Windows 7 support ends Tuesday 14th Jan 2020

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Bsteel
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Re: Windows 7 support ends Tuesday 14th Jan 2020

Post by Bsteel »

al_yrpal wrote:When they cost so little a 5 year life span isnt really an issue.
Al


Always worth a check before buying that the model isn't already 3 years though it's lifecycle or else it may be a bit less of a bargain. Apart from that I agree they great devices and the latest ones will run some Android Apps and have the ability to run some software whilst off-line.
drossall
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Re: Windows 7 support ends Tuesday 14th Jan 2020

Post by drossall »

al_yrpal wrote:When they cost so little a 5 year life span isnt really an issue.

Although it's the waste that gets me more than the cost - that's why I put in the effort to upgrade my Win7 box, rather than buy a new one.
drossall
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Re: Windows 7 support ends Tuesday 14th Jan 2020

Post by drossall »

NATURAL ANKLING wrote:My windows seven and eight was still receiving Microsoft Security update all the way up to the end of last year.

Windows 7 support only ended today and Windows 8 support has not ended, so that's the expected result.
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661-Pete
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Re: Windows 7 support ends Tuesday 14th Jan 2020

Post by 661-Pete »

The tech companies certainly want to make sure you have to keep on buying upgrades to their products. Yes I've just bought a new desktop to replace the old XP one - didn't fancy trying to upgrade that one to W10 in situ. I'd rather have kept on with the old one, but needs must...

It looks mightily like a familiar business practice called Recurring Revenue. We had it in the company I worked for before I retired - although it was formulated in a different way.
Suppose that this room is a lift. The support breaks and down we go with ever-increasing velocity.
Let us pass the time by performing physical experiments...
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drossall
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Re: Windows 7 support ends Tuesday 14th Jan 2020

Post by drossall »

That's what Office365 is all about, of course.
mercalia
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Re: Windows 7 support ends Tuesday 14th Jan 2020

Post by mercalia »

661-Pete wrote:The tech companies certainly want to make sure you have to keep on buying upgrades to their products. Yes I've just bought a new desktop to replace the old XP one - didn't fancy trying to upgrade that one to W10 in situ. I'd rather have kept on with the old one, but needs must...

It looks mightily like a familiar business practice called Recurring Revenue. We had it in the company I worked for before I retired - although it was formulated in a different way.


Well PCs from the Core 2/quad era ( 2006) run W10 well enough. The biggest upgrade is changing the harddisc with an ssd in those pcs.
merseymouth
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Re: Windows 7 support ends Tuesday 14th Jan 2020

Post by merseymouth »

Hi all, Computers ain't the great panacea that we are led to believe, seeing as we are all being pushed into total reliance upon them?
The provider of these addictive boxes has a vested interest in making us not only dependant, but even worse constantly compelled to keep spending hard earned wonga for more of their later products.
It was stated on the BBC today that upgrading will cost no more tan £100? That is assuming that the hardware will be able to cope with the workload!
All of my fountain pens can reliably be used, using readily available writing fluid, even though the pen might be over 100 years old!
Gates and his ilk are "Drug Barons"! :twisted: TTFN MM
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Graham
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Re: Windows 7 support ends Tuesday 14th Jan 2020

Post by Graham »

Switch to Linux.

Cost ZERO
Functionally equivalent to WIndows ( hawk, spit )
Command line knowledge is no longer necessary ( for Ubuntu, probably Mint too? )

PS. My short trial of a smart phone some months back made me think that I had become the servant of a data grabbing beast.

With Linux, I have at least the illusion that, I am in control . . . . . .
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Audax67
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Re: Windows 7 support ends Tuesday 14th Jan 2020

Post by Audax67 »

Graham wrote:Switch to Linux.

Cost ZERO


That's fine if you just want to use software written by other people. I use a deal software I developed using VB6, and I still tweak it from time to time. My development environment runs under an XP emulation supported by W7. Changing to anything else will mean either converting several hundred thousand lines of code or simply junking them. Last time I attempted to convert just one prog (that's English for app) the converter threw up just 1500-odd exceptions.

Bugger that. I'm sticking with W7 and AVG pro.
Have we got time for another cuppa?
merseymouth
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Re: Windows 7 support ends Tuesday 14th Jan 2020

Post by merseymouth »

Hi Audax67 :D , I have enough trouble trying to understand how my fountain pen works so follow you "Simple" process of switching to Linux is at a stratospheric level over my head :oops: .
Why is there not a computer system built & sold for people who want to do absolute basic stuff, no gaming, no imaging, nothing more complicated that hunt & peck!
We are in the hands of "Computer Drugs Barons" merely because we ain't all that full of the smarties :roll: . TTFN MM
mercalia
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Re: Windows 7 support ends Tuesday 14th Jan 2020

Post by mercalia »

merseymouth wrote:Hi Audax67 :D , I have enough trouble trying to understand how my fountain pen works so follow you "Simple" process of switching to Linux is at a stratospheric level over my head :oops: .
Why is there not a computer system built & sold for people who want to do absolute basic stuff, no gaming, no imaging, nothing more complicated that hunt & peck!
We are in the hands of "Computer Drugs Barons" merely because we ain't all that full of the smarties :roll: . TTFN MM


Certainly MS have gone bonkers with their messing around with W10. They have lost the fine reputation they built up with W7 with software that they dont tamper with just plug holes every month and update standard facilities? I wouldnt be surprised if businesses are thinking twice about investing new facilities in W10. I wouldnt. I think the reason why MS have done so due to an inferiority complex seeing Apple that nearly went backrupt, awash with cash it dont know what to do with, MS have to be seen to be an innovating company? And failing miserably
drossall
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Re: Windows 7 support ends Tuesday 14th Jan 2020

Post by drossall »

I'm not sure that W10 is that bad. There are some really objectionable features - the forced restarts for one, and the sharing of my private wi-fi passwords (did that come in with W8)? Generally however it seems to follow the rule that alternate versions of Windows are good (W7/W10) and rubbish (W8), so it's the next one we should worry about :shock:
mercalia
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Re: Windows 7 support ends Tuesday 14th Jan 2020

Post by mercalia »

drossall wrote:I'm not sure that W10 is that bad. There are some really objectionable features - the forced restarts for one, and the sharing of my private wi-fi passwords (did that come in with W8)? Generally however it seems to follow the rule that alternate versions of Windows are good (W7/W10) and rubbish (W8), so it's the next one we should worry about :shock:



eh thats news to me. I think some thing wrong with your settings or you have been hacked?

W8's naffness was solvable, W10's not. W10 is like building a boat while sailing in it. W8 like W7 didnt keep on adding new features just solving issues - Adding new features just adds more ways for hackers to find ways to attack you, since they will doubtless not be 100% secure?
kwackers
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Re: Windows 7 support ends Tuesday 14th Jan 2020

Post by kwackers »

I think folk are simply looking for problems.

I have a number of W10 pc's which I use for ten hours or so a day with no problems at all. They don't do anything untoward, don't force me to do anything differently and just work.
I also have W7 machines and even XP machines which I use regularly with no issues.

I also have machines that I occasionally install Linux on just to see if it's usable yet - the answer is always no.
It doesn't run what I want and open source substitutes for some of them (and Linux itself) feel clunky and user unfriendly, it makes me feel like my hands are tied behind my back.
I'm sure it's possible to get used to the feel of it but I personally can't see any reason to invest that much effort tbh.

However, if you just want an easy/cheap machine to run a browser and a few simple tasks then Linux might be a good choice.
Buy a Raspberry PI (pref a 4) and install it. You get a tiny machine for very little cost that's ideal for 99% of what people want.
Another alternative is a Chromebook.
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Tinnishill
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Re: Windows 7 support ends Tuesday 14th Jan 2020

Post by Tinnishill »

As Graham and Kwackers have suggested, installing a linux operating system on existing kit is a viable option. I use Ubuntu on a Windows 8 machine, and Lightweight Ubuntu on a windows XP machine. I expect these machines to keep running until they physically fall apart. Lubuntu looks a bit like XP. Both system and application software are free and secure and the learning process is pretty short. Old windows programs can be run using the (free) windows emulator called "wine". I also run a cheap (second hand) laptop on windows 10 for the few newer windows 10 programs that don't have a viable linux alternative; I spent some time stripping out or disabling all the bloatware and spyware (xbox, Cortana, etc) that comes as standard with windows.
Agitate, educate, organise.
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