XP/XP64 duel boot

old.Whoodoo

Can't get enough of FH
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Ok, I am thinking of buying a new machine, a nice dual core intel with 4Gb ram, which standard XP cba to use. So the alternative of XP is XP64, but reading around, many seem to be having issues with it.

So whats the latest, Id rather spoon my own eyes out that use Vista, so please dont tell me its merits until at least SP2 comes out.

Is it a good idea to duel boot XP and XP64 for running certain apps and games, or are things finally working for 64bit?
 

cHodAX

I am a FH squatter
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Jan 7, 2004
Messages
19,742
Ok, I am thinking of buying a new machine, a nice dual core intel with 4Gb ram, which standard XP cba to use. So the alternative of XP is XP64, but reading around, many seem to be having issues with it.

So whats the latest, Id rather spoon my own eyes out that use Vista, so please dont tell me its merits until at least SP2 comes out.

Is it a good idea to duel boot XP and XP64 for running certain apps and games, or are things finally working for 64bit?

In the same boat myself atm, going to dual boot XP 32bit for gaming and Vista 64bit for everything else. The plan is to eventually transition across to Vista 64 completely after a couple of service packs.
 

thergador

Fledgling Freddie
Joined
Apr 20, 2006
Messages
1,216
currently running xp 64bit and vista 64bit and haven't had any problems with games
the only problem i have had i in xp64 not going in to crossfire mode
vista runs fine and with vista SP! coming out in a month or so it will solve even more of the issue's
 

old.Whoodoo

Can't get enough of FH
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3,646
mmm...so whats peoples opinions of Vista Home like?
 

Chronictank

FH is my second home
Joined
Jan 21, 2004
Messages
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mmm...so whats peoples opinions of Vista Home like?
i would suggest Home Premium, you wont miss anything extra you get beyond that.
remember OEM ties to your hardware, if you upgrade your machine past a certain spec you will need to buy a new copy
Why dont you just use your MSDN subscription? :)

also go on msn more!
 

Ingafgrinn Macabre

Can't get enough of FH
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3,155
Vista sucks....

Haven't tried it out or anything.. it's just a gut feeling, and since it's a Microsoft product, it's probably correct :p

You can install XP and XP_64 on thesame partition..
Just add the WINNT.SIF file in the appropriate directory.


(location: CD-ROM:\I386\WINNT.SIF
Code:
[Unattended]

TargetPath=\xp
ProgramFilesDir="C:\xp-soft"
CommonProgramFilesDir="C:\xp-soft\_common"


[GuiUnattended]

ProfilesDir="C:\xp-users\"
XP_64 WINNT.SIF
(location: CD-ROM:\AMD64\WINNT.SIF)
Code:
[Unattended]

TargetPath=\xp64
ProgramFilesDir="C:\xp64-soft\x64"
CommonProgramFilesDir="C:\xp64-soft\x64\_common"
ProgramFilesDir(x86)="C:\xp64-soft\x32"
CommonProgramFilesDir(x86)="C:\xp64-soft\x32\_common"


[GuiUnattended]

ProfilesDir="C:\xp64-users\"

And for the rest any other setting you'd like to have.

WINNT.SIF is just a regular text file (Windows line-endings, ASCII encoding)
Be sure to install XP first, and XP_64 later, due to possibly the xp ntldr not knowing what to do with x64.
 

thergador

Fledgling Freddie
Joined
Apr 20, 2006
Messages
1,216
Vista sucks....

Haven't tried it out or anything.. it's just a gut feeling, and since it's a Microsoft product, it's probably correct :p

sorry your not vista is fine way better than me at launch better than xp at launch

yes its has bugs but then so does (xp sp2) and 6001.16549.070628-1825 or vista SP1 is in beta testing already so. maybe try it out before you slate it

or and as for xp and vista on same partition yeah sure you can do it but that kinda like putting a ferrari f40 engine in a ford ka yes it will work but the performance it is silly

just partition the drive that way you have both OS running fine and if you got to reinstall and reformat at any point you dont lose both os not to mention the other reasons why xp and vista should be on the same partition (defragging?)


ps forget opera 9 get opera 10
 

Ingafgrinn Macabre

Can't get enough of FH
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sorry your not vista is fine way better than me at launch better than xp at launch
How often do you start your PC?
I'd rather have a well-performing pc, than a faster boot. To be honest, I couldn't care less about boottimes. Press the button, get a coffee, and when you're back, the pc is ready. So it takes two minutes. Who cares.

yes its has bugs but then so does (xp sp2) and 6001.16549.070628-1825 or vista SP1 is in beta testing already so. maybe try it out before you slate it
Never talked about bugs. Talking about DRM crap, talking about needing a fuckload of memory, talking about needing a heavg gfx card for aero, talking about a larger HD-footprint, talking about little necessity to upgrade, besides glimmer.

or and as for xp and vista on same partition yeah sure you can do it but that kinda like putting a ferrari f40 engine in a ford ka yes it will work but the performance it is silly
If you defrag your drive properly, it doesn't affect the speed of the OS in any major way. You might get a tad faster fragmentation, but christ, most here on this forum don't even know what defragmentation means so even with 1 OS installed per partition after a month and a half, they're getting slow as fuck...
Also, I never said anything about Vista-XP dual-booting, and neither did Whoo. I was talking about XP-XP64, again like Whoo.

just partition the drive that way you have both OS running fine and if you got to reinstall and reformat at any point you dont lose both os not to mention the other reasons why xp and vista should be on the same partition (defragging?)
Using two partition has the disadvantage of more dead space. Space you reserve for the OS to expand, but it never uses. Put both (or three or four) OS's on 1 partition, and you don't have that problem.


ps forget opera 9 get opera 10
I'm not so fond of beta-testing... I'll wait till it comes out officially.
 

thergador

Fledgling Freddie
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Messages
1,216
How often do you start your PC?
I'd rather have a well-performing pc, than a faster boot. To be honest, I couldn't care less about boottimes. Press the button, get a coffee, and when you're back, the pc is ready. So it takes two minutes. Who cares.

by launch i meant when it was released hence the ME and at XP at launch and i must say you have low opinions of FH user's if you think they don't know a fragmented HD does

sorry i miss read what you said about the dual boot

but you still staled something you haven't tried i'm not saying its the best OS out there by a long shot (it a MS OS), i think it's silly to give an opinion of a product you haven't tried.
 

Ingafgrinn Macabre

Can't get enough of FH
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Messages
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by launch i meant when it was released hence the ME and at XP at launch
Ahh okay, well XP wasn't that terrible at launch. Tried ME for I think, about 1 day before I reinstalled '98 :p
'98 was the first windows I used. Didn't like 3.11 and '95, so stuck to DOS.
and i must say you have low opinions of FH user's if you think they don't know a fragmented HD does
nah, not FH users... humanity. The far majority of people are utterly computer illiterate. Even many so-called hardcore gamers know surprisingly little about computers -- hardware and software alike. I've talked to people that didn't even know what virusscanners were, and never heard about scanning a pc.
So no, I don't have little faith in the average FH user. I've got little faith in the technoknowledge of humanity, and FH members are a part of this humanity.

sorry i miss read what you said about the dual boot
no biggy

but you still staled something you haven't tried i'm not saying its the best OS out there by a long shot (it a MS OS), i think it's silly to give an opinion of a product you haven't tried.

It's a microsoft product. They don't really have a good history about delivering good products, or standing up for privacy etc. (RIAA's pressure towards DRM etc.)
I've tried many, and there are only so many times you can keep an open mind towards a company and the products they create. Microsoft sucks and their products suck. Not that Linux is the holy grail or something. Far from userfriendly etc, but atleast it's stable.
I'm forced to keep using Windows aslong as those bloody CAD programmers don't release *nix versions of their programs.
 

Gahn

Resident Freddy
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Jan 16, 2004
Messages
5,056
Side note, i upgraded my notebook from a completely patched XP32bitPro version to Vista Business and it actually works WAY faster.
Most of the compliants u hear about Vista is cause of the "protected" interface.
They kinda hide some things to avoid the random100000 noob to destroy the os.
Got no problems whatsover to run Daoc Cata client (it actually ran smoother).
Hence i expect the x64 to have even more performance impact (for the better).
My 2 cents for all that's worth.
 

Chronictank

FH is my second home
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Messages
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Thought i would put my 2 cents,
May aswell get this out the way first i have Windows XP Proffesional (32 on a old disk and 64 as dual boot), and Vista 64 Ultimate installed.
Currently if you are on a low/mid end pc with less than 2 Gb ram then there is no use for you to install vista, the ammount of hard disk caching due to the fact it uses a larger address space among other things.
Now Vista is not as bad as all the doomsayers make out, it is actually pretty good provided:
a) you do your homework, see what spec your pc should be and what spec it is, if you are below the recommended spec then dont install it
b) Know what you are going to use your pc for

Now, why did i upgrade? I upgraded my pc so needed a clean install as i was going to go vista at some point anyway for the next gen gfx cards i installed it.

Now a couple of things you should know, if you use alot of 3rd party drivers you will have alot of issues with vista because of the Driver Signing Enforcement built into vista, programs such as overclocking utilities (Ati tool runs at a minimal level, Ati Tray tools are fine, Riva Tuner is fine if you disable driver signing on isntallation, Intel TAT doesnt work at all (i didnt invest time on working out how to make it work) and the AMD GPU overclock tool also doesnt work, rest are fine).
If you have a NVidia card then DO NOT get vista, their drivers are absolutely awful at the moment and their "once in a blue moon" driver releases dont look like they will be solving the issue in a hurry.
If you have a Ati card your transition will be :touch wood: pretty seemless in the gfx department, now fanboi's please dont start a nvidia vs ati argument i am not commenting on the cards, simply the fact that Nvidia drivers down right suck at the moment

Far as games go, new games; most of them run fine provided you have them patched up to date.
Older games you may have issues but there are pretty well documented fixes (most of which are run in compatibility, admin mode).
Games with big issues at the moment which i have installed:
Archlord (needs to be run in admin,compatibility), Return to castle wolfensteing (you cant run it above 1280x1024 as you get opengl errors) and most games that run in DOS dont seem to be very happy in a vista enviroment.
Games i have tested and run fine:
BF 2 (incl Special Forces, Armoured Fury and Project Reality)
Counterstrike Source
DoD Source
CounterStrike
DoD
Half Life
Half Life 2
Call of Duty 2
FEAR
FEAR: Extraction Point
Rainbow 6 Vegas
PREY (had initial shader errors, but they were fixed with catalyst 7.5)
Command and Conquer Tiberium Wars
Warcraft 3 & TFT
Guild Wars & Factions
STALKER
World in conflict
Unreal Tournament (original and 03)
Godfather
GTA: Vice City
Supreme Commander
Chronicals of Riddick (awesome game)

if there is any in particular you want tested i can have a look see if i have it and have a go.

Other problems; deleting shortcuts is kind of annoying as you are prompted to make sure you want to about 2 times.
And the defragmenter doesnt give you a status bar/% done so you dont know when it will finish.
It does get irritating to begin with as it tried to bubblewrap you but you get used to it
 

thergador

Fledgling Freddie
Joined
Apr 20, 2006
Messages
1,216
Other problems; deleting shortcuts is kind of annoying as you are prompted to make sure you want to about 2 times.
And the defragmenter doesnt give you a status bar/% done so you dont know when it will finish.
It does get irritating to begin with as it tried to bubblewrap you but you get used to it

or you can fix that by
Configuring UAC

To configure UAC options, either run 'Local Security Policy' from Admistrative Tools, or enter secpol.msc in the Start Menu Search Bar and press Enter.

1. Disable switching to the Secure Desktop for UAC prompts:
Security Settings->Local Policies->Security Options ->
User Account Control: Switch to the secure desktop when prompting for elevation - Set to Disabled
Now, when you get UAC prompts, the screen won't go grey, the UAC prompts will use the Aero theme, and you can still operate many other programs without needing to respond to the UAC prompt:

--------------------------------------------------------------------
or

2. Change UAC behaviour
Security Settings->Local Policies->Security Options ->
User Account Control: Behaviour of the elevation prompt....
You can configure UAC to either:
(Administrators:)
- Elevate without prompting
- Prompt for Consent
- Prompt for Credentials
(Standard Users):
- Prompt for Credentials
- Automatically deny elevation requests.
Using this setting, you can control how much of an intrusion UAC is without completely turning it off.

hope that helps it nearly drove me nuts till i managed mine
 

Chronictank

FH is my second home
Joined
Jan 21, 2004
Messages
10,133
or you can fix that by
Configuring UAC

To configure UAC options, either run 'Local Security Policy' from Admistrative Tools, or enter secpol.msc in the Start Menu Search Bar and press Enter.

1. Disable switching to the Secure Desktop for UAC prompts:
Security Settings->Local Policies->Security Options ->
User Account Control: Switch to the secure desktop when prompting for elevation - Set to Disabled
Now, when you get UAC prompts, the screen won't go grey, the UAC prompts will use the Aero theme, and you can still operate many other programs without needing to respond to the UAC prompt:

--------------------------------------------------------------------
or

2. Change UAC behaviour
Security Settings->Local Policies->Security Options ->
User Account Control: Behaviour of the elevation prompt....
You can configure UAC to either:
(Administrators:)
- Elevate without prompting
- Prompt for Consent
- Prompt for Credentials
(Standard Users):
- Prompt for Credentials
- Automatically deny elevation requests.
Using this setting, you can control how much of an intrusion UAC is without completely turning it off.

hope that helps it nearly drove me nuts till i managed mine
i think i love you
 

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