Upgrading Win 7 to Win 10

[buster]

I have finished doing four of these, two in the last week for friends. The comment from 3 friends - 'Hard to see the difference between 7 and 10.' And they were pleased.

#1. It's relatively easy, but long. Count on three hours.
#2. Back up data. Maybe make an image backup, which Microsoft makes easy, though I never had any problems.
#3. Win 10 is no 'heavier' than 7 as far as I can see.
#4. Go to

https://www.zdnet.com/article/heres-how-you-can-still-get-a-free-windows-10-upgrade/

scroll down until you find the appropriate link. Click etc.

#5. Send me a personal message, or ask in the thread for explanations or help.
#6. Tell people you are doing it for a friend if you don't want Linux people to know.

[Jason]

I don't think you're going to find many in the club that are interested in upgrading Windows 7 to Windows 10 or even installing Windows 10 straight away. Not saying there's anything wrong with it (or right with it) and I agree it's just as light, but it really has nothing that Linux doesn't have and you're not forced into updates, especially feature updates which have nothing whatsoever to do with security.

Still, it's useful information. Windows 10 is great for games, after all. 

[buster]

I agree that most in the club are not interested, but they may have parents or cousins or old neigbours or a business. Just a few notes on the people I did this for

- all were over 75 years old
- 2 were still using a computer I helped them pick out many years ago, and they liked it
- none are proficient with a computer
- they didn't want to lose things like passwords, an old Family Tree program, shortcuts to the oddest places like hotels they used on their way south in the winter, wallpapers they loved, etc
- they felt comfortable on their laptop. They knew the programs

Most common comment after the update - 'seems pretty well the same'

So if you need to do  it for someone, get in touch for help.

[Jason]

That's fair - I'd only argue with the lack of proficiency with computers to be a reason for using Windows.

Once you setup Linux on a machine for someone, particularly one of the easier ones like Ubuntu, Linux Lite, even Cinnamon, it's just as easy to use as Windows. If you use a rolling release distro, you will likely never ever have to upgrade, either. And you can make updates automatically so the user never even sees them.

Compared to Linux, the Windows update system is sloppy, takes too much time and is often prone to error. If you haven't experienced that, you've been lucky, because many of us in the club have experienced the errors in updates and then time-consuming rollbacks. This isn't a bias of mine, I think I'm being pretty objective on this point.

Count how long it takes to do updates on Windows in total (and all your software with it, for say 2-3 months) and then count how long it takes to do the same in Linux. Windows updates also put stuff back on your system you removed and add other stuff you don't necessarily want.

And you can't do anything while you go through the reboot for updates, whereas with Linux, you can continue using your system. Hell, you can even use the very program you're updating. Close it and re-open it and voila! There's the new version. You only really need to reboot for kernel and boot manager updates and even then you can leave it until the next time you reboot.
The other points I pretty much understand and agree with for the most part. A lot of people don't like change, it's uncomfortable. But it can also save you a lot of time if you're willing to change, even a little and you can discover things you didn't even know existed. I liken it to working out at the gym. I love doing it now. But was it uncomfortable when I first started going? You bet it was! But the change was worth it and still worth it as I find I have more energy, more strength and better endurance. And that's after just 4 weeks. I look forward to it every day and feel terrible when I've missed a session (usually election stuff interfering).

[buster]

And then, when you finish the upgrade (though this isn't guaranteed) you might receive, as I just did, a case of 6 bottles of Landshark Lager, with its bright yellow labels. Interesting looking beer. My friends seem to  know my tastes.

[dougal]

i would add that the most significant complaint i have with linux vs windows 7>10 is when certain apps don't work in linux and you are spending time trying to get that rectified compared to they just work in win10 like they did in win7 (eg.skype audio distortion and logging into live broadcast subscriptions like TSN,nbcsn)...there's very little appetite by most pc users to fiddle with that...i'm including myself here some days...that's one of the reasons i keep a win7 machine on hand.

[Jason]

I agree, dougal.

Although the more time you spend in Linux, the more you find the alternatives to the Windows apps. Skype is a Microsoft product now so they have a strong reason to not update their client in Linux and that's why it doesn't work as well. But there are alternatives like WhatsApp on phones, Discord and Signal (the first and last don't require you to sign up for anything, they will use your existing number. The last two are also available on PCs for syncing.

But still, sometimes you just need something done fast that you know works so having Windows available is useful. Nowadays I mainly keep it for games but I haven't found a good Adobe Reader alternative for Linux yet that lets me fill in forms so I boot into Windows for that, too.

[fox]

... I haven't found a good Adobe Reader alternative for Linux yet that lets me fill in forms so I boot into Windows for that, too.

Try Foxit Reader or MasterPDF Editor; both available for Linux. Neither is open source, but both are free. I use them both, though there are some forms I still need Adobe Reader for.

[Jason]

Thank you, Fox! I knew you had written about this before but didn't have time to search when I wrote that. I didn't realize that Foxit (your namesake!) let you input into forms. I have to apply for a special ballot for my wife and I'd rather have the form written out so she can sign it before I leave to drop it off (and vote ahead of the election). Never checked out MasterPDF but I'm familiar with Foxit.