Windows 10: Down to the wire: A Windows 7 Users Journey Buying their First Windows 10 Computer

Ernie L came down with the seasonal bug and decided to take a few days off from work to recuperate. While at home, he thought he could use his trusty 8-year-old Lenovo Thinkpad running Windows 7 to get some work done. Ernie had an epiphany during that time; his old computer was not prepared to handle his world of work. Applications like Microsoft Outlook and Word were slow to open with error messages popping up about not responding. Accessing files on SharePoint as well as multi-tasking were hampered by the performance of the machine.


There was also the bigger issue approaching, Windows 7’s end of support in January 2020. It was then he realized it was time to move to a modern Windows platform. I had the opportunity to chat with Ernie about his experience migrating to Windows 10 in this short interview.


Hi Ernie, could you tell me a little bit about yourself?


I was in high tech for most of my career at Accenture, HP, Microsoft for 10 years and Amazon Web Services. I’ve also worked in non-profit and higher education areas. Currently, I’m a paralegal and office manager for a one lawyer law firm.


Why did you decide to purchase a new computer instead of upgrading to Windows 10?


The Lenovo laptop that I had was purchased approximately eight years ago and it was a used laptop from a local pc repair shop. I got a very good deal on it at the time.


Over the past year, I’ve noticed the laptop performance seem to have degraded. When I heard about Microsoft's support for Windows 7 ending in January 2020, I decided to look at my options. The first option was to keep my laptop and upgrade to Windows 10; and of course, my second option was to purchase a new laptop preinstalled with Windows 10.


After talking to Andre (Windows Insider MVP) he advised me that my current laptop configuration did support Windows 10. So, if I wanted to keep my current laptop, I could upgrade to Windows 10. Andre informed me it would be quite a process to do the upgrade, but he would assist me through it. After coming across a good deal online, I decided maybe purchasing a laptop already preinstalled with Windows 10 would be less of a hassle.

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Ernie trying out his new laptop before buying​

What solidified your decision to buy a new laptop rather than upgrade your existing installation?

So, even though I could technically upgrade my current laptop to Windows 10. I believe that getting a brand-new laptop preloaded with Windows 10 will provide me with the best experience for what I use my laptop for. Given that the price was less than $500, that made the decision even easier.


How did you find and acquire your new Windows 10 laptop?


One day, I received an email from a local retailer promoting various deals. One deal caught my eye. It was for a HP Pavilion, 15.6 touch screen, 10th generation Intel core I5, with 8 GBs of RAM, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0.


I asked Andre for his opinion and he thought it was a great laptop and Costco was offering this HP laptop, which is normally priced at $600. The deal was $480 dollars. So, that made the decision very easy.

Cost is always a factor when making your purchase decision. ​

What type of Windows user are you?


I believe I am a casual user, which means that I use my laptop to check email, to go on Facebook and do work from home. I am not a gamer; I don't do streaming video.


Could you provide some more examples of the work and apps you use?


I primarily use Outlook as part of Office 365 to access my Outlook.com and Exchange email. I rarely use most of Microsoft Office products unless I am working from home.


How did you migrate your files over to your new laptop?


I had an external hard drive, Passport, by Western Digital and that has been an easy way for me to keep all my files. My external drive was synced to OneDrive, where I was able to keep a secondary backup of my files. I was then able to connect the external drive to my new laptop, signed into OneDrive and it recognized it.

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Ernie used OneDrive to help with migration process for his files to Windows 10.​

Tip: How to manually backup and restore your files​

How was the process setting up your new laptop with Windows 10 preinstalled?


It was very easy; I basically took it out of the box, turned on the PC and followed the simple instructions. Another example of how easy the setup process was adding my HP wireless printer. It only took a few steps within the Settings app and it was automatically detected and installed.

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Ernie setting up his new laptop​

What do you plan on doing with your older Lenovo laptop?


Thats a very good question. I would like to donate it to someone that needs it. It will be easy for me to wipe the data clean because I currently maintain my data on an external hard disk synced to OneDrive.

Tip: How to Safely Sell or Donate Your Old Windows 10 PC

Do you use any other devices apart from your Windows PC?


The device that I use daily is an iPhone 7 and the second most used device is my iPad Air.


So, you would say your Windows device is not your most used device?


No. Tip: How to connect and browse your Apple devices on a Windows 10 PC


Did you consider another platform such as an Apple Macintosh or Google Chromebook?


No, because I have for my entire life been a Windows PC user and I am accustomed to the interface and applications.


What would you tell a user still running Windows 7 or Windows 8 who is concerned about getting a new device with Windows 10?


After my evaluation and advice, I felt it was an easy decision to purchase a new laptop with Windows 10 preinstalled, which had newer technology. When I found a laptop for about $500, that made the decision even easier, it was a no brainer.

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Happy user Ernie with his new Windows 10 laptop​

That was Ernie’s experience and we can learn a lot from his journey. Security is a particularly important because of how much the Internet has changed how we compute. Windows 7 came out 10 years ago and it is a much-loved platform. But so much has changed since then. Windows 10 itself has improved tremendously since it first launched in July 2015. With the rise of sophisticated attack mechanisms such as Ransomware, Phishing and social engineering, Windows 10 is engineered to protect devices from being easily compromised compared to a Windows 10 system. With support ending in January, users on Windows 7 will see an increase attacks. This certainly incentivizes the decision to move Windows 10 as soon as you can, whether it is upgrading an existing device or purchase one preinstalled with Windows 10. But Windows 10 has many benefits beyond just security.

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  Minimal learning curve, familiar user experience
  
  
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  Appropriate balance of classic and modern
  
  
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  Mouse, Keyboard, Pen and Touch friendly.
  
  
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  Return of customizable Start menu
  
  
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  Improved setup and recovery tools (rollback), backup
  
  
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  Richer cohesive, modern Settings app
  
  
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  Stable, robust modern entertainment and productivity apps
  
  
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  Customizable Universal (modern) apps – ability to float on desktop, resize, snap.
  
  
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  Cortana digital assistant productivity benefits and accuracy
  
  
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  Task View for managing applications
  
  
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  Snap Assist for managing on screen windows more effectively.
  
  
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  Action Center for centralizing and managing app and system notifications
  
  
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  Fast, clean, easy to use, powerful modern web browser – Microsoft Edge
  
  
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  Stays ever green with ongoing improvements
  
  
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  Windows Update local network updating
  
  
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  Clean modern, logical, user interface with less distractions.
  

Cost is always a factor when choosing to a buy a new Windows computer. At this time of the year, users can always look for deals, especially the popular Black Friday deals from popular online retailers.

Look at your needs and not necessarily the specifications. As Ernie mentioned, he is not gamer and didn't need a device with a discrete graphics card or high end Core i7 processor. There are many types of devices to choose from, Tablets, Laptops, All in Ones and your traditional desktop with modular display. If you know you are not gonna need Touch or inking support, you can likely save anymore. ​

This brings us to future growth, you might use your device differently a year or two from purchase. Ernie one day decided to take work home, you might end up doing the same depending on the circumstance. What you do on a work PC might not be possible on a home PC. For instance, you might use Windows 10 Pro at work, but your device at home running Windows 10 Home might not be able to access certain resources. An application such as AutoCAD or other design software might require more resources. So, consider these decisions when making your purchase.

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Windows laptops come in a wide selection of choices to choose from​

Buying online can be convenient, but the ability to try before you buy can't be beaten. Ernie used a mix of online and offline research to determine his buying decision. He was able to find the deal online and go to a local store to check out the device. This is important. The way something looks on a webpage might be a bit different in the real world. You want to experience the tactile feedback of the keyboard, see how the touch screen works, launching applications, browsing the web, listen to audio or watch a video.

Resources:

• Get Started with the New Start Menu in Windows 10
• Windows 10 Tip: Capture Images and Take Selfies with the Camera App
• Basics: Using Start and Taskbar in Windows 10
• Basics: Using Apps in Window 10
• Basics: How to open a document in Windows 10
• Quick Tip: Find and launch programs quickly using All Apps in Windows 10
• Basics: Managing Files and Folders using File Explorer in Windows 10
• Basics: Finding information on the Web and in Windows using Cortana
• Basics: Using Settings to customize Windows
• Basics: End your Windows Session - shutting down your PC
• How to: manage running programs and virtual desktops using Task View in Windows 10
• How to crop a photo in Windows 10
• Complete Guide to Importing Your Photos in Windows 10
• How to connect and browse your Apple devices on a Windows 10 PC

Maintenance

• How to Migrate Your Files and Settings from an Old Computer to Windows 10

:)

 

Windows 10 to be Free Upgrade for Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 Users

Windows 10 to be Free Upgrade for Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 Users but not Enterprise users

 

Windows 10 to be Free Upgrade for Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 Users

On most computers, Windows come preinstalled and is licensed to keep going until the end of the life of the machine. Alternatively, people will be able to buy retail licenses of the operating system which are lifetime of the user. This is not changed, at all, from Windows 7/8.

The only difference is that Windows 10 will be offered as an in-place upgrade for Windows 7/8 users for 1 year without additional cost. What isn't clear is if people whom upgraded are expected to pay something after that 1 year elapses. If there is a subscription service, that's where it stems from. Solution is simple: buy a user/machine license for the computer and you're out of that potential subscription service model.

Most likely, though, this isn't true at all. The free upgrade option likely is tied to the machine and that license goes to the end of the life of the machine. Microsoft's aim with this free offer is try to stop Windows 7 from becoming the new Windows XP and to ratify complaints and customer frustrations with Windows 8.1. They're hitting two birds with one stone which saves them money in the long run because they can kick Windows 7 to the curb as planned and they don't have to test and publish a Windows 8.2 update.

People who reinstall Windows frequently will not see much use in the free upgrade offer though. I suspect the free upgrade offer also doesn't work on systems that have been wiped clean (Windows 7 SP1/8.1 must exist already on the machine). This option is great for the rank and file computer users but probably not so much to the techie types. We're better off just buying the System Builder license like we usually do.

 

Windows 10 to be Free Upgrade for Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 Users

In what could be a fundamental shift in how Microsoft monetizes its flagship product, the Windows operating system, the company decided to offer its upcoming Windows 10 as a free upgrade for existing users of Windows 8.1 and Windows 7. This offer will be applicable only for the first year following Windows 10 launch (after which, Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 users will have to pay to upgrade to Windows 10). Windows 10 will see the return of the Start Menu, a productive Desktop environment, and cutting-edge new API features such as DirectX 12.





Source: The Verge