So... any advice on this 'Windows' thing?

[Zhukov]

I have a new Intel Mac computer on the way. I wish to install a windows partition on this computer. The one and only purpose of this partition would be to run PC games that are not available for Mac OSX.

However, having been a Mac user since forever, my experience with Windows is negligible, consisting of occasional use on school/university/friend's computers. Said experience was far from positive and usually involved me swearing a lot.

Therefore, any words of advice you computer-savvy types can offer would be very welcome.

In particular...

• Which version should I be looking at?
• Almost everyone seems to say that Vista is a steaming turd, is it really that bad?
• Do any of you folks have Windows 7 yet? What's the backwards compatibility like?

Once again, any advice appreciated.

Thanks

[Armored Wolf]

Vista is not that bad.

[BlackHole]

Yeah, except for almost everything, Vista isn't that bad. I mean, even Microsoft themselves advises not to buy Vista.

For games, I think the most relevant thing it to figure whether you want/need to play DirectX 10/11 games. Officially this is only supported by Vista and 7, but using an unofficial patch it will also work on XP. I don't know how reliable this patch is, and if it works without problems.

Almost every modern day game still work perfectly with only DirectX 9; in most cases, the difference is negligible.

So, I would recommend Windows XP. It's old, but that's an advantage, because it requires much less resources, so it has better performance. I too game using XP, and it works great.

If you really need DirectX 10/11, and you don't want to try the unofficial patch, I would recommend Windows 7. It's better than Vista (although it isn't so hard to be better than Vista), and has good DirectX support.
But, if you have enough time, wait until they release Service Pack 1 for Windows 7. Just to be sure.

- Black
GENERATION 9: The first time you see this, copy it into your sig on any forum and add 1 to the generation. Social experiment.

[Lotus Wolf]

Get XP, no contest there. As for getting used to it, it's just something you have to do on your own, though having a savvy guy on call is helpful when trying out a new OS.

[Healey]

So, I would recommend Windows XP.

Get XP, no contest there.

Yeah, XP is your best choice.

However, having been a Mac user since forever, my experience with Windows is negligible.. Said experience was far from positive and usually involved me swearing a lot.

I know how you feel.

[Blorx]

I personally used a bootlegged copy of Windows XP Professional SP3 with the Genuine Advantage crack which allows you to bypass the GA without actually passing a test.

Why?

Simple: Our XP Home installer disk wouldn't work. =P

[Sandurz]

Most DEF go with XP, the others suck much......expletives to say the least.

[Ragdollmaster]

^Would the 'others' include 7? If so I seriously doubt you've tried it.

XP/7 are good choices, but XP would probably be more convenient and the majority of PC users out there use XP so there are a lot of people you could go to for help whereas Windows 7 is kind of a 'virgin' operating system, even us computer-savvy people haven't found all the niches and whatnot. (not to say it's extremely different from XP, it's pretty straightforward)

[Sandurz]

Well, that "virgin" still likes raping me in the ass.

[Starrz]

http://www.apple.com/support/bootcamp/

[Renegade_Turner]

I really have no qualms whatsoever with Vista. The difference between it and XP is an extremely moot point in my opinion, and I think a lot of the people giving out about it may just be jumping on the bandwagon with all the other complainers. On the other hand, I'm easily pleased, and other people may be seeking different capabilities from what I'm expecting.

In terms of gaming, Vista works pretty much flawlessly for me. I've never had a problem with a game that I can recall.

[Sandurz]

I'm glad you got so lucky, Ren. On my comp, it randomly deletes shit, everything crashes, I get the blue screen from time to time, and I've only had it for 3 months! I don't even know why! And no, it isn't a virus. (Yay Avast! Thanks again Lotus for directing me to it!)

[TheBigCheese]

I don't know what you all are talking about. 7 runs much faster on the PC's I've installed it on than XP ever did. Plus it's compatible by default with basically all recent games. Even if it's not compatible with 7, running it in a compatibility mode almost always works.

Plus, it's the newest version, so it will have the best security and definitely the best graphical interface.

Vista is definitely not as bad as everyone says, I've run it fine for 3 or so years and I've never even once had a problem with compatibility or any bugs. The only problem with Vista is that you'll need more system resources to run it, which is why I say you should go with 7, since it's much lighter overall.

On my comp, it randomly deletes shit, everything crashes, I get the blue screen from time to time, and I've only had it for 3 months! I don't even know why! And no, it isn't a virus.

I can't imagine that would happen without the user installing something funny. It might be a bad driver, and I don't see why it couldn't be a virus. There's absolutely no reason that Vista would randomly start doing that, unless it did that out of the box, in which case you probably just got a bad copy with the computer, and you should be able to get a new one.

[Uberbeard]

^Would the 'others' include 7? If so I seriously doubt you've tried it.

I think the topic is on compatibility, not likeablity.
My thoughts are as follows: Bacon tastes nice.

On topic? Well I think you'd be better off with XP being as it runs a lot smoother in Boot Camp than Vista did, but Windows 7? If you want to chip out for it, then you might find that a better investment (especially if you want some longevity) because it's essentially Vista with all the rubbish ripped out, it's stable and it can also run in XP mode which does help with some older games, but not all of the old old ones.

Plus, if you're a student (or know one), Windows 7 is only £30, which is cheaper then buying XP new.

[Zhukov]

Whoa. Replies.

Guess I'll go for XP then upgrade to 7 once they've cranked out a service pack or two.

Thanks a lot folks.