Windows 7

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Countryboy
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Windows 7

Unread post by Countryboy »

My old computer finally crashed and burned. My first computer used Windows 98. For almost the past 10 years, I have been happily running Windows XP.

They don't sell new computers with XP on it anymore. You get this Windows 7 operating system. I haven't found anything good about it yet. You can't even get an email client on it. I think they want you to use webmail instead of outlook express. I'm awfully close to returning this computer and trying to find a refurbished XP.

I still have the XP install CD from my old computer. How hard is it to wipe Windows 7 off a computer and go back to XP? Or is this the time I need to start looking at figuring out Linux?

I know you know more about computers than I do.
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Re: Windows 7

Unread post by Allen Dick »

It is quite easy to delete Win 7 and install XP. I would not do it, though for a number of reasons. For one thing, Win 7 is much superior in many ways, although it does have its annoyances.

If you were to install with your old XP disk, you would have to do many, many updates and have to manually OK each of them and wait, then repeat. All this would take many hours and when you were done, you would be driving an old car on the information superhighway. I saw an old '70s chev on the 405 the other day doing 75 MPH+, but you don't see many these days for many good reasons including lack of modern brake systems, air bags, stabilization and other safety features.

Linux distros are all fine as long as they work, but I have had nothing but trouble when it came time to move to the next version, and that happens at least once a year. The linux distros I have used also have regular updates pushed down weekly or monthly. These updates are just as big as the Windows patches and may require a reboot. I have also had issues with drivers. For example, my Ubuntu dual boot installation on the netbook does not support the native resolution of that machine and the display is therefore distorted. Win 7 on the same machine is just fine. Linuxes are fast and light when they work, but require tinkering unless your computer is a few years old (not older), you don't do things that are unuusal -- and you are lucky

Win 7 is a very good O/S. It is very forgiving and self-healing (although I am starting to think I may have jiggered one of my Win 7 setups with all my antics and may need to re-install it. The system works fine, but seems to have slowed. It may have been this slow all along -- it is a netbook after all and I am very demanding user -- and maybe I am just getting fussier. I think I may have screwed it up with several "speed up" programs. Stay away from anything fancier than registry cleaners like CCleaner or jv16).

Networking can be a little daunting on any computer, and Win 7 can be worse than some, but the O/S is generally idiot-proof, and if it crashes it usually picks itself up and puts itself back together after a few attempts by the user to start up. No so with Linux. I have a number of Linux installations -- Fedora, Ubuntu, and others -- I have simply had to abandon.

As for the lack of an email program, 'Windows Live Mail' is available as a free download, but comes with a whole raft of WL junk unless you are careful installing it and it resembles Outlook Express. WL will load the email from Outlook Express, but it seems that if you tire of it, that no other program will load its email archive. If they did, I'd have switched to something else by now.

Mozilla Thunderbird is also a free download email program and many people like it just fine. That might be your best choice, rather than getting involved with the whole "Windows Live" mess. WL is probably OK for people who don't know better, but I like simple software that does not try to make me any more 'social' than I want to be, and the email program has slowed to a crawl as my archive has increased in size. WLMail also now has a bug that puts a "?" at the beginning of every email I send and I see others have that problem, too. I expect a fix, but maintaining WLM does not seem to be a priority with M$. Choose Thunderbird.

Anyhow, I'd advise keeping Win 7 until you get past its strangeness and you learn to like it. You could also look into how to make it look like XP if you prefer that appearance. It is easy to turn off all the 'eye candy', and I have done just that on my slower machine. It looks and runs very much like XP.
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Countryboy
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Re: Windows 7

Unread post by Countryboy »

I typed a response, and then when I went to submit it, Windows 7 had already forgotten that I was signed in, and wanted me to sign in again. After I had signed in, the post was lost.

That's another bad things about Windows 7. I have to keep signing in to things. It won't keep me signed in.
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Countryboy
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Re: Windows 7

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You could also look into how to make it look like XP if you prefer that appearance. It is easy to turn off all the 'eye candy', and I have done just that on my slower machine. It looks and runs very much like XP.

You can't do XP mode on W7 home edition - only the pro version.

I turned off all the stupid suggestion stuff. It still looks and runs nothing like XP. Whatever is supposed to be good about W7, I must not use. The things I do use and need, it does poorly of doesn't do at all.

I do a little eBaying. What would normally take me an hour and a half use my 7 or 8 year old XP computer took me over 4 hours with this brand new one with Windows 7.

If I can't get the old comp fixed, I'm buying a new comp with no OS so I can put XP on it. This can go back to WalMart.
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Re: Windows 7

Unread post by Allen Dick »

I wasn't talking about the virtual machine in high-end Win 7. I was meaning the visual effects.

Odd that it is giving you grief. Probably something wrong with it. That happens, and taking it back is the solution.

Don't give up on Windows 7, though. Looks like you got a lemon.
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Re: Windows 7

Unread post by cam bishop »

I've been using W7 Pro sine it came out. I like it very much and have none of the problems you are experiencing.
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loynn
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Re: Windows 7

Unread post by loynn »

Coming from a regular consumer stand point, I think that windows 7 is the company's best release to date, though a lot of its cop orate market share are still leaning toward windows xp. I mean, xp is good and it is light on resources while still being able to do so much but it still lacks the extra stuff that windows 7 boasts of. But with the impending release of windows 8, I wonder how the market is going to take it in this time.
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Re: Windows 7

Unread post by Allen Dick »

I like Windows 7. Having used every release since the first Windows and suffering through its growing pains, I am most grateful that the O/S has matured to where it actually works and works well.

I was in a major hospital and noticed that they are still using XP. Makes me shudder, knowing how outdated and vulnerable it is. I suppose in a corporate system, well managed and protected by a vigilant IT staff, it can be safe, but nontheless, XP's day are over and I would recommend that any individual should upgrade to Win 7 when buying new equipment and consider retiring any system older than 5 years. The visible advances are quite amazing and the invisible advances are important for safety online.

The price of decent systems has dropped to pocket change territory. Although I only use notebooks, netbooks and tablets or phones, I am tempted by some of the new desktopo and wonder if I might like the new large touchscreen desktops that sell under $1,000.

Below is a shot of Mission Control. All three computers run Windows Seven Home Premium.

Tip: When Windows 8 comes out, at some point, M$ may offer a "Family Pack" for a short while, probably through Amazon and on their own site. For Windows 7, the Family Pack offered was three licences for about $125! A bargain IMO, if there ever was one.

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armust
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Re: Windows 7

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I like windows 7 as well that is why even if I have been using an Apple machine for more than 3 years now, I still can't make do without the windows OS. Well you could probably say that is because of work and all the required stuff but I think that windows is just more versatile, though open to a lot of virus and attacks. I am excited with the release of windows 8 though I think that people are already good with the current one.
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Re: Windows 7

Unread post by RodolfoCorta »

I've been using Windows 10 for a month, upgraded to Windows 7 later. So I'm keeping Windows 7 until they make something better. If they. By the time windows 7 stops being supported and I won't be using windows anymore. I'll have switch to Linux.
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Re: Windows 7

Unread post by Allen Dick »

I've switched completely to WIn 10. There a lot to dislike about the OS, especially its intrusive nature, phone home tendencies and shifting features. As with all the current OSs, there are too many features for those of us who only want an OS, hate surprises, and will add any features we want. Moreover, controls are hidden. There is a trend to emphasize form over function.
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