What version of Win 7
Just got my new iMac and since XP will not work what version of Win 7 should I use?
iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.6), Intel Core i5
Professional, 32bit if you have 2G Ram, 64 if more than that.
8 replies
It will be the Home version.
I think you want an answer to the 32/64-bit architecture quandary.
No real contest. If you plan to up the RAM at any time, you'll have to go with 64-bit if you want to see it all and apps to use it all.
The only reason to go with 32-bit at this point is really to bring your older XP-compatible hardware or software into 7 without much fuss. If you went with Pro or a higher tier flavor of whatever architecture you picked, you could download a complete XP VM (Windows XP Mode) and run with it.
Nate
Experience with versions of Windows 'Home' (prior to Win7) have made me realize that Professional is a bargain for the small amount of extra cash, but I haven't tried 7 Home so could be wrong there.
Windows editions have a habit of being confusing.
The Home flavors of Vista and 7 usually have the stuff most people want in Windows turned on by default--namely gaming stuff, family controls and media organization and sharing tools. But they can't join a domain nor do they offer fine-grain control over user privileges. These editions limit the Backup tools to local documents only, as opposed to a full system backup in other editions. File encryption is turned off as well.
Media Cebter and Parental Controls are permanently disabled in Pro, but you have full networking power and the ability to make complete backups. Games are turned off by default, but can be loaded (unless you're running the 64-bit Intel 965 (X3100) display driver; under that condition, games crash frequently)
OK Many thanks for all the replies.
I did finally get 7 installed but I did have a problem until I used a wired keyboard instead of the wireless one. I have no idea why but after 4 tries (wirekess) to get 7 installed the 5th time (wired) worked with out any difficulty what so ever. The problem was that after 7 restarted all I got was a blue screen with a pulsating narrow strip at the top.
All's well that ends well!
Sounds like you missed the required step of formatting the BOOTCAMP volume as NTFS. Or, you may have formatted the wronng partition, period.
Check to confirm that your Mac will start up in OS X. If you can, then all you need to do is to start from the point of installing Windows. For safety reasons, I'm going to recommend also switching off the wireless keyboard and going strictly with wired equipment until the issue has been resolved.
If instead you inadvertently formatted the Mac side, there isn't much you can do save restoring with the discs in the packet you got with your Mac.
Nate
All is well. So now all I have to do is see if 7 is really better than XP that I had on my old Mac as if there was a choice. Thanks for the reply.
What version of Win 7