I’m upgrading my old computers operating system from Windows Vista to Windows 7. Any idea where to buy it at a good price? I’m thinking ebay.
You might consider buying a refurbished computer from a reputable computer store (e.g. Newegg, MicroCenter, etc.). Last I checked, about a year ago, decent machines (good enough for anything but cutting-edge games) were about $90-120, with the licensed OS already installed. Considering a new license for Win 7 is $100 or so, why not spend $10 more and get an upgraded computer, too?
My company has a special arrangement with Microsoft that allows its employees to purchase Win 7 licenses for their personal use for $10. You can’t beat that.
Try your local computer store. I upgraded my computer recently, and they still sold Windows 7.
Ok i checked Microcenter. To buy a refurbished computer with what mine has (700 GB hard drive, 4 GB Ram, 2.40 Ghz processor) would be about $600. The price for downloaded W7 OEM is $99 and to install it (plus wiping my hard drive and downloading my old files and installing W7 and my reinstalling my files) would be about $60. So Maybe !70 overall.
Is this a good deal?
Why are you going to pay them to install it? If you have a secondary drive, some type of online drive solution like drop box with enough available space, or an external drive, just move your data files (documents, pictures, movies, etc) that you want to keep into it.
You will need to re-install your programs after installing windows.
Finally, I’d recommend windows 8.1. Not sure why you’d go for 7 at this point?
It depends.
If you’re comfortable with opening the case and plugging in a new hard drive, you could just get something like this: http://www.microcenter.com/product/435340/DC5700_Desktop_Computer_Off_Lease_Refurbished, then take the drive from your current computer and plug it into the new one as a second drive (bonus! you still have all your old files! Though you’ll still need to re-install your programs). This would be, IMHO, the best solution. If you’re not comfortable, maybe microcenter could do it. Should take them a lot less time than the save old files/wipe/install Win7/copy files back they’re charging $60 for.
Then again a good question is whether you really need 700GB of storage (how full is your current drive?). If not, then just get the refurbished one.
But really, I think the first question of all is why do you want to upgrade to Win 7? Vista is still supported, so you don’t need to worry about security (which is a good reason to move away from XP). I don’t think Win7 really brings much that Vista doesn’t give you. And I agree, if you really need to upgrade, why not just do Win 8.1?
[Bolding mine]
You might think that Windows 8.1 is fantastic but there’s a whole lot of people who are actively avoiding anything with a Windows 8 operating system.
Apparently, there were some features that people found to be annoying.
And I’m not sure why you would not recognize this issue.
IMO, just get a legal Win-7 *( hone, premium, pro, ultimate, which ever you want ) * and install it your self.
IMO, the only thing that should be on your ‘C’ drive is the OS and the stuff that goes with it. All the other stuff should be on a different drive. ‘C’ should be the fastest drive.
Well, often times the “issues” are the things internet forum board trolls spew, and don’t necessarily have anything to do with reality. Other times they can be legitimate issues that could interfere with a particular user’s productivity. Which is why I asked.
I just read some early reviews of Windows 10, which supposedly is coming out sometime Real Soon Now. It sounds like maybe Microsoft may have pulled their collective heads out of their butts and smelled the roses. In other words, maybe Win 10 is the thing to wait for.
To be sure, I didn’t get a clear read (from the review I saw) whether this was an actual test drive that the reviewer did, or wishful thinking, or mixed together with suggestions for what Microsoft ought to do in Win 10.
So whatev. I’ll leave it to the concerned reader to google up his own reviews, or wait a while and see how Win 10 is received. In any case, there’s at least a hint here that Win 10 might be worth waiting for. It also mentioned that there will be some very generous upgrade policy to get you existing Win 7 and 8 systems upgraded (like, for free within the first year or something like that).
Okay, I’ll post a link if I can find it again.
Okay, here’s one recent review of Windows 10 that looks generally positive.
It may just be everything that Windows 8 should have been, Nate Ralph, CNET, January 22, 2015.
It’s two and a half years after the introduction of Windows 8 and Windows 7 OS is very much available on new PCs. I doubt if trolls are that influential.
And if you are insinuating that I am a troll please take it to the Pit.
Nearly all of which can be eliminated with 15 minutes of web-searching to tell you which settings to change and/or fixes to download. Nearly all of the rest just take a week of getting used to.
Now, maybe there is some reason the OP really needs 7 instead of 8.1, which is why I asked why they want to change from Vista to 7. But, the OP was asking for advice, and my advice is, unless there’s a particular reason for needing Win 7 specifically, it’s better to just stick with Vista or go all the way to 8.1.
Here is a link to what I’m thinking of buying. Notice it has a free upgrade to Windows 10.
Is this a good deal?
That was not my intent at all. Someone asking where he could purchase windows might not necessarily understand the differences between windows 7 and 8, and said person might simply be re-acting to some of the overblown hate. This is why I asked.
I assume you are well informed and you still prefer to use windows 7. More power to you. That deal sounds good, btw. I usually only find OEM copies of windows for less than $100 on holiday sales.
I agree, based on my own limited experience with Windows 8.1 and also the feedback I’ve had from many users, and from others who avoid it like the plague – as in distinct contrast to those who enthusiastically upgraded Win 9x to XP and Vista to 7.
It’s true that there are those who have Windows 8.x and claim that it’s a fine OS and they like “x” features, but there have been users like that for every shitty OS that Microsoft has ever produced, including Windows ME and Vista. I’d like to know what the previous poster means by “I recommend Windows 8.1”. Based on what? Feature set? Performance? Support? Or just being the latest/greatest out of a big company that seems to have lost its way?
Windows XP and 7 are both great operating systems. As for where to get 7, many places may still be selling OEM versions or even the retail versions, someone already posted a link to Newegg. Someone I know picked up an OEM version locally quite cheap a few months ago. And for those buying new computers, Dell still offers Win 7 on some systems last I saw, particularly in the small business line. There’s a reason for that.
Actually, I think there’s nothing wrong with Windows 8.1. In fact, it has features that are very attractive to some users. Those features aren’t desired by me and that 15 minutes customizing the interface that Quercus suggested a new user spend as well as the week of familiarization seem unnecessary when an OS as solid as Windows 7 is still available. Others, possibly the OP too, share my opinion and have not only sustained a market for Windows 7 but have also been an influence on the development of Windows 10.
I can’t really speak to whether that’s a good deal, but if the latest reports are accurate, everyone with Windows 7 or 8 is going to get a free upgrade to Windows 10 no matter when you acquired your copy.