HELP ME DECIDE!!!! please?

Vince53

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Okay, I have a "thing" against using pirated software, even if MS deserves it. So, my hard drive has three partitions: Windows 7 64 bit, Windows XP 32 bit, and the Windows 8 Preview. I am DEFINITELY upgrading to 8, so do I get rid of 7 or XP?

XP runs a few old games that I can't run on 7, but does nothing else that I need. 7 runs some old games that don't run well on the 8 Preview. I intend for 8 to be my primary operating system, so I would only be using one of the old OSes for old games.

Who has to go? XP or 7?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
"Deserves" how? Glad to see your conscience still prevails over your pocketbook ;). If the games on Win7 will also run on XP, that might make your choice for you, but revisiting getting those games running on Win7 or Win8 might be a good idea. I don't know what they are (DOS based, or 16 bit perhaps?), so I can't give any more guidance than that, but it is probably worth revisiting consolidating those.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 4790K @ 4.5GHz
    Motherboard
    Asus Maximus Hero VII
    Memory
    32GB DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce GTX970
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Hard Drives
    1x Samsung 250GB SSD
    4x WD RE 2TB (RAIDZ)
    PSU
    Corsair AX760i
    Case
    Fractal Design Define R4
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15
Get EasyBCD and just hide the others. They could then be restored if you need them.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro, iOS 7.1, Elementary OS
    Computer type
    Tablet
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Apple
    Memory
    1 GB
    Screen Resolution
    2048x1536
    Other Info
    iPad Air
Okay, I have a "thing" against using pirated software, even if MS deserves it.
I'm glad to hear that you have a thing against pirated software. I've worked for commercial software companies my entire life and I gave up on piracy many years ago. There is so much free software out there these days, that if i find that a freebie doesn't meet my needs, than it's worth me paying for it.

I don't understand your commend that Microsoft "deserves" piracy. Nobody is forcing you to run Windows on your computer.

So, my hard drive has three partitions: Windows 7 64 bit, Windows XP 32 bit, and the Windows 8 Preview. I am DEFINITELY upgrading to 8, so do I get rid of 7 or XP?
Well, if you are upgrading to Windows 8, technically you need to stop using Windows 7...according to the upgrade license agreement.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Built in July 2009
    CPU
    Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
    Memory
    8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Acer x233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX modular
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    ABS M1 Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    15/2 cable modem
    Other Info
    Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
I don't believe in piracy and if it comes to it, I would need to use Linux. I thought I was alone. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro, iOS 7.1, Elementary OS
    Computer type
    Tablet
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Apple
    Memory
    1 GB
    Screen Resolution
    2048x1536
    Other Info
    iPad Air
You aren't alone TheGrantFitz. I'm happy to see that others feel the same way.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Built in July 2009
    CPU
    Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
    Memory
    8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Acer x233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX modular
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    ABS M1 Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    15/2 cable modem
    Other Info
    Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
I have not been able to play any of my 16 bit games since I put XP 32 bit on another computer. I now have it on my 64 bit computer, and it still won't play any 16 bit software.

I run all mine in DOS-Box.

Seems to do the job, for me.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Enterprise 64-bit (7 Ult, Vista & XP in V-Box)
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire Ethos AS8951G 'Super-Laptop'.
    CPU
    Intel Sandy-Bridge i7-2670QM quad-core
    Motherboard
    Acer
    Memory
    8GB DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel 3000HD / Ge-Force GT555M 2 gigs
    Sound Card
    Realtek/5.1 Dolby built-in including speakers.
    Monitor(s) Displays
    18.4" full-HD
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1024
    Hard Drives
    2x750GB Toshiba internal, 1x500GB Seagate external, 1x2TB Seagate external, 1x640GB Toshiba pocket-drive, 1x640GB Samsung pocket drive.
    PSU
    Stock
    Case
    Laptop
    Cooling
    Air-cooled
    Mouse
    I/R cordless.
    Internet Speed
    Borderline pathetic.
A suggestion.

If your puter's processor is decent enough, virtualize. You can rid of your two extra partitions and gain extra hard drive space. Using VirtualBox (decent freeware ;)) you can have Windows 8 as your primary OS and can have 32 bit xp in a small Virtual Machine that is just dedicated to running certain games. Maybe cut if off from the internet if you don't need updates (but you probably should update to the latest updates, then disconnect it from the internet so you don't have any risks or nonsense). Give Windows 8 Enterprise 90 day trial a kick and see if it runs the games Windows 7 does, I've found it does. Install and run them in Windows 7 compatibility mode--or test without compatibility mode--and see if you still need Windows 7. If you do, virtualize.

The benefit here is that when and if you upgrade to Windows 9 or buy a new hard drive, you can plop the VM files onto the new system or drive and not have to reconfigure another OS and keep the older ones consistent. Then, if you're done with xp or 7, simply delete it and that's that.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
If you're going to virtualize using win8, then there's hyper-v. No need for any third party software.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 RTM (Retinas taking damage...)
    CPU
    i5 2500
    Motherboard
    msi p67a-g43
    Memory
    16 GB DDR3 1333
    Graphics Card(s)
    2x Nvidia 9800 GTX+
No need for other partitions if you virtualize.

Using x64 DosBox and VirtualBox on Win8 x64 solves all problems here. You can run older 16bit applications without problems.
Programs that worked well in Win98/2000/XP (even if they are 32bit but have compatibility issues in Win8) run well in a VM.

So I agree with what Kat, Coke Robot and phailyoor say about this.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy DV6 7250
    CPU
    Intel i7-3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
    Sound Card
    IDT HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
    Screen Resolution
    multiple resolutions
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 250GB + Hitachi HDD 750GB
    PSU
    120W adapter
    Case
    small
    Cooling
    laptop cooling pad
    Keyboard
    Backlit built-in + big one in USB
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Sensei
    Internet Speed
    slow and steady
    Browser
    Chromium, Pale Moon, Firefox Developer Edition
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    That's basically it.
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