There was something about being limited to number of installs with the OEM disc but i think it's a bologna. X360PS3AMD05

I'm currently running XP - it was installed when I bought a pre-made rig from Ibuypower or whatever it's called (yeah, those were the dark days before I learned to build my own). I've pretty much gutted the thing except for HDD and subsequently OS. Now, I'm going to make the upgrade to Vista. Here are a few questions:

1, I'm not certain, but I think my XP disc is toast. I tried loading it onto my Macbook Pro to use with Parallels and continually got an error preventing me to finish the install. I'm pretty sure that it's the disc (I previously had the same version of XP loaded on that laptop, but my HDD fried and I had to reinstall, so please don't come at me with any Mac hate - I'm sure that's not the case).

If the disc is toast, will I still be able to use the upgrade version of Vista? I didn't know if I would need it (the disc) for anything. My serial numbers are still good, I'm sure, and I have those, but I didn't know if, for any reason, I would need to validate or some other business using the original XP disc.

2. If I would need to buy the full version of Vista (not the upgrade), what is the downside to buying the OEM System Builders version from NewEgg? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488

Since it's so cheap, I'm guessing there has to be a downside. If there is (or isn't), does anyone recommend that?

That's all for now. Thanks in advance for your help! 

(Edits for grammar) 

Hey everybody - I just was wondering if anyone could help me with a question I have. I'm going to get a 2nd HDD for my PC, and I'm also thinking about upgrading to Vista soon. First, is it possible/feasible to have XP remaining on my current HDD, and use the new one for only Vista? If so, are there any problems I'd be likely to encounter?

Secondly, is this even an option I should be considering? I mean, I don't know if adding a 2nd hard drive is even smart in the first place. I currently have a 200gb 7200rpm drive that is pretty near full capacity, which is why I'm looking for another. Would it be smarter to just buy a 500gb drive and have only one OS?

Along the way, I guess I just never learned much about hard drives and the options we have with them, so I thought I'd come here to see if anyone could help. 

Add me to the list (if this submission actually succeeds...)

Edit: Yay! 

Also, regarding 32 vs 64 bit architecture, I'm not quite sure how to tell if I can even run a 64 bit version of Vista. On MS's site, it says to check your processor architecture (x86 vs x64), which mine says x86, and according to MS, can't run Vista 64.

I'm a little confused on that, as my CPU is a Q6600... surely the quad-core is capable of running a 64bit OS?

[QUOTE="jazztrumpet5"]

I haven't seen any reasons that clearly say WHY you should go with Vista, though. I guess I'm looking at it from an upgrade standpoint instead of starting new, but I've never seen any reason to jump to Vista other than DX10 which isn't really that well-implemented.

Then, regarding whether to get 32bit or 64bit is a complete mystery to me. A lot of people just say blindly to get 64bit, but WHY?

RayvinAzn

A 32-bit os can only address 2^32 bits of memory, or 4GB. If you want to use more memory than this (remember, that memory also includes Video RAM, cache, and a few other bits Windows takes over, so actual system RAM will be between 3-3.5GB on average) you need to use a 64-bit OS.

Vista is also more adept at using multi-core processors than XP - it was designed after dual-core processors were a distinct possibility for a home user to own, and is more efficient in using them.

It does use up more RAM, but I'm not even sure if I'd call it "using up" RAM - it pre-loads common programs into the RAM so they can be launched faster.

Basically, you can trace your argument all the way back to Windows 3.1 - why bother with Windows XP when 2000 uses half again as much RAM? Why bother with 2000 when 98 was even more efficient?

Let's face it - the vast majority of our hardware upgrades are made because Windows and other operating systems keep getting bigger. Gaming alone isn't going to drive the computer industry. It's time to move on - Windows XP has bred way too much complacency amongst computer users. Hell, I bet a good number of the people on here have never owned their own computer with any operating system other than XP. Of course they're loathe to switch, but it's time to move the hell on already. Personally, I'm glad Microsoft is going back to a 2-3 year development cycle rather than sitting on an honestly mediocre operating system for over a decade.

Rayvin, thanks so much for throwing something out there that puts some substance to the table, other than "just go get it". That's one of the best summaries I've seen, and it definitely helps me see why we buy what we buy. Awesome. 

I haven't seen any reasons that clearly say WHY you should go with Vista, though. I guess I'm looking at it from an upgrade standpoint instead of starting new, but I've never seen any reason to jump to Vista other than DX10 which isn't really that well-implemented.

Then, regarding whether to get 32bit or 64bit is a complete mystery to me. A lot of people just say blindly to get 64bit, but WHY?