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references for changing to Win7 from XP?
It has been a long time, but I had to switch from XP to Win7 (I knew I should have upgraded XP to 64 bit when that came out) a couple years ago, and did not have the time to "play" with it to find out how the GUI worked. I bashed together some shortcuts and the like on the desktop (etc), and worked around MS. I realized last month that I have more time now on my hands, at least until spring, and maybe, now might not be a bad time to "formally" switch over to Win 7. (I see some things on my wife's computer that seem like they might work. OTOH ...) So, any tutorial/books pointers, etc? tschus pyotr -- pyotr filipivich The question was asked: "Is Hindsight overrated?" In retrospect, it appears to be. |
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#2
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references for changing to Win7 from XP?
pyotr filipivich wrote:
It has been a long time, but I had to switch from XP to Win7 (I knew I should have upgraded XP to 64 bit when that came out) a couple years ago, and did not have the time to "play" with it to find out how the GUI worked. I bashed together some shortcuts and the like on the desktop (etc), and worked around MS. I realized last month that I have more time now on my hands, at least until spring, and maybe, now might not be a bad time to "formally" switch over to Win 7. (I see some things on my wife's computer that seem like they might work. OTOH ...) So, any tutorial/books pointers, etc? Here are some of my suggestions regarding a few useful programs: Windows Shell: First suggestion is to install Windows 7 Classic Shell (freebie), unless you can stand the default Windows 7 shell. :-) http://www.classicshell.net/ Registry Backups: You can't really rely on ERUNT anymore for a complete registry backup utility, although ERUNT worked great for Windows XP. The best replacement I've found for that seems to be a program by tweaking.com called "Registry Backup". https://www.tweaking.com/content/pag...ry_backup.html Another useful one is called RegOwnershipEx, to take ownership of some registry keys. Windows 7 is otherwise very possessive of gaining access to some of its registry keys: https://www.tweaking.com/content/pag...ry_backup.html And perhaps most useful in the main use category would be to install some later versions of Firefox and Chrome (ones that you couldn't install on Windows XP), if you are so inclined Not sure what you were looking for, however, and some of these may not be of much use to you, but were for me (except that 99% of the time I'm still using Windows XP here). I still prefer Windows XP, and will continue to use Windows XP until I can't any longer. (I imagine that will be when the XP version browsers for FF and Chrome are no longer usable on the Internet), but that time hasn't arrived yet. :-) |
#3
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references for changing to Win7 from XP?
On Sat, 05 Jan 2019 20:36:09 -0800, pyotr filipivich wrote:
So, any tutorial/books pointers, etc? Windows 7 Inside Out (When I was new to Win 7, this newsgroup mentioned this one more than all other suggestions combined. And they were right.) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0735656924 (ahem) My own Windows 7 tips page: http://oakroadsystems.com/tech/7tip.htm -- Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA http://BrownMath.com/ http://OakRoadSystems.com/ Shikata ga nai... |
#4
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references for changing to Win7 from XP?
On Sat, 05 Jan 2019 20:36:09 -0800, pyotr filipivich
wrote: It has been a long time, but I had to switch from XP to Win7 (I knew I should have upgraded XP to 64 bit when that came out) a couple years ago, and did not have the time to "play" with it to find out how the GUI worked. I bashed together some shortcuts and the like on the desktop (etc), and worked around MS. I realized last month that I have more time now on my hands, at least until spring, and maybe, now might not be a bad time to "formally" switch over to Win 7. (I see some things on my wife's computer that seem like they might work. OTOH ...) So, any tutorial/books pointers, etc? First, install Win 7 and do an image of the disc so you can restore if you mess up. It will only take a few minutes. If you have the space(Clonezilla compresses, so a virgin install makes a very small image file), you can do subsequent images as you set up your system, for example installing Classic Shell and a decent firewall. It will save you the bother of having to do it all again if something does not work as expected. Just restore the latest image. Do NOT allow automatic updates. My maid's PC bluescreens on boot after the last update, and I haven't had the time to look into it so she's been without her PC for over a week. Remember, it's in M$'s best interest for Win 7 to crash. They want you to update to 10. I'd read up on firewalls. Check the ones that don't phone home themselves or allow Windows to phone home. (I can't vouch for any of them). If in doubt, put an old Linux box between your PC and the net and monitor network activity. It should be close to zero when you are not actively using the internet. Try to isolate and close down any datamining or profiling activity before you put any personal data on the new machine. When you do install programs, you will probably need to right click on both installer and program and "run as administrator". That gives the program access to everything on the PC, so make sure you have double checked any installers before using them. And run a decent uninstaller like Chemtable's Soft Organizer so you can cleanly remove anything that misbehaves. You can get giveaway copy he https://www.comss.ru/page.php?id=5064 (if you update it you will have to register it. The file is safe, check on Virustotal). Or you can use Revo Uninstaller (there's also a giveaway somewhere out there of the Pro version, but they offer a free one too) HTH []'s -- Don't be evil - Google 2004 We have a new policy - Google 2012 |
#5
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references for changing to Win7 from XP?
On 1/6/19 4:20 AM, Shadow wrote:
On Sat, 05 Jan 2019 20:36:09 -0800, pyotr filipivich wrote: It has been a long time, but I had to switch from XP to Win7 (I knew I should have upgraded XP to 64 bit when that came out) a couple years ago, and did not have the time to "play" with it to find out how the GUI worked. I bashed together some shortcuts and the like on the desktop (etc), and worked around MS. I realized last month that I have more time now on my hands, at least until spring, and maybe, now might not be a bad time to "formally" switch over to Win 7. (I see some things on my wife's computer that seem like they might work. OTOH ...) So, any tutorial/books pointers, etc? First, install Win 7 and do an image of the disc so you can restore if you mess up. It will only take a few minutes. If you have the space(Clonezilla compresses, so a virgin install makes a very small image file), you can do subsequent images as you set up your system, for example installing Classic Shell and a decent firewall. It will save you the bother of having to do it all again if something does not work as expected. Just restore the latest image. Do NOT allow automatic updates. My maid's PC bluescreens on boot after the last update, and I haven't had the time to look into it so she's been without her PC for over a week. Remember, it's in M$'s best interest for Win 7 to crash. They want you to update to 10. I'd read up on firewalls. Check the ones that don't phone home themselves or allow Windows to phone home. (I can't vouch for any of them). If in doubt, put an old Linux box between your PC and the net and monitor network activity. It should be close to zero when you are not actively using the internet. Try to isolate and close down any datamining or profiling activity before you put any personal data on the new machine. When you do install programs, you will probably need to right click on both installer and program and "run as administrator". That gives the program access to everything on the PC, so make sure you have double checked any installers before using them. And run a decent uninstaller like Chemtable's Soft Organizer so you can cleanly remove anything that misbehaves. You can get giveaway copy he https://www.comss.ru/page.php?id=5064 (if you update it you will have to register it. The file is safe, check on Virustotal). Or you can use Revo Uninstaller (there's also a giveaway somewhere out there of the Pro version, but they offer a free one too) HTH []'s +1 on Revo Uninstaller, but use a formal backup / image program like Macrium Relfect not clonezilla. |
#6
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references for changing to Win7 from XP?
On Sat, 05 Jan 2019 20:36:09 -0800, pyotr filipivich
wrote: It has been a long time, but I had to switch from XP to Win7 (I *Had* to? Why do you say that? Not that I'm saying you shouldn't, but hardly anyone ever has to. knew I should have upgraded XP to 64 bit when that came out) Same question on that: *should* have? Why do you say that? My view on that is even stronger: it's a mistake for most people. years ago, and did not have the time to "play" with it to find out how the GUI worked. The GUIs for XP and 7 aren't all that different. It shouldn't take long at all to learn the difference. |
#7
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references for changing to Win7 from XP?
Ken Blake wrote:
On Sat, 05 Jan 2019 20:36:09 -0800, pyotr filipivich wrote: It has been a long time, but I had to switch from XP to Win7 (I *Had* to? Why do you say that? Not that I'm saying you shouldn't, but hardly anyone ever has to. Sometimes, this is necessitated by the lack of continued browser development for WinXP. Maybe you need TLS 1.2 to visit certain websites, and only a newer browser has it. The last Chrome for WinXP was a couple years ago. The last Seamonkey for WinXP has been produced, and the next one likely won't run on WinXP. And Firefox 52ESR was the last for them I suspect. Paul |
#8
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references for changing to Win7 from XP?
Ken Blake on Sun, 06 Jan 2019 08:31:04 -0700
typed in alt.windows7.general the following: On Sat, 05 Jan 2019 20:36:09 -0800, pyotr filipivich wrote: It has been a long time, but I had to switch from XP to Win7 (I *Had* to? Why do you say that? Not that I'm saying you shouldn't, but hardly anyone ever has to. When the class is about the software, and the software is 64 bit and your OS is not, you really only have two choices: upgrade to 64 bit, or drop the class. When you're a broke unemployed machinist in retraining, your options are limited. Refurbished machine for $200 or try to find XP 64 install disks somewhere. I'd have "banked" this machine, save that the XP box died about the same time. knew I should have upgraded XP to 64 bit when that came out) Same question on that: *should* have? Why do you say that? My view on that is even stronger: it's a mistake for most people. Maybe so. But I have to know Word, despite it being an inferior product, because so many places use only it; accept no submissions which are not Word compatible. years ago, and did not have the time to "play" with it to find out how the GUI worked. The GUIs for XP and 7 aren't all that different. It shouldn't take long at all to learn the difference. Note well,"aren't all that different". But those little bits can be critical. "why does the icon for 'desktop' not look like a desktop?" "Where is the icon for wordpad?" Etc, etc, - and do not get me started on Win7's apparent inability to know where in the directory tree I have gone. When one has time those things are no problem, you can fiddle with it and learn new procedures. But when I'm having to stop what I've done for a long time, to find out where/how to do it "here" - it throws me out. Very much like getting a new car, and the light switch and wiper controls are "backwards." Do not tell me that it is 'better'. tschus pyotr -- pyotr filipivich Next month's Panel: Graft - Boon or blessing? |
#9
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references for changing to Win7 from XP?
Paul wrote:
Ken Blake wrote: On Sat, 05 Jan 2019 20:36:09 -0800, pyotr filipivich wrote: It has been a long time, but I had to switch from XP to Win7 (I *Had* to? Why do you say that? Not that I'm saying you shouldn't, but hardly anyone ever has to. Sometimes, this is necessitated by the lack of continued browser development for WinXP. Maybe you need TLS 1.2 to visit certain websites, and only a newer browser has it. The last Chrome for WinXP was a couple years ago. The last Seamonkey for WinXP has been produced, and the next one likely won't run on WinXP. And Firefox 52ESR was the last for them I suspect. Paul Fortunately, not quite yet, as the latest WinXP versions of FF and Chrome still work ok, at least on all the sites I've visited and needed. But I can see the day is coming. And there have been a few occasions when I've needed to use Chrome to get everything to appear as intended, even though I prefer using FF. But as we've both noted, I think the browser limitations are going to be the limiting factor, for the continuing use of WinXP in the future. |
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How to (safely) run Out-of-Support Windows versions? (was: references for changing to Win7 from XP?)
Bill in Co surly_curmudgeon@earthlink wrote:
[...] 99% of the time I'm still using Windows XP here). I still prefer Windows XP, and will continue to use Windows XP until I can't any longer. (I imagine that will be when the XP version browsers for FF and Chrome are no longer usable on the Internet), but that time hasn't arrived yet. :-) I assume that you no longer get security updates for your XP system (i.e. also not by faking that it's 'Windows Embedded Standard 2009' or 'Windows Embedded POSReady 2009'). If you don't get any security updates, then how do you keep your system 'safe'? Just by using Anti-Virus/Anti-Malware software? Other means? I ask this, because in several threads people voice their concerns about their Windows version nearing the end of its support-lifecycle, while they don't want to - or cannot - upgrade to a newer version (especially people not wanting to 'upgrade' to Windows 10). FWIW, I'm on Windows 8.1 which is in its 'Extended support' phase, till January 10, 2023, so I still have a few years to go, but Windows 10 is so unappealing/bad, that it's time to think about a Plan B. |
#11
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references for changing to Win7 from XP?
"pyotr filipivich" wrote
| | It has been a long time, but I had to switch from XP to Win7(I | knew I should have upgraded XP to 64 bit when that came out) | It's probably good timing. Support for XP is beginning to wane. Though I'm surprised you need 64-bit. For what it's worth, I think of Win7 as salvageable but not desirable. The two biggest points against it are bloat and file restrictions. You have to come to terms with both of those in your own way. The bloat is mainly just a problem with disk image backup. But in some cases the winsxs folder can grows by 10s of GBs. So it's a good idea to have disk images ready to clear the deck if necessary. Win7 is too brittle to fiddle around too much with trying to keep it lean. File restrictions: Some people like that, for security. Though most self-respecting malware these days can bypass user limits. You can learn to live with it. you can set yourself up as the real Administrator and use it like XP. Or you can do halfway measures, like taking control of some files, turning off UAC, and maybe having one or more FAT32 partitions for hassle-free file storage. Tempers get heated about this issue and everyone knows the only right way. I also have numerous minor quibbles. Overwriting files with a copy is a pain. Windows wants to have a discussion about it rather than just warning that the old files will be lost. Every time I put in a USB stick Win7 wants to format it.... There are a hundred little things like that where XP stays out of my way while Win7 acts "neurotic". But I don't find anything to be an insurmountable problem. I just tend not to use it much because I don't want to spend a month trying to figure out how to make it shut up and get out of my way. |
#12
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How to (safely) run Out-of-Support Windows versions? (was: references for changing to Win7 from XP?)
Frank Slootweg wrote:
Bill in Co surly_curmudgeon@earthlink wrote: [...] 99% of the time I'm still using Windows XP here). I still prefer Windows XP, and will continue to use Windows XP until I can't any longer. (I imagine that will be when the XP version browsers for FF and Chrome are no longer usable on the Internet), but that time hasn't arrived yet. :-) I assume that you no longer get security updates for your XP system (i.e. also not by faking that it's 'Windows Embedded Standard 2009' or 'Windows Embedded POSReady 2009'). If you don't get any security updates, then how do you keep your system 'safe'? Just by using Anti-Virus/Anti-Malware software? Other means? I ask this, because in several threads people voice their concerns about their Windows version nearing the end of its support-lifecycle, while they don't want to - or cannot - upgrade to a newer version (especially people not wanting to 'upgrade' to Windows 10). FWIW, I'm on Windows 8.1 which is in its 'Extended support' phase, till January 10, 2023, so I still have a few years to go, but Windows 10 is so unappealing/bad, that it's time to think about a Plan B. Just by using an Anti-Virus program and trying to be careful about where I go and what I open. I'm also not on any social media sites, either. |
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references for changing to Win7 from XP?
"Mayayana" on Sun, 6 Jan 2019 15:22:35 -0500
typed in alt.windows7.general the following: I also have numerous minor quibbles. Overwriting files with a copy is a pain. Windows wants to have a discussion about it rather than just warning that the old files will be lost. Every time I put in a USB stick Win7 wants to format it.... There are a hundred little things like that where XP stays out of my way while Win7 acts "neurotic". But I don't find anything to be an insurmountable problem. I just tend not to use it much because I don't want to spend a month trying to figure out how to make it shut up and get out of my way. I know what you mean. Windows has been described as a hyperactive Boy Scout, always wanting to help, and always telling you what it just did. Sigh, I would like some way of telling Windows "I know that, don't bother me with it again." E.g., if I change file extension from txt to bat, after thirty years, I know it will change the functionality; that is the reason I am changing the extension. I wish I had the skills to "hack" Windows to get it out of my way. But my serious nerding days are long past, I have other things I wish to master. -- pyotr filipivich Next month's Panel: Graft - Boon or blessing? |
#14
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references for changing to Win7 from XP?
In message , pyotr
filipivich writes: Ken Blake on Sun, 06 Jan 2019 08:31:04 -0700 typed in alt.windows7.general the following: On Sat, 05 Jan 2019 20:36:09 -0800, pyotr filipivich [] knew I should have upgraded XP to 64 bit when that came out) That's a different kettle of fish: I've never used it, but AIUI XP-64 isn't really XP, but something else made to _look_ like XP. Same question on that: *should* have? Why do you say that? My view on that is even stronger: it's a mistake for most people. Maybe so. But I have to know Word, despite it being an inferior product, because so many places use only it; accept no submissions which are not Word compatible. (Though I doubt they'd object to .doc rather than .docx, or even notice. Though be prepared for _them_ to send _you_ .docx files.) years ago, and did not have the time to "play" with it to find out how the GUI worked. The GUIs for XP and 7 aren't all that different. It shouldn't take long at all to learn the difference. Note well,"aren't all that different". But those little bits can be critical. "why does the icon for 'desktop' not look like a desktop?" "Where is the icon for wordpad?" Etc, etc, - and do not get me started on Win7's apparent inability to know where in the directory tree I have gone. When one has time those things are no problem, you can fiddle with it and learn new procedures. But when I'm having to stop what I've done for a long time, to find out where/how to do it "here" - it throws me out. Very much like Well said. I did give 7's UI a good run, trying to learn it, as I did and do give the boys and girls at Microsoft more credit than many here do - i. e. I assume they genuinely do think their new ways are better, not just changes for their own sake - so I was willing to try to go along. But, like you, there came some point where I wanted to do something in a hurry and couldn't figure out how, so Classic Shell went on, and has never come off since. getting a new car, and the light switch and wiper controls are "backwards." Do not tell me that it is 'better'. Now - not sure about the wipers, but the indicators - I've never understood when people say they're "backwards" on a different car. I think of them as being part of an invisible wheel: if I want to indicate I'm going to turn, I turn the indicator stalk the way I'm going to turn the steering wheel. I don't think "up" or "down". tschus pyotr John How about a three-way referendum, allowing second choices? -- Are petitions unfair? See 255soft.uk (YOUR VOTE COUNTS)! [Pass it on.] -- J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf An Englishman, even if he is alone, forms an orderly queue of one. (George Mikes in "How to be an Alien".) |
#15
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references for changing to Win7 from XP?
J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:
In message , pyotr filipivich writes: Ken Blake on Sun, 06 Jan 2019 08:31:04 -0700 typed in alt.windows7.general the following: On Sat, 05 Jan 2019 20:36:09 -0800, pyotr filipivich [] knew I should have upgraded XP to 64 bit when that came out) That's a different kettle of fish: I've never used it, but AIUI XP-64 isn't really XP, but something else made to _look_ like XP. You'd be sorry if you did that, due to the lack of drivers. The 64-bit version only went up to SP2, and the general reviews (if you checked on Newegg at the time) were "don't bother". It's a 64-bit OS only in name, and was a distraction for MS at the time. Paul |
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