upgrade to VISTA- to games need to be reinstalled?

[Prew]

If I upgrade XP to VISTA (without a clean install) will games like Crysis and Bioshock automatically detect and upgrade the Video to DX10? I assume the games will do this, but who knows with Windows.

[pam123]

In theory yes, in practice a clean install is always a better bet.
Even if the games make the switch there are other things that likely won't.

edit : You can use the Vista upgrade disk for a clean install, the trick is that you do it twice.
The first time without the cd key and the second time with the cd key.

[Ahura]

Do it twice?

[pam123]

Do it twice?

Yes.
You install it the first time without typing in the CD Key, just hit next, then you install over it again and this time type in the CD Key.

[Force Flow]

Interesting...haven't heard about that one yet, Pam. Out of curiosity, what does it do?

[pam123]

Interesting...haven't heard about that one yet, Pam. Out of curiosity, what does it do?

When the guys at Redmond were insisting that you couldn't install the upgrade without having XP installed first it turns out that they'd left a back door that they couldn't/wouldn't close ( I will refrain from commenting on the idiocy this showed and on its total unnecessary-ness. ).

Full report here : http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/winvista_upgrade_clean.asp


Before you ask, no it hasn't changed.

[Force Flow]

ahh...now that you mention that, I do recall it seeing that mentioned. Didn't pay much attention to it the first time around since it was vista-related news :p

Thanks :)

[Prew]

I upgraded to a video card that supports DX10 and was wondering if it made much of a difference. If not, I will revert back to XP- having tried Vista before and having major problems with it. Thanks for the tip- the method you mention will be much more efficient that doing a clean install of XP, upgrading to SP2, and then installing Vista.

[Force Flow]

What games were you going to use? Some games don't even support DX10, so it those cases, it wouldn't improve anything.

So far as I've seen, DX10 only improves the eye candy subtlely. Nothing too dramatic as of yet. (though there are DX10-only games out there, such as Halo, which can't be played on XP because DX10 can't be installed on XP :()

[Prew]

I installed VISTA using the two install method and it worked as described by Pam123. Thanks for the tip- it was easier and quicker than installing XP and then SP2 first.

I cannot tell much difference with DX10 in Crysis or CoD4- I think to detect the difference you need to have videos or pics with DX9 and DX10 side by side (sort of like the difference between 1080i and 1080p- not much difference). The two games I am playing now TF2 and Age of Conan do not support DX10.

Given these results I will probably go back to XP as I always have trouble with VISTA (for instance, I am now getting stuttering and lag in TF2 with my Linksys wireless adapter with Vista.)

[liambl]

You would never see an improvement in COD4, it doesn't support DX10. As far as I'm aware, only Crysis, World in Conflict, Gears of War, Assassins Creed and Halo for Windows have DX10 support.