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#11
If you move to Windows 8.1, you will find its really not that different from Windows 7....you can easily avoid the metro interface if you like. With a minor amount of tweaking it really looks and feels like Windows 7
A side question somewhat related.
One of my PCs is an OEM PC with W7 Home premium. I have W7 SP1 install discs (unused).
1) How long do you think I can use these discs to do a clean install on the OEM PC using the OEM COA code not the unused install discs product key.
2) How long will MS support automatic driver download in such a situation.
I think this question would be of interest to quite a few interested in doing clean installs on an OEM PC.
This post reminds me of the Incandescent light bulb vs LED bruhaha. Personally, I've switched to all LEDs. No big deal. Life goes on and on and on.
Invalid analogy. I didn't switch from incandescents to CFLs until good quality CFLs came out (even then, they are unsuitable for use outdoors—they fire too slowly and are dim initially when temperatures are low—I use halogens there). Even then, there are only a couple of brands of CFLs I'll use because the others don't measure up. I have only two fixtures in my house converted to LEDs because the LEDs I've tired or have looked at are too long to fit in the fixture without looking uglier than even CFLS, are too directional, or put out light with a harsh bright spot. Unless an LED is an overall improvement over the CFL I'm using now in economy (cost of use combined with length of life and initial purchase price), quality of light produced (correct color temperature), can be used in totally enclosed fixtures (read the fine print on the packages; most LEDs can't be used in totally enclosed fixtures), and not look ugly in a fixture (the aforementioned length factor), I refuse to use it.
The same is true of Win 7. I will not replace it until it is an overall benefit for me to do so. I didn't upgrade from XP to Vista and, when it first came out, Win 7 because I would have had to replace a computer (which would only run 32bit Win 7 without Aero), a laser printer, a flatbed scanner, and one very expensive piece of software, all of which were meeting my needs at the time. I eventually replaced the printer due to the difficulty of getting consumables, the scanner because it was finally wearing out, a Win 7 upgrade came out for the aforementioned software, and the computer was no longer meeting my needs, plus XP was reaching EOL in another year. It wasn't until then that upgrading from XP made sense.
When I was planning to build my desktop machine, I had to choose between Win 7 (which I was already reasonably familiar with because I had been using it on the notebook I bought the previous summer) and Win 8.0, which was just coming out at the time. I had no trouble transitioning from XP to Win 7; in fact, I was pleasantly shocked at how easy it was when I first tired it out before buying my notebook. Not so with Win 8. Since I'm leery of buying into new technology until it's been proven, I waited until Win 8 came out and could try it. I found it difficult to impossible without direction and saw no real benefit with most of the changes such as the klunky, horizontally oriented tiles instead of menu lists (I don't like icons either but, at least, Win 7 lets me eliminate or minimize them) hidden charms that would pop up at in opportune times, etc. Going with Win 8 for my desktop would have also meant having to be familiar with two OSes since I saw no benefit whatsoever with upgrading (actually, downgrading, in my not so humble opinion) my notebook from Win 7 to Win 8. Add to that I feel Win 8 is ugly as sin (and that doesn't include the lack of Aeroglass since I also feel it's ugly and have it turned off in Win 7). Since Win 7 was going to be around for seven more years at the time, a long time in terms of computer life, and I didn't like the direction M$ was going (mobile, cloud, and subscription computing), it made much more sense for me to commit to Win 7. After seeing and actually using Win 8.1 for about a week, I do not regret that decision.
1. I still use some incandescent bulbs and a few cfls. I like the color of incandescents better but i do not use halogen bulbs because of safety concerns.
2. Yes one i move on to Win 8, i will really miss Aero. I have used its special features extensively and will take a while to get used to Metro which i despise. But i will have to get it when i get my new Dell XPS since it will have more support than Win 7 over time.
I'm confused.... all this says is that OEMs will stop selling machines with Win7 loaded on them on Oct 31, 2014.Yahoo said:
People who buy a machine with Win8 Pro (only Pro has a downgrade path) loaded on the machine will have another full year to downgrade if they choose.
I'm also confused by folks wanting to get Win7 OEM install disks. If you already have a license, you can use an ISO to re-install Win7. I can see this if you build computers or if you plan on buying a machine with Win8 that you want to downgrade to Win7, but why not have a Win7 and Win8 machine (and eventually a Win9 machine)?
I dunno, maybe it's just me.... but that's when I upgrade my OS - when I get a new machine.
Side note: I replaced all incandescent bulbs with CFLs (mercury sucks!) many years ago while waiting for LED prices to drop. I stumbled across a deal @ staples -> 2 forty watt LED bulbs for $10 and have now replaced all CFLs with LEDs
I think I was in sane once, can't remember how I got there
What I meant was ... when I get a new machine, it usually comes with a new OS (yeah 3-5 years between hardware upgrades). I still have Win98 -> Vista machines but I only use Win7 for work and play.
I keep the others around for nostagia and reference when my not-so-sane friends call me about Win98, XP, or Vista issues. You're absolutely correct... it's really hard to figure stuff out on the other OSes, but I poke around until I find what I need to help those less sane.
Bill
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