Windows 7 FAQ - Read me before you ask a Win7 question!
71 replies, posted
I see so many "Windows 7 isn't working for me bawwwwww" threads, and usually it's something simple that they're asking about. The megathread doesn't really have a help section and I figured it would be better to make a giant FAQ separate from the megathread so that people would read it, as well as it wouldn't clog up the megathread with questions. If a mod disagrees, then feel free to lock this and tell me to put it in the megathread. Megathread.
With that said i'll start the FAQ here
[b]Will Windows 7 run on my computer?[/b]
If your computer was made after 2006 there's a good chance it can. If you built it yourself recently then I'm almost 100% positive you can. I personally have ran it on an old HP from 2003 at a decent speed, so there's a very good chance you can run it fine as long as you have at least 512mb of ram and a GeForce 5500FX or higher (Or an ATI Radeon 9550 or higher).
If you're still unsure, a good tool to use is the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor (Available: [url=http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=1B544E90-7659-4BD9-9E51-2497C146AF15&displaylang=en]Here[/url]). Not only does it look at your hardware for compatibility with Windows 7, but it will run your software through a list to see if it has any compatibility issues. It's a very good tool to use.
[b]Should I get 32-bit or 64-bit?[/b]
It depends if your processor can support it, and how much RAM you have. If you have an AMD Athlon 64 (or newer) or Intel Core 2 (again, or newer), you have a 64-bit capable processor. Now look at your RAM. Do you have more than 3.25 GB? If you do, you should use 64-bit. 64-bit can take advantage of more than 3.25 GB (Which is 32-bit's limitation) of RAM, as well as being all-around faster.
[b]But if I get 64-bit won't my games or programs stop working?[/b]
Possibly. If your games or programs are really old (Windows 95/3.1 era) then there's a slight chance they will not work. Games like [b]Garry's Mod[/b], [B]Half-Life (All related games)[/B], [B]Counter Strike[/B], [B]Day of Defeat, or any game that runs from Steam for that matter, will work fine[/b] on 64-bit. The only issue I personally have had is AutoCAD 2000 not working, but that is the installer's fault for being 16-bit.
[b]I want to pay more for the Professional edition over Home Premium![/b]
[b]Don't.[/b] There is absolutely nothing that the average person needs in Pro that Home Premium doesn't have. ([i]If you're curious - Pro has "Domain Join", Network-adapting printing, a slightly more in-depth backup and restore center, and Windows XP Mode[/i])
[b]What about XP Mode? I want Pro because it has it![/b]
XP Mode is a virtual machine. That means it's very slow, and [highlight]not made for games whatsoever[/highlight]. XP mode is for if you have things like AutoCAD 2000 that won't install on 64bit. Even that runs terribly. To be honest, XP mode is just a marketing ploy from Microsoft to get companies to upgrade to Windows 7.
[b]Garry's mod or X game doesn't work correctly! It's 7's fault![/b]
No. I can confirm the following games work correctly in Windows 7:
[B]Audiosurf[/B]
[B]Counter Strike: Source[/B]
[B]Garry's Mod[/B]
[B]Grand Theft Auto IV[/B]
[B]Grand Theft Auto III[/B]
[B]Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas[/B]
[B]Half-Life[/B]
[B]Half-Life: Source[/B]
[B]Half-Life 2[/B]
[B]Half-Life 2: Episode 1[/B]
[B]Half-Life 2: Episode 2[/B]
[B]Left 4 Dead[/B]
[B]Left 4 Dead 2[/B]
[B]Portal[/B]
[B]Team Fortress 2[/B]
[B]Half-Life 2: Deathmatch[/B]
[B]Bioshock[/B]
[B]Half-Life: Deathmatch[/B]
Feel free to tell me more that work with 7. I know there's tons.
[b]I can't find Windows 7 drivers for X[/b]
Use Windows Vista drivers. They work exactly the same.
[b]64-bit won't let me install X device because it doesn't have a digitally signed driver![/b]
This part of Windows 7 I hate with a passion. Your only option is to run your computer in Test Mode with a partially signed driver (See [url=http://www.ngohq.com/home.php?page=dseo]This[/url]). It's not hard to do, but I don't get why Microsoft is making you resort to doing that.
[B]I've installed Windows 7, but now the "X reading" under thread titles here is all garbled![/B]
Go into the registry editor and navigate to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
Change the following:
FontSmoothing = 2
FontSmoothingType = 3
[B]The volume of my system goes down a ton when I open a game![/B]
Right click on the sound icon on the taskbar and go to "playback devices". Click the "Communications" tab. Then click "Do nothing".
[b]Windows 7 made my games slower than XP![/b]
Go back to XP if you hate it so much and live with your bloated, plastic-colored, I-run-everything-as-an-administrator-which-is-a-great-idea operating system and get that whole 2 FPS back.
If you have any more questions i'd be happy to answer them and add them to this list.
I still prefer XP, however you did open my eyes slightly.
Prefering Windows XP is not allowed in this subforum. Please leave.
[QUOTE=Eleventeen;19478813]Prefering Windows XP is not allowed in this subforum. Please leave.[/QUOTE]
Looks like the windows subforum to me, not the Windows 7 subforum.
I prefer Windows 3.11, but nice guide anyhow.
[editline]08:57PM[/editline]
Killing Floor works with 7, too.
[QUOTE=nivek;19479264]Looks like the windows subforum to me, not the Windows 7 subforum.[/QUOTE]
He's being sarcastic, refer here: [url]http://www.facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=873876[/url]
[editline]11:05PM[/editline]
More games for the list
All goldsrc and source games
Mass Effect
Civ 3
Civ 4
Ghost Recon (all)
Spore
Braid
Battlefield 2
Assassin's Creed
Max Payne 1&2
Osmos
You should probably add to the "Can I run 64-bit section" to make sure you have 64-bit drivers for all of your hardware before installing Windows, in addition to checking if your processor is 64-bit capable.
Games that work:
Borderlands
DIRT2
Red Faction: Guerrilla
GTA IV
GTA SA
Trackmania
Games that don't work:
Probably none unless you still play 16-bit stuff.
You should add how to make the taskbar like Vista, and how to make WLM run like XP/Vista for those who don't like the changes
Nice thread, adding the the list of confirmed works on 64-bit:
Assasin's Creed
Batman, Arkham Asylum
Battlestations: Pacific
Borderlansd
Burnout Paradise
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Company of Heroes (and expansions)
Far Cry 2
Hitman: Blood Money
Just Cause
Killing Floor
Left4Dead(1&2)
Nexus: The Jupiter Incident
Portal
Star Wars Battlefront II
Star Wars Republic Commando
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
Uplink
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II
World in Conflict
Although it would probably be easier to make a list of games that [b]don't[/b] work, as that would be much shorter.
[QUOTE=Dr Egg;19493163]You should add how to make the taskbar like Vista, and how to make WLM run like XP/Vista for those who don't like the changes[/QUOTE]
This.
Will an English CD-Key work with another language pack installation? (From MSDN AA)
assassins creed and mirrors edge work in win7.
and zoo tycoon 1, and age of mythology, osu!, UT3, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Mass Effect, Braid, DoD:S, MDK1 & 2, RCT2, and 3 (the installer for RCT1 didnt work for me), Spore, Sims 1 & 3 (dont have 2 so idk), Midtown Madness, Rome: Total War
if u wanna put that in the OP.
others i havent tested.
[QUOTE=Cuel;19499152]Will an English CD-Key work with another language pack installation? (From MSDN AA)[/QUOTE]
answering myself
Yes, it does.
I can confirm that 16-bit games does work if you set them up correctly using DOSBox. Not sure about doing that on 64bit though.
[editline]09:19PM[/editline]
I've done this with all my 16/24 bit games, including Doom, the X-COM series (not all of them are 16/24 bit, shut up) and shitloads of other games that i either can't remember the name of anymore and/or have uninstalled long ago again.
snip.
[hd]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sxt1BXNTt_E&hd=1[/hd]
Add to OP.
[QUOTE=Jimmy422;19478604]Now look at your RAM. Do you have more than 3.25 GB? If you do, you should use 64-bit. 64-bit can take advantage of more than 3.25 GB (Which is 32-bit's limitation) of RAM, as well as being all-around faster.[/QUOTE]
the limit is 4GB minus total VRAM minus another quarter gig or so for overhead
[QUOTE=mblunk;19534954]the limit is 4GB minus total VRAM minus another quarter gig or so for overhead[/QUOTE]
It's 4 GB - everything that can be addressed in your system. That's the "overhead".
[QUOTE=gparent;19534976]It's 4 GB - everything that can be addressed in your system. That's the "overhead".[/QUOTE]
yeah, [url=http://www.facepunch.com/showpost.php?p=10565784&postcount=3]i know[/url], but it's a lot easier to say "overhead" than explain the reasoning behind it
Modern Warfare 2
Borderlands
Unreal Tournament 3
Max Payne *No sound in cutscenes*
Osmos
Fallout 3
Call of Duty 4
I can verify that all of the above work ^^
[QUOTE=anikilol;19561565]Max Payne *No sound in cutscenes*[/QUOTE]
There's a fix for that in the Max Payne steam subforum.
Thanks. I was about to make a thread about my questions with 7. Glad I read this first.
I honestly was thinking the same thing about Windows XP Mode, if it would make my XP games run better. Glad I got my answer there.
I just wonder if the following programs/games I run will work on the 64-bit version of 7;
EA Download Manager, Spore, Nero, Crysis and Warhead, Minecraft (it's a Java-powered game), WoW, SimCity 4 Deluxe, Paint.NET, and Google Earth.
Another question that was answered was what was the difference between the 32-bit version and the 64-bit version.
Oh, yeah.. here's a good one. How about the Space Quest Series you can get at Steam. Uses DOSBox. Will that work in 7, 64-bit? It is mentioned all DOS-based games won't work, but DOSBox is an emulator, right?
[QUOTE=mblunk;19534954]the limit is 4GB minus total VRAM minus another quarter gig or so for overhead[/QUOTE]
I friggin hate it when people say 32-bit supports 3.25GB RAM.
And I instantly lose respect for people that act like they know shit and then say that.
TF2 really lags for me :(. Everything else is cool.
[QUOTE=Benie;19574188]Oh, yeah.. here's a good one. How about the Space Quest Series you can get at Steam. Uses DOSBox. Will that work in 7, 64-bit?[/QUOTE]
Yes it'll work, DOSBox runs fine under 64 bit.
Note: You can't use 16bit applications on 64bit windows (7, Vista) because there is no longer WoW32 (windows on windows 32bit), which allowed 16bit apps to be emulated in the 32bit environment >.>
in 64bit all you've got is WoW64 (oh hey wonder what that stands for...)
[QUOTE=LarparNar;19574604]I friggin hate it when people say 32-bit supports 3.25GB RAM.
And I instantly lose respect for people that act like they know shit and then say that.[/QUOTE]
I was generalizing. After 3 GB of ram you should get 64bit anyways.
Guys. I got this problem with Fallout 3. I've been talking with Bethesda Tech Support.
Anyway, they tell me to not upgrade to 7. Fallout 3 will not work in it.
Can someone confirm this, or tell them that they're wrong?
[QUOTE=Benie;19582493]Guys. I got this problem with Fallout 3. I've been talking with Bethesda Tech Support.
Anyway, they tell me to not upgrade to 7. Fallout 3 will not work in it.
Can someone confirm this, or tell them that they're wrong?[/QUOTE]
[url]http://www.sevenforums.com/gaming/309-fallout-3-windows-7-a.html[/url]
looks like it works
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