which windows?

[johnscnc]

hi all maybe this has been gone over before but i didn't see it anywhere. but which version of windows works best with mach 3
win 2000
win xp home
win xp pro
vista home premium
vista pro
win 7
i am upgading a taig with microproto controller from dos maxnc to mach 3. z axis started acting very fuuny (like trying to turn both ways at the same time) so sent it in to microproto for sevice and upgade board,(awsome people to deal with) so now i need to upgrade the computer also so just wondering what specific version of windows to look for.

[jalessi]

Johnscnc,

Lots of Dell desktop machines with XP Pro and parallel port for $50.00 or less on eBay.

Jeff...

[johnscnc]

thanks jeff, hypotheticly speaking if i could get an identical pc with xp home for $20 is xp pro worth the extra $30?

[jalessi]

Johnscnc,

XP Home will work fine, being thrifty is awesome.

Jeff...

[amishx64]

thanks jeff, hypotheticly speaking if i could get an identical pc with xp home for $20 is xp pro worth the extra $30?

Not for CNC purposes.

[johnscnc]

thanks amishx64 would there be any benifit going with windows 7?

[amishx64]

thanks amishx64 would there be any benifit going with windows 7?

Short answer: No. My explanation is below.

I am running Windows 7 x64 (compare to amishx64 ) and have Mach3 installed. OS wise, Windows 7 adds lots of new graphics and driver support. Also added are things like UAC controls and more advanced file permissions/access controls. The main benefits I see are a speedier boot, stability, and a much nicer, intuitive interface with the search ability.

Pros: A faster boot for any machine is a nice thing to have, which Windows 7 offers. However, it isn't all that much faster, and boot times really depend on hardware anyway. New computer = faster everything with or without Windows 7. The search might be useful for finding G-code files quickly, but the same can be achieved by downloading the free Google Desktop utility, so no points there.

Cons: Applied to CNC machines, Windows 7 doesn't really have much impact. If you are using a parallel port (most everyone is), the new driver support offered means nothing. Graphics support with Direct X 10 in Win 7 means nothing, because Mach3 or any other package isn't graphics intensive. File permissions/access and UAC? Not needed for CNC purposes. Oh, and you'll most likely need a new computer to run Windows 7.

XP is fine for CNC purposes. If I had Win 2000, I'd upgrade. Past that, I wouldn't. Oh, If you have Vista, be sure to get rid of it ASAP. Either downgrade to XP or upgrade to Win 7.

P.S. Mach3 runs great on XP. It hasn't been tested much on Win 7.

Hope this helps.

- amishx64

[ger21]

Are you actually running a machine using the parallel port in 64 bit Windows 7?

[amishx64]

Are you actually running a machine using the parallel port in 64 bit Windows 7?

HAHAHA Oh, no. I am developing the rehashed Aqua screen of yours under Windows 7 and am running Mach3 and my other software. Mach3 does all the right stuff under Win 7, no obvious problems. I haven't tested it on a PP tho.

It would be my guess that as long as there are x64 drivers for the PP, then things would run smoothly.

- amishx64

[ger21]

The Mach3 driver won't run in 64 bit Windows, so you need to use a Smoothstepper or other external motion device .

[amishx64]

The Mach3 driver won't run in 64 bit Windows, so you need to use a Smoothstepper or other external motion device .

mk yea. I am just using it for dev purposes. There will never be a CNC machine connected to this laptop (Win 7 x64).

Anyway, I recommend XP for anyone using Mach3.