Just wondering if anyone has upgraded to Windows 7 yet and if there are any problems with the Panasonic software and drivers. I believe Vista was not compatible with some of the software.

Glen

I'm not going to 'upgrade' to Windows 7 for several reasons.
1. I have an Epson printer and Epson Scanner - neither of which are very old. I searched on Epson's website to see if they had Win. 7 drivers for these devices and found none. I contacted Epson and they informed me that they will not be producing drivers for the printer or scanner. So, not only would have to buy a copy of Windows 7, I would have to buy a new printer and scanner!

2. Several other programs which I use on a regular basis, work perfectly well with XP but will not work on Windows 7. I know this having tried them on a friend's PC, running Windows 7.

3. I very much doubt if the Technics software (Song Manager, SD Jukebox and Fred's SDExplorer) will work with Windows 7. I haven't had a chance to try these programs on my friend's PC, but hope to do so in the near future.

I believe Vista had an 'XP Compatiblity' mode but how well this worked, I don't know. Whether Windows 7 also includes this facility I'm not sure.
So, for the forseeable future, I'll stick with Windows XP - it does everything I want and seems to be very stable, now that Microsoft have ironed out most of the bugs and plugged many security holes.

I was talking to a young fellow that worked in the computer department of Walmart the other day. He said that Microsoft really got it "right" this time and that older software that worked in XP will work in Windows 7. He seemed very knowledgeable. I am thinking of buying a new computer. Bill, I have had nothing but trouble with Windows XP Professional. I bought a top of the line computer on eBay because I couldn't buy XP when Vista came out in a retail store. This computer was custom made, has 500GB, 4GB of RAM and a very fast processor, which means nothing because I have dial-up where I am. DSL is not in the neighborhood. I also had a floppy drive installed - in other words, the works. It takes me at least four or five times to boot up. This is especially true when it is cold. Totally, a miserable computer.

Mark

Hi Mark,
You quoted "He said that Microsoft really got it "right" this time and that older software that worked in XP will work in Windows 7"
Well, that statement just is not true As I said in my previous post, I use several programs which work OK on XP but will not run on Windows 7. I believe that Windows 7 is a big improvement on Vista (Disaster!) but then any OS would be better than Vista

Your 'Boot-up' problem with your PC may not be directly related to Windows XP - could be hardware related or even your BIOS........

Thanks, Bill. Knowing well your knowledge of computers and your great website, I trust your expertise. I have a fairly new top of the line combination printer/scanner so that would not be a problem but I have old programs of Paint Shop Pro 6 and 7 that will NOT work in Vista so I am sure from what you are saying, they won't work in Windows 7. I have had this computer to local repair places and they haven't a clue as to why I have so many problems. I have two hard drives installed and what has happened three times is that the start up drive switches to the other drive and I can't boot up. It is a mess. The last time I had it in for repair, they unhooked the other hard drive to keep this from happening. I have 250GB of hard drive that it totally wasted. The SD card function wouldn't work because it wasn’t hooked up and the floppy drive wasn't hooked up. I contacted the seller on eBay and soon after, he would no longer respond. I ended up saying things to him that I will not repeat on the forum.

Mark

FYI.....

The XP PRO in my PC, built by a local merchant works just fine...

(I am a better 7K player than a computer operator so will not be able to answer many questions, if any!)

Sounds to me like you really bought big expensive lemon!!!

Hi Mark, It's sounding more and more like a BIOS problem on your PC.............

Hi All
I have been using Windows 7 since February and I can say it is the best Microsoft OS ever.
I have been working with computers since the early 80s, (With various OS) and while I would not recommend Vista to my worst enemy, I would have no problems recommending Windows 7.
Download the Windows 7 upgrade advisor http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/get/upgrade-advisor.aspx and this will tell you if there are any problems with hardware or software you use.
Although manufactures may not provide drivers for some of their equipment (My HP printer is one) Windows 7 contains plenty of basic driver software onboard, (My HP Printer works sweet as a nut) plus in most cases a Vista driver will work.
Compatibility mode is included with Windows 7 and it works well. (The compatibility mode in XP was a fingers crossed system)
If all else fails, if you have the Pro or Ultimate versions of Windows 7, you can download a free Virtual version of XP that integrates (You don’t need to switch Operating Systems) with Windows 7, so pretty much all bases are covered.
When buying a new computer I would recommend the 64bit version of Windows 7 as this is the future, however a lot of older hardware was never designed for a 64bit OS, so unfortunately you may need to upgrade some of your equipment.
If you are upgrading, go for a second hard drive and have a Dual Boot system, that way if you really need some old stuff, (That doesn’t work with the 64bit version of Windows 7) you can boot back into XP when you need to use it, and use Windows 7 for everything else.
As to problems booting, try updating your Motherboard BIOS, as it’s unlikely to be an XP problem, also check to make sure your computer power supply is big enough for all the hardware you have inside. (This is another cause of booting problems, and the fact that it works with less hardware connected could indicate a power supply problem)
Hope this helps

Bill

Thank you, both Bills. Abacus Bill, I have copied and pasted your post and will mention this to a repair place the next time I bring in the CPU. I know little to nothing about how a computer operates. All I want to do is turn it on and it work. Someone recently asked me what operating system I had. I replied that I had a Windows PMS31. It got a big laugh. What is so strange about this computer is that when the house is warm, it will generally come on the first time. When the house is cold, it takes about five times for it to eventually come on. It freezes in stages. I have what I guess is called a mother board, FATALITY. (?) It is a red screen showing this name before other screens show up. I often get a black screen with a bunch of writing, stating that Windows didn’t come up correctly and I see a bunch of numbers counting down to one and then other windows open up and it is finally booted up. As I said, it is a total mess.

Mark

For what it's worth, I've been following my computer magazine's reviews on the Windows 7 with great interest as I am thinking of either upgrading or buying a new PC. My present PC is a 7 year old 'E Machine which by design is very basic albeit I had several extras added when I bought it.

My understanding is that Microsoft are offering 4 different versions, the first two are NOT COMPATIBLE with Windows XP, the third and fourth versions are. Be aware there is a great price jump between the versions. I am interested in the third version (Windows 7 Professional) and have been quoted from £150-£220, however I was in Tescos yesterday and they have it for around £77.00 and yes! it is the genuine version.

I agree with Bill, it is better to go to a shop rather than the net, if only to read the specifications on the boxes, where it is clearly stated which versions are compatible with the XP Home.

Finally, my computer magazine also rates this new Microsoft system very highly. It also states that Microsoft have been working closely with printer manufacturers this time, in order to avoid the chaos caused when Vista was launched.

Hope this information helps.

Audrey

[This message has been edited by Audrey Turner (edited 12-01-2009).]

Since the beginning of August I run Windows 7 Ultima and it is very fast. I run the 32-bit version which means that more than 3GB on RAM is not addressed so useless, but startup of the PC in approx. 30 sec. Better multitsaking with multimedia applications. But let's be honest I had two blue screens during heavy PC usage (Video editing while music listening or such. And it can also be my PC that is more than three years old.



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Hi Bill (abacus)

Thanks for the rundown on Windows 7, it looks promising. Do you run any of the Panasonic software and drivers, if so, are there any problems. This would be the only thing to stop me upgrading.

Glen

Fred
I am trying to see if your SD Explorer program will work on my new Dell with Windows 7. I tried to move it from my XP machine, but no luck. Is there any sense in pursuing this ?

Bernie

I will be visiting my friend this evening to see if Song Manager, SD Jukebox and Fred's SDExplorer will work on his PC with Win 7. I'll report back...........

Hi Glen
I do not have any of the Panasonic programs; however I have some programs designed for Win 98 and Win NT which only partly worked in XP, but work sweet as a nut in Windows 7.

Tip for all
When loading a program designed for an old OS, (Usually pre XP) right click the Install Program and select Properties.
Choose the compatibility tab and select the OS it was designed for.
Click apply followed by OK.
Run the install program, which will then load it in compatibility mode, and you should find that most of the older programs will work.
Note:
If you try and install old drivers on a 64 bit system, then it most likely won’t work as the older drivers were not designed for a 64 bit system.
Hope this helps

Bill

I know I am showing my computer ignorance, but what is the sense of backing up programs that are already installed. for use on a new pc in case of failure. If I save an executable file, fine, I can supply the PIN # or whatever, and intall it again. OTOH, I find a saved app is always missing a DLL or .ex file.

Bernie

Re: Windows 7 compatibility - I had to abandon my visit to my friend last night but hope to do so tomorrow evening.......

Well, there's good news and bad news !

Using the compatibility facility, in both Windows 7 and Vista, Fred's SD_Explorer, SD Jukebox and the Panasonic Recorder all work OK. However, although I could Backup and Restore SD Card data using Song Manager and play audio files on a PC through the KN7000 sound system (as normal), I could not carry out Technics or MIDI files transfers via the USB link. This would be important to me since I normally always carry out file transfers this way, rather than using floppy disk. When I get time and my friend's PC is available, I'll try to investigate the problem further.
I was using the Home Premium 32 Bit version of Windows 7 on a Dual Core Processor PC and Vista Home Premium 32 Bit version, for the tests.

Hi, SDExplorer works with Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7.



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Hi Bill

Not exactly what I was hoping to hear but as you say there is still some good news in there. I see you was using the Home Premium version of Win 7. Apparently Win 7 Professional and above has a downloadable Windows XP Mode that is in addition to the XP compatibility mode. There is still some hope there.

Thanks for your report

Glen

That's good news Fred. I wrote you privately.

Thanks to Fred, I am back in business. I appreciate the support after all this time.