Posted on 04/18/2011 8:37:42 AM PDT by Former Fetus
I need some computer advice, and I don't know of a better place than FR.
My desktop pc is warning me that it is ready for retirement: sound is off, sometimes does not allow me to type, keeps freezing... My problem is that I love Windows XP and both my husband and son have Vista and they do nothing but complain about it. Can anybody give me an objective opinion of Windows 7? What do you like/dislike about it? If you had a choice between Windows XP and Windows 7, which one would you choose? Thanks to everybody!
And make above machine dual boot Windows/Linux (FC14) as I did and you’ll be happier still.
Back to factory settings restore might bring new life.
Or you could go all the way and just use tvm.
You are aware aren’t you that the Windows 7 developers re-introduced security flaws that had been locked down in XP?
Article was posted and discussed here a couple months back...
=8-)
How long has it been since you reinstalled the operating system. In general you should do a rebuild about every year. How ever W7 should be very good. Download the W7 compatibility utility, and see if you can get W7 to work on your system. If it will work, get a family pack W7 upgrade. You can do 3 computers on 1 license ($130ish). Right click my computer, then properties, hardware, device manager, take a look at sound video and game controllers. If anything is yellowed or red delete and reboot.
I had Windows XP Pro, and never once had a problem with it, other than security. I got a bad virus that is not fixable.
I am currently using a little old computer with Windows 7 on it, and it appears to be stable except for one thing. In an update it downloaded WindowsSearch indexer that completely bogs down my RAM and causes hang-ups as I only have 512 RAM. If you have more RAM, it may not be a problem. I have have to turn the searchindexer off every time I restart, and then somehow it sneaks back in there and I can’t seem to find all the places it resides to remove it. When I try to remove it I get warnings that say it will also remove updates that I need. So it’s a puzzle to me.
U-Verse Premium is also my ISP provider and it is so fast throwing data down, that it also contributes to the hangups. So I suspect I’m going to have to upgrade to a computer with a gig of RAM to stop the problems anyway. There comes a time when it’s just best.
I’m not a techie and don’t claim to be one...I just saw the post about Windows 7, which I too am using.
I progressed grudgingly from Windows 98 to XP. It was worth it. XP stayed on my various machines for a long time. It’s now on two that aren’t used much anymore. One mistake was getting my wife a TouchSmart with Vista. Although it didn’t have as many issues as some have described, it was a kludge. After experiencing Win 7 on two new machines, I took the leap and upgraded the TouchSmart to Win 7. It did have a video driver problem which I solved this morning. Otherwise, it has been a great improvement. Get the Win 7, you will not regret it.
When MS 1st issued Win7, they had a 3 PC upgrade deal for a 160 bucks. It's a Vista updgrade to Win7 Home Professional and today the cost is about 120 buck and the upgrade is a breeze.
Upgrading to Win7 from XP, however, is very painful
Now, if you want to try and squeeze the last bit of life out of your XP box,
your current troubles could be a couple of things.
- heat issues ?
have you ever taken the panels off and cleaned out the dust bunnies ?
- Processor thermal compound or thermal pad can go bad
- power supply going bad?
- hard drive full or almost full ?
too much stuff loading on startup ?
spy-ware\Trojans etc....
just some thoughts
when in doubt, don't.
good luck.
I just bought one of these for $399. They are up $10 now.
You can call HP and get the 32-bit and 64-bit disks because it is a business-class computer. You can add 2-GB of RAM for $20. Heck of a deal.
When I replace the XP it will be with a MAC.
I have worked with Windows from 3.1 through Vista and I have had far fewer issues with Apple OS than any of the Windows versions.
I’ve had XP and now have 7 - I absolutely love it and it appears to be more stable even than XP. I’ve had my desktop now about 15 months and not once have I had to do a hard shut down, gotten a blue screen of death nor had any other problems.
Go for it.
I just bought one of these for $399. They are up $10 now.
You can call HP and get the 32-bit and 64-bit disks because it is a business-class computer. You can add 2-GB of RAM for $20. Heck of a deal.
There have been numerous sales in recent weeks for a 3 pack of Windows 7 Home Premium licenses with a physical disc for under $100 delivered.
Out west Fry’s has had it the sale at least 3 times in the last three months.
For $33/PC it’s a pretty reasonable cost.
/Or download a Linux distro for free and ping Ernest repeatedly for advice
I love 7. Make the leap.
I have no problems with Windows 7. It’s the first MS operating system I can say that about.
Ditto.
Of course it may not hurt if you want to bring your current pc to someone you trust to have it checked. XP is still a viable OS. Your computer could need additional memory - when I upgraded the RAM my old XP box it made a big difference. I still have it and it works fine. But Win 7 is on my laptop which is used all the time.
Do you regularly update programs and drivers? Do you regularly run av scans, along with malware/spyware scans? Check for hardware issues? Computers are like cars - basic maintenance is important.
Win 7 is a 64-bit OS, so all programs you install have to be compatible. It comes with the 32-bit version of Internet Explorer. Some websites still do not support 64-bit. The current version of Adobe Flash Player (10.1), for example, is not available for 64-bit. So when I need it, I open the 32-bit version of IE (when viewing youtube videos I always have to use the 32-bit IE).
This forum is very helpful. Keep in mind these are users that have issues - just like any tech forum. But you can post questions and will get reliable information.
To be more specific, for about $100 you can upgrade your PC, your husband’s PC, and your son’s PC to Windows 7 Home Premium. Amazon had it for sale for $90 a few weeks ago, and a dozen reputable EBay sellers are in that price range right now. Microsoft sells them in quantity for as little as $19 per upgrade license at wholesale pricing, look around and you’ll find people reselling them at minimum mark up.
Caveat, your PC must meet minimum hardware specifications.
Product Code : GFC-00235 ( Green Box )
Product Name : Win Home Prem 7 English VUP DVD Family Pack
And the chart for upgrade paths can be found here:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd772579(WS.10).aspx
I just replaced an old machine with XP on it with an Acer with Windows 7. Much better! No question.
I had a nice XP machine and finally got a new system with Win 7. Win 7 is excellent, but there aren’t drivers for most anything older than 3 to 5 years old.
I have to keep my older machine because the new system does not support my 3 year old HP laserjet, nor dies it support my document scanner.
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