Windows 7 64 bit upgrade: Virtualize old software or dual-boot?

[Correction]

My shopping list of stuff to buy for the upgrade is more or less completed, but I have two big lingering concerns and they both center around the option to upgrade to Windows 7 64-bit.

1) I run a lot of old games (MOO2, Civ2, Command & Conquer 1, etc.)
2) I have an old printer and an old scanner, and I don't feel like replacing them.

Given this situation, which is better, to keep an XP partition around and boot into it for whenever I get the itch to play old games and scan shit, or to install whatever flavor of the month virtualization software is out there and run that to print/scan/research Fundamentalism? I recognize that dual-booting is a lot more work and a lot more waiting, but if I can't run 16/32 bit device drivers in a virtualbox then it may be my only option.

[Darus Grey]

virtualize, otherwise you need old hardware to go with old OSs

[shiarua]

Do yourself a favor and ditch the old stuff. 32-bit is going to be phased out eventually, probably beginning with Windows 8.

Why do you need to run Windows 7 in the first place? If you are going to just run it in a VM, I see no point in installing it

[Pikarya]

just keep one of these around for your oldshit.

http://www.ottawatechsupport.ca/imag...20computer.jpg

preferably one with a turbo button

[Correction]

Do yourself a favor and ditch the old stuff. 32-bit is going to be phased out eventually, probably beginning with Windows 8.

I'm not doing myself a favor by committing another $200 to hardware + the disposal costs of the old scanner/printer which serve my needs perfectly. I'll replace them when they break, until then I need a solution that will allow me to continue using them.

I'm upgrading to Windows 7 as a hedge against future games adopting it as the default platform once XP SP3 falls off the map.

[shiarua]

I'm upgrading to Windows 7 as a hedge against future games adopting it as the default platform once XP SP3 falls off the map.

Then dual boot. I would see if the stuff works natively on Win7 64. I wouldn't be surprised if it did.

There is no reason to run a VM if you are going to be using it for games.

[Isiolia]

I'm not doing myself a favor by committing another $200 to hardware + the disposal costs of the old scanner/printer which serve my needs perfectly. I'll replace them when they break, until then I need a solution that will allow me to continue using them.

I'm upgrading to Windows 7 as a hedge against future games adopting it as the default platform once XP SP3 falls off the map.

Try using virtualization. Failing that, just keep the old machine intact to use.

The basic problem you're going to run into with dual booting is that newer hardware will eventually not include XP drivers. Some may not already. People ran into that with some laptops years ago. Depending on what you're putting together, some stuff may already be problematic.

Do you know for certain that your printer/scanner don't work? 7 does have some allowances for using older drivers. They don't always work, but it's not that uncommon - I was still using my old Microtek driver just fine, until the bulb blew out in it.

Games...Virtualbox or DOSBox should allow for a lot of stuff. Main hangups would be quirky stuff that actually needs 3D acceleration. GOG has MoO 1/2 available configured with DOSBox, offhand. C&C supposedly works tweaking some settings. CivII apparently has a fan-made patch.

Most of the stuff you'd probably have a real problem running would have had issues in XP as well.