Does Windows 7 RC currently have Wireless Support

[DEATH eVADER]

The question is in the title

I have a Belkin F5D8053c wireless adapter that I am trying to use with the Windows 7 RC (x64).

Problem is when I try to install drivers, it comes to a point where it seems as though the drivers have been installed. Then when you click finish on the driver installation program, a speech bubble along the taskbar tells me the drivers haven't been installed properly, and I cannot locate any networks. Sure enough when I check the /Program Files(x86)/Belkin folder, it indicates that part of the WinXP(x86) drivers have been installed.

But the installation CD had drivers for both Vista(x86) and Vista(x64). Should the Vista drivers be working on Win7?

I have even tried the latest drivers for this particular adapter with no effect.

Other than this small glitch that I can't seem to fix, I'm having a fun time looking at all the new features, and the games that I've tried so far seem to be working (Only Fallout 3 and Oblvion so far)

 

[AtomicSpark]

It works with my Intel 4965 wireless card. You have a USB adapter yes? USB wireless adapters always seem to have problems. Stop buying them.

Some Vista drivers don't seem to work with Windows 7. I couldn't install my G15 software/drivers. Probably uses some kind of silly OS detection.

 

[Kyorisu]

I couldn't install my G15 software/drivers. Probably uses some kind of silly OS detection.

Sounds like ini hacking time.

 

[Viperidae]

My Intel wireless Vista 64 drivers work fine on my laptop's 5100 card. In fact, all the XP/Vista drivers for my Lenovo work... bad luck maybe?

 

[DEATH eVADER]

I had contacted Belkin, and their response was they don't have any Win7 drivers at the current time. Looks like I'm going to have to stick with Vista for a little while longer

 

[PimpinPenguin]

I had contacted Belkin, and their response was they don't have any Win7 drivers at the current time. Looks like I'm going to have to stick with Vista for a little while longer

They won't do until it hits RTM which should be in a few weeks. Most Manufacturers don't bother making drivers when it's still in the Beta/RC phase.

 

[VirusType2]

What happens to your installation [and data] when the Release Candidate expires!

 

[PimpinPenguin]

What happens to your installation [and data] when the Release Candidate expires!

On the 1st of March it will start to shutdown every 2 hours then on the 1st of June it won't boot at all. All your data will be safe, but it's recommended you install a licensed version of Windows before the June deadline because you can't upgrade from RC to Final or downgrade to Vista. You must do a clean install.

 

[Viperidae]

On the 1st of March it will start to shutdown every 2 hours then on the 1st of June it won't boot at all. All your data will be safe, but it's recommended you install a licensed version of Windows before the June deadline because you can't upgrade from RC to Final or downgrade to Vista. You must do a clean install.

I get the feeling (and hope) they'll have an upgrade option. They're already trying to retrofix the RC to be an upgrade over the Beta, so I see them going in this direction. It would make it a lot more convenient.

 

[Chris D]

My Broadcom Wireless LAN PCI adapter works on both Win7 x64 and x86 straight outta the box.

 

[PimpinPenguin]

I get the feeling (and hope) they'll have an upgrade option. They're already trying to retrofix the RC to be an upgrade over the Beta, so I see them going in this direction. It would make it a lot more convenient.

You can force it with a couple of tweaks but it is strongly recommended by Microsoft that you don't. It's never good to install a complete version over an incomplete version. Some people attempted that with the Beta to RC and it expired when the beta version expired proving that it didn't fully upgrade. Microsoft have said that they will not support any RC to final upgrade. Just suck it up and clean install.

 

[AtomicSpark]

I get the feeling (and hope) they'll have an upgrade option. They're already trying to retrofix the RC to be an upgrade over the Beta, so I see them going in this direction. It would make it a lot more convenient.

Good luck with that. Last I heard they don't even have an upgrade from XP.

 

[DreamThrall]

Honestly, would you really *want* to upgrade from a 10-year-old OS to a brand new OS, with all the cruft you've accumulated over the years? I'd rather have Microsoft spend their time making the OS itself better than running over all the crazy use cases they'd have to cover to make sure that would work for everyone.

 

[AtomicSpark]

I wasn't giving an opinion on the matter. I was stating a fact. I for one am a man who always does fresh installs. It's why I keep /home, /usr/local, and /opt on separate partitions, so I can just install around them.

Now I'm not sure what mindset Microsoft is currently in. For the longest time they worried about backwards compatibility. This makes sense because most of their profit comes from business licensing and not home users. Businesses dont like change. Change costs them money. Vista, love it or hate it, was a pretty big evolutionary step for Windows. Windows 7 just improves on this.

 

[Krynn72]

I for one am a man who buys a new hard drive every time I want to reinstall my OS. Keep it simple.

 

[Viperidae]

You can force it with a couple of tweaks but it is strongly recommended by Microsoft that you don't

Um. http://blogs.msdn.com/e7/archive/2009/04/07/delivering-a-quality-upgrade-experience.aspx

I would hardly say they're 'strongly recommending' against it. The existence of that post alone suggests they're considering implementing it in the future. Especially when they acknowledge that it's a pain to reinstall after every version.

Microsoft have said that they will not support any RC to final upgrade.

Sources?

Good luck with that. Last I heard they don't even have an upgrade from XP.

How is upgrading from two completely different platforms even slightly comparable to upgrading from one version of an OS to another.

 

[AtomicSpark]

I was making a point that if it's not convenient with them, they wont bother. Why waste developer time and money creating a special upgrade system for the release candidate when only a handful (in comparison) of people would want it?

 

[PimpinPenguin]

Um. http://blogs.msdn.com/e7/archive/2009/04/07/delivering-a-quality-upgrade-experience.aspx

I would hardly say they're 'strongly recommending' against it. The existence of that post alone suggests they're considering implementing it in the future. Especially when they acknowledge that it's a pain to reinstall after every version.
.

As a result, we want to encourage you to revert to a Vista image and upgrade or to do a clean install, rather than upgrade the existing Beta. We know that means reinstalling, recustomizing, reconfiguring, and so on. That is a real pain. The reality is that upgrading from one pre-release build to another is not a scenario we want to focus on because it is not something real-world customers will experience. During development we introduce changes in the product (under the hood) that aren’t always compatible with what we call “build-to-build” upgrade. The supported upgrade scenario is from Windows Vista to Windows 7.

I got that from your link. As i said Microsoft won't support RC to final upgrade however they will allow you to tweak the install to force it. I've seen the pre RTM version which is due to finish in a week or so and it does not allow RC to final upgrade i've tried.

 

[Viperidae]

Can I have a link to this version? Or is this some industry dev release?

 

[PimpinPenguin]

Can I have a link to this version? Or is this some industry dev release?

Which one the RTM version? The RTM version is the Release to Manufacturing and is the final copy so you must either be a partner or download it of Torrent.

 

[Kadayi]

I get the feeling (and hope) they'll have an upgrade option. They're already trying to retrofix the RC to be an upgrade over the Beta, so I see them going in this direction. It would make it a lot more convenient.

This.

I'm enjoying Win 7 RC, but another complete reinstall would be a complete fag come October.

 

[Iced_Eagle]

This.

I'm enjoying Win 7 RC, but another complete reinstall would be a complete fag come October.

I'm sure there will be people who find "workarounds", but it will not be officially supported.

Think about how much time, money, and effort has to go in to testing these "official" upgrade scenarios, and for what? The one time scenario of people upgrading from a pre-release build? There's a lot better scenarios where MS can spend those resources, especially since very soon after RTM releases, this won't even be a valid scenario anymore (because who would install the RC anymore?)

Anyone who installed an early, preview build knew what they were getting into. Yes, it's sort of a pain. But back up your files, format your drive, and do a clean install. Who knows what sort of weird bugs and glitches that may occur if you try to "upgrade" RC to RTM? Not worth it in my opinion, especially when it just takes a couple of hours for me to get my machine completely set up with all of the essential programs I need.