Anyone still running Windows 7?

Jamie Howard3 said:Just to clarify—I don't really have any intention of using the old one anymore.

So... what's the verdict? 🤷

You can go ahead and do that—as long as you format the drive on the old computer first.

Jamie Howard3 said:Just to be clear—I don't actually plan on using the old one anymore.

So... what now? 🤷

Look, if you bought those Windows licenses separately—you know, like a standalone retail box or a digital download—then yeah, you can just rip them off the old machine and slap them onto the new one. Easy peasy. But, if that old computer came with Windows already pre-installed—which, let's be honest, is how almost every laptop you buy from Best Buy or Dell comes out of the box—then you’re kind of stuck. You legally can't just migrate those licenses from one rig to another because that specific type of license is tied directly to the hardware it was bundled with. It's baked in.

I have a folder located directly in my root directory containing several programs. Out of nowhere, this folder has become completely invisible within the root; it isn't marked as hidden or anything of the sort, yet it clearly still exists because the programs run perfectly fine and I can still access the files via File Explorer.
I am looking for some assistance in figuring out how to make this folder visible in the root again, as well as understanding how this could have happened in the first place.

Thanks.

A buddy of mine is dealing with some major issues on his PC. Here are the specs he's running:
AMD x2 dual-core 3.4ghz
2gb ddr2
Nvidia GeForce 8800 GT
440W power supply
160GB HDD
Windows 7 Enterprise

The main headache is that the computer keeps stuttering; it even freezes up entirely sometimes, forcing him to do a hard restart. Has anyone else dealt with something similar? I’d really appreciate any help or advice you can offer.

James Cooper5 said:A buddy of mine is having some trouble with his PC—here are the specs:
AMD x2 dual-core 3.4ghz
2gb ddr2
Nvidia GeForce 8800 GT
440W power supply
160gb HDD
Windows 7 Enterprise

The issue is that the computer keeps stuttering—sometimes it even freezes up entirely, forcing him to do a hard restart. Has anyone dealt with anything like this before? Any advice would be appreciated.

I'd suggest downloading CCleaner and Defraggler, running a full antivirus scan, and making sure all the drivers—especially for the graphics card—as well as Flash Player are fully updated.

Larry Ortiz5 said:I’d recommend running CCleaner and Defraggler, then doing a full system scan with your antivirus. Make sure you also update your graphics drivers, Flash Player, and everything else that needs an update.

Thanks

I've got a quick question for you guys, nothing crazy, just something that's been rattling around in my head lately.
Right now I'm sitting on 4 GB of RAM (2x2GB sticks) and I'm thinking about grabbing another 4 GB to match it (another 2x2GB set)... would having more actually make a difference, specifically with Windows 7, or is it just gonna help with gaming? My rig is doing alright as it is, but since I have 4 slots and only two are filled, I feel like I'm just leaving performance on the table if I don't fill those other two up... what do you all think? Would jumping to 8 GB of RAM actually make the whole experience smoother or am I just looking at better frame rates in games? Btw, my setup is an Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 2.66, an AMD Radeon HD 7770 OC Edition, plus a 1TB drive, a 320GB drive, and a 650GB portable one haha, I know that's a lot of storage but whatever... xD

So, is 4 GB actually cutting it for you or what? You fire up a game and suddenly your entire RAM is just... gone. Like, swallowed whole. Why exactly do you feel like 4 GB isn't going to cut it?

Benjamin King2 said:Look, is 4 GB actually enough or what? You fire up a game and it just swallows all your RAM instantly. Why on earth would you think 4 GB is cutting it??

I mean, honestly, having anything more than 8GB on my current motherboard would just be overkill at this point... haha.
It sounds like a stupid reason, I know, but whatever... so you really think 4 GB is totally fine??

BTW, I was looking at the specs for the new Crysis 3 and it says you need 6 GB of RAM to even run it. So yeah...

Just fire it up and see how much RAM it actually devours. You could have 100 GB of RAM installed on your motherboard for all I care—but if you aren't actually using it, you might as well take those sticks out and use them to prop up a wobbly bookshelf. It’s just dead weight at that point. 😁 Check your Task Manager to see the actual RAM utilization.

Right now, Windows 7 is eating up about 1.22 GB of my RAM.
I haven't really checked how much it pulls while I'm actually gaming, though. Before this, I was running an Nvidia gtx 260 and man, games were just stuttering constantly...
So I figured it might be a bottleneck with both the GPU and the memory, especially since AC 3 was lagging like crazy on my old setup. I finally pulled the trigger on this AMD HD 7770 and things are running way smoother now, but looking ahead, there's a mountain of new titles coming out and I'm starting to wonder if 4 GB is just gonna cut it... because like I mentioned before, the specs for Crysis 3 say you really need 8GB just to hit the recommended mark! I mean, it's not like I'm trying to play everything on Ultra settings or anything, but obviously, the higher the settings, the better the experience, right? Plus, my monitor is Full HD, so I definitely need a more beefy rig to handle all that... heh.

With all these new games hitting the market, having 8GB of RAM is becoming the recommended standard. It’s honestly not a huge deal, though—adding an extra 4GB will give you that much-needed $67. Just a bit of advice: try to make sure the latencies match up. Ideally, you'd want to be able to test the RAM in your rig before you buy it—I definitely learned that the hard way when I had to trek back to Best Buy twice just to swap out sticks because they simply wouldn't "play nice" together.

1. I mean, look, I’m living in Switzerland, and things are getting a little tight here because they’re starting to pull DDR2 RAM from the shelves...
2. Right now, I’ve just got 2x2GB of Kingston PC-6400 800MHz RAM and honestly, that's all I'm buying for now.
3. Plus, having a Best Buy just two minutes away from my place makes it way too easy, haha. ^^
4. I really regret not jumping on DDR3 sooner since those sticks are dirt cheap these days.
5. I was actually thinking about picking some up for my birthday, and I wouldn't even care about the price, I'd grab them in a heartbeat. But first, I need to see how these new games run, and if they start lagging on me, then obviously I'm heading out to grab an upgrade...🙂

I have a feeling your graphics card is going to be the real headache here. I mean, there is basically zero chance you'll be able to run any of the newer games on max settings...

I don't even know, man, I was hanging out on this tech forum the other day and posted my specs, and everyone started acting like experts, telling me I absolutely had to grab a dual HD 7770 setup because it’s supposedly some god-tier deal or whatever... so I'm just sitting here thinking, okay, fine, now what...
do you really think I won't be able to run any of the new games on it? 😕

I wasn't saying you wouldn't be able to play it—just that you probably won't be able to run it on max settings.

Alright, alright, alright. 😁

Edit: * if you're replying directly to the post right above yours, there’s seriously no need to Quotate it, you're just wasting space for everyone else...

I was wondering when I might be able to perform an upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7, and if I guess the drivers I used on Windows XP might stay behind once the upgrade is finished. Specifically, I'm thinking about my ATI graphics card, because since I know the Windows.old folder remains, maybe the drivers do too?

So, that Windows.old folder? It’s basically just a graveyard containing your old Windows installation—everything from Program Files to Documents & Settings. It’s essentially there as a safety net if you decide you want to roll the whole system back to its previous state, drivers included. But let's be real—it's really only useful if you're planning to downgrade back to Windows XP, since that's what's actually backed up in there. Anything outside that specific little bubble... well, those drivers aren't going to do you any good.

You'll need to install the drivers for the week separately.