Jack from Ohio Posted July 18, 2015 Report Share Posted July 18, 2015 I can't imagine buying a new system with W7. Get the latest and learn the new interface.How many people work in your office? How much time do you have to train them on the new OS? How much time do you want to lose during the peak of season when the new OS causes delays because of being unfamiliar? It is nice and "techy" to say "I have the latest OS on all my machines." Practical integration of all workstations in a large environment is a whole different matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcb39 Posted July 18, 2015 Report Share Posted July 18, 2015 I will get a taste of it when I get my new Surface Pro 3 set up. That is a play toy for me. In the meantime, my desktop and two laptops will stay at Win 7 Pro even though they have the option of being updatable to Win 8.1. Have had this discussion repeatedly with my IT guy; he has no problem with 8.1; but also thinks I am right to leave well enough alone. In other words, If it isn't broke, don't fix it! Best of luck to those who want to dip their toes into untested waters. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ringers Posted July 19, 2015 Report Share Posted July 19, 2015 My work computer is 5 years old running Win 7 Pro, but it has an Intel i7 running at 3.2, 16 gigs of RAM, and 7x2 terabyte hard drives. I think I will set up a dual boot with Win10 when it comes out at the end of this month. A question for Eric: Do you think I would be better off setting up two partitions of Win 7 Pro 64 bit with all applications in place (cloning my current drive in a new partition) and then upgrading one of them to Win 10 or doing a fresh install of Win 10 in a new partition and then add back all of my programs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Posted July 19, 2015 Report Share Posted July 19, 2015 My work computer is 5 years old running Win 7 Pro, but it has an Intel i7 running at 3.2, 16 gigs of RAM, and 7x2 terabyte hard drives. I think I will set up a dual boot with Win10 when it comes out at the end of this month. A question for Eric: Do you think I would be better off setting up two partitions of Win 7 Pro 64 bit with all applications in place (cloning my current drive in a new partition) and then upgrading one of them to Win 10 or doing a fresh install of Win 10 in a new partition and then add back all of my programs?Did you say 7 2TB drives? 14TB? Holy smokes, that must be some computer case. That's a good question. First thing to consider is that at this time, as far as I know, there's no doing a true fresh install with the free upgrade to Windows 10. That could change in the future, but all of the information I've seen says it's unknown whether Microsoft will offer an ISO (disc image) download for Windows 10 to people upgrading from Windows 7 or 8. The closest you can get is doing a "keep nothing" upgrade, which still isn't the same as formatting a partition/drive and doing a fresh install from a disc.Personally, I've always preferred to start fresh with a new installation of Windows instead of upgrading. It's hard to put into words, but I feel like upgrades are never as "clean" as formatting the partition and installing fresh. That's what I did when I went from 95 to 98. And from 98 to 2000. And from 2000 to XP. And from XP to 7. And from 7 to 8. But when 8.1 came out, I trusted the upgrade, which was flawless and felt no different than doing any other Windows Updates.Will I try the upgrade again going from 8.1 to 10? I'm not sure. On one hand, I'm confident that it'll go just fine, but on the other there's my nerd OCD nagging me to do a fresh install. In my case, I have very little software that I need for my work, so reinstalling it is a little bit time consuming, but not nearly as awful as doing multiple years of tax software and accounting software, and restoring data backups, and all that jazz. All of my data is just text and images on a network drive and all I need to do is install Adobe Creative Suite, my FTP client, a few web browsers, and my text editor, and I'm ready to go.If I were in your shoes, I'd probably prepare for a fresh install, but try the clone and upgrade path first, because (and I'm making an assumption) that "adding back all of my programs" step is going to be a long and tedious chore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NECPA in NEBRASKA Posted July 19, 2015 Report Share Posted July 19, 2015 Now I know why I have always just bought a Dell. I talked to my IT people and the estimate is over $1,300 for the tower and the processor and the RAM are not as good as my old machine. I know that the SSD will cost a lot more, but I think that I am too computer illiterate to explain what I want. Maybe I should just put a new hard drive and wifi card in this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ringers Posted July 19, 2015 Report Share Posted July 19, 2015 Thanks, Eric. I probably will try the clone/upgrade path. And yes, the computer is rather large and heavy. It is a Digital Storm with 2 fixed internal hard drives, and 5 hot swappable hard drives. It is glycol cooled and weighs about 97 pounds. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcb39 Posted July 20, 2015 Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 Now I know why I have always just bought a Dell. I talked to my IT people and the estimate is over $1,300 for the tower and the processor and the RAM are not as good as my old machine. I know that the SSD will cost a lot more, but I think that I am too computer illiterate to explain what I want. Maybe I should just put a new hard drive and wifi card in this one. That sounds like way too much money to me. Of course, we don't know what you have now and what your IT guy proposes to build for you. Too Much Money for a desktop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Posted July 20, 2015 Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 Thanks, Eric. I probably will try the clone/upgrade path. And yes, the computer is rather large and heavy. It is a Digital Storm with 2 fixed internal hard drives, and 5 hot swappable hard drives. It is glycol cooled and weighs about 97 pounds.Mine is coming up on 6 years old and still holding its own. Also liquid cooled, and the only upgrade I've done in that time is adding SSD drives. I built mine myself, but it's probably not as pretty as something from Digital Storm. Those people are like craftsmen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcb39 Posted July 20, 2015 Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 Mine is coming up on 6 years old and still holding its own. Also liquid cooled, and the only upgrade I've done in that time is adding SSD drives. I built mine myself, but it's probably not as pretty as something from Digital Storm. Those people are like craftsmen. My eighteen-year-old Grandson just built his second one. I don't know what the stats are on this one but do know that it is liquid cooled with a SSD and is one fine looking piece of equipment. I don't even ask, because he is miles ahead of me in technology and I used to be pretty much up to speed. Maybe that is why is college major is in this computer tech field. (He needs to learn patience, though, when explaining technical things to Grandma). 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack from Ohio Posted July 20, 2015 Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 My eighteen-year-old Grandson just built his second one. I don't know what the stats are on this one but do know that it is liquid cooled with a SSD and is one fine looking piece of equipment. I don't even ask, because he is miles ahead of me in technology and I used to be pretty much up to speed. Maybe that is why is college major is in this computer tech field. (He needs to learn patience, though, when explaining technical things to Grandma).Tell him "No more homemade (insert appropriate delicacy here) till you slow down and explain it so I can understand." 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abby Normal Posted July 20, 2015 Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 That sounds like way too much money to me. Of course, we don't know what you have now and what your IT guy proposes to build for you. Too Much Money for a desktop.Really? Just the parts for my computer were $1,200 back in 2012. Then I paid my IT guy $300 to build it.1 Rosewill Blackbone Computer Case $39.991 CORSAIR HX Series HX750 750W ATX12V 2.3 Power Supply $144.991 ASUS Black Blu-ray Burner SATA BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS $79.991 Western Digital Black WD1002FAEX 1TB Hard Drive $109.991 ASUS P8Z77-V LK LGA 1155 Intel Z77 Motherboard $139.992 Kingston HyperX 8GB Memory $79.981 Galaxy 64TGF8HX6FTZ GeForce Video Card $89.991 Galaxy 63TGS8HX3XXZ GeForce Video Card $59.991 Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz Processor $319.991 Microsoft Windows 8 Professional 64-bit $139.99Subtotal $1,204.893 Day Shiping $10.70Order Total $1,215.59I needed two video cards because I have 3 monitors. Speaking of which, the above does not include monitors, keyboard or mouse. So all in my computer is about $1,900. Yes, I know you can buy a prebuilt ASUS for $800 but the graphics are built in, the processor is a little slower, it only has half the RAM, no monitors included and the keyboard and the mouse suck. I actually did buy a $500 prebuilt ASUS (no monitors) for a data entry station and it's fine. But my computer is also the server so it needs to be beefier. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack from Ohio Posted July 20, 2015 Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 (edited) Really? Just the parts for my computer were $1,200 back in 2012. Then I paid my IT guy $300 to build it.1 Rosewill Blackbone Computer Case $39.991 CORSAIR HX Series HX750 750W ATX12V 2.3 Power Supply $144.991 ASUS Black Blu-ray Burner SATA BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS $79.991 Western Digital Black WD1002FAEX 1TB Hard Drive $109.991 ASUS P8Z77-V LK LGA 1155 Intel Z77 Motherboard $139.992 Kingston HyperX 8GB Memory $79.981 Galaxy 64TGF8HX6FTZ GeForce Video Card $89.991 Galaxy 63TGS8HX3XXZ GeForce Video Card $59.991 Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz Processor $319.991 Microsoft Windows 8 Professional 64-bit $139.99Subtotal $1,204.893 Day Shiping $10.70Order Total $1,215.59I needed two video cards because I have 3 monitors. Speaking of which, the above does not include monitors, keyboard or mouse. So all in my computer is about $1,900. Yes, I know you can buy a prebuilt ASUS for $800 but the graphics are built in, the processor is a little slower, it only has half the RAM, no monitors included and the keyboard and the mouse suck. I actually did buy a $500 prebuilt ASUS (no monitors) for a data entry station and it's fine. But my computer is also the server so it needs to be beefier.Most tax professionals do not possess the skills and abilities to build a computer. I do possess the skills, but allow other professionals to custom build them for me. Lower cost than you post, hours NOT spent assembling, testing, loadingsoftware, 3 year warranty, etc. Work smarter not harder. Edited July 20, 2015 by Jack from Ohio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abby Normal Posted July 20, 2015 Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 They also never put enough USB ports on the backs of these computers. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abby Normal Posted July 20, 2015 Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 Most tax professionals do not possess the skills and abilities to build a computer. I do possess the skills, but allow other professionals to custom build them for me. 3 year warranty, etc. Work smarter not harder.I didn't build it. My IT guy did. He also helped pick out the parts. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall Posted July 20, 2015 Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 How many people work in your office? How much time do you have to train them on the new OS? How much time do you want to lose during the peak of season when the new OS causes delays because of being unfamiliar? It is nice and "techy" to say "I have the latest OS on all my machines." Practical integration of all workstations in a large environment is a whole different matter.Jack, true, I'm a one man office. There are budget constraints. But even then, if you're buying new, I still can't see buying a 5 year old os. Getting used to the new interface is minimal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack from Ohio Posted July 20, 2015 Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 Jack, true, I'm a one man office. There are budget constraints. But even then, if you're buying new, I still can't see buying a 5 year old os. Getting used to the new interface is minimal.Let me know how this statement feels a year from now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcb39 Posted July 20, 2015 Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 Tell him "No more homemade (insert appropriate delicacy here) till you slow down and explain it so I can understand."That would be apple and/or raspberry custard pie. Between his working and school work, I hardly see him these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack from Ohio Posted July 20, 2015 Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 That would be apple and/or raspberry custard pie. Between his working and school work, I hardly see him these days.Maybe we will try to have another visit to your state before tax season, and I will find something to do with that apple pie! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall Posted July 21, 2015 Report Share Posted July 21, 2015 Let me know how this statement feels a year from now.It's already been two and a half years on my laptop and one year on my desktop. Win 8 and 8.1. No need for me to update to W10 because I'm not getting a new system. For those actually planning to get a new system, they'll just have to read your comments and Eric's comments and make their decision. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abby Normal Posted July 22, 2015 Report Share Posted July 22, 2015 (edited) Don't agree with 100% of what this guy saysbut I thought it might be useful to the Win7 users here. Edited July 22, 2015 by jmdaviscpa 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catherine Posted July 30, 2015 Report Share Posted July 30, 2015 Here is a HUGE reason NOT to go to Windows 10 at this point; they need to fix this.Windows 10 password giveaway 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medlin Software, Dennis Posted July 30, 2015 Report Share Posted July 30, 2015 I have to keep current... since at least some of my customers will.The W10 install/upgrade process was the easiest Windows upgrade ever. The only problem I had to fix was a hardware issue (touchpad on a cheap relatively current laptop) which was solved via a download from the hardware manufacturer's web site.The Wifi Sense issue Catherine mentions is easily turned off. Since I had already set mine off before reading this, I do not remember what the default settings were.From a programmer's perspective, there is a decision of if/how to deal with W10 having a plain light colored title bar (the color cannot be set as easily as before, but can still be set). Also had to alter our web site to recognize the new "Edge" browser which replaced IE.W10 seems to have been properly designed to take away or hide things most do not need. This is no different than what I have had to do for years. The majority prefer to install something and just have it work (and/or should not be messing with settings). I expect there will eventually be some sort of official or unofficial "tweak" program available, similar to the old tweakui" program.Don't get me wrong, I have no reason to tell anyone they should install W10. It is probably still best (for the non techie) to heed the old advice of using the OS which the computer manufacturer installed, and if you have an unsupported old OS, you have an old computer you should replace, especially if used for income generation. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abby Normal Posted August 2, 2015 Report Share Posted August 2, 2015 I updated my 6 yr old cracked screen win7 home laptop to win10 with almost no glitches. It froze the first time it ran but after I powered down, it came back up just fine. I know you all love 7 but I'm so glad to be done with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joanmcq Posted August 9, 2015 Report Share Posted August 9, 2015 My current computer will be 6 years old in December. I bought the beefiest one I could afford in 2009, Win 7 Pro 64 bit, i7 processor, lots of RAM, and it was just stripped & all important stuff reloaded when I got the BSOD in June due to my video card fan failing. Plus put in more RAM. My laptop is only 3 years old. So I'm in no hurry to upgrade. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ringers Posted August 16, 2015 Report Share Posted August 16, 2015 I installed Win 10 Pro as a multi-boot with Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit a few days ago and so far I have been impressed with it. Win 10 will run Pro Series from 2001 through 2014 and will run ATX Max from 1999 through 2012 (the year I left ATX). With very few exceptions it runs all of my other programs from Win 7 also. ( Peachtree accounting 2010, Quicken 2009, my write up program PC Accounting Software out of Florida, MS Office 2010, and all my utility programs). It doesn't run Norton Ghost 15, but I expected that and have Norton 360 free from my internet provider. As of today, the drivers are not ready yet for my Sound Blaster Fatality card, but they have been promised by the end of August. Also, my Scan Snap drivers are not yet available.I have exactly the same desktop I had in Win 7 and unless I want them the "tiles" do not make an appearance. I have IE 11 as well as Edge, the new browser, and I like Edge a little better.I have installed Win 10 on a different hard drive form Win 7, and all my data files are on different hard drives which can be accessed (read from and written to) by both operating systems.I hated Win 8 on my wife's laptop and was equally unimpressed by Win 8.1, but so far I think Microsoft got it right with Win 10. Yes, there are some bugs and a lot of people have trouble installing Win 10, but I think eventually Microsoft will have all of the bugs fixed and people will be happy again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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