Not a fan of Win 7 - will a sager NP9170 accept XP

I'm reallly not happy with Windows 7 can I insatll my XP on a Sager NP9170 on a SSD drive.

Are there any issues with drivers?

 

XP is at the end of life. Modern drivers are dropping support for it, security holes are not being patched, and software is slowing abandoning XP compatibility. Not to mention you can't just go and buy a copy of XP now. The NP9170 might accept XP but you're going to have issues with what I outlined.

What exactly bothers you about W7?

 

Thanks Greg.

What bothers me is just the feel of win7 vs XP. I know unfortunatly of the security holes and such. And is will be faster by using win 7.

I just find the OLD XP faster to use, (Simple menu Layout) simple to use.

I will end up installing the WIN 7 once I revice the laptop.

 

There is no point in getting modern hardware to run an archaic OS. Windows 8 is faster than 7, but i doubt you'll like that. It sounds like a typical case of nostalgia, although I can't see how people can look at something as old as XP anymore.

 

I'd say give W7 a little while to grow on you. Once you're used to the UI I don't see why you couldn't be just as productive as you are with XP. The transition from XP to W7 is going to be a lot less painful than any transition to W8 for sure (I've tried the release preview and find the UI to be clunky).

Try W7 for a while. If you want to go back to XP after that you'll probably want to look into using a virtual machine (XP mode works great for backwards compatibility) to bypass the driver issues.

 

Windows 8 was designed for tablets/touch screens first, and desktops second. They just need a patch to put the traditional home on non touch devices, the UI will be good for tablets though.

 

I'm not too familiar with the NP9170, but I am a fan of XP and run it on all my machines (including ones with 2011 hardware). I've noticed there aren't too many XP users around here anymore, so I'll try to help with what I can.

The SSD itself won't be a problem. XP isn't optimized for SSDs like Windows 7 is, so while it won't get the full benefit of them, it'll still get most of the benefit, and can make a very noticeable difference in the areas SSD excel at. It is recommended to format the SSD with Vista or 7 so that the partitions are better aligned, and accesses are quicker. This is because SSDs use 4096-byte sectors, like a lot of new hard drives, and while Vista recognizes this and aligns its sectors optimally, XP doesn't. I recommend formatting the partitions with Vista/7's install disc, then aborting the installation and installing XP. Or, if the laptop's new, just use the pre-existing partitions. Of SSD vendors, Intel has the best XP support (unlike other vendors, they have XP-specific SSD optimization software), but you probably won't get a choice, and any vendors' SSD will work.

For drivers, I recommend starting up the laptop with Win7 once you get it (if that's what it comes with), opening up Device Manager, and recording the exact names of all the components. Perhaps taking a few screenshots, too. That way you'll know what to look for on the Internet. I haven't seen an XP driver page specific to this model, but most of the components (at least the ones you'll really need drivers for) probably do have XP versions.

For video drivers, it looks like there's GeForce5 M ones (nvidia.com) for XP that will probably work, although you'd probably lose the switchable benefits. There are also desktop GeForce 6 ones that would probably work - I've installed a few desktop drivers on my laptop back in the day (though from laptopvideo2go.com in those days). The audio and trackpad drivers might be tougher, you might have to troll Sager's drivers downloads for older models, which might have the same or compatible audio/trackpad hardware. If you choose the Intel 6300 wireless option, there's XP drivers available here at Intel.com.

There is the potential hazard of the GPU eating up a lot of XP 32-bit's RAM. Going XP 64-bit would solve that, but at the cost of a lesser chance of finding compatible drivers. It's hard to say which side of that coin is better. Even with a desktop with largely 64-bit compatible hardware, I've sometimes wondered if 32-bit would have been a better choice (also in part due to software compatibility, some of which would have affected 7 64-bit, too).

There might be a few things that aren't readily possible to find drivers for. On my XP 64-bit build last December, there were a couple integrated components I couldn't find drivers for - Intel's Trusted Platform Module, which I wouldn't want anyway, and some other mystery component that I haven't missed. On my 2007 laptop, I didn't find modem drivers for XP 64-bit - no big loss - or SD card ones, which was slightly annoying. It's drivers like these that are likely to prove tougher to find.

So, if you can find audio and trackpad drivers, I think it will probably be possible to get XP running on it well. If you prefer XP, it's worth a shot. In the worst case, use the recover disk/partition to go back to factory state. In the best case, Sager will have mostly standard parts in the laptop, and you'll be able to find all the drivers you need. If so, I'd recommend including a list of where you found them here for the sake of whoever comes next.

And once you've got XP running nicely with the hardware, it's smooth sailing. Security holes are being patched (and will be for at least 21 more months... Microsoft says they won't extend support, but they said the same thing about Windows 98 and ended up extending support, so don't take that as the gospel), all major security software supports XP, all browsers except IE support XP in their latest versions, and unless you have your heart set on playing Battlefield 3, software that doesn't support XP is the exception. If you have old software in addition to new software, XP 32-bit is probably still the most compatible OS out there. This will change eventually, but if what you care about is what you want now, and you're willing to re-evaluate in a couple years... there's no reason to be concerned about software support for XP. You aren't a business, you can upgrade when you want later if circumstances change.

Greg's right in that Win7 might grow on you. But having used Win7 at work for almost a year, I can say that it's possible that you might still prefer XP. Yes, Win7's ubiquitous search bars are nice. And sometimes, breadcrumbs in Explorer are better than an up button (though not always, sometimes XP's up button wins). But sometimes XP's start menu is actually more efficient with the way its shortcuts work (Win, I will start iTunes if it's the only "I" entry on your main start screen, whereas on Win7 it'll start a slower search). The Control Panel is argurably better arranged, and certainly more familiar. IMO the My Documents structure is better than the Documents/Pictures/etc. libraries, although if I spent lots of times arranging libraries perhaps it wouldn't be. The XP power toys work on XP (32-bit only) and aren't all present in Win7. Some explorer extensions work in Win XP but not 7 (I miss Taskix in Win7, Win7's defaults just aren't as good). And I absolutely wouldn't use Win7 with UAC enabled on one of my own systems, even at the weakest setting. I'm constantly fighting Group Policy to keep it off at work (with what I do, I encounter it all the time if it's on at all), and am happy to not be able to turn it on at all. I like that XP stays out of my way and lets me do what I want to, in a way that Vista and Win7 don't so much. And that's not even counting software/hardware issues with Vista/7 that hopefully wouldn't affect you. So, I understand wanting to stick with XP.

 

If you're running XP on an SSD make sure that the disk defragmenter never runs on it. XP is not aware that SSDs exist and defragmenting an SSD will shorten it's life and not improve performance (because random reads are often as fast as sequential reads).

I should warn you that XP will run slower than Windows 7 on recent hardware and if you're a gamer it won't support DirectX 10 or later. New software is also beginning to dump support for XP so I really wouldn't recommend downgrading.

If you're mostly interested in the theme being grey you can switch Windows 7 to the "Windows Classic" theme and switch the control panel to classic view.

 

I agree with Greg here, give windows 7 it's chance and really use it. It will require some adaptation, but you most likely will not miss XP once you'reused to 7.

I for one cannot go back to using a XP computer without going through a few annoyances. Windows 7 does some things better. Changing the settings for network connections in XP is a real pain to deal with, no search bar in the start menu, no programs pinned to the taskbar, etc. It isn't perfect and i did prefer the old control panel form xp, but just switch the one in 7 to classic layout and it'll be close enough.

 

I don't especially like how Windows 7 groups windows in the taskbar into icons, so I turned that off to essentially get a more polished version of the Vista and XP taskbar. If you like, you can go a step further and enable the classic theme as well.

Another downside to XP is the much lower battery life you'll get out of modern computers.

 

How long have you tried to use W7 for and which version of W7 are you referring to? I myself was long time users of XP but with it reaching the end of life usage and support I had to make a hard choice grow or dwindle. W7 may not be the best of all worlds but trust me if you tried Vista(bloat) and then W7 you will see a clear change and better interface. Also as other have said if you plan on playing games as a Sager can do you will have problem let alone video and system performance will take a big hit. Also I doubt sager will give support for XP or will their components hardware pieces will give support or have software drivers from each of their sites that would work. XP was a very good O/S for what it did but with it leaving the scene and security and holes not patched your inviting yourself to malware and virus that will exploit those flaws regardless how good a A/V or malware you have they will break through and by the time you release it your computer will become a part of a botnet or zombie terminal. If that doesn't scare can you enough just imagine your computer asking your personal info or bank accounts and transferring those info to the hackers waiting to get it or not even asking and as you access your personal email or bank account those information will be transmitted to them to use and sell to the highest bidders.

That would be the extreme but for me that isn't to far fetch they are looking for users with outdated O/S to hit with the malware. And if your going to go with XP consider yourself a prime candidate for them to go for.

 

Thank-you all. Looks like I'll make my life simpler an install Win 7. Staying with XP does not seem like viable option anymore.


I come form the world of DOS and have seen all the MS migrations. But the last 2 versions Vista and WIN 7 just don't do it form me - Maybe WIN 9 will be better, As WIN 8 looks like it's going to be bulky as well.

The OS should be lite in the background and fully secured. Then let the various apps be that ones to sit on top of the OS for confuguability of components.

In any case I thank-you all for you advise and comments.

 

Windows 8 is actually lighter than Vista and 7, due to all of the enhancements and optimizations that were needed to get it to run on ARM.

As for XP, what's the point in getting a high-end gaming laptop and pairing it with a 32-bit OS that can't even make use of the hardware? DirectX aside, you're looking at somewhere from 2 GB down to zero accessible system RAM, depending on which GPU you got.

 

Indeed it is, some interface choices are questionable, but the OS itself is surprisingly smooth and light.

 

Windows 7 is years ahead of Xp , it`s much easier to use and fix problems , and if you play games, Xp supports only directx 9.0 and below.

Just give it a few weeks you will get to love it.

John.

 

You know you can change the theme in Windows 7 to "classic" mode to make it look like XP. The Windows 7 explorer is also customizable... all it takes is some time playing with it to get it how you like.

 

cough*linux*cough

 

I was very hesitant to switch to Windows 7 for a very long time but I can now say it has been the best Microsoft OS for me using it at home and at work.

My productivity has greatly improved at work since I switched.

The first thing I did/do on a Windows 7 install is install this

Welcome to Classic Shell

I also do a few tweaks as mentioned above like disabling taskbar grouping etc.

 

Linux is not a direct substitute for Windows as far as many users are concerned.

 

Thanks

Has anuone else tried this application the "Welcome to Classic Shell" that ray4jc recomended?

 

Windows 7 has windows classic shell look if you want it even without additional plug ins... just the buttons arent all in the same spot.lol

I started using PCs at DOS 4 or 5 (I dont remember exactly I was like 3 when I started) and I'm only 25 years old now. Windows has been pretty consistent in the layout of the OS for quite awhile. Win7 is very easy to pick up, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

Note: I failed to explicitly mention it below, but I wouldn't recommend staying with XP either. The battery life is probably horrible, it won't support more than 4GB of RAM. I'm doing it for specific reasons, but I go into it knowing that it will be alot of work and there will probably be lots of things that don't work correctly.

I'll be installing XP on my 9170 when it arrives, primarily for older games, but also just for the challenge of seeing if I can get it to work. Here's what I know about getting XP to run on newer hardware:

The test patient was my old Google CR-48. I was tired of running ChromeOS and I didn't have any more Win7 licenses, so WinXP was my only choice besides Linux.

The first problem I ran into, was SATA drivers. I didn't want to switch from AHCI to IDE mode, so I had to slipstream SATA drivers onto the disk. It was a royal pain because it took me a while to find the right drivers but then...

I realized that it is almost impossible to install XP from a bootable USB disk. I literally wasted hours on thring to get it to work. After I gave up, it took me a few hours more to track down an external CD drive because I didn't own one at the time.

Once I got XP installed, it was time to play hide and seek looking for hardware drivers. As others have stated, it becomes increasingly harder and harder to find working drivers for all your peripherals. Plus, don't forget that you need a working network connection to download drivers, so if you don't have another computer and a USB drive, then you're kinda stuck.

So I ended up finding 85-90% of the drivers, but then, I ran into the final problem that made me give up and install Linux:

There was no way for me to dim the screen. XP doesn't have built-in support for dimming laptop screens like Win7, so after literally hours of searching off and on, I decided that I had been beaten. I wasn't willing to have my eyes burned out by the screen just to run Win XP. Challenge: Failed!

Having said all that, I plan to give it another go with the 9170 in the hopes that there might be older Clevo utility software out there that might work for my screen issue. I'm planning on Booting XP, Windows 8 Preview, Peppermint OS, and Mountain Lion

If I can get XP working, I'll update this thread with details in case anyone else wants to give it a try.

 

Most any older game that runs on XP will run with, at worst, minimal fiddling on Windows 7.

 

Here is why i still have win 7.

All My desktop internet shortcut icons suddenly chaged to a globe.

I have tried everthing. ie delete and re-creat the shortcut- reboot, create a new shortcut etc. they all appear as a globe.

How can i get this fixed?

 

OOPS I meant "Why i still HATE Win 7"

 

Here's my most recent candidate. I tried figuring it out and I can't. I'm not going to play a story driven game without being able to see the cutscenes.

If you can figure out how to get the cutscenes working in Win7 64, I'd appreciate some tips

There's also F.E.A.R. It has a bug with being unable to maintain a stable framerate when using USB devices in Windows 7.

There's probably a handful more, but those are the only two I can think of right now.

As for the icon problem, I have absolutely no idea. I'd suggest retracing your steps to see if you can figure out what happened.

 

A globe...? I can assure you that that isn't a common W7 issue, so a screen capture would help. You can try force-rebuilding the icon cache.

 

This might be relevant to the discussion at hand. I was able to get XP installed on my NP9170. I created a guide here.

 

This is what I was going to say. Win 7 is quite customizable and can make it look and act a lot like XP. I wasn't a big fan of Win 7 at first, mainly because Vista left a horrible taste in my mouth, but after using it for a couple weeks extensively I loved it. Still do. I like Win 8 for its system responsiveness, but the Metro UI needs to go away completely for desktop machines.

 

I'm running it on windows 8 at the moment.

 

It was already brought up in the thread you linked, though it's not an ideal solution: Run XP in a virtual machine. If you have W7 Professional or Ultimate, you can use the built-in XP mode capability. Otherwise you can use something like VirtualBox.

Some solutions have also been offered in the Steam forum for this game. Check there.

This was an issue with Logitech G-Series mice, not Windows 7 specifically. I use an MX518 with no drivers and never had a problem across multiple machines.