When is Autodesk going to stop supporting Windows XP or 32 bit?

[Jason_S]

The reason I ask is our IT department doesn't like Windows Vista or the 64bit version of XP and I am fearful that at some point Autodesk is going to pull the plug on 32 bit and soon after XP.

With Windows 7 coming out shortly and it kind of like Vista I really don't see our IT department adopting it either.

Does anyone have some idea on time frames for Autodesk?

Who all has Vista running with Autodesk products. Any insight that you can share on the transition?

Thank you for the help.

[IT-anchor]

We have used Autodesk 2008-2010 on Vista without much issue. Vista Business runs smooth, very little issues with drivers or printing like I have heard from others.

Windows 7 Beta-RC runs AutoCad 2010 just fine as well. Edited by: IT-Anchoron Aug 28, 2009 7:42 AM

[patrick1256]

I would have to think that it will be quite awhile before they pull the plug on XP and 32 bit - especially with the poor results (sales) of Vista.
For sure thru the current release cycle - which will be thru 2012. And with the current economy, i could see them carry it thru 2015 cycle.

Just my .02 cents worth

Patrick K Johnson
http:\\www.cadenhancement.com

[J.A.Mounteer]

The better question to ask might be how long will Microsoft support XP. I can't see Autodesk dropping XP support before MS announces they will.

If they do, you might just have to suffer through paying the license fee but not updating your Autocad version until your IT department decides it's worth their time to upgrade. In software the tail often wags the dog.

[Anonymous]

On Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:41:53 +0000
J.A.Mounteer <> wrote:

> The better question to ask might be how long will Microsoft support
> XP.

2014 irc

[Anonymous]

What is your server(s) OS? That's usually the reason I.T. departments do not
move to Vista or higher. And that's a bigger deal that most users
appreciate.

Otherwise, if they are running Server2003SP2 or higher, then it is sheer
ignorance and nothing more. So unless you are over them in a management
position, nothing you can do about it.

--
Dean Saadallah
http://LTisACAD.blogspot.com
--

[Jason_S]

They have Windows 2003 with the latest patches and fixes. The servers are 64bit also. That is what I find funny. That is updated but the desktops aren't with no plans to move forward.

[Anonymous]

Then there is no reason not to move to Vista. You need power over them to
change.

--
Dean Saadallah
http://LTisACAD.blogspot.com
--

[patrick1256]

Cost might be a good reason not to

pat

[Anonymous]

No one wastes money putting Vista on old hardware, if they are that strict
to start with... .

--
Dean Saadallah
http://LTisACAD.blogspot.com
--

[Anonymous]

On Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:13:19 +0000, Dean Saadallah
wrote:

>What is your server(s) OS? That's usually the reason I.T. departments do not
>move to Vista or higher. And that's a bigger deal that most users
>appreciate.

Oookay, color me confused. What on EARTH does the server OS have to do with what
OS is on the client end??

I'm running XP, Vista and Windows 7 on a bunch of machines with Linux, Windows
2000, 2003, 2003 R2 and 2008 servers. No problem.

>Dean Saadallah
>http://LTisACAD.blogspot.com
Matt
matt@stachoni.com

[Anonymous]

On Fri, 28 Aug 2009 10:47:05 +0000, caddman13 <> wrote:

>The reason I ask is our IT department doesn't like Windows Vista or the 64bit version of XP and I am fearful that at some point Autodesk is going to pull the plug on 32 bit and soon after XP.

XP x64 is a real orphan of an operating system. It never fully developed into a
serious platform and drivers are hard to come by. Vista x64 is a marked
improvement over XP x64 in that regard, but it's still Vista, so....

Autodesk will continue with 32-bit versions of their applications until there is
little to no demand for them. In other words, YEARS from now. Vista and Windows
7 are still being offered in 32-bit versions. Most people won't opt for 64-bit
unless they have a specific reason to so do.

Like, say, they are CAD users.

>With Windows 7 coming out shortly and it kind of like Vista I really don't see our IT department adopting it either.

Don't let the Vista-like look fool you: it's LIGHT YEARS better than Vista. Of
course, so is carving ones and zeros in stone tablets, so that's not saying
much. But it's definitely going to be a major hit with the kids.

>Does anyone have some idea on time frames for Autodesk?

Nope, and nother do they. It's a non-issue.

>Who all has Vista running with Autodesk products.

Yes.

>Any insight that you can share on the transition?

Don't. Skip Vista and go directly to Windows 7 64-bit.

Matt
matt@stachoni.com

[dgorsman]

Matt, I remember seeing a long-ish thread posted in the Hardware area reviewing a new computer set-up; any chance we will see an in-depth review from you on Win 7 from a CAD admin/user standpoint?

[Anonymous]

You will have to ask the majority of IT 'gurus' why it matters, that's their
dumbest favorite line as to why not to implement Vista.

See OP's posts and replies again.

--
Dean Saadallah
http://LTisACAD.blogspot.com
--

[TravisNave]

I agree 100% with Matt on this topic. The look of Windows 7 has nothing to do with what's under the hood. The similarities to Vista end there. As an IT professional, I am very hard to impress. However, from the moment I installed Windows 7 RTM, I was amazed. I installed the 64-bit version on my laptop mobile workstation. Not only did it install in under 15 minutes, but during the actual setup it found every single driver on my laptop as well as our wireless gateway. I have never experienced such incredible speed and compatibility with an OS straight out of the gates. Overall, Windows 7 is about 25% faster than Vista 64 on this same machine. The Windows Experience Index also scores higher on Windows 7 than it did on Vista. The compatibilty of the products is perfect and I haven't had a problem running any of the 2010 Autodesk product line.
I agree. Skip Vista and move directly into Windows 7 64. You will not regret it. The addition of the Windows XP Virtual Machine aspect of Windows 7 makes the jump inevitable. There's no reason not to.

[Anonymous]

On Tue, 1 Sep 2009 18:42:08 +0000, dgorsman <> wrote:

>Matt, I remember seeing a long-ish thread posted in the Hardware area reviewing a new computer set-up; any chance we will see an in-depth review from you on Win 7 from a CAD admin/user standpoint?

Yep. Here it is:

Windows 7: Accept no substitutes. Done and done.

Unless, of course, you're on a Mac, in which case, you should probably install
Snow Leopard.

Matt
matt@stachoni.com

[Anonymous]

And then install W7 on your virtual machines. Preferably in a 64-bit flavor.

JW

[dgorsman]

You mean, aside from Corporate saying "...mmmm... nah, too much work."?

[eviele]

I've done this.
64bit Win 7 release candidate on a brand new macbook pro running Parallels 4.0 and Revit 2010 64bit and Revit is slow as can be....Win 7 isn't too fast either. I keep reading how fast this is for others and changing preferences in parallels, but it's still awfully slow.

Separately I love Leopard, will probably be thrilled by Snow Leopard and I think Win 7 is great, but running win 7 on Leopard virtually is s l o w.

[Anonymous]

Interestingly, one of my Civil 3D cohorts tested Parallels to VMWare
Fusion yesterday and found VMWare dramatically faster in dealing with
C3D. Just a thought.

JW