Anyone still running Windows 7?

Taylor Morales31 said:Look, it’s like, if you actually use a printer or whatever, then don't touch that service, because if you kill it, nothing's gonna work... I mean, come on... We don't all use our PCs the exact same way, you know? 🙂

Nah, I'm not really using it for that right now, haha... My PC is mostly just my go-to for surfing the web, listening to music, watching movies, and playing some games. Nothing too crazy or anything...

So you don't really need to 'push' him for those things then 🙂

swiftdriver30 said:oh, one more thing. here's what I'm running right now:
ASROCK G31M-S R2.0
Asus Nvidia GTX 260
Intel 2 Core quad q8400 DDR2 Kingston 800
DDR2 Kingston 800Mhz 4 GB
Hitachi 320 GB , Seagate 1 TB

Which version of Windows 7 should I go with? I mean, which edition? I don't really get it—when I install Home Premium, my processor gets a lower score, but when I put on Ultimate, the score goes up. It doesn't make sense to me... ugh.

I'm using Windows 7 Ultimate and it's great—my score for win is about 7.1

Intel core i3 2100 3.1 GHz
Palit 560 GTX TI Overclocked
6 GB DDR3 1333mhz G.Skill
H61M s2pv
2x 500 GB Sata3 32MB

Windows 7 boots up for me in like 20 seconds☕

Jeffrey Rodriguez14 said:man i'm running Windows 7 Ultimate and honestly it's killer, i'd give the whole thing a solid 7.1 out of 10...

Intel core i3 2100 3.1 GHz
Palit 560 GTX TI Overclocked
6 GB DDR3 1333mhz G.Skill
H61M s2pv
2x 500 GB Sata3 32MB

My Windows boots up in like 20 seconds flat☕

not bad 😉

swiftdriver30 said:So, I was wondering if anyone could help me out here. Does anyone have a list of all the services in Windows 7 Ultimate that aren't actually necessary? I'd like to "beautify" my week by cleaning things up, because I'm convinced there's a mountain of useless services running in the background... I'm curious if there's any other way to trim down the system too. I realize hardware specs are the main factor when it comes to speed, but still, I feel like there might be some small tweaks to make. Thanks.

You can also kill these ones:

application layer gateway
background intelligent
bluetooth
COM+ event system
COM + system application
cryptographic services
distributed transaction
IKE and authIP
IP sec policy
KtmRm
network access protection
network list
network location
print problem reports
remote access auto connection
remote access connection
web client
Windows Defender (definitely leave this on)
windows error reporting
wia
windows update
workstation

Turn off your antivirus and just run a scan once a week instead.

But honestly, what the guy above said is true; it all depends on what you actually use that computer for.
Judging by how you phrased your question, I suspect you don't need most of these services for your specific needs.

Once you disable these, Windows should still function, along with your standard programs and web browsing. If something breaks, just turn them back on or use a registry file to revert everything to the default settings.

By the way,
If you truly want speed and an optimized workflow, forget about Windows entirely and dive into the Linux world—it’s where the real enthusiasts live.
Install Arch, recompile your own kernel, compile Wine from source (to run your Windows apps and games), and build a window manager directly from the source code rather than using a heavy desktop environment.
Then, you'll finally experience actual speed.

Justin Scott14 said:you can toss these out too:

application layer gateway
background intelligent
bluetooth
COM+ event system
COM + system application
cryptographic services
distributed transaction
IKE and authIP
IP sec policy
KtmRm
network access protection
network list
network location
print problem reports
remote access auto connection
remote access connection
web client
Windows Defender (definitely turn this one off)
windows error reporting
wia
windows update
workstation

just kill the AV and run a scan once a week...

but honestly, what that guy above said is right, it all depends on what you actually use your rig for...
judging by how you phrased your question though, I'm guessing you don't need any of this crap for whatever you're doing...

once you kill these, Windows and your usual apps and web browsing should run fine, and if something breaks, just flip them back on or grab a reg file to reset everything to the defaults...

btw
if you want actual speed and a truly optimized setup, just ditch Windows entirely and go with one of those famous Linux distros...
install Arch, recompile your own kernel, compile Wine (for running Win apps and games) and a window manager straight from the source instead of using a bloated desktop environment...
then you'll finally see what real speed feels like...

I don't really get that last part? but thanks for the list of services.

Basically, ditch Windows and install DOS, then you'll watch this machine absolutely fly. 😉

Tapapapatallk

I'm running Windows 7 Ultimate.
A week is plenty of time 😍

Does anyone happen to know how much longer Microsoft is actually going to be supporting Windows 7?
I was just thinking about it while I was trying to get my old laptop running properly earlier today, and it made me wonder when they’ll finally pull the plug on things like Windows Update.

This was already stated back in 2020.

My screen just went black for about three seconds, then a light blue window popped up saying some program needed my attention. I hit the button, the screen went black again for three seconds, and then everything went back to normal. I had a ton of programs running at once and a massive amount of windows open, but nothing had been closed. Honestly, I didn't see this coming from Microsoft, and it definitely wasn't a virus or anything like that. Has anyone else dealt with this?

Windows 7 64-bit build 7601

So, the program isn't asking for your attention anymore?!? 🙂 You claim you've got a ton of programs running at once—but honestly, do you even have enough RAM to pull that off?

Benjamin King2 said:The program doesn't need your attention anymore?!? 🙂 You claim you have tons of apps open, but do you actually have enough RAM to handle all that?

The event logs point to the GPU. It’s the only thing that makes sense since the screen went black for three seconds. It says Experian Client has failed to start.
I've got 4GB. I'm not a newbie; I know what a Windows notification looks like. My card is an HD4770 with 512MB DDR. It just happened right when everything flashed across the entire screen.😲

Experian is basically just a tool that logs graphics card errors into the event viewer—it’s not actually vital for the GPU's performance or anything. You could probably just head over to Services and disable it if you want to mess around.

Seriously 🤷 what was that about? Totally unheard of.

bluetrucker64 said:That implies your Windows isn't genuine. I can see you've already authorized it online, so Windows Server is flagging your license as invalid for the week. Regarding the wallpaper, it’s going to stay black no matter how much you try to change it; that "This copy is not genuine" watermark will always hang out in the bottom right corner. Your computer can still function perfectly fine without you needing to buy a whole new version of Windows. The only real nuisance is that every time you boot up, you'll have to wait about 5 or 6 seconds just so you can click "Resolve later" and actually get to work..

This is exactly why you have to watch out for scammers when buying Windows. Stick to authorized retailers and everything will be fine.

Then again, you can always purchase a legitimate copy of Windows if the pirated versions fail to satisfy your requirements. 😬

Mine also displays "Evaluation mode, Windows 7, version 7601" (see image), even though I haven't encountered any issues regarding genuineness or anything else—and this laptop was purchased from an authorized retailer with Windows pre-installed.

I am currently installing Windows 7, but I have hit a wall regarding the sound card installation. To be more precise—since I don't actually know the specific model—I am unable to find the correct drivers. I attempted to use an Everest program to identify the hardware, but the data regarding the audio device remains unknown... So, I decided to try reinstalling the motherboard drivers instead, assuming that the sound might be integrated directly onto the board—perhaps that will work. Unfortunately, I lack the specific details for the motherboard as well. I tried exporting the data via dxdiag, but it yielded nothing useful. Does anyone have any advice on how to resolve this? Additionally, I am running the 64-bit version of Windows... Is it possible that the sound card simply doesn't support 64-bit architecture? Thank you.

Daniel Rodriguez6 said:I'm installing Windows 7 and can't get the sound card working. I don't know the exact model, so I'm stuck. I tried downloading Everest, but it didn't give me any specifics on the audio. I figured I'd try reinstalling the motherboard drivers since the sound might be integrated, but I don't have those details either. I tried running dxdiag, but nothing showed up. Any advice on how to fix this? Also, I'm running the 64-bit version. Is it possible the sound card doesn't support 64-bit Windows? Thanks.

Maybe check Windows Update to see if there are any drivers listed under "Optional updates." Usually, Windows 7 just grabs what it needs through Windows Update automatically. 😉

Keith Bennett38 said:It might be worth checking within Windows Update to see if there are any drivers listed under "Optional updates." Typically, Windows 7 will automatically suggest necessary drivers through Windows Update... 😉

I’ll give the update route a try—it claims everything is up to date (or whatever status it displays). It is possible the drivers actually installed; I can see the sound icon in the bottom right corner of the taskbar, but I cannot adjust the volume—there is just a prohibited sign next to it. Everything was functioning perfectly before the installation. I am honestly at a loss here...

Daniel Rodriguez6 said:I tried running the update, but it says I'm already up to date (or whatever). Maybe the drivers are installed since the sound icon is sitting there in the bottom right corner, but I can't adjust the volume—there’s just a little prohibited sign next to it. It was working fine before the installation. Honestly, I'm stumped.

Maybe check the Control Panel - System - Device Manager to see if there are any yellow exclamation marks or error signs popping up.
If everything under Sound, video and Game controllers looks fine, you might want to double-check that the speakers are actually plugged into the right jack on the PC.
On some machines I've used, if nothing is plugged in, Windows shows a red X over the speaker icon in the taskbar by the clock.