Which Skype for Windows 7

I know nothing about Skype and would appreciate some guidance.

Which version of Skype do I download for Windows 7 ?
Skype for Windows desktop shows Skype for Windows 8. I am wondering if I should be looking elsewhere ?
When I click on Get Skype for Windows Desktop it only offers Windows 8
OldApps.com offers SkypeSetup_6.9.0.106.msi ... 21.5MB

Whereas Skype for Windows 8 offers SkypeSetup.exe ... 1.5 MB

A search of Skype forum has turned up nothing (and the Skype forum has been hit by spammers today)
I have read that Microsoft own Skype so I am hoping this forum can point me in the right direction.
When I tried to find a skype-forum ... a Google search turned up a lot of skype-porn sites and a lot of inactive forums.

One of my sons has just moved to Japan and he uses Skype, so I assume I should also have Skype

Thank you :)

Thanks crankypenguin for such a quick response :)

Your suggested download "SkypeSetupFull.exe (from Downloading and setting up Skype) is 33.5 MB -- a generic Winxp/7/8/8.1 version ?

22 x bigger than the 1.5MB "SkypeSetup.exe" I found on Skype site, but right now I cannot remember exactly where)

Skype is only required to talk to my son and my grand-children.
The extra bells and whistles Skype offer, I do not need and the B+Ws come at a cost.

Is it true that Microsoft own Skype?

The 1.5MB download is merely a stub - it ends up downloading the same installer, so you may as well go directly to the beast :)

There's no extra cost in having the bells and whistles available - if you use the PAYG system, there's no expiry on the credit, so I still have some (lots, actually!) left from my original £10 investment back in July :)

...and yes, Microsoft has owned Skype for around a year now, and seem to be advancing it nicely (for a change) after some initial hiccups..

NoelDP +1 :)
I have downloaded "the beast" SkypeSetupFull.exe , rather than cloud install

Cloud installs always make me nervous
Last cloud install I (unwittingly) did was "Incredimail" which hijacked almost everything on my PC (browsers and email + toolbars), even after uninstalling it, there was a nag msg every time I booted/rebooted. Finally flushed it out

I spent about 2 hours yesterday trawling through the net reading anything I could find about Skype.
A lot of negative comments by users as late as 2012 -- "advancing nicely" sounds promising
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crankpenguin +1 :)
Thank you for your in depth response ... excellent!
All I want (for now) is one-to-one video (conferencing?)
Would I have to pay Skype for one-to-one video ?
Skype site is very pretty but short on info for dinosaur-newbies
At this point all the bells and whistles just add to the complexity.

I am about to install Skype .. the settings sound like ... "complicated".
The last thing I want is run-away intrusions, junk mail etc

Would appreciate your (or anybody's) tips.
I will "look around" when it is installed and get back here, before doing anything else.

I've never had any problems with Skype - I get (I think) one email a month from them, and no other hassle at all.

Hi NoelDP :)

What do you use Skype for ?
Maybe there are other features I should consider once I have video conferencing mastered.

I only use it for long-distance (international) calls as a rule - my sister lives in Sardinia, so I can use it for a video call to her for free :). I also use it if there's going to be a long national call, as it's a lot cheaper than my mobile phone, even allowing for the data-drain on my 3G dongle. It's also handy on my mobile phone if I'm in an area with no coverage, but a Wi-Fi signal I can get at, or if the PAYG credit on the phone has run out :)