Windows 7 support ends?

Stoke

Be a sad day. The only Windows I can actually tolerate.

Neil_Jones

wongataa wrote: »

Basically if you don't keep your drive too full everything will be fine and you won't suffer slowdowns. Windows 7 upwards (and maybe Vista) defragments hard disks in the background for you so you don't have to worry about doing that.

Windows XP didn't support it but you could have set up a scheduled task to do it.

As a general rule try to keep the drive less than half full, which was often easier said than done in eras of 40Gb hard drives.

EveryWhere

HDD are slow anyway. Really few reasons to not utilise an SSD as your boot drive.Especially as they are relatively inexpensive these days.

No need to put up with long start up times and the general lack of robustness.

Just like no one wants to go back to dial up speeds, it's much the same once you fit an SSD. You will no longer accept the sluggishness of the old electro-mechanical drives, for when it comes to Boot drives

EveryWhere

Stoke wrote: »

Be a sad day. The only Windows I can actually tolerate.

I really didn't want to move and I left it for a couple of years. But for the most part I don't really see the issues, now that it is installed.

It does what it is supposed to do.

https://www.safer-networking.org/products/spybot-anti-beacon/ is useful for those who want to cut down on the reporting. Privacy Browsers can protect you further still. it's no different with Windows 7 and 8.1. Telemetry there too.

cherry76

EveryWhere wrote: »

A six year old PC is almost new. The problem is not the age, but the specification when purchased.
In addition to this, six years ago, you would be hard pushed to find a consumer PC sold with a solid state drive as standard. They would mainly be the old technology electro-magnetic storage drive.that tends to slow down with use over time(for various reasons.)

Even new PCs these days are sold with old technology electro-magnetic storage drives, as the storage capacity looks impressive to the uninitiated. But one should not buy a PC fitted solely with such a drive, unless you are capable of fitting a solid state drive for yourself. They are old and slow.


The problem has nothing to do with age, but with the old and slow hard drive and the build up of unwanted software issues.
All of this can be solved with swapping the old and slow drive, for a fast solid state drive, costing as little as £17 and a clean install of the operating system.
Storage drives are usually user replaceable.
But you need to tell us the make and model number of the PC and to not be stubborn, for us to be able to help.

It is Inspiron 660 MT desktop, 7 yrs this month. I do not think it is worth paying to get it upgraded. Looking for something similar budget £600. Is it worth buying refurbished. Do not need screen only base. Thanks

cherry76

I am a newbie have not got a clue so I would need to get somebody to upgrade. Is it worth the money or buy new? Thanks

EveryWhere

cherry76 wrote: »

It is Inspiron 660 MT desktop, 7 yrs this month. I do not think it is worth paying to get it upgraded. Looking for something similar budget £600. Is it worth buying refurbished. Do not need screen only base. Thanks

Once again, it is a relatively easy upgrade, that you can do for yourself.
There are other people with no experience at all, who have completed the exact same thing with the help of the people on this forum.

The specification of your PC is more than fine for what you need. Your issue is that old hard drive and a buildup of unwanted software.

Desktop are usually designed for the user to be able to change certain parts without needing any experience at all. All you need is a simple guide on what to do.

What you need to do is to pull the connectors out of the back of the old drive and plug the into the back of the new. That's it! Literally takes a minute.

Then you install the operating system. Again, very easy when explained.

Then you will have a fast Desktop and the satisfaction that you did something that you thought was impossible. Saving yourself £600 in the bargain.

EveryWhere

cherry76 wrote: »

I am a newbie have not got a clue so I would need to get somebody to upgrade. Is it worth the money or buy new? Thanks

Play this video;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn6zxoh3oK4

It is an eleven year old laptop fitted with varied amounts of RAM and HDD and SSD.

The two examples at the bottom of the video have SSD fitted. The two at the top have the kind of hard drive that is fitted to your laptop.
The video gives you an idea of the difference you will experience. Your PC will be even fast than what you see.

Trains

I managed to install a new SDD this week.

If i can do it anyone can.

EveryWhere and others here were an enormous help and support.

My laptop is alot faster and it only cost me £20 for 120GB SSD from Amazon.

Another tenner gets you 240GB.

Trains

EveryWhere wrote: »

Who is Elsewhere? Haven't seen any posts from them.

Sorry, i noticed my mistake and updated / edited my post.