How to Keep Win 7 on your PC

Computer Care: Tips to keep Windows 7 on your PC

By Arthur Glazer

glazer.tech@gmail.com
POSTED: May 18, 2013 1:00 a.m.

Windows 8 is great, if you are used to it or if you have a touch-screen laptop or tablet. But more and more of my clients are complaining that they just got a new PC with Win 8 installed — and they hate it. What they really want is that new computer loaded with their old operating system, Windows 7.

What to do? Well, there are options.

Windows 7 machines are still available, contrary to what commissioned sales people may advise you. They are just hard to find and are mostly online.

Alternatively, you could downgrade your Win 8 system to Win 7, but it’s not as straightforward as it used to be to accomplish this task.

There is also the option of using a Win 7 install CD to set up a dual-boot configuration on your Win 8 system.

The simplest solution short of getting used to the new OS is to adjust the settings on your Win 8 system to make it look and behave more like Win 7. Click on the tile labeled “Desktop” on the primary screen of the Windows 8 system to accomplish this. You’ll then have a more recognizable graphical user interface.

There are also Start button apps that can be downloaded (many for free) online.

But let’s start at the beginning. Microsoft says it will support Windows 7 until January 2015, that retailers may sell PCs with the older system until October 2014 and sell boxed versions of the operating system until October 2013.

The problem is finding them. You may have better luck on sites such as overstock.com that sells last year’s technology, some new, some refurbished. Online retailers may also be your best bet for finding copies of Windows 7 when the brick-and-mortar stores advise you that it’s no longer available.

Websites that sell to businesses may have more older systems, even going back to XP computers. 

Dell.com for example has a section for home users and one for business use. You are more likely to find a Win 7 PC on the business side of their site.

The problem with downgrading from Windows 8 to 7 is a hardware issue. Windows 8 computers are designed differently from their predecessors, especially the hard drives. They are configured and partitioned to accommodate the newer, higher tech version of the operating system.

Without getting too technical, the new systems are designed with a new Unified Extensible Firmware Interface. They have secure boot along with fast startup features. The drives are partitioned differently from how they used to be to thwart off malware in the boot sector.

Although all you may see under your Computer icon is your C drive, the other partitions are there, just hidden. This is what makes downgrading to Win 7 difficult. Not impossible, but difficult.

If you have 64-bit version of Windows 7 Pro, it does support the new partitioning. Just choose the advanced setup and make sure you’ve backed up all your documents. The new installation will format your hard drive, wiping the contents of it. You will lose everything.

You may encounter some difficulty activating the new installation and have to phone Microsoft instead of the usual online activation. The number will be provided, should you need it. What you are doing is legal and free, if you already have the CD.

Better option yet, if you have a full copy of the Win 7 install CD (any version), is to set up a dual-boot so both operating systems are there. Win 8 remains intact, but you may choose to ignore it and go right into Windows 7.

The worse part of this is that it will void your warranty if you are making these adjustments on a new computer. It’s your call, but it may be worth it.

Google, “How to dual-boot a Windows 8 system with Windows 7.” It’s not too difficult. Just be sure to find a site with instructions you can understand clearly and follow them exactly.

Whichever option you choose, I think you’ll agree with my clients. Windows 7 is the way to go.

Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly on the Business page and on gainesvilletimes.com.

Operating System Alternatives

Computer Care: Windows still rules, but there are other alternatives

By Arthur Glazerglazer.tech@gmail.com
POSTED: March 22, 2013 10:43 p.m.

I have been a fan of the Windows operating system since its inception. With Windows XP back near the turn of this century, things started getting better. Wireless and USB support were introduced and many enhancements were added with that edition. Improvements were made to the computer hardware, the operating system and software; it all began to run faster than ever before.

Windows, in one incarnation or another, has been on my computers since the ’80s (Win 3.1) at the time when I had DOS installed on it. Things have gotten progressively better with each release, with the exceptions of the Millennium Edition, or Win ME, as it was infamously known, and, of course, the much-maligned Vista.

Those two versions were an annoyance to consumers and must have been an huge embarrassment to Microsoft. Still, they created superior versions after each one of those fiascos.

I’ve had clients who hated Vista so much they downgraded back to XP. If you have the CD, you can legally put it on any one machine of your choice.

Windows XP Pro has caused me only a few problems over the years and I still have it on my desktop computer. Win 7 Ultimate is on my laptop and is a strong OS, although every now and then I think I’m using Win ME again.

Once in a while, I can’t initiate a system restore or find that the computer has an inability to rename a file or folder. Even with updates turned off, I find myself waiting at a reboot while my system configures updates. My 64-bit laptop has 6 GB of RAM installed and still, the mouse will freeze on occasion. I work on these machines for living and even I get stumped at times.

What to do? Usually things happen for a reason; sometimes though, they are unexplainable. The first thing to do is reboot. Oddly enough, that little fix does a lot of good for an operating system. It refreshes the memory and repairs little issues within the system. It takes only a couple of minutes, so try a reboot first.

Should that prove ineffective, do some scanning. Let your antivirus and malware utilities both run full scans of your C drive. All it takes is a virus or Trojan horse to make a computer run a little crazy.

Scan results may reveal unspecific intruders, often listed as PUPs, or Potentially Unwanted Programs. They should always be terminated and removed. If your utility wants to remove something and asks you for permission, always allow it.

After that, run Windows Check Disk. All of these scans may be time-intensive, so don’t be in a hurry. All totaled, they can take hours, sometimes many hours to complete.

A last-case scenario in times of large issues is to reinstall Windows. This alternative will not fix the problems on your computer; instead it will erase them and put a fresh copy of your operating system on the hard drive.

There are other alternatives. You could try another version of Windows. If you have XP, try upgrading to Windows 7; if you have Win 7, try Win 8. Should you not want to give up one for the other, consider a dual boot or a dual config. This option lets you choose which version of Windows to boot the computer to, without deleting the other.

Google this option for instructions. I could explain it, but it would be a column in itself. It’s really not that difficult to accomplish.

Windows 8 was clearly designed for a tablet or other computer with a touch-screen interface. If you already have Win 8 and are dismayed at the lack of the familiar start button, there is help.

There are legal hacks to make the interface more familiar, but why should we have to tweak a new system? It would have been better with options. But if you do want that start button back, there are apps out there to download, most free. One may be found at www.startbutton8.com.

You could also try a different operating system altogether.

Linux is a viable alternative. Ubuntu is a version, or distro, as it is called, of Linux that has been popular for years. Not only is it a good, solid operating system, it’s not any harder to learn than Windows, and it’s free. This open-source Windows replacement also comes with various free utilities and applications, with more available to download. Find it at www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop.

Chromebook is yet another choice. Google released it a few years ago as an alternative to Windows. It’s lighter and cheaper than most laptops. With Chromebook, the operating system is Chrome OS and everything, including your data, is in the cloud. Security is built in and updates are automatic. Made for online computing, they start at $249.

OK, then there’s the Mac. There, I said it. But why buy an expensive Apple device when you already probably own at least one or two Windows CDs? Plus, Chromebook is inexpensive — and Linux is free.

Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly on the Business page and on gainesvilletimes.com.

Test Drive Windows 8

Computer Care: Taking Windows 8 for a test drive By Arthur Glazerglazer.tech@gmail.com UPDATED: September 8, 2012 1:00 a.m. It’s that time again; time to roll down your windows and roll up your sleeves. There’s a new operating system in town and it’s waiting for you to give it a test drive. Windows 8 is here and Microsoft is letting you take it for a spin for a few months. It will be for sale in late October, but you will have until the end of the year to try it for free. Before we kick the tires, pop the hood and discuss its merits, I first offer you two ways to install it to your computer without giving up the installation that you are currently using. Windows 8 Release Preview is available for download here. You will need to burn the file to a disc and then install it in either of two ways. You can set up a dual configuration so you have a choice of which version of Windows to boot into or you can create what is known as a virtual environment. I chose the latter and it was relatively easy. Whichever method you choose, you will need the key provided, so make a copy of that number. I found dozens of sites that walk you through setting up a dual boot configuration. Just Google “dual boot Windows 8” and choose one that is easy for you to understand. With a virtual environment, you will create Windows within Windows and it will be temporary. When you shut it down, you will return to business as usual with your existing version of Windows. For my test drive, I used Virtual Player. Go here where the process is explained thoroughly. Scroll to the bottom of that page for a link to the download and follow the instructions there. If you choose all the default options when offered any during the installation, the process should go very smoothly. There are no decisions to make other than the initial choice of 32- or 64-bit. I spent a half hour installing Virtual Player and another full hour getting Win 8 up and running. After running it through its paces and exploring the new features, I rebooted my system and it was gone. It could easily be called up again in a new virtual environment, should the desire to explore be ongoing. Win 8 doesn’t require a super processor with multiple cores or more RAM than most of us have on our computers today. It should install fine on any system that is no older than about five years. Speaking of new features, this new incarnation of an old operating system has many changes. To begin, its boot time has been drastically slashed and for the time in decades, there is no start button. It has been replaced with what Microsoft calls its Metro Screen. This new start feature incorporates various interactive tiles that will allow you to navigate your system more efficiently, so they claim. It looks like it will take some getting used to and may have a higher learning curve. These tiles allow quick views of incoming email, notify you of audio files being played and offer access to newly installed apps as well as websites you’ve visited. It seems there is the possibility of crowding there, although hopefully there is a way to tame the process. Personally, I liked the old start button. To gain access to anything you can also simply type the app or file in a search box. Like the way the Control Panel now operates, it will yield a list of anything similar to what you are looking for. A ribbon like the one we use in Office will now be incorporated into Windows Explorer, making it easier to complete repetitive tasks. Since this version of Windows is aimed at touch screen/tablet users, there are many features for that crowd. It can however, be used by anyone with a mouse and keyboard. It has a choice of virtual keyboards and offers handwriting recognition for those who use a scribe to compute. Microsoft’s Sky Drive is incorporated in Win 8. It is a virtual storage option. Rather than connect an external storage drive to your computer, you can upload your files to a secure place in Microsoft’s cloud for storage. A store not unlike what your smartphone has, will also be in the new Windows. It will be easier to get apps for your computer, but the offerings will be from the gang in Redmond only. A free antivirus is included in Win 8, but it will be as effective as any free utility. Its scope will be limited. You will be able to click on photos instead of typing a password — why, I’m not sure. I’m also not sure I will like Windows 8 and the confines of this column don’t allow for me to elaborate. I subscribe to the old saying that if it’s not broken, don’t fix it. I like Win 7 just fine and I don’t have a touch screen anyway. But it was a nice drive checking it out. Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly on the Business page and on gainesvilletimes.com.

A Windows Chronology

Computer Care: Looking back through Windows, and what lies ahead

	By Arthur Glazerglazer.tech@gmail.com

POSTED: February 17, 2012 11:59 p.m.

	It seems like I just recently upgraded my computer's operating system. Windows 7 came out in October of 2009, yet here we are with Microsoft announcing the release of its successor already, slated for the fourth quarter of this year. That's about the same amount of time between the releases of Windows 95 and 98 and of 98 and XP. So I guess we are due. Although XP is over a decade old, I along with millions of users still have it installed on a computer. As of eight months ago, 75 percent of businesses in the U.S. still used XP on their computers. With 450 million boxes of Windows 7 sold, it only recently exceeded overall use over XP. In January, XP was reported to still have a worldwide market share of almost 50 percent. I have XP Pro on my desktop and Win 7 on my laptop and am quite content with both installations. It's doubtful that I will jump on the Windows 8 bandwagon this winter. Back in the early '90s, home computing really took off. Windows came out a decade before, but until version 3.0 or really 3.1, did it go mainstream. It was the first graphical user interface or GUI (pronounced "gooey") for the PC. Simultaneously, Apple had the MacIntosh. Almost each new version of Windows brought novel innovations to the table. Windows 95 had Plug and Play, integrated Internet and showed us the Start Menu and Task Bar. Win 98 introduced us to the Universal Serial Bus, better known as USB. The Millennium Edition had but one use for me: I used the installation CD for a coaster. Aside from my beverage, all else on it was junk. I think Microsoft must have agreed, as it was gone as quickly as it appeared. XP had a refined GUI, an easy to use Network Wizard, Media Player and Movie Maker. It was the first Windows to have wireless networking support. The much-maligned Vista was next. They should have put a fork in it; it wasn't ready. Although high on security, it is slow on speed and is a clunky, overburdened operating system that manages memory poorly. Personally, I'd rather use XP. Its successor, Windows 7 is everything Vista tried to be and wasn't. It was like going from black and white to color; from four cylinders to eight. It is smart, secure and stable; it is quick, easy to control and has cloud capabilities. I enjoy Win 7 so much that I see no need to upgrade to 8 when it comes out. I'll wait until I get my next computer, which will have it pre-installed. Windows 8, or Metro, as they are calling it, will still function with a mouse and keyboard, but will also offer support for tablets and other touch screens. It will supposedly be offered in various incarnations, depending upon the way you will be using it, touch or otherwise. Picture your smartphone on steroids, 10 times the size for your next personal computer. But they don't stop there. Touch screens are used from 4-inch smartphones to 60-inch classroom/boardroom presentation screens. You may have already seen these large displays on network news shows. Aside for the business and home computer market, I believe we will see Microsoft give Android and Apple and run for the smart phone market with Windows 8 as well. Currently, cell phone use is dominated by Android, which is a Linux-based operating system for mobile devices or iOS if you have an iPhone. Windows has a small share as does Blackberry, and a few others. Almost 500 million smart phones were sold in 2011, so the market is rapidly growing with Microsoft and Android battling for placement in it. Android and Linux are forces to be recognized. You may not see Linux-based PCs when you go shopping, but they are around. The Department of Defense and the U.S. Navy, as well as many municipalities, schools and businesses use it. I tried Windows on my phone, but like Droid better. On my PC I prefer Windows over Linux. The new version of Windows is supposed to have enhancements other than those for touch screens. It should run more efficiently, using less memory. It will have a new user interface. The start menu will be gone, to be replaced with a tile-based grid of images including your applications and photos. To log on, you will click a series of points on an image, not unlike some smart phone logons we use already. Much of what we will need will be a la carte via a Microsoft website, Window Live, rather than clog the operating system with things that we may or may not use. Windows Live currently has a half billion accesses monthly. It sounds like Windows 8 has gone through a major overhaul, but until I find myself showing up at clients' homes with my touch screen tablet computer, I'll think I'll stay with Windows 7. Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly on the Business page and on gainesvilletimes.com.