Windows 10- switching to it.

[ccsimpson]

Have any of you switched over to Windows 10? Does it support your other programs like faststone.org, or Photo Elements 12? Did you buy a whole new computer? Reviews for downloading on our current laptop indicate that the downloading doesn't work well. We are reading more and more that Windows will stop supporting Windows 7 and 8. Thanks for your input. Gosh, What a hassle to move everything!

[socaltoolguy]

I bought a new laptop that came with 10 on it. I still have my older laptop that is running 7. I still like 7 the best. I can't answer your question in the respect of doing the upgrade to 10 though. I have not heard that they are going to stop supporting 7 and 8. I would stick to 7 as long as you can. JMHO.

 

Ray

 

[Mark and Dale Bruss]

 

I have not heard that they are going to stop supporting 7 and 8.

Then you have not been listening

[GlennWest]

pc mover makes it simple to move files, pics, etc to new computer.

[airstream harry]

I switched,just downloaded the update. No problems at all. I am not a geek by any means,just followed direction. Even used campground wifi

.c u on the road

[oldjohnt]

I posted this very same question a while back (got some good advise here plus on computer forums) and here are my answers and advice. I successfully converted one old Windows 7/8 desktop to Windows 10 and bought a new Laptop with Windows 10 furnished.

 

1) I like 10 MUCH better. It has the start menu back and is easier and more intuitive to operate versus those lousy 7 and 8 and is stable and boots fast and easy I WOULD NOT GO BACK TO 7 OR 8 but feel free if that's what you like and are more comfy with. I had XP and Vista but 7 and 8 I HATED yet 10 is more like it was BEFORE the7 and 8 CRAP lol.

 

2) I studied and researched Drive Copy and Ghost and Mirror Image and Easy Transfer type of programs for transferring my old Win 7/8 laptop to my new Win 10 computer to save the time of reinstalling all my programs and software and copying all my data to my new win 10 laptop, but after research especially on the computer tech forums plus here I DECIDED TO DO A CLEAN FRESH REINSTALL ALL NEW SOFTWARE AND LATEST PROGRAMS TO MY NEW 10 COMPUTER AND SIMPLY COPY MY RAW DATA USING MY 1 TB HARD DRIVE BACKUP PLUS MY CARBONITE BACKUP. Program s like easy transfer and drive copy and PC Copy make it sound like all you do is connect old to new with a USB and push a button aND ALL YOUR PROGRAMS INStall and work and its a mirror image of old puter and saves all the time of reinstalling programs and copying data BUT DONT BELIEVE THAT LOL. If youre trying to duplicate a 7/8 machine to another 7/8 machine or a 10 to a 10 is one thing BUT I DO NOT ADVISE TRYING TO TRANSFER A 7/8 TO A 10 MACHINE.

 

What I did was make a clean factory install of all my programs and software on my new 10 machine then copy and transfer raw data via my external USB 1 TB HD or Carbonite ,,,,,,,,,,,

 

3) DOWNSIDE 10 will NOT run all lf my old 7/8 software and programs but did most of them. However I researched and found some software that made old 7/8 programs work on 10, it takes some time and study but it can be done.

 

 

 

BEEN THERE DONE THAT STUDIED AND GOT THE T SHIRT AND I LIKE 10 MUCH BETTER BUT ADVISE YOU DO A FRESH CLEAN REINSTALL OF PROGRANS AND SOFTWARE ON A NEW 1O MACHINE then copy/transfer raw data with USB easy transfer cable or a HD or CARBONITE ETC.

 

Others may have different opinions and methods but I'm sticking to mine, now you do as you wish

 

John T

[hemsteadc]

I've been trying to download it for weeks. Just never does.

[RV_]

I like 10 better too. I just let it upgrade after backing up in case and upgrading Windows to a new version in the last few years is a very simple and easy and even fast way to do it. I suspect some folks with all the issues had rootkits or other malware infections or other issues. I just upgraded 8 personal computers to 10 in the last three or four months, and none had any issues at all save one that had no issues but the first Quicken support techs blamed Windows 10 and cost me a few days doing a clean install after a factory restore and still it did not work.

 

The Computer forums here under "Other Topics" has scads of our experiences, troubleshooting, and upgrading tips tricks and traps.

 

Safe computing!

[wildmandmc]

win 7 gets supported till 2020. not sure of date of 8.1

i have done about 12 upgrades for my clients. most are happy with 10.

Oldman, what happens ref trying to get win 10.it's close to a 3 hr process. downloading, installing an configuring all of it.

any error's when trying to d/l 10.?

[SpaceNorman]

My experiences with upgrading from one major Windows release to another hasn't been good. It's never gone smoothly - and always seems to leave vestigial issues that arise somewhere down the road. Having had this experience - I tend to stick with an OS for as long as I own the machine. Of course, I apply any/all recommended patches for whatever the level of OS is throughout the machine's life. Advances in the OS combined with the advances in PC hardware - usually translates into a new PC every 5 years or so. Keeping at least reasonably current in terms of hardware and software avoids all sorts of issues - including issues unsupported software, minimum hardware requirements for new software, etc. Plus - keeping things current simply increases the likelihood you'll enjoy good performance most of the time. My typical PC replacement usually ends up costing me $500-$700 every 5 years ... which translates to a cost of ownership of less than 40 cents ($700 / (5 * 365)). When I consider the amount of time I spend using my computer and the value of the information I obtain and/or store on it - makes a 40 cent per day a cost I'm happy to incur to increase the likelihood that I'll enjoy problem free computing.

[docj]

I upgraded two laptops to Windows 10, a Dell and a Toshiba, and both upgrades went very smoothly. The Toshiba had initial problems because the manufacturer was late in releasing new drivers but once those were installed it has run flawlessly.

 

From an operational perspective, IMO Windows 10 is quite stable and rarely has to be rebooted. With Windows 8.1 both these laptops would mess up their wifi adapters periodically which often would result in a reboot; that issue has been greatly reduced with Windows 10. I like the new Start menu far more than the Windows 8.1 "tiles" which I never used. As I get used to the new Start I am finding that I no longer need to put program shortcuts on my Desktop which does keep it from getting so cluttered.

[RV_]

Windows life cycles are posted here: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/lifecycle

 

7 is until 2020, 8.1 until 2023, and 10 until 2025.

 

Norman,

Until Windows 8 I found the same to be true about in place upgrades as you, and did clean installs. However the 8.1 upgrade was no more bumpy than a regular update or service pack. And the Windows 8 update was rough for some systems I had when it debuted in November 2012, but a few months later in mid 2013, the drivers were there for a three year old Acer too. I had no issues with the Windows 10 upgrade on any of my computers. I even got a very old Compaq laptop that had 2 GB DDR2 RAM and a single core Celeron CPU, that came with a whopping 120 GB hard drive. It must have been a Vista designed system HP switched to be sold with Windows 7. It factory restored to Windows 7 and that was done only because it was a trade in I refurbished for sale. It took 10 so well I added 2 GB RAM to make it 4 GB, and swapped out a spare 256GB SSD by cloning it since I had just done all the updates and that took forever. Now it is fine with the RAM and SSD speeding things up.

 

Either way we have to save our data just in case, so if it works we save a lot of time, and if not, we can just start over anyway.

[k4rs]

RV, you beat me to it with the lifecycle dates. I guess I just type too slow

 

Since Windows 10 has been released, I have lost track of the number of people who have asked for my help to roll back from Win 10 to their previous version of Windows. Several had compatibility problems with drivers or their existing software, two had bad updates that rendered their computers unusable, a couple did not want the upgrade but their computers upgraded automatically (Thanks Microsoft), and the rest just did not like Win 10. In the same time period, I have had exactly one person ask to upgrade from Win 7 to Win 10.

 

I suggest that if you want to try Win 10, do a full backup before hand. You can roll back easily during the first 30 days, but it is nice to have a safety net if something goes bad.

 

Safe Travels...

[whj469]

My computer at work broke but the IT department was able to get everything

except email contacts and favorites. My new computed has 10 and I like it and it was easy to learn.

Good Luck

[ms60ocb]

May answer to upgrading an older PC to W10. DON"T. I did my 5 year old Dell W7 to W10. Everything worked fine for about 4 months and the second major update was the death of the Dell. It cleaned drivers and much more. A professional guru tried but summons dead. Now I have a new computer and W10 is not W7.

Clay

[Ray,IN]

I've decided to stay with W 8.1 until support ends in 2023. I'm comfortable with 8.1, it does everything I want or need. W 10 support ends 2025 according to a previous reply. By that time I may not be able to use a computer.

The only times I've had troubles is when I somehow got the Binky virus, and when W 10 tried a forced upgrade. Malwarebytes JRT got rid of Binky, and GWX panel has the W 10 upgrade suppressed.

[jjwicklund]

Switched my 4 year old HP w7 over to 10. Some things I like others I don't. It was very unstable screen, kept switching from landscape to portrait and type kept zooming from large to small even though w10 recognized that my pc was not a tablet.

First thing I did was disconnect peer to peer updates, I'm on 10gig verizon.

[Mark and Dale Bruss]

 

First thing I did was disconnect peer to peer updates, I'm on 10gig verizon.

Peer to Peer updates occur when Windows determines there are multiple PC on a local LAN and will use the Microsoft download from one PC instead of downloading again. If you have networked PCs, that was a step in the wrong direction. If not networks PCs, then you did nothing.

[wildmandmc]

May answer to upgrading an older PC to W10. DON"T. I did my 5 year old Dell W7 to W10. Everything worked fine for about 4 months and the second major update was the death of the Dell. It cleaned drivers and much more. A professional guru tried but summons dead. Now I have a new computer and W10 is not W7.

Clay

hey bud, if it worked for 4 months, then it had nothing to do with the upgrade. sounds like you had an infection in it. One type of infection also d/l an installs driver update , a program that will screw up the whole pc.

PS> it can be fixed,

[cpaulsen]

Did mine from 8 to 10 about 7 months ago......everything worked......just took a little getting used to but am glad I changed.

[k4rs]

hey bud, if it worked for 4 months, then it had nothing to do with the upgrade. sounds like you had an infection in it. One type of infection also d/l an installs driver update , a program that will screw up the whole pc.

PS> it can be fixed,

 

I have seen two different computers work for a while after upgrading to Windows 10, then suddenly fail spectacularly. Both failures occurred right after updates from Microsoft. The first was a video driver. After it was installed the computer only displayed colored horizontal lines. Even safe mode was rendered useless. All attempts to roll back to the old driver were unsuccessful. The second failure happened when Microsoft released the 1511 update. That computer would boot but had no GUI. In both cases the owners requested a rollback to the previous version of Windows and both are now running issue free.

 

Safe Travels...

[Second Chance]

I'm a Johnny-come-lately, here, but I upgraded my wife's ASUS running 8.1 and my Samsung running 7 in December. The only issue I experienced was in getting the Windows Live Mail client to work with our existing accounts - but eventually got that worked out. (The new Windows mail client supplied with 10 is a joke.) We are both very happy. 10 cleared up a few issues we were having (different issues on the two laptops) with the older operating systems, too. We're both very happy with the upgrade. I set our Verizon MiFi connection as a metered connection so Windows 10 does not automatically download updates and use up our data. We wait to do that when we're on park or family wi-fi networks.

 

Rob

[RV_]

Folks,

This is a long one. I hope it helps some of you out there prepare that are doing their Windows upgrades to Windows 10. You can skip this whole article if you just stick with Windows 7 or 8.1 if your computer is more than three years old. Support for them is 2020 and 2023 respectively. That means if your computer is three years old now and running Windows 7, it will be 7 years old when you have to upgrade to 10 or a new computer. I don't keep computers for seven or ten years. Six has been my max and that was in the early days of XP. If you do and think it will be the way to go then you have until 2023 for 8.1. 2025 for Window 10.

 

Windows 10 is only free for a few more months and then it will cost from $100-$200 or about what 8.1 costs now when bought separately from a PC.

 

If you are going to upgrade for free then just prepare as if you were going to do a factory restore. All data and settings saved, your recovery disk set or USB drive recovery drive in place not lost "somewhere" (If I only had a nickel for each time I heard that,) and even better a system image made and/or a clone of your system. Anything to keep from having to repeat all the megabytes of Windows and program updates you've already done to Adobe, Java, (which is being dropped by Oracle) office and other programs you've already downloaded. If you don't know what I am talking about and your system is running fine then stay with 7 or 8.1. Safest way. But if you are a tech kind of person read on and see if any of it helps.

 

If you believe everything you read remember that all overgeneralizations are false, including this one.

 

For example, I just read in an InfoWorld article ( an online publication I do read but is losing credibility with me because I don't see retractions of errors) last week that the last update (Jan 19) to Surface Pro 3 & 4 tablets, froze some of them up and caused all kinds of video issues, black screens etc. I got that same update on my new Surface Pro 3 and I had no issues at all. Turns out it only affected the new Surface Pro 4 and Surface book, and some Pro 3s in another issue with the pen driver. I just got a corrective update from MS for my Surface Pro 3 and it took just a few minutes and all is still well.

 

They had some WiFi issues with the Pro 3 when it first came out and only fixed them after several months of trying. I still don't have, nor had, any issues in the two months I have owned a Surface Pro 3. But according to that article it was all of them. I use it in my recliner watching TV every evening, I'd have noticed if the screen was blank and it would not boot. When I read about the problems last week, I immediately checked out my system and found that I did not get the Pen driver for the Pro 4 on my Pro 3 as others did. I can't say why. My power cord was also not in the recall because mine was bought just a few weeks ago and is one of the last Pro 3s made after March 2015. Woody has jumped the gun in the last two months twice now in my book with his fix the blame on MS' update, instead of fixing the problem approach, and he's been wrong. I read his articles as well as my favorite ZDNET tech writers. The one that I trust with advice on Windows 10, is also far and away my most relied on tech writer is Ed Bott on ZDNET.

 

I've had no problems with it, and so far in the last few months I have upgraded 9 very different desktops, tablets, hybrids and laptops to Windows 10, with AMD Quad cores, one single core Intel Celeron, several Atom Z3000 series SoCs 2 with 32 bit 2GB RAM and one with 64 bit 4 GB RAM and two Intel i5 systems one mobile tablet. Below is the list from the oldest one, to Win 10, from oldest to newest, with the original OS it came with originally and as you can see, it's hard to imagine a more varied menagerie of Windows computers from Windows 7 - 8.1 factory installed. These are all getting sold but one new Lenovo All in one touch desktop, my 2720 touch desktop, the Venue 11 Pro Dell Tablet, and my Surface Pro 3 tablet I just bought in the last month or two, and the Voyo Mini PC . I have been too preoccupied in the last half year and am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I've not had time to even learn to image Windows 10 systems. I'll get it soon as the issue is not the imaging, it is restoring the image. I've made the pics for the ads for all but five of the systems below.

 

Win 7 Compaq CQ60-615DX 15 " Celeron Laptop with 4GB DDR2 RAM 256GB SSD,

Win 7 Toshiba L775D-S7107 17" with AMD A6-3420M Quad Core 6GB RAM 256GB SSD ,

Win 7 Toshiba L655-S5250 14" Laptop Pentium P6200 4GB RAM 1TB Rust drive,

Win 8.1 ASUS T200TA-C1-BL 11.6" hybrid netbook/detachable tablet Atom Z3795 64 bit 4 GB RAM 64GB SSD,

Win 8.0 Dell Venue 11 pro 10.8" Atom Z3770 2GB RAM 32 bit 64GB SSD,

Win 8.1 Lenovo 40-30 20" All in one touch screen i5 desktop 4GB RAM 1TB rust drive,

Win 8.1 Surface Pro 3 i5 128GB SSD 4 GB RAM,

Win 8.1 Voyo Mini PC dual boot Win 8.1/Android 4.4 Atom Z3735F with 2GB RAM and 64GB SSD

Win 7 HP p6-2133w desktop AMD A6-3620 quad core 8GB RAM 256GB SSD

 

Yet to upgrade is my Dell XPS 2720 Windows 8.0 Pro native, now running 8.1 with the Intel Core i7 4770S quad core 8 thread CPU and 8 GB of Ram 32GB SSD in front of its 2TB rust drive, touch screen etc. And that is just waiting until I set up the HP Desktop and ASUS hybrid for sale and wipe the personal info after the data swap to my new tablet and then a factory restore, updates, then an Upgrade to 10 for them. They have their recovery partitions intact. But it takes me a few days to set up each one and then to set them up with Libre Office VLC etc. CCleaner, and remove all the bloatware again as well as cleaning the mess and reverting them to Windows defender once they are running 10. I'll then suggest that they buy Malwarebytes premium to round out their security. I give everyone a threshold warranty.

 

I have had no problems with Windows 10 upgrades, no problems with Windows updates since upgrading, on any of them. Several of them took forever and I was tempted to think they had stalled and I have 100 mbps Cable broadband.

 

I did have a problem with one Office 2010 update for Outlook that set it to run only in safe mode. MS Issued a corrective update that same week.

 

I don't take the word of the user or read about it from a "reliable source" and take it as gospel. When I read about the failed installs of any kind I want to see what they did to fix it and then exactly why it failed the first time. Were those systems fixed or just factory restored and MS blamed.I was tempted to shut down on the "do not turn off your computer" screen when it seemed stuck for an hour during install of Win 10, but I learned a long time ago to set the power settings to never sleep, never turn off the display, and keep them plugged in, overnight if necessary. One took several hours after downloading 10 to install. Just about every system has a factory restore recovery partition and can be wiped and done from scratch unless they had a hard drive or mobo/power supply failure. One took all night.

 

Just like the Linux community here responds in anger that any posted vulnerabilities patched or not are just media hype or the postings of a non Linux user, I've seen a lot of hyped claims that Windows 10 causes issues with a friend's computer or read about someone having an issue with it. There have been some issues fixed by MS or in the process, or vendor caused and in the fix stage or not. Now I don't doubt that old XP boxes won't reliably upgrade, or that some infected and oddly set up systems will have serious issues, but so far, all my early, mid, and later/newest Windows 7 native boxes run better with 10. And that menagerie of Windows boxes can't get much more varied. But older DDR2 systems with single core CPUs and slow bus speeds may very well fail to upgrade. Old Windows 7 and Vista systems can be imaged and restored easily using any of the free Macrium reflect or EaseUS programs, and in Windows 7 with Backup and recovery, create a system image and after that creating a boot/repair disk. If the person upgrading to 10 from those two no UEFI systems with no secure boot, Vista and 7, can easily recover from a seemingly bricked computer. If they can't then I would question whether they interrupted the install or had issues when they did the upgrade. Remember XP SP3 and the HP AMD no boot which was HP's fault for loading both images, the Intel and the AMD ones, on their computers that called for an Intel power driver system that did not exist on the AMD system's CPU? ( http://www.informationweek.com/software/operating-systems/windows-xp-sp3-causes-blue-screen-of-death-on-amd-based-pcs-/d/d-id/1067958 ) HPs fault but most think it was MS'. Another weird one was the Aleuron rootkit that when upgraded to SP3 caused the system to not boot. ( http://features.en.softonic.com/how-to-remove-alureon-rootkit-on-xp ) That one drove all of us crazy until it was found and removal tools became available. That's why the malicious software removal tool runs when you do Windows updates. Some infected folks never know it. I'd love to see some of those systems that failed the Windows 10 upgrade.

 

Even if one is doing an in place upgrade, I would uninstall any modifications, like Classic Shell, or other programs that mess with the Windows boot itself before upgrading. And in the pre check if Windows says some programs are not compatible then go ahead and uninstall them beforehand.

 

They should at the least be backing up their data if not that and an image because with any upgrade the hardware gets a hard workout and cooling issues also come to the forefront. I also never upgrade notebooks without cleaning the cat and dog hair and dust bunnies inside the radiator and fan areas before doing upgrades. And then I put them on an external fan system to be sure. Thermal fails can cause corruptions if they shut down the system during install. I have several types of fans that run on USB as well as ac 110 volt. The hard drive can fail when stressed too. That's why doing the file backups first (least time and stress on the system), then the system image, (more stress) and then the OS upgrade which gives the hardware the most stress and continuous running which also will generate the most heat.

 

I don't do upgrade or even major software installs and removals without having:

1. My Windows recovery disk set or USB drive for the post Windows 8 systems found first not "somewhere."

2. All the data backed up on an external drive.

3. A system image for Windows 7 and Vista, and one for Windows 8 and 8.1 too even If I am not sure I can restore them easily or at all, thus the data backups on the external drive.

For any of the above and any new install of any OS or upgrade the cooling fans I need to keep them running and not shutting down from Thermal safeties. When the "Excrement hits the proverbial rotating surfaces" is no time to frantically be searching for disks, or messing with an image you never tried to recover and restore with before the "Oh Spit!" moment.

 

I don't do multiple partitions on my systems, and don't run dual boots except in the one that dual boots Windows 10 now and Android from the factory, and even it upgraded to 10 from 8.1 fine. If someone is good enough to do those, they should be good enough to be ready for a complete factory install and program/data restoration as a worst case scenario. If I want two OS' I will buy a second computer. I keep a spare system for doing repairs and checking for infections that is not connected to my network. Most don't and that's fine too. I believe in K.I.S.S., and I have personified the last S many times in working with computers.

 

Trust me, I am no Windows genius or expert on Win 10. I am still learning it as I go, and am collecting my Windows 10 tips and tricks as I go. I have one last system to upgrade but with the new house, and losing my MIL in August/September, a couple of weeks ago having to put down my sidekick of 10 years, Skylar The Wonder Dog, after he had a stroke, embolism or both according to the vet, and losing one of my oldest RV buddies Warren Kwiecinski who I Fished Alaska with in 1999, and taught me how to smoke em right.( If anyone knew him and Maryann , I have her number but she has Alzheimer's. PM or email me if you need any info on them.) I have had no time or desire to play as much with my toys. Grieving, and the normal depression that goes with those, are nothing I need to act out or take anything for, never have and never will. Heck of those 9 systems one Toshiba laptop is waiting for my dirt/landscaping guy to come pick it up as I set it up with a new battery, power supply, and got what they thought was dead system from infections, cleaned up and running like new with Win 10. The other laptops are all mine and for sale when I get around to them. The HP desktop and the ASUS hybrid are going too, and we will pare down to two desktops, two tablets, and one mini desktop PC (Voyo) in the guest bedroom. I will be back to normal in a bit as I am fine. Just too much good stuff, and not so good stuff happening at once. So my main system, the XPS 2720 will not get upgraded until I figure out the system imaging issues with 10's UEFI and secure boot defenses. In the meantime I will just download my data and be prepared for it to crash, even though I doubt I'll have any issues. Heck, I had to call Dell when my touchscreen stopped working and it had gotten disabled in device manager when I installed my new keyboard and mouse with a Logitech unifying USB receiver. I just did not know where to look, and this system is 8.1. However the tech told me that the 2720 has had no issues with Windows 10. I was relieved to find it is still in top shape for the upgrade. As soon as I get my data off the hybrid to my new Surface Pro, and factory restore the HP desktop and upgrade it again too, they are to be sold. Those take priority as we are selling lots of stuff and are down to just one junk spare bedroom and one steel building to empty.

 

If anyone needs a system and is swinging by Shreveport on I-20 or 49, give me a holler and I'll be happy to set you up. But I do not ship. I have had one bad experience with trying to help over the phone. And I'll have no problem selling them here eventually. I just prefer to not have issues unknown on my dime from rough handling after the sale. I guarantee them to my threshold. They are demonstrated to work great when picked up.

 

I can't think of any other reasons all mine work and the as yet not seen by me personally failed upgrades beyond the above but I'm sure there are a few hundred more user/hardware/vendor caused known issues and some yet to become known.

 

If one has Windows 7, and no touchscreen on their Windows 8.1 computer, I would just stay with those unless you, like me, can recover fairly easily. The best and easiest for anyone is to clone the hard drive before making any big change and testing it in the computer or laptop before doing the whatever. Then you have a backup that takes just the few minutes to swap drives out in case there is an issue. If you are not a tech then just get a new system or use yours until the ten year support runs out.

 

Assuming your system is not infected/overheating/hardware failing/known by the manufacturer to not be compatible with Windows 10, or specifically not recommended for any reason, then it should work fine given all of the above. If it was going to fail from the above unexpectedly, backing up all your data for an upgrade that pushes worn out hardware over the edge may be a good thing!

 

Hope that helps.