Replacing Win 10 With Win 7

My wife has been getting numerous page faults lately requiring a reboot. I don't know a lot about laptops but I am guessing that it's a sign that the internal hard drive is failing.
In any case, she wants a new machine. I can't find a laptop, even a reconditioned one, that has win 7 on it. All have Win 10.
Is it practical or even possible to remove Win 10 and replace it with Win 7? Or would you have to create a VM partition and put Win 7 on the machine in that manner?
Also, it's been a while since I moved to a new machine and would like to know if there are "conversion" programs now available so you can cable the two machines together and transfer all your applications and data without having to do it manually?
Thanks for any help or suggestions.

 

It may (it is NOT a given) be possible, but it is not practical. Windows 7 is nearly 12 years old, has been superseded twice (more if you count the major updates) and support for it ended over a year ago. It is critically important to understand and accept that end of support means hardware makers and software developers are phasing out, or have already phased out support for Windows 7 too. This means, among other things, driver support already is limited and will continue to be phased out completely.

This is why even refurbished machines (which typically are only 3 or so years old), come with W10 too - they were built for it.

W10 is a far superior OS in every way. It offers better performance. It supports current (and future) hardware and software. It is significantly more secure (reason enough to go with W10) right out of the box with Windows Firewall and Microsoft Defender built in. The latest iteration is NOT the big brother/privacy concern many want us to believe it is. It never was actually (compared to other much more significant threats: Google, Facebook, our ISPs, and especially our cell phone carriers) but is even less so today with even greater control going back to the user.

Remember, there is a HUGE difference between privacy and security. But even when it comes to privacy, Microsoft is one of the least of your concerns - or should be.

If the concern is the learning curve for the Windows 10 user interface (desktop and start menu), it shouldn't be. It really is easy to learn and quickly become accustomed to. HOWEVER, if like me and you (or your wife) still prefers W7's UI, I use and recommend Start10 which brings back the familiar W7 Start menu and desktop and for just a one-time cost of $5 for a lifetime license, it is well worth it, IMO. It has a decent 30-day trial period too, if still unsure. This is, IMO, the best W10 start button alternative. But another favorite alternative is Open-Shell (formally ClassicShell) and is totally free.

The point is, there really is no "practical" reason to get a new computer and then put an outdated, less secure, unsupported, legacy operating system on it.

 

Thanks for your dissertation. I ordered a new machine today.
Now my real problem is going to be the conversion. Like my manager at IBM used to say "A conversion is like 1/2 of a fire"
I've been using a PC since before there was a Windows, so I've done a lot of conversions. Hated every one of them.
As I mentioned in my post - "Also, it's been a while since I moved to a new machine and would like to know if there are "conversion" programs now available so you can cable the two machines together and transfer all your applications and data without having to do it manually?"

Thanks for any help or suggestions.

Now that this topic has changed, should I start a new thread in Software?

 

There are such migration tools, but frankly, I have never been happy with them. It would be great if you could just copy and paste all your old programs to the new system like you can your personal data files. But most programs have to be "installed". That is, it typically requires multiple entries in the Windows registry that tell the OS how to configure the program, where to find this bit and that bit of the program. It is my experience that process does not always work smoothly. So I have found it better - at least for me - to start fresh and install all my programs anew - even though it takes longer.

There are other advantages to doing this too. When you copy and migrate from an old machine, you often bring over old and outdated junk that is no longer needed. Including old programs that were installed years ago, but are no longer used and are just taking up disk space. A fresh install tends to be mean and lean with only the latest versions.

What I some times do is temporarily physically install (or attach) my old drive as a secondary (not boot) drive in the new machine. Then all my old files are instantly available and I can move them over at a more leisurely pace.

Also, I have found over the years I don't always like my computer configured the way I used to. For example, I used to always partition my drives. Now I don't. I used to always keep only the OS and drivers on C drive, then install all my programs on D drive. Now I don't.

Any way, sorry, but since I don't migrate to new systems in that manner, I don't have any suggestions. If you still wish to go that route, perhaps someone else will come by with one.

 

I finally got a reconditioned laptop for my wife. I think the conversion will kill me. I like to use many non Microslop applications, like Firefox, Thunderbird, etc. Between Microslop, Google, Amazon, etc. that isn't much to choose from that Win10 will let you use.
I have a text editor Ultraedit 32 that I have been using since it was first released, many years ago. It still has more function than either Notepad or Wordpad. With Win10 this is the first time I have been unable to make it the default of xxx.txt files. I have yet to find how I can do that. My choices seem to be only Microslop applications.
Anyone know a way around that. I have four or five non-Microslop applications I've yet to install as I struggle along with this conversion from Win7 to Win10
Thanks for any help, before I put my foot through the laptop screen

 

Who is telling you this total nonsense? Clearly, someone with an unjust bias against W10. That's too bad because you clearly are being mislead. Unless the application is made for Windows 98 or before, I have yet to find an application that does not work with W10.

If your super legacy products don't work, you need to be blaming the developers of those products, or you for failing to update. It is NOT Microsoft's responsibility to make sure such legacy - and most likely less secure - products are supported. Just as it is not Microsoft's responsibility to ensure all legacy hardware is supported. If there are not current drivers, blame the HW maker, not MS.

Since you clearly have something against MS, I recommend switching to Linux. Except for gaming, you can do just about anything with Linux.

 

They "work" fine. Run as well as always.
Win10 won't let me "associate" them with a specific file type. With Win7, one could browse on their own PC for an application to associate. Win10 gives you three choices for "xx.txt" Notepad, Wordpad, and something from their app store. No more browsing. It's those choices or nothing.

 

I meant don't work with W10.

 

ALL of my Application software, including the text editor and my Secret Code Breaker programs that were written in 1998, run fine with Win 10 (as with all Win releases since 1998). My complaint is that Win 10 is the first version of Windows that doesn't allow me to "associate" those programs with a specific file extension (such as xxx.txt). It's as if they didn't exist on my PC.

 

There are workarounds to set the default programs. But, if Windows detects those programs are old (Microsoft refers to them as 'not compatible') the defaults will be reset.
The only possible solution is a registry edit.

 

Okay, sorry. I see what you mean now.

Yes, Microsoft is trying to phase out the old Control Panel and is slowly deprecating the old functions and redirecting users to the new. But unfortunately, the new features often have limited capabilities. While I have not had a need to do what you are doing, I have encountered that issue with other former Control Panel applets.

And I find that irritating too. It is one of those things that you would never miss if you never had it. But if you had it, and now its gone, you want it back.

It seems the old Control Panel applet screen can be restored in the latest version of W10, but its read only! Any changes you make will not stick. That's just dumb. If they are going to take something away, take it all away.

Anyway, I keep finding suggestions that seem to work for some but not others - like this.

I do understand what MS is doing. One of Windows greatest assets has always been its extensive flexibility. But at the same time, one of Windows greatest liabilities has always been its extensive flexibility.

The problem is, if something can be changed, there are users who will change it without backing up their system first, without understanding what they are doing or what the consequences will be. And then they break Windows and blame Microsoft.

So Microsoft is really tired of the bad publicity and getting blamed for the actions of others. Security is a perfect example. If a machine gets infected because the user was click-happy on a link in an out-of-the-blue email from Bonk of Amerika, addressed to Dear Custimer, who got blamed? Microsoft.

So they would rather button down Windows 10 and get yelled at for taking away flexibility than getting blamed for allowing users to break Windows for they know they will get yelled at more for that.