Aging computer blues

[dogmush]

"Windows 10 hits End of Support on October 14, 2025."

My computer is running windows 7. I just keep dismissing the "OH MY GOD YOUR COMPUTER IS OUT OF DATE, YOU'RE GONNA DIE SCREAMING!!!" messages from Microsoft.

Sure, it won't explode or anything, but folks will stop making drivers for it eventually, and security holes will go unpatched, and new software and websites will be less likely to support it. 

We already get some version of "How do I make my new dohicky work with my computer" thread on here like quarterly, so I thought I'd mention that the OS is going to lose tech support soon.  Your computer is working fine so there's no reason to replace it, but you'd be retarded to buy a new Win7 computer to replace it.  If Hawk is going to spend money, he might look at future proofing the new machine more than 18 months out.  That's all I was getting at.

[Hawkmoon]

Do you know if your copy of windows is using an OEM or retail key?
If a retail key it can be transferred to a new build thus saving you money if you go that route

This particular computer was purchased new directly from Dell at the time XP was being replaced by Windows 7. I bought it custom-configured with XP installed and a license for Windows 7. It has since been upgraded from XP to Windows 7 (using the license key that's pasted on the outside of the case), and then from Windows 7 to Windows 10.

As to "Replace" -- those of you who said that missed the part about this being my old-old computer. I have two newer Dell desktops. This one is something I'm keeping around as a sort of spare to the spare. If I ever get around to organizing my basement, I'll set it up down there, near the reloading bench. For now I just want to make it somewhat usable -- I may ultimately donate it somewhere and, if I do so, I'd like it to be more than a paperweight  for whoever gets it.

[JTHunter]

Another vote for replacement. Any money you put in the current machine is just delaying the inevitable. Also, it's an unrecoverable expense from a future-proofing standpoint. Pick up a solid used rig or a Scratch & Dent/Refurb from any number of manufacturers' Outlet Stores. As of right now you can get a nicely configured mid-tier Dell which will easily do everything you need and more for under six bills.

Brad

Hawkmoon - unfortunately, I have to agree with Brad and I'm speaking from experience.
About 12 years ago, my elderly mother's Windows XP Home died so she decided to swipe my XP Pro.  Several programs that I had been running on the Pro did not work with the Windows 7 system I had custom built for me and that I'm using to this day.
Well, my mother passed 2 months ago and I have dozens of 3.5" floppies AND 100 mb ZIP discs with things she had stored on them.  I have an external drive for them but I have misplaced the power cord so I tried booting up my 98 machine as it has both drives internally.  Unfortunately, it failed to boot showing "cheksum errors" as well as a loss of the date & time settings.  Then the HD started going "click - - - - click - - - - click" about every other second.  It has been at least 2 years since the last time I used it so this shouldn't surprise me.  It just makes the chore of trying to read those old disc and see if there is anything worth saving that much harder./
As I said, this is a  Win. 7 that I had the builder "future proof" for me as much as possible.  Except for the PPPoE connection getting messed up in the late teens, it's still working for me with Office 2000, Photoshop 6, and a fairly new Epson scanner/printer.  That being said, it is very likely that my next system will be some version of Linux and I'll have to get something like Open Office and GIMP to replace Office 2000 and P'shop.

[RocketMan]

Untrue.

There is a boot flag that can be set on 32 bit windows ever since WinXP and Server 2003 called PAE, Physical Address Extensions.

https://retrosystemsrevival.blogspot.com/2019/06/windows-vista7810-x86-128gb-ram-patch.html

Of course your hardware must support 32 bit PAE for this to work, and no single app can use more than 2GB since the core OS is still 32 bit.

Interesting.  First I've heard of this.  Learned something new today.  I may give this a try on a Win10 32 bit 4GB machine I have that could benefit from more memory.

[Brad Johnson]

Sure, it won't explode or anything

No... no...
Definitely an explosion - possibly two - lots of pain - major hysteria - uncontrolled weeping - unimaginable horrors and such...

Brad

[RocketMan]

No... no...
Definitely an explosion - possibly two - lots of pain - major hysteria - uncontrolled weeping - unimaginable horrors and such...

Brad

As long as dogs and cats don't start living together, you should be good.

[WLJ]

Should have bought one of these

[Brad Johnson]

As long as dogs and cats don't start living together, you should be good.

I didn't mention mass hysteria. Did not, not, not!!

Brad

[WLJ]

I didn't mention mass hysteria. Did not, not, not!!

Brad

Election night is less than a year away

[RocketMan]

I really like the thread drift feature on this board.  It works so well.

[Brad Johnson]

I really like the thread drift feature on this board.  It works so well.

Well, Hawkmoon's computer might explode, too. We're instilling reasonable expectations.

Brad

[AZRedhawk44]

Interesting.  First I've heard of this.  Learned something new today.  I may give this a try on a Win10 32 bit 4GB machine I have that could benefit from more memory.

It was a valuable feature in the blurry period between 32bit and 64bit computing, particularly for sysadmins.  I had a few 2005 era SQL Servers running on PAE until we replaced the underlying hardware with 64 bit compatible stuff.