SolidWorks and Vista

It's not something I want to do but our company are migrating to
Vista,

Anyone know which version of Vista for Solidworks?

Kev

 

Reading some of the IT online articles, I also see that a lot of
businesses are simply waiting for the official Vista SP1 which is
obviously in Beta release right now. What I've read indicates no
fixed time for the final public release, but given the issues involved
in moving to essentially a new major OS release, I think I will wait
until the dust settles on SP1 for a few months before I would ever
move a lot of computers to Vista.

For one recent comment on what is coming:

http://apcmag.com/6929/vista_sp1_in_depth

Bo

 

We are a small company and will not necessarily be migrated to Vista
Business , some users are getting Vista Home Premium so, does anyone
know the pro's and con's of either?

Kev

 

you might also be interested in which version of sw.

http://www.solidworks.com/pages/services/SystemRequirements.html

 

I guess one of the major differences is a 32Bit versus a 64Bit
operating system

I've not used SWX 64 bit version, is the performance any different
assuming the only difference in PC spec is the OS

Kev

 

A logical question to ask might be if it is right & necessary to
switch such a massive application as SolidWorks and all its
accessories to Vista in the beginning of the rest of the businesses
switch to Vista?

Just as users have noted, 32 bit, 64 bit and how well SolidWorks is up
to the task in Vista is only part of the equation, given the new
Service Pack that is also coming soon for Vista.

Given what I've been through on major upgrades, I think I'ld like to
stay with XP Pro for just a bit longer and keep the overhead time of
the switch to an absolute minimum by waiting for the dust to settle in
the engineering applications & OS.

Bo

 

Do you mean between the business and ultimate editions of Vista or
between versions of SolidWorks?

The business version of Vista should be sufficient for SolidWorks.

I've done two post on moving to Vista you may also find useful.

<a href ="http://www.solidsmack.com/6-major-factors-before-upgrading-
to-vista-and-solidworks-2008/2007-08-02/">6 Factors Before Upgrading
to Vista</a>
and
<a href ="http://www.solidsmack.com/004-what-you-need-to-run-
solidworks-on-vista/2007-05-11/">What you need to run SolidWorks on
Vista</a>

Personally, I'm waiting till SP1.0 from Vista and SolidWorks 2008 is
well out of pre-release.

Josh
www.solidsmack.com

 

Do you mean between the business and ultimate editions of Vista or
between versions of SolidWorks?

The business version of Vista should be sufficient for SolidWorks.

I've done two post on moving to Vista you may also find useful.

http://www.solidsmack.com/6-major-factors-before-upgrading-to-vista-and-solidworks-2008/2007-08-02/
and
http://www.solidsmack.com/004-what-you-need-to-run-solidworks-on-vista/2007-05-11/

Personally, I'm waiting till SP1.0 from Vista and SolidWorks 2008 is
well out of pre-release.

Josh
www.solidsmack.com

 

Spoken like one who has reinstalled things too many times.

Bo

 

This is really a questions that can be most easily answered for both
you and the comany IT person by going to the SW website or asking the
VAR.

According to SW 2008 will run on VISTA. That is all they say.

http://www.solidworks.com/pages/services/SystemRequirements.html

As far as graphics cards go, SW only lists ATI and NVidia and then
only for XP and 2008. Nothing is listed for VISTA.

My conclusion is that SW isn't ready yet. Since you can't run 2007 on
VISTA and 2008 hasn't been released you probably need to stick with XP
for another six months to a year.

TOP

 

I've heard that SW only runs in software ogl mode on vista. There is
absolutely no reason to move to vista now or in the near future. 64 bit
SW for vista doesn't work yet either from what I've heard. You can still
get computers with XP on them. If you go to vista you've got to double
the ram just for the os! You regularly see consumer grade pcs now with 1
GB ram just to run all the crap in vista you'll turn off anyway.

microsoft is trying to force technical computing into adopting directx
instead of ogl. dirtyrottensonsobs. perfect time for someone with a
great idea for an alternative os to strike while people are pissed at
microsoft.

SW isn't ready because none of the video drivers are ready because MS
isn't playing nice.

The last couple of new cad systems run on directx - alibre, spaceclaim,
and even inventor is partially written for dx rather than ogl.

This is exactly when you need a linux or mac solution to pop out of the
earth fully formed and stable.

Daisy

 

So, does this mean that if I go out and buy a new Dell M90 (or i guess
any new PC) wthat comes with Vista pre installed Solidworks will not
run and I should also buy XP Pro and re-config before use?

Kev

 

IIRC SW 2007 doesn't work on VISTA. Some on the NG have done it, but
in compatibility mode. If you are like me and wait to install the
latest version of SW you will be on XP for another year at least.

What surprises me is the lack of graphics drivers, video card
information, etc. for SW2008 and VISTA. Like I said, check with your
VAR.

TOP

 

XP is still available on the M90. Last I heard, MS was going to stop
issuing OEM XP licences at the end of the year. Hopefully, with enough
demand, that will get extended. Or at least, Vista SP1 will make it a
worthwhile OS, and everyone will be on SW2008 with proper driver support.

 

MS is readying SP3 for XP Pro, so you know they are going to be forced
to keep it going longer than they admit. Too many businesses don't
want to switch.

Bo

 

MS is readying SP3 for XP Pro, so you know they are going to be forced

Interesting. I hadn't heard about XP SP3 yet. I wonder why any business
would install Vista, then.

 

A quick search of Google on "Win XP Pro SP 3" will get a bunch of
hits. Supposedly due in final release form early 2008?

Bo

 

The latest readme notes say to consult the hardware manufacturers for
OpenGL drivers.

ATI/AMD has finally released Vista OpenGL drivers for the FireGL
series.

nVidia continues to update their Vista drivers for the Quadro series.
Latest version is dated August 7.

While not certified for SW yet, they should work. Haven't seen any
benchmarks actually showing performance under Vista with the new
drivers.

Not sure of the status of any mobile drivers.

Finally, only 32-bit versions of Vista Business and Ultimate are
supported - though as native applications and not in compatibility
mode.

FYI - DirectX drivers for CAD (e.g., Inventor, 3DS) are a mixed bag.
They appear to offer great performance for small datasets, but are
terrible for large assemblies.