Windows 7 End of Support

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Windows 7 end of life: Months from patch cut-off, millions still haven't upgraded | ZDNet

And that number isn't going to drop by much, either, once the cut-off arrives. I stopped updating almost two years ago because I got sick and tired of updates that were breaking my computer or slowing it down so much, it was pretty much unusable, and MS sneaking in nags and sneak attacks to downgrade to Win 10 (which, for me, is Win Never!).

 

[c1wffe]

And that number isn't going to drop by much, either, once the cut-off arrives. I stopped updating almost two years ago because I got sick and tired of updates that were breaking my computer or slowing it down so much, it was pretty much unusable, and MS sneaking in nags and sneak attacks to downgrade to Win 10 (which, for me, is Win Never!).

As far as I'm concerned my Win 7 pro has already reached it's EOL with regard to MS Updates. I did go out on a limb and do the security updates only to the end of May recently but it seems that after that things went bad and I decided to leave well enough alone.

I will be using Win 7 until one of two things happens:

1. My computer reaches it's EOL and I need a new one. If I have to learn something new it won't be MS. That is if I can remember why I need a computer at all and how to turn it on.

2. I reach my EOL, which isn't that far off in reality. Old age is definitely not "golden" by any stretch of the imagination.

Either could happen any day at this point.

It's not that I don't like Win 10, I've never tried it, it's that I don't want to learn a new OS at my age. I spent enough time in my life messing with MS errors since Win 95. I want to enjoy what time I have left using a reliable, smooth running, error free computer and not trying to figure out how and why MS broke it. All my software works as I need it to and I have all the original install files for my programs. The computer is backed up daily. With very few exceptions, I no longer update the software either.

 

[Brds7t7]

I've also cut off the updates now. I've been patient enough, but I'm fed up of fixing a bad update month after month. This last year has been truly awful for updates breaking things. MS quality testing is down the cra**er these days, and this is why I have no intention of being an MS update guinea pig on Windows 10.

I may only be 42, but I just don't have the patience to be fixing their update problems anymore. I just want things that work with minimal effort now. PCs have only ever been a hobby for me and not a career choice. I work two jobs now, and I just have other things to be doing with my time. This is also the reason I rarely post out of the News section these days, because I just don't get the time to follow up on a lot of threads anymore.

Windows as a (beta) service just isn't my thing. Windows 10 seems more about quantity of features over quality. 75% of features in Windows 10 I would never even touch anyway.

A lot of great ideas, but MS lacklustre implementations ruin all the great ideas for me. I have no interest in MS services or subscriptions. For my workload and needs I can get the same things done with open source or free alternative software, so subscriptions aren't needed for me.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: If Windows 10 becomes something I enjoy using, then I'll happily upgrade. The way it is now though, it's just not for me. And I don't trust MS updates one bit.

Sorry if that comes across as a rant. Surprisingly, after all that, I'm still in a good mood! :roflmao:

 

[michael diemer]

Not a rant at all, Brds7t7. Just a day or two ago I decided to try updating. I hadn't done it for a few months and my fears got the better of me: Keep Windows patched or get hacked. Then I remembered that security only updates aren't cumulative. I said wth, I never use this op. system anyway, and I have images, let's just do the full update and see what happens. Guess I was bored. I even made sure I had the servicing stack thingy in place. So, 3.5 hours later, after the update failed, and Windows had to reboot three times to revert my system back, I could use my computer again. This is today's Windows.

Linux updates take 5, 10, 15 minutes; a really big one maybe 30. Most of the time you don't even have to restart. Which is the professional-grade operating system?

 

[townsbg]

I recently went into my mint VM and did updates. I was surprised that I wasn't prompted to update even with one being a kernel update, and multiple updates had a symbol indicating that a reboot would be required.

 

[RoWin7]

I've also cut off the updates now. ...

...If Windows 10 becomes something I enjoy using, then I'll happily upgrade. The way it is now though, it's just not for me. And I don't trust MS updates one bit.

Sorry if that comes across as a rant. Surprisingly, after all that, I'm still in a good mood! :roflmao:

Give them 10 or 12 years to knock out the bugs. 7 is pretty good after 10 years.

 

[TechnoMage2016]

I got real happy with Win-7 real fast, after the initial update, that goes along with the installation.
Then I just shut off updates and never looked back. I just never have OS problems with Win-7.


EOS? Like who gives a sh**? And, I'm a devout 'Never 10'er'.


Happy Labor Day Mates! (if you don't get hit by hurricane Dorian)

 

[jjr]

Tell you I certainly am, I love MS suggestion to just go out and buy a new PC with Win 10 installed. WTF are they nuts. My main PS is a Aliemware Aurora which was by far from cheap...

I'am a older user and basically just use the 2 PCs and 1 laptop here for browsing and email. Only office program I uses is Word and just to compose email easier. All other never ever used.

Im not PC savvy could someone who is answer this? I use Zone Alarm and Malwayebytes , if I keep my Win 7 64 Home will those programs be good enough to protect myself?

Windows defender is a joke and never used that.

What do the actual Win7 updates actually do to add security if all I use is word??

Oh yes I did have a new HP all in one PC here running Windows 10 and guess what? I hated it, why cant MS just leave well enough alone?

This stuff is well above my knowledge base so some simple answers would be greatly appreciated about what happens if I keep my Win7?

 

[michael diemer]

I recently went into my mint VM and did updates. I was surprised that I wasn't prompted to update even with one being a kernel update, and multiple updates had a symbol indicating that a reboot would be required.

Some Linux systems are like that. I have three right now. Linux Lite updates do take some time, and they don't remind you to do them. Solus does remind, but at least on my system, I have to use the terminal/command line to do them, or they stall. Zorin, on which I spend most of my time, reminds you and it updates flawlessly

If you do a really big one, you may have to restart. I find it is rare with solus and zorin.

 

[ZaphodB]

Hi Folks

All this talk of Linux has whet my appetite - so a few questions.

1) For a home user (email / Word docs / Excel spreadsheets / MS Paint and YouTube) can you recommend (and provide a download link for) a suitable Linux OS?

2) What web browser / WP prog (Word) / Spreadsheet (Excel) / MS Paint equivalents are there on the above Linux platform?

3) What about drivers (for WiFi card / SD card reader / USB / sound / graphics / Blu-ray writer) etc - are these freely available?

In short, much as I love Win 7, what can I replace it with come Jan 2020 that doesn't come from M$??

Thanks in advance (from someone who knows zip about Linux - apart from how to pronounce it correctly!)

Zaph

 

[michael diemer]

For someone who knows nothing about Linux, your best bet is probably Mint. Although Zorin would be a close second. They will both come with Libre Office, a full office suite which has everything MS office does. Drivers for most printers will not be a problem, most of the time it will find and configure your printer automatically. same for sound. Browser will be Firefox for mint (I think); Evolution for Zorin (which resembles Outlook, but you may need to configure it). Both are very reliable and well developed. download links are easily found on their home pages. Just remember to choose 64 bit (unless your computer is 32 bit). There should be good installation instructions available as well, either on the download page or the user forum. You will need to decide if you are keeping Windows, in which case you will either need to install Linux to a separate drive, or the same drive (dual-boot). The easiest of course is to install to the whole drive; you just accept all the defaults. But dual-booting on the same drive is pretty straightforward as well; there is an option to "install alongside Windows," which will put Linux on the same drive while leaving windows alone. You will then choose which OS to boot when you start up, from something called the Grub menu.

 

[ZaphodB]

For someone who knows nothing about Linux, your best bet is probably Mint. Although Zorin would be a close second. They will both come with Libre Office, a full office suite which has everything MS office does. Drivers for most printers will not be a problem, most of the time it will find and configure your printer automatically. same for sound. Browser will be Firefox for mint (I think); Evolution for Zorin (which resembles Outlook, but you may need to configure it). Both are very reliable and well developed. download links are easily found on their home pages. Just remember to choose 64 bit (unless your computer is 32 bit). There should be good installation instructions available as well, either on the download page or the user forum. You will need to decide if you are keeping Windows, in which case you will either need to install Linux to a separate drive, or the same drive (dual-boot). The easiest of course is to install to the whole drive; you just accept all the defaults. But dual-booting on the same drive is pretty straightforward as well; there is an option to "install alongside Windows," which will put Linux on the same drive while leaving windows alone. You will then choose which OS to boot when you start up, from something called the Grub menu.

Thank you so much Michael for that comprehensive reply

Another Linux 'noob' question if I may.

I have two HDDs for my ageing VAIO - one has Win 7 HP SP1 and the other a cloned version of this drive that was then upgraded (just last week) to Win 10.

I'm guessing that I could set up a dual boot installation on both with Linux Mint.

On the Mint installation - does it give (if I understood your post correctly) an option to split the drive into a Windows partition and a Linux partition without affecting the contents of the Windows partition. I'll simply get the option as to which OS to boot into from a cold boot (similar to MacOS and Windows with Boot Camp)?

You don't have a trusted link from which to download Mint??

Zaph

 

[michael diemer]

Mint: Download - Linux Mint

Zorin: Download - Zorin OS

I would recommend the cinnamon desktop for Mint, unless your computer has problems because it is so old; then you want Mate or XFCE. You could actually try two different desktop versions, one for each hard drive. that way you could pick choose between them. most people prefer cinnamon; it's attractive and easy to navigate. Mate is the most basic and works great with older hardware. XFCE is in between, in terms of "lightness."

You could also put Mint on one drive, Zorin on the other, and decide which of those two you like better. but I would recommend staying with just one for starters. You will have enough to learn on just one Linux OS, let alone two at once. So I would put Mint Cinnamon on one drive, and Mint Mate on the other. They will look a bit different, but both will be Mint. you can then see which works best. I would start with Cinnamon. If that works well you will probably just stay with it. Cinnamon is visually attractive if that is important. All three Mints resemble Windows, in that they all have a standard Start Menu at the lower left. and then a bottom panel (it will look way too small to Windows users, but you can change that. Linux is highly customizable).

When you install, the installer will present you with a bunch of options. It will automatically detect windows, and the first option will be to install Mint along-side Windows. The installer will create the partitions it needs to install Mint, usually one large one for the OS, and a small 6 GB one called a Swap, which is for extra memory I believe. Other options will allow you to do the partitioning yourself, which I don't recommend for a newbie. Or to install mint on the entire drive, which will wipe out Windows. don't do this, obviously, if you plan to keep windows.

In my first go with Linux, I installed Mint Mate, since my computer was an older desktop by Gateway, and I thought it might need a lighter system. It tuned out to be fine with cinnamon, however. I also tried XFCE and that turned out to be my favorite. but I gave up using mint several years ago. Since then I have used at least 15 different Linuxes, plus a couple BSD systems. Currently I have Zorin 15, Solus 4, Linux Lite and Watt OS. My favorite is Zorin, with Solus close behind. After you get your feet wet, you may want to "distro hop," but this can be addictive!

One of the great things about Linux is, most distros allow you to test the system without installing it. You just download, burn the iso to a DVD or USB, start your computer from that, and you have a live version of the system. Not installed; you're running off the DVD/USB. This is also where you install from. there will be an icon on the desktop "Install Mint." That is where you begin the installation process.

 

[ZaphodB]

Hi Michael,

Once again, many thanks for the comprehensive reply.

You have me slightly confused referring to 'Mate', 'XFCE', 'Cinnamon' and 'Zorin'.

I was going to ask if you could run Linux from the installation disc (rather than installing it) but you answered that in your above post : ) I thought you could run it from disc but wasn't sure. I downloaded Unbuntu a long time ago (around 2007/8-ish) and played with it briefly. I believe that ran from disc as I don't recall installing it on a hard drive. I also downloaded (but never played with) Knoppix.

I think I may open a new thread on the forum rather than hijack this one and continue the discussion there.

You are welcome to PM me so that again, we aren't distracting from this thread - unless you think this discussion is appropriate to this end of Windows 7 discussion.

BTW I found a reliable mirror site here in the UK: University of Kent UK Mirror Service

Thanks once again,

Zaph

 

[michael diemer]

Zaph, Mate, Cinnamon etc refer to desktop environments, Basically the graphical user interface. The look and feel. Some are very lightweight, like Mate, some are heavier like, cinnamon. The lighter ones are good for older hardware. But all are still mint, under the hood. You can also install alternative desktops, in addition to the one you installed, and choose which one to run at login. but I would avoid that right off the bat.

As for the thread, if a moderator or the OP doesn't object, it shouldn't be a problem.

 

[townsbg]

Which distro looks the most like 7 with the aero? I'm not really liking Cinnamon.

 

[ShadouFox]

"Which distro looks the most like 7 with the aero?"

If that's what you want, your best bet would be the KDE desktop. It includes a theme that's very Windows-like (among others). You can get details about Linux over at Distro Watch.

 

[ZaphodB]

Okay - Update.


I'm writing this on the Firefox Quantum browser for Linux after putting the Linux Mint .iso DVD in the optical drive and booting from the disc.


It appears that the desktop GUI is Xfce. Don't know if the other UIs are on the disc or whether I need to d/load another .iso image.


EDIT #3: Found out that I need to download another image - e.g. this one for Mint Mate: http://www.mirrorservice.org/sites/...com/stable/19.2/linuxmint-19.2-mate-64bit.iso


Tried printing to my WiFi printers (there are 3 on my network - 2 are upstairs where I am and handy, so I tried those first).


Connected and printed test page to Samsung M2070W laser without a hitch.


The Canon iSensys LBP7110Cw had such a confusing set of options and I couldn't get it to work.


Tried running the 'Printing Troubleshooter' - still no joy.


I may have to contact Canon UK to see if they can provide the relevant PPD file (or a link to it).


EDIT #2: Printer Driver from Canon UK - i-SENSYS LBP7110Cw - Support - Download drivers, software and manuals - Canon UK

I suspect that the driver is present but that the printer is called something else in the US which is why I'm not sure which driver to choose.


Impressed with Linux so far - even if the version I am currently running is 'Vanilla'.


Another question - I'm guessing that there is an equivalent to Seven Forums for Linux Mint?


EDIT #2: Found one - Linux Mint Forums - Index page


Thanks for all the help/advice so far.


Zaph

 

[michael diemer]

Great work, Zaph! you've taken the first step. It is not unusual to encounter problems at first. People migrating from Windows to Linux somehow expect it to be perfect, while forgetting all the problems they had with windows!

You should definitely join the mint forum (or any forum for the Linux you are using). you will get much better help there. This is, after a all, a windows forum. discussing Linux in general is definitely relevant on this forum, as W7 is coming to EOL soon. But once you get Linux up and running, you need much more specific help than would be appropriate on a Windows forum.

I personally found Linux to be very liberating. It allows you to take control of your computer, instead of just being a passive recipient like microsoft wants you to be. Oh, and it's free! Although donations are always appreciated, and they don't have to be large.

 

[michael diemer]

Which distro looks the most like 7 with the aero? I'm not really liking Cinnamon.

There are transparency themes available for Cinnamon. At least there were last time I used it.

Re: KDE, I have used it on Manjaro as well as Ubuntu, but always had problems. It is certainly attractive, but I found updates not working right. I had to move on from both. In the long run, stability is more important than looks. I also loved the aero theme, but find I can do without it now.

I'm pretty sure it's possible to put an aero-like theme on most Linuxes. You may have to search around to find them, and you may need help installing them.

Zorin 15 with the dark theme (included) looks gorgeous. And Zorin's start menu is very Windows like. In general, I would say that Zorin may be best choice for those who want as close to a windows-like experience as possible.