Join for free
Page 1 of 8 1 2 3 > Last »
big ben's Avatar
big ben
Senior Member
big ben is offline
United Kingdom
Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 922
big ben is male  big ben has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
08-12-2019, 10:31 AM
1

Should I upgrade.

I have Windows 7. Microsoft are withdrawing their support. What does this mean and should I upgrade to Windows 10.
I only use my computer for pleasure, Forums, E Mail to friends etc;
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
realspeed
Chatterbox
realspeed is offline
South coast
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 12,931
realspeed is male  realspeed has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
08-12-2019, 10:35 AM
2

Re: Should I upgrade.

going to W10 is worth it if you want all the updates otherwise no providing you have a good antivirus and Malware programs installed.
mart's Avatar
mart
Chatterbox
mart is offline
South of England
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 6,151
mart is male  mart has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
08-12-2019, 11:30 AM
3

Re: Should I upgrade.

Microsoft withdrawing support won't stop Windows 7 from working. If you're happy with it there's no reason why you couldn't keep using it in my opinion. As a precaution, install a third-party security program or two (as suggested by realspeed).

Regarding upgrading - The chances are that it will all go OK. However, troubles can occur when upgrading an existing computer to Windows 10 and you might be sorry you set off on the upgrade path if it doesn't go well. Also, when the upgrade is done, the difference in appearance and behaviour is unacceptable for some.

I'm not absolutely sure if the upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10 can be done without 'clean installing' it (the official 'free upgrade' period ended ages ago). An upgrade might still work by clicking on whatever upgrade link is available but if it doesn't, it should still possible to upgrade by using an ISO. Have a read of the How-To Geek article linked to below:

https://www.howtogeek.com/266072/you...-8-or-8.1-key/

If you have had your current computer a good number of years, buying another with Windows 10 already installed is another option.

It's a personal decision whether to continue with Windows 7. I've stopped recommending Windows 10 just because I reckon it's the best MS operating system yet. Others don't think so. All you can do is weigh up this and other opinions and make the choice.

Edit: In some cases, it's not the OS dating that spells the end of Windows 7's usefulness. It's that other companies stop making their software compatible with it.
JBR's Avatar
JBR
Chatterbox
JBR is offline
Cheshire, UK
Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 32,785
JBR is male  JBR has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
08-12-2019, 11:31 AM
4

Re: Should I upgrade.

If I had the chance I would have retained Windows 7 on my old computer. However, one day quite unexpectedly I found that Microsoft was in the process of 'upgrading' my Windows installation to W10. I could do nothing to stop it. Such is the dictatorial attitude of Microsoft.

I believe that MS have now given up on their compulsory 'upgrades' and, instead, just warn us that support will end for W7 (and earlier versions of Windows).

Strangely, despite their warnings, it appears that many people are still using W7 and earlier versions including the excellent XP. I have heard that the latter (XP) is in use in some hospitals and works perfectly.

Another off-putting activity by MS is that they now attempt to persuade people to use some of their software through annual subscriptions. That suggests one word to me: GREED.

So in short, no, I agree with Realspeed. I'd keep W7 but ensure you have a good antivirus and anti-malware sortware. I use Malwarebytes Free.
big ben's Avatar
big ben
Senior Member
big ben is offline
United Kingdom
Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 922
big ben is male  big ben has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
08-12-2019, 11:37 AM
5

Re: Should I upgrade.

Many thanks for your help.
Tedc's Avatar
Tedc
Senior Member
Tedc is offline
Berkshire, UK
Joined: Aug 2016
Posts: 4,872
Tedc is male  Tedc has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
08-12-2019, 11:38 AM
6

Re: Should I upgrade.

Originally Posted by big ben ->
I have Windows 7. Microsoft are withdrawing their support. What does this mean and should I upgrade to Windows 10.
I only use my computer for pleasure, Forums, E Mail to friends etc;
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
It means that Microsoft are no longer going to spend any money on updates, etc.

Companies who write new other apps will, probably, no longer include W7 in their repertoire.

That might sound worrying but it probably isn't.

Your W7 will still work, as it does now, and will carry on doing a good job as long as you do a regular clean out of all the old data, on the hard drive, which tends to progressively slow the machine down.

If you want to know how full it is, or what is installed on it, I'd suggest that you download the free Belarc Advisor.

That gives you four sheets of info telling you all you need to know about what makes up your PC and what is on it.
Longdogs's Avatar
Longdogs
Chatterbox
Longdogs is offline
SW England
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 43,957
Longdogs is male  Longdogs has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
08-12-2019, 12:02 PM
7

Re: Should I upgrade.

Stick to Windows7 for as long as possible. Win10 is full of things you will never use but the things you want to use won't be there. If you have any documents saved as word files, they will not open unless you can reinstall and have the product key.

I would go back to Win7 instantly if I could.
JBR's Avatar
JBR
Chatterbox
JBR is offline
Cheshire, UK
Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 32,785
JBR is male  JBR has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
08-12-2019, 12:27 PM
8

Re: Should I upgrade.

Originally Posted by Longdogs ->
Stick to Windows7 for as long as possible. Win10 is full of things you will never use but the things you want to use won't be there. If you have any documents saved as word files, they will not open unless you can reinstall and have the product key.

I would go back to Win7 instantly if I could.
One good example instantly springs to mind:
https://winaero.com/blog/get-windows...or-windows-10/

W10 brought with it a collection of games which many people considered inferior to what was supplied with W7, so some enterprising people put together a downloadable Windows 7 games suite which proved very popular.

So why did Microsoft decide that everyone should have a new games suite when people were perfectly happy with the old one?
Longdogs's Avatar
Longdogs
Chatterbox
Longdogs is offline
SW England
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 43,957
Longdogs is male  Longdogs has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
08-12-2019, 12:39 PM
9

Re: Should I upgrade.

Originally Posted by JBR ->
One good example instantly springs to mind:
https://winaero.com/blog/get-windows...or-windows-10/

W10 brought with it a collection of games which many people considered inferior to what was supplied with W7, so some enterprising people put together a downloadable Windows 7 games suite which proved very popular.

So why did Microsoft decide that everyone should have a new games suite when people were perfectly happy with the old one?

I don't know. I suppose Microsoft must benefit financially somewhere along the line. The old Windows movie maker was also far superior to the new version.

Perhaps it's a bit like watching TV, nothing to do with the entertainment anymore, more to do with selling, whether it's adverts or data.
mart's Avatar
mart
Chatterbox
mart is offline
South of England
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 6,151
mart is male  mart has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
08-12-2019, 01:10 PM
10

Re: Should I upgrade.

What I found was that if you have a retail version of a Windows 7 installation disk, it is possible to go back to windows 7. I did this on my laptop computer. I wondered if it could be done since the computer had already been upgraded to Window 10 from Windows 8.1. Hence registered on the Microsoft servers.

However, the key for the Windows 7 installation disk had never been used for an upgrade to Windows 10. Maybe the key wouldn't have worked if it had been used for that.
 
Page 1 of 8 1 2 3 > Last »

Thread Tools


© Copyright 2009, Over50sForum   Contact Us | Over 50s Forum! | Archive | Privacy Statement | Terms of Use | Top

Powered by vBulletin Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.