Win 7, or 8?

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Still need to update, which would you choose and why? I love win 7 at work and have heard that 8 is weird, thoughts?

[Whoaru99]

Update from what?

Bear in mind that "updating" from XP or earlier to Windows 7 or newer means a complete wipe and start from scratch to restore all your stuff to the computer.

Considering that, I'd probably just wait for Windows 10, if your hardware will support it.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Yes, I want to wipe the drive and start over anyway, but will NEVER buy a new windows version without waiting about a year after it is released.

[Whoaru99]

That's too bad. Win 10 looks pretty good....and it's supposed to be free but you might have to have an OS from the last decade or two though to get the free update.

Edited May 29, 2015 by Whoaru99

[Whoaru99]

Looks like if you want to wait a year AND get free Win 10, then best bet now is probably Win 8. As I understand it, Win 10 will be free for one year from date of release for Win 7 upgrade, and free indefinitely at present for Win 8 upgrade.

[jac714]

I have both 7 (on desktop) and 8.1 (Laptop) and prefer 8.  It is a bit different to get used to but it is faster adn more robust than any version of Windows I have ever used ( I started with Interface Manager aka Windows 1.0)  The only hard part of 8 is the Start Menu is not what it used to be.  

Setup of devices adn networks is really intuitive and simple and I cannot remember getting a BSOD or crash.

[polarsusd81]

I absolutely hate Windows 8.  So much so that every time I open up the laptop at home with 8, I want to throw the thing out the window and then chase it to the yard with a sledgehammer.  I hated the new interface from the moment I fired up the computer.  Bought a stand-alone start menu to get back to a recognizable interface, then when I was forced to update it from 8 to 8.1, they disabled the goddammmm start menu that I bought and forced the horsedung interface into it again.  I feel like I need a 6 pack of beer every time I operate that computer.

[LMITOUT]

I created shortcuts for the programs I use most and put them on the desktop or pinned them to the start bar.  That way I rarely have to use anything but the desktop view. I still prefer the way Win7 is laid out.

[delcecchi]

Consider 7 with the upgrade to 10. 

[Sandmannd]

I didn't like 8 when it first came out but my new laptop came with it. Took some getting used to but it's fine. It does perform faster than 7. If you can hold off till 10 then I would do that. Otherwise I would go with 8 so you're upgraded to the newest. 

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Went with 7. Have a free upgrade to 10 if I choose. I'm happy with 7 though.

[Sandmannd]

Windows 10 comes out tomorrow I believe and it's free for one year to upgrade to. 

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Can you do a clean install with the free 10 upgrade?

[upnorth]

I know you can download an  installable copy that can be installed on multiples.  I installed it on one of my PCs, I like 10 better than 8.1 for sure.

[LMITOUT]

I believe the "Free" upgrade that MS has rolled out is just that...an upgrade which builds upon a previous version.

[Sandmannd]

Yup it's an upgrade which means you need a previous version of windows that you already purchased. They won't just give you windows for free if you don't already have a purchased copy. 

[aanderud]

Can you do a clean install with the free 10 upgrade?

You have to install over another version of windows, but during the upgrade process there's a step of "what do you want to keep"... The options are something like "files", and "programs, files, and settings", or "nothing".  If you pick "nothing" it does a clean install.  Well, I'm not sure technically how "clean" it is, but I didn't notice any windows 8 remnants laying around when I upgraded from 8 to 10 on one of my laptops.

If you're still not happy with that installation, after you do the "upgrade", the system recovery program in windows 10 has a "reset" option that allows you to wipe everything.  

 

Word on the street is that a clean install can be done on any PC that has previously done an "upgrade" install.  So, while it requires installation twice (upgrade, then format/install), it does seem to allow the option of a clean install if you really need one.

Here's one page that has plenty of info, from which I copied the following snippets:  http://www.howtogeek.com/224342/how-to-clean-install-windows-10/

Install Windows 10 from the installation media like you would any other operating system. Restart your computer with the USB drive or DVD inserted and boot from that device.

...

Partition your system drive however you like. If you just have a single Windows partition, you can tell the installer to overwrite it. If you have many partitions, you could delete them all and tell Windows 10 to install itself in the unallocated space

...

You’ll be asked for the product key after the process is finished. Just click “Do this later” to skip this part and continue the setup process.

After you log into your new, clean-installed Windows 10 system, it should automaticallyactivate itself after you connect to the Internet. If you took advantage of the free upgrade offer, it does this by checking your computer’s hardware and then checking in with Microsoft, verifying that your hardware configuration is authorized to use Windows 10.