jeffw_00 Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 So I read in a local newspaper recently that Microsoft announced no more updates for Windows 8, and in fact the release with the Start button had been cancelled? I was unable to find this in a web search today. If it's false, and they're continuing to fix Win 8, that's good. Otherwise, if they're really killing it early to work on Windows 9 - are they going to continue to sell Windows 7? Otherwise - after October, what do they expect people to buy? Is there a good article somewhere that clarifies all this? Thanks! /j Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frapper Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 Is this what you're looking for? It used to be that Microsoft would release a version of Windows about every three years. Incremental updates, you know the Windows X.X type updates or in the past Service Packs (SP) before Windows 8, would come out after the release of a new version of Windows every 12-18 months or so. There used to be common belief that you always waited for the first SP of a Windows OS before making an upgrade because that first update usually addressed any issues the OS had upon release. This new Windows world of updates might change that philosophy. http://www.windowsob...-changes-today/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amenditman Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 What that author proposes is a huge change for Microsoft Windows. Other than selling new computers/systems with Windows, there will be no reason to buy an upgrade to a newer version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffw_00 Posted August 17, 2014 Author Share Posted August 17, 2014 interesting article, thanks, but doesn't really address my qn. In light of uSoft "killing" win 8 prematurely (if indeed they did), will they continue to sell Win7? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeber Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 Seems to me that 7 is the traditional Microsoft desktop OS whereas, according to many I've spoken to on the topic, 8 is much more suitable for tablets and phones. Unless they plan on developing a one-for-all OS that works well on all devices they'd be smart to keep 7 as a desktop OS and push 8 (and 8.1) for mobile devices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crp Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 W8 is most probably not going to be getting any more major bundles of changes but it will still get updates for bug fixes, security concerns and the such. A smarter "Start" ain't coming to W8. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffw_00 Posted August 18, 2014 Author Share Posted August 18, 2014 right - so I would think they would continue to sell windows 7? Otherwise, what are office desktop folk supposed to do - sit and wait until win9 is mature? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zlim Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 It can be a task to try and find a Windows 7 computer. I looked at the recertified site where I've purchased quite a few things and they had no Windows 7 computers. I was discoutaged because I know a few seniors who should get off of XP. They now have Win 7 computers again. In fact, my husband's cousin just picked up a Dell Optiplex last week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raymac46 Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 Here's where I get mine: https://www.tte.ca/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=82_84 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffw_00 Posted August 19, 2014 Author Share Posted August 19, 2014 You can also buy them at Staples. Microsoft, however, DOES have a we will stop selling WIn7 date. I posted this to see if anyone knows if they extended it in light of their decision to stop "officifying" windows 8. I guess no one knows though.... /j Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goretsky Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 Hello, I think your newspaper got the story mixed up a little, which is easy to do because Microsoft has been a little confusing about things. At the end of July, 2013, Microsoft announced that it would require customers running Microsoft Windows 8[.0] to upgrade to Windows 8.1 two years after 8.1 was released (i.e., 2015) in order to remain supported. Unfortunately, it was found out that in October, 2013, Microsoft made some changes to processor support between Windows 8.0 and 8.1 that prevented it from running on some of the oldest CPUs and motherboards out there. In April, 2014, Microsoft required that customer running Windows 8.1 RTM upgrade to Windows 8.1 Update in order to continue receiving updates. Unfortunately, there are some users who cannot install the update for various reasons. This week (in August, 2014, that is), Microsoft announced that they were changing what the Microsoft Windows Update delivered to users of Windows 8.1 (as well as Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2). In addition to providing security updates and non-security fixes, they would also be introducing small improvements to the operating system as well, giving the example of improvements to wireless display connections made using Miracast standard, and some improvements to touchpad precision as well. So, instead of getting (semi?) annual updates like the Windows 8.1 Update, those functionality changes to the OS will be rolled out on a monthly basis, as they become available. Hopefully, that explains things a little more clearly. Regards, Aryeh Goretsky So I read in a local newspaper recently that Microsoft announced no more updates for Windows 8, and in fact the release with the Start button had been cancelled? I was unable to find this in a web search today. If it's false, and they're continuing to fix Win 8, that's good. Otherwise, if they're really killing it early to work on Windows 9 - are they going to continue to sell Windows 7? Otherwise - after October, what do they expect people to buy? Is there a good article somewhere that clarifies all this? Thanks! /j Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goretsky Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 Hello, While they may be difficult to find in office supply and electronics/computer superstores, they are available on via most computer manufacturers' web sites (e.g., Dell, HP, Lenovo, etc.); I also know that Costco has some at their stores since I picked one up for my mother at one a few weeks ago. Interestingly enough, many of the top-tier computer manufacturers were hit by high demand for desktops after Microsoft Windows XP's end of life date, and because they had transitioned to notebooks and tablets, were having difficulty meeting demand for desktop units. Regards, Aryeh Goretsky It can be a task to try and find a Windows 7 computer. I looked at the recertified site where I've purchased quite a few things and they had no Windows 7 computers. I was discoutaged because I know a few seniors who should get off of XP. They now have Win 7 computers again. In fact, my husband's cousin just picked up a Dell Optiplex last week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 The only thing you have to keep in mind is that Windows 7 mainstream support ends in 2016 with security life support till 2020. Windows 8 considerably longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffw_00 Posted August 20, 2014 Author Share Posted August 20, 2014 yes, but life support is good enough, and everything supports Win7 whereas many things don't quite work right in win8 yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amenditman Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Buy the best hardware available with Windows. Then when 9, or whatever they call it, is out and stable, upgrade. You should be fine if you buy a name brand with good driver support. Like Goretsky said HP, Dell, Lenovo, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Things work better in Win 8.1 than Win 8. Also much better overall. However, you are right, Win 7 is more expansive with support than Win 8/Win 8.1 in some areas. I personally prefer Win 7 myself. But I have gotten used to Win 8.1 and it doesn't suck. Win 8 on the other hand was very difficult. I like them both (Win 7 and Win 8.1) now. Quite workable for most things. Still prefer Win 7 over Win 8.1, but like previous versions of Windows, I prefer the top dog version best; Win 7 Ultimate/Win 7 Enterprise. They give you the best of all worlds including BitLocker and other things not included in Win 7 Home Premium/Win 7 Professional. Image courtesy of PCPro.co.uk article: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate review - PCPro.co.uk As the name suggests, Windows 7 Ultimate contains every new enhancement from Home Premium and Professional, along with plenty of additions that only appear in this edition of the OS. Except, not quite: because Windows 7 Ultimate and Windows 7 Enterprise are essentially identical. If you have two Windows 7 PCs in front of you, one running Ultimate and one running Enterprise, the only way you’ll be able to tell the difference is by launching the System screen, where it details which version you’re running. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffw_00 Posted August 20, 2014 Author Share Posted August 20, 2014 So I guess that a) win7 is no longer buyable after sept? (or oct?) since only OEM versions were available for all my upgrades - next time i upgrade HW I HAVE to go to Win 8. sucks, really... /j Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Pretty much. Unless you can buy a sealed box from eBay or Craigslist. I would only go with a sealed box though to be sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amenditman Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Win 7 computers are still available from online retailers and will continue to be even after Microsoft end of sales. There will also be many refurb and off-lease machines available for quite a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Yes, you can buy them from their Business grade computers mainly. And often pay a bit more for them. Such as from Dell, Lenovo, etc. Not as much there for a while from HP. I hope they expand that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffw_00 Posted August 20, 2014 Author Share Posted August 20, 2014 yes - but if anyone, say after october, wants to upgrade an XP machine - his only choice is the never-quite-finished, never-fully-supported Win8 - that's dumb IMHO. uSoft would make more $ by continuing to sell Win7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Agreed. But they already pretty much burned that bridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raymac46 Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 Honestly I haven't seen many XP machines out there that would benefit from a Windows upgrade. Most of the folks around Almonte who stuck with XP had old 2004-2005 junkers that were memory and GPU challenged. They probably wouldn't even run Vista, let alone Windows 8. These machines are good candidates for a light Linux install such as Xfce. There has been a lot of time to get a better machine since XP was first replaced by VIsta. Most of the seniors around here are on to Windows 7. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 Yes, it is limited even among Vista computers. But those would be the computers generally with the best chance to go to Windows 7. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raymac46 Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 (edited) My Dell Optiplex GX620 was absolutely bleeding edge when it left the factory in late 2005. It has a fast high end Pentium D and 3 GB of DDR2 RAM. It ran Windows XP Pro flawlessly. The problem was its brain dead Intel integrated graphics that couldn't even handle Aero glass. It would have been useless to upgrade as is. I installed a low end, low profile Nvidia card just to get it to handle a 3D Linux desktop. I'm pretty sure this machine could handle Windows 7. But why bother? It totally rocks 64 bit Debian Wheezy with the Gnome 3 desktop. Edited August 24, 2014 by raymac46 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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