Reminder of end of Windows 7 support

 

Just did an update to Winows 7 today and was reminded by MS that the end of Windows 7 support will end on January 14, 2020.

Don't really want to update to Windows 10, because I dislike the user interface change. BUT, I do know that you can change how Win 10 looks in the "Personalize" menu. Selecting "Classic" will make the screen look like Win 7. Hopefully all the major bugs have been fixed.

Also, you can download (for free) various start menus. See:
https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/make-windows-10-like-wind...

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Metricman DriveSmart 76 Williamsburg, VA
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I intend to continue using

I intend to continue using Win 7. Caveat, I only use it so I can still access Delorme Street Atlas and Topo. Windows runs as Virtual Machine on my Mac and see very little connect time to the internet.

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Frank DriveSmart55 37.322760, -79.511267

Make Win 10 look like Win 7

metricman wrote:

...you can change how Win 10 looks in the "Personalize" menu. Selecting "Classic" will make the screen look like Win 7. Hopefully all the major bugs have been fixed.

Also, you can download (for free) various start menus. See:
https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/make-windows-10-like-wind...

If selecting "Classic" in Win 10's Personalize doesn't fix everything you want fixed, and if your issue is with what you see at the Start button, I can attest that the free Classic Shell app is a reliable and secure way to get back the Win 7 Start button interface you prefer. I've used it in Win 10 for years.

Yes the major Win 10 bugs from year one were long ago fixed, though if you're too quick to update or let Microsoft do it automatically, you may get bitten by a new bug anytime with a Windows update, but I haven't had any problems. It is mostly a stable operating system.

Also be aware that if you rely on a legacy software app ("program" in Win7speak) or hardware driver that hasn't been updated since Win 7, *that* might be a problem. Most Win 7 programs and drivers work fine in Win 10, but some very old apps and hardware drivers will balk at Win 10. In some cases there are valid security reasons for this. In other words, you probably shouldn't be using that unsafe app or driver anyway, though in other cases, the out-of-date app or driver could easily be made safe or made to work in Win10 with an update, but the developer no longer care$ to keep it going.

Learn how to shut off as much of the privacy-invading Win 10 tracking-by-default as you can, easily learned online. Check your settings after each major update, as sometimes M$ forgets what you wanted--my my my, it musta slipped their minds.

--
"141 could draw faster than he, but Irving was looking for 143..."

Windows 10

metricman wrote:

Just did an update to Winows 7 today and was reminded by MS that the end of Windows 7 support will end on January 14, 2020.

Don't really want to update to Windows 10, because I dislike the user interface change. BUT, I do know that you can change how Win 10 looks in the "Personalize" menu. Selecting "Classic" will make the screen look like Win 7. Hopefully all the major bugs have been fixed.

Also, you can download (for free) various start menus. See:
https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/make-windows-10-like-wind...

The Classic Shell in the link you posted. Will give you the look you want of Windows in the past. Used it since getting Windows 10 when first avilable . Will pleased with it.

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Charlie. Nuvi 265 WT and Nuvi 2597 LMT. MapFactor Navigator - Offline Maps & GPS.

Windows 7 Updates Extended

There have been several articles over the past few weeks that Microsoft is going to extend the support with patching and updates through the General Election, 2020, instead of in January as previously announced. I haven't seen too many details, other than it's because many of the election system computers used at various levels of government are using Windows 7 and won't be upgraded in time.

As for me - A couple of the newer computers in my house are on Windows 10 already.

A couple of other systems have been switched over to Linux instead of staying on the Microsoft platform. I've also taken my 2010 MacBook Air that ran perfectly fine until Apple stopped upgrade support for it have installed Linux on that one. It runs much faster on Linux than the Apple deemed too old to support Mac OS.

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And now, back to your regularly scheduled forum - already in progress . . .

Darn. I have a PC on windows

Darn. I have a PC on windows 7 running great! Might go to Ubuntu this time. It’s just a web browsing machine for the cousin.

Wish win 7 still going on

Airbrushed wrote:

There have been several articles over the past few weeks that Microsoft is going to extend the support with patching and updates through the General Election, 2020, instead of in January as previously announced. I haven't seen too many details, other than it's because many of the election system computers used at various levels of government are using Windows 7 and won't be upgraded in time.

As for me - A couple of the newer computers in my house are on Windows 10 already.

A couple of other systems have been switched over to Linux instead of staying on the Microsoft platform. I've also taken my 2010 MacBook Air that ran perfectly fine until Apple stopped upgrade support for it have installed Linux on that one. It runs much faster on Linux than the Apple deemed too old to support Mac OS.

windows 10

I upgraded to windows 10 years ago from windows 7, right now my computer desk top looks like windows 7 desktop using "startisback" since im the only one using I bypass the password sign in so when I boot up it goes directly to the desktop ! I run several older games I had to fiddle with and they work fine, I still use the old "works" program. I don't update right away because of the problems with them usually I wait a week or 2 till the fix it then update , my computer is 9-10 years old and I haven't had any problems I haven't been able to fix with the older drivers, I understand in November there's going to be another upgrade again to version 1909 , after its released I will wait a while for the smoke to clear and the bugs removed then upgrade but over all windows 10 works fine

I also

have been using the "Classic Start" button since i began using Windows 10. In my opinion much better than the dumb Windows 10 menu.

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Nuvi 2797LMT, DriveSmart 50 LMT-HD, Using Windows 10. DashCam A108C with GPS.

compatibility

As it was said above, check if your computer will be enough to work under Windows 10. And if all your additional programs and hardware will be supported as well. Even things like older or fairly exotic printer can stop working for lack of drivers for W10. Look for more informations before upgrade here:

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_ot...

Windows 10

I ran windows 10 the first couple years didn't care for it even though i had it looking like windows 7. If you don't have limits on how much data you use as in satellite internet service then ok. I don't like the forced updates they push on to your computer. 10 spies on users more than ever before. Yes there are some settings you can turn off BUT microsoft warns we might turn them back on if we feel like it. I had a lot of movies on a hard drive it tried to keep me from opening and all were legal. Had to find a work around for that. Yup some of their updates have been not so good. I am most likely going to replace my expensive Dell Studio PC but it is nearing 10 years old , don't have much choice about windows 10 if i want to keep certain software

Win 10 download can still be had for free...

Even if you don’t want to do any upgrade to Windows 10 there are a few things I would suggest, just in case you are absolutely forced to update at some future date or change your mind.

First of all I suggest you go to https://www.belarc.com/products_belarc_advisor, download and install a copy of the Belarc Advisor. Then run it on your PC and print out the results. It takes about 3 to 5 minutes to run and will generate 4 to 5 pages of info. To print, you might have to right click on a page and then select print. OK, why do you need this? One of the pages will list all the Product Keys for your installed software, the most important being the Microsoft products (including your Windows 7). If you have this information, generally speaking you can give Microsoft a call and get a replacement copy for free. More importantly, a legal Product Key for Win 7 entitles you to a free copy (at least as of now) to Windows 10. Some of this stuff (the Product Keys) may also be on a tag on the PC but might not be readable. The Product Key for Windows is five groups of five characters, AAAAA-BBBBB-CCCCC-DDDDD-EEEEE with a mixture of alpha and numerical characters.

OK, now you have the Windows 7 Product Key. The next step is to create the Windows 10 Installation media, a good idea even though you don’t want to install Win 10. Microsoft is expected to withdraw all free versions after January 2020 so it will cost you over $100 to upgrade, or even use it to repair an ailing installation of Win 7. So best to get it now and hang on to it just in case! FYI, the Windows 10 installation file is “keyed” to the motherboard of the specific computer that downloaded it. So don’t attempt to download it from one PC and then install on a different PC; it just won’t work.

Go to https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10/, scroll down a bit to an area entitled “Create Windows 10 installation media” and select “Download Tool Now”. Download the tool and run it and select save the installation file to a “clean” memory stick (minimum 8 GB required). The stick gets formatted so make sure nothing of value is on it. Be patient as this process may take 30 minutes depending on your network speed, PC, etc.

So now you have the Product Key for your Windows (and Office) if installed and the installation files for Windows 10 should you ever need it. Tuck the stick and Belarc printout away just in case you need it.

I will say this on installing Win 10; one of the installation options is to keep all your applications, files, etc. as opposed to doing a clean install. This option works amazingly well! I did one Win 7 machine fully expecting that an ancient Canon printer would no longer work as Win 10 drivers were non-existent. When done the printer worked fine!

You can uninstall the Belarc Advisor once you have the printout.

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John from PA

Not a Win 10 fan

I'm in tech support. Supporting routers and switches, most things I do are command line. Most programs I run, I start with the Win-R key sequence and type in the name. All that tiling is a pain in the a$$. Touch screen for me is a waste. Having to take your hands off a keyboard to grab a mouse to click something and go back to typing is a waste (to me). I would still be on Windows 2000 if anything still worked on it. I'm old school. Bring back DOS. LOL!

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Striving to make the NYC Metro area project the best.

Windows 10 Start menu tiles

I am always amazed at the number of people who don't like Windows 10 and the reason is the "tiles" on the Start menu. All you have to do to eliminate them is right click on an undesirable tile, then select "Unpin from Start". You can go through all of them, eliminating the undesirable garbage until you are down to none.

In the same manner, should you see something in your Start menu you wish to add, again right click and select "Pin to Start".

Should you want to return to icons on your desktop, like always, simply right click an unoccupied area of the desktop, chose "New", then shortcut and navigate to the executable file. Garmin Express for instance has a path to the executable file of "C:Program Files (x86)GarminExpressexpress.exe".

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John from PA

thanks, john from pA

John from PA, thanks for all the detailed information. That is what I will do for my two PCs on Windows 7 x64.

I have the original Windows 7 DVDs with Product Keys and plan to download Windows 10 to a flash drive to make a clean install.

dobs108 smile

Thanks

Good Link

clean install

Personally I would not recommend a "clean" install. If you do it that way you will have to reinstall everything; every app you have (Office), every widget, printers, Garmin utilities, Garmin backups, etc. I suggest you opt for the "keep my current files (or whatever the wording is) and let it proceed. When test, do some testing and if you don't like what you have then you can still do a clean install.

Why people like clean installs when they aren't necessary I will never understand. It creates more problems than it is worth.

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John from PA

Don't do a clean install

dobs108 wrote:

John from PA, thanks for all the detailed information. That is what I will do for my two PCs on Windows 7 x64.

I have the original Windows 7 DVDs with Product Keys and plan to download Windows 10 to a flash drive to make a clean install.

dobs108 smile

If you use the free upgrade option to Windows 10 (yes you can still do it.) it won't work as a clean install. It will ask for the License Key since it can't find an existing one on the computer. Even with your valid Windows 7 key, that won't work on Windows 10.

On the free upgrade it will take it as an upgrade (i.e. Windows 7 already installed.). In the future, after the Windows 10 has activated, in theory you could do a clean install if needed.

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Garmin Nuvi 2450

might be machine specific

I just did (from Win 7 Pro 64-bit) a 10-year old Dell laptop last Friday and the clean install worked fine onto a 500GB SSD. The client wanted his old SATA hard drive installed in a USB enclosure for undefined future use.

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John from PA

The biggest change from

The biggest change from Windows 7 to 10 is not the interface, it's the collection of user data. The user (consumer) is now the product. You can limit it with some tweaks but can't fully stop it, unless you never go on the internet.

Yes, but...

Airbrushed wrote:

There have been several articles over the past few weeks that Microsoft is going to extend the support with patching and updates through the General Election, 2020, instead of in January as previously announced. I haven't seen too many details, other than it's because many of the election system computers used at various levels of government are using Windows 7 and won't be upgraded in time

Yes but... according to Microsoft at this time that offer applies only to "federally certified voting systems running Windows 7 through the 2020 elections," not consumer or business PCs still running Win 7. See https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-to-provide-free-wind...

Businesses running Win 7 Pro or Enterprise will be eligible to purchase a subscription for extended security updates between December 2019 and December 2022, but these are not a bargain: $25 to $200 per month and per device. Ouch.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-to-make-windows-7-ex...
and
https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-much-will-staying-patched-...

At this time Microsoft has no plans to offer consumers free or paid Win 7 security updates after January 14, 2020.

--
"141 could draw faster than he, but Irving was looking for 143..."

Clean Install

I Highly recommend doing a clean install of windows. As you run a computer day after day and weeks / months bits and bytes of info get scattered all over the hard drive and it takes longer to boot and runs slower than ever.

i agree

stan393 wrote:

I Highly recommend doing a clean install of windows. As you run a computer day after day and weeks / months bits and bytes of info get scattered all over the hard drive and it takes longer to boot and runs slower than ever.

I have been doing a clean install of Windows about every two years for two PCs. There has never been a problem with either one. It is easier than ever to install programs (now called apps) using high-speed internet.

Acronis TrueImage will do a hard drive image in advance and does a good job backing up my data to multiple locations. The external hard drives for backup run on USB3 - very fast.

https://www.howtogeek.com/168528/htg-explains-do-you-really-...

dobs108 smile

Maybe true...20 years ago

stan393 wrote:

I Highly recommend doing a clean install of windows. As you run a computer day after day and weeks / months bits and bytes of info get scattered all over the hard drive and it takes longer to boot and runs slower than ever.

I suggest you read https://www.windowscentral.com/windows-10-clean-install-vs-u.... A clean install is not the recommended thing for people who are not very computer literate, and rarely is needed anyway in an update from a legal copy of Win 7 to Win 10. A clean install wipes out everything, I repeat everything!

And as far as "...run a computer day after day and weeks / months bits and bytes of info get scattered all over the hard drive and it takes longer to boot and runs slower than ever"...the fact that you make that statement shows that you are not PC savvy. If you are running an HDD a simple check of the drive, maybe some file cleanup, and a defrag is all that would be needed.

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John from PA

change is always a

change is always a problem.
But W10 is not like W8
try it just the way it is. Except for the old games, old calculator, gadgets, and less organization available in the all programs list.
You can load everything back in, but I have not searched for program org, so I am using that as is. , I have adapted.

Win 10 is not that bad

Well, after mulling it over, I bit the bullet and upgraded to Windows 10 and it cost nothing - that's right ZERO dollars. See the article at:
https://www.zdnet.com/article/heres-how-you-can-still-get-a-...
(Mentioned in previous post)
NOTE: YOU MUST HAVE A VALID (LEGAL) WIN 7 OR WIN 8 LICENSE FOR THIS TO WORK.

It took 1.5 hours to install. Would have been quicker, but the MS server was not very fast at all. Most of the time the install program was checking for and installing the available updates.

When it finally came up, the screen looked like Win 7, BUT the Start Menu was Win 10 style. So I searched for the "Classic Start Menu" and found that the one referenced in all the online articles had been handed over to "Open Shell" org. See:
https://github.com/Open-Shell/Open-Shell-Menu
Scroll down to the second box to download. It's still free. It's not exactly like the Windows 7 start menu, but it's a far site better than the Win 10 start menu.

2 things:

1. Be sure that all your printers, scanners and other peripheral devices are turned on BEFORE you start the Win 10 install. This will ensure that all the correct drivers are downloaded during the install - not after.

2. To login to the new Windows 10 you have to click on the icon in the lower right startup screen every time you startup.

So far, all seems well.

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Metricman DriveSmart 76 Williamsburg, VA

@ metricman. Classic Shell

The classic shell has several settings to obtain the style you want. Plus it puts a start tab on bottom left of main screen.Make sure to put check mark in replace start button. Right click the icon(sea shell) then click on the settings tab. http://www.classicshell.net/downloads/

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Charlie. Nuvi 265 WT and Nuvi 2597 LMT. MapFactor Navigator - Offline Maps & GPS.

Thanks

Still have a PC or two running Windows 7

+1 on Linux

Airbrushed wrote:

A couple of other systems have been switched over to Linux instead of staying on the Microsoft platform. I've also taken my 2010 MacBook Air that ran perfectly fine until Apple stopped upgrade support for it have installed Linux on that one. It runs much faster on Linux than the Apple deemed too old to support Mac OS.

It's good to get off of the Windows treadmill.

For a price

from what I understand, you can get extended support... but you have to pay for it.

How?

pquesinb wrote:

It's good to get off of the Windows treadmill.

Easier said than done. There are many applications that are Windows-only and don't necessarily work all that well under WINE.

One argument that can be made is that there are alternative programs.
Can you perhaps share your knowledge on how to make the following work on a Linux box?

* Kodi (replacement for Windows Media Center; IMHO, difficult to set up)
* Quicken

Asking seriously... these are a couple of the programs holding me back from making the leap.

Evernote, pOI Loader

Evernote, POI Loader.

dobs108 smile

If only you knew the power of The Dark Side...

beagle.fan wrote:
pquesinb wrote:

It's good to get off of the Windows treadmill.

Easier said than done. There are many applications that are Windows-only and don't necessarily work all that well under WINE.

One argument that can be made is that there are alternative programs.
Can you perhaps share your knowledge on how to make the following work on a Linux box?

* Kodi (replacement for Windows Media Center; IMHO, difficult to set up)
* Quicken

Asking seriously... these are a couple of the programs holding me back from making the leap.

Ah yes, The Dark Side of switching to Linux but it's probably not as bad as you think.

Cool to hear that you're running Kodi Media Center. Just about the best thing to happen to TV since the color-burst signal...

I actually have 3 (yes, three) Kodi Media Center boxes running on single-board computers. One is on a Raspberry Pi 3, which runs LibreELEC, one is on an Odroid-C2 running CoreELEC, and the latest one is on an Odroid-N2, also running CoreELEC.

The 'ELEC' part of LibreELEC (a fork of OpenELEC) and CoreELEC, stands for Embedded Linux Entertainment Center. It is a purpose-built minimalist Linux OS appliance for Kodi that has everything it needs, and nothing that it doesn't. Install it on your MicroSD card or eMMC module, plug it into your SBC of choice and boot it up. Voila... instant media center that's smaller than most set-top boxes. The Odroid-N2 platform is the largest, but probably still smaller than a Roku Ultra. Install your desired add-ons and point it to your media and you're good to go.

LibreELEC is the one to use for the Raspberry Pi platform, while CoreELEC is aimed at the AmLogic devices, like the Odroid SBCs.

https://libreelec.tv/
https://coreelec.org/

You can install it on an existing Linux OS as well without too much trouble, instructions for doing that are here:
https://kodi.wiki/view/HOW-TO:Install_Kodi_for_Linux

A great substitute for Quicken, QuickBooks, etc., is GnuCash. A true double-entry accounting system. Easy to use with more power and flexibility than the aforementioned Windows programs, the downside is migrating your data over. Not too hard with Quicken but much more difficult with QuickBooks.

Hope this helps.

- Phil

NixNote

dobs108 wrote:

Evernote, POI Loader.

dobs108 smile

https://www.linuxuprising.com/2018/11/evernote-linux-client-... smile

Not sure about POILoader though, I haven't tried to run that under WINE. I think some folks were running older versions of it under WINE "back in the day" but that might be problematic with the newer versions. Might need to resort to a Windows VM (i.e. VirtualBox) for that one. sad

- Phil

I have 3 systems with W7-64

I have 3 systems with W7-64 on them....
All 3 use a camera capture card that only works in
W7.. 2 of 3 systems also have edit software that works in W7 or W8, but also needs to work with that camera capture card. Two of three also have W7 only plugins for the edit software....
SO, M$ can remind me every day for the next mellinium, and the 3 are still staying at W7, with no way to upgrade.
Only 1 of the 3 every needs to get to internet, so I can remove the Ethernet connection, if necessary.
If M$ wants me to upgrade, they’ll have to fix other people’s software too.... And that’s probably not going to happen, so they will stay at W7-64!!

--
A 2689LMT in both our cars that we love... And a 2011 Ford Escape with Nav System that is totally ignored!

I got W7 HE on 2 desktops

I got W7 HE on 2 desktops and 1 laptop. 1 W7 Pro laptop.

One of the W7 HE desktops (from 2011) has programs on it that I don't want to spend $700-800 to upgrade because they work just fine for what I need. I might just remove the internet connection and use it standalone.

The other W7 HE (from 2010) is the wife's that she uses a lot. But she does not have special programs on it. So that may be upgradable. If I can get her off of it long enough I may try that one first.

The W7 HE laptop is my "special needs" stepson's that is used for internet searches, videos, and online games. That may be doable, but what a PITA that will be because he does NOT handle changes very well.

The W7 Pro Laptop is a Lenovo T-420 that is at least from 2011. I really don't want to try to upgrade this until I'm forced into it. Too much critical stuff on it. And yes, it gets backed up weekly. But I could do without the internet here also, although I would miss it.

In fact, all the devices are auto backed up on a weekly basis to my network storge device.

I am not going to mess around with non-MS operating systems that may or may not do me any good. And MAC I won't even consider.

Yeah, I'm too set in my ways to begin learning new operating systems now.

I really HATE the way W10 looks, and all the tracking should be criminal but it's not. Yes every app, site, etc, does it, but it's still not right!

3 years ago I posted here that W10 is nothing but code to track your web activity and sell it, and I still think that's valid. And THAT's why it's FREE! The fact that they reset your "security turnoffs" should be proof enough.

But like all operationg systems, good or bad, they come to an end. W7 was great, but if you continue to use it pretty soon your anti-virus programs will not work - then what? Might as well go swiming naked in a sewage pond drinking the water as you go.

--
I never get lost, but I do explore new territory every now and then.

Upgrade Update

BUMMER!!!!!

My wife's laptop (Win7 32 bit) cannot see the shared printer or my shared files. I have scoured the internet looking for a solution, but have yet to find one that works for me.

The problem is that MS in their magnificent wisdom deleted the "Homegroup" software. This software allowed a home PC to connect to another PC to share files and printers, etc. A computer generated password allowed access. Deleting the software broke the links. I have followed the MS instructions and tried numerous online "fixes" to no avail.

I have given up for now as I have been working on this all day and will start again tomorrow.

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Metricman DriveSmart 76 Williamsburg, VA

Never say never

KenSny wrote:

I am not going to mess around with non-MS operating systems that may or may not do me any good. And MAC I won't even consider.

Yeah, I'm too set in my ways to begin learning new operating systems now.

I really HATE the way W10 looks, and all the tracking should be criminal but it's not. Yes every app, site, etc, does it, but it's still not right!

3 years ago I posted here that W10 is nothing but code to track your web activity and sell it, and I still think that's valid. And THAT's why it's FREE! The fact that they reset your "security turnoffs" should be proof enough.

Well, I switched my 91 year-old mother over to Ubuntu Linux, and you know what? She loves it. It took a little getting used to, and I got a few calls and texts at first with questions, but she does her surfing and banking and puzzle games on it now.

I'll avoid operating systems that spy on me and steal my private data as much as I can, and I will certainly try to avoid paying for them when I can get something for free that doesn't spy on me without my permission.

Edit: I should also mention that you are having to learn a new operating system all the time when you use Windows, as they keep changing the user interface with the new versions you're forced to use whether users complain or not. With Ubuntu Linux, for instance, you get largely the same UI and you can choose what you like. If KDE (K Desktop Environment) is your thing, then use it! If you prefer Gnome, like I do, then that is the default right now. There are other desktop environments for Linux that look a lot like Windows, too.

LTS (long-term support) versions of Ubuntu Linux are supported for 5 years.

Don't get me wrong, Windows has its uses and I'm actually on a Windows system right now (but my original comment on this thread was posted from Ubuntu Linux). In some cases you have to use it. But in many cases you don't, and I'll venture to say that you'd be pleasantly surprised by what Linux has to offer, even if you are set in your ways.

- Phil

reinstall the printer driver

metricman wrote:

BUMMER!!!!!

My wife's laptop (Win7 32 bit) cannot see the shared printer or my shared files. I have scoured the internet looking for a solution, but have yet to find one that works for me.

The problem is that MS in their magnificent wisdom deleted the "Homegroup" software. This software allowed a home PC to connect to another PC to share files and printers, etc. A computer generated password allowed access. Deleting the software broke the links. I have followed the MS instructions and tried numerous online "fixes" to no avail.

I have given up for now as I have been working on this all day and will start again tomorrow.

We have two Windows 7 64-bit PCs that share a network printer on ethernet, and a local printer on USB is also shared.

The PCs are fully updated and I don't think the Homegroup software was taken out because the printers still work across the network.

I think the printer driver on each PC should be reinstalled. That is when the connection is established across the network.

dobs108 smile

windows 10?

This seems to be a Windows 10 problem:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4091368

Howtogeek has good info on Homegroup:

https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/9524/learning-windows-7-crea...

Network problem

I appreciate the helpful hints - BUT

The Win 7 PC does not "see" the Win 10 PC. Sometimes it does and when you click on the icon for it under Windows Explorer > Networking, it churns for a while and then says it can't find it. If Win 7 can't "see" the Win 10 PC then it can't display the shared files or find the printer.

Also, the Win 10 PC can't "see" the Win 7 PC.

BTW "Homegroup" was removed from Win 10 recently and had it still been a part of Win 10, I don't think I would have this problem.

Will work on it some more today.

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Metricman DriveSmart 76 Williamsburg, VA

Buy a WiFi printer. They

Buy a WiFi printer.

They sell printers for cheap, because the cost of ink is where the real profit is.

I had to do this because the homegroup printer on my wifes pc was a pain to use because we had to have her PC up and running and connected to the homegroup before anyone could use the printer.

Less hassle if you use a WiFi printer.

--
I never get lost, but I do explore new territory every now and then.

.

metricman wrote:

I appreciate the helpful hints - BUT

The Win 7 PC does not "see" the Win 10 PC. Sometimes it does and when you click on the icon for it under Windows Explorer > Networking, it churns for a while and then says it can't find it. If Win 7 can't "see" the Win 10 PC then it can't display the shared files or find the printer.

Also, the Win 10 PC can't "see" the Win 7 PC.

BTW "Homegroup" was removed from Win 10 recently and had it still been a part of Win 10, I don't think I would have this problem.

Will work on it some more today.

Is it an IP printer? If it is, assign a static IP to the printer. Printer directly to the IP address from Win 7 and 10.

Thanks metricman

metricman wrote:

I appreciate the helpful hints - BUT

The Win 7 PC does not "see" the Win 10 PC. Sometimes it does and when you click on the icon for it under Windows Explorer > Networking, it churns for a while and then says it can't find it. If Win 7 can't "see" the Win 10 PC then it can't display the shared files or find the printer.

Also, the Win 10 PC can't "see" the Win 7 PC.

BTW "Homegroup" was removed from Win 10 recently and had it still been a part of Win 10, I don't think I would have this problem.

Will work on it some more today.

Thanks for the explanation, metricman. Since I plan to update two Windows 7 PCs to Windows 10 one at a time, the same thing will happen when one is running Windows 7 and the other Windows 10. One will have Homegroup and the other will not.

dobs108 smile

Just my 2 cents - Windows 7

Just my 2 cents - Windows 7 was never designed for today's modern threats. You soon get used to the modern interface and it's significantly improved over Windows 8. You take an enormous risk by not upgrading to 10. The start menu tips are good for those who don't want to embrace the new menu.

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ptownoddy wrote:

The start menu tips are good for those who don't want to embrace the new menu.

Install a third party free add-on to change the interface? It can do more than change your GUI. As far as I know, nothing is really free. I'd take my chances with Windows 7 for as long as I can.

Surprise!

So I got around to working on the problem today. Guess what? The problem has mostly solved itself. Turned on my PC and then the wife's laptop and then went out to talk to the guys doing the lawn aeration and seeding. Came back in, checked my email and checked if I could see wife's laptop on my PC and I could see the folder for hers. Went out to her laptop and I could see my PC. Did the "Add a Printer" routine and it was successful. I still can't see all the files I should be seeing from the laptop, but it's an improvement.

Don't know what happened overnight as I had rebooted both machines last night just before I gave up for the day. Oh well that's Windows for you. BTW - no updates happened to either machine today, so it wasn't that.

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Metricman DriveSmart 76 Williamsburg, VA

Sage Advice!

Sage advice! That solves 90% of computer problems!

Reboot the computer!

Yep

chewbacca wrote:
ptownoddy wrote:

The start menu tips are good for those who don't want to embrace the new menu.

Install a third party free add-on to change the interface? It can do more than change your GUI. ....

I agree completely.

That's why a couple of my machines will remain W7. One will be perfect running offline and clean for as the hardware lasts.

--
I never get lost, but I do explore new territory every now and then.

Windows 7 support

you can still use it, right?

Use What? W7

Use What? W7

Of course, but without updates, maintenance & support.

And probably within a year all anti-virus protection companies will not offer W7 support. And if you are going to surf in the internet cesspool, you don't want to be without that!

--
I never get lost, but I do explore new territory every now and then.
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