Solved Can't change the name of softwaredistribution.bak, it doesn't exist

[atoms88]

I'm trying to solve an update issue and the tutorial includes the above direction. Could the file have a different name or does it even exist? any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[mrjimphelps]

I think what they are saying is that you need to rename the "SoftwareDistribution" folder to "SoftwareDistribution.bak", in order to hide it from Windows, so that Windows will start fresh with Windows updates. This is a trick you can utilize to fix things when Windows Update won't work. Renaming this folder doesn't always fix things, but it often does.

 

[atoms88]

Thanks Mr. Jimp. I've given up trying to fix that update problem. I couldn't even find a software distribution folder. I am now in the process of installing Linux Mint Cinnamon 19. I figure that if I'm going to spend hours learning how to fix/do something it may as well be with something new, as opposed to an old program that Microsoft seems to be messing around with in order to make us switch to Windows 10. Cheers!

 

[mrjimphelps]

If you are going to do a clean install (wipe the drive) of Linux Mint, you could also do a clean install of Windows. That would probably fix your update problem. But I agree with your decision to go with Linux Mint.

I use Linux Mint 18.2, and I really like it. I have installed VMWare Workstation Player, and this software allowed me to install Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 as virtual machines. This means that I can still run Windows - either 7 or 8.1. Windows is just a click away.

If you have any interest in doing this, you will need to add memory to your computer -- 2 GB is simply not enough for this sort of thing. I manage with 4 GB of memory. My Windows 7 virtual machine works well with 4 GB, but my Windows 8.1 virtual machine is a bit slow. If you can go higher than 4 GB, that will be better.

There will likely be some things you won't be able to do in Linux. I find it very helpful to be able to get into Windows with just a click, so that I can do those things. An example of this is Microsoft Movie Maker. So far, I haven't found an equivalent program in Linux. So when I need to edit a video, I open my Windows virtual machine, edit my video, save it, then close the virtual machine. Scanning is another thing. You may not be able to get your scanner to work in Linux. If this is the case, then it would be very handy to be able to run Windows in order to be able to scan. It took a lot to get my scanner to work in Linux Mint 18.2; however, the scanner worked immediately in Linux Mint 19.

 

[atoms88]

I plan on upgrading my computer soon so I'm not really keen on buying more ram, I have already decided to make a complete swap to Linux. It's love hate thing, I'm happy with the way things are going but damn some of it is so difficult to figure out. I may consider running both systems later on. It's funny that you mention a complete reinstall of 7. I bought this computer re-manned so even though the 7 version is legal and the tower has a tag I don't have disc. I can't remember for sure but I think my update problems started last fall when I refreshed windows 7 internally without an installation tool.

 

[mrjimphelps]

Here's where you can get a copy of Windows 7:
https://www.heidoc.net/joomla/techn...icrosoft-windows-and-office-iso-download-tool

Download the "Microsoft Windows and Office ISO Download Tool", and install it on your Windows computer. Then you can use that tool to download the correct version of Windows 7, that is, the version which matches the one currently on your computer. If you have a sticker on the computer with the Windows 7 license key, you can install the Windows 7 that you downloaded, then use that license key to activate Windows 7. If there is no sticker, then use one of the programs available for getting the Install key from your current install; then use that key to activate Windows after you have installed Windows.

My point is, if you are going to get a new computer and put Linux on it, you might want to keep a Windows computer around for doing those things that you can't do in Linux. This is why I suggested setting up a Windows virtual machine. You could do this almost as easily by having a separate Windows 7 computer.