Upgrading to Windows 10

[JollySipper]

So Microsoft is doing away with Win7........ I currently am using a Win7 Dell desktop computer. I have the option in my control panel thingey  for "windows anytime upgrade". Would this be free to download, or is there a charge for it? It was offered for free a while back.

Thanks for any help and discussion.....

[Dave Van]

I'd not go to W10 if any way possible. I still have a W98 PC that is still the best machine in my house!! 

[Ace-Garageguy]

My understanding is that there are some issues with Win10.

Support ends for Win7 in November, I believe...but I'm not going to make the change on my current machines. I'm purchasing a refurbed laptop with Win10 installed, to be used specifically for web work, and will network it as necessary on an intermittent basis with the older machines for file-sharing, etc.

A decent refurbed laptop is only about $300 from my guys, worth the price to me to avoid the hassles of changing everything else...like legacy programs that won't run under Win10.

If you have a really good AV program and decent firewall, you're probably reasonably safe staying with Win7 indefinitely anyway. The only "support" of any real value that Tinylimp is terminating is the occasional "security" patches for the numerous holes and vulnerabilities they always seem to leave in every new OS.

But unfortunately, once Tinylimp terminates "security" support for Win7, the bad guys will be looking for deficiencies that TL hasn't uncovered yet to exploit.

[dodgefever]

*Downgrading* to Windows 10 would be a more appropriate thread title.

I hate WIndows 10.   I didn't mind Windows 7, but 10 removes any last vestige of control, at least the home edition. 

I use Linux on my main machine and the only reason I keep Windows on the laptop is for one business-use program, so I'm pretty close to dumping Windows for good.  I would strongly recommend switching to Linux if you can.  Mint is good, and easy to use if you're migrating from Windows.

Edited August 2, 2019 by dodgefever

[Can-Con]

I've been using 10 for a couple years. Once you get used to a few differences, I don't find it much different than the last version I was using.  ,,,, whichever it was, I don't remember now. 

But, I just use my machine for surfing and such.

[StevenGuthmiller]

Been using windows 8 for the past 10 years?

No issues to this point.

 

 

Steve

[MeatMan]

3 hours ago, Can-Con said:

I've been using 10 for a couple years. Once you get used to a few differences, I don't find it much different than the last version I was using.  ,,,, whichever it was, I don't remember now. 

But, I just use my machine for surfing and such.

Ditto! I was just discussing this w/my wife. She and my daughter have Win8 and since I'm the family tech support I often have to "fix" their issues. I absolutely abhor Win8.

It was originally developed so that the desktop and phones would have the same functionality. Didn't work out, thus Win10.

There is some adjusting, but overall I think 10 is superior.

[MrObsessive]

I'm typing this on a Windows 7 laptop.........one of three machines I have in my place. The other two are running Windows 10, each of them have their pros and cons. I can't complain about this one----my job was giving away laptops as they were upgrading so I won this one by the giveaway. I'll try to hang on to this OS as long as possible because I hate the hassles of the upgrades.

When I switched the other two OS's, I had to upgrade to Windows 7 first as they were both running Windows Vista (remember THAT??). Well even though the upgrade to 7 was "free" I had to buy product keys because for whatever reason, Microsoft would not recognize the products keys from Vista. I spent something like 70 some odd dollars for the product keys, and then jumped from 7 to 10. In hindsight, I should have stayed with 7 on BOTH machines as I find it to be a bit more user friendly than Win10.

Oh well............ain't 2019 technology grand??

[Draggon]

I have Windows 10 and hate it. Things just aren't as simple as in prior versions. Plus files (like saved pics) end up duplicated in different locations. I still don't know how to fix that. One thing to be aware of if you want to write documents or do a spread sheet. There is no more Microsoft Works/Word. It's now Office, which is a subscription service. You can purchase it, but it will not be supported. Of course there are options like Google Docs etc, but I was completely accustomed to the writing programs from Microsoft, 

[blunc]

On 8/2/2019 at 10:59 AM, JollySipper said:

So Microsoft is doing away with Win7........ I currently am using a Win7 Dell desktop computer. I have the option in my control panel thingey  for "windows anytime upgrade". Would this be free to download, or is there a charge for it? It was offered for free a while back.

Thanks for any help and discussion.....

MS is not "doing away" with win7, they are ending support for it...meaning, no more software updates/fixes for new problems that get found. Win7 will still run as fine as it ever did on your laptop. If you want to make your laptop better, change out the original hard drive to a solid state drive (SSD) and it will run better than new.

I suggest you check the Dell site for your model of laptop to see if Dell has software/drivers for your laptop with win10 installed and to see if other Dell end users have upgraded to win10 with/without problems.

I personally have upgraded desktops and laptops to win10 back when it was free from MS, there may be a charge to upgrade now (don't know for sure). Some older programs may not work or be supported in win10.

Do your research first before upgrading to win10, it's not as bad as everyone says but there are things to look out for, CNET has lots of articles covering win10 and issues.

[bobthehobbyguy]

You need to make sure that your old laptop has enough memory and hard drive space for windows 10. 

Having worked with with computers I'm not a big fan of windows 10 or Microsoft. I have an xp that is no longer used on the web.  And a windows vista now using Ubuntu Linux for surfing on the web.

I also dislike windows because new windows upgrades usually means hardware upgrade because of all of the added bells and whistles.

[Flat32]

I use older programs that suit my needs and maintain workstations to run them.  3 are windows XP pro and one is win7.  They are not connected to the internet or any network.  I move files between them via usb thumb drives only.  Reason being isolation from virus threats.

My internet access is by laptops, one Win7 that I like and one Win10 that I don't like much, but tolerate as a necessary evil.

Suffered a recent nightmare with all of my isolated workstations due to infected usb thumb drives. I have many used to back-up files and move files.

Found a program called Panda that "vaccinates" usb drives and it works perfectly so far. https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/panda-usb-vaccine/

I leave the original operating system on all of my computers to maintain compatibility with my most useful older programs.

I don't like the insidious moves toward cloud computing that Microsoft and software companies make where you are required to pay subscription charges.

 

[Joe Handley]

I upgraded right around the New Year since my old laptop died right before Christmas and my employer keeps trying to update the desktops we use, but it's been such a disaster at other offices that my office hasn't made the change yet.

[Mike C]

It was a free upgrade a few years ago. I don't think it's free any more.

[peteski]

Only place I use Win 10 is at work (because IT department forced it on us).  At home I use Win 7, Win XP and Win 98SE. No problems with either (althought I only let my Win 7 computer out on the Internet).

[Snake45]

On 8/2/2019 at 5:37 PM, StevenGuthmiller said:

Been using windows 8 for the past 10 years?

No issues to this point.

 

 

Steve

I've been using it since 2013 with few if any issues. I have no plans to update it until I absolutely have to, or have to get a new computer. 

I had Vista from 2006 to 2013 and didn't have any problems with that, either. 

[Dave Ambrose]

I've been using Windows 10 since it came out. It definitely works better than 7 in some ways. I haven't had any crashes on 10, which is saying something. I'm not thrilled with the start menu, but you can find software to put that back to the Windows 7 style. 

There's no way I would connect an unsupported system to the Internet, even with a firewall. Things are bad enough already, and there's no point in asking for trouble. Just ask Experian. 

Definitely make sure you have enough RAM and disk space. If you have to upgrade your disk, I heartily recommend an SSD. I have a 10 year old laptop that runs like a champ on an SSD. 

[Mike999]

I just got a new laptop with Win 10 Home Edition installed.  Still using another PC with Win 7, which I've used for years.  Windows 8 was just a hot mess.  After playing with it on a friend's PC I never installed it on any of mine. No, I don't want my desktop computer looking like my cell phone, idiots.  They do different things. I read an internet rumor that the Microsoft exec in charge of Win 8 was fired right after its release. I hope that rumor is true.

The worst thing about Win 10 so far is all the integration with that worthless piece of junk, Bing.  Every time I try to go to a real search engine, Bing pops up and asks me why I don't use Bing.  Because you're not a search engine, Bing, you're nothing but another sleazy marketing tool.  If I search Bing for "Manson murders," at least 10 advertisements will pop up offering to sell me the Manson murders. I use several different search engines and, unlike Bing, they actually find what I'm looking for and get out of the way. 

As part of the clean-up I do with any new computer, I'm hunting down and killing all the bloatware.  So far all my old legacy programs run OK on Win 10.  

 

 

[SSNJim]

True about legacy programs. Office 97 runs just fine on Windows 10