If I upgrade(Windows 7) my T400 myself am I going to run into any issues?

I am running XP right now and I am inquiring information about upgrading to Windows 7. I am having a couple issues right now with XP like it wont shut down about once a day and I am really worried that holding the power button forcing it to turn off could damage my computer.

I am have the ATI graphics which I hear they haven't worked out the switchable option yet but that isn't a deal breaker for me. I am considering home premium but would like the XP virtualization.

Am I going to run into any issues updating to windows 7, drivers, etc.? There selling t400's with Windows 7 right now so hypothetically everything should work...

 

shouldn't have any problem
make sure get the new drivers for your hardware

 

go for it, AFAIK the only problem is the switchable graphics. Win7 and WinXP is like day and night, you'll be pleasantly surprised. Since I installed Win7 I never had a forced shut down.

 

Should I get a version of windows 7 that has the Windows XP virtualization? If so which versions have that capability?

 

Win 7 Professional, Ultimate and Enterprise have Xp mode. As far as its usefulness, depends on whether you use any legacy application on a daily basis. Switchable graphics works in Win 7 but has its bugs especially when you put the system to sleep in energy saving mode. When it wakes up both graphics cards become active. This is rectified by changing the switchable mode from energy saving to high performance and back to energy savings. Hopefully lenovo will fix this soon.

 

By the way, if you're a student, you can get it either for free or $30.

http://www.microsoft.com/student/en/us/software/windows-7.aspx

 

Ive heard of this. However, I am running XP and will need the full version in order to install correctly. If I am not mistaken that deal is for the upgrade version meant for users upgrading from Vista.

 

You computer will explode if you upgrade or if the bus slows down below 50 miles per hour......not so much.

Seriously though, all the student discount requires is that you have something XP or later

 

You can use the upgrade disk to do a clean install. So the fact that you're on XP does not matter. You can get Win7 Professional, which has XP Mode, for $30 (same price as Home Premium) from that deal.

 

I'm not sure if it's how I installed the drivers or what, but my biggest issue on my T500 is that the UltraNav Utility and Driver do not work.

 

They do make Home Premium much more apparent, though. On the screen where you choose 32/64bit there's a link down below for Business.

 

Home Premium and Professional are roughly the same thing except Professional offers a couple more things, right? Also, any recommendations on 32/64 bit? I dont want to make it a daily hassle to install things so I am leaning towards 32.

Any way of finding out how much turbo memory I have? I think it came with 2GB but since I have XP I am not using it and will be using it when I install Windows 7.

Thanks

 

"I think it came with 2GB but since I have XP I am not using it and will be using it when I install Windows 7."

XP will use two GB of memory whether the system is 32 bytes or 64.
Renee

 

I understand that. I think what I meant to say is how can I tell how much "turbo boost" memory is on-board my computer. It is suppose to be RAM that is closer to the motherboard and quicker to access or something like that. Not a big deal.

My bigger question is I've made an account on win741.com and don't know which version to buy? I am running XP so am I wasting my time looking into buying the Windows 7 upgrade? Don't I need the full version?

Also, I have a new computer and plan on putting more RAM in it in the future. Should I get 64 bit just for the sake of having new hardware and wanting it to run fast.

 

Unfortunately, you did not say how much memory you have now. I haven't used Turbo since the really professional people do not use it so I don't know what it looks like.

Which version to buy? And from XP to boot. We'll, the normal dividing line is 4 gigabytes to total addresssable memory. XP is rated at less although we're asking what 32 bits will adress and 32 bits is 4 gigabytes (period).

Renee

 

I have 3GB of RAM with 2GB of Turbo Boost Memory(Pretty Sure).

I want to upgrade to Windows 7 and I'm not sure which version to get. Considering professional or home premium but Ive been told that the upgrade version will and will not work so I am confused.

 

Turbo memory's usefulness is very limited. it will work in Win 7 but benefits are not huge. Windows XP qualifies as an upgrade to Windows 7. So, I dont know what you are trying to refer when saying whether the upgrade will work or not. As far as professional or home premium. if its the same price get professional, otherwise Home Premium should do fine.

 

Pro lets you join a domain, and gives you the virtualized XP mode. It also lets you backup to a network using the built in tools.

Obviously you should check all your applications to make sure they work on a 64 bit OS. One big thing that could hold you back is if you need the Cisco VPN client. They're not releasing a 64 bit version, trying to push people to AnyConnect.

 

Professional v. Home Premium: On the student discount website, they are the exact same price, $30. Unlike Vista, where Business lacked some features of Home Premium, Win7 Professional has ALL the features of HP plus more. So get Win7 Professional.

32-bit v. 64-bit: I see very little reason not to go with 64-bit at the moment. The only reasons I would consider getting 32-bit over 64-bit are-
1.- I have a piece of 16-bit software that I know I need to run (rare)
2.- I have a printer/other peripheral that only provides 32-bit drivers (rare for all printers produced in the last few years)
3.- I have some other application that lacks a 64-bit compatible version (ie: TIConnect) that I will need to run

So far, TIConnect is the only piece of software that I have encountered that will not work with 64-bit. The vast majority of 32-bit software works fine in a 64-bit OS, and the ones that don't usually have a 64-bit version.

So, I would highly suggest going with the 64-bit version.

Upgrade v. Full: For your purposes, the $30 student upgrade will work just fine, as I mentioned earlier. You can do a clean install from Windows XP to Windows 7 with no problems at all - the only difference between going from XP rather than Vista is that you cannot do an in-place upgrade install (I wouldn't recommend it anyway). You will have to backup your data and reformat the manual way.

 

When ordering from win741.com the "Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade 64 Bit Disk Kit" is what?

Is it just a hard copy disk of windows 7 that you can use to install instead of using the download?

 

I'm running Windows 7 on my T400 without any issues.