LinksLS 2003 and Windows 7 Home Premium

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LinksLS 2003 and Windows 7 Home Premium

Postby BaronVonAwsm on Mon Oct 26, 2009 12:10 am

Hi

Can anyone tell me if they have Links 2003 running on Windows 7 Home Premium? I notice that Windows 7 Professional will run a module called Windows XP Mode, where Windows 7 Home Premium will not. I'm trying to work out if this Windows XP Mode for Windows 7 is necessary to run Links 2003 on Windows 7.

Cheers,
The Baron
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Re: LinksLS 2003 and Windows 7 Home Premium

Postby Michael Jensen on Mon Oct 26, 2009 2:40 am

I don't have Windows 7 yet, but I read the other day that the virtual XP mode does not have the ability to run 3d enhanced graphics, the virtual mode simply can't connect to the 3d part of the video card. So you could only run older 2d games and regular applications in that mode, not 3d games.

Judging from this thread plenty of people have been able to run Links in Windows 7 though (even in 64bit):
http://linkscorner.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=25995
as long as they were running ATI and not nVidia cards.

Try searching for more info at links corner.
If you have a nvidia card, you might have to setup a dual boot system, until they release a driver that works with Links.... I doubt they even care about Links though, so it might have to be working with our game by chance.

Personally I'm just going to change to ATI when the time comes.
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Re: LinksLS 2003 and Windows 7 Home Premium

Postby lstucz on Tue Oct 27, 2009 4:36 pm

Although I am not running Links 2k3 in Windows 7 Home Premium, I am running Links 2k3 in Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit (rc) without any problems. I am running an ATI graphics card.

I do not think that attempting to run Links 2k3 in Windows XP mode will solve the problem if it is a driver issue with NVidia graphics cards. Windows XP mode will run in professional and ultimate versions. However, it is meant to run as a virtual machine. In otherwords, you would be running Windows XP in a virtual machine within Windows 7. I think this is basically meant for running high-end office apps and not meant for gaming, though they were never quite clear about it.

If it is a graphics issue as seems the case, then the only resolution would be updated compatible drivers. Or, the more expensive route of switching to an ATI graphics card, lol.

I just learned to like ATI video cards a bit more. For all their old driver issues, my older AGP card is working fine with no issues. After previous issues with nVidia based motherboards dying on me within 3 months to a year, and now this issue combined with the fact only ATI is still catering to those of us still running AGP graphics slots I know where my money will keep going.

I don't usually keep up with things at Links Corner. But, thanks for pointing the way on this one Michael.
Lou
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Re: LinksLS 2003 and Windows 7 Home Premium

Postby terrell on Wed Oct 28, 2009 3:43 pm

in anticipation that i MIGHT someday install windows 7, i have a friend that wants to unload:

http://reviews.cnet.com/graphics-cards/diamond-viper-ati-radeon/4507-8902_7-33541142.html?tag=mncol;rnav

his diamond viper 4650. looks pretty low-end, but i think it'll be fine for links. and it's certainly more honkin' than any graphics card i've ever owned.

if anyone has any valid objections, lemme know quick. (8

sidenote: my first ati card ever.
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Re: LinksLS 2003 and Windows 7 Home Premium

Postby lstucz on Wed Oct 28, 2009 8:53 pm

terrell wrote:in anticipation that i MIGHT someday install windows 7, i have a friend that wants to unload:

http://reviews.cnet.com/graphics-cards/diamond-viper-ati-radeon/4507-8902_7-33541142.html?tag=mncol;rnav

his diamond viper 4650.
sidenote: my first ati card ever.


I can see several possible problems, t.

First, the link shows this card is in a PCIe x16 interface. The link could be wrong. The 4650 is the single most powerful card available in an AGP interface unless they begin offering one from the new 5000 series.

Second, it claims a dual-core CPU requirement. Other manufacturers do not state this system requirement so it may not be necessary. You did not give up on the old dinosaurs, did you?

Third, it calls for a 400W PSU. That is a pretty tame PSU for a gaming rig. If you have had to replace the PSU in what I think is an old office computer then, again, that may not be a problem.

If none of the three possible problems I see are valid, then go for it. It could be a great upgrade for your system. I want one for mine, but it is almost equal to my X1950 card, except that my card will not run DirectX 10.

Even with a dual-core CPU, 2Gb of RAM, 250Gb hard drive and 760W PSU I still only receive a 5.0 rating for Windows Experience Index.
Lou
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Re: LinksLS 2003 and Windows 7 Home Premium

Postby Blade on Wed Oct 28, 2009 10:06 pm

lstucz wrote:
Even with a dual-core CPU, 2Gb of RAM, 250Gb hard drive and 760W PSU I still only receive a 5.0 rating for Windows Experience Index.[/color]


That score is not bad @ all Lou, I'm running a Triple Core CPU / 4 Gb of Ram / 2 x 1 TB Hard Drives / ATI 4870 1 Gb DDR5 Graphics Card & 700W PSU and mine comes out @ 5.9, it would appear that the final rating number is based on the lowest result, which for me is the Hard Disk @ 5.9. I'm running Windows 7 Professional & Links is purring like a Rolls Royce, the only downside for me installing Windows 7 was that it required a complete fresh install if the old operating system was XP, unless you want to dual boot, which I didn't. Those already running Vista have no such issues & Windows 7 will automatically update a current Vista system, afterall Windows 7 is what Vista should have been @ launch.
It also appears that Nvidia cards are a definate nono in relation to Links & Windows 7, due to driver issues that Nvidia don't appear to be interested in fixing, so those players who have Nvidia cards my recommendation is stick with XP or Vista or buy an ATI card..

Image
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Re: LinksLS 2003 and Windows 7 Home Premium

Postby lstucz on Wed Oct 28, 2009 11:31 pm

@ Blade

I did not think it is all that bad, though, the max is 7.9. I do not know of anyone scoring that high. I do know that the hard drive is the biggest problem in reaching those high scores and if you really want to reach it, you need to upgrade to a Solid State Drive for the OS. You really need Windows 7 for those SSDs, anyway, as it is the only OS currently supporting the trim function on them. Trim on an SSD is similar to defrag on an HDD.

I am running a dual-boot with 7 Ultimate (the RC version). But, I no longer use XP except as a backup if this drive should fail. I am running 2 - 250Gb drives + 250Gb external. I may reformat the XP drive and use it for storing a system back-up, soon. I see no reason for a dual-boot of Windows. Windows 7 runs smooth as silk for me, too.

I plan to continue using the release candidate until spring when the eagle c-r-a-p-s, unless I find the funds sooner.
Lou
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Re: LinksLS 2003 and Windows 7 Home Premium

Postby terrell on Thu Oct 29, 2009 4:57 am

lstucz wrote:I can see several possible problems, t.

First, the link shows this card is in a PCIe x16 interface. The link could be wrong. The 4650 is the single most powerful card available in an AGP interface unless they begin offering one from the new 5000 series.


actually, i threw in an nvidia mobo, processor, w/6gb memory about six months ago. there's one pci-e x16 slot. check.

lstucz wrote:Second, it claims a dual-core CPU requirement. Other manufacturers do not state this system requirement so it may not be necessary.


one pentium dual-core processor. check.

lstucz wrote:Third, it calls for a 400W PSU. That is a pretty tame PSU for a gaming rig. If you have had to replace the PSU in what I think is an old office computer then, again, that may not be a problem.


hmmm, that might be a problem. i bought a 400 or 450 watt power supply a couple of years ago for something. i threw it in just to see if it worked, and it does. there's always a couple of these i.t. guys wanting to unload something.

lstucz wrote:If none of the three possible problems I see are valid, then go for it. It could be a great upgrade for your system. I want one for mine, but it is almost equal to my X1950 card, except that my card will not run DirectX 10.


no kidding? the guy only wants $50 for it. i can't imagine a power user like yourself wanting one. maybe this is a good deal. (8

lstucz wrote:Even with a dual-core CPU, 2Gb of RAM, 250Gb hard drive and 760W PSU I still only receive a 5.0 rating for Windows Experience Index.


i'm at 4.1, but hey, for a hodgepodge of ebay & i.t. hand-me-downs, it seems to run fine. the main thing is, if i load windows 7, links will be a requirement.

Blade wrote:It also appears that Nvidia cards are a definate nono in relation to Links & Windows 7, due to driver issues that Nvidia don't appear to be interested in fixing, so those players who have Nvidia cards my recommendation is stick with XP or Vista or buy an ATI card..


i've invested more in graphics cards just for links over the years, than what my entire rig's (if you can call it a rig) worth! but i thoroughly appreciate the heads ups from you guys.

lstucz wrote:I do know that the hard drive is the biggest problem in reaching those high scores and if you really want to reach it, you need to upgrade to a Solid State Drive for the OS. You really need Windows 7 for those SSDs, anyway, as it is the only OS currently supporting the trim function on them. Trim on an SSD is similar to defrag on an HDD.


if i threw in another sata drive for striping, would that significantly (thinking of cost/benefit) improve the disk data transfer rate score?
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Re: LinksLS 2003 and Windows 7 Home Premium

Postby lstucz on Thu Oct 29, 2009 5:45 am

terrell wrote:if i threw in another sata drive for striping, would that significantly (thinking of cost/benefit) improve the disk data transfer rate score?


If you have another SATA drive of the same size, just sitting around, then it may be worth the effort. However, if you need to spend any amount of cash on a second drive, then probably not. Now, because of the amazing difference in read/write speeds going from HDD to SSD, upgrading to a single SSD will probably boost your WEI score a lot. But, is it worth the $300 investment for a 160Gb SSD just to boost your score a bit?

If you are still running that nVidia 6200 I have heard so much about, then, upgrading to the ATI card which supports DirectX 10 will do more for your score than upgrading your storage.

I hate to disappoint you, t. But, your system is not much of a dinosaur, anymore. Maybe you should consider a $200 monitor which supports 1080p true HD resolution once you buy your friends video card and welcome to the 21st century.

How old is your friends 4650 video card, if he is selling it for $50? You can buy a brand new one with 1Gb of VRAM for $65 with a lifetime warranty. Even cheaper if it only has 512Mb. Maybe you should offer him $30.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814150396

Just make sure the video card and your available slot are both PCIe 2.0 X16. They are backwards compatible. However, the performance level may not be quite as high if they are not exactly the same.
Lou
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Re: LinksLS 2003 and Windows 7 Home Premium

Postby terrell on Thu Oct 29, 2009 7:24 am

lstucz wrote:
terrell wrote:if i threw in another sata drive for striping, would that significantly (thinking of cost/benefit) improve the disk data transfer rate score?


If you have another SATA drive of the same size, just sitting around, then it may be worth the effort. However, if you need to spend any amount of cash on a second drive, then probably not. Now, because of the amazing difference in read/write speeds going from HDD to SSD, upgrading to a single SSD will probably boost your WEI score a lot. But, is it worth the $300 investment for a 160Gb SSD just to boost your score a bit?


hmmm, the answer to that is...no. i love to tinker, but not $300 worth. and i don't just happen to have another sata drive sitting around either. so that idea is going to the back burner also.

lstucz wrote:If you are still running that nVidia 6200 I have heard so much about, then, upgrading to the ATI card which supports DirectX 10 will do more for your score than upgrading your storage.


actually, no. the 6200 went by the wayside when i started playing with the nvidia mobo. it included a 9200 chipset, which seems similar to the 6200. i'm pretty stoked about the 4650 now though. looking at the specs, i thought it was very low-end, i just wanted something cheap i could play links on windows 7.

lstucz wrote:I hate to disappoint you, t. But, your system is not much of a dinosaur, anymore. Maybe you should consider a $200 monitor which supports 1080p true HD resolution once you buy your friends video card and welcome to the 21st century.


lol. color me disappointed. but lw said he was buying a new machine. mine's still a conglomeration of cannibalized parts, none of which were purchased new. however, i admit, the specs are improving. (8

edit #1: actually, i've come close to buying a flat panel a couple of times. but until the crt totally craps out, i'm sticking with it. there was a lady that wanted to buy it, but it fluctuates sometimes, like the flyback's going out, so i wouldn't do the deal.

lstucz wrote:How old is your friends 4650 video card, if he is selling it for $50? You can buy a brand new one with 1Gb of VRAM for $65 with a lifetime warranty. Even cheaper if it only has 512Mb. Maybe you should offer him $30.


crap! now you tell me. he says less than a year. and it's the 1 gb flavor. i had searched the internet for the best deal and came up with the $50. he's bringing it tomorrow, so there's no way i'd back out now, or try to renegotiate. i'm just that way.

lstucz wrote:Just make sure the video card and your available slot are both PCIe 2.0 X16. They are backwards compatible. However, the performance level may not be quite as high if they are not exactly the same.


hmmmm, i'm gonna hafta do some research on that. i'm positive the mobo has one pci-e x16 slot, but i'm not sure whether it's 2.0. not sure about the card either. if they're not the same, is that enough to be a deal breaker?

thanks very much for your time, lou. and blade. i respect you guys' opinions very much. i'm a hacker, and i consider you two professionals. (8
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Re: LinksLS 2003 and Windows 7 Home Premium

Postby lstucz on Thu Oct 29, 2009 1:01 pm

Like I said toward the end of my last post, t. The two slots are backwards compatible.

I have never done it, as, if I build new, I am going to use items which match. However, from what I read, you can plug a PCIe X16 card into a 2.0 slot or vice-versa and they will simply operate at the slower ports abilities.

So no, they are not a deal breaker if ony slightly different.

Other PCIe slots are also compatible with X16 bus speeds. You can plug an X1, X4 or X8 card into an X16 slot and it will still function as intended. However, you cannot plug an X16 card into an X1, X4 or X8 slot, as they are different lengths, unless the slot was manufactured open-ended, as each type slot is somewhat larger to provide more lanes for data transfer. If the slot is made open-ended to accomodate the insertion of larger cards, then the installed card will simply function at the slower bus speed of the smaller port.

You can read a reasonable description at wikipedia, here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCI_Express

It all gets a bit clearer towards the end of the article.
Lou
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Re: LinksLS 2003 and Windows 7 Home Premium

Postby grim_x on Sat Oct 31, 2009 12:12 am

I've got links running in Windows 7 Professional. Couldn't run it in the release candidate, said my GTX285 wasn't enough video card for links. Yah right eh.
So, what I did was upgrade from xp pro to win7 pro, even though MS says that you can't do that and need to do a fresh install. You can migrate most, if not all, applications into 7. I used third party software and it worked fine. Laplink PCmover, the windows 7 upgrade assistant, costs $20US.
http://www.laplink.com/pcmover/pcmoveru ... stant.html

Haven't checked all games and progs yet, but so far it's sure looking good.

Links played fine with the nVidia card in xp, and when I migrated the program, it now plays in win7. Big relief, I've done a lot of dual booting, but it sure can be a pain.

btw, my P5K-E wifi has pci-ex16 ver.1 slot and the 2.0 card runs fine in it. Don't notice any reduced performance, but you might with a low end card. This one runs everything maxed, pretty much.
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Re: LinksLS 2003 and Windows 7 Home Premium

Postby terrell on Sat Oct 31, 2009 6:17 am

grim_x wrote:Links played fine with the nVidia card in xp, and when I migrated the program, it now plays in win7. Big relief, I've done a lot of dual booting, but it sure can be a pain.


dangit, grim, where were you before i sprung for the ati card? i knew i shoulda gone with my first instinct. give windows 7 about six months and the nvidia driver thing would more than likely have been resolved by then. (8
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