WINDOWS 7 and HOLDING

I loved my old Sony VAIO. It was a sad day when I finally put her to rest. Mind, I got that unit WAY back in the Windows "Mistake Edition" era. There really wasn't much in the way of hardware I could salvage from it in 2012. The days of IDE were done.

Well, I thought so too, till I found two old IDE drives, that I salvaged from dead PC's a few years ago.
I plugged one into my old eMachine, (the only PC I own with IDE ports on the Motherboard) and proceeded to install Win-8.1/Pro/x86 on it. And it boots up and runs just fine, if you discount the humming, clattering and chattering!!!
And to think, back in the day that was as good as it got.
Remember, formatting a MFM drive? That was a tricky process. Or, parking the read/write heads before turning off your PC? Oh yes, I have my memories, painful as they may be. :mad:
Thank God and technology for the SSD!
:cool:
 

My Computer My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Various
OS
Win 7 Pro, SP1, x86, Win-11/Pro/64
CPU
AMD
Motherboard
Various
Memory
8GB Crucial
Graphics Card(s)
Various
Sound Card
OnBoard
Monitor(s) Displays
Acer 21.5"
Hard Drives
Crucial SSD, 500 GB
PSU
OEM
Case
SFF Slim Line Case
Cooling
OEM
Keyboard
eMachines
Mouse
Logitech Wireless
Internet Speed
varies
Antivirus
Windows Defender/Super Anti-Spyware
Browser
Firefox
Ide final fantasy

:mad: Hey no cussin' in the forums! You said MFM. Oh, *snap* now I just said it too. :o Well do I remember the days of parking the drive in the trusty and handy Tandy but at least it was a step up from the infamously famous Commodore 64. TBH I rather miss that dear old comforting sound of the IDE drives chattering away. I still have a PC with an onboard IDE port but never got around to hooking up the HD because it also accommodates SATA. I probably still have a few of those IDE drives kicking around somewhere. That unit also sports an internal floppy and every time I boot it up I smile because there is nothing quite so comforting as the sound of an internal floppy drive booting.

The Floppotron 3.0 - Computer Hardware Orchestra - YouTube
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
    ASUS CUSTOM BUILD IN THERMALTAKE LEVEL 10 GT CASE
    OS
    Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 8.1 Pro, Linux Mint/Cinnimon (Triple Boot)
    CPU
    INTEL 6900K
    Motherboard
    X99-E WS USB 3.1
    Memory
    CORSAIR DOMINATOR PLATINUM 128GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GTX 1070 FTW
    Sound Card
    Onboard Crystal Sound - very nice ;)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    SAMSUNG 4K 28"
    Screen Resolution
    3140 x 2160 - A little extreme. Need to change it.
    Hard Drives
    1) LSI LOGICAL VOLUME RAID 10 (250 GBX4) SSD ARRAY
    2) INTEL RAID 0 KINGSTON (2) SSD ARRAY
    3) INTEL RAID 1 SEAGATE (2) 1TB ARRAY (secured backup)
    4) INTEL RAID 1 SEAGATE HYBRID (2) (secure secured backup)
    5) AHCI SEAGATE 3TB (1) BACKUP & STORAGE (back
    PSU
    CORSAIR HX 1000i
    Case
    THERMAL TAKE LEVEL 10 GT
    Cooling
    NOCTUA TOWER COOLING - PUSH/PULL
    Keyboard
    LOGITECH PRODIGY (One day I'll get a real keyboard.)
    Mouse
    LOGITECH (One day I'll get a real mouse.)
    Internet Speed
    300 Gb down 12 up Intel(R) I210 Gigabit Network Connection
    Antivirus
    several - Network implementing vs from other PCs - ask me
    Browser
    Mostly FireFox these days
    Other Info
    NOT ENOUGH ROOM TO LIST ALL HARD DRIVES HERE. Cuts me off at 5. Did you know that if you run a network you can scan your PC for viruses via other PCs using several different virus scanners? No virus scanner gets it all. This is narrows down the window for contracting a virus. By using multiple operating systems you can use different virus scanners with no risk of conflict.
  • Antivirus
    KASPERSKY
Dang it, guys & gals, you all make me feel so left out! But here I am anyway!
I've been running Win-7, one version or another, since its release, with updates always turned OFF.
Why just ask for trouble?
In fact, even though I'm now running Win-11/Pro/64 here on my daily driver, I still have Win-7 Ultimate x86 running on a very old eMachine, that I just fire up once in a while, for the sheer heck of it. It runs just fine!

On every PC that I own (12) and with every version of Windows, that is installed, all Updates are shut OFF.
Over my 40+ years as a computer tech, I've run way too many service calls on PC's that were disabled by some crappy MS Update. So I'm just safe and not sorry, by remaining Update free.
I also refuse all vaccines, and I'm healthy as a race horse, even at 79 yrs old.
View attachment 422401

This. Updates are disabled on all my Windows XP/7/10 computers, all internet connected no problems for years. Everytime I get a call from friends or family about some problem with their Windows computers 95% of the time it was due to some update.
 

My Computer My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
OS
Windows 7 Pro x64
Now, don't y'all be badmouthing the little C-64. My first one launched me into the C-64 business.
I rewrote the Kernel (OS ) ROM, to make the C-64 faster and more efficient. I developed a "Quiet Stop" for the C-1541 disk drive, to quiet it down and lengthen it's life. I'd even put a toggle switch on a drive, to change its drive letter from 8 to 9, and another switch to disable the Write Protect Tab, so the user could format and use the back side of the disk, without cutting a new notch in the disk.
I gave seminars to C-64 Clubs, all over the Mid-West. It was a wild ride!

Then Commodore declared bankruptcy, and closed up production, and the days of the great little C-64 were over.
The last of the C-64's sold at "Toys R Us", for $99 ea.
I reluctantly built my first IBM XT Clone, and the rest is history. That first PC, launched me into the PC building and repair business. More history.

:cool:
 

My Computer My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Various
OS
Win 7 Pro, SP1, x86, Win-11/Pro/64
CPU
AMD
Motherboard
Various
Memory
8GB Crucial
Graphics Card(s)
Various
Sound Card
OnBoard
Monitor(s) Displays
Acer 21.5"
Hard Drives
Crucial SSD, 500 GB
PSU
OEM
Case
SFF Slim Line Case
Cooling
OEM
Keyboard
eMachines
Mouse
Logitech Wireless
Internet Speed
varies
Antivirus
Windows Defender/Super Anti-Spyware
Browser
Firefox
Son and I had a blast on our family C-64. We were PacMan fiends. This is where he also got his first hand experience with coding. Later on, we moved on over to Tandy. I'd never dis a C-64. Too many good memories :)
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
    ASUS CUSTOM BUILD IN THERMALTAKE LEVEL 10 GT CASE
    OS
    Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 8.1 Pro, Linux Mint/Cinnimon (Triple Boot)
    CPU
    INTEL 6900K
    Motherboard
    X99-E WS USB 3.1
    Memory
    CORSAIR DOMINATOR PLATINUM 128GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GTX 1070 FTW
    Sound Card
    Onboard Crystal Sound - very nice ;)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    SAMSUNG 4K 28"
    Screen Resolution
    3140 x 2160 - A little extreme. Need to change it.
    Hard Drives
    1) LSI LOGICAL VOLUME RAID 10 (250 GBX4) SSD ARRAY
    2) INTEL RAID 0 KINGSTON (2) SSD ARRAY
    3) INTEL RAID 1 SEAGATE (2) 1TB ARRAY (secured backup)
    4) INTEL RAID 1 SEAGATE HYBRID (2) (secure secured backup)
    5) AHCI SEAGATE 3TB (1) BACKUP & STORAGE (back
    PSU
    CORSAIR HX 1000i
    Case
    THERMAL TAKE LEVEL 10 GT
    Cooling
    NOCTUA TOWER COOLING - PUSH/PULL
    Keyboard
    LOGITECH PRODIGY (One day I'll get a real keyboard.)
    Mouse
    LOGITECH (One day I'll get a real mouse.)
    Internet Speed
    300 Gb down 12 up Intel(R) I210 Gigabit Network Connection
    Antivirus
    several - Network implementing vs from other PCs - ask me
    Browser
    Mostly FireFox these days
    Other Info
    NOT ENOUGH ROOM TO LIST ALL HARD DRIVES HERE. Cuts me off at 5. Did you know that if you run a network you can scan your PC for viruses via other PCs using several different virus scanners? No virus scanner gets it all. This is narrows down the window for contracting a virus. By using multiple operating systems you can use different virus scanners with no risk of conflict.
  • Antivirus
    KASPERSKY
I just saw a C-64 for sale on Goodwill's website. Already had flea bids on it. LOL So, instead I bid on and won an old Regency 1970s crystal controlled "police" scanner. I put "police" in quotes because you can hear planes, trains and automobiles or anything else over the unencrypted airwaves on a scanner. Today's scanners are far and away not for the faint of heart. Though today they have a model or two where you just enter a flipping zip code or connect a GPS and it'll scan what you like in your area. Short of most police though. Since everything is going or has gone digital it's easy to throw the encryption switch. I wrote about that BS on my website here. (Note: if you're using a VPN or whatever, chances are you're not getting in).
 

My Computer My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate x64
One More Reason to keep Windows 7 up and running

Yup. Said "authorities" don't like being monitored but they sure don't mind monitoring we, the plebs. I have a vintage Realistic 3020 programmable that runs beside me just for old time's sake. I don't get much on it anymore but it does make for an interesting conversation piece. ;)

- - - Updated - - -

I just recently received a catastrophic system crash that cost me 20+ TB worth of data lost. The system and network has been running perfectly fine until Win 8.1 EOL. It was running well for years. Two days after official EOL for Win 8.1 the issues started coming and they have not stopped. The only thing that didn't crash and get messed up is the OS I'm typing on right now: Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit. Windows 7 will be the saviour of the rest of what I manage to salvage. So glad I kept Windows 7 up and running.

Intel(R) SSD 660p Series Product Brief

*Warning to those who are using Optane based QLC NVMe. There is an exploit/bug/issue that will remove your IaNVMe.sys file. If you try to restore any drives from this silicon without this particular file you will risk having all your drives, operating systems, data drives, external drives and internal written over with fresh partitions. I suspect my Windows 7 is still running is because it never required restoration and does not require this file. Although some might reason that Optane is "dead" I'm quite sure some folks are still using it. I would hate to see what just happened to me happen to anyone else. I have no backups left because my 660P backup took out all my other backups in addition to TBs of precious user data.
 
Last edited:

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
    ASUS CUSTOM BUILD IN THERMALTAKE LEVEL 10 GT CASE
    OS
    Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 8.1 Pro, Linux Mint/Cinnimon (Triple Boot)
    CPU
    INTEL 6900K
    Motherboard
    X99-E WS USB 3.1
    Memory
    CORSAIR DOMINATOR PLATINUM 128GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GTX 1070 FTW
    Sound Card
    Onboard Crystal Sound - very nice ;)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    SAMSUNG 4K 28"
    Screen Resolution
    3140 x 2160 - A little extreme. Need to change it.
    Hard Drives
    1) LSI LOGICAL VOLUME RAID 10 (250 GBX4) SSD ARRAY
    2) INTEL RAID 0 KINGSTON (2) SSD ARRAY
    3) INTEL RAID 1 SEAGATE (2) 1TB ARRAY (secured backup)
    4) INTEL RAID 1 SEAGATE HYBRID (2) (secure secured backup)
    5) AHCI SEAGATE 3TB (1) BACKUP & STORAGE (back
    PSU
    CORSAIR HX 1000i
    Case
    THERMAL TAKE LEVEL 10 GT
    Cooling
    NOCTUA TOWER COOLING - PUSH/PULL
    Keyboard
    LOGITECH PRODIGY (One day I'll get a real keyboard.)
    Mouse
    LOGITECH (One day I'll get a real mouse.)
    Internet Speed
    300 Gb down 12 up Intel(R) I210 Gigabit Network Connection
    Antivirus
    several - Network implementing vs from other PCs - ask me
    Browser
    Mostly FireFox these days
    Other Info
    NOT ENOUGH ROOM TO LIST ALL HARD DRIVES HERE. Cuts me off at 5. Did you know that if you run a network you can scan your PC for viruses via other PCs using several different virus scanners? No virus scanner gets it all. This is narrows down the window for contracting a virus. By using multiple operating systems you can use different virus scanners with no risk of conflict.
  • Antivirus
    KASPERSKY
It's why I backup data to other air gaped drives and clone the drives and those cloned drives are air gaped. I never keep the secondary backups attached.
 

My Computer My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate x64
Even more humiliating is the fact that I set up all these data drives to be manually switched on and off as I desired. I was in a bit of a rush and a bit too careless to restore my Win 8.1, thinking it to be just another MS EOL mind game. So I was a bit annoyed and immediately proceeded with yet another recovery of Win 8.1. To be fair, on my PC, I had not done a recovery of Win 8.1 for three years but I've done many on other PCs and for other people. I've run back ups off the 660P Intel series before without a hitch. Recoveries were quick. My carelessness was also accelerated by the idea that since I was going to cease using Win 8.1 anyway, as long as got it booted up I could strip it of the data I needed and upgrade it. 8.1 was dying all over the network at the time. Fortunately enough for those PCs, they were running dual and triple boots with Win 10 and/or 11. It didn't take much to get them up and running again. Still, my daughters were not too pleased as some of their favourite games were excluded to Win 8.1. Yeah, with four females to answer to in the house you might say this old geek was under pressure. I should have known better.

The only way I can think of to top air gapped is cold storage (which is just another form of the same thing) although not quite as convenient. I do have some cold storage, but it's been a few years since I updated it. I still lost a lot of data. Forensics will recover some of it but not all of it. Really never expected external backups to get zapped. Lesson learned.

I'll never run Win 10 on my Work Station as a matter of principle and I'm a bit sorry I even ran 8.1 on it. Win 11 telemetry doesn't seem as nasty, but even with Microsoft's instructions on how to install it with TPM1.2 I really don't have a lot of confidence in it as they state that they don't endorse it (although they tell you how). That leaves me Win 7 and Linux. I might just have to remain contented with that.
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
    ASUS CUSTOM BUILD IN THERMALTAKE LEVEL 10 GT CASE
    OS
    Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 8.1 Pro, Linux Mint/Cinnimon (Triple Boot)
    CPU
    INTEL 6900K
    Motherboard
    X99-E WS USB 3.1
    Memory
    CORSAIR DOMINATOR PLATINUM 128GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GTX 1070 FTW
    Sound Card
    Onboard Crystal Sound - very nice ;)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    SAMSUNG 4K 28"
    Screen Resolution
    3140 x 2160 - A little extreme. Need to change it.
    Hard Drives
    1) LSI LOGICAL VOLUME RAID 10 (250 GBX4) SSD ARRAY
    2) INTEL RAID 0 KINGSTON (2) SSD ARRAY
    3) INTEL RAID 1 SEAGATE (2) 1TB ARRAY (secured backup)
    4) INTEL RAID 1 SEAGATE HYBRID (2) (secure secured backup)
    5) AHCI SEAGATE 3TB (1) BACKUP & STORAGE (back
    PSU
    CORSAIR HX 1000i
    Case
    THERMAL TAKE LEVEL 10 GT
    Cooling
    NOCTUA TOWER COOLING - PUSH/PULL
    Keyboard
    LOGITECH PRODIGY (One day I'll get a real keyboard.)
    Mouse
    LOGITECH (One day I'll get a real mouse.)
    Internet Speed
    300 Gb down 12 up Intel(R) I210 Gigabit Network Connection
    Antivirus
    several - Network implementing vs from other PCs - ask me
    Browser
    Mostly FireFox these days
    Other Info
    NOT ENOUGH ROOM TO LIST ALL HARD DRIVES HERE. Cuts me off at 5. Did you know that if you run a network you can scan your PC for viruses via other PCs using several different virus scanners? No virus scanner gets it all. This is narrows down the window for contracting a virus. By using multiple operating systems you can use different virus scanners with no risk of conflict.
  • Antivirus
    KASPERSKY
Now, don't y'all be badmouthing the little C-64. My first one launched me into the C-64 business.

I would never badmouth the C-64, that was my intro to the computer world. I was a video game junkie (still am) and purchased it as a gaming system initially. I started entering some BASIC programs from magazines and learned some programming. Later I got a printer and was able use a word processor for my essays/term papers for my first few years in college. Have a lot of good memories of that machine which thanks to emulation I am able to enjoy some of my favorite titles of ages past.

RetroArch's C-64 core is my favorite for its CRT shaders. It does a really good job of emulating the phosphor matrix and glow of those old color tubes. This is about as close to an old school CRT monitor you will get short of actually buying one.

image.png


 

My Computer My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
OS
Windows 7 Pro x64
It's why I backup data to other air gaped drives and clone the drives and those cloned drives are air gaped. I never keep the secondary backups attached.
For a newbie like me can you tell me what you use to backup your data and clone the drives?
What are you using for your external drives?
Thanks!
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
    Custom build
    OS
    Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit
    CPU
    Intel Xeon E3 1231V3 3.5GHz LGA 1150
    Motherboard
    ASUS Z97-AR USB 3.1
    Memory
    EVGA 16GB DDR3-1600 (PC3-12800) CL 9 (2x8)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce GTX 750Ti SC 2GB GDDR5
    Hard Drives
    QTY 2 Samsung 850 EVO Series 250GB SATA III 6Gb/s 2.5" Internal SSD MZ-75E250B/AM
    Running RAID 1 using Intel RST in BIOS
    Antivirus
    Norton
    Browser
    Firefox
  • Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Why didn't you ask me in your initial thread? I unsubscribed from it because I thought you blew me off. I do that to everyone that ignores what I posted.
 

My Computer My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate x64
Sorry about that. It won't happen again. Thanks for the reply.
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
    Custom build
    OS
    Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit
    CPU
    Intel Xeon E3 1231V3 3.5GHz LGA 1150
    Motherboard
    ASUS Z97-AR USB 3.1
    Memory
    EVGA 16GB DDR3-1600 (PC3-12800) CL 9 (2x8)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce GTX 750Ti SC 2GB GDDR5
    Hard Drives
    QTY 2 Samsung 850 EVO Series 250GB SATA III 6Gb/s 2.5" Internal SSD MZ-75E250B/AM
    Running RAID 1 using Intel RST in BIOS
    Antivirus
    Norton
    Browser
    Firefox
  • Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Why didn't you ask me in your initial thread? I unsubscribed from it because I thought you blew me off. I do that to everyone that ignores what I posted.

At least your post didn't just vanish into thin air. :roflmao: Not sure what happened to my reply but our friend got my take on it in a p.m. Which, is probably just as well, considering my views on WD mechanical hard drives aren't really appreciated by some.
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
    ASUS CUSTOM BUILD IN THERMALTAKE LEVEL 10 GT CASE
    OS
    Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 8.1 Pro, Linux Mint/Cinnimon (Triple Boot)
    CPU
    INTEL 6900K
    Motherboard
    X99-E WS USB 3.1
    Memory
    CORSAIR DOMINATOR PLATINUM 128GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GTX 1070 FTW
    Sound Card
    Onboard Crystal Sound - very nice ;)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    SAMSUNG 4K 28"
    Screen Resolution
    3140 x 2160 - A little extreme. Need to change it.
    Hard Drives
    1) LSI LOGICAL VOLUME RAID 10 (250 GBX4) SSD ARRAY
    2) INTEL RAID 0 KINGSTON (2) SSD ARRAY
    3) INTEL RAID 1 SEAGATE (2) 1TB ARRAY (secured backup)
    4) INTEL RAID 1 SEAGATE HYBRID (2) (secure secured backup)
    5) AHCI SEAGATE 3TB (1) BACKUP & STORAGE (back
    PSU
    CORSAIR HX 1000i
    Case
    THERMAL TAKE LEVEL 10 GT
    Cooling
    NOCTUA TOWER COOLING - PUSH/PULL
    Keyboard
    LOGITECH PRODIGY (One day I'll get a real keyboard.)
    Mouse
    LOGITECH (One day I'll get a real mouse.)
    Internet Speed
    300 Gb down 12 up Intel(R) I210 Gigabit Network Connection
    Antivirus
    several - Network implementing vs from other PCs - ask me
    Browser
    Mostly FireFox these days
    Other Info
    NOT ENOUGH ROOM TO LIST ALL HARD DRIVES HERE. Cuts me off at 5. Did you know that if you run a network you can scan your PC for viruses via other PCs using several different virus scanners? No virus scanner gets it all. This is narrows down the window for contracting a virus. By using multiple operating systems you can use different virus scanners with no risk of conflict.
  • Antivirus
    KASPERSKY
Who knows. I've had posts disappear as well and I can understand why. I'd have to see your post to know why it might have been deleted. Though for me, delete the wrong post and I'm out of here and the bookmark is deleted for this forum and the ten forum. I have better shit to do anyway then help people without pay.
 

My Computer My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate x64
Who knows. I've had posts disappear as well and I can understand why. I'd have to see your post to know why it might have been deleted. Though for me, delete the wrong post and I'm out of here and the bookmark is deleted for this forum and the ten forum. I have better shit to do anyway then help people without pay.

Precisely my sentiments as well :)

To be honest, I still have a copy of it on my desktop. After I read it over I thought that it might come off as a little harsh, perhaps a bit on the judgmental side. At least I kept it clean. As a rule I keep all my posts clean. No potty mouth. No dirty finger text. I'm too old for that. Profanity is for kidz. But lemmie tell ya... There are days. When I know I could cuss like a sailor and still be pissed after venting for hours.

I suppose I'm getting off topic here. I should address the fact that I just got my entire network back up and running online thanks to Windows 7. The tablet OS (8,10,11) all crashed on 6 main PCs and I had to scramble to get them back online and running. The girls were NOT impressed. Yup. I call them tablet OS because that is what they are all based on: Windows Eight.

When I was doing the Windows Insider thing, playing around with Windows 8 before it was released (not realizing at the time that I served as a replacement for all those diligent beta testers Microsoft fired) I was aghast at all the butchery that was taking place. Yeah, they surgically removed the good parts, minimized some of the better ones, and then buried them 5 tiers down. This was their "streamlining" approach. And, of course, now that they made all that 'extra room' in the OS installation, they put in their store. So I got to get all the wonderful Microsoft advertising built into my OS and pay them for their ads! How kind of them.

Needless to say I didn't switch to Windows 8 any time soon. I did send Microsoft an email expressing my views however, as a Windows Insider. Now admittedly I'm no coder but you don't have to be a rocket scientist to see what these guys were doing: Get rid of the accessories, take out the air conditioning, and the cruise control, and pull the tools out of the trunk. (They can always sell those back for a nominal fee.) See? Now it runs so much better coz it's so much lighter! Well, I think most folks here know that Win 8 went over like a lead zeppelin. Can't fool all of the people all of the time. Enter Win 8.1 . . . The next 'new and improved' tablet OS. And on it goes.

I'll never forget the day I was on the phone with Microsoft for the better part of the afternoon because the OS that I had purchased from their store came up as NOT GENUINE. Yup. Win 8.1 was a real screamer. Can't rightly say how many times my IRST went to pot with 8.1. Definitely more times than I care to recall. And then came 10. Talk about insult to injury. Built in key logger, full blown advertising, and enough telemetry to make one wonder who really owns the hardware. At least Cortana could be shut off, well, gagged; but could you really make her go away?? No. Not unless you hacked your OS. Which brings us to Win 11 and all I can say about that is I'm not holding my breath. What I've seen so far hardly impresses me. A lot of Windoze dressing but where are the tools??? But hey, she look purdee and you can even move the start menu back to the left hand corner if you want so your PC doesn't resemble a tablet so much. *Big round of applause* I'm wondering if it might not be deemed their best feature because the TPM2 requirement certainly isn't.

Ah well, I'm old. The world of personal computers has gone from relaxing in front of a monitor and a keyboard to laptops and from laptops to hand held. I still don't have a tablet and likely never will. If it weren't for Gamers I wonder how easy it would be to still get a full sized monitor and a desktop tower on the domestic end user market. No doubt one would still be able to acquire it if price were not an object. Windows 7 is staying on my work station. This recent catastrophic system failure of mine has proven Windows 7 to be the most reliable Windows operating system of all time. All the rest crashed and Win 7 was left standing and operative.

I've been busy. I still have 14 operating systems left to get up and running again. None of these are Windows 7.

:cool: Have a great day!

*Disclaimer: The views and opinions stated in this missive are strictly those of the author, based on the author's personal experiences and insights. Any resemblance to the views, opinions, and experiences of others is purely coincidental and in nowise represents any animosity toward them.
 
Last edited:

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
    ASUS CUSTOM BUILD IN THERMALTAKE LEVEL 10 GT CASE
    OS
    Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 8.1 Pro, Linux Mint/Cinnimon (Triple Boot)
    CPU
    INTEL 6900K
    Motherboard
    X99-E WS USB 3.1
    Memory
    CORSAIR DOMINATOR PLATINUM 128GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GTX 1070 FTW
    Sound Card
    Onboard Crystal Sound - very nice ;)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    SAMSUNG 4K 28"
    Screen Resolution
    3140 x 2160 - A little extreme. Need to change it.
    Hard Drives
    1) LSI LOGICAL VOLUME RAID 10 (250 GBX4) SSD ARRAY
    2) INTEL RAID 0 KINGSTON (2) SSD ARRAY
    3) INTEL RAID 1 SEAGATE (2) 1TB ARRAY (secured backup)
    4) INTEL RAID 1 SEAGATE HYBRID (2) (secure secured backup)
    5) AHCI SEAGATE 3TB (1) BACKUP & STORAGE (back
    PSU
    CORSAIR HX 1000i
    Case
    THERMAL TAKE LEVEL 10 GT
    Cooling
    NOCTUA TOWER COOLING - PUSH/PULL
    Keyboard
    LOGITECH PRODIGY (One day I'll get a real keyboard.)
    Mouse
    LOGITECH (One day I'll get a real mouse.)
    Internet Speed
    300 Gb down 12 up Intel(R) I210 Gigabit Network Connection
    Antivirus
    several - Network implementing vs from other PCs - ask me
    Browser
    Mostly FireFox these days
    Other Info
    NOT ENOUGH ROOM TO LIST ALL HARD DRIVES HERE. Cuts me off at 5. Did you know that if you run a network you can scan your PC for viruses via other PCs using several different virus scanners? No virus scanner gets it all. This is narrows down the window for contracting a virus. By using multiple operating systems you can use different virus scanners with no risk of conflict.
  • Antivirus
    KASPERSKY
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