Anyone still running Windows 7?

Could this be the issue?

I can't find any way to boost the signal—honestly, I've tried every single trick in the book—so it's definitely not that issue.

Shouldn't Aero be working like this: I open a few programs, then hover my mouse over the icon on the taskbar, the window should minimize slightly, and once I just slide the cursor over that minimized icon, the window should pop back up to its full size? For me, the window doesn't expand back to normal, or if I remember correctly from when I used Firefox, it just shows all the open tabs instead. (I haven't used Aero in a while because I've been sticking to the Basic theme—Windows told me it would make my PC run faster).

@mellowowl402/">@@mellowowl402

Alright, so you're stuck without any drivers.
Based on that s478 chipset and the AGP slot, I’d take a guess that the motherboard is running AC97. That just feels more likely to me. Realtek is usually the standard, so why don't you give this one a shot
? It shouldn't cause any trouble. If it does, you can always just right-click the device in Device Manager and hit Uninstall.

If that doesn't do the trick, try this instead

@Eric Wilson75/">@@Eric Wilson75

Yeah, that should work. Just keep in mind that the size only increases while your mouse is actually hovering over that smaller card. Once you move the cursor away, it shrinks back down—unless, of course, you go ahead and click it.

Hey, does anyone know what "Shadow Copies" under storage units actually means in the American Device Manager?

cosmicrider5 said:@Eric Wilson75/">@@Eric Wilson75

Yeah, that should work. But the thing is, it only expands while your mouse is hovering over that minimized icon. Once you move the cursor away, it shrinks back down—unless, of course, you actually click it.

Well, yeah, so I guess I’m not losing my mind after all. For me, though, the icon doesn't even expand; it just stays exactly the same size unless I manually click it. And that little taskbar icon next to the clock—the one meant to show the desktop—it does absolutely nothing when I hover over it. It only responds if I click. 🤷 It feels like some weird hybrid version between Aero and Basic.

cosmicrider5 said:Dammit, what the hell are "shadow copies" under storage units in this American Device Manager?

So you're telling me those copies are stored in the exact same place?

I've got two versions of Windows 7 sitting here: the x64 (64-bit) and the x86 (32-bit). What's the actual difference between them? Which one should I go ahead and install?

Whichever one you prefer:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/w...sked-questions

Aha... thanks. Quick question though: is Windows 7 actually an improvement over XP? I’ve been running on XP for about six or seven years now and honestly, I’ve never run into a single issue with it. Now I’m feeling a bit hesitant about whether making the jump to 7 is even worth the trouble. Does anyone have a personal take on this? Thanks!

If you hadn't been too lazy to scroll through a few previous posts, you probably would have seen that they already are. 🙂

Do I actually need to have an older operating system already sitting on my computer, like Windows XP, just so I can run an upgrade to Windows 7, or can I just install Windows 7 as a standalone, clean installation?

Joshua Moore96 said:Do I actually need to have an OS like Windows XP already on my machine before I can put Windows 7 on it, or can I just run Windows 7 as a standalone install?

If you're looking to move from XP to this version, don't bother with an "upgrade"; go with a "custom installation" instead. Just make sure you back up all your important files first before you start the process.😉

Joshua Moore96 said:Do I actually need to have an operating system already on my computer—like Windows XP, for example—to install Windows 7, or can I just install Windows 7 by itself?

You don't need any pre-installed OS. You can just install Windows 7 as a standalone. If there's already something on the drive, you'd just wipe it and format everything during the Windows 7 installation process. 🙂

They’re going to tell you that you don't need any existing Windows installed before you start the upgrade,
And honestly? They're right. Windows 7 is a massive step up—it's objectively better and much more modern than Windows XP. It’s a solid OS on its own. Now, the real kicker is whether your older hardware is going to throw a tantrum during the process. We aren't all running identical rigs, after all. If your hardware is relatively recent and you've got enough RAM—I'm talking a minimum of 1GB, though you really should be looking at 2GB—you shouldn't run into any issues whatsoever. 👍

edit: Joshua Garcia3 already weighed in on this earlier.

@ mellowowl402

If neither CPU-Z nor SIW can give you the answer you're looking for (like actually identifying the motherboard), just try running EVEREST (Ultimate edition)
.
I’m typing this on an old rig I've got lying around—the motherboard is an ASRock K7S8X R3. EVEREST picked it up without any issues, so it should be able to identify your 😉
too.

Hey everyone—I'm checking in.

Here is another photo for you to take a look at

The Syntax S865PE motherboard? Honestly, where would you even find one? It’s from 2004, so I guess finding anything for it these days is going to be a real struggle. 🙂