Upgrading XP64 to Vista Ultimate 64 Questions
by Clint Milner
on
Mar 26, 2009 at 1:36:59 pm
Many thanks in advance for the help...
I've just purchased my first high-spec video editing computer that I'll be running CS4 on.
I had a company called Scan.co.uk build it and install most of the hardware. All I had to do install my Matrox RT.X2 card and CS4 and I would be flyin'...
I just found out that although the RT.X2 supports a 64 bit OS, it just doesn't support XP64, so now I'm stuck having to either not use my 700 pound Matrox card, or upgrade to Vista 64.
I wanted to know a couple things about upgrading...
1. Should I get the Vista Ultimate 64 Upgrade Edition or just a full OEM copy?
2. If I use an Upgrade disc, does it just install over the XP, or does it just do a fresh install, similar to what I'd be doing if I bought the full version?
3. If my system has been set up for RAID and overclocked, are those settings on my system drive, (and possibly lost in an upgrade) or are they locked away in the BIOS somewhere?
Re: Upgrading XP64 to Vista Ultimate 64 Questions by Andrew Ford on Mar 26, 2009 at 2:34:15 pm
If you were going from a 32 bit OS to a 64 bit one, you would have to do a clean install. Since you're going from 64 to 64, I'm not so sure you have to do a clean install... if you don't remove the previous OS before you start the Windows Vista installation. I think Windows Vista Setup has to verify that your current OS license supports the installation of a 64-bit upgrade, which it should. You could probably confirm this on the Microsoft website/forums and double-check yourself by using the upgrade advisor utility. However, I always prefer clean installations... starting fresh is a great thing. Your BIOS should be fine... it's already configured for a 64 bit system, so I'm sure all your RAM, etc. is showing up. You could check for an update to your BIOS from your manufacturer's website, but I'm of the belief that there's no reason to mess with a BIOS that is working. In any event, overclocking and raid configuration are really easy to do. I'm also not a fan of overclocking... reducing the life for a slight performance upgrade always seemed like a worse idea than just paying the small amount of money to upgrade your chip a few notches. I don't know the spec of your system, but in most high-end editing systems, you'll see that your processor won't be the bottleneck... it's often the overlooked caches and bus speeds.
