January 11, 201511 yr Win 8.1 is fine, actually better than Win 7, it uses less resources, runs and boots faster. The Metro Start screen is functionally better than the start menu, I rarely use either anyway. Everything else is identical to Win 7, apart from Task Manager, which is improved. Apart from using the Start screen to load rarely used applications (it has 2 screens that I have setup as a 2D taskbar launcher and an organised wall of application icons), I never use Metro for anything else, literally, I avoid it entirely which is something you couldn't do in Win 8 (thus I never used it on my PCs).
January 11, 201511 yr most stores that sell HW could set you up with a OEM installation... and it's often for free for regular customers, at least in my country. Most certainly will not be free in the US, but the installation process for the OEM is no different to retail versions anyway. The box will be a bit less fancy (last I bought one it was in a typical DVD case with a plain white slipcover) but the purchasing experience is as with any boxed software, a DVD and a product key in a box. Indeed I believe the DVD itself is identical whether it's the retail version or the OEM version (though either way I recommend downloading the latest ISO directly instead of using the DVD which may be an older version that creates more hassles with updating). L I E S T R O N GL I V E W R O N G
January 11, 201511 yr I did see some on Amazon, but then user reviews were claiming when received, the keys didn't work/it wasn't legal. Hence..."iffy" to go that route since you don't know who is really trustworthy on something like Amazon. OEM Win7 Pro is what I'm using now, hence my question. ... I should have bought a few copies a bit later or something, but I didn't. Win 8.1 is fine Sorry, I hate it. I just have to hope Win10/whatever is at least slightly more tolerable to my picky self. Still gaming with my 9900k/2080ti/32 ram. One day I suppose a game may inspire me to finally upgrade. Maybe.
January 11, 201511 yr Sorry, I hate it. I just have to hope Win10/whatever is at least slightly more tolerable to my picky self. Just install start8, disable every ****ing thing that leads you to metro and it's great. "because they filled mommy with enough mythic power to become a demi-god" - KP
January 11, 201511 yr Metro is not the only reason I dislike it. If you/others like 8, that's great. I just don't. And yes I've tried it...on hubby's pc's and my recent laptop. P.S. - I'm still not a huge fan of Win7, either. Haha. Still gaming with my 9900k/2080ti/32 ram. One day I suppose a game may inspire me to finally upgrade. Maybe.
January 11, 201511 yr P.S. - I'm still not a huge fan of Win7, either. Haha. Ah, well can't really help you there. "because they filled mommy with enough mythic power to become a demi-god" - KP
January 11, 201511 yr Yeah...it's just a curse of my super-finickiness. One day I may have the energy to actually move to Linux. One day. Still gaming with my 9900k/2080ti/32 ram. One day I suppose a game may inspire me to finally upgrade. Maybe.
January 11, 201511 yr Yeah...it's just a curse of my super-finickiness. One day I may have the energy to actually move to Linux. One day. I tell that to my self every week... Only I want to learn to work in Linux and not really migrate. "because they filled mommy with enough mythic power to become a demi-god" - KP
January 11, 201511 yr Author If you have the extra RAM, then installing Linux on the free VMware Player is a good way to try it out under Windows. Gone are the days of being restricted to one OS thanks to virtualized machines I have Ubuntu & OSX Yosemite installed on VMware. They're fun to mess with, and run really smooth almost like it's natively installed (well Yosemite required some extra hacks to get running okay, and some functions like iMessage don't work because it's not detecting legit mac hardware) Edited January 11, 201511 yr by Bokishi Current 3DMark
January 11, 201511 yr most stores that sell HW could set you up with a OEM installation... and it's often for free for regular customers, at least in my country. Most certainly will not be free in the US, but the installation process for the OEM is no different to retail versions anyway. The box will be a bit less fancy (last I bought one it was in a typical DVD case with a plain white slipcover) but the purchasing experience is as with any boxed software, a DVD and a product key in a box. Indeed I believe the DVD itself is identical whether it's the retail version or the OEM version (though either way I recommend downloading the latest ISO directly instead of using the DVD which may be an older version that creates more hassles with updating). many stores have a special licence that allows them to install windows as OEM on any pc from the same disk. if you right click on "my computer" and select properties, you may see the store's logo next to the windows version info The words freedom and liberty, are diminishing the true meaning of the abstract concept they try to explain. The true nature of freedom is such, that the human mind is unable to comprehend it, so we make a cage and name it freedom in order to give a tangible meaning to what we dont understand, just as our ancestors made gods like Thor or Zeus to explain thunder. -Teknoman2- What? You thought it was a quote from some well known wise guy from the past? Stupidity leads to willful ignorance - willful ignorance leads to hope - hope leads to sex - and that is how a new generation of fools is born! We are hardcore role players... When we go to bed with a girl, we roll a D20 to see if we hit the target and a D6 to see how much penetration damage we did. Modern democracy is: the sheep voting for which dog will be the shepherd's right hand.
January 21, 201511 yr Looks like Windows 10 will be a free upgrade for one year to those already using Windows 7 or 8.1. "Things are funny...are comedic, because they mix the real with the absurd." - Buzz Aldrin."P-O-T-A-T-O-E" - Dan Quayle
January 21, 201511 yr Does that mean that we can install windows 10 with windows 8 keys? And do student keys count? "because they filled mommy with enough mythic power to become a demi-god" - KP
January 21, 201511 yr Windows 7, really? So I could upgrade my old win7 OEM for free and there is no catch?
January 21, 201511 yr http://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-to-make-windows-10-free-to-windows-7-8-1-and-windows-phone-8-1-users/ It's a good move by MS. "Things are funny...are comedic, because they mix the real with the absurd." - Buzz Aldrin."P-O-T-A-T-O-E" - Dan Quayle
January 21, 201511 yr http://www.anandtech.com/show/8919/microsoft-reveals-the-next-generation-of-windows-10 Anandtech's Windows 10 event writeup. "Things are funny...are comedic, because they mix the real with the absurd." - Buzz Aldrin."P-O-T-A-T-O-E" - Dan Quayle
January 22, 201511 yr Windows 7, really? So I could upgrade my old win7 OEM for free and there is no catch? I think that MS want more lessen number of users of old Windows versions so that they don't replicate XP syndrome again and same time they get larger customer base for their new software platform and shop and also lessen how much effort they need to put in to support those old versions. As anyway they get most of their money from OS sold with new machines, so I would guess that it is better for them if they can get large part of current computers to move their newest OS withing year instead of needing to wait multiple years like with previous Windows versions, especially when they try marketing this time how all windows devices work together.
July 29, 201510 yr I'm digging it so far but haven't had a chance to put it through the paces yet Free games updated 3/4/21
July 29, 201510 yr I'm having a pretty positive experience with it, I've got a new ultrabook arriving soon and i'll be upgrading immediately.
July 30, 201510 yr Seems windows 10 is not activating/converting old keys when upgrading, as far as I heard Microsoft reps said it will be resolved withing 2 days. I guess I'll have to wait before doing a clean install. "because they filled mommy with enough mythic power to become a demi-god" - KP
July 30, 201510 yr I'm waiting for a real installer that I can use on any computer, formatted with W7/8 or not, before I bother... Quote Against stupidity we have no defense. Neither protests nor force can touch it. Reasoning is of no use. Facts that contradict personal prejudices can simply be disbelieved - indeed, the fool can counter by criticizing them, and if they are undeniable, they can just be pushed aside as trivial exceptions. So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self-satisfied. In fact, they can easily become dangerous, as it does not take much to make them aggressive. For that reason, greater caution is called for than with a malicious one. Never again will we try to persuade the stupid person with reasons, for it is senseless and dangerous.
July 30, 201510 yr I'm waiting for a real installer that I can use on any computer, formatted with W7/8 or not, before I bother... That has been out since yesterday. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10 "because they filled mommy with enough mythic power to become a demi-god" - KP
July 30, 201510 yr Holy moly, so either I get Windows Home for free, or I pay $200 for Professional. What silly pricing options. Quote Against stupidity we have no defense. Neither protests nor force can touch it. Reasoning is of no use. Facts that contradict personal prejudices can simply be disbelieved - indeed, the fool can counter by criticizing them, and if they are undeniable, they can just be pushed aside as trivial exceptions. So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self-satisfied. In fact, they can easily become dangerous, as it does not take much to make them aggressive. For that reason, greater caution is called for than with a malicious one. Never again will we try to persuade the stupid person with reasons, for it is senseless and dangerous.
July 30, 201510 yr Holy moly, so either I get Windows Home for free, or I pay $200 for Professional. What silly pricing options. I'm either gonna grab the Education version (Enterprise with some additions) or just grab the Pro version once I get back in to University. I don't like this crap being tied to my hardware and even that is not working right at the moment. "because they filled mommy with enough mythic power to become a demi-god" - KP
July 30, 201510 yr Just be sure to turn this off once you've installed Windows 10. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/06/30/windows_10_wi_fi_sense/ http://uk.businessinsider.com/how-to-turn-off-windows-10-wi-fi-sense-2015-7?r=US&IR=T Edited July 30, 201510 yr by JadedWolf Never attribute to malice that which can adequately be explained by incompetence.
July 31, 201510 yr Managed to force it to activate by spamming "slmgr.vbs /ato" in elevated command prompt a couple of times. "because they filled mommy with enough mythic power to become a demi-god" - KP
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