Windows 7 Machine DOA

[Bailey Guns]

I have an older HP computer that I really like. I resisted updating to Windows 10 but finally relented. Naturally the update didn't work and now I need a Windows 7 boot disk to get it back up and running. I don't have one. Somehow lost it in the move up here. Any suggestions on what to do?

ETA: I'll be go to hell. I've been looking for my Win 7 product key for over a year and couldn't find it. I took the side panel off the machine I need to make work again and there it is inside the computer. Never seen it inside a computer.

Never mind.

[facepalm]

[mattiooo]

You can get those discs on Amazon and on Ebay if nobody here has one. I do not. Sorry.

[thedave1164]

If you still need a HP factory win 7 dvd, let me know

[Bailey Guns]

Thanks...I think I have it resolved.

[TheGrey]

Well now, that was damn lucky. :)

Windows 10 is positively shitful. Maintain your resistance! And write that key down somewhere, in case you're not able to get to it like that.

[spqrzilla]

There are also tools available that read off the Windows product key for you, of course you have to use them in advance.

[Zundfolge]

NEVER switch to Windows 10. If you find that Windows 7 is no longer doing it for you its time to learn how to use Linux (or start taking your chances with pirated/cracked versions of Windows).

The problem with Win10 is that you no longer own your copy of the OS, you're simply "renting" it. So you're not allowed to opt out of "updates" that break things and at some point Microsoft will find a way to force you to re-buy their OS or start making monthly rent payments to keep your computer running and not lose all your data.

Went through this crap with Adobe in the last couple years (Creative Suite is gone and now its Creative Cloud ... which you have to pay a monthly fee to keep using and its constant "updates" are always breaking the expensive third party plug-ins I rely on to do my job so we keep having to re-buy those every so often too).

This cloud crap ("software as a service" ie rent not own) is the future of computing. I really recommend everyone start exploring open source operating systems like one of the myriad flavors of Linux because there will come a day when Apple, Microsoft and Google will screw each and every one of us real hard.

The days of "install it and use it as long as you like" are rapidly coming to an end.

[Bailey Guns]

I may have to look into learning how to use Linux.

[Zundfolge]

I may have to look into learning how to use Linux.

I recommend Linux Mint (https://linuxmint.com/), its very user friendly (especially for someone that's an old hat at Windows).

All you really have to learn is that the file structure is slightly different, and you generally install software through Synaptic (or some other "app store" type application ... which used to be very alien to people, but since smart phones most folk are pretty used to that now) instead of downloading an .exe and running that.

If you use a computer for basic surfing, email, and light Excel/Word type office use you'll find Linux alternatives to do all that just fine (I actually like Libre Office more than the newer versions of MS office because I'm old and don't like change and its much more like MS Office of a decade ago).

But Windows 7 will be viable for at least the next few years, so no rush.

[CS1983]

With a lot of the new Desktop varieties (Mint, Ubuntu, etc.) it's really no different day to day than Windows for basic usage. The exception being it doesn't just do stuff like updates, you have to notice the icon and then run the updates you choose. If you have a specific Windows-based program you NEED to use, you can emulate in WINE (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_(software)). It's got a few bugs and I've never used it, but others do. However, because it brings Windows style emulation, it can bring in Windows style viruses as well -- one of the glories of Linux is that its market share is so low, its usage as an attack vector for most end-user viruses is low. It's like a Scandinavian getting AIDS -- could happen, but rare.

I use Linux Mint as my daily driver at home. All pics taken at home get run through a metadata scrubber program before uploading, via a BASH script I wrote.

My Windows usage is at work, and I have a Windows laptop for school work, since I have to be able to run programs the school provides for study. Honestly... once I'm done with school, I'll likely go full time Linux.

There is a slight learning curve with Linux as far as mere basic usage, but it's no worse than the next time Windows is updated to some wacky thing.

Your potential of getting a virus *which runs* is lower, since most end-user viruses target Windows OS. That's not to say Linux is immune, just that there is a lower chance of a received virus *running*. (https://www.linux.com/learn/myth-busting-linux-immune-viruses)

Plenty of us here have various levels of Linux knowledge. If you go with Linux of any variety, we can assist if you run into any issues. There's a wealth of knowledge online as well.

Last but not least:

Convert or face the wrath.

https://i.imgur.com/ahikJcB.jpg
(taken at the Citadel mall... Linux will kill us all).

[Zundfolge]

...If you have a specific Windows-based program you NEED to use, you can emulate in WINE (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_(software)). It's got a few bugs and I've never used it, but others do. However, because it brings Windows style emulation...

Uh ... WINE is not an emulator [ROFL1]

[CS1983]

True... I mean, it is in the name as not being the case (and it's not, since it translates rather than truly emulating), but I'm not going to get into a finer-points discussion and confuse him. Its own FAQ shows the hair splitting on this:


1.3 Is Wine an emulator? There seems to be disagreement

There is a lot of confusion about this, particularly caused by people getting Wine's name wrong and calling it WINdows Emulator.

When users think of an emulator, they tend to think of things like game console emulators or virtualization software. However, Wine is a compatibility layer - it runs Windows applications in much the same way Windows does. There is no inherent loss of speed due to "emulation" when using Wine, nor is there a need to open Wine before running your application.

That said, Wine can be thought of as a Windows emulator in much the same way that Windows Vista can be thought of as a Windows XP emulator: both allow you to run the same applications by translating system calls in much the same way. Setting Wine to mimic Windows XP is not much different from setting Vista to launch an application in XP compatibility mode.

A few things make Wine more than just an emulator:

Sections of Wine can be used on Windows. Some virtual machines use Wine's OpenGL-based implementation of Direct3D on Windows rather than truly emulate 3D hardware.
Winelib can be used for porting Windows application source code to other operating systems that Wine supports to run on any processor, even processors that Windows itself does not support.

"Wine is not just an emulator" is more accurate. Thinking of Wine as just an emulator is really forgetting about the other things it is. Wine's "emulator" is really just a binary loader that allows Windows applications to interface with the Wine API replacement.
https://wiki.winehq.org/FAQ#Is_Wine_an_emulator.3F_There_seems_to_be_disag reement

[Zundfolge]

Cav, the jokes aren't funny if you have to explain them :p

[68Charger]

And while Linux has a lower percentage of end-user deployment, the percentage is MUCH higher on internet servers (host systems)... cheaper, faster, and more secure than windows...

The only way to get good with it is to use it... after picking up management of several linux servers at work, I learned more in 3 months than 5 years of having an Ubuntu machine at home.... except that the home machine used WINE, and the host systems at work are all native linux apps.
Some will allow dual-boot so you can wean yourself off Windoze, or you could setup a VM (virtual machine) to run native windows instead of WINE, but now we're getting a bit more advanced configuration using hypervisor... and likely overkill unless you're hosting or have a compatibility problem with WINE.

Even Gaming is possible with most programs in WINE: https://appdb.winehq.org/

[Bailey Guns]

...but I'm not going to get into a finer-points discussion and confuse him.

Too late!

[Coffee]

I may just install it and try it out. I learn best that way.

[Bailey Guns]

I do internet surfing and shopping, this forum and a few others, stream movies and videos from Netflix and such, some MS Word or Excel stuff here and there and manage my pictures. That's about it. I'm hardly an expert but not a novice...probably a low-intermediate user. I like shit to work when I wanna use it.

[CS1983]

Sounds good. Let us know if you need any help with anything.

Any idea which you will go with for a variant?

[Bailey Guns]

No. I'll do some research and figure it out. Thanks for the info and taking the time to learn a newb something useful.

[Bailey Guns]

I installed Linux Mint (Cinnamon) on a computer (alongside Win 7). It was a little tricky figuring out how to make a bootable USB drive but I figured it out (translation: I searched and found instructions). Got it installed and then had to figure out how to get it to recognize my wireless network. Now I just need to tweak a few things and start learning how to use it effectively.

I have to say, just knowing I'm not using Windows is kinda fun. I'm gonna try to completely wean myself from Microsoft, Google, etc...

[CS1983]

So you configured dual boot and got it to connect online. You're more of an IT guy than some of the folks I've worked with! :D

There's a lot of neat features with Mint. I think you will enjoy it.

Before you get it too set up with personal files and such, go ahead and click around on everything to see where things are, how they work, etc. That way if you break it, a re-install won't be painful due to data loss.

[Bailey Guns]

I've Forrest Gump'd my way thru getting it to work at least. Any files I might add to it are already on another computer for now or stored on a separate HD. I'll make sure I don't put anything critical on it without having another copy. It's a little more complicated than what I'm accustomed to.

[MED]

Cool you're trying linux. I'm not sure about the Mint thing...seems like kind of a bloated mess to me; I should scan a fresh install sometime to see how bad it is out of the box. I'm more into a cleaned up install of Ubuntu 16.04 LTS with Gnome for daily tasks, and Kali for the fun stuff. Also booting into a live version of Ubuntu or Kali is a good way to play with it without doing an install, and run forensics if you are so inclined. Good luck, and keep it cleaned up; make sure you at least run sudo apt-get update and sudo apt-get upgrade frequently to keep it up to date.