Windows 7

[RickFLM4]

Maybe I missed the thread (and searching didn’t narrowing things down much), or maybe I am the only idiot who was still running Windows 7 when it reached EOL in January, but wondering what others have done and / or any advice.

Microsoft seems to be pushing new PCs rather than updating to Windows 10. I’m guessing they sell Windows 10 either way and don’t want to hear complaints when people update older machines...

Admittedly my laptop is probably close to 5 years old but had pretty good specs when ordered and works fine for me. It is a Lenovo W550S, Intel Core i7-5600 @ 2.60GHz, 8 MB RAM currently running Windows 7 64-bit. I use it for (Office 2013) Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Quicken, Acrobat and Chrome. Not much else. No gaming, photo editing, video, etc. It has only a 500 GB SSD but I store everything on DropBox anyway and only sync what I need to access most frequently.

On one hand I really don’t want to spend the money on another laptop, new MS Office, etc. when this is working fine for me. On the other, I know I need to do something about Windows 7. Pain of upgrading to Win 10 vs. cost of new laptop.

I know there are some IT guys here. Please let me know your suggestion on path forward and anything I might need to worry about if I go the upgrade to Windows 10 path (machine not good enough, difficult upgrade / need to wipe clean and reinstall everything?, problems with Office, etc.). TIA.

[243Racing]

Windows 10 is aids. It requires constant attention. I’ve had nothing but trouble on every PC I’ve run it on. Get ready to live most of your life with 100% CPU usage for no apparent reason

[RickFLM4]

Alternative suggestion?

[243Racing]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

Alternative suggestion?

Mac.

The only reason I still have a home PC is for iRacing and it’s barely worth the trouble.

[RickFLM4]

Are MS Office files 100% seamlessly interchangeable between Windows and Macs now? All my clients are on Windows and I don’t want to screw around with file format compatibility or running Windows on a Mac.

[243Racing]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

Are MS Office files 100% seamlessly interchangeable between Windows and Macs now? All my clients are on Windows and I don’t want to screw around with file format compatibility or running Windows on a Mac.

I honestly don’t know. O365 is Mac compatible now though.

[2000cs]

I have the MS Office “apps” on my iMac and they work fine. Since that is what I use daily at work I prefer them to Pages, Numbers and whatever the Apple PowerPoint is called. I think there is a subscription required, of course.

[RickFLM4]

I was just looking at Macs and realized none are built with numeric keypads so that pretty much rules them out (CPA) without doing further research on them. I know you can get external keypads but they aren’t the same ergonomically.

[243Racing]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

I was just looking at Macs and realized none are built with numeric keypads so that pretty much rules them out (CPA) without doing further research on them. I know you can get external keypads but they aren’t the same ergonomically.

No, they’re not.

They do sell a magic keyboard with a 10 key https://www.amazon.com/Apple-Keyboar...37142222&psc=1

[2000cs]

I have an apple keyboard with a 10 key and it is a wired keyboard (USB) so I don’t have to worry about battery life.

But if I was doing client financial work, I would probably go with a PC because I have decades of experience with that in a full work environment and just use the Mac at home for lesser tasks (I have a work PC laptop I keep at home just in case I have real work to do). I’m just a lot faster on the PC, but I’ve seen Mac users who can match my PC speed on their Macs, so I think this is just familiarity and frequency of use.

I’d suggest you get to an Apple store and try one out.

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by 2000cs

I have an apple keyboard with a 10 key and it is a wired keyboard (USB) so I don’t have to worry about battery life.

But if I was doing client financial work, I would probably go with a PC because I have decades of experience with that in a full work environment and just use the Mac at home for lesser tasks (I have a work PC laptop I keep at home just in case I have real work to do). I’m just a lot faster on the PC, but I’ve seen Mac users who can match my PC speed on their Macs, so I think this is just familiarity and frequency of use.

I’d suggest you get to an Apple store and try one out.

My wife has a MacBook so I am somewhat familiar. There would be a learning curve. If all I was doing is personal stuff I’d be ok with it. It’s the business-related work that pushes me to stick with PC. Also I’d rather go shopping for shoes with my wife than go to the Apple Store, which I despise.

[MKSixer]

Originally Posted by BeastieBombRacing

Mac.

The only reason I still have a home PC is for iRacing and it’s barely worth the trouble.

This. Once you go Mac, you never go back.

[243Racing]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

My wife has a MacBook so I am somewhat familiar. There would be a learnings curve. If all I was doing is personal stuff I’d be ok with it. It’s the business-related work that pushes me to stick with PC. Also I’d rather go shopping for shoes with my wife than go to the Apple Store, which I despise.

Totally hear you on that. What Mac has going for it is it just works. Period .

Windows 7 was great. Windows 10 drove me to Mac.

[c1pher]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

Are MS Office files 100% seamlessly interchangeable between Windows and Macs now? All my clients are on Windows and I don’t want to screw around with file format compatibility or running Windows on a Mac.

Pretty much yes. They use different drive formatting but yes you can move a .docx file fro Windows to Mac and they work as they should.

If you are using this for home, I would definitely pay the little extra and get a Mac. I also use Parallels (virtual machine manager) to run Windows and Linux. If I need to use Windows, I can use files from the Mac hard drive and save them for use on the Mac later.

There are also apps that allow you to read NTFS formatted drive like an external flash drive or hard drive.

I have an iMac that is now five years old still running pretty much like new. I had a MacBook Pro i7 that worked for ten years. We are lucky to get three years out of Windows laptops at work. Sure we have some that last longer, but they are outside cases. Macs at work consistently outlast Windows machines.

[243Racing]

Originally Posted by c1pher

Pretty much yes. They use different drive formatting but yes you can move a .docx file fro Windows to Mac and they work as they should.

If you are using this for home, I would definitely pay the little extra and get a Mac. I also use Parallels (virtual machine manager) to run Windows and Linux. If I need to use Windows, I can use files from the Mac hard drive and save them for use on the Mac later.

There are also apps that allow you to read NTFS formatted drive like an external flash drive or hard drive.

I have an iMac that is now five years old still running pretty much like new. I had a MacBook Pro i7 that worked for ten years. We are lucky to get three years out of laptops at work. Sure we have some that last longer, but they are outside cases. Macs at work consistently outlast Windows machines.

I have a 2010 Mac Pro running the latest OSX smooth as a butterfly.

[MKSixer]

Originally Posted by BeastieBombRacing

Totally hear you on that. What Mac has going for it is it just works. Period .

Windows 7 was great. Windows 10 drove me to Mac.

Same here. I though Mac's were toys until I got my first one back in 2009. I've had 2 since then and will NEVER go back to PC's. I like my computer to work. Mac's Work.

[c1pher]

Originally Posted by MKSixer

Same here. I though Mac's were toys until I got my first one back in 2009. I've had 2 since then and will NEVER go back to PC's. I like my computer to work. Mac's Work.

My wife is not an IT person so did not want to switch to Mac, but if you ask her now, she wouldn’t go back to Windows. She also likes the integration with messages and FaceTime along with syncing her files. Of course you could use Dropbox or OneDrive, but she likes that it’s built in and all she has to do on a new device is log in and all her stuff is there.

[P1]

Interesting. Personally been on Windows since I was in short trousers, and on 10 both for work and personal. Works absolutely flawlessly. My wife, on the other hand, is always swearing at her Macbook Pro.

To the OP: my suggestion is to either buy a new laptop, or back your current files up, run DBAN on your laptop and perform a fresh Windows 10 Pro install.

[rcracin]

If it’s just for client use, you’ll be fine with Windows 10. All the firms use it so it can’t be as tragic as previous posters stated.

Upgrade your ram and you’ll be fine.

[c1pher]

Originally Posted by rcracin

If it’s just for client use, you’ll be fine with Windows 10. All the firms use it so it can’t be as tragic as previous posters stated.

Upgrade your ram and you’ll be fine.

Windows is not bad, but from a user experience and maintenance perspective, Mac is much easier to live with. YMMV.

[243Racing]

Originally Posted by rcracin

If it’s just for client use, you’ll be fine with Windows 10. All the firms use it so it can’t be as tragic as previous posters stated.

Upgrade your ram and you’ll be fine.

They’re also using windows 10 enterprise and managing a lot of the issues through GP which you can’t do in lower versions.

Yes, I’m probably being a little dramatic, but the fact is that at its absolute best Windows 10 is the most bloated, high maintenance OS ever released.

[MKSixer]

Originally Posted by c1pher

My wife is not an IT person so did not want to switch to Mac, but if you ask her now, she wouldn’t go back to Windows. She also likes the integration with messages and FaceTime along with syncing her files. Of course you could use Dropbox or OneDrive, but she likes that it’s built in and all she has to do on a new device is log in and all her stuff is there.

My 80 year old mother uses a Mac like an IT expert. They are infinitely usable and highly reliable.