Should i upgrade for the future?

Jhcx

With all the advances in technology my current set up is fast becoming outdated.

My first purchased laptop was a Vindows Vista and i didnt have that too long before upgrading it to 7. Now i Love 7. People go on about how XP was King and its golden well 7 is my XP. I love it is Simple, its easy, its modern and its the core of my technological environment. It works for my generation of what i need and want. Im old school and prefer the desktop over portable devices. its the core of what i work around. Everything is run through it.

But a day is going to come either in 2015 or 2020 sometime around then when 7 is gonna look like Windows 1.0 and yes i'd upgrade my laptop to 8 or buy a new one with 8 but i haven't yet embraced it. I dont like it. Its like Vista in my eyes. Too young and stupid pushing to be something its not. Its all touch. Yes i like the idea of touch screen but then the pc is being lost. Thats what i love about the Desktop so stationary and 'solid' its what it started out as. But can i last living off of Windows 7 while i let everything else upgrade around it? I have my android for touch screen, i have my iOS i have my laptop for portability why turn my core into the structure of a portable device that cant move or is limited to what it was designed to do.

Im sure there are many of you here still classic XP users and very content with the system it does what you want from running ancient applications to viewing files, and you'll understand when i say i cant jump.

But should i be upgrading and building my new technological core around this new standard of computer. 8 just looks so complicated with that tile screen i dont want to be looking at that but i guess Microsoft are never going to go back to the task bar alone. what comes after windows 9?

invaderzimirl

well the bigger question is will win 8 go fully mainstream or will it be win 9 like xp to 7 was for most users,

also dont limit yourself to windows look into any of the Linux variants

RikuoAmero

What exactly do you do on your laptop? If all you do is basic usage (web browsing, email, maybe a bit of word processing), basically stuff that doesn't need the latest and greatest in hardware, then you're fine.
If however, you're a power gamer/video editor/photo editor/animator, then yes, you do need to look into upgrading to faster hardware.

Jhcx

RikuoAmero wrote: »

What exactly do you do on your laptop? If all you do is basic usage (web browsing, email, maybe a bit of word processing), basically stuff that doesn't need the latest and greatest in hardware, then you're fine.
If however, you're a power gamer/video editor/photo editor/animator, then yes, you do need to look into upgrading to faster hardware.

Its not the hardware its the software. The laptop is is a secondary device. But is put under demand at times. Its the Desktop thats the issue. thats where its a gamin computer, a document creator, a photo editor, video creator, music hub and a semi server. Im saying if i can let everything upgrade around it trade in the old laptop or tablet if i had one but left the desktop the same can i still be efficient. Will there be another os like 7 in the future?

Lu Tze

Have you tired win 8.1? Its pretty good, upgraded on laptop and media centre, still have win 7 on my desktop, and will remain so for the foreseeable future. Nothing wrong with 8, but prefer the more simple interface of 7 when working

RikuoAmero

Jhcx wrote: »

Its not the hardware its the software. The laptop is is a secondary device. But is put under demand at times. Its the Desktop thats the issue. thats where its a gamin computer, a document creator, a photo editor, video creator, music hub and a semi server. Im saying if i can let everything upgrade around it trade in the old laptop or tablet if i had one but left the desktop the same can i still be efficient. Will there be another os like 7 in the future?

I would say hold off on it. I understand now what you're talking about, so no, don't bother.
As a power gamer, my practice is to get new hardware at least once a year, two if you want to stretch it out that long (for example, just a month ago, I got a new graphics card that was more powerful than the two I had been running together for two years). As a gamer, upgrading from Win 7 to Win 8 will do absolutely nothing at all (in fact, with the Metro UI, I would likely be stuck for a long while as I'd have to learn how to use it)
When it comes to your OS, don't upgrade unless you have an actual reason to. The biggest problem you might run into is compatibility issues. You say you're a video creator and a semi server - Win 8/8.1 may not be compatible with the programs you're using, so if you were to upgrade, you could find yourself with non-functioning programs, and then having to go out and look for Win 8 compatible ones.

So ask yourself - is your system running fine/fine-ish? Do you need the latest versions of whatever software you're using? Are those latest versions Win 8 only?

Jhcx

Lu Tze wrote: »

Have you tired win 8.1? Its pretty good, upgraded on laptop and media centre, still have win 7 on my desktop, and will remain so for the foreseeable future. Nothing wrong with 8, but prefer the more simple interface of 7 when working

No haven't tried it. I dont like windows 8. Theres something about it that's off putting. Im willing to jump into the unknown when it comes to new systems but its those tiles that dont make it look like a computer anymore that puts me off the whole idea of a new system or just windows 8. I too prefer the more simple interface of 7. It just gets the job done doesnt it?

invaderzimirl

this might be handy make windows 8 look like xp/win7

http://computertutorflorida.com/2013/02/make-windows-8-look-like-windows-7-or-windows-xp/

i havent tried this myself but have heard about a lot of people using it

coylemj

Jhcx wrote: »

No haven't tried it. I dont like windows 8. Theres something about it that's off putting. Im willing to jump into the unknown when it comes to new systems but its those tiles that dont make it look like a computer anymore that puts me off the whole idea of a new system or just windows 8. I too prefer the more simple interface of 7. It just gets the job done doesnt it?

Yes, yes, yes. I helped my sister setup her new laptop which came with Windows 8 and I couldn't run away from it fast enough. My own laptop is running Windows 7 and will stay that way for as long as I can manage it.

Given the mess that MS made of Windows 8, I can safely say that there is a large rump of users like you and I who will resist any attempts to force them to upgrade so stay where you are, you're in good company!

MS seem to have consistently fcuked up every second upgrade in recent years, Vista and before it Windows 98 were short-lived disasters so I would expect MS to launch a new OS in 2015 and to draw a line under Windows 8, you can consider upgrading then but for the moment I'd say you can sit tight and do precisely nothing except install essential security upgrades.

pah

coylemj wrote: »

MS seem to have consistently fcuked up every second upgrade in recent years, Vista and before it Windows 98 were short-lived disasters.

98 want bad. ME was awful but 2k/xp once the service packs roled out were great.

Need a laptop atm and looking at getting something 2 yrs old running win 7 before buying something new with win 8 and touch screen. I'm coming from Xp on a 7 year old machine and I want it to be familiar.

I have iPad and note tablet for other stuff. I need a desktop environment though, as a seperate space.

riclad

YOU can use the web,
email ,play music ,on an xp, or win7 laptop.
NO reason to upgrade unless you need a faster laptop.
Windows 8 is badly designed .
99 per cent of business,es today buy new laptops ,with windows 7 installed on them.
people don,t buy a new car every 3 years because they need an upgrade.
i have win7 laptop ,I,LL USE it for another 3 years or till it stops working.
UNLESS you want a ms tablet , win8 goes you nothing that windows 7
does not have.
most laptops don,
t have a touchscreen.

They want people to buy apps ,
and they think maybe in 5 years time every device will work like an ipad.
ie use a touch screen, buy apps instead of installing a program.

i don,t need a pc with tablet gui, or a touchscreen,

no more than i need to buy a 10 ton jeep to go to the supermarket.
THE average person browses the web ,
looks at youtube ,facebook,
maybe uses 20 per cent of the cpu,s power 90 per cent of the time.

jadun

riclad wrote: »

YOU can use the web,
email ,play music ,on an xp, or win7 laptop.
NO reason to upgrade unless you need a faster laptop.
Windows 8 is badly designed .
99 per cent of business,es today buy new laptops ,with windows 7 installed on them.
people don,t buy a new car every 3 years because they need an upgrade.
i have win7 laptop ,I,LL USE it for another 3 years or till it stops working.
UNLESS you want a ms tablet , win8 goes you nothing that windows 7
does not have.
most laptops don,
t have a touchscreen.

They want people to buy apps ,
and they think maybe in 5 years time every device will work like an ipad.
ie use a touch screen, buy apps instead of installing a program.

i don,t need a pc with tablet gui, or a touchscreen,

no more than i need to buy a 10 ton jeep to go to the supermarket.
THE average person browses the web ,
looks at youtube ,facebook,
maybe uses 20 per cent of the cpu,s power 90 per cent of the time.

Do you take breaths when you type?

Jhcx

riclad wrote: »

YOU can use the web,
email ,play music ,on an xp, or win7 laptop.
NO reason to upgrade unless you need a faster laptop.
Windows 8 is badly designed .
99 per cent of business,es today buy new laptops ,with windows 7 installed on them.
people don,t buy a new car every 3 years because they need an upgrade. i have win7 laptop ,I,LL USE it for another 3 years or till it stops working. UNLESS you want a ms tablet , win8 goes you nothing that windows 7 does not have. most laptops don't have a touchscreen. They want people to buy apps and they think maybe in 5 years time every device will work like an ipad.ie use a touch screen, buy apps instead of installing a program. i don,t need a pc with tablet gui, or a touchscreen, no more than i need to buy a 10 ton jeep to go to the supermarket. THE average person browses the web ,
looks at youtube ,facebook, maybe uses 20 per cent of the cpu,s power 90 per cent of the time.

Ok i started my thread wrong. Its not the laptop that is the problem. I couldnt care what the laptop is running. Although i do love windows 7 on it. but basically its a piece in my life since ive been home ive only opened 3 times just to update my itunes in the last month

Its my desktop thats the problem. See it runs windows 7 and basically i back my laptop onto an extra hard drive that i have attached to the desktop. my photos and music and documents and networking all go to the desktop at the end of the week/month/year. But eventually Windows 7 is gonna run out and while yes i can pump as much power and memory into it, Its ultimately the software that is going to let me down when all the new devices i shall own suddenly stop recognizing the aging desktop that i rely so much on for fixing my own computer issues and others.

In reality i dont want to be going tile styled its so plain and boring and common and easy! i dont want easy i want to play with my system till i make it easy and become bored and im not there yet. Windows 8 i played with couldnt find how to get to the Windows 7 styled home page and got bored. plus it fails to meet my current needs its all apps.

For the average user desktops and laptops consist of web browsing and emailing(if thats still done) for me its a bit of everything making videos, editing photos, breaking the desktop fixing it. restoring it. playing music, editing music, bit of email, web browsing, gaming. But technology moves too fast and someday 7 wont be supported and will be forced to upgrade and i dont know if there will be a loving replacement....

jadun

I don't see what your problem is. If you like windows 7 stick with it. Windows 8 is a better operating system and can put the start menu back to the windows 7 format. Windows seven will be stable for updates for a long long time. What is your question exactly?

Jhcx

My question is. I like windows 7. But i like upgrades and improvements. I dislike windows 8 because its too tablet styled. Will there be a future 7 or should i upgrade now to keep up with the advancements of technology. Like how long is windows 8 gonna stick around? is it worth upgrading?

jadun

Windows 7 will be around with updates for a long long time. Windows 8 is a better operating system. It's up to yourself what you prefer really but windows 8 now has the normal start menu. If your willing to spend the money then upgrade if not windows 7 is practically the same.

coylemj

Jhcx wrote: »

My question is. I like windows 7. But i like upgrades and improvements. I dislike windows 8 because its too tablet styled. Will there be a future 7 or should i upgrade now to keep up with the advancements of technology. Like how long is windows 8 gonna stick around? is it worth upgrading?

That will read to most people that you like upgrading simply for the sake of it. Later operating systems typically require more memory than it's predecessor - if you call that an 'advancement' then good luck but I wouldn't agree. You talk about 'upgrades and improvements' as if they were one and the same thing which they most certainly are not.

Windows XP which came before Vista was a very stable and popular version and is only now going out of service. What you need to remember is that large corporates which have 1,000s of desktops and laptops move versions very slowly because of user training & support issues so MS cannot simply bully everyone to go to the latest version and walk away from older versions. That means that Windows 7 will be supported for several years to come and if your PC is functioning well and there is no 'must have' feature in Windows 8 that you can identify, I would see no reason to upgrade.

riclad

WINDOW S 8 is like 2 os,es tablet metro os,
and the standard desktop pc os.
so it harder for the average non expert user.

ON a pc or laptop i can think of no reason to upgrade to win 8,

windows 7 is more secure ,better designed than xp.
GOOD os menu layout.
AND those apps ,tablet menus ,take up disk space, and ram ,
even if you never use them,
and use standard programs ,like in win7.

I think win8 is a good idea,
a touch enabled os with tiles .
if they just put it on tablets and phones.

GETTING Windows 8 would be a step backward for me,
just because its new does not make it good.

there,s new phone released every week,, some of which are badly designed
and no one buys em.



YOU can download a win 7 style start menu,program,free
the new start menu on 8.1 is an improvement ,
not as good as the old one.

Skerries

Windows 7 is currently the king and 8 doesn't offer up enough benefits to upgrade as far as I am concerned and will be using it for my gaming pc's for a good few years to come seeing as Win7 doesn't go EOL until 2020

Shabaz50

Stay the **** away from windows 8