Dabber maybe we can help you understand Win7 better.
What are the exact problems you have with it?
Most of us find it fast, sleek and effortless. We'll be happy to help you understand it better.
And no, we don't work for MS. If you think we toe their line you must have missed what is said about the Windows 8 touchscreen OS.
Yes if we worked for MS and you came for help we would give you a link for the Windows 8 download and tell you that would fix the problem. The reason for the XP mode is if you choose the 64 bit version of Windows 7 a whole lot of software designed for XP32 bit is not going to work as the programmers at the time did "illegal calls" which at the time could not ever be conceived to cause problems. Therefore for compatibility for a 20 year DOS based 16 bit application XP Mode will run it fine. There is no point in a Vista mode as the compability mode is built into the system and can be accessed by the shortcuts properties tabs. Windows XP is a good OS but the version running now is not what was launched. It needs considerably more ram. XP does not support the latest hardware, it is not just drivers, how the system is built, it is not as lean and mean or efficient as Windows 7. I used XP for 10 years, my wife has just switched to 7 and likes the power of her system which she ran on XP since I built it. She now uses the 8GB of ram and can have a bunch more Windows and Websites open. So a 64 bit version of Windows 7 gives you the security and stability of a modern OS whilst the 32 bit XP mode means you (and businesses) can run almost any application 32 or 16 bit dating back years. I wish the forum paid me for posts I could certainly use the money
Hi there
@Indanatone
Your sig on London Buses is apt -- although Londoners always say London Buses only "Hunt in Packs" -- I've when in London sometimes waited 20 - 30 mins and then not one or two but SIX come along at once !!!.
Note W7 End of Life will be till at LEAST 2020 whatever W8 does or doesn't do. Now whether you can find any RETAIL versions for sale any more is another issue though.
Cheers
jimbo
MS introduced the updated form of the Virtual PC 2007 at first seeing Vista on XP or vice versa for people to run XP VMs on Vista. The XP Mode was mainly brought in to allow businesses upgrading from XP to run their older apps on 7 not because XP was so good! XP was a mess until SP3 finally came out! BSOD Special and poor crash control no less! Hard boot instead of recover desktop as Vista and 7 brought in!
The two main things extras if you prefer to call them where the new sidebar and gadgets as well as the Aero style themes. Plus you add in a better boot loader and for the first time Startup repair tool! MS put the effot into 7 after Vista got the bad rep of being a bloated OS. The MinWin works well with 7 making it a performer. The return of Fat support aa well as an improved backward compatibility with the 32bit allowing you to actually use XP drivers at times for hardwares is something else to take notice of.
You can still find 7 being sold all over with just a quick Bing search! The pricing will vary however between the various vendors that still carry the branded as well as unbrand OEM for System Builders and retail upgrade and full version. And if you decide to look even further you wil notice that some vendors are still carrying Vista and XP too!
Just be careful who you buy from; there are a lot of counterfeit copies out there. FleaBay is the worst for that. Even Amazon has been known to sell counterfeit copies, mostly from their Marketplace vendors but also directly from amazon on occasion. I will buy expensive software only from NewEgg, Frys Electronics (who were out of Win 7 the last time I checked; they seem to be out of almost everything lately), or directly from the manufacturer.
Thanks for that, and apologies for thinking you all worked for MS! Some of the comments made seemed to imply that at times.
My problem with Windows 7 is mainly the Library set-up. Apart from not seeing the need (I liked/like the folder system in XP) I can only get it to work by sheer chance and then don't realise how I did it. The business of adding a folder to accept new files doesn't work for me (and I have the official user manual and several others). You have to add a new folder but clicking on New Folder doesn't work for me. If I try dragging folders in I'm told "that path isn't official" or words to that effect.
An additional current problem is that I am trying to edit a video using Corel's Pinnacle Studio 15 and Adobe Audition CS6. I want to add a commentary but don't want to use the Voice Over set up because I get more editing flexibility with Audition. Sorry if you are not familiar with these other products but I AM getting to the point.
I can add sound effects in the sounds section of Studio in a drag and drop way but (unlike when I used Studio 9 Plus and Audition 3) I cannot get access to the Windows 7 Library - I created a Sounds / Commentaries library) other than, it seems, in a hit-and-miss way. Sometimes I can, other time I can't. But when I DO get access, the files are empty. Yes, it could be the fault of Studio.
I seem to have wasted more time getting Windows 7 to work than carrying out the task itself.
Mind you, I get the idea that manufacturers (Corel - various products -, Adobe, Serif, Microsoft, etc) are going out of their way to complicate their products. At the same time aiming them at people who like the press-the-button-and-the software-will-do-the-work-for-you way of working, rather than people with a bit of knowledge and expertise. The products - including Windows - seemed to easy to use before. And they worked for you not against you.
Phew . . . (get all that in a quote).
I found for the first year or two just ignoring the Libraries worked best. The best method is to sort all of your files into one of the User folders under your User name.
However there came a time I wanted to move the User folders to another partition or HD due to the backup image becoming too large with all of the files included. I wanted to keep using the cool new Win7 built-in imaging function: Backup Complete Computer - Create an Image Backup
So the first thing I did was move the User folders there using the prescribed method: User Folders - Change Default Location
There was only one problem: Since I used Win7 Backup Imaging due it its built-in convenience, it wanted to include the data partition in the image since I'd moved User (System) files there. This defeated the purpose.
I learned that I could avoid this issue by moving the User folders back to C, then linking a copy of them from the data partition to the related Library - Include a Folder - Windows 7 Forums. Now when I opened Documents I see the C and D documents folders. I can delete the content of C and access my Documents from the D partition where they now live, linked to the Library. If anything accidentally lands in C, I can drag it over quickly to D within in the Library window.
I'm not saying this is a way you'd want to use Libraries, too, just that this is a way I learned to use them. Until then you can ignore them as I did for the first year, or ask back to see if there is a use that suits you.
If I were to purchase it online it would be from Microsoft.
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