Anyone still running Windows 7?

It’s just not passing Microsoft’s validation, and now it's nagging me to go out and buy an original license.

Aha, so you're a smoker, huh? But listen, where it says the OS is registered, does it actually show the number from the sticker?

So, I was messing around with some Windows 7 system updates today

Got them installed and all, but now I'm dealing with this one little headache

See, before I ran the update, back when I’d hover my mouse over an icon on the taskbar, a little preview square—maybe 4 or 5cm wide—would pop up right above it

But ever since the update, whenever I hover over a program, it shows this whole list instead. Plus, the taskbar turned blue, which it definitely wasn't doing before
I mean, I get that it isn't exactly a "broken" system or anything, but I'm curious... how do I get those little preview squares back?

Thanks

I wonder if your Aero didn't just shut itself off on you?

Zachary Barrett4 said:Did your Aero just crash on you?

what even is aero anyway

I mean, it doesn't seem like a big deal right now, but it actually messes things up when you're trying to use Windows Explorer

so how do I turn this
aero
thing back on?

Why on earth would my Windows need to pass some validation check with Microsoft?? What am I supposed to get out of it?? A bag of candy?? 😂

As long as it's activated and the updates are running smoothly, that's all that matters to me. 😛

And honestly, you don't even need to install it using a serial number.
The mods have already torn people apart here for saying "Google is your friend"—we can't even talk about this stuff because of their rules.

By the way, I'm downloading .NET Framework 4 from the updates... wow, what is that even for these days? haha

Douglas Garcia52 said:what even is aero

It doesn't seem like a big deal, but it actually causes issues when you're using Windows Explorer

how do I turn on that
aero

Just right-click the desktop, hit "Personalize," and then pick any Aero theme🙂

Keith Bennett38 said:Right-click the desktop, hit "Personalize," and just pick any Aero theme 🙂

I already tried that, but for some reason, I still can't get that list off my taskbar

Ever since I ran those Windows Updates, this machine has been acting even worse. Internet Explorer, Windows Explorer, the taskbar... honestly, nothing works right on this thing anymore. Just constant junk.

And when I try to open Aero, it keeps showing some Windows 7 Basic theme—tried deleting it, but it won't let me.

Douglas Garcia52 said:I tried doing that, but I still can't get that list off my taskbar for some reason.

Ever since I ran those updates, my PC has been acting even worse. Internet Explorer, Windows Explorer, the taskbar... everything is just broken.

And when I try to open Aero, it keeps showing this Windows 7 Basic theme—I've tried deleting it, but it won't let me.

Maybe the best bet is to try a System Restore (Start - Programs - Accessories - System Tools - System Restore) and pick a point from a few days ago. Just look for a date on the calendar that isn't greyed out. Might help, I guess.🤷

Keith Bennett38 said:Honestly, you might want to just try a System Restore (Start - Programs - Accessories - System Tools - System Restore) and pick a date from a few days back. Just look at the calendar and find a date where you actually have a restore point saved (the ones that aren't grayed out). Might fix things. 🤷

I tried running a System Restore last night, but I didn't bother picking a specific date
gonna get around to doing it properly today
👍

Douglas Garcia52 said:I ran a System Restore last night, but I didn't pick a specific date.
I'll get it sorted out today.
👍

😕

How on earth did you manage to run a System Restore without first setting a Restore Point or picking a date when the system actually worked? 🤔

Quote : Keith Bennett38

Noah Sanchez39 said:😕

How on earth did you even manage to run a System Restore without picking a specific Restore Point first? I mean, seriously, how do you decide on a date when the system was actually working right before you hit the button? 🤔

So, I’m trying to run a System Restore this week, right? But here's the kicker—I can't find where to actually pick a date. It’s not like back in the day with Windows XP where you could just click through the dates and be done with it. Where did they hide the options? Is it just gone?
So, I’m thinking about running a System Restore... if I pull that trigger, it basically rolls the whole computer back like 24 hours, right? Or am I just tripping?

The system's actually running now, finally. But man, it’s still acting up... just little glitches here and there. Sometimes Windows Explorer just decides to freeze on me, and then Internet Explorer hangs out too. Even my desktop wallpaper just gets stuck like it's frozen in time. You know how it is, right? Just one thing after another.

It takes a few minutes before things finally snap out of it... you know, like once I actually get Task Manager open.
So, I'm just gonna shut those functions down. Why bother?

Noah Sanchez39 said:😕

I don't get how you could run a System Restore without picking a Restore Point first—you know, choosing a date when things were actually working.🤔

Hmm... I'm a bit lost on that too.😕

There should be an option for "more restore points..." or something like that in there. At least, it ought to be.

Maybe give this Microsoft's tool a shot.

http://fixitcenter.support.microsoft.com/Portal

(It exists online and offline versions.) 🙂

Keith Bennett38 said:Hmm... I'm not really following you there either 😕

Look, there should be an option for "more restore points..." or something like that. At least, it ought to be there.

Maybe give this Microsoft tool a shot instead

http://fixitcenter.support.microsoft.com/Portal

(They have both Online and Offline versions) 🙂

tried downloading that program from the link, but it keeps asking me to log in or something

thinking maybe I'll just wipe it and reinstall Windows 7 (got the install disc right here)

what do you guys think about that plan?

Douglas Garcia52 said:I tried downloading this tool from the link, but it keeps asking me to log in, and I can't get past it.

I'm thinking about just reinstalling Windows 7 since I have the disc handy.

What do you guys think about doing that?

If you don't mind the hassle, I'd say go for it. You'll probably waste hours trying to fix the issue manually, whereas a fresh install takes maybe 20 minutes tops. 🙂

Douglas Garcia52 said:When I try to run a restore, there’s nowhere to pick a specific date like back in the Windows XP days.
I go into System Restore and it just does its thing—from what I can tell, it just rolls the computer back about 24 hours.

Go to Start, type "restore" (no quotes needed), click System Restore, hit Next, then click "more restore points," and hit Next again...

Those "restore points" are basically just snapshots of events that changed the system. That’s why you need the System Restore function in the first place—to quickly roll back to a previous state if things go sideways.

Noah Sanchez39 said:Hit the Start menu, type "restore" (don't bother with quotes), click System Restore, hit Next, then look for "more restore points," hit Next again...

Those "restore points" are basically just snapshots—events where the system changed things—which is why you need that System Restore feature to jump back in time when everything inevitably hits the fan.

Look, man, I did the exact same thing today
I must've run System Restore at least 15 or 20 times, no joke.
The weird part? I couldn't even pick a specific date. It was just total chaos—I'd run the restore and it would just roll the whole damn clock back 24 hours.

System's running okay now, no major issues there, but that Aero stuff and the Windows 7 basic theme? Man, they're driving me insane. Still haven't fixed it.

Right now, I'd give this setup a solid 3.7 out of 10.

If it starts acting up again, I'm done. I'll just wipe the whole thing and reinstall the OS.

Keith Bennett38 said:Look, if you don't mind the hassle, I’d highly recommend just going that route. You could spend endless hours trying to patch this mess together, and honestly, why bother? A clean install takes maybe twenty minutes tops. 🙂

I got the system running for now, at least. If it starts acting up again, I'll just wipe it and reinstall.
👍

Is this version really going to be such a massive memory hog compared to Vista? I’d honestly love to hear what you all think before I pull the trigger on the upgrade...😁