Is anyone still using Windows 7?

[TechnoMage2016]

Hi Hazel!

I still have Windows 7 on an old HD, on an old PC, more for sentimental reasons than anything else. For me, it serves no useful purpose.

I know one man who still used it every day, and gets mad at anyone who even suggests that he should do otherwise.

So, what are you up to these days?

 

[eduardomaro]

Sigo usando Windows 7 como SO principal en mi escritorio (i5 8Gb) y laptop (i3 8Gb). La razón es trabajo. Requiero usar productos de Adobe cuyo sustituto en Linux no tiene las prestaciones y facilidad que requiero. Cómo seguridad he establecido un esquema basado en Yandex y Kaspersky Cloud que función amuy bien. Pienso seguir usando Windows 7 hasta que la internet lo permita.

Translation

I'm still using Windows 7 as the primary OS on my desktop (i5 8Gb) and laptop (i3 8Gb). The reason is work. I need to use Adobe products whose substitute in Linux does not have the features and ease that I require. As a security I have established a scheme based on Yandex and Kaspersky Cloud that works very well. I plan to continue using Windows 7 until the internet allows it.

 

[ranett]

Yes, on two machines along with windows 10 and one with windows 11.

 

[Freshly Dead]

W7 Pro x64 is my main workstation, that will only happen when software and or hardware dictates otherwise.
I got 2 dell laptops that are factory w7 and 8.1 capable.

 

[erpster4]

I'm still running Win7 (at least the Pro edition, no more using Home editions) on my brother's old late 2010 Sony vaio laptop
it had pre-installed win7 home premium but upgraded it to win7 pro a few years ago

 

[spapakons]

We still use Windows 7 at work because we control old Pocket PC devices using Windows Mobile Center. For some older devices we even use a virtual machine running XP. The only issue with Windows 7 is application compatibility. Microsoft Edge, Firefox and Chrome have stopped at a specific version, for example. This is not big deal yet, as you can open any website with these versions, but eventually you will have compatibility issues.

 

[subyroo]

I'm still using Win 7 Ultimate on my PC, simply because the Motherboard manufacturer (Gigabyte ga-x58-ud3r) didn't release any Windows 10 drivers for it.

I plan on buying a new PC in the next couple of months, that is going to be a big leap in some aspects. I am still not sure whether to go 10 or 11, although 10 is nearing it's time too.

 

[SIW2]

which windows 10 drivers were you expecting ?

 

[subyroo]

which windows 10 drivers were you expecting ?

Apologies, it was the Intel[SUP]®[/SUP] X58 + ICH10R Chipset driver that is not available to enable Windows 10 to be used.

 

[Smuzzle]

7's my main OS still and I have no reason to leave it for what I do. Its such a good OS *pats*

 

[spapakons]

Apologies, it was the Intel[SUP]®[/SUP] X58 + ICH10R Chipset driver that is not available to enable Windows 10 to be used.

Create a full disk backup (or clone that disk on a spare one) and then try upgrade from Windows 7 to 10. I think you won't need any extra drivers besides those of Windows 7.

 

[Matt621]

Yes, still using Win 7. There is no reason to 'upgrade' to a bloated, confusing, nothing works like it should, OS. Win7 does that I need a computer to do.

 

[TechnoMage2016]

For many years, I've kept Win-7/Ultimate/x86 alive and well, on a very old eMachine. I fire it up occasionally, to upgrade the browser and AV/AS software and play a few games of Mahjongg, that I purchased on a floppy disk back in Windows 3.1 days.

Well, I got tired of having to fire up the old eMachine just to play Mahjongg, so here's what I did:

I pulled the old Samsung spinner containing Win-7 out of the OLD eMachine and transplanted it into my current Win-11/Pro/64 PC.
This is a Mid-Tower, Pacman Case, with many drive bays, so sticking in one more drive is no problem.

One commonality is that both PC's use AMD cpu's. That was likely my 'Saving Grace'.

Marvel of marvels, when I booted up to the Win-7 HD, the first time, it came up like it had been there all along. WOW!
Cept for, the LAN didn't work and the USB 3.0 ports didn't work.
But, that was not an insurmountable problem. Since this is a Gigabyte motherboard, with a few whiskers, I got out my old Gigabyte Drivers CD and ran it, installing the On-Board LAN and USB 3.0 drivers, into Win-7. On reboot, everything was running like it should.

Now, using the F12 boot option, I can run Windows 7/Ultimate/32 and play my old Mahjongg game, and never leave my Main PC.
And, on a normal boot, with no F12 option, my PC will boot into Windows 11, just like it always did.

It's the first time I've ever run two totally different OS's on my Main PC. And all that, just so I can play my 30 year old Mahjongg game on this PC.


F12 and I are no strangers, since I use that to allow me to boot the PC into my Ghost (backup/restore) Flash Drive, when I'm doing backups.
Once I got Win-7 all tweaked and tuned the way I want it, I used Ghost to back up the C: partition to the D:Storage partition.
But I did have to reformat that old Storage partition, to NTFS from FAT-32, so it would hold a backup of C:.
Now, everything is working GREAT!
Cheers Mates,
TM

 

[BuckSkin]

Add me to the list of users still using Windows 7 = my main machine, the wife's main machine(both desktops), and three laptops serving various duties.

I am online constantly and use several power-hungry photography programs.

I turned off all updates years ago and have not had a single problem from doing so.

Although my browsers keep warning me that I am no longer supported, I can see no real difference in my online experiences.

I did have Linux Mint dual-booted on my personal desktop but I think I lost it when I had a SSD to give up the ghost and reinstalled my system via Macrium.

Likewise, I did have Linux Mint as a virtual machine and I think I lost it as well.

Although my Windows 7/Linux Mint dual-boot worked flawlessly, dual-boot anything is an absolute annoyance = just as soon as it settles into one O/S, you will need to be in the other.

It just occured to me that the wife's machine is dual-boot Windows 7 and Linux Zorin; I doubt it has been booted into Zorin in the last five or more years, but it's there if we ever need to.

If it comes down to me using Linux Mint again, I will put it on a second machine and keep them both fired up.

I hope there is a way to use the same mouse and keyboard seamlessly between the two.

I figure Windows 7 will work off-line until doomsday if it ever quits working online.


For years, although I am barely qualified, for whatever reason I have been my family/friend's go-to computer problem fixer guy; I always enjoyed trouble-shooting Windows 7 and getting them set back to rights; but now, they all naively allowed Windows 10 and now 11 to sneak in through the back door and I absolutely hate using them at all, let alone try to fix some problem they have gotten themselves into.

 

[maxseven]

....Although my browsers keep warning me that I am no longer supported, I can see no real difference in my online experiences...

I have recently been having problems with Brave (my Chromium browser) not loading pages in certain, mostly financial websites. Get a frozen page and then a Page Unresponsive/WAIT dialog rendering it unusable. So I've had to revert to Firefox but I like it less well.

I've surfed & surfed on the Brave problem to no use, and have to assume it's got something to do with the non-support issue.

 

[BuckSkin]

I have recently been having problems with Brave (my Chromium browser) not loading pages in certain, mostly financial websites. Get a frozen page and then a Page Unresponsive/WAIT dialog rendering it unusable. So I've had to revert to Firefox but I like it less well.

I've surfed & surfed on the Brave problem to no use, and have to assume it's got something to do with the non-support issue.

I have Chrome, Pale Moon, and FireFox and so far all three work with no difference that I can see.

Neither FireFox nor Pale Mon have said a peep about me using Windows 7; whereas, Chrome, the one I use most, has notified me several times that I am no longer supported; support or not, it all still works.

 

[originaljgf]

I have recently been having problems with Brave (my Chromium browser) not loading pages in certain, mostly financial websites. Get a frozen page and then a Page Unresponsive/WAIT dialog rendering it unusable. So I've had to revert to Firefox but I like it less well.

I've surfed & surfed on the Brave problem to no use, and have to assume it's got something to do with the non-support issue.

Just the opposite for me; Firefox is constantly hanging, stalling, slowing (and always blaming the site). Can shut it down, go to same site with Brave and all is working fine. But Brave has become a nanny browser, constantly slapping your wrists, "you can go there", "you can't do this", and no way to override this on a case by case basis.

But excepting the rare "you need to update your browser" I get no complaints about the browser or OS.

 

[maxseven]

Just the opposite for me; Firefox is constantly hanging, stalling, slowing (and always blaming the site). Can shut it down, go to same site with Brave and all is working fine. But Brave has become a nanny browser, constantly slapping your wrists, "you can go there", "you can't do this", and no way to override this on a case by case basis. But excepting the rare "you need to update your browser" I get no complaints about the browser or OS.

Must have to do with "settings" but despite that I've been computering since my Hayes 300baud modem daze (1970s) I have no appetite for trying to understand the myriad options of modern browsers.

Ticks me off that I can't find a browser platform that I am comfortable sticking-with.

 

[Uitlander]

Yes. That has been my finding also. If you engage in financial transactions and sensitive data, good encryption also helps; but it isn't necessary. Linux provides a security base that is more than adequate for that sort of thing now. With Windoze breathing down one's neck at every turn with the newer tablet based operating systems you're better off using Linux in that regard.

Unfortunately both my credit unions now got a stick up their butts and have basically froze me out of online banking. With my previous credit union (Patelco), all I needed user name and password. With these two the latest&greatest browser is required, and I was unable to install Firefox 115 even temporarily on either LiveCDs. Tried to circumvent it by using the library computer, which worked, but then I found out the next hurdle was I had to play Secret Agent/I Spy with them. They required me to get a super-top-secret-ultra-classified-your-eyes-only code by text. Yeah, don't have a text phone, nor will I ever, so that was the dealbreaker.

I can however still do online shopping with Linux LiveCDs.

 

[SIW2]

Firefox works fine for me.