Solved New computer build. Do I stick with Win7 or take the leap to 10?

[AriKona]

While I am certain this type of question has been asked before, each computer and each user are different and have different needs. So, here is what I will be assembling next week:
CPU: AMD RYZEN 9 3950x
Cooling: AORUS LIQUID COOLER 280, Dual 140mm ARGB Fans
Motherboard: GigaByte AMD X570 AORUS MASTER
Memory: Ripjaws V Series 32Gbyte 288-Pin SDRAM DDR4 3200
Video Card: GigaByte AORUS Radeon RX 5700 XT 8Gb Graphics Card, PCIe 4.0, 256-Bit GDDR6
Hard Drives: WD-BLACK SN750 NVMe™ SSD 1 Tbyte(x2)
Audio Card: Sound Blaster AE-7
Blu-Ray Read/Writer: WH16NS40 Internal SATA 16x Super Multi Blue
Power: Corsair RM750 - 750 Watt 80 PLUS® Gold Certified Fully Modular
Case: Be Quiet! Dark Base 900 – Full ATX Tower
Monitors: Samsung LC27R500FHNXZA 27” LED (x2)


Note: I am NOT a gamer, but wanted to build a computer that could devour music and graphics projects and could index every word in an 8440 book library periodically (and do it fast).
Is there ANY reason I should opt to install Win10 over Win7? I have been using Win7 and, although MicroSoft isn't "supporting" it (but continues to update it regularly), there is more support here than I would ever get from Microsoft in the first place.


That being said, have at it. Tell me what you would do if you were in my shoes.
I thank you in advance, knowing that the minds here are the best and have saved my sorry *** many times before.


AriKona

 

[Snick]

AriKona

I'll try to help you.

Windows 7 doesn't have drivers for NVMe or USB 3.0, you can add them to a Win7 ISO if you wish. We have instructions on Sevenforums.

Windows 10 supports NVMe and USB 3.0, 3.1, and many others that Win7 doesn't.

Windows 7 is no longer supported by Microsoft, & the extended support either has expired or is very close to that date.

By reading your specs, either would run well.

My opinion, and I hope other Forum members would respond as well, I would install Windows 10.

I've upgraded one of my drives to Win10, still have Win7 on another, Black Arch Linux on another, triple boot through the Win7 boot manager, not Win10 bootloader,.

One thing I can tell you about Windows 10, if you cannot repair it with DISM commands, you can only Repair Install/In Place Upgrade with the current version installed.

If you have a major update, and there have been a few, the original ISO and any that are not current WILL NOT WORK.
Why did M$ do this? Who The H*ll knows! That's M$ for you!

Try to find a current version of Win10 ISO, and I haven't been able to find one to download, including from M$.

Why did M$ do this? Who The H*ll knows! That's M$ for you!

On the other-hand, if you have a Win7 ISO you can Repair Install/In Place Upgrade at any point.

Fortunately I routinely backup my system to an external hard drive.

Off Topic: How are you and yours doing with Covid in AZ?

Snick

 

[AK6DN]

At this point based on your selected hardware I would go with Windows 10 (USB3, NVMe support).
No point in Win 7 on a new hardware build.

You can make Win 10 behave a lot like Win 7 using ClassicShell/OpenShell and ShellFolderFix.
There are instructions over on 10 forum on how to do this. It is what I did on my Win 10 system.
It looks and behaves very much like classic Win 7. None of the funky tiles & etc kludge.

 

[Warrior]

Me too. Its not that bad these days. I was a W7 forever and still have it on Gigabyte - but bought a new Dell and it came with W10 and it really is a heap better than the original we tried and decided no way hosey.

 

[Banyarola]

Go with 10...You'll never look back....

 

[Bree]

My opinion, and I hope other Forum members would respond as well, I would install Windows 10....

Well I agree, but you'd expect me to say that wouldn't you?

Try to find a current version of Win10 ISO, and I haven't been able to find one to download, including from M$.

I can help you with that. Microsoft's most easily found option is to download their Media Creation Tool which will construct an ISO or a USB for you from the downloaded ESD components. But that ISO will have an install.esd. The reason MS do this is to ensure that the install.esd is smaller than the Fat32 4GB file size limit and will fit on a usb thumb drive.

This is fine for installing W10 or an in-place repair upgrade, but not much use if you want an ISO with an install.wim that you can customise.

To download an ISO of the current release of W10 direct from Microsoft, use Option Three in this Ten Forums tutorial. This ISO will always contain an install.wim.

Download Windows 10 ISO File | Tutorials

You can still get the ISOs for older versions of W10 direct from Microsoft. I use Option Six for that.

 

[Snick]

Well I agree, but you'd expect me to say that wouldn't you?

Yes, especially after reading your well versed posts.

 

[AriKona]

Thank you for weighing in on my quandry...

I have read the responses and believe the lot has been cast. I will begrudgingly donate the least amount of money I can to the William Gates Retirement Fund and go with Windows 10. However, I do not believe I will get rid of the old computer for a while….just in case.


I forgot to mention that my current version of Win7 is 32bit, (well, on the desktop, the laptop is 64) because there were some applications that I used which wouldn’t function properly in a 64 bit atmosphere. But, even if I keep the hard drives and use them as storage and connect them via USB if I need anything from them, I should now be alright.


So, now my responses to your responses:


SNICK
Thank you. A very sapient and informative reply and pretty much settled it for me (though I liked your idea for getting the NVMe to work in 7).



AK7DN
Thank you for your response. Back when Win10 came out the first time, I did try it and found several overlays (including Classic Shell) to make it look more like 7. I believe that I can now adapt to the graphic environment of Win10 without a great deal of shell shock (pun intended). Also, I have used Win10 at work (well that was when I was working).


WARRIOR
Thank you for your reply. It will be interesting to see just how much Win10 differs the way I set it up from the typical “everyone in the office has it this way” motif.


BANYAROLA
Thank you for your reply. I’m holding you to your statement. I have a penchant for looking in the rear view mirror. (Never know who’s looking over your shoulder.)


BREE
Thank you for your response. And, thank you for the link to download the MS10 ISO. I know what I will be doing this afternoon. (Glad I just got fiber optic.) This does lead to another question, though. If I install the program, don’t I have to purchase a license as well? (Disclaimer: While I have been using computers since 1974 and have done my share of “questionable” things, I am trying to keep this on the up-and-up, so that nothing, and I mean nothing, is considered “pirated”.



So, at this point, should I say "problem solved" and close the thread or just leave it as it is?


Don aka AriKona

 

[TechnoMage2016]

While I am certain this type of question has been asked before, each computer and each user are different and have different needs. So, here is what I will be assembling next week:
CPU: AMD RYZEN 9 3950x
Cooling: AORUS LIQUID COOLER 280, Dual 140mm ARGB Fans
Motherboard: GigaByte AMD X570 AORUS MASTER
Memory: Ripjaws V Series 32Gbyte 288-Pin SDRAM DDR4 3200
Video Card: GigaByte AORUS Radeon RX 5700 XT 8Gb Graphics Card, PCIe 4.0, 256-Bit GDDR6
Hard Drives: WD-BLACK SN750 NVMe™ SSD 1 Tbyte(x2)
Audio Card: Sound Blaster AE-7
Blu-Ray Read/Writer: WH16NS40 Internal SATA 16x Super Multi Blue
Power: Corsair RM750 - 750 Watt 80 PLUS® Gold Certified Fully Modular
Case: Be Quiet! Dark Base 900 – Full ATX Tower
Monitors: Samsung LC27R500FHNXZA 27” LED (x2)


Note: I am NOT a gamer, but wanted to build a computer that could devour music and graphics projects and could index every word in an 8440 book library periodically (and do it fast).
Is there ANY reason I should opt to install Win10 over Win7? I have been using Win7 and, although MicroSoft isn't "supporting" it (but continues to update it regularly), there is more support here than I would ever get from Microsoft in the first place.
That being said, have at it. Tell me what you would do if you were in my shoes.
I thank you in advance, knowing that the minds here are the best and have saved my sorry *** many times before.
AriKona

Where in Arizona? That IS one of my favorite states. If I didn't live in Florida, I'd probably live in Arizona.


There are many copies of Windows 7 available, so why pad Bill Gates pocket book?

Win 10 is still, sort of, in development. lol So why not just stick with the Tried and True Win 7?
You can always upgrade at a later date.


That's just the opinion of an old retired, and tired, computer tech.


That sounds like quite a system you're building there. Very similar to my own home brew PC, but mine is several years old. AMD and Gigabyte are a good pair.


Good Luck,
TechnoMage

 

[file3456]

Go with 10...You'll never look back....

Go with 10, I promise you, you'll look back. LOL

 

[file3456]

Yeah, with your hardware you might as well use the latest and "greatest" even though a USB 3.0 driver comes from your motherboard manufacturer and NVMe can be used with a few Windows updates.



When the new FS2020 or simply called Flight Simulator comes out, I'll probably dual boot 7 and 10. That's if my new motherboard I plan on buying supports 7...

Liniux is a damn server/hacker OS or if your needs are small home and office then Mint would suffice. Not for this power user. Though, there are a lot of Python scrips for Linux I'd like to test out. Like a Pentest or network test of my own network and website. I do have Parrot OS and Kali in VMware.

Edit- I guess you can run Python in Windows, but I'd rather run it in Kali or what ever and call it a day.

 

[file3456]

(Never know who’s looking over your shoulder.)

You will with all the telemetry that goes in and out of the NIC (Network Interface Card) I have a massive list of all the IPs and ASNs.

If I install the program, don’t I have to purchase a license as well?

It's not a program, it's an operating system (OS). Yes, I do believe you'll need to purchase a key. Though, at one time 10 was a free upgrade. As they say, nothing is free... You pay with analytics, etc.


Comparison of Windows 10 Privacy tools - gHacks Tech News

 

[Bree]

BREE
Thank you for your response. And, thank you for the link to download the MS10 ISO. I know what I will be doing this afternoon. (Glad I just got fiber optic.) This does lead to another question, though. If I install the program, don’t I have to purchase a license as well?

For a new machine you'd nee a new license, either by purchasing W10, or if you have a spare unused W7 key install that then upgrade it. You should also be able to clean install W10 with a W7 or W8 retail key that's not been used yet. Setup should accept it and activate W10.

It is still free to upgrade from an activated W7 to W10 and get it activated with a digital license. As it says at the top of the page:

...you can still update Windows 7 to Windows 10 for free, see our Tutorial at Ten Forums for instructions

But there is another way to capture your W7 activation as a GenuineTicket.xml file and use it to activate a clean install of W10 on the same machine. See this Ten Forums tutorial for details: Clean Install Windows 10 Directly without having to Upgrade First | Tutorials

 

[Megahertz07]

My vote will be for win 7 if you can find Win 7 drivers for your hardware.

I have both OSs (Win 7 HP 64 and Win 10 Pro 64) on my computer.

Reasons why Win 7 is my working OS:
- "The best software is the one you know how to use". Many things has changed on Win 10 that makes it difficult for a Win 7 user. You have to learn Win 10.
- Win 7 runs well and there is nothing on Win 10 that I need that doesn't have on win 7.
- Win 10 is more like a Beta software under development to be tested by volunteers (you). Seen so many problems after a major win 10 update that I can't trust it as my main OS.
- Win 7 is stable, M$ end of support doesn't mean or changed anything while Win 10 can be a nightmare.

So I would install win 7 and Win 10 and on another partition I would use it for data.
Then decide witch one will be your main OS.
If you have a Win 7 retail license you can use it to install Win 7 and Win 10 but you can't use it on the old computer (license agreement).

For Win 10, have a look at What programs / apps to use to tweak Win 10 - Windows 10 Forums

PS.: To install Win 7 on a new hardware isn't an easy task. New hardware needs some drivers (SATA, USB3.x, MVMe...) that are not on the Win 7 installation disk. You have to add those drivers to the Win 7 installation disk. I did it to be able to install Win 7 on my computer. SIW2 has made it a little more easy using his script. SIW2 also knows all the tricks and limitations, specially on laptops.
Update your Win 7 installation media

 

[AriKona]

Response and update

At this point I have decided to go with Windows 10 for simplicity (more than anything) sake. No having to find drivers or tweaking (since I am not gaming, this may change in the future). Now I must bring to perfection my favorite part and that is the hardware. Decided to forego the liquid cooling (hey, Newegg, another return) and am going to use the Noctua NHD15S instead. After watching a few reviews, I see no reason to go with liquid cooling and, to be honest, I have no intention of turning on ANY RGB lights at all (especially since my case doesn't have a glass window in it). So, as soon as the CPU heat sink fan gets here, perhaps I will be able to get this underway. But, just like Dr. Frankenfurter says in the Rocky Horror Picture Show....I see you shiver with antici.....................pation. I love the build up to the build.


Now, responses to responses:



TechnoMage2016: "Where in Arizona? That IS one of my favorite states. If I didn't live in Florida, I'd probably live in Arizona."


Well, I moved to Mesa in 1977 and then went to South Dakota for anesthesia training and then back to Tucson, AZ (my most favorite city on earth) and was lured away by the Mayo Clinic in 1989 to Scottsdale (or Snotsdale as many of us call it - however, this too is changing with the demographics). I have lived here 31 years as of September. Arizona has such a variety of climates, from the pines and winder snow in Flagstaff to the oven like temps in Yuma, you can have what you want. The only down side to Phoenix now is the plethora of unqualified drivers. The casual atmosphere breeds casual driving and between not being able to find the turn signal and weaving in and out of traffic like NASCAR drivers (which they are definitely not) it has become an interesting place to get from one location to another.


Megahertz07: You and I think alike and I have all I can do to make the change, but since I did try 10 when it first came out and see several improvement since then and had the opportunity to use it when I was working about 3 years ago and survived that, I think I can adjust it to my liking. I have already watched several videos on how to disable Cortana and any tracking services, so it may be doable. As I said, I do have a full working copy of Win7 on disk in the event. (Another reason that putting a Blu-Ray burner in was a good idea.


Bree: I will take a look at the upgrade option to see if that may be a better one. I simply want a full working copy of Win10 Pro with a license to prevent any "This is not a legitimate copy of Windows" messages from popping up. Now, when it comes to Office, that will be another story. I only use Word and Excel so will see if there is an angle to get those two separate in the 2019 version, not 365. I have my full working copy of Win7 Ultimate in the box. So, if it works like previous upgrades, all I need to do is have the key from the box and don't have to have it actually installed on the computer (I want a very clean install this time).


F22 Simpilot: Sorry for the semantics. I do know that it is an OS, but ever since I started with PCs, I have just generically called them "programs". Thank you.


OK, I think that brings things up to date. Will definitely post some pics when the project is underway and finished. Looking forward to doing this. I used to do a lot more working on other people's computers, but nowadays, it is more of a disposable world. C'est la vie.


Enjoy the week,


AriKona

 

[file3456]

You wanna see bad drivers? Go over the border of Colorado. Now I realize everyone says their neck of the woods has bad drivers, but believe me when I tell you I think Colorado single-handedly invented the term "road rage." A perfect example is when I bought my mom a dashcam for Christmas. Within about two weeks of me installing it the cam caught the first idiot driver. The knuckle dragging idiot that doesn't care about car or health insurance premiums and the possibility of being transported in an ambulance to the tune of some $900 almost T-boned my mom had she not drove defensively like EVERYONE should. He just kept on driving in his own little world.

Been to Phoenix my self when I was about 12 visiting my dying uncle in the hospital. I was absolutely shocked back then to step foot out of the air conditioned motel room at night to a temperature of 90 some odd degrees. And it's like that in Vegas, too. Been there a handful of times living in California.

When I was having my gallbladder removed and thrown into the fiery inferno that is the hospital incinerator, I was amazed that the woman anesthesiologist was about my age or younger. She had to be at least in her middle thirties. And I've read they make bank. More so then a brain surgeon so I've read. Just thought that was interesting and yet here I am about to turn 40 in October being the poor serf that I am. LOL

About Windows 10. I gave a link to some Win 10 privacy tools. It may be in your best interest to use at least ShutUp10. I've been testing something else in VMware but I can't remember its name. I don't think it's been updated though so it won't work with the latest "update." But it works on a more advanced firewall level and seems pretty promising from what I've seen in a network sniffer. Without the program there would be traffic like you wouldn't believe going in/out of the NIC (Network Interface Card) This is not true for legacy OSs I've tested such as Windows 7 and XP. Windows 10 seems to operate like a giant "smart"phone.

PS:

Your avatar reminds me of some more advanced Android phone OS logo. LOL

 

[AriKona]

When I was having my gallbladder removed and thrown into the fiery inferno that is the hospital incinerator, I was amazed that the woman anesthesiologist was about my age or younger. She had to be at least in her middle thirties. And I've read they make bank. More so then a brain surgeon so I've read. Just thought that was interesting and yet here I am about to turn 40 in October being the poor serf that I am. LOL

Sorry for the delay in replying. There has been a lot going on this week. So much so that I have had to delay the build of my computer until tomorrow (Thursday). Everything is out of the box and ready to go so shouldn't take very long.

As for your "anesthesiologist", chances are good that she was a nurse anesthetist or CRNA. Back as far as the civil war, nurses gave anesthesia because physicians wanted to do the important stuff like surgery. Yeah, like keeping someone alive isn't important. In 1903 they formed the National Association of Nurse Anesthetists, which changed to American Association of Nurse Anesthetists in 1909. Until the end of the Korean war, nurse anesthetists were administering almost 100% of the anesthetics given. Then Dr. Lundy (an anesthesiologist) invented sodium pentothal. No more ether or chloroform to sniff. Anesthesiologists could see the $$$ in giving anesthesia instead of inventing new drugs (hence the "ologist"). So, doctors started giving anesthesia along with the nurses. As of this year,globally there will still be more anesthetics administered by nurse anesthetists than anesthesiologists. Over the years, insurance and other restrictions has made it that both anesthetists and anesthesiologists make about the same amount (depending on how much you want to work). More than a brain surgeon? Probably about the same.

So did I Wikipedia to get this explanation? Nope. 100% from my brain. How? I have been a nurse anesthetist for 39 years. So, you can say anything you want about her, but no disrespect is allowed.

About Windows 10. I gave a link to some Win 10 privacy tools. It may be in your best interest to use at least ShutUp10. I've been testing something else in VMware but I can't remember its name. I don't think it's been updated though so it won't work with the latest "update." But it works on a more advanced firewall level and seems pretty promising from what I've seen in a network sniffer. Without the program there would be traffic like you wouldn't believe going in/out of the NIC (Network Interface Card) This is not true for legacy OSs I've tested such as Windows 7 and XP. Windows 10 seems to operate like a giant "smart"phone.

PS:

Your avatar reminds me of some more advanced Android phone OS logo. LOL

Thank you for the link. I will definitely be using the tools. I have heard the telemetry on Win10 is horrendous. Llike the Internet in general is not? LOL

As for my avatar, well it is sort of a stolen one. I don't thing it is copyrighted, but it comes from Hanford Lemoore's Rocknor's Donut Factory. I was so taken by Rocknor, I had to use his image (which is also my Windows login image). The game is still available, but Monolux is moving on according to their site so it will be interesting to see what they have in mind. So, don't tell Hanford that I "borrowed" his character although I doubt he would object at this point.


Don aka AriKona

 

[SIW2]

You can install both win7 and win10 on separate partitions.

You will need to install the drivers for win7 to work on that mobo and cpu.

 

[file3456]

Off topic, but thanks for that bit of Info. Yeah, I knew you were some sort of anesthesiologist from your last post. That's why I brought the subject up. I was just amazed how she was younger than I was and making bank. LOL I never new there were CRNA's. Yeah, I learned a little about how nurses started out from the Civil War from watching a TV show on the History Channel. Back in the day the History Channel was fantastic. I used to be glued to the TV for hours watching nothing but the History Channel. Now a days it's mostly reality TV show crap. But to Discovery Network's credit they do have a few shows that are worth watching. I can't remember the exact name, but the show is hosted by Josh Gates. He's been all over Discovery Network channels and on the show Ghost Hunters which I loved to watch.

I have a question about sodium pentothal so I'll just send it via PM and not make this thread go off topic anymore than it has.

I could use a donut right now, but I need to lose the weight. LOL