Windows 7
 

From the 14 th of January Microsoft will no longer offer updates or support for their popular Windows 7 operating system.
Those of you who are running this OS will get full screen messages telling you to 'upgrade' to Windows 10.
This upgrade is free if you have a current valid Windows 7 key.

For those (like me) who dislike Windows 10 then your options are to continue using....but the OS will be less safe(if there is such a thing).
It will still work and the only problems that you might come up against are hardware issues....like if your printer dies, then a new printer will not be compatible with your current OS.
Other than that you could...if you are brave convert to Linux or some other non windows system.

I am going to 'wing it'.

Re: Windows 7
 

I have managed to upgrade to windows 10 for free . I quite like it to be honest . It took a long while to download though .

Re: Windows 7
 

Well, then David you will be ahead of the game.
I have not got it on any of my machines and have no intention of getting it.
I bought laptops for the tinlids and it was on those....so I got to see it in action and I did not like it one bit..it was only one beat away from the most awful Vista.....that was a hideous OS.

I will keep on using 7 until I am forced to change.....I know that Windows 7 is ten years old, but why change something that works and is popular.....well, for money of course.
Microsoft are not daft, but then neither do they really care about the user either.

Re: Windows 7
 

Did have 7, but changed to 10 septemberish, my friend knows what he's doing with laptops & the like & he put 10 on my lappy with the 7 layout more or less, so that does it for me.

Re: Windows 7
 

You are lucky to have a friend who can do that for you.

Re: Windows 7
 

Believe me I know Ma, he's pretty much on speed dial what with me being the technopygmy that I is! :o

Re: Windows 7
 

I am still using a desktop that has the windows XP system, how behind times is that?
Your's the Lancashire Ludite, Taddy.

Re: Windows 7
 

By the way Marge, can I update my steam driven machine for free ? (doubtful)

Re: Windows 7
 

No....sorry Taddy.
It can't be done....the engineers that could do that are all pushing up the daisies.

I have come a long way in the technical world, but I still do not know enough.

I might have a look at how this configuring windows 10 to be like 7 is done.....after all most things are covered on YouTube.....I am not saying that I would do it though.

In fact I have seriously considered getting a 'back up' desk top that runs 7... how sad is that?

Change is not always for the better.

Re: Windows 7
 

I actually liked XP....it was heaps better than Vista....I HATED that OS more than anyone could ever know.

Re: Windows 7
 

If at some stage problems arise and confusion rains supreme try obtaining the assistance of a 10-15 year old. Almost any conviently available one will do but the best results are usually obtained from the quiet introverted ones. No need to feel any embarrassment with this approach, they may knock the spots off you with the computer but you know how to cook, play hop-scotch, climb trees, do CPR and dozens of other things they will probably never get to grips with.

Re: Windows 7
 

I have one of those nerds in the family....so not hard to get hold of one....and I am never embarrassed to admit that I have a hole in my knowledge base.....and am happy to bow to someone who can do things I cannot do.

However, if there is something being done with my computer....I really do like to see if I can do it myself...that way I have learned something.....and if it goes wrong I can only blame ME.

I have had a quick look at this.....and I STILL do not like it...it might appear like Windows 7....but because it looks like it does not mean it acts like it.....sugar and salt look alike, but they are not interchangeable.

I know...I know....I am hard to please.

Re: Windows 7
 

my computer died a few months ago that was windows7, was gonna get a new comp, but anges sister gave me a laptop, that un is windows10, to be honest i aint had any problem at all using it, and i'm damn sure you know much more than me margaret, i am a complete numpty with new technology. thats only input i can give in this cos i know sod all else.

Re: Windows 7
 

Yes Cashy, I know that you are not that hot with technology.....and I guess it depends what you want to do on your machine.

I have a lot of stuff that is related to my crafting and I reckon that when a new OS comes out, it should be backwards and forwards compatible...by that I mean that it should support programs already in use.....frequently this is not the case.

Windows 10 was formulated for smart phones and you can tell in the way it is laid out.
You use a smart phone...I have a dumb phone because all I want to do on my phone is make calls (and perhaps text...though I am incredibly bad at texting).
Windows 10 doesn't do it for me.

Though I have thought of a way to try out the damned thing with a windows 7 configuration.
I have a laptop that I use very little so If I put it on that and could make it look like 7...then maybe I would get used to it...and if it was a dismal failure then my main machine is not affected.

I will sit down and have a think about it.

Re: Windows 7
 

well to be honest "Donkey broke down" is my limit.:D

Re: Windows 7
 

You have correctly identified what may be the biggest problem from your point of view. You need to check that any software that is important to YOU works with W10 and if not is there an update/new version that does. Even more important is to check that anything that you connect to your W7 computer will work with W10 and if not is there an updated driver for it. If you have anything craft related (i.e. not main-stream but niche market stuff) the necessary updates may not install via Microsoft's update process but have to be obtained from the manufacturers/suppliers web-site and be installed manually.


It was the problems with uncommon/specialist hardware connected via USB that forced me to do what I had been contemplating for a long time and switch away from Windows.


Checking it ALL out on a spare machine is the correct way to do it.

Re: Windows 7
 

So...I am not as thick as I look then Hill Walker :D.

It has been the result of errorful learning....and those lessons are hard to forget....and can be costly.

I can continue using W7 for a good while because there is a lot of my stuff on discs and USB drives that does not need updating.....at some point in the future I will probably go for a Mac computer....though it won't be a new one.

I do not want a Microsoft account and I know that there is a way of having an upgrade without taking on a MS account(found that out when I looked at how to make 10 look like 7).

I will see how it all pans out....and will look at other options too.

Re: Windows 7
 

There is also a Win10 add on that can make the desktop look and work like Win7.

I'm looking forward to sticking it on a new PC when I finally get around to getting it, not because I think it will benefit me but because I want to learn how it works better as some day 7 is going to die and cannot be re-installed.

Re: Windows 7
 

Yes...I know about that add on....I will look at it and may install it on a laptop that I do not use very much.....see if I can get on with it, but leave Windows 7 on my desk top....this is the machine that I use most for my crafting.

Each time there has been a change in Windows OS, this has had an impact on all the stuff I have worked on and it means that some of my stuff is no longer accessible because the OS does not support it.
This means that I incur the costs of replacing my crafting programs....and the time it takes to get used to new ways of working. A bleeding imbuggerance.
Hence my comment on OS's being both backwards and forwards compatible.
If an OS, does not support what you want it to do then it is worthless.

Re: Windows 7
 

What is an OS? the only thing that I can remember that comes anywhere near it was the O.S.S.
or Office of Strategic Service.

Re: Windows 7
 

Just had a thought, does it stand for Operating System?

Re: Windows 7
 

Yes, Taddy...it does.
You can be ink monitor next week.
:D

Re: Windows 7
 

Since I heard last year that Windows 7 would not be supported in 2020,i have tried to upgrade to Windows 10 for free several times.To be honest,i don't know how many times I've done this,it is not as simple as we thought,but fortunately,Windows 10 hasn't let me down so far.

Re: Windows 7
 

I find Ubuntu Linux works well for me (except for MT4, I have to use WINE for that). I have Kali Linux installed on a secure separate ghost partition for pen testing and related exploits.

Longtime windoze user from Win 3.11 to Win 10 which I dumped following numerous irritations with "unexpected error". Before dumping MS Office I was having severe problems with OneDrive. Long story short I fixed the problem myself, completely unhelped by 3 admin assistant helper types who asked me for screenshots and explanation of how I succeeded where many had failed so they could make a web page about the solution. I doubt it though. I haven't even bothered to GREP their website. I find Win 10 to be like a badly built website with a lot of backend SYS ADMIN tweaks removed. Outlook has been utterly ruined, glad to replace with Thunderbird on my Linux system which is a great developer sandbox for Python programming.

Re: Windows 7
 

The above seems to be a little more complicated than my steam driven coal fired H.P. Compaq Computer with Bill Gates's XP operating system; that reminds me I most stoke the boiler up before the pressure drops and I lose my Web access.
As ever, Stay Safe, Stay Happy, Stick with the Hobgoblin, Your's, The Luddite.

Re: Windows 7
 

All my understanding of computers (and that is very small) has been earned (or learned) by error.
I used to be scared of my computer, but then I realised that it was a lot like driving a car......it only does what you make it do.
I like to be able to sort out my computer problems myself.....and that is how you learn.
Much of what you have written Skuta, is beyond my understanding...though I have heard of some of the things you mention.....and I did consider trying Linux.....but did not have the courage to change to it.
I have not used Outlook Express for many years.
I am sticking with Windows 7 pro because it works for me.....I tried Windows ten on a laptop for a while....I hated it, not perhaps with as much venom as I hated Vista, but it was almost as bad.
My problems with new OS systems is that some of my craft programs will not run on the new versions....so all my stored projects are, in effect lost because a new system won't open them.

When I buy me next desktop(if I ever do...because I am getting to that funny age when I might just give up) it will be a Mac system......but right now I will stick with what I know.

Unlike Taddy, I am not a Luddite, but I think I am a bit set in my ways.

Re: Windows 7
 

Are there mac versions of the craft software you use Margaret?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Re: Windows 7
 

Over the years I've used many Windows from Win 3.11, Win 95 and 98, Win XP and Vista, Win 8.1 Pro and Win 10. Though Win 10 only last 30 minutes before I installed Win 8.1 Pro. It did take a while to get used to using Win 8.1 Pro and set it up in a way that was as similar to XP....

Re: Windows 7
 

I was right with you (see above) to that point, after that ........ well, I'm with the Luddite .... Oy Tads, you got an orphaned bottle for me??? :D ;)

Re: Windows 7
 

Exactly, each to their own. Folk get set in their ways about familiar things that work well in their own circumstances. For me Windows became an unreliable liability and had to go. It is totally wiped without trace. It isn't even appearing in the completely new Master Boot Record.

Others might love it for their situation needs. It isn't about what's best (forget about "the latest" or new & Shiny), it's about what works. For you.

If I were you, before committing your money to Apple profits. See if you can borrow or rent your desired Apple machine to test its compatibility & overall suitability for your standard work-flow. This trial period is up to you. Then you don't waste your time & money on avoidable problems.

Re: Windows 7
 

My Craft Studio works on Mac, but some of my other programs may not work on Mac.
I would probably have to replace some of them, but it seems that Mac doesn't create the same issues when updates arrive.
I have a MacBook that seem less trouble after updates than the windows OS.
I just can't get along with Windows ten.
Maybe it is me just being resistant to change...but wouldn't you think that new OS would be backwards compatible...or is that too much to ask?

Re: Windows 7
 

Anyone who knows me well will know that I would not hand over my dosh for something I was unsure about....and I haven't bought a brand new computer since God was in short trousers.
My last buy was a government surplus machine, refurbished and tested with a two year back to base warranty.
OK so it wasn't brand new, but I am not one of those folk who has to have the newest brand new OS because it is new and shiny.
I like to find something that works for me, that I feel comfortable in using.....so rest assured you are talking to the converted.

my desktop is refurbished by the company that made it....so did not pay silly money for that either....and I bought it because it had the operating system that I knew I could work with.
I am frequently told that I could make Windows ten look like Windows 7.....but I don't want it just to look like Windows 7....I want it to work like it too.

Re: Windows 7
 

No problem Dave, as soon as someone invents "Ale Mail", I will send you a case.
Stay Safe, Stay Happy, Stay Inebriated, Regards, Taddy.

Re: Windows 7
 

Hy Marge, in your earlier post you mentioned that you had bought a goverment surplus computer, as I stated on an ealier post I am also thinking of updating my steam driven machine; Where, (if you dont mind me asking), do you pick up refurbished machines.
Must be gas fired, which logically is the next step up from my coal fired machine.
Your's, the Luddite.

Re: Windows 7
 

I got mine on E-bay.....but I think they sold up.....but I did see another company who were selling decent machines with a good size memory for about £125.
If you want more details I will PM you.
The people that are doing these machines are at Burnley so if you bought one you could go and pick one up.

Re: Windows 7
 

P.M.for you Marge

Re: Windows 7
 

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