How long should my Win7 laptop last?

[Janesdf]

You are missing something if you think I'm going to re-live that nightmare again. No how, no way. I've also been checking Cnet re Win10, for which I decided to wait, and there are some rumblings about that as well. I will reserve my judgment re Win10, but I've had enough experience with Win 8/8.1 to know it is not for me. If the Dell cannot be downgraded, I will return it and consider your Win7 suggestion for a laptop

 

[ThrashZone]

Seeing as the hdd is coming out of your laptop this one should work
Vantec NexStar CX SuperSpeed 2.5" SATA to USB 3.0 External Hard Drive/SSD Enclosure (Supports 7mm, 9.5mm, 12.5mm HDD/SSD) - Model NST-200S3-BK - Newegg.com

Yea I don't see how without a new win-7 version a downgrade can be easily done not to mention drivers for the laptop ?

 

[Janesdf]

Thanks. I just purchased it.

Re the downgrade, I had to purchase a new Win 7 when I downgraded the Lenovo, so I will use that. All of the Win 7 drivers were on the Lenovo site since the N580 could be downgraded. I'm waiting for a response to find out if that can be done for the Dell. Also, is it worth it for me to remove the CD Rom drive from the Lenovo for some other use? Thanks.

Seeing as the hdd is coming out of your laptop this one should work
Vantec NexStar CX SuperSpeed 2.5" SATA to USB 3.0 External Hard Drive/SSD Enclosure (Supports 7mm, 9.5mm, 12.5mm HDD/SSD) - Model NST-200S3-BK - Newegg.com

Yea I don't see how without a new win-7 version a downgrade can be easily done not to mention drivers for the laptop ?

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Unless the win-7 disk was retail it can not be moved to another computer
Retail disks are very expensive nearly 300.us

The most common versions are oem and are tied to the original installs mother board and can not be moved.

Feel free to take a picture of the install disk and post it do not post the actual activation key

 

[Janesdf]

Hi,

It is definitely a retail version as I purchased it brand new from Wal-Mart for all of $95 and that's the most I've ever paid for software. I thought that was a lot. It installed on the Lenovo with no problems at all. Attached is a photo.

Hi,
Unless the win-7 disk was retail it can not be moved to another computer
Retail disks are very expensive nearly 300.us

The most common versions are oem and are tied to the original installs mother board and can not be moved.

Feel free to take a picture of the install disk and post it do not post the actual activation key

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Retail does not mean bought from a retail store like Walmart
I wouldn't get my hopes up too much
It might install or it might not but be prepared to buy another one if it doesn't activate.

I know you're on a budget but it would be best to remove the existing hdd out of the laptop and install a new one,
That way the existing install is still intact
Then install 7 on the new hdd.

 

[Janesdf]

Then why the heke did it install on my Lenovo? What's the difference between retail and my version?

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
It installed on your first laptop because it's valid for an install
And if used on the same machine you can reinstall if necessary

Problem is it might be tied to the first computer and at 80.us I'm willing to bet on it.

I would not sacrifice the original win-8.1 install on this new machine on a guess if it will work
You can't undo that unless it comes with a win 8.1 install disk which I doubt it will you'll have to create one of the win-8.1 install,
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/73828-imaging-free-macrium.html

 

[paul1149]

I doubt that it's tied to the first machine, because I don't see any Lenovo branding on the disk. (That disk, btw, is not supposed to be sold alone. Perhaps it was an option coupled to the Lenovo purchase.) But the Lenovo install already had the Win7 oem activation tokens on it and the BIOS had the SLIC 2.1 tables encoded, both of which are required. I don't know whether the Win8 machine will have these. I doubt that a fresh install would work. It would have to be a downgrade.

 

[strollin]

The disk you posted a picture of is definitely an OEM disk since it says it was intended to be distributed with a new PC. Another clue is that it says to contact the PC manufacturer for support, retail disks are supported by MS. It's tied to the first machine via the motherboard, if you install it on another machine it will fail to activate.

 

[ThrashZone]

Yep you might review this,
Downgrade Windows 8 to Windows 7

 

[Janesdf]

Well, the seller of the Dell responded and stated they would not recommend a downgrade, but offered a full refund if I would like to return it, which I will do tomorrow as I really prefer a Win 7. I will also call MS and find out if I can use the Win 7 again, on a different laptop, or not and will post what I find out. Thanks for all of the help.

 

[ThrashZone]

No problem let us know

 

[margrave]

There are at least two types of laptop.
The cheap/home versions don't last. They're crap. I'll never buy one again.
The business laptops are much better. They last longer. They also cost much more.
Given the choice between low-priced crap and expensive quality, I chose low-priced quality ... a desktop.
I doubt I'll ever buy another laptop.

 

[Janesdf]

I contacted MS, explained the situation, where I bought my Win 7 software and how much I paid. The MS Rep asked for the key which I provided, put me on hold to research it, said I could use it again on another l aptop or desktop.

No problem let us know

 

[ThrashZone]

Very good
Only snag about windows 8 machines is the lack of ram and 64 bit needs 4gb minimum so keep that in mind before you buy another one,

The other win-7 laptop was 32 bit so might not be my first choice anymore but I believe it did have 3gb but a smaller ssd I'll have to look at it again and see if another one can be found.

 

[Janesdf]

The other win-7 laptop was 32 bit so might not be my first choice anymore but I believe it did have 3gb but a smaller ssd I'll have to look at it again and see if another one can be found.

On that subject, and because I need to use a pc for work, I decided to purchase a refurbished Toshiba Tecra A9 Notebook Win 7 15.4" HD Laptop Core 2 Duo 3GB 500GB WiFi DVDRW that according to the ad, was refurbished to "excellent" working condition, has a 30-day return policy and a one year warranty with Win 7 PROFESSIONAL instead of Home Premium. Well, I received it yesterday, tried it out, and it boots to the Windows Boot Manager instead of desktop EVERY time, the aero peek didn't work, but I found instructions online to fix that, and did, the touch pad will not zoom pages when I move my fingers to the corners or sides. Also, some links, not all, will not open unless I refresh the page. I have no idea what's causing that.

Because I have never used a business laptop, I was annoyed that there is no camera or keypad which I am used to. I've contacted the seller who offered a refund, but I want to let him know of any other problems since it supposedly was restored to "excellent" working condition. Is this laptop a piece of crap?