# Windows 7



## Trembling Hand (6 May 2009)

Microsoft is allowing you to download a free trial version of their next operating system, Windows 7. Which I did this morning on one of my computers. 

It looks pretty good. No surprise in that it looks even more Mac OS like. It seemed to be very fast. It booted up in no time. Was a little surprised that it did a whole new install. So all the old programs and settings were wiped! But now that I have installed it my antivirus will not work - and guess what its microsoft's anti virus !!

Anyway loaded up a couple of programs and mostly looked good. It is fast. I guess they will sort out compatibility stuff soon. But now I have to do a fresh reinstall of vista to use it that computer & the programs I use it for. Silly me. Anyway


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## Ashsaege (6 May 2009)

Have you seen the Windows 7 videos on the microsoft website? The 2 guys are hilarious


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## MrBurns (6 May 2009)

Stand by for 3 years of MS security alerts and patches


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## moXJO (6 May 2009)

Trembling Hand said:


> But now I have to do a fresh reinstall of *vista* to use it that computer & the programs I use it for. Silly me. Anyway




Eww vista isn't that like PC herpes


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## Sith1s (6 May 2009)

Call me old fashioned but I can't stand Vista.  I've had XP pro on my computer for years now without any issues and I don't see any reason to change to Vista when it uses more resources and turns Windows into a whiny kid.

ALERT! Are you sure you want to run this program?   Yes I'm sure  ALERT! Are you really sure?   

It's like a little kid questioning everything I'm doing and just frustrates me.


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## Trembling Hand (6 May 2009)

Sith1s said:


> Call me old fashioned but I can't stand Vista.  I've had XP pro on my computer for years now without any issues and I don't see any reason to change to Vista when it uses more resources and turns Windows into a whiny kid.
> 
> ALERT! Are you sure you want to run this program?   Yes I'm sure  ALERT! Are you really sure?
> 
> It's like a little kid questioning everything I'm doing and just frustrates me.




You just disable it.

I'm no fan of vista. But if you have a new computer fast computer it runs fine.

But windows 7 looks better in any case.


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## DB008 (6 May 2009)

I'm still using XP Pro and don't have any issues, so not going to change.


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## Trevor_S (6 May 2009)

Sith1s said:


> ALERT! Are you sure you want to run this program?   Yes I'm sure  ALERT! Are you really sure?
> 
> It's like a little kid questioning everything I'm doing and just frustrates me.




You had best never use any other operating system them.  Linux / OS-X / Unix etc all require "superuser" intervention.

now  -sudo aptget 

After using various operating systems for many decades, Vitsa x64 was the best incarnation of Windows I had seen.  W2000 before that.  Hell even poorly written video drives don't bring the OS down.

The UAC was a good thing, it sure does not get in my way... users finally got to see that sh_itty code written by others was doing to their OS.  If the UAC needs to be used on anything other than an install, blame the software vendor not MS, poorly written code is the reason why,  it's doing something it should not be.  I only have 1 program left that needs the UAC each time I run it, and I have been onto the vendor about it several times, they are in the process of rewritting it.

That being said, it could be turned off by numties that didn't know what it was there for.

Tat being said, why would anyone upgrade any OS if it was working fine for them.  Keep using whatever you're uing until it no longer meets yrou needs but to defend an antiqated OS like XP as better then Vista is simply a nonsense.  

Vista does have issues of bloat, but having a 1TB HDD and your OS take up a little more space is not a big issue (still an issue) and they screwed up upon initial release by not giving vendors enough time to release drivers, the OS itself is very good but we're well past that situation now.

I had hope Win 7 would be x64 only  never mind...


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## xyzedarteerf (6 May 2009)

Vista is actually all right when you have the right hardware, haven't had any issues with it apart from not running some games otherwise its pretty solid.
Windows 7 haven't had time play with it yet, not sure about the touchy feely interaction with my PC  the keyboard and mouse might get jealous


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## Awesomandy (6 May 2009)

Vista works pretty well on the newer and faster hardwares, and in those cases, I would generally use the x64 version, assuming it has a reasonably fast cpu and an abundance of ram. Otherwise, XP Pro 32 bit is usually the better bet. On newer and powerful laptops, I would use Vista though - the power management features are supposingly a little bit better. I have yet to try Windows 7 but may do that some time soon, although I'm not very keen on changing the OSs on any of my computers, since they have been working flawlessly for quite some time - they don't even crash anymore, unless I deliberately set out to do so.


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## Stormin_Norman (6 May 2009)

in running it, upgraded from ****va.

100% pleased. faster and nice.


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## Dukey (6 May 2009)

http://www.ubuntu.com/

...._. and that's all you need folks .._. 

forget about virus's... forever.


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## ivant (6 May 2009)

According to something i read recently, you will be able to play media files from your other computer over the internet, provided they both have windows 7 installed. that could create some serious vulnerabilities.. hopefully its a good product. i downgraded everything to xp, because i cant stand the extra 10+ seconds of bootup. thanks for the info TH


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## moXJO (6 May 2009)

Trembling Hand said:


> You just disable it.
> 
> I'm no fan of vista. But if you have a new computer fast computer it runs fine.
> 
> But windows 7 looks better in any case.




Might have to update my comp when getting windows 7. Five years sure travels fast. Had too much trouble with vista on another newer comp to ever try it again.


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## Stan 101 (6 May 2009)

Trembling Hand said:


> But now that I have installed it my antivirus will not work - and guess what its microsoft's anti virus !!




That's not a surprise as it is a release canidate. I think there is a link to currently supported anti virus software on the windows 7 web page.

I'm very happy with the speed and the virtual machine availabilty. As MS are working on Win8 already, I hope there is another step forward in killing off all the legacy code.

The media centre is now very stable, has a great EPG and uses minimal resource. The OS is a little hungry on resources on the whole compared to XP but it is chalk and cheese. The peering network is a great idea, also.

I agree with you Trevor S, the UAC was an excellent idea. It's funny to hear from people who complain about it's functionality. They are often the ones most concerned with viruses and other malious code. I can't recall the last time I lost productivity to virus or the like and my notebook and media pc don't run anti virus.

all the linux OS have their place and I suppose are a better option for people who just wish to surf the net and read email, especially when using Ubuntu distros and the like. Linux distros are still not up to the mark for a true workstation for the majority. Open Office lacks a great deal for the hard core Excel user, for example.

As for not getting viruses on a Linux distro, that's not true and the kmajor **** up in the recent distros downloads was testament to that. If Linux ever gains a serious market share, there will be a lot more issues to come.

Will be very happy to update to Win7 on it's release.


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## seasprite (26 January 2010)

Just loaded windows 7 over the weekend , so far so good . Was given a helpful tip . It involves creating a new folder on your Desk top and then renaming it to this GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C} . Windows 7 will do the rest , apparently this tip can work on Vista as well but I wouldn't have a clue.


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## Ato (26 January 2010)

Please be careful with doing this. My good friend did this on his Vista system two days ago, and it crashed his machine and sent it into an endless loop. He had to take it in to get it repaired.


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## seasprite (26 January 2010)

works well on windows 7 , thanks for that Ato


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## Garpal Gumnut (26 January 2010)

My older version of Metastock was a bit odd on Vista, so I still run xp now.

Any problems with older Metastock 9.1 on Windows 7, as I've seen 7 run and am impressed.

gg


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## noirua (26 January 2010)

Quite a lot of programs are not updated to run with windows 7 yet, and some hardware will not run properly without the manufacturers windows 7 update. If you have old hardware take care as it may be a long time before an updated program is available from the manufacturer.


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## Garpal Gumnut (26 January 2010)

noirua said:


> Quite a lot of programs are not updated to run with windows 7 yet, and some hardware will not run properly without the manufacturers windows 7 update. If you have old hardware take care as it may be a long time before an updated program is available from the manufacturer.




No worries, I'll try it on a mates Win 7 before buying as the 9.1 MS suits my needs.

Win 7 is good though, it will give the Macs a run for their money.

gg


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## Stan 101 (26 January 2010)

GG, in Windows 7, the option to run XP in a "virtual machine" or windowed environment is a breeze. It stops all legacy issues with programs.

Look here, mate.. http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/

You may need win 7 pro for this... Can't remember.


Win 7 is an excellent operating system.


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## gav (27 January 2010)

seasprite said:


> Just loaded windows 7 over the weekend , so far so good . Was given a helpful tip . It involves creating a new folder on your Desk top and then renaming it to this GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C} . Windows 7 will do the rest , apparently this tip can work on Vista as well but I wouldn't have a clue.




What does this do?


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## Timmy (27 January 2010)

Garpal Gumnut said:


> My older version of Metastock was a bit odd on Vista, so I still run xp now.
> 
> Any problems with older Metastock 9.1 on Windows 7, as I've seen 7 run and am impressed.
> 
> gg





GG, I have MStock 9.0 on W7 and it works with no issues.


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## Stan 101 (27 January 2010)

gav said:


> What does this do?





Gav, I'd imagine it would include a lot of shortcuts into the folder. The shortcuts are good for admin who need to get to applets like event viewers, user controls and the like. Most of this applets can be reached via the command line or by right clicking on my computer from the desktop and going to manage.

If you haven't needed to go there in the past, best not to worry about them. They can be unforgiving in certain areas of those places.

cheers,


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## gav (27 January 2010)

Thanks Stan.


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## seasprite (27 January 2010)

Stans onto it. It's a whole lot of shortcuts you use to maintain your computer and usually spend alot of time waisting trying to find them if you went through the likes of control panel etc. These are all bundled together for easy access. 
I just found the link again http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10423985-56.html , Not good for Vista 64bit though


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## dougy (27 January 2010)

Installed Windows 7 on two new PC's last month, and it is excellent, no software issues so far, although BullSystems recommended I upgrade to the latest version of Bullcharts to ensure no hassles.

Unfortunately I had to abandon my beloved MS Office 97 as Windows 7 apaprently won't run it, but I use OpenOffice now & it's just as good, and can also export documents in .pdf format.

The only problem I've had (with both new PC's) is that Windows 7 insists I have no microphone connected, which is a pain because there is one, so now I can't communicate properly using Skype.  Haven't found a solution yet, and various Windows 7 forums have reported the same sort of problem with Windows 7 not recognising sound cards properly.

dougy


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## Garpal Gumnut (27 January 2010)

Timmy said:


> GG, I have MStock 9.0 on W7 and it works with no issues.




Thanks Timmy,

Good to know. gg


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## Logique (27 January 2010)

Perfectly happy with WinXP, and I use it for many different applications. I have no intention of changing unless it becomes absolutely necessary. Not everyone has the latest whizz-bang hardware, or wishes to burn the amount of electricity needed to to power it. 

I expect XP to be around for a long time yet.  Having IE8, I didn't even have to worry about the recent Data Execution Prevention vulnerability scare on some earlier Windows OS. 

Let others debug Win7. Vista: too hungry - bypass.


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## tunrida (3 February 2010)

check out Dick Smith offering 3 user set of W7 upgrade for $237 - think they import from singapore or somewhere as Oz MS don't offer it. Creaming the Oz market first at $173/user


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## jackson8 (4 February 2010)

seasprite said:


> Just loaded windows 7 over the weekend , so far so good . Was given a helpful tip . It involves creating a new folder on your Desk top and then renaming it to this GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C} . Windows 7 will do the rest , apparently this tip can work on Vista as well but I wouldn't have a clue.




hi all
i would be very careful with this shortcut
i installed onto a vista 32 bit system with the result of windows explorer  crashing when i next rebooted. no end of reboots would restore windows explorer so had to revert to system restore to restore the system back to usability pre godmode


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## bigdog (28 July 2010)

My prior computer was loaded with Vista (hated it) and IE8.  By clicking links, IE8 would open a new tab and not a new window which was great.

I bought a new ACER 5740 I5 processor loaded with Windows 7 and IE8.

The problem I have is that by clicking links, IE8 opens a new window which I do not like.  

I can right click the link and select "Open in New Tab"; but this is two clicks!

Can someone please advise how I can configue Windows 7 and or IE8 to "Open a New Tab" in IE8 by clicking a link?


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## cutz (28 July 2010)

bigdog said:


> I can right click the link and select "Open in New Tab"; but this is two clicks!




Change settings in internet options>general>tabs settings.


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## Timmy (28 July 2010)

bigdog said:


> My prior computer was loaded with Vista (hated it) and IE8.  By clicking links, IE8 would open a new tab and not a new window which was great.
> 
> I bought a new ACER 5740 I5 processor loaded with Windows 7 and IE8.
> 
> ...




bigdog - I am a Firefox user and would recommend it (it does what you want very easily).

BUT, to do what you want in IE8 try this:
Press down on the Ctrl and the Shift keys , hold them down and then left-click the link.


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## Timmy (28 July 2010)

bigdog - another method is to use the middle button on your mouse when clicking on the link (don't have to hold down Ctrl/Shift at all).

If your mouse has a middle button, or a scroll wheel, use that to click on the link, should open the link in a new tab.

Make sure this box is ticked too:




Access it by going:
Tools > Internet Options > General > Tabs Settings


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## bigdog (28 July 2010)

Timmy and cutz

Fixed and many thanks for advising:-  

Tools > Internet Options > General > Tabs Settings


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## Gringotts Bank (17 July 2013)

Windows 8 is the most counter-intuitive crud I've ever seen.  They are trying to make a PC look and feel like an iPad.  Luckily there's a fix on the way in the form of 8.1.


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## So_Cynical (17 July 2013)

Gringotts Bank said:


> Windows 8 is the most counter-intuitive crud I've ever seen.  They are trying to make a PC look and feel like an iPad.  Luckily there's a fix on the way in the form of 8.1.




Yep agree totally, sticking with 7 because it works so well and isn't a touch screen OS pretending to be a PC OS.

Is 8.1 going to have a home button or something to change the GUI to W7 look and style?


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## Gringotts Bank (18 July 2013)

So_Cynical said:


> Yep agree totally, sticking with 7 because it works so well and isn't a touch screen OS pretending to be a PC OS.
> 
> Is 8.1 going to have a home button or something to change the GUI to W7 look and style?




Yes it will have the START button in the bottom left of screen.  But you can already get that by downlaoding the classic shell.


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## pixel (28 May 2014)

As Windows 7 is the most mature and stable member of the MS offering, it came as little surprise that the most widely-used OS, Windows XP, has been put to pasture and further maintenance and support withdrawn.

However, like many others, and in spite of alarmist claims that hackers and impersonators will now have a field day targeting XP installations, I'm still maintaining a Windows XP box as testbed and backup machine.
It is therefore with some relief that I noticed some additional activity from Microsoft on this front:

Further Security Updates have been provided to patch certain XP vulnerabilities.
IE8 has been sent to replace the leaking earlier versions of Internet Explorer.
While Internet Explorer has never worried me - I use the much safer and better supported Firefox - I am happy that MS took their responsibility somewhat more serious. The effort necessary to replace XP boxes, which have rarely more than 2 GB of RAM rendering them unfit for Win7 and 8, could rival the Year-2000 YTK hysteria. And similar to that hype, I firmly believe that a modicum of common sense in dealing with Internet communication will keep XP users secure and satisfied for many years to come.

On a slightly different note: I have come across an issue, where a friendly Helpdesk member did "something" to a neighbour's system, which activated the need for her to login as Administrator. As she never established another user on her (second-hand) PC, "Administrator" was the only and invisible entity. That meant she could no longer use her PC at all because she had no knowledge of any Windows password.

In order to avoid a hazard like that, I have immediately added a new user to all my Windows PCs. This new user, named "Master" or something similar, has Administrator privileges and can login to repair if anything goes wrong with the original.

That didn't help my neighbour though. There, I had to resort to a hacking tool - google "ophcrack" and download the XP Live CD boot tool, if you ever need to crack a password. That found the unknown Administrator password within 5 minutes, saving her $$hundreds. A local "PC Fixer" had stated her only option was a new PC with Windows 8, which he was happy to sell her, plus a small fee to recover any data from her soon-to-be-scrapped old disk drive.

A rather happy outcome for a struggling age-pensioner


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## So_Cynical (28 May 2014)

A windows 7 machine with 7 installed can be had for less than 500 bucks new...affordable even for pensioners i would think.


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## Julia (28 May 2014)

Pixel, amongst all the hysteria generated by MS saying they were 'withdrawing support for XP', (which I'm using, having had it put on to a new computer about a year ago), I asked my tech bloke about it.  He said "when have you ever had to ask MS for support about anything?"  Well, never.

The sky did not fall in at the appointed date, good virus and malware protection seems to ensure all is running smoothly, and amusingly, updates continue to arrive from MS.

In the meantime, however, I expect a lot of new computers were sold.


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## Logique (3 June 2014)

MS sent a constant stream of updates and security patches for XP, and for MS Office.

I read the tea leaves, and decided it was time to move on to Win7 OS. 

It's not just about security, but having the hardware/software needed to run various applications, now and in future. 

That said, WinXP and Office 2003 were mighty programs in their day. But I can't afford to take the risk with them, now that they're not supported.


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## Julia (3 June 2014)

I'm using XP and continue to receive updates.
Also, when I ran all the warnings by the tech person I use his question was "when did you last contact MS for any support?",
Um, never.  
His view, and so far he's correct, is that - as long as you have good virus and malware protection - there's no reason XP should not continue to function for some time into the future.


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## Logique (3 June 2014)

Be careful there Julia, there has been a small number of later version OS updates, but not the XP or Office 2003 specific ones.


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## ChrisJH (3 June 2014)

I have an old netbook, running XP, and I barely use it anymore as it was having a hard time running. When the message popped up the other day about no more updates for XP, I figured I may as well see how Windows 8 runs on it.

I installed Windows 8, and even on this 6-odd year old netbook, Windows 8 runs a lot better than Windows XP. Also, there is a great program called Start8 which you can install, and will make Windows 8 work exactly like Windows XP/7. 

Thoroughly recommend it!


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## sydboy007 (3 June 2014)

ChrisJH said:


> I have an old netbook, running XP, and I barely use it anymore as it was having a hard time running. When the message popped up the other day about no more updates for XP, I figured I may as well see how Windows 8 runs on it.
> 
> I installed Windows 8, and even on this 6-odd year old netbook, Windows 8 runs a lot better than Windows XP. Also, there is a great program called Start8 which you can install, and will make Windows 8 work exactly like Windows XP/7.
> 
> Thoroughly recommend it!




MS did a good job of the under teh hood stuff with windows 8.  They designed it around 2GB or memory rather than their usual tactic of requiring more and more resources.

Not having used it I'm not too sure if the complaints about the UI are warranted or not.  I know a lot of people complain about office 2010 and 2013, but once you get over the learning curve I do fine their new UIs to be rather efficient.

Word of advise.  Set up your day to day account as a standard user.  This way if you do get a virus, or some infected web page trying to do a blind install of malware, it wont have the user privileges available.  It's a very effective defence against these kinds of attacks.  There's 0 click web site malware out there.


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