Installations Problems and General Questions

andrew124c41 · 19 Jun 2015

I am trying to set up a number of computers with either 7 Professional or 8.1 for some family members.

I don't know whether to advise them to stick with 7 and wait for 10 or go to 8.1 at this time. Any recommendations as to what i should do for them?

I have noted that application Data in my own instillations is getting rather large. As a consequence, I wanted to move the users folder on a new instillation. I did not want to deal with Audit Mode and this may have been a mistake. I used MKLINK /J c:\users\account name d:\users\account name and things appeared to be alright until I re-booted the computer and found that I was put into a "temporary account." I can't get out. Any ideas or should I start from scratch and use audit mode. One of my concerns in doing this is that I will not be able to upgrade to 10.

Finally, it is my understanding that 10 will be a free upgrade. How will we be able to do a clean install...if that could be done, using Audit Mode would not make any difference.

Thanks

ignatzatsonic · 19 Jun 2015

andrew124c41 said:

I don't know whether to advise them to stick with 7 and wait for 10 or go to 8.1 at this time. Any recommendations as to what i should do for them?

Finally, it is my understanding that 10 will be a free upgrade. How will we be able to do a clean install...if that could be done, using Audit Mode would not make any difference.

If you plan to move to 10 on the free upgrade, it doesn't much matter if you go with 7 or 8.1 now. Support for 7 will end in 2020; support for 8.1 ends in 2023 if I recall. I don't use 8.1, but I suppose I'd lean that way for support reasons alone if I wasn't going to move to 10. Unless I was totally put off by the interface in 8.1. What do your users say about that? If they strongly prefer 7, give it to them.

The complete details of the free upgrade are unknown, but high ranking MS officials continually assure us that there will be an ISO that you can burn to a disc or put on a USB stick for later clean installs, assuming you have a valid Win 7 or 8.1 license. Depending on your feelings about Microsoft, you may or may not want to swallow that whole at this time. I'd say there is a very strong likelihood it will be true, but you certainly don't have to act on the free upgrade for 13 months.

andrew124c41 · 19 Jun 2015

Do you have any idea how to fix the present 7 install where I cannot get into the account: I used MKLINK /J c:\users ACCOUNT name d:\users\account name and things appeared to be alright until I re-booted the computer and found that I was put into a "temporary account." I can't get out. Any ideas or should I start from scratch and use audit mode. One of my concerns in doing this is that I will not be able to upgrade to 10.

gregrocker · 19 Jun 2015

Never move any but User account folders off of C as this presents only problems. Programs and their data belongs on C where they integrate into the OS until correctly uninstalled. User Folders - Change Default Location

You're best off doing a Clean Reinstall Windows 7 until the Upgrade is released. If you want to preserve the Win7 license then Dual Boot it with Clean Install Windows 10 Technical Preview on a separate PC, hard drive or by shrinking Win7. It was announced recently the TP will allow upgrading also to a free copy.