I know a lot of people went to great lengths to avoid the Windows 10 upgrades that Microsoft forced out

i know a lot as well - none of whom could advance a sensible reason.

Myself I jumped from XP Pro to Win 8 Pro when introduced skipping 7 altogether. Around that period of time I also started on 10 with Insiders.

Hello-

Windows 7 was, by far, my best experience with the Windows OS family. I still have two computers running it, and I'll certainly switch them to Linux, because, in all events, Windows 10's diagnostic tool, says the hardware is not supported...

Ah! Yes I had forgotten the hardware issue.

HOWEVER

It is inevitable that hardware is going to make many PC's Laptops obsolete eventually anyway.

If hardware requirements are an impediment there are plenty of Linux distros that will run on older, under-powered machines. You can really breathe new life into some machines.

Recently I took an old 32-bit, Celeron processor, with 1GB RAM, netbook, threw antiX on it, and was amazed that I could once again use that machine. I had given up on it being able to handle Windows, which came with it. However I wouldn't use something like that for my daily driver.

The real question here is how obsolete are those 32 bits machines, and how many software builders are now just selling 64 bits versions.
While it can be funny to keep your XP machine with Civilization II or an old accounting program, the facts are going in the opposite direction and more and more programs, drivers and even OS are just delivered in the 64 bits version.

By the way, in my house/gaming/music computer, I resisted leaving windows xp until I saw a real benefit in Windows 7, and I just changed to Windows 10 when I saw it was not a new version of the Windows 8 fiasco.
For the job I've only been using Linux Mint for seven years now, so I don't have these problems.

It really depends on what you're trying to do.
A member of my family is resisting and hanging onto Win 7. I doubt they will change that view, and I worry that their system will eventually fail through some software issue, or a hardware failure.
For a long time now i've given up providing help and support, which is going to become another issue for many.

Not everyone can get along with Linux, for differing reasons.

Linux always has and always will suck for a UX experience (unless you are talking apples version of ios). It is so not ready for joe consumer.

I went win10 on all the machines that it would install on. I have two that it simply wouldn't install on (error out with unresolved issues). So, sticking with win 7 on those until they die.

I still have quite a few boxes here running XP too.

The EOL is expected, but a burning need to upgrade is not quite there. Will take take and evaluate what should happen on each of the machines ... some may stay as they are until they die.

Not ready.

Plan is to keep my trusty Win7 boxes going, just offline, and buy a couple of Win 10 for online stuff.

I'll just move stuff to upload from 7 to 10 online via sd card or?

Just not ready to give up my 1923 software yet :)

Beware of updates. Just recently I downloaded Windows Updates and they trashed my PC. Couldn't undo or anything. In the end I had to revert to a previous backup and lost 8 months of records and new work.

Just not ready to give up my 1923 software yet :)

In my electronics/radio/amateur radio world we consider 1923 vintage to be extremely valuable. Valuable enough to fight over it.

Be satisfied with what you have...

In the end I had to revert to a previous backup and lost 8 months of records and new work.

As a similar consequence from a great many years back I follow these rules.

1. All programs - wherever possible - reside on another physical drive rather than drive C;\
2. Included in my regular backups are the critical files from the "C:\Users" folder. That folder can be pretty big, most of it is rubbish even after clean ups. In my case I backup:

C:\Users\IanCP\... [following folders]

... AppData [see below]
... Desktop
... Downloads
... Favourites
Files
... bookmark.html
... cookies.txt

AppData Folder - I only backup subfolders I know are important to me, and include critical settings, data etc. Stuff like

Google [Chrome]
Mailwasher Pro
Microsoft
Mozilla [Firefox]
Opera Software
Q-Dir
Thunderbird

I also backup some of the Löcal and Local Low folders.

Also backed up is drive C:\ProgramData and I have a utility which backs up Firefox and Thunderbird profiles. That way I keep some email from years back. I wish I had it back 20+ years ago.

That's not exhaustive by any means.

All of which are run by olden day Dos routines on the taskbar such as "ShutDown.cmd" which takes you to:

RobocopyBackup.cmd - that is the master command file.

Robocopy is quite useful and when working without hindrance it also backs up Drive D, and Drive E which contain masses of data, files I've accumulated over a long, long time. It only adds new stuff to the back up

The last thing it does is execute

C:\shutdown /s

Examples from the file:

REM === Backup command W:\Robocopy\RobocopyBackup.cmd

REM ===== Backup files =====
robocopy "C:\Program Files" G:\C-ProgramFiles\ /MIR /r:1 /w:1 /log:"W:\Robocopy\robocopy[PF].log"

set dest=G:\C-ProgramFiles-x86

REM ===== Backup files =====

robocopy "C:\Program Files (x86)" G:\C-ProgramFiles-x86 /MIR /r:1 /w:1 /log:"W:\Robocopy\robocopy[PF86a].log"

set dest=G:\C-UserFiles\Mozilla

As we always used to say?

Your mileage might vary.

PS: As I have long promised - one day I will set up a portable Windows OS only on a USB stick, all else on hard drives. Some portable in case of bush fire here.

I just look at things as it is still works don't fix it unless there is a compelling reason ... and it has to be really compelling. :)

It is inevitable that hardware is going to make many PC's Laptops obsolete eventually anyway.

Windows 10 is a DOG --- For the most of it, the OS is mostly all bark and no byte.
Clients with older machines of the DDR2 variety have found it rather refreshing that with regard to their graphics and/or wireless cards, simply removing them in order to install the ominous 10 OS does the trick -- We just re-install the hardware when we're done and 10 collects the necessary drivers for it all upon the first update after the install.

The only thing that the 10 OS might have a bone to pick (pun intended) with is the processor -- 32bit is in fact obsolete ... Even most Linux distros aren't writing for it any more -- Nearly anything up to 12 years old that even remotely resembles 64bit DDR2 and above, from 1.5 GHz on, single, double, quad core (laptop or PC) will work with Windows 10. I just happen to have an old HP Workstation (2009) off in the corner here that throws Windows 10 around like an old rag doll -- Handles the nVidia graphics cards and the old PCI (56 mbps) wireless cards like they are the bees knees.

Same works for software -- Had an upgrade to do on an HP last year and the lady had her printer installed. Windows 10 uninstalled it of course during the upgrade ... Took the disk in order to re-install it and got a big NOPE from 10 -- Seems 10 only wants to do Apps these days. Long story short, I took 10 totally out of the mix by going directly to HP and let it's utility install her printer ... Dell and others all have their own direct utility versions that will bypass 10 in order to install their versions of whatever software they've written for their hardware/firmware, from flashing your BIOS to installing simple things like graphics and printer drivers outside of Windows.

Microsoft has less control over the software/hardware/firmware than it would like to have you imagine. At the end of the day, it's the software/hardware manufacturers that have the final say in the matter. I've got clients that have Microsoft Office 2013 installed because they aren't even a little bit interested in this whole farce we've all come to know as SaaS 365 for example.

If some of you are still on the fence with regard to Windows 10, then you might just want to give it a good go with Linux -- Unlike Windows, Linux writes to, and has written to, nearly any piece of hardware you can throw at it out of the box for years. It's tremendously lighter and much more intuitive than Windows is ... always has been.

And ... for those of you who might find yourself in somewhat of a quandary as to just what might best suit you going forward, I might also suggest Android if you've got a touch screen laptop. Android installs for me lately on the touch screen laptops has been increasing. The oldest machine install to date of the Android OS has been on a Toshiba Radius (5 years old).

You could of course, join the Mac club and pay 10x more for an OS that only does half the job of some of these others and be fine with that.

Either/or ... It's good to have these kinds of discussions, especially when we find some of these operating systems writers vying for your business.

I would be surprised if anyone here with Win 7 is using it for any critical application that requires high levels of security, but, it was interesting to hear about Microsoft and its partners developing "Secured-core PCs" to help combat firmware-level attacks.

Older devices will be subject to the increasing numbers of these attacks aimed at the firmware level.
[webmasterworld.com...]

Included in my regular backups are the critical files from the "C:\Users" folder.

I almost never use that folder. Always create saves to one folder that I then copy across to a backup drive. But in this case I did get caught. Having a mirrored raid has saved me many times, but never expected a Windows Update to do so much irreversible damage.

So ... MY main office machine is still a blazingly fast Vista, I knew how to set it up and it has been fantastic.

My main design machine was Win 7 and I refused to upgrade it because when I tried to, $hit happend and I had to roll it back but:

Windows 10's diagnostic tool, says the hardware is not supported...

3-4 months ago I decided to try the 10 upgrade again and everything went perfectly, everything I had was NOW supported. Honestly I was shocked.

Since then I have upgraded ALL our Win 7 machines to Win 10 without any techie issues whatsoever however I do occasionally get whinging from users about "updates" etc but overall everything seems to be running fine. The whinging seems to be from the aspect of auto updating rather than US not doing it ... maybe a bit of "no free extra time whilst they're updating my machine"? I have no idea other than to say that ALL those machines are running perfectly.

Am I /we concerned about EOL?

Quite simply, no, we're not idiots!

I might also suggest Android

No disrespect but anyone who uses or suggests a Google product gets no Xmas presents from me:-)

anyone who uses or suggests a Google product gets no Xmas presents from me:-)

LOL ... It is what it is ... I have clients that think Android is the bees knees ... Since I refurbish various makes and models of PC's and Laptops, I'll put on whatever OS they think they want or need .. At the end of the day it's just a money thing really because I'm probably one of the biggest Linux fan boys their is :)

^^^ Chuckles ... or they are not reading the news which suggest g is out to take over the world ... one browser/operating system at a time!

Win 7 will continue to run. Should it face the web? Probably not. Sequester it and it will work as long as the machine it is installed upon will work.

Win 10 is, of course, the next step ... but is also the "last" step toward SaaS and when folks finally realize that (if they ever do) the outcry will be a whimper.

Those who truly value their autonomy will do the Linux thing ... and I am about THAT close to doing that myself for ALL of my machines. I have a number of legacy programs that do EVERYTHING I NEED that I am reluctant to part with ... again, wholly owned, no third parties involved, etc.

Joe and Sue User of the Masses, however, have no knowledge, or DESIRE to know these things and there in lies the successful take over of the WORLD by Silicone Valley (or their peers).

All of this is intended to correct the "mistake" IBM made with the creation of the "PC" back in the 1980s. Breaking the link between mainframes and terminals and BILLABLE HOURS.

As Win10 and Android take hold expect your GRAPHICS hardware to get better, but your STORAGE and PROGRAMS to get dumber or non-existent.

Though I suspect that HARDWARE makers will do all they can to keep THAT model alive as long as possible ... after all they have a stake in the market, too!

Just some thoughts...

.

I'm reminded of of some XP machines still chugging along nicely at a Rescue Organisation where I was a volunteer. People have asked why aren't they updated.

The answer is why? Neither connect to the internet. One machine contained the whole lengthy membership list of a nearby boat club. We could look up people by member number, surname, boat registration number, car registration number, boat trailer number....

Even by boat motor - nobody ever knew why you would need to do that though - then again with a data base...

Win 7 will continue to run.

I have Win XP and Vista running in our office... with HTML5 video support. They will always be there for testing apps and sites, no problem.

@Kendo ... folks like you and me and the others above, are the reason MS is moving to SaaS as soon as possible! We buy once and run it to the end of time (usually the hardware and we can't find new hardware to also run it).

:)

Why? 100m copies at 99 ONCE v 100m users at (made up number) 9.99/month FOREVER*

_{*numbers are one time sale of $990m v $1,198.8m year after year. No brainer. (Add in the additional revenue for charging for cloud storage services, too.)}

When XP went EOL I expected a massive uptake of Linux. That never really materialized. The predictions that "this is the year of the Linux desktop!" came and went. The people still on older hardware are happy to stick with what they have and aren't about to go anywhere. Many probably don't know about, or care about, the MS product life-cycle.

I wonder if this time will be different. Win10 has more hardware requirements that won't allow people to update even if they wanted to.

MS is moving to SaaS

Yes, they did that with Office. That might work with the little people who use Facebook instead of playing Solitaire as they used to do. But what about purchasing a real copy that can be installed on a server and run as a service? I needed Word installed on a Windows server to convert Word docs to other file formats and had some trouble getting what I wanted. That was a few years ago and maybe now impossible.

Anyway, dunno what the fuss is because it wasn't long ago that I read that MS was not worried about Windows OS sales because they were making heaps elsewhere and that is where there focus is. But don't ask me where that is cos my memory has run out of ram.

This week I found an old Win 7 laptop in the storage area. I tried firing it up but no go.

That's the end of my Win 7 experience.

Many probably don't know about, or care about, the MS product life-cycle.

People may not care now, but in 2023 they might. Enterprise is already SaaS and after Windows 8.1 is finished, the private home PC user will start having to decide if they want to pay the monthly fees going forward, or choose a real OS like Linux, Mac, or Android.

When XP went EOL I expected a massive uptake of Linux.

The major update to Linux will most likely happen when Windows 8.1 goes EOL ... There are really only just 3 or 4 Linux builds out there that will be able to foot the bill with regard to replacement for the Microsoft OS and when the time does come for mass adoption, these will be primed fully to take over the respective PC markets.

MS is moving to SaaS

Is that really a problem? If it makes it work better, then fine.

I would have thought the biggest problem MS faces is from Chromebooks.
Also, one day, Google will shift to SaaS.

The real opportunity would be for Linux improving the UI for the vast majority of users, who'd then have an alternative to Apple UI.

The real opportunity would be for Linux improving the UI for the vast majority of users

As far as UI's are concerned, Windows 10 being released looking a whole lot like Linux Mint might not be an accident -- Microsoft has been known for it's rather user friendly UI's for years .... why do you suppose they suddenly decided to emulate Linux in that regard? Could it be that the simplicity of that particular Linux distro struck a nerve? Maybe ... maybe not ... who knows? Microsoft is well known for ... cough ... borrowing ... cough ... cough .. systems elements and design from others over the years, I'll cite IBM and Apple in this regard.

UI's aren't really the problem ... going after 3rd party peripheral builds for existing hardware on a Microsoft build is, however.

As long as Microsoft expects it's end users to go after peripherals in the wild, it will always be an inferior system .. Mac and Linux have rather closed and extensive repositories with peripherals that have been thoroughly vetted.

Microsoft has done more to advance malware over the past 10 years than both Linux and Mac combined over the past 20.

How many times has the Windows user had to try and find sound drivers, for instance, for an onboard system that just updated to a newer version build? And with that, how many instances have ended with bundled and unwanted software as a result?

Most people have no idea who made the hardware, because as far as they're concerned, it's all Microsoft .... so anything that has Microsoft written into the description should work.

As far as Saas and Microsoft systems working better together? One might make note of the fact that as long as the Microsoft OS contains elements of Windows 2K and XP, with all of the related deprecated writes and work-arounds that they contain, the entire system will remain the same as it is today.

Microsoft systems will continue to be better and more robust as long as there are those out there that believe it - I used Windows for years, but I got tired of the bugs, slow performance, and continuous patches -- You shouldn't have to reboot a system every time an update rolls around -- Updating should be done on the fly ... light and easy ... without bogging the system down during a heavy workload.

Hassle free computing should be the order of the day -- It's hoped that one day Microsoft will figure this out.

A rule of thumb with regard to just how well Linux might be doing? Just take a look at Windows ...
The only cavet being that you've got to know both systems well enough in order to see who might ahead of who, or who might be copying who -- currently, Microsoft in on the short end of the stick