Operating System vista or xp (1 Viewer)

[erron]

running media portal on an older PC which needs a cpu upgrade to run 720p (working on that) but my question is, if i intend to ONLY use this pc for media portal and internet explorer (and maybe the occassional older flight sim) is it worth sticking with 32 bit xp with sp3 or putting vista on this htpc? will it make much difference to media portal performance? keep in mind that the hardware is 64 bit compatible.

 

[woddog]

I initially used Vista 32 for my dedicated HTPC, then went to XP pro 32 because I found Vista took too long to boot and I thought is was overkill for a HTPC.

I found XP to be a little quicker to boot but I found that I could never get video to playback properly. Stuttering and tearing etc. It was minor really but annoying nonetheless.

I have since moved back to Vista ultimate and have disabled a ton of services etc to make it boot quicker. Vista just seems to work better for me and my hardware setup. System specs in my avatar.

 

[aidbish]

Vista for me
PQ is much better using EVR. no stuttering or anything after the move

 

[Cressari]

Hoi erron

I tried both, Vista 32bit Ultimate and XP Prof SP3. On my System Vista runs much better with MP. Better Quality of Movies and Live-TV using EVR without Problems.

 

[hoborg]

I am voting for XP SP3 (WINDOWS XP Professional SP3 Corporate February 2009 Genuine Sata)
No problem at all.

 

[happy]

personally if your hardware can handle vista nciely then use vista as in the long run it seems to have less problems with MP, i used to get error after error with xp but sicne i started using vista everything runs sweet

 

[Owlsroost]

I'm with the Vista group (and it works fine on the Home Basic version, provided you choose the 'Vista Standard' desktop color scheme - this enables the 'desktop composition' mode).

Tony

 

[Skalp]

I'm with Windows XP SP3 32bits after a Windows Vista 32 Test. Vista is better for Blu-Ray 2.0 (no bug with PowerDvD 7.3 or 9.0) but with anyDvD HD, XP is really nice. I haven't any problems for the moment.

 

[FantaXP7]

Has anyone here tried Vista Blitz? It's a custom version that someone made specifically for htpc use and gaming.

Here's the info I found on it:

Vista Blitz Ultimate SP1 - HTPC - Gaming OS
After trying various other versions of ripped Vista OS under 1GB, I was dissapointed to find no supprot for Printers, also Windows Media Centre was removed and no sidebar. So I decided to build the Ultimate gaming and HTPC Vista with everything you need with out the bloated Vista junk, I personally have used this version for several months with no issues and really solid, super fast and light on the resources.
Ultimate gaming and HTPC vista, super fast and reliable, increased speed while gaming and general PC use. After install download updates and install, turn off auto updates, then use vista activator supplied in rar file.

This version includes the following important items:
Only 780mb ISO
Intergrated SP1 into OS (not an add on)
Windows dream scene
Aero theme
Windows media centre (full support for TV tuners with your own drivers)
Windows sidebar
System restore
Printer support
All hardware support
More than %50 reduced memory used by Vista
Minmum 265mb ram required only
Only 2.4GB hard drive space required for install
Super fast install time, 10-15 minutes
Can be installed only from bootable DVD, no manual install option available.

Removed items.....

Accessories:
Accessibility
Disk Clean up
Games
Mobility centre
Paint
Speech support
Welcome centre

Drivers:
Display adapters
Printer drivers (support for printers still available with your own drivers)
Sound controllers (download your own drivers)
TV tuners (support for tuners still available)

Language packs removed (English only left)

Multimedia:
Intel indeo
Movie and DVD maker
Music and Video samples
Shell event sounds
Windows photo viewer
Windows calendar

Hardware support:
Smartcards
Fax support

Network:
File and print sharing
Windows firewall
Windows mail
Internet information services
Windows callobration

Services:
Offline files
Computer browser
Remote access
Remote registry
Wallpapers
Error reporting
Microsoft DFS replication

System:
Digital locker
Manual install (boot OS from disc only)
Parental controls
Windows easy transfer
Tablet PC
Windows defender
Disk defragmenter
Help
Microsoft Agent
Natural language
Security centre
Sync centre
Windows back up
Windows SAT
Zip folder

Installation instructions.
Burn Iso to DVD (with free app IMGBURN)
Restart PC with DVD in drive
Instal from booting into the DVD only
No manual install or upgrade option available.

It sounds cool, and if you use your own serial it might work nicely.

 

[Skalp]

Lot of custom Vista (and XP) are "vlited". If you use them you can't install a new Service Pack but you can do regular updates.