Anyone still running Windows 7?

Windows 7 or 8—which one handles programs like Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign better? I might eventually dabble in Poser or some other 3D software too. I’ve used Windows 7 before, but I have zero clue how Windows 8 behaves—is it actually stable, or will it just be a headache with driver support?

So, from what I've gathered reading through the last few pages, if I pick up a laptop that comes with Linux pre-installed, my first order of business is wiping Linux entirely just to get Windows running.

Also, what’s your take on listings like these? Are we talking genuine, licensed Windows here, or is it better to steer clear of this kind of mess:
Or maybe this one:

To start things off, I’d suggest heading straight to the website of whatever laptop manufacturer you're looking at—just to double-check if they actually support Windows 7 or Windows 8. You really don't want to go through the whole installation process only to realize later that you're missing critical drivers... as for installing Windows, I'd just wipe the hard drive completely to clear out Linux, then go ahead with the Windows install. As for that Craigslist listing, I'm not quite sure about it—I wouldn't want to give you a recommendation only for things to go sideways later. Honestly? Just give the guy a call and ask him some questions first...

Honestly, it didn't even cross my mind—I hadn't considered that compatibility might be an issue. I was planning on picking up a Dell, and from what I can see on their forums, it looks like they support both Windows 7 and Windows 8. I'll dig a little deeper to be sure. Thanks.

Look, I’ve scoured every inch of Dell's official support pages. Here's the situation: I did a clean reinstall of Windows because I was dealing with other issues. Everything was going perfectly fine until I hit the driver installation phase. I'm running a Dell Inspiron 15 with Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit. I managed to get the AMD Radeon drivers installed without a hitch, but as soon as I try to install the Intel HD Graphics 4000 driver, it fails. It keeps throwing some error message regarding a framework. After hunting around for alternative drivers, I finally got the Intel one to actually install, but now my entire system is flickering like crazy. My only fix so far has been to revert to the broken driver. Can anyone actually help me fix this?

Benjamin King2 said:Which 15R model are we talking about? There are at least four or five different versions out there. Post a screenshot from your Device Manager (right-click My Computer -> Properties) so we can see if you're dealing with actual driver issues. Also, what resolution is your monitor set to?

It's a Dell Inspiron 15.

I go into Device Manager, hit "update driver," and the computer just takes over and installs Intel HD Graphics 4000. Then I restart the machine like it asks, but once I'm back on the Windows desktop, the screen starts flashing like crazy. It won't stop. Is there an issue with the AMD graphics drivers? A few days ago, I didn't have a clue what was happening and thought I could fix it myself, but now it's impossible. This thing is driving me insane.

Are you looking for drivers for an AMD graphics card, or are you just working with the integrated Intel graphics?

@ James Turner

Did you even bother checking the official laptop manufacturer's site? Or maybe look at Intel's (automatically or via manual search) or AMD pages? I’ve noticed the Intel/AMD drivers are actually newer than what's sitting on Dell's site.

Noah Sanchez39 said:James Turner

Did you even bother looking for the drivers on there? Check the official manufacturer's website.Or should I just stick with Intel?Automatic. I don't know what you're trying to get at here. If this is meant to be a coherent thought, you missed the mark entirely. Say something worth reading. Searching.That is to say. AMD On the official websites? I’ve noticed that the Intel and AMD drivers are actually more recent than anything being offered on Dell's site.

Mostly, I started out looking on Dell's forums. If you're looking to get your hands on the latest drivers for the Dell Inspiron 15, just head straight to the official Dell support page here: http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/product-support/product/inspiron-15-5521/drivers You have the option to input your specific model and operating system here, and the system will spit out the exact drivers you need for your laptop.

Well, I finally cracked the case last night. I took the easy way out: I went into Device Manager, nuked the AMD entry entirely, and then just installed the Intel HD Graphics 4000 driver. That did the trick—everything is running normally now. As for the other half of the graphics setup, the system is just seeing it as a "Standard VGA Graphics Adapter." Now, look, I’m no hardware expert, but I have to ask: is this actually a sustainable fix? Will this mess with my laptop's overall performance or specs in the long run? I need to know if I can live like this or if I've just kicked the can down the road.

Drew Allen77 said:Are you looking for drivers for an AMD graphics card, or are you just dealing with integrated Intel graphics?

Look, when I open up Display Adapters in Device Manager, it shows two "Standard VGA Graphics Adapters." Does that answer your question?🙂
Furthermore, whenever I hit install, the system automatically pulls down an Intel driver. Meanwhile, I try to grab this AMD driver that comes bundled with some Catalyst software. Since I don't have that specific AMD driver installed right now, everything seems to be running fine—at least, that’s my assessment.

James Turner said:So when I check out the display adapters in Device Manager, it shows me two different standard VGA graphics adapters. Does that actually answer what you were asking?🙂
On top of that, whenever I hit install, the system just automatically grabs an Intel driver for me, so I end up downloading this AMD driver that comes bundled with some Catalyst stuff. Since I don't have that specific AMD driver installed right now, everything seems to be running fine, or at least that's how it feels to me.

some Catalyst thing... 🤣 🤣
just grab the latest version and you'll be golden, trust me.

Roger Gray8 said:Some kind of Catalyst... 🤣 🤣
Install the latest version and call it a day. It's done.

Every time I install a specific driver, my laptop screen starts flickering like crazy the second I reboot. It’s infuriating. To fix it, I have to immediately uninstall the damn thing just to get things back to normal. That is the core of the problem.

Look, Catalyst won't run without the .NET framework—it just won't happen—so go ahead and install it here: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/downl....aspx?id=24872.

Once that's out of the way, give the AMD driver a shot.

Benjamin King2 said:Catalyst won't run without the .NET framework. Go ahead and install it here ->: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/downl....aspx?id=24872

Once that's done, try installing the AMD driver again.

I did that. But here’s the catch: once I install the AMD drivers and reboot, my screen starts flickering like crazy. I can tell the features are active because I see them when I right-click the desktop icon, but the display is a mess. Did I screw up by installing some specific Dell driver first?🙂 🙂 🙂

Grab a clean AMD driver for your graphics card

http://support.amd.com/en-us/download You can find your specific model there and download the full Catalyst Suite
...

Honestly, why don't you just try using Revo Uninstaller to completely wipe everything out and scrub the system clean before you start over?
Who even knows what kind of mess you've got scattered all over your hard drive right now...

Hey everyone!

I'm running Windows 7 on an old notebook, an older Dell model. It's got a mathisa uj850S DVD RW drive in it. Every time I try to burn something, it throws an error saying the speed is either too low or way too high, and if I try using a different program, it just gives me more errors... Reading DVDs and CDs works fine, though. Is it possible the burning component is just shot? I've been scouring the web for five days straight looking for new FW, but I can't find anything... Does anyone know a site that hosts all the FW, or maybe I could just flash a different one?

Thanks!

I have a laptop running Windows 7 Home Premium, but the system language is set to German. This specific installation came pre-installed when I bought the machine over in Austria, and now I’m looking to switch everything over to English. Is there actually a legal way to change the system language without having to go out and purchase a brand-new copy of Windows?

I have a laptop running Windows 7 home premium, but it’s currently set to German. This specific installation came pre-installed because I originally picked up the machine while traveling through Austria, and now I'm looking to switch everything over to English. Is there a legitimate way to change the system language without having to go out and purchase a brand-new copy of Windows?

I honestly don't think there is 😢

Noah Sanchez39 said:I don't think there is any 😢

Thanks, I see what you mean now. Catch you later.