develop a fault within 2 years. I've had 5 year old workstations that literally just died and were scrapped.

Much more of a closed system , many more things that feel as if you have to hack them to stop them trying to second-guess what you actually want to do ( quicktime gamma flags for example).

Custom refresh rate setting is a nightmare with Macs ( they just seem to assume no-one wants to run at anything other than 60Hz) and its generally very hard to verify that the Macs are handling video correctly at that baseline level.

I love my macbook pro, but I will replace my harddrive to a 500 gig/7200 rpm middle of the next week when it arrives. I plan to have a dual boot system with Snow Leopard and Windows 7. I installed Windows 7 last night on my step daughters Toshiba laptop that came with Vista, but with a free upgrade to 7. It installed relatively smooth, and seems to work fine.

Fist let me state that I buil HTPCs professionally.

Second, let me state that I have built them both using Window and using OSX.

What people fail to remember is that the Mac is essentially a "closed system". If it does what you want, the way that you want, then you are fine. All of the Mac systems I have put in place for HTPC type use were done at the customer's request, and they were fully made aware of the limitations of the system.

OTOH - Windows is a vastly superior OS for a HTPC. There is pratically nothing I have ever had a customer ask for which could not be accomplished. Want DirecTV support - done. Want cable TV - done. Want the best Blu Ray player out there - done. This is the flexibility of the system. As far as stability goes - it is very similar to OSX. The issues come more in configuration and determining what the customer was truly looking for.

Currently, we sell a system with 2 Tuners (expandable), 6TB Internal RAID, HDTV out w/HD-audio support, external touchscreen, etc. It is a fabulous box and can do almost everything you could/would ever want. I can't supply this type of product on the Mac side. One day maybe - but not today.

They are very different systems. For my money, we look at one as a "closed system" and the other as "infinitly configurable".