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Stardock Recommends Switching to Windows 7 'as Quickly as Possible'

by Chris Faylor, Jun 17, 2009 6:30pm PDT

Related Topics – Stardock, PC Gaming, PC

"It would be good if everybody switched to Windows 7 as quickly as possible," Brad Wardell, CEO of Demigod publisher and Impulse operator Stardock, has said.

Speaking with Gamasutra, he cited the WARP (Windows Advanced Rasterization Platform) feature of the new operating system as a major boon, as it allows the CPU to handle DirectX acceleration if a dedicated video card isn't up to snuff, or even present.

"We want the game to look incredible on high-end systems, but I want people to be able to play this on their three-year-old laptop on the airplane," he explained.

In addition to running the digital distribution platform Impulse and publishing PC titles like Gas Powered Game's Demigod and Ironclad's Sins of a Solar Empire, the niche-focused studio is also known for its work on the Galactic Civilization strategy franchise.

"One of the things that comes up often is, 'How has Stardock made so much money on these niche games?' Well, because our games run on millions of boxes."

As part of that drive towards accessibility, Stardock isn't planning to require DirectX 10--supported by Windows Vista and 7--"until Windows Vista hits critical mass."

Wardell added that "apparently, performance is really good" within Windows 7. The OS is currently available in release candidate form and hits store shelves on October 22.

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29 Threads | 138 Comments*

#136

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By: Funeraldirge x Show Full Post

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I still don't see a reason to move from XP.

Jun 19, 2009 7:44am PDT

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I still don't see a reason to move from XP. : Funeraldirge
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  Same here. Faster, smoother, less bloated. Have vista on dual boot and it just sucks... will try W7 but d... : abjectblitz
  - Pfft. Win7 is as good as XP ever is or was. Just as fast for games, and just as stable. Even in RC for... : Saruya
- same here. : Unkei

#8

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By: ease one x Show Full Post

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WindowsXP here even though I have 4 gigs of ram

Jun 17, 2009 6:55pm PDT

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WindowsXP here even though I have 4 gigs of ram : ease one
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 23 replies.

#3

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By: wwonderboy334 x Show Full Post

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I own Anno 1701 for PC and its DRM does not work with Windows 7. Of course Stardock games don't have this problem. I wonder if he's trying to make a subtle point about this.

Jun 17, 2009 6:47pm PDT

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I own Anno 1701 for PC and its DRM does not work with Windows 7. Of course Stardock games don't have thi... : wwonderboy334
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 8 replies.
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  I own both the original base game and the Gold edition of Anno 1701. Both run fine on Windows 7. : IndigoAK
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    I researched this, and the newer versions of TAGES are compatible with Windows 7, but not the one that co... : wwonderboy334
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      linkage http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en/w7itproappcompat/thread/818cffec-7809-4724-ba7d-bc8... : wwonderboy334
      
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      And there's a problem with that...because? It's like it beats and rapes your wife. Geez, it just chec... : IndigoAK
      
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      Well, in his defense a) It means he can't install the game from the disc without doing counterintuitiv... : Schnapple
      
      And I didn't know the game was playable on Vista / Windows 7 5 months ago, when I bought the game. : wwonderboy334
- I play that on my W7 laptop ok. : Sailor of Fortune

#52

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By: mobab x Show Full Post

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I want to move to windows7. I have 2gb of RAM just laying around because my xp is 32bit. My problem is that, I have so much stuff installed on this OS that it's going to be a pain in the ass to reinstall and resetup.

Anyone has suggestions on moving from xp 32 to windows7 64?

Jun 17, 2009 11:39pm PDT

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I want to move to windows7. I have 2gb of RAM just laying around because my xp is 32bit. My problem is ... : mobab
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 16 replies.

#15

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By: FlatlineDixay x Show Full Post

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Far be it from me to pretend I know what I'm talking about, but... it seems like the vast majority of gamers wouldn't have any desire to offload graphics processing onto their CPU, given that video cards are drastically better at that sort of thing.

Jun 17, 2009 7:25pm PDT

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Far be it from me to pretend I know what I'm talking about, but... it seems like the vast majority of gam... : FlatlineDixay
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 18 replies.

#6

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By: the archvile x Show Full Post

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Stardock isn't planning to require DirectX 10--supported by Windows Vista and 7--"until Windows Vista hits critical mass."

Heh, I think Windows 7 is going to hit critical mass before Vista hits critical mass. I'm considering buying the hardware for a new gaming machine and signing up for the Windows 7 RC to test it out.

Jun 17, 2009 6:48pm PDT

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Stardock isn't planning to require DirectX 10--supported by Windows Vista and 7--"until Windows Vista hit : the archvile
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 2 replies.
- You should. I installed the W7 RC onto a brand new gamign rig a couple of weeks ago and have never regret... : Mr. Goodwrench

#59

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By: melt_core x Show Full Post

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Except computers with slow video cards usually have a slow CPU...

Jun 18, 2009 1:40am PDT

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Except computers with slow video cards usually have a slow CPU... : melt_core
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 8 replies.

#30

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By: AxeMan808 x Show Full Post

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But isn't the point missed here? Stardock sells a LOT of niche games because they run on a wide variety of systems, including near-obsolete ones.
So what's useful about those people upgrading to the newest operating system (which will likely require hardware upgrades to work properly on those near-obsolete systems - and is not even out yet)?
And if the hardware is upgraded...then the hardware is upgraded, so it's not as obsolete.

Just maintain the scalability of the games. Put whatever top end bells-n-whistles you want, but you don't want to lose your low end user base.

I mean, I like the way y'all work, but this just seems to run counter to your philosophy?

(Still playing GalCiv2 off and on. I no longer need to resort to MOO2 for that fix. Hell! GalCiv2 has even appropriated my Civ4 playtime)

Jun 17, 2009 8:40pm PDT

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But isn't the point missed here? Stardock sells a LOT of niche games because they run on a wide variety o... : AxeMan808
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 5 replies.

#53

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By: JackAxe x Show Full Post

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I've been using XP 64 since last year. Every game I've installed on it works great -- well, except Age of Booty -- but what I like about it, is that it has yet to crash on me. This is a first for me when it comes to any MS OS -- I've been using their cheese since the DOS 2 days. So I really have no desire to move to Win 7.

Jun 18, 2009 12:01am PDT

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I've been using XP 64 since last year. Every game I've installed on it works great -- well, except Age of... : JackAxe
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 11 replies.

#125

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By: Wolfanoz x Show Full Post

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At least he has a sense of humor:

http://accidentalmachines.com/media/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/obama-pirate.jpg

Jun 18, 2009 11:21am PDT

At least he has a sense of humor: http://accidentalmachines.com/media/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/obama... : Wolfanoz

#124

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By: Mr. Goodwrench x Show Full Post

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I switched to Windows 7 as soon as I put my new system together a couple of weeks ago, and it runs like a charm. Absolutely stable, fast as hell and seems to run games faster than my Vista intstall does (i notice a clear fps increas in 7).

The only reason I have a triple boot system with 7/Vista/XP now is for the sake of certain older games, and one new one that is a clusterfuck anyway.

Windows 7: Everything, games and day to day stuff.

Vista: GTA 4, because for some reason it keeps crashing on 7 for me

XP: Civilization IV, because the overhaul mod I use has incompatibilites with Vista and 7, and Duke Nukem 3D so I can play Co Op with my buddy across the country.

Jun 18, 2009 11:15am PDT

I switched to Windows 7 as soon as I put my new system together a couple of weeks ago, and it runs like a... : Mr. Goodwrench

#94

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By: Wolfanoz x Show Full Post

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While I really want to jump to 7, I may stick with Vista SP2 for another few years or until I build a new system.

It works well now, close to performance of 7. There really won't be much using DX11 game-wise for a long while since 10.1 is barely even being used.

Jun 18, 2009 7:32am PDT

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While I really want to jump to 7, I may stick with Vista SP2 for another few years or until I build a new... : Wolfanoz
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- Win 7 is a better OS over all. : metalremains
- If you bought a system recently that had Vista and are eligible for a free upgrade to Windows 7 then you ... : Memitim

#108

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By: matrixneo42 x Show Full Post

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Maybe Microsoft take a hint from Apple and release it's major OS updates more frequently (about every 2 years). That way it won't be such a huge deal for everyone when they do.

Jun 18, 2009 9:21am PDT

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Maybe Microsoft take a hint from Apple and release it's major OS updates more frequently (about every 2 y... : matrixneo42
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  So instead of shelling out once every 3-5 years and getting free service packs and updates in the intermi... : TerranUp16
  - Agreed. I prefer the OS once in a while -> huge few intermittent updates (service packs)-> quick updates... : mobab

#105

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By: matrixneo42 x Show Full Post

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I always thought that the GPU did the most it could and directx handled the rest using the CPU. What does windows 7 do differently?

Jun 18, 2009 9:09am PDT

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I always thought that the GPU did the most it could and directx handled the rest using the CPU. What doe... : matrixneo42
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- It sound (note: I don't know) like it will handle whatever normally-GPU things a program asks to be done.... : Agrona

#23

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By: brainchild420 x Show Full Post

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are these guys insane? they developed a game that is so ridiculously CPU intensive you can't run it on less than a dual-core CPU, and they are worried about offloading DX processing?

lol :(

Jun 17, 2009 7:47pm PDT

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are these guys insane? they developed a game that is so ridiculously CPU intensive you can't run it on le... : brainchild420
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  The Supreme Commander engine isn't really CPU-friendly. Maybe the SupCom 2 engine will be better. : TheIneffableBob
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    Stardock didn't make SupCom, GPG did. And which game are you talking about brainchild? : Leviathan41
    - Demigod runs on the SupCom engine. : schnitz76

#85

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By: X-GOUKI x Show Full Post

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i don't have anything against win7, hell I don't even have anything against vista anymore since i dual boot vista/xp, but i use xp.

and to be honest, I couldn't give a crap about win7 atm, it just doesn't do anything for me that I can't do on XP.

DX10? or perhaps halo3 version for win7? meh, If it works, I ain't fixing it.

maybe when I build a new pc, but right now the 8800gts I got plays everything out there on the market

Jun 18, 2009 5:48am PDT

i don't have anything against win7, hell I don't even have anything against vista anymore since i dual bo... : X-GOUKI

#72

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By: fcm420 x Show Full Post

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Windows 7 is a great leap for MS, finally doing something that improves the OS after years of messing things up its almost 1/2 way decent now.

Definately dont use Vista.. and XP is too out of date so Windows 7 is the best option even running beta right now.

I have a Intel Quad Core w/ 8 gigs of ram 2TB of HD space and 2x GTX 260's in SLI , windows 7 64 bit handles everything beautifully.

in contast, I have a laptop that is a Toshiba w/ dual core CPU and 2 gigs of ram.. its not nearly as happy running windows 7 as it is running XP.. so you gotta have the up to date computer specs to get the most out of windows 7 for sure.

Its not gonna be friendly to your 5 year old ghetto computer.

Jun 18, 2009 4:26am PDT

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Windows 7 is a great leap for MS, finally doing something that improves the OS after years of messing thi... : fcm420
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- Well, now it is obvious that Windows 7 is the best choice. BUT Vista SP1 and after was REALLY GOOD to... : droveri

#71

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By: ramshot x Show Full Post

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I'm thinking of trying out Windows 7 during my vacation which is starting today. I have 4 gigs of RAM. How much RAM does W7 use compared to Vista? If I never run out of memory in Vista, will I in W7, with the same games?

Jun 18, 2009 4:12am PDT

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I'm thinking of trying out Windows 7 during my vacation which is starting today. I have 4 gigs of RAM. Ho... : ramshot
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- In a word, no. Win7 is substantially more RAM-effiicient than than Vista in a bunch of scenarios (primari... : Rolphus

#67

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By: vx2o x Show Full Post

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vx2o also recommends switching to Windows 7 as quickly as possible.

Jun 18, 2009 3:28am PDT

vx2o also recommends switching to Windows 7 as quickly as possible. : vx2o

#65

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By: Angry Max x Show Full Post

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I run Vista... happy so far. Whats the advantages of 7 besides what the article mentions?

Jun 18, 2009 3:17am PDT

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I run Vista... happy so far. Whats the advantages of 7 besides what the article mentions? : Angry Max
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- I would recommend that you go to Microsofts blog on http://blogs.msdn.com/e7/default.aspx and read the to... : strife

#60

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By: Johnnsen x Show Full Post

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Yeah well no problem. If you pay it, Stardock. :|

Jun 18, 2009 1:41am PDT

Yeah well no problem. If you pay it, Stardock. :| : Johnnsen

#58

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By: Mystery0000 x Show Full Post

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I think not.

Jun 18, 2009 1:06am PDT

I think not. : Mystery0000

#41

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By: Seabass307 x Show Full Post

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I've been using Windows 7 as my main OS since the very first beta of the 7000 build. What was that, like 3-4 months ago?

Currently running Windows 7 build 7100 and its awesome. Fastest MAINSTREAM OS I've every run. Microsoft managed to fix all of vista's problems and make the performance better than XP.

Jun 17, 2009 10:03pm PDT

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I've been using Windows 7 as my main OS since the very first beta of the 7000 build. What was that, like ... : Seabass307
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- aside with a couple niggling little compatibility errors, I agree. Win7 is going to be one hell of an OS ... : vertdang
- I've been using since RC1 and I'm blown away that it's made my M$. It's the First OS I will have flat out... : graceofdragons

#38

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By: twigstick x Show Full Post

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or maybe they hope with an advanced trust based platform they'd be able to remotely delete your warez copy of demigod

Jun 17, 2009 9:22pm PDT

or maybe they hope with an advanced trust based platform they'd be able to remotely delete your warez cop... : twigstick

#35

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By: scary_monster x Show Full Post

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Kinda useless, especially cause in most cases if you don't have a very low-end GPU (or none at all) then you might likely will have a really crappy CPU. I doubt a really high-end CPU will help anyway.

Jun 17, 2009 9:02pm PDT

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Kinda useless, especially cause in most cases if you don't have a very low-end GPU (or none at all) then ... : scary_monster
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  damnit, EDIT: ...if you DO have a very low-end GPU...then you MOST likely will have a crappy CPU. : scary_monster
  - I think you're missing the point, there are plenty of laptops out there with heaping monster intel core 2... : TimeDoctor

#11

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By: retarded talking dinosaur x Show Full Post

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Is WARP even in the beta? If so, shouldn't I be able to run aero on DX8 hardware?

Jun 17, 2009 7:05pm PDT

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Is WARP even in the beta? If so, shouldn't I be able to run aero on DX8 hardware? : retarded talking dinosaur
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- Your dinosaur is caught in a warp bubble. : rjklevels
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  That's not what WARP is for. : IndigoAK
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    then what is it for? : retarded talking dinosaur
    - It's for emulating DirectX support in applications. I thought that was made pretty clear by the article.... : IndigoAK

#4

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By: valcan_s x Show Full Post

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Awesome, can't wait for Win 7.

In case some one i sintrested (WRAP) mini feats:

-Replaces the Need for Custom Software Rasterizers
-Enabling Maximum Performance from Hardware
-Enabling Rendering When Direct3D 10 Hardware Is Not Available
-Leveraging Existing Resources for Software Rendering
-Enabling Scenarios that don’t require Graphics Hardware

Full docs: ** A real good read if you are into these types of things **

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd285359.aspx

If MS was a chick I would so go balls deep... MS rocks, bring on .NET 4.0 and the free threading!

Jun 17, 2009 6:47pm PDT

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Awesome, can't wait for Win 7. In case some one i sintrested (WRAP) mini feats: -Replaces the Need ... : valcan_s
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- "If MS was a chick I would so go balls deep" Best quote of the day! : raxtor

#2

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By: dael x Show Full Post

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Windows 7 is bad ass, Impulse is bad ass, Demigod is bad ass but they don't seem to be fully aware of what they're asking.

I'm running Windows 7 and Impulse and when I go to the Impulse Orb on the top left and select "Restore archive..." nothing at all happens.

This cost me a 2-3 redownloads for Demigod, which can be quite costly when you have a 40gb monthly limit from your ISP.

Which is funny because Stardock support said they didn't want to help me at all since they don't support Windows 7.

Jun 17, 2009 6:44pm PDT

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Windows 7 is bad ass, Impulse is bad ass, Demigod is bad ass but they don't seem to be fully aware of wha... : dael
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  It's not out yet... They can't really support a RC product. : razlebol
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    He is right, our company is not allow to support it or even put it in the specs etc till final build. : valcan_s
    - Understandable of course, just wanted to raise the issue that the CEO is countering his own tech support ... : dael

#1

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By: RikiTiki2 x Show Full Post

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if stardock says so then i will

Jun 17, 2009 6:42pm PDT

if stardock says so then i will : RikiTiki2

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