Time for Server upgrade - best Windows OS?

[Scriber]

My current Server (6+ yr old Willamette-class box running XP) is due for an replacement and I'm wondering about my next Server OS. I have access to most of the current windows client and server OSes so that's not an issue; however, my "new" HW is still low end (Prescott-class CPU; recording via HVR 1600 using SVid and OTA HD; 1TB USB drive/.5TB internal drive exclusively for recordings ).

My Server mostly serves my HD100 and a single SageClient but several times a week I use the Server to watch recorded/live SD TV for short periods when I'm in the basement. My first choice was WHS but apparently that's not very friendly for use to watching TV (I may still run this on another of my antique's tho). My next choice is to run W7 but I do wonder if I there's still a good case to just stick w/XP to avoid any headaches.

Don't really want to go thru the whole hw upgrade process twice so wondered what the rest of you who are more educated in all things Sage think? TIA.

[Fuzzy]

Honestly, I'd stick with either XP or WHS. Sine you plan to use at for playback as well, WHS is pretty much out.

There are advantages to using Win7, but mostly they are for playback related. For your limited playback needs, I'd just stick to 'good 'ol xp'.

[sainswor99]

If serving SageTV is all you use it for, then Fuzzy is correct: WinXP or WHS. Honestly, though, WinXP is slated for non-support (and that will probably happen as soon as Win7 is released for netbooks), so if it were me, I'd probably install WHS, and do my watching on another machine w/Placeshifter.

Stu

[Lucas]

I 'd stick with XP. I did when I upgraded my server a few months ago.

Very stable and reliable drivers.

When and if Win 7 proves that it can be as reliable and has good enough drivers for legacy and current hardware in a year's or so time, then it's a an easy job to migrate.

[Clift]

Originally Posted by Lucas

I 'd stick with XP. I did when I upgraded my server a few months ago.

Very stable and reliable drivers.

When and if Win 7 proves that it can be as reliable and has good enough drivers for legacy and current hardware in a year's or so time, then it's a an easy job to migrate.

The migration to Windows 7 is not as easy as you think. In order to upgrade from XP to W7 you have to do a full re-install.

[Yooper]

I'll put my two cents in for Vista and the soon to arrive Win7. I originally had SageTV installed on a WinXP system. But my hard drive failed about a year ago so I bought a new hard drive and installed Vista. It has worked very well for me - a lot less re-boots than XP.

Now I have the additional bonus of doing an upgrade to Win7 rather than a complete new install.

I think Microsoft will be in a very good position with their Win 7 OS. With Vista they rewrote the kernel and added a lot of bells and whistles. But they didn't do a very good job with the GUI. With Win7 the GUI is redone.

I think they will be in an even better position than Apple.

[davephan]

Maybe you should get a HD-200 for the second TV, then you could use WHS. The drive pool is nice with WHS, but the downside to WHS is recovering WHS itself, when you need to recover.

Windows XP is very quick and easy to recover with an image.

Dave

[Lucas]

Originally Posted by Clift

The migration to Windows 7 is not as easy as you think. In order to upgrade from XP to W7 you have to do a full re-install.

Yes, I know.

Even if an upgrade of Win 7 over XP was feasible I would not do it.

I believe that the clean install is the best option for this.

As is said I went through the process a few months ago.

All in all my server was down for 3 hours.
During that time:

1. Installed the new mobo/cpu/ram in new server case.
2. Switched off-old server.
3. Moved disks and tuners to new server and finished hardware build.

The above took about 1.5 hours

4. Install WinXP OS SP2 from scratch.
5. Installed critical software.drivers and sageTV
6. Install sageTV and move old sagetv dir tree over.
7. test sagetv and take an image of boot drive just in case.

4-7 took another 1.5 hours.

I started at 6am. Finished by 9am when kids woke up and the system was ready for their use.

The important thing is to prepare beforehand by noting what software you have to install, download/have ready all software to install and prepare a checklist of things to do. This took a couple of hours to prepare and review over time to make sure nothing is forgotten.

I expect that setting up Windows 7 on the same hardware will take a couple of hours. I would start with a brand new disk and have the option to revert back to the XP boot disk if the attempt is not successful.

[valnar]

Originally Posted by Scriber

I have access to most of the current windows client and server OSes so that's not an issue

Then I recommend XP or Windows 2003 Server for a zero-problem install. Although as a playback client, XP would be better.

Vista and Win7 can work, but there are workarounds for a variety of issues, the least of which is driver support for tuners.

[stevech]

XP Pro without users' email/web surfing

[davephan]

Windows XP might be your best choice. You will see a drastic performance increase upgrading from a computer that is six years old.

I am also going to be upgrading. I'll probably stay with XP Pro, but I could change to Vista Utimate if there was a chance it could improve performance.

I have a E6850 3.0 gig dual core, and want to go to a quad. I am thinking of either a I7-950 3.06 gig quad or a Q9650 3.0 gig quad. The cost is quite a bit more going to go to I7.

Dave

[Taddeusz]

Depends on your needs but I would say XP Pro, Windows Home Server or wait for Windows 7. At this point Vista should be crossed off everyone's list. I've been running Windows 7 RTM on my main computer for the past two weeks and I couldn't be happier. I'm still going to be using XP on my server until SageTV is stable on Win 7.

[stevech]

I've run Win 7 since the beta and RC came out.
It's really true that other than the eye-candy in the UI and a good/practical set of approval-needed for system alterations attempted by new software/scripts, there's zero difference between it and XP. If they'd just make XP do the approval-needed scheme in Win 7, I'd have what I like.

In Win 7, it took me a long time to get folder sharing in a workgroup to work like it did in XP, and be compatible with other XP and SMB computers on the LAN. I have done so, but it's undocumented as if Microsoft wants to use this as another means to force naive people to needlessly purchase upgrades for all PCs to Win 7.

So the eye candy is really the only difference in Win 7, from a user's perspective. A pretty windows desktop UI is irrelevant for an unattended PC running Sage.

[Fuzzy]

headless, sure.. no real need for win7.. however, if you plan on using it as aclient, or server/client combo.. win7 is very superior on the playback front.