Win7 in the UK

[jbm]

With the release of Windows 8, how long will it be before Windows 7
Professional becomes affordable in the UK (i.e. >50% off the current
price)? Only viable option for me is to buy over the counter, probably
PC World. I'm currently running W7 Home Premium which is more trouble
than it's worth, and I don't think a W7 Professional upgrade will get
rid of all the problems.

Any info gratefully received?

jim

 

[Char Jackson]

With the release of Windows 8, how long will it be before Windows 7
Professional becomes affordable in the UK (i.e. >50% off the current
price)? Only viable option for me is to buy over the counter, probably
PC World.

I'm not in the UK so I can't answer that, but...

I'm currently running W7 Home Premium which is more trouble
than it's worth, and I don't think a W7 Professional upgrade will get
rid of all the problems.

What problems are you having? Lay it out and maybe we can help you
solve the problems without requiring an upgrade.

 

[Michael Swift]

With the release of Windows 8, how long will it be before Windows 7
Professional becomes affordable in the UK (i.e. >50% off the current price)?
Only viable option for me is to buy over the counter, probably PC World. I'm
currently running W7 Home Premium which is more trouble than it's worth,
and I don't think a W7 Professional upgrade will get rid of all the problems.

Any info gratefully received?

I opted for Win7 64 bit pro twelve months ago on a new build, I had
problems with an accounts program I wrote in basic but DOS Shell
resolves that, my news and email client throws up an error but then
runs, I had a few problems with scanner and printer but a bit of work
solved them.

I suspect the problems you have will still be there after a clean instal
of Win 7 Pro, you just have to work at it.

Mike

 

[Good Guy]

With the release of Windows 8, how long will it be before Windows 7
Professional becomes affordable in the UK (i.e. >50% off the current
price)? Only viable option for me is to buy over the counter, probably
PC World. I'm currently running W7 Home Premium which is more trouble
than it's worth, and I don't think a W7 Professional upgrade will get
rid of all the problems.

Any info gratefully received?

jim

How much are you willing to pay for Win 7 Professional? Perhaps I might
have link for you buy online from a genuine source. Software can't be
bought from a shop these days because of the overheads of rents and
business rates. Online is the only option for you; even Argos has
decided to close 75 of its shops and to concentrate on online store(s).
they are all trying to compete with Amazon.

Good luck.

 

[charlie]

With the release of Windows 8, how long will it be before Windows 7
Professional becomes affordable in the UK (i.e. >50% off the current
price)? Only viable option for me is to buy over the counter, probably
PC World. I'm currently running W7 Home Premium which is more trouble
than it's worth, and I don't think a W7 Professional upgrade will get
rid of all the problems.

Any info gratefully received?

jim

"is more trouble than it's worth"

Details?

 

[jbm]

"is more trouble than it's worth"

Details?

1. When starting up, the wallpaper screen and all the program icons
refresh at least three times. This can take almost 5 minutes!!!

2. Internet Explorer (can't remember version, 9 I think, haven't used it
for yonks) hangs on start up, and hangs regularly during use.

3. Windows Live Mail - same as IE but even worse.

4. When downloading anything (files, web pages, mail, etc), the computer
slows to a crawl. Fibre optic connection, DL 40-70Mbps, UL constant
16Mbps. Nothing wrong with the connection.

(2-4. Currently running Firefox and Thunderbird, with no ill effects
apart from the slowness during downloads.)

5. Paint Shop Pro 9. Active window will suddenly freeze solid. Closing
that window will hang the whole program. Only way out is to force a
closure through Task Manager. I would much prefer to run that one under
a Win XP environment.

6. Scanner won't install - Canon haven't written any drivers for it in
Win 7.

7. Wave Lab, Steinberg Clean and all associated programs won't install.

8. All my disc printing templates are stored in Win XP programs files,
so I can't access them.

(5-8. All isn't lost since those all run on my laptop (XP))

9. Every single program takes an age to start on each first run session.
Once it's been run all is OK until I switch off and try the next time.
By an age, some take over a minute.

All the above started shortly after allowing the automatic installation
of SP1. And I can't uninstall it because it's not in the list, probably
because I've run disc cleanup several times, and that didn't improve
anything..

The computer's two years old. Hewlett Packard S5508uk, AMD Athlon II X3
440 processor 3.00 GHz, 3.00 GB RAM, 64-bit operating system, running
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1. AVG Anti Virus 2011 v.10 (full paid up version).

Hows that for starters?

jim

 

[Char Jackson]

1. When starting up, the wallpaper screen and all the program icons
refresh at least three times. This can take almost 5 minutes!!!

2. Internet Explorer (can't remember version, 9 I think, haven't used it
for yonks) hangs on start up, and hangs regularly during use.

3. Windows Live Mail - same as IE but even worse.

4. When downloading anything (files, web pages, mail, etc), the computer
slows to a crawl. Fibre optic connection, DL 40-70Mbps, UL constant
16Mbps. Nothing wrong with the connection.

(2-4. Currently running Firefox and Thunderbird, with no ill effects
apart from the slowness during downloads.)

5. Paint Shop Pro 9. Active window will suddenly freeze solid. Closing
that window will hang the whole program. Only way out is to force a
closure through Task Manager. I would much prefer to run that one under
a Win XP environment.

6. Scanner won't install - Canon haven't written any drivers for it in
Win 7.

7. Wave Lab, Steinberg Clean and all associated programs won't install.

8. All my disc printing templates are stored in Win XP programs files,
so I can't access them.

(5-8. All isn't lost since those all run on my laptop (XP))

9. Every single program takes an age to start on each first run session.
Once it's been run all is OK until I switch off and try the next time.
By an age, some take over a minute.

All the above started shortly after allowing the automatic installation
of SP1. And I can't uninstall it because it's not in the list, probably
because I've run disc cleanup several times, and that didn't improve
anything..

The computer's two years old. Hewlett Packard S5508uk, AMD Athlon II X3
440 processor 3.00 GHz, 3.00 GB RAM, 64-bit operating system, running
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1. AVG Anti Virus 2011 v.10 (full paid up version).

Hows that for starters?

If a (potential) customer came to me with that laundry list of
problems, I'd have very little confidence in the integrity of the OS
in its current state. I suspect malware is playing a large role, or
has played a role in the past and wasn't cleaned up properly, but
that's just a suspicion. My advice, based on such a long list of
complaints, would be to flatten the system and rebuild it, either by
reinstalling from scratch or restoring from a backup, but it would
have to be a backup that we both have confidence in.

Most importantly, your issues are not due to shortcomings in your
particular flavor of Win 7, so upgrading to a higher version is
absolutely not the right answer.

 

[Nil]

Hows that for starters?

None of that is normal or typical behavior. I'd say that your system is
pretty hosed, and I wouldn't blame it on Windows 7.

Your best bet would be to backup all your files, wipe the disk, and
reinstall. Upgrading the OS would surely be a waste of time - you would
certainly have the same problems.

 

[charlie]

None of that is normal or typical behavior. I'd say that your system is
pretty hosed, and I wouldn't blame it on Windows 7.

Your best bet would be to backup all your files, wipe the disk, and
reinstall. Upgrading the OS would surely be a waste of time - you would
certainly have the same problems.

JBM
The symptoms sound a lot like those I had with Vista when AVG (free) was
installed and in use. The bit with the wallpaper sounds like a symptom
associated with some programs/apps that have a "stay resident" part loaded.

AVG and PSP 9 are two such programs/apps. PSP 9 is really "not
supported" under win 7, according to Corel, although it will run. It has
some features that automatically catalog and list folders that have
various types of picture files. This PSP function/feature can also be a
source of problems on even later versions of the program.
AVG can "fight" with the windows firewall, and the MSE security
essentials program.

Finally, You can hardly blame Win 7 when mfrs of older hardware don't
provide updated drivers. Have you tried using ViewScan to support the
Scanner?
Malware is also a possibility. AVG doesn't catch everything.

 

[Nil]

The symptoms sound a lot like those I had with Vista when AVG
(free) was installed and in use. The bit with the wallpaper sounds
like a symptom associated with some programs/apps that have a
"stay resident" part loaded.

AVG and PSP 9 are two such programs/apps. PSP 9 is really "not
supported" under win 7, according to Corel, although it will run.
It has some features that automatically catalog and list folders
that have various types of picture files. This PSP
function/feature can also be a source of problems on even later
versions of the program. AVG can "fight" with the windows
firewall, and the MSE security essentials program.

If that's really a of feature of PSP 9, it must be optional, because I
don't have it in my copy. The program runs well in Windows 7, although
Aero goes off when it's running, and I hear there are problems with
Print Preview.

 

[Michael Swift]

If that's really a of feature of PSP 9, it must be optional, because I don't have
it in my copy. The program runs well in Windows 7, although Aero goes off
when it's running, and I hear there are problems with Print Preview.

My ancient PSP 9 also works well but trying to get a trial version of
the latest flavour to even instal was a pain, I gave up in the end.

I've just looked and print preview and setup are working fine on mine.

Mike

 

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

With the release of Windows 8, how long will it be before Windows 7
Professional becomes affordable in the UK (i.e. >50% off the current
price)? Only viable option for me is to buy over the counter, probably

Why is that the only viable option for you? Not saying it isn't, just
curious.

PC World. I'm currently running W7 Home Premium which is more trouble
than it's worth, and I don't think a W7 Professional upgrade will get
rid of all the problems.

Any info gratefully received?

jim

As Char and others have said when you eventually gave your (sample) list
of problems, those (at least most of them - the lack of driver won't be
solved, of course) are not normal behaviour for W7HP (or XP for that
matter!).

The speed ones might well be to do with the AV software you mentioned;
it would be worth trying (disconnecting from the internet and) turning
it off, and seeing if they still occur. (Obviously you can only check
the ones that don't need an internet connection.) If you do try this,
make sure it really is completely turned off: most AV software, IME,
makes itself extremely difficult to turn off (with good reason).

If you find that that _does_ make a difference, it might be worth (using
a different AV, but you've paid for that one, or) seeing if it has a
less aggressive setting: it might be that it is checking every time you
read from or write to a file (the default setting for some AVs) -
sometimes called "on-access" scanning. While the safest mode, it can't
half slow a system down - not only if you're handling big files, but
because the OS itself (as well as many softwares) is almost constantly
doing reads and writes, even if you (think you) are not doing anything.

(Finally, some here might say 3G isn't enough memory; I can't comment,
as I'm still on XP, and upping from 1G to 2G made little or no
difference for me.)

But really I'm just nosey as to why over-the-counter is the only option
for you (-:

 

[mick]

Why is that the only viable option for you? Not saying it isn't, just
curious.


As Char and others have said when you eventually gave your (sample) list of
problems, those (at least most of them - the lack of driver won't be solved,
of course) are not normal behaviour for W7HP (or XP for that matter!).

The speed ones might well be to do with the AV software you mentioned; it
would be worth trying (disconnecting from the internet and) turning it off,
and seeing if they still occur. (Obviously you can only check the ones that
don't need an internet connection.) If you do try this, make sure it really
is completely turned off: most AV software, IME, makes itself extremely
difficult to turn off (with good reason).

If you find that that _does_ make a difference, it might be worth (using a
different AV, but you've paid for that one, or) seeing if it has a less
aggressive setting: it might be that it is checking every time you read from
or write to a file (the default setting for some AVs) - sometimes called
"on-access" scanning. While the safest mode, it can't half slow a system down
- not only if you're handling big files, but because the OS itself (as well
as many softwares) is almost constantly doing reads and writes, even if you
(think you) are not doing anything.

(Finally, some here might say 3G isn't enough memory; I can't comment, as I'm
still on XP, and upping from 1G to 2G made little or no difference for me.)

I am running Win7 32bit home premium on a 1.6GHz 8 year old HP laptop
with 2GB memory. It is no slower than the originally installed XP.

On the desktop I am running Win7 64bit, generally it performs ok but I
do get odd problems using 64bit versions of other software whereas on
the laptop 32bit versions of the same software never cause a problem.

If you have 4GB or less of memory then I would suggest installing the
32bit version of Win7. I don't see an advantage of using 64bit but
others may disagree. With the retail edition of Win7 you get both
versions included in the box.

 

[Robin Bignall]

[List of problems with home premium]

Hows that for starters?

I bought a Lenovo laptop for my wife a few months ago, and out of the
sealed box it showed similar problems. Even the User's Guide wouldn't
open, and the only program that worked was IE. You could click on
things and nothing would happen.

Lenovo recommended reinstalling the factory system from the hidden disk
(which we didn't know about because we couldn't see the user's guide)
and all was well.

I do not know what one would do to Win7 in order to hose so many things
and still have the thing boot.

As far as updating to Pro, I don't know how that works. I have heard
one rumour that suggests that all Win7 install disks contain everything,
but what actually gets activated depends on your sticker code. If
that's the case it won't act like an XP repair install.

I suggest you follow the repair advice given by others.

 

[jbm]

With the release of Windows 8, how long will it be before Windows 7
Professional becomes affordable in the UK (i.e. >50% off the current
price)? Only viable option for me is to buy over the counter, probably
PC World. I'm currently running W7 Home Premium which is more trouble
than it's worth, and I don't think a W7 Professional upgrade will get
rid of all the problems.

Any info gratefully received?

jim

Thanks for comments; a lot to take in. Seems AVG might be a problem,
though none of this happened on my old Win XP desktop running the same
software. That passed away peacefully one day, so I had get this one.
Win 7 Home Premium was pre-installed, and although the OS repair is
backed up in a separate partition, I don't think it will capable of a
full repair. As I said earlier, this all started after the installation
of SP1, which appears to non-un-installable.

I have no intention of putting an upgrade on top of what's in here. I
reckon a complete re-format and new install is needed.

As to the "over the counter" comment. No credit card, no bank account,
invalid(!) credit rating, and no fault of mine apart from being in
partnership (business not personal) with the wrong person. You'll have
to contact the banks and courts to find out more.

So back to the original question, when can I expect a decent drop in
price for Win 7 Pro in the shops?

jim

 

[Ken Blake]

Thanks for comments; a lot to take in. Seems AVG might be a problem,

Two points regarding AVG:

1. AVG used to be one of the better anti-virus programs, but it no
longer is, in my view. I wouldn't choose to use it.

2. I'm confused as to what you want to install--Windows 7 or Windows
8. If it's Windows 8, it comes with Windows Defender. Microsoft has
worked hard to confuse people with its names again, since Defender is
not the previous Defender, which was just an anti-spyware program. The
new Defender is what used to be called Microsoft Security Essentials,
and it's one of the best choices available. So if you install Windows
8, you don't need, and shouldn't use, any other anti-virus.

though none of this happened on my old Win XP desktop running the same
software. That passed away peacefully one day, so I had get this one.
Win 7 Home Premium was pre-installed, and although the OS repair is
backed up in a separate partition, I don't think it will capable of a
full repair. As I said earlier, this all started after the installation
of SP1, which appears to non-un-installable.

I have no intention of putting an upgrade on top of what's in here. I
reckon a complete re-format and new install is needed.

Are you having problem? If so, then I agree that a clean installation
is best. But although many people will tell you that formatting and
installing cleanly is always the best way to go, I disagree. Unlike
with previous versions of Windows, when doing an upgrade was often a
mistake, an upgrade to Windows XP or later replaces almost everything,
and usually works very well.

The only real exception is when you are having problems; in that
situation, an upgrade often worsens problems, rather than solving
them.

So unless you are having problems, my recommendation is to at least
try the upgrade, since it's much easier than a clean installation. You
can always change your mind and reinstall cleanly if problems develop.

However, don't assume that doing an upgrade relieves you of the need
to backup your data, etc. before beginning. Before starting to
upgrade, it's always prudent to recognize that things like a sudden
power loss can occur in the middle of it and cause the loss of
everything. For that reason you should make sure you have backups and
anything else you need to reinstall if the worst happens.

 

[Michael Swift]

1. AVG used to be one of the better anti-virus programs, but it no longer is,
in my view. I wouldn't choose to use it.

If you bank with Barclays in the UK then they will give you a free 3
unit licence for Kaspersky Internet Security, other banks may do
similar, I'm on my third year and it seems to work OK and doesn't screw
things up.

Mike

 

[Good Guy]

If you bank with Barclays in the UK then they will give you a free 3
unit licence for Kaspersky Internet Security, other banks may do
similar, I'm on my third year and it seems to work OK and doesn't
screw things up.

Mike

I use MSE (free from Microsoft) and never had any problems thus far.
However, my browsing history is pretty safe - visiting websites like:
Banks (credit cards), Corel, Microsoft, Adobe, Amazon, BBC, ITV, Channel
4, Channel 5, SkyNews, Wordpress (forums), Webmails from Hotmail, Yahoo
and Gmail, Google or Bing Search engines; that's all about it. No
facebook, or twitter!!!. All emails are read online so no problems
there either. Also, I don't open any emails that I know nothing about;
I don't get tempted by making quick bucks by helping some Middle Eastern
dictator to syphon off his ill found wealth of some
$10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 because I can't handle all that money
anyway. I doubt if Bill Gates can handle that either.

 

[BeeJ]

Questions
What is your processor speed? Dual or Quad?
How much free disk space?
How much RAM GBytes installed?
What is our Virtual RAM setting?
What virus software are you running?

Get Process Explorer, a free download from MS at SysInternals to
replace task manager and run that. Run it. Click the CPU column to
sort by CPU and see what is taking up CPU and how RAM is doing. Look
at graphs for RAM usage. Watch Process Explorer while starting apps
and see what CPU column does. Right click on header and select Select
Columns. Check the Command Line option then OK. That will help
decipher what started the Process shown.

Download CCleaner and run Cleaner Analyze/Run Cleaner only to get rid
of all temporary files. Skip Registry clean for now. Can run Registry
Scan to see "problems" but do not Fix now.


Report back on results.

 

[Char Jackson]

As to the "over the counter" comment. No credit card, no bank account,
invalid(!) credit rating, and no fault of mine apart from being in
partnership (business not personal) with the wrong person. You'll have
to contact the banks and courts to find out more.

There are a lot of banks and courts in the world. You'll have to be a
lot more specific. ;-)