RIP Windows 7. Now what?

[ShinraArcade]

Good stuff. Thanks all.

Fwiw you can still upgrade to 10 for free with a valid 7 or 8 key too.

How do I do this, please? I have a boxed, retail version of win7, so I assume this will do? Scratch that - getting confused with MS Office. I remember now I got win7 from a legit supplier on ebay (honest!). Think they were from decomissioned PCs, or summat.

yeah in that case just grab another from ebay. I built my current machine when Windows 10 came out and it's still going strong with the product key I bought from ebay. Plus I've done loads for others and there still going too!

M$ aren't after the small fish.

ShinraArcade2020-01-15 21:05:29

 

[ShinraArcade]

In your position I would start here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

if you can't upgrade it will just rollback to 7 in which case you you'll have to do a clean install.

It should also highlight any incompatible hardware although unless it's really old or obscure should be fine. If all supported you don't even need to worry about any drivers it'll do it all for you, although if it's got a gaming video card then you'll probably want to update this afterwards.

Once installed you'll have 30 or maybe 60 days grace in which time you can just buy an OEM licence from eBay and activate once it arrives.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

remember to match the licence for the version you have installed. I always go for the pro version personally, If you need a bootable USB I've got a few laying around with the latest image (1909) on.

ShinraArcade2020-01-15 21:25:31

 

[big10p]

OK, I'll try the free upgrade route when I get the chance, and see how it goes. Thanks for all the help!

 

[muddymusic]

Well that's gonna be the end of this current pc for me I guess. Win7 is the last OS I've really liked since XP, seeing various issues and compatibility problems made me stick with it even though 10 was free - if it all runs fast and smooth why change? was my opinion.

I always said I'd do my next full system upgrade when the next Half Life game was due - which it is now and needs some heavy specs, so guess it's time to go all out. I'm a bit out of touch with current specs so some heavy research coming up. Just upgraded my GFX card too a few months back and that's already not good enough

I'll buy an OEM Win10 off amazon for 8 quid or whatever it is.

 

[LAZORIAN]

II started the upgrade process from 7 to 10 last night and left it downloading.

I haven't checked it yet today but hopefully I'll be able to upgrade for free.

I also bought an oem license from ebay years ago, its been working fine up till now.

Not bothered about modern games, I have consoles for that.

It would be a shame if it doesn't run name or other emulators though.

Will post up later with an update on how it went.

 

[Bods]

Was quite surprised when I got offered windows 10 on mine when I downloaded 7 from a site, had all 3 versions of 32bit and same with 64bit, GF's pc I put the same Win7 on and she upgraded to 10 no problem

Can't say I've ever paid for any of them

Got copys of Win95 free when that came out, mate got ones after that as he was in Networking, then he got 2000 and XP, evaluation ones or something. then I got PC's from the tip and couple had original XP discs inside case, and all cases had License on so always been sorted out, one of the XP discs Exploded in the drive though, was a loud bang for sure

Still have an XP that you don't need Licence when installed, couldn't update after a few years so no good online but good for mame though

 

[Bods]

The problem is, I have a few PC's and every so often I end up re installing windows because it's crap, you can't install loads of stuff on windows before the system falls on it's arse. Linux is far more stable

So if I had upgraded it too Win 10, what happens then if I needed to re install it, you have no copy of 10, so screwed aren't you

8.1 has another 3 years then

 

[big10p]

The problem is, I have a few PC's and every so often I end up re installing windows because it's crap, you can't install loads of stuff on windows before the system falls on it's arse. Linux is far more stable

So if I had upgraded it too Win 10, what happens then if I needed to re install it, you have no copy of 10, so screwed aren't you

8.1 has another 3 years then

Looks like you can get a DVD and key pretty cheaply, if you do need to reinstall. Tend to be Dell branded, so no doubt from corporate stockpile. Looks like the key is for a single PC only though, and if you try it on another one, it'll lock-out the key completely.

 

[Robbiedog]

Presumably you only use it to play games you've already setup (eg it's a second or third PC), or can copy new roms to it with USB etc?

If so leave it as is, maybe disconnect it from your network - guaranteed never to get a virus or hacked if it's offline.

If it's your main PC, go for Win 10.

 

[big10p]

Yeah, it's my main PC. I don't use it for any gaming.

 

[LAZORIAN]

Well so far so good. 10 has installed and is working (using my pc to post this).

I can't see any notifications about the product key needing re-activation or anything, but maybe that will change. I believe there's a grace period before needing to activate windows so we will see.

All I did was use the download tool and upgrade. It looks like all my documents etc. are still here.

I haven't tested much if any software yet, but to be honest I don't have that much on this machine anyway.

 

[Robbiedog]

Ahh ok, I had vision of it being a retired PC used for a cabinet or something.

 

[big10p]

Well so far so good. 10 has installed and is working (using my pc to post this).

I can't see any notifications about the product key needing re-activation or anything, but maybe that will change. I believe there's a grace period before needing to activate windows so we will see.

All I did was use the download tool and upgrade. It looks like all my documents etc. are still here.

I haven't tested much if any software yet, but to be honest I don't have that much on this machine anyway.

Sounds promising! I'll be attempting my upgrade tomorrow. Just need to back up some more stuff, to be on the safe side.

Ahh ok, I had vision of it being a retired PC used for a cabinet or something.

I have PCs running MAME in a couple of cabs, but they're working fine (last time I checked) and aren't connected to the net, so will be leaving those as they are.

big10p2020-01-16 18:02:36

 

[ShinraArcade]

The problem is, I have a few PC's and every so often I end up re installing windows because it's crap, you can't install loads of stuff on windows before the system falls on it's arse. Linux is far more stable

So if I had upgraded it too Win 10, what happens then if I needed to re install it, you have no copy of 10, so screwed aren't you

8.1 has another 3 years then

Nahh move to 10 it's by far the best option.

Microsoft have a free media creation tool (download) so you can make a bootable USB stick for any version.

Better still once the machine has been activated once then the machine is registered with Microsoft and next time you reinstall it just activates itself again.

A reinstall onto an SSD is 15 mins or less, if you have an old HDD then it might take 30mins or so. It's all much easier and faster than it used to be with any other version of windows.

I you want a Bootable USB stick let me know and maybe you could sort me out with that quiz machine USB....

 

[Chihiro]

Wasn't there a hack on XP when they did the same thing a few years back as most Gov systems ran xp so needed the updates?

 

[ShinraArcade]

Wasn't there a hack on XP when they did the same thing a few years back as most Gov systems ran xp so needed the updates?

Yep you must be thinking of NHS that were using XP machines doh!

 

[Chihiro]

Maybe a similar hack is on the cards.

 

[minwah]

I'd keep Windows 7.

 

[tin]

I am keeping windows 7. i have win 10 on two laptops and they both BSOD like bastards. Also I rail heartily against the telemetry bollocks and do not have the time or inclination to fully understand, catch and disable or block it all. Screw all of that crap.

 

[Bods]

I am keeping windows 7. i have win 10 on two laptops and they both BSOD like bastards. Also I rail heartily against the telemetry bollocks and do not have the time or inclination to fully understand, catch and disable or block it all. Screw all of that crap.

Just had a quick look. so I was right from day one, Microsoft not offering anything for Free without a catch, said to my dad when 10 first offered for free and said they must be up to something with it.

Personally I do as little as possible online these days, if I download anything I used a basic windows installed on another HDD. The internet is just fraud, adverts, scams, viruses and so on. only use it for basic stuff like here, ebay. Can't be bothered to go on much to have Google adverts popping up all over the page, stupid privacy crap coming up as soon as you go on a site.

Do a google search for something these days, you don't find stuff you want, just brings up all your own tracked stuff, waste of time

Mobile Phones just get worse for all this the newer they are. much sooner spend my time doing other stuff these days offline

Used to make me laugh when I got a PC from the tip, you would switch it on and watch it booting up, 20 mins later it would still be booting up which is why people dumped it, that's if it hasn't crashed and started booting again. There was rarely anything wrong with them, just the fact they installed so much crap and soon as you put a load of stuff on a windows PC it screws it up, makes it really slow. Fresh install and the PC is perfect again. Then you get it installing all the windows updates and by time they finished it's already twice as slow as it was.

My advice to friends was always don't install hardly anything and it will be fine, even old pc's with enough memory would work fine. Unless you know Windows XP inside out I doubt you could get it to work any good without fresh install.

In the old days of downloading on Dial up, my pc was on 24/7 but XP couldn't even do updates half time without reboot, after a week it was nailed and had to reboot, Linux system you could leave on all year and it would still be perfect and never had to reboot for anything

Lots used to Use stuff like Adaware and AVG, that sh*te used to turn a fresh XP install into an unusable heap of crap instantly and most of time never found anything on your machine anyway

Not a fan of any of it now and I've had PC's since mid 90's