JDPFu.com 2025

Windows7 Media Center has some very nice features. It also adds some complications due to the recorded file formats being non-standard.

Good Stuff Working

So, the TV guide data is connected to ClearQAM channels now. Some shows have been setup to record every instance, and the media files are being dumped to a directory that I can live with, not the default. Finally, the Hauppauge 950Q remote is working and fully controlling MCE. Sometimes the system locks up, for no apparent reason. Connecting guide data with a specific QAM channel has been the most troublesome for lockups.

WTV Format? WTF?

MCE has used DVR-MS files for years now. External programs to deal with this format have been created and 3rd party media extenders that understand MCE work with this format. Not ideal, but workable if you drink all the MS koolaid. So, obviously, Microsoft has to change the format to something new and different.

Personally, I like to remove commercials from TV shows and have a fairly automatic method for accomplishing this. WTV files are completely unusable for this method, but MS provides an easy converter to change WTV into DVR-MS files. Some 3rd parties have created watcher programs to automatically perform the conversion. In the meantime, just right-click on the WTV file in Windows-Explorer and select convert to dvr-ms… as the blog states. The wtvconverter.exe program was included in Win7 32-bit Ultimate.

I’m asking for help again with my Windows7 final installation. See, Microsoft gave the 32-bit version, not the 64-bit version. This puts a wrinkle in my original plan to host Win7 on the laptop because about 0.6GB of RAM cannot be used. On a system with only 4GB, 0.6GB is a bunch, perhaps too much to waste.

The current goal is:

JeOS/Linux-Host
|____Win7-VM (MCE)
|____xubuntu-VM
|____WinXP-VM (Visio / MS-Office / Quicken)

RAM allocation plans

JeOS – 512MB

Win7 – 1GB

WinXP – 1GB

xubuntu – 1.5GB

If Media Center in Win7 doesn’t work well enough in a VM; safe to leave on 24/7 with USB support, this plan will be trashed. The QAM recording is nice. For me, it is about the recording, not the playback or other features.

There are other complications in using Win7 Media Center. The recorded file format, for example. That’s something for another story.

32-bit DVD – ouch.

So I opened the Windows7 Ultimate DVD and uncovered that it only contains the 32-bit version. After swapping the old/Vista drive with the new/Empty drive in the laptop, I elected to install Win7 even though I’d end up unable to use about 0.5GB of RAM. I wanted to give the new OS a fair chance and gain some experience. The setup was fairly easy, but dumbed down too much for my liking. I actually installed the OS to the wrong partition (280GB), wiped it and reinstalled to the other partition (30GB), that was planned for OS and Apps. Then I proceeded to setup WMC – Media Center.

Windows Media Center – ClearQAM Supported!

I’d heard that ClearQAM was supported and looked forward to using it. My cable system switched almost all channels to QAM 2 months ago. I’d hoped there was an automatic translation between QAM channels and normal cable channels so guide data can be used. I haven’t found that, if it exists. I AM recording a movie as I write this. There’s no noticeable performance hit. Nice.

Data Migration

Overnight, I copied the data and virtual machines from the older drive to the new drive, about 150GB. I split the disk into 2 partitions – C: and D: . C is for the OS and programs. D is for data and virtual machines. This config should make data backup much easier.

I dislike the whole Library BullShite that this new OS forces. I also dislike the new Explorer look and feel. Is there a way to default all Explorer views to Detailed?

VirtualBox Migration

So, after getting the new OS installed, the very first program installed was Sun’s VirtualBox. Initial attempts to migrate all the settings and virtual disks didn’t work as well as I’d hoped. However, I did get 1 VM up and running with a small amount of effort. I’ll write up the actual steps and things that didn’t work in another post. There may be another way to migrate the settings, I did retain both XML files for Vbox and for each VM, so seeing the specific differences should be easy.

The next trick is to migrate a vbox image that includes a snapshot image. I’m cautiously hopeful for a good outcome with that.

Learned today that you can have both Vista and Win7 copy the entire path to a file in Explorer by holding the Shift key as you right click. Now there’s a Copy as Path option. When you paste, you will get “c:\directory\path\to the entire\file.txt”, including the quotes. Nice.

Sorry, it doesn’t work in other versions (no WinXP), but there are programs that will do it. Google a little.

I need your help deciding how to use the free Windows7 Ultimate license Microsoft gave away yesterday. I want to use it on my laptop but need some considered feedback on how would be best?

Current Laptop Config

1. 4GB of RAM – may put 8GB in later
2. 320GB disk
3. Main OS is Vista-64bit Home Premium
4. VirtualBox 3.0.6 for Virtual Machines
   1. xubuntu
   2. WinXP Pro
   3. Ubuntu
   4. OpenSolaris
   5. FreeBSD

Initial Thoughts

My initial thoughts are to

• replace Vista with Win7-64
• eventually remove my WinXP-Pro VirtualBox
• use the built-in WinXP Compatibility layer

I spend 14 hrs a day in the xubuntu VM and only boot WinXP to run Quicken, a few MS apps and access TrueCrypt data. Perhaps 3 times a week.

Questions?

1. How good is the USB support in the WinXP VM?
2. HDMI output?
3. GigE networking – WiFi networking?
4. How good is the driver compatibility for Win7-64? All-in-One Fax, printer, scanner, old Creative Xen and built-in laptop camera are the only devices I see using, in addition to normal flash and ext USB disk drives.
5. Hauppauge 950Q ClearQAM TV tuner must work.
   • Does Media Center work with this TV tuner and ClearQAM? The current MCE doesn’t.
6. Can I consider Win7-32bit at all. Does it access the full 4GB of RAM? Is an upgrade to Win7 64-bit easy?
7. TrueCrypt, MS-Visio, MS-Office 2007, and VideoRedoPlus are the only uses for Windows that I have. No gaming, er … very little gaming.

Choices

1. Run Win7 in a VM, get used to it. Decide later
2. Backup the data and VMs, repartition the disk for OS, Apps, Data, and install Win7 ??-bit as the main OS
   • 32-bit or
   • 64-bit?

Thoughts and suggestions? Did I miss an option?