Anyone still running Windows 7?

John Johnson16 said:No, I'm running Windows XP SP2, I just want to install Windows 7..

Format your C: drive—just make sure you back up your data first, maybe move it to another partition—then set your BIOS to boot from the CD and kick off the Windows 7 installation.

You can format during the Windows 7 setup process however you see fit, but seriously, save your files from C: first.

John Johnson16 said:I'm just messing around here... it's not my first time installing Windows... but the DVD won't let me boot from it, even though everything in the BIOS looks correct..
And whenever I try to run the installation through My Computer, I get this
Windows Installer ERROR
this... LINK...
http://img709.imageshack.us/i/42314769.png/

So.. help me out... oh yeah.. I have everything Windows 7 requires... hardware-wise, at least.

Basically, you should be doing exactly what this image shows:



That bolded part? It's pretty obvious, really—Windows installs are meant to be done via boot.

Otherwise, your DVD drive might just be struggling to read those specific Windows files. Maybe try burning them onto a higher-quality DVD using a lower burn speed.

Joshua Garcia3 said:So, you're following the steps shown in this image:



Regarding that bolded part, it's pretty standard—Windows installs via the boot process.

Alternatively, it might just be that your DVD drive is having trouble reading the disc; maybe try burning it again at a lower speed onto a higher-quality DVD media.

I think I follow what the picture is showing... but it doesn't explicitly say it's booting. Everything in my BIOS seems to be configured correctly, so I'm starting to suspect the issue is simply that my DVD drive can't read this specific disc.🤷

John Johnson16 said:I’m staring at this image... but there’s nothing here about the boot sequence failing. Everything in the BIOS is configured exactly how it should be. So, what's the deal? Is it just that this DVD won't read? 🤷

Does the keyboard actually respond when you hit a key during that "press any key to boot from CD or DVD..." prompt? I mean, does the keyboard even register anything while those little dots are flashing on the screen? ...

brightcyclist2 said:I was wondering, does your keyboard actually respond when you hit a key during that initial boot sequence—you know, when it asks you to "press any key to boot from cd or dvd..."? Basically, can you tell if the keyboard is registering input while those little dots are spinning on the screen? ...

Yes, it does... I actually just finished installing Windows XP SP3 a moment ago, mostly out of the hope that there might have been some sort of glitch during the previous installation process. After that, I gave it another shot to try and install Windows 7, but unfortunately, I ran into the exact same issue again... nothing worked.🤷

John Johnson16 said:Yeah... I just finished installing Windows XP SP3, thinking maybe there was some glitch in the initial Windows setup, so I tried running the Windows 7 installer again. Still nothing...🤷

Maybe you should try burning that Windows 7 ISO onto a different DVD.🙂

Joshua Garcia3 said:Well, have you tried burning that Windows 7 ISO onto a different DVD? 🙂

I hate to admit it, but I actually got this disc from a friend, and he managed to install it just fine without any issues... :S

John Johnson16 said:I mean, I got this from a friend, and he installed it just fine...:S

Look, I don't care if you got them from a buddy or if he had no trouble installing them. It’s entirely possible he burned them at a high speed, like 16x, using cheap, low-quality DVD media. If your DVD drive's laser is getting a bit weak, it might struggle to read those specific discs, which would explain why you can't get Windows 7 to install.

Maybe have him burn the Windows media again using the slowest speed possible onto some decent, name-brand DVD media. Or, honestly, maybe just have him let you borrow his DVD drive so he can handle the Windows 7 installation for you. 🙂

Joshua Garcia3 said:Honestly, I’m not entirely sure if you received those from a friend who handled the installation themselves, but it is quite possible they burned them at a higher speed, say 16x, using a lower-quality DVD medium. It could also be that the laser in your specific DVD-ROM drive has weakened over time, making it unable to read certain discs correctly, which would prevent you from successfully installing Windows 7 with the third one.

Perhaps you could try burning the Windows media again, this time using the slowest speed possible onto some high-quality, well-known DVD brands, or maybe just borrow a friend's DVD-ROM drive so they can handle the Windows 7 installation for you. 🙂

Hahaha... well, a Verbatim DVD isn't actually that bad... and I'm using a Philip DVD-ROM... my brother mostly used this computer just for basic office tasks, so I really doubt the DVD-ROM has seen much heavy use at all...

Hey there!

Does anyone know if there's a specific program or some kind of tweak to make the taskbar in Windows 7 look more like the old Windows XP style?

I really want to be able to pin shortcuts directly to the tray and have it show multiple icons for a single app
plus, I want to actually see which programs are running in the tray—you know, like my torrent client and stuff like that.
Basically, I'm trying to get it to look just like this: 🙂

http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/8697/bezimenao.jpg

Right-click on the system tray, then hit properties
Check this box:
Use Small icons Taskbar buttons
Taskbar buttons: Never combine

For any programs you want sitting in your tray, just right-click them (or their shortcut) and select Pin to Taskbar

What’s left then? Won't the programs look doubled up on the taskbar? I guess that isn't really a huge deal anyway, right?
If you're looking to have two instances of File Explorer open—like, if you aren't using tabs—you can just right-click the icon and launch File Explorer again, and there you go.

I was thinking, wouldn't it be just way easier if I could, you know, just pop open a few different File Explorer windows? That way I don't have to go clicking through groups or hunting down every single individual folder I have open... I'd rather just see all my separate folders laid out right there in the taskbar at once!

driftingpilot8 said:I figured it'd be way easier to navigate if I could just pop open a few File Explorer windows instead of having to click through groups or hunt down individual folders... you know, just seeing everything laid out separately in the tray for quick access.

Look, you can always just toss a shortcut for whatever folder you need right onto your desktop.

Kind of like how I've got mine set up here.

http://i56.tinypic.com/96xena.png

Not sure if there's a way to pin those specific icons directly to the taskbar, though.

driftingpilot8 said:I figured it would be way easier to navigate if, say, I just opened a few different File Explorer windows. That way I wouldn't have to click through a group and then hunt down each individual folder... I'd just see all my separate folders ready to go right there in the taskbar instead.

I laid out the steps for you in my last post 🙂
Give it a shot and see if you like how it works. If it’s not your thing, you can always just revert everything back to how it was before 🙂

Douglas Garcia52 said:you can just toss a desktop shortcut for whatever folder you want right onto your desktop

kind of like how I have it set up here

http://i56.tinypic.com/96xena.png

I'm not even sure if I can get those icons into the taskbar myself...

Man, I am really struggling here!
I can only fit maybe three icons in my system tray max.
And I tried making a desktop shortcut, but it just won't stick! Why is that?

@driftingnomad68/">@@driftingnomad68
Thanks so much! I was actually typing this while working at the office earlier 😉

I'm trying to figure out if there's any way to get Windows 7 to actually see my DLNA devices 😕

Here’s the situation: I've got my network set up, and all my other PCs show up just fine, but:

Popcorn (UPnP Media Player) shows up, but for some reason, it’s sitting under "Unspecified" along with my printer. Do I even need to worry about getting it to show up under "work / home network"?🤷

Also, why isn't my DLNA TV showing up under Network Locations? Is it just a settings issue, or is it impossible to see them at all?🤷

My assessment is that Windows 7 is flawless—it is fast, secure, resilient against common viruses, more aesthetically organized, and far more practical.
However, while Windows XP lacks speed, it offers significantly higher security. I have cycled between Windows 7 and Windows XP repeatedly, unable to decide which to maintain; I kept Windows 7 for a maximum of seven months before the system inevitably began to lag, whereas with Windows XP, though it was always slower, I maintained it for two full years without ever encountering a single instance of significant slowdown.😁

I had a Windows XP SP2 setup running for about four years... everything worked perfectly, just like day one...
so I don't get people who constantly swap out their Windows version because they claim something isn't working right...

Brandon Rivera5 said:In my book, Windows 7 is just perfect! It's fast, it's secure, it doesn't let those viruses through at all, looks better, and is way more practical.
But yeah, Windows XP might be slower, but man, it's a whole lot more secure.

And there it is! Every single time, we get hit with that legendary statement.

Windows 7 is secure, but XP is way more secure? Seriously? That claim would only make sense if Microsoft released some kind of Unix-based OS and decided to call it XP. As it stands, this idea couldn't be further from the truth!

Honestly, the seventh version is just way more intuitive. Everything is up in the cloud now—there’s no rigid "this equals that" logic to stress over. It’s just so sleekly designed.

But man, in Explorer, you can't even click the address bar to jump up a level anymore
And I have to be super careful with my mouse clicks just to open a subfolder instead of something else
It's such a bummer.