What will you do when Windows 7 ends?

[hazel123]

I'm asking because it's something I've been thinking about and just wondered what other people would do next, after Windows 7 support ends. Ok we don't know what new thing will be around in four years time, but assuming the choice is Windows 10, Mac or Linux.

My gut feeling was to get an Apple Mac, even though I'm not keen on them - but they're too expensive for us lol. I already use Linux on another computer but like to have Windows as well. I like that Windows 10 seems to have made laptops more popular again (rather than everyone going tablet crazy), but I don't like the uncertainty over user control and all the advertising thingies.

 

[Barman58]

I'd stick with windows - It's what you know, Windows 10 is simple to use, and you can basically ignore the FUD printed on-line to sell blogs, and if you feel you need control to delay updates, there is the pro version, As you say the cost of apple systems is way too high for what is just average hardware, and the OS is very limiting, they do run quite well if you stick windows on them Linux is not something I would recommend to anyone for day to day use, It's fine for someone who wants to tinker rather than use.

Edit

I have to state that I am not someone who worries about the looks of an OS, but that it runs reliably and issue free, Seven, Eight and Now Ten have met these criteria

 

[hazel123]

That's good to hear from a Windows 10 user! I think it's probably the only option for a new laptop - I'm not keen on thin gold laptops anyway. Agree about Linux, although some people seem happy with it full time - I like having it on a netbook.

 

[Alejandro85]

Your main assumption is wrong. The important thing to realize is that Microsoft support means NOTHING for the end user, that's entirely a political decision on their behalf, but that doesn't affects running systems at all. Reality dictates that Windows 7 will continue to run exactly in the same way as it did the day before support ends, and exactly the same way as today, in fact.

Changing an OS just because MS says so is a bad choice. Base your decision to move to something else on real limitations instead: when something better appears, when 7 finally becomes unusable, when you want to try something else, for example.

What MS did with XP is an excellent example. After it support ended, it's still used in many places, and it continues to run exactly the same way as before (with all good and bad things that carries). Following all the self-FUD MS spreaded was only a move to sell more newer OSs, but little technical reason behind it. As of now, there is no reason to think that 7 will be different.

 

[Barman58]

The problems with an unsupported OS is that the world changes and things move on, this is not an issue as long as nothing fails, but with an OS like windows 7 at it's current stage in it's lifetime, is that only security updates are available, if at any time in the future, new hardware appears, or existing hardware fails, it is likely that some manufacturers will not support replacement hardware on older operating systems.

The change from XP to Vista was a case in point, XP was beyond the point where it was viable to modify the code to cope with advances in technology, so Vista was introduced using completely new code and techniques to access the current hardware. This change meant that older hardware needed new drivers, which some manufacturers decided were not in their interest and decided to not make vista drivers for existing hardware, and sell lots of new hardware to Vista Users.

The move to not support older Microsoft operating systems has started for XP and Vista users, as more and more general users, (the vast majority of users who only change their OS when they buy new hardware), upgrade their hardware and the Seven market share drops the viability of backwards compatibility will reduce to a point where the manufacturers will just stop support

 

[Emmar]

When our drivers die and there are no replacement parts, we will get a new computer the same if other component dies.

 

[Joan Archer]

Well in some ways it won't effect me I hardly go on my 7 machine now. I'm mainly on this Asus Notebook which I upgraded to 10 when it came out. Hubby has a desktop and laptop that run 7 and he said he'll just get new machines when they fail, that will probably run 10 so he'll use that and as I've been using it for quite awhile I can help him get used to it.

Like Nigel the OS is not as important as making sure it runs the programs I want to use.

 

[MrMii Win 7]

Seeing that Windows 10 doesn't like my hardware, I'm probably sticking to Windows 7. Granted, it doesn't boot up as fast as Windows 10, but it's fast in performance and runs all the programs I need. (RIP Motocross Madness 2 ) The whole "Aero won't work unless I restart" thing is annoying but not a killer. Once restarted it works flawlessly. Don't get me wrong, I like Windows 10 but feel as though it's lacking in a visual style that makes it stand out. The reliability is still the most important to me, but I've had many bluescreens with computers running Windows 10, even in a To Go environment. Regarding 8.x, never really was a fan of it. The start screen and a lack of a start button in 8.0 drove me away. Mac OS is just too different, and personally I don't really feel like dishing out $1000 or more for what hardware I can get from a $200 Windows laptop. And then Linux... I had to use Ubuntu in order to rescue some files off my Windows directory before, but I think it's too complicated for me in regards to everyday use. In a nutshell I guess I'm gonna do with 7 what I did with XP when it's service went out: Keep using it. 7 is fine with me. *cough* 7 for life *cough*

 

[Emmar]

That is what we have always done. I bought a new computer everytime a new OS came out just to learn it, until W 8. I have also bought a new desktop W8.1 recently to replace my W 7 when it dies. My W 7 is slow booting up, so I turn it on when I get up and do something else. When it is loaded it is the fastest PC I have had.

 

[Layback Bear]

What will you do when Windows 7 ends?

What ever it takes to keep proper operating systems.
My darn Chinese counterfeit crystal ball is not working. I'm unable to look into the future.
If the darn thing starts working I think I will be asking for tomorrows lottery numbers and worry about 2020 operating systems when it gets here.

 

[fireberd]

I've kept Win 7 (dual boot on separate drives with Win 10 which is my operational OS) because I need it for one application - my wife's old Singer Embroidery machine. She has considered upgrading the machine, so if/when she does that will be end of needing Win 7 for me. When the "zero hour" comes around, if need be I'll still keep Win 7 and disable the NIC as it does not have to be on-line for the Emboidery Machine application.

 

[Benteke]

My gut feeling was to get an Apple Mac, even though I'm not keen on them -

Why are you not 'keen' on them? Have you ever used OS X?

 

[indianacarnie]

Probably still be using 10 by then. Moved on from 7 awhile back and frankly don't even think of it anymore, except in here. Fast, stable, secure(er) , what more could you ask? There's always compatibility mode for legacy programs. That's MY opinion, others may vociferously disagree.

 

[Ranger4]

We will very likely be having this discussion again in 2020 when Windows 10 becomes an old outdated system & is the new Windows 15 or whatever better or worse than Windows 7, 8.1, 10 or the new MS system at that time.

History does repeat itself.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

My current plan is to run Win 7 in a VM in Linux and isolate it from the internet, doing all my web surfing from Linux itself. However, who knows what will happen between now and 2020? MS may have a change of heart and their "vision". I may be dead.

There is some outfit that has been trying to write a new OS that will be able to run Windows programs as though they were running in Windows. So far, they haven't made much progress with it but who knows what they will do in three to four more years?

 

[lehnerus2000]

My gut feeling was to get an Apple Mac, even though I'm not keen on them -

Why are you not 'keen' on them? Have you ever used OS X?

I have and I didn't like it.

IMO, the Linux Mint MATE desktop environment is more like Windows, than OS X.

Anecdotally, I don't consider W10 to be Deterministic.

My W10IP VMs have only exhibited minor glitches (apart from b14271).
The real installs at TAFE behave in unpredictable ways.

There are 20 identical student PCs in each room (although the 20 machines may be of a different HW/SW configuration in other rooms).
At the start of the semester they all had the same software installed.

The OS settings operate differently on different machines.
I have personally experienced this on 2 machines (in different rooms).

 

[Brds7t7]

I have trouble planning next week, let alone what I'm going to be doing in 2020
At the moment, I plan to run Windows 7 until 2020 . Nothing in 10 really interests me right now. I'm not saying it's a bad OS it just has a lot of added extras that I don't really need.
If this Windows as a service continues then I'm sure 10 is going to change a lot over the next 5 years. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. But right now I'm happy enough to stick with Windows 7. I feel no desire to change just for the sake of change.
There's no point me taking the free upgrade right now anyway as I intend to build a new system (but it won't be before July) so the free upgrade isn't really much use to me right now.

 

[FerchogtX]

Seeing that Windows 10 doesn't like my hardware, I'm probably sticking to Windows 7. Granted, it doesn't boot up as fast as Windows 10, but it's fast in performance and runs all the programs I need. (RIP Motocross Madness 2 ) The whole "Aero won't work unless I restart" thing is annoying but not a killer. Once restarted it works flawlessly. Don't get me wrong, I like Windows 10 but feel as though it's lacking in a visual style that makes it stand out. The reliability is still the most important to me, but I've had many bluescreens with computers running Windows 10, even in a To Go environment. Regarding 8.x, never really was a fan of it. The start screen and a lack of a start button in 8.0 drove me away. Mac OS is just too different, and personally I don't really feel like dishing out $1000 or more for what hardware I can get from a $200 Windows laptop. And then Linux... I had to use Ubuntu in order to rescue some files off my Windows directory before, but I think it's too complicated for me in regards to everyday use. In a nutshell I guess I'm gonna do with 7 what I did with XP when it's service went out: Keep using it. 7 is fine with me. *cough* 7 for life *cough*

Exactly my case, my Radeon HD 3200 and 4350 (On desktop PC) lack of updated drivers from AMD for Windows 10, and the drivers M$ do are kinda... clunky... I mean, basic stuff works and all, but hardware acceleration simply refuses to work as it does on Windows 7... even dxdiag reports it uses DX 10 instead of 11 like in 7, a big drawback...

It's funny how AMD simply sets a functional VGA into retirement, while Realtek still releases drivers even for Windows 10... As if I could just burn up this PC and buy another one just like that... And Microsft doesn't help me either, instead the seem too concerned about Skylake. I woudn't be surprised, at the end, every new version of Windows ask for higher and higher requirements, and if they don't (Like W10), you find that they don't support hardware they way they promised...

So, for me, it's W7 to death (Unless I decide to sell any of this PC's, then they will get W10 and hell with it) or Linux Mint KDE...

 

[OvenMaster]

Windows 7 support ends in January 2020. I used to stress about stuff like this but realized that life is too short to worry about the future unnecessarily. I plan on using my present copy of 7 as long as my hardware will support it, but in two years or so, I may need a new mobo. 7 may not be supported on it, so I'll need to get what's on offer then. And then is when I'll worry about it.

 

[hazel123]

My gut feeling was to get an Apple Mac, even though I'm not keen on them -

Why are you not 'keen' on them? Have you ever used OS X?

Yes but not for a long time! I'm sure it's great, there's just something I find annoying about the names of the programs :shock: i this and i that. But mainly - they are so expensive and look too expensive to actually use. Not very scientific reasons, sorry!

Lots of people are saying "I'll worry about it then"! I guess that's all you can do. Three years can go fast though and I started thinking about upgrading about a year before XP was due to end - and it took me a few months to find a decent used W7 laptop. So I shall keep that going for the next 3 years if possible.

Good to hear that people like using Windows 10 - you're right, as long as they run your programs. I'm just beginning to feel that laptops are going the way of cars! The old mini with the basic engine you can tinker with is turning into something you have no control over - kind of takes the fun out of it (and the ability to adapt things). But then PC's are much faster than they were a few years ago too.