Abby Normal Posted June 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2015 Just to clarify ( as I am at times a dunderhead) --- Win 7 can be taken to win 10 without going through any of the 8's --- yes - no???Will there be "driver" changes for existing hardware? In earlier "upgrades" sometimes old equipment would not function.Any idea if win 10 will PROPERLY run ATX (pass and future editions) especially 2014 an upcoming 2015? Thanks in advance.Yes, you can upgrade to 10 from 7 and even from Vista.Driver changes occur constantly. Check with the hardware vendor.Stay tuned on 10 running ATX but 12 thru 14 run fine on 8.1, and I see 10 as more like 8.5 than a whole new OS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abby Normal Posted June 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2015 Actually, you can can go to many websites today, including Dell, and buy a very powerful Win 7 Pro 64 bit system.If I was buying a system this year it is what I would buy. Microsoft has committed to supporting Win 7 until 2020.7 is on extended support, not full support. I wouldn't want to be using 7 in 2017, much less 2020. The sooner you start learning the new ways, the better off you'll be. I've been on 8 for 2.5 years and I think it's the best OS MS has ever made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry D EA Posted June 3, 2015 Report Share Posted June 3, 2015 I must be the the old guy and refuse to change. Not really, but like others I like to wait for bugs and fixes to reduce problems of initial releases. I am still running a Dell Dimension 4550 that I bought in 2001 with XP Pro. Just can't kill that machine!!! I am retiring that one this year and this discussion is intriguing. Kinda have mixed emotions with touch screens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee B Posted June 3, 2015 Report Share Posted June 3, 2015 7 is on extended support, not full support. I wouldn't want to be using 7 in 2017, much less 2020. The sooner you start learning the new ways, the better off you'll be. I've been on 8 for 2.5 years and I think it's the best OS MS has ever made. For a balanced independent perspective on what this actually means from P C World:Windows 7 exits mainstream support: What you need to knowBrad ChacosYet another end is nigh for Windows 7. After months of buildup—Microsoft killed standalone software sales of the operating system in October 2013, and Windows 7 consumer PCs stopped being manufactured in October 2014—the venerable OS is finally exiting “mainstream support” on January 13, 2015. And for months now, the Web has been flooded with a wave of confused or downright fearmongering headlines and articles implying that Windows 7 is following Windows XP into the graveyardIt's not.The confusion here stems from Microsoft's maddeningly obtuse naming conventions. Leaving mainstream support only means that Windows 7 won't be receiving any new features or product tweaks, such as the impressing-sounding DirectX 12 gaming technology slated to launch with Windows 10. You won't be able to call Microsoft for free help if you run into an issue with Windows 7 either. Once a Windows desktop operating system leaves mainstream support, it enters the extended support phase—the very same support phase that Windows XP found itself in from early 2009 until its death earlier this year.You'll still receive those oh-so-critical security patches during extended support, meaning that while Windows 7 won't be in active development beyond next January, it won't be tossed to the wolves of the Web, either. Hotfixes will still be provided, too, assuming they're security related. (Business can sign up for an extended hotfix support plan if your company wants hotfix support for non-security issues.) And those security updates will be coming for a long time, too: Extended support for Windows 7 lasts until January 14, 2020. Heck, commercial PCs with Windows 7 Professional will even continue to be sold for the foreseeable future. You can read Microsoft's Support Lifecycle for Windows if you're still curious about how this all works. (You can also find information about the other products reaching various End of Support statuses on January 13 in this Microsoft Support post.)So take a deep breath. Relax. Don't panic. Windows 7 isn't being left for dead until years from now, even if the timing of Microsoft's Windows 10 events (including the one scheduled for January 21) directly coincide with Windows 7 End of Support milestones. In fact, here's three ways to buy a new Windows 7 PC today—and yes, downgrade rights from Windows 8.1 Pro still work just fine. Editor's note: This article originally published on July 10, 2014 but was updated January 12, 2015 as Windows 7 exited mainstream support 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneInAlabama Posted June 3, 2015 Report Share Posted June 3, 2015 Touch screen is great for playing solitary on my laptop. Don't know about anything else. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcb39 Posted June 3, 2015 Report Share Posted June 3, 2015 Actually, you can can go to many websites today, including Dell, and buy a very powerful Win 7 Pro 64 bit system.If I was buying a system this year it is what I would buy. Microsoft has committed to supporting Win 7 until 2020.Which is exactly what I did in December. I have two awesome laptops with 17" screens, Win 7 Pro and Turbo Boost; that will be working for some time to come. More and more machines are being offered now with the option of either Win 7 or 8. The big thing to look for is to make sure that you have adequate GHZ. Mine are 2.6 with Turbo Boost to 3.2. They are not Dells. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee B Posted June 3, 2015 Report Share Posted June 3, 2015 Here is the link for ATX 2015 System Requirements: https://www.cchsfs.com/software-system-requirements/default.aspx#sys-req Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack from Ohio Posted June 4, 2015 Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 I will not be purchasing any computers with WIN 8, 8.1 or 10 for the foreseeable future. My supplier custom builds my machines and has promised that WIN7 PRO will be available for many years. Microsoft is notorious for releasing too much, too soon and too fast. WIN7 is stable. ATX always embellishes the system requirements. I take them with only slight attention. If they devoted as much attention to correcting the programing of ATX as they do telling everyone they need the newest, fastest systems with the latest OS (male bovine scat, in my observed and experienced opinion), there would be far less push back about their pricing and tech support.Rant Over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abby Normal Posted June 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 Here is the link for ATX 2015 System Requirements: https://www.cchsfs.com/software-system-requirements/default.aspx#sys-reqI love how they say you only need 3-10GB of drive space. My data folder with 2 years of about 400 tax returns is 18GB. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abby Normal Posted June 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 Eventually, we'll all be on the same version of windows.http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/01/what-windows-as-a-service-and-a-free-upgrade-mean-at-home-and-at-work/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack from Ohio Posted June 4, 2015 Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 Yes... and no. Personally I don't find 8's interface that drastically different from XP. Somehow, I don't remember XP having tiles all over the homepage?? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack from Ohio Posted June 4, 2015 Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 Eventually, we'll all be on the same version of windows.http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/01/what-windows-as-a-service-and-a-free-upgrade-mean-at-home-and-at-work/ I have been hearing this since 1995. 20 years later and.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneInAlabama Posted June 4, 2015 Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 I have seen where some have said that windows 8 is a very stable OS. My wife and I both have laptops with 8.1. They are VERY unstable. You can be typing in one place and end up typing somewhere else completely or even in a different program that happens to be open at the same time. It jumps around from one program to another on its own. Is this normal for 8.1, or did we both happen to get hold of a bad system? One laptop is an HP and the other is a Dell, purchased at different times. I sure would hate to attempt to do a tax return on 8.1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Posted June 4, 2015 Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 I have seen where some have said that windows 8 is a very stable OS. My wife and I both have laptops with 8.1. They are VERY unstable. You can be typing in one place and end up typing somewhere else completely or even in a different program that happens to be open at the same time. It jumps around from one program to another on its own. Is this normal for 8.1, or did we both happen to get hold of a bad system? One laptop is an HP and the other is a Dell, purchased at different times. I sure would hate to attempt to do a tax return on 8.1.There are gestures for swapping between programs on Windows 8. They apparently work well on a touch screen, but are super annoying if you're using a laptop with a trackpad / touchpad. The trackpads on Windows laptops are almost universally terrible.http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/3-ways-to-disable-windows-8-gestures/ 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gail in Virginia Posted June 4, 2015 Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 My laptop currently is a Windows 7 Toshiba. If my wrist happens to touch the touchpad while I am typing, the cursor can do strange and wonderful things. This is not an operating system issue as much as it is a touchpad issue. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack from Ohio Posted June 4, 2015 Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 I carry a cordless mouse with me to use on laptops. I DESPISE touchpads!! I can use them, but they are so restrictive! 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abby Normal Posted June 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 Somehow, I don't remember XP having tiles all over the homepage??XP didn't have a home page, so I'll assume you meant menu, which is where those tiles are. You can remove those tiles so you have none, or replace them with ones you use like Word, Excel, ATX, etc. And 'tiles' is just a fancy name for icons, except that these icons can be 'live', meaning they change based on content, like news, weather, stock market, etc. They can be quite useful.There is very little difference for me running 8 than XP. I use Control Panel. I have icons on my desktop. I have a QuickLaunch toolbar on my taskbar. And, like 7, I have icons pinned to my taskbar, which is an improvement over XP.I rarely use the menu in windows because I find it inefficient. I'd rather have an icon on my desktop or toolbar to launch programs I frequently use.People freaked because 8 didn't have a menu they recognized, but if they would haven't gotten over their shock, they would have found that the start screen gave them everything their menu did, and more. Making the start screen into a menu of sorts and running modern apps in windows instead of full screen may give some comfort, but it changes very little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abby Normal Posted June 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 My laptop currently is a Windows 7 Toshiba. If my wrist happens to touch the touchpad while I am typing, the cursor can do strange and wonderful things. This is not an operating system issue as much as it is a touchpad issue. There's usually a button right above the touchpad to turn it off. Mine is always in the off position. Like Jack, I much prefer a mouse. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abby Normal Posted June 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 There are gestures for swapping between programs on Windows 8. They apparently work well on a touch screen, but are super annoying if you're using a laptop with a trackpad / touchpad. The trackpads on Windows laptops are almost universally terrible.http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/3-ways-to-disable-windows-8-gestures/Yes, you definitely want to disable some stuff in 8, like all windows versions. SnapTo is one feature I have zero use for. Customizing software is something I always do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abby Normal Posted June 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 Ultimate Windows Tweaker is very useful for customizing windows.Win7/Vista: http://www.thewindowsclub.com/ultimate-windows-tweaker-v2-a-tweak-ui-for-windows-7-vistaWin8: http://www.thewindowsclub.com/ultimate-windows-tweaker-3-windows-8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneInAlabama Posted June 4, 2015 Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 Thanks guys. Looks like I have been blaming the wrong culprit. At least now I know what the problem is and have a better idea how to handle it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NECPA in NEBRASKA Posted June 4, 2015 Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 I'm planning on having a desktop built this year to replace my 5 year old Dell 8100. I don't know what operating system to have put in it. I love my Windows 7 Pro 64, but since I normally run my computers 24-7 for at least 5 years, I'm thinking about jumping to Windows 10, because I hate to have to do an upgrade. The company that will build it, says it's no problem, but I don't want to mess up. I now have an awesome 17" laptop that I paid extra for with XP that is pretty much a paperweight, since it's such a hassle to upgrade it and the IT guys told me that is wasn't worth the money to upgrade a laptop from XP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abby Normal Posted June 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 No one's sure what an upgrade from 7 to 10 will be like, because the release date is 7/29. I'll be test upgrading an old win7 laptop and report back here. My suggestion would be to wait until later this year to have the computer built to see what's being reported both about win10 and about upgrades from 7 to 10. As others have pointed out, sticking with 7 for the next 5 years is a valid option. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcb39 Posted June 5, 2015 Report Share Posted June 5, 2015 My laptop currently is a Windows 7 Toshiba. If my wrist happens to touch the touchpad while I am typing, the cursor can do strange and wonderful things. This is not an operating system issue as much as it is a touchpad issue. I always shut the touchpads off and use a wireless mouse. Otherwise, the palms of your hands have things jumping all over the place. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrichman333 Posted June 5, 2015 Report Share Posted June 5, 2015 I have 7 and my husband 8. I HATE 8. I think 7 is easier to use. Things I do in one step in 7 takes 2 steps in 8. Unless you have a touch screen or spend a lot of time on a tablet that has icons 8 is a pain in the but so if 10 is just a upgrade from 8 KEEP IT 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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