need key code Windows 7 needs!

[Eyesa Horg]

Last ditch effort here. My PC is running on Windows Vista which along with my browser & Anti-virus is no longer updateable.

My hope is that someone here may have the "Key code" for Windows 7. My computer guy says he may be able to upgrade my PC, but it needs to go to 7 before upgrading to Windows 10. He has a disk for 7, but no key code. If you have one and  would like to share it, Please do!

 

Thanks in advance,

Eyesa

 

I asked the moderator to move this to the Saloon, posted on wire by mistake!

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

Time to buy a new computer.  It's like trying to update your analog flip phone or buying tapes for your BetaMax.  Time to move on.

[Father Kit Cool Gun Garth]

@Eyesa Horg

          Your wish has been granted!

         

          Sent you an email with a Key Code.

          You have two (2) wishes remaining.

          Choose them wisely.

[Capt. James H. Callahan]

When you install 7, set your computer to NOT get Windows updates. My wife let hers update Win. 7 and it boogered up all sort of stuff a week or two ago.

JHC

[bgavin]

OP,

Download the Win10 installer from Microsoft.
Do an in-place upgrade (run Win20 setup.exe).
This will create a bona fide "digital license" for your machine.
You can then use this serial on the SAME MACHINE to do a fresh Win10 install from the ISO you downloaded from microsoft.

You can also Google for "ShowKey Plus" which is a freeware utility that shows your currently installed key.
It will also show if you have Win7 markers in the system BIOS.
This is part of my customer audit tools, and it works great.
It is stand-alone, and does not require "installation".  Just run it.

If you need assistance, let's do it by email.

Edit:  I have no clients with Vista, but it is my understanding Win10 will do an inplace upgrade from Vista.

Win7 comes in many flavors.
Retail, OEM, Embedded, Point-of-Sale, etc.
You HAVE to match the serial code with the version of Win7 you are installing.

Also, Win7 will no longer be able to run Turbo Tax, etc this year.
Many old machines (old hardware) cannot successfully be upgraded to Win10.

https://www.windowscentral.com/how-upgrade-windows-vista-windows-10

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

You have a machine running Vista that you want to do two upgrades and get to windows 10.  Rots o’ ruck!

[John Kloehr]

Vista would run in 512 MB of RAM, Windows 10 recommendation is 8 GB (16 times as much). 2 GB is the minimum to run Windows 10, but it will be slow.

 

How much memory does your computer have?

 

Are you sure it is worth putting effort into a machine that is 10 to 20 (19) years old?

 

In 2000, a single core processors were just breaking 1 Ghz clock speed.

 

1n 2010, quad core processors were running at that speed.

 

Today, 6-core processors are running several times faster.

[Eyesa Horg]

Thank you so much folks, I think I shall way my options a little more. Mine is a dual core w/ about 3.5G ram. Sounds  kind of anemic by John Kloer's post.

 

[Eyesa Horg]

1 hour ago, bgavin said:

OP,

Download the Win10 installer from Microsoft.
Do an in-place upgrade (run Win20 setup.exe).
This will create a bona fide "digital license" for your machine.
You can then use this serial on the SAME MACHINE to do a fresh Win10 install from the ISO you downloaded from microsoft.

You can also Google for "ShowKey Plus" which is a freeware utility that shows your currently installed key.
It will also show if you have Win7 markers in the system BIOS.
This is part of my customer audit tools, and it works great.
It is stand-alone, and does not require "installation".  Just run it.

If you need assistance, let's do it by email.

Edit:  I have no clients with Vista, but it is my understanding Win10 will do an inplace upgrade from Vista.

Win7 comes in many flavors.
Retail, OEM, Embedded, Point-of-Sale, etc.
You HAVE to match the serial code with the version of Win7 you are installing.

Also, Win7 will no longer be able to run Turbo Tax, etc this year.
Many old machines (old hardware) cannot successfully be upgraded to Win10.

https://www.windowscentral.com/how-upgrade-windows-vista-windows-10

That appears to be some handy info, Thanks.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

3 minutes ago, Eyesa Horg said:

Thank you so much folks, I think I shall way my options a little more. Mine is a dual core w/ about 3.5G ram. Sounds  kind of anemic by John Kloer's post.

 

Kind of anemic?  Let there be no doubt about it, it is anemic.

[John Kloehr]

6 minutes ago, Eyesa Horg said:

Thank you so much folks, I think I shall way my options a little more. Mine is a dual core w/ about 3.5G ram. Sounds  kind of anemic by John Kloer's post.

 

You are on the edge. Might be OK today for casual browsing and watching youtube.

 

But a year or two from now? Not sure there are long legs on the upgrade.

 

Good used machines are out there for under $1,000, and consumer level price point for the latest tech is always $2,000 for the impulse purchase. Find a last-year closeout on an otherwise new machine?

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

MAC is your Huckleberry by golly.

[Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967]

Vista.  Vista just plumb sucked.

 

I really pi$$ed off our IT guy at work once.  I happened along when he was trying to talk our CFO into "upgrading" all our computers to the brand-new, super-good VISTA operating system.  I cleared my throat and suggested that they not do this, and pointed out that VISTA had a user approval rating of only 8%... and those who did like it were pretty much limited to gamers and IT professionals. 

 

CFO looked at the now embarrassed IT guy and said "No."

 

  

[bgavin]

A trip down memory lane...

Windows CE
Windows ME
Windows NT
When combined... Windows CEMENT

Anything older than Win10 will be forced (literally) into obsolescence.
For those who do not roll their own, buy a name brand machine with Win10 Pro installed.
Sadly, they cut corners with budget SSDs, power supplies and memory, unless you pony up for a premium Alienware or similar.
You are not going to get a Samsung 980 PRO NVME or a Seasonic Focus power supply on a budget computer.. ain't gonna happen at that price point.

However, a commercial machine like a Dell will have all the installed hardware working well with each other.
Old hardware trying to run Win10 is chancy at best.  Been there, done that, too many times.

More processor cores isn't a guarantee of uber fast performance.
Many applications won't use those cores..
Buy the processor cores you need for YOUR use.
Often times a fewer cores is a higher clock rate.

I use Photoshop CS6EE every day... but it is a stupid neanderthal, and only uses a single core.
I run it on a Xeon with 8 cores / 16 threads and 96 gb of ECC memory.
Photoshop is also a greedy pig as well as a stupid neanderthal, and will gobble up every single bit of that 96 gb when making panoramas or stacks.

 

[Pat Riot]

I have always wondered why they called it “Windows”. I believe a better name would have been “Doors”. 
Their systems are like a huge house of doors that lead to many rooms. Doors you can walk through but cannot fit anything else through, like the furniture you need. Some doors have combinations and locks that take time to figure out. Many doors seem to be in bad neighborhoods where dirtbags break in and steal all your stuff. When new doors are installed with new locks your old keys won’t work. 
 

Doors would have been more appropriate. 

[Eyesa Horg]

Thank you again---It's sounding more & more like a new machine is the better way to go. All we really do is e-mail, internet  surfing and store pictures. A bit of document work as well. So, not thinking we need a high end unit.

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

Settling for a "make-do" computer just means you're going to spend the money twice.

 

You may well do much better sourcing a really good large screen Lap Top.  Most of the new generation of Lap Tops are far far better than what you currently have.

[irish ike, SASS #43615]

MAC did a similar thing. I have an IMAC 2012 that is 64 bit. But most of the software at the time was 32 bit. Ran fine. MAC comes along and upgrades the OS to accept only 64 bit compatible software. I didn't know this until I started trying to use certain software. Now I have to buy a bunch of software. Adobe used to be buy it once and upgrade for free. Now the only option is pay $9.50/month for each adobe software set-up you need. BS if you ask me.

[Eyesa Horg]

And a lot of the lap tops I see now don't even have cd/dvd drive to be able to load programs!.

[irish ike, SASS #43615]

1 hour ago, Eyesa Horg said:

And a lot of the lap tops I see now don't even have cd/dvd drive to be able to load programs!.

Everything is downloaded from the cloud or the internet now. No copies of anything on CD anymore.

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

CDs have gone the way of the Dodo Bird.  DVD may well not be that far behind.  Streaming Services are killing the DVD Movie market.  New release movies can be rented for half the cost of a DVD.

 

I still have a Pioneer Elite Laser Disc player in the rack.  Laser Disc is like hens teeth.  Likewise, My high end CD player(s) are worth pennies.  As are my once fine 35mm film cameras.  Progress SUX!! 

[Eyesa Horg]

Much Obliged everybody. I believe I've reached the conclusion that buying a new machine is the way to go. Thank you for basically talking me into it, I try to be frugal sometimes, sometimes to my own detriment! You guys are the best--Thanks.

 

Eyesa

[Crusty Knees]

I wouldn't ever want to open up and fiddle with the innards of a laptop, except to replace the hard drive.  I know where my comfort level ends!

But years back when I retired I built myself a tower PC.  Extra quiet fans, cause I hate the whirring noises my old PC had,, even though I cleaned it out regularly.  At least I can get my hands in there.  And when a part starts to die, like a powder supply, hard drive, or DVD drive, the offending parts can be readily replaced.  I built it with 16GB RAM and Windows 10 pro.  After the 2nd Hard Drive began to die I switched to a SSD.  Fortunately, everything is backed up, all the time.

Only thing I added since then is a big Tripp-Lite UPS that also levels out power spikes and dips.

All that and all I do now is email, Ancestry, lurk here and some other forums and play a little with photos from my digital camera.

Oh yeah, I have a big monitor so I can watch streaming movies or TV shows like "The Expanse"

 

I wouldn't buy any of those compact mini-desktops where sound/video and everything else is on the main board.

 

 

[John Kloehr]

46 minutes ago, Eyesa Horg said:

Much Obliged everybody. I believe I've reached the conclusion that buying a new machine is the way to go. Thank you for basically talking me into it, I try to be frugal sometimes, sometimes to my own detriment! You guys are the best--Thanks.

 

Eyesa

Basically email, video streaming, no high-end graphics or games, right?

 

Start here:

 

https://deals.dell.com/en-us/category/laptops?c=us&s=dhs&gacd=9684992-1017-5761040-266906002-0&dgc=st&&gclid=CjwKCAiA9bmABhBbEiwASb35Vzvjal4HXTb6MclRU9Az5wdjA0Bd81yp6CaVrOAwfRyD1t3baYM0rhoCwXcQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

There are other brands and deals, but this gives some price points.

 

If I needed a machine from this list on a budget and could deal with a 13" screen, I would go for this one:

 

https://deals.dell.com/en-us/productdetail/78ur for about $1,000.

 

I do like bigger screens, and would then go configure a system since the closeout prices for those ($2,000 to $2,500) from Dell were not grabbing my attention.

 

Dell is good, but no reason to not look at Toshiba or ??? or any name brand.

 

I would want 16 GB of memory for future-proofing.

 

Solid state drives are really neat for fast boot up but Windows does not really boot fully any more unless you insist, it uses a hibernate file instead which is pretty fast.

 

I'm a data hog, lots of storage needs. Look at how much you have used on your current machine to guess a disk size for your needs.

 

Make sure the screen you choose is big enough for you, and if several people gather around your screen, make sure it looks good when viewed from the off-angles.

 

Don't overanalyze other features, leads to paralysis by analysis.

 

The above points do not consider other costs, the main one being software. Add $99 per year for Microsoft office.

[bgavin]

The singlemost improvement to Windows performance is a solid state disk.
This is especially true for Win10 which is a HUGE pig.
Windows is very busy with the disk.. it never stops.

The next improvement is the memory speed.
This technology has advanced hugely over your Vista-era hardware.

Budget computers cut corners with disks and memory.
You are not going to get 980 Pro NVME disks or DDR4 go-fast memory in a budget machine.
However, even a budget machine will be miles and miles ahead of your Vista machine.

I disable hibernation on my client machines because it was SO problematic in the past.
In my business, a call-back is lost revenue and wasted time.
Win10 may/may not have hibernation difficulties today, but I disable it anyway.
Win10 boots nicely from an SSD without an overlong delay.

You can still buy CD based copies of Microsoft Office.
They make it difficult because they want you on the year subscription fee of $99 ever year as noted above.
There are a number of overstock sellers where you can find Office 2016, etc for $40 or so.
I refuse to own "subscription" software, which is why I stick with an older version of Photoshop.

When I retired, I lost my MSDN subscription, and actually had to BUY (gasp!) a retail copy of Win10.
Mine was $55 for Win10 Pro (retail) with a legit license from an overstock seller.

If you buy Win10 yourself, always get the "retail" and not "oem" version.
OEM is locked forever into your current hardware configuration.. you cannot move it to a new machine.
Retail can be uninstalled and reinstalled on new hardware without having to buy it all over again.

As noted above, you can over-analyze something to death.
If a price point is the driving factor, look for the sales.
I place Dell in most clients where price is the primary factor.
I find Dell machines FAR easier to support, even though I worked for HP for awhile.

[irish ike, SASS #43615]

I'm a MAC user. And while you can configure laptops and towers to your spec's the price point doesn't change no matter where you buy it. And there are no "sales".

An IPAD at Apple is the same cost as Best Buy.

 

Windows OS is a pain, but you can shop around with more options and sales and still get a could unit.

[Sedalia Dave]

On 1/24/2021 at 8:12 AM, Eyesa Horg said:

Thank you again---It's sounding more & more like a new machine is the better way to go. All we really do is e-mail, internet  surfing and store pictures. A bit of document work as well. So, not thinking we need a high end unit.

 

For what you are doing have you thought about a chromebook?

[Eyesa Horg]

16 hours ago, Sedalia Dave said:

 

For what you are doing have you thought about a chromebook?

I have, but lap tops are a pain for me type on due to my shoulder unless I use it as a literal laptop! Thank you for the thought however. I appreciate everyone's input here.