[Isis-users] New round: Winisis / wxis and Windows 7compatibility, new Windows Virtual PC, XP mode

[Wenke Adam]

(Enviaré traducción al español en otro email)

Dear Isis listers,

Have you used Winisis / wxis under Windows 7, and would you care to share
your experiences about it?

I can contribute the following provisional test results, after an exciting
week trying to make different machines talk with Winisis for a training
session:

*
*
*Configuration 1: *

*Winisis on a newish 32 bit PC with 32 bit Win 7 Pro*, as the DB
server/production machine on the LAN. The DB has 58.000 records, with links
to doc, pdf, jpg, video and audio files, and a very detailed inverted file.

Works generally ok and fast. Freezes occasionally without clear cause,
while the same database on my old 32 bit netbook with Win XP only did so
very occasionally, and generally because of format errors during DB
development, not under normal work.

(Note: as "freeze" I consider cases like when suddenly you cannot see the
upper entry window on the Search Index, or the initial password entry
window disappears after closing winisis and opening again, or simply
winisis failing to respond during a large search. Killing *ntvdm.exe* fixes
this.)

*Accessed from*:

a. 32 bit PCs with Win XP, over the LAN. Works ok generally. The oldest
(slowest) machines freeze on very large searches.
b. 64 bit notebook with 32 bit Win 7 Pro 32, accessing over local wifi.
Works ok generally. Freezes on very large searches. (wifi a bit slow)
c. 64 bit notebooks with 64 bit Win 7 Home edition, access over wifi. *No
way*. Gives windows version error message, as expected.


*Configuration 2 (work in progress, I had almost no previous experience
with virtualization)*
*
*
Winisis, on the 32 bit server with 32 bit Win7, under *Windows Virtual
PC/XP mode*.

*I get the feeling that Winisis responds a little bit faster under XP mode
than directly from Win 7*, but it's just a feeling, I am still doing tests
for timing of general performance and stability.

I haven't connected other workstations to the virtual platform yet, as I am
waiting for the sys admin to give us the LAN permissions to do so.

In a few days (or weeks!) time, we expect to get two new 64/64 bit Win 7
machines, one to use as webserver for a wxis based OPAC, the other for
cataloging and general office work. These will have to run winisis under
the virtual XP machine. I´ll tell you more about the 64/64 bit experience
then.

I suppose the same applies to wxis based web applications? Please tell.


*Meanwhile, please note that Windows 7 has recently greatly improved the
Virtual PC plus XP Mode experience, as this service now comes integrated in
Win 7 Pro *(or you can download them free of charge if they were't
originally installed). The XP part is free, you don´t have to have a "valid
XP license" or the XP installation disc anymore. But it will not work on
Win 7 Home Edition. The rationale behind this, according to Microsoft, is
to be nice to small businesses running all kinds of 32 bit XP applications,
to ease their life in a 64 bit world. Microsoft will support the virtual XP
module until 2014. (Users of the 64 bit Home Edition are apparently not
expected to need backwards compatibility...).

Follow the instructions on the Microsoft homepage
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/default.aspx

Basically, you first have to make sure that your hardware supports
virtualization. Most new PCs do. (there is a small testing application for
this on the MS site) and activate the virtualization mode in the BIOS, then
install Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC, and create a new user for
the XP shell. Then copy your Winisis installation to the virtual XP C:\
disk. It´s quite straight forward.

When you reboot, your machine opens in XP mode, but if you move the cursor
a few seconds to the top centre of your desktop, a taskbar appears.
Minimize it, and Voila! the Win 7 desktop appears as if nothing unusual had
happened...

The XP Mode will behave as a if it were a separate machine, and the Win 7
harddisk(s) will appear on the XP My PC menu as network drives, fully
accessible.


Regards

Wenke





-- 
Wenke Adam
Asesora Sistemas de Doc & Inf
Santiago
Chile
Cel: +56-9-890 21 630
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