Many are unaware that Windows10 is still free

[noknojon]

My Windows7 laptop was not being used as it was outdated and needed upgrading to get decent updates.. So I found this on cnet and followed it, and it was great ..

First visit the link below and most advice is the same as listed here .. It is genuine, and treated as "if you missed the upgrade, here it is"

https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-download-windows-10-for-free-now-that-windows-7-is-dead/

Windows 10 free download: How to get the upgrade now

Microsoft no longer supports Windows 7. If you haven't upgraded to Windows 10 yet, follow these simple steps now.
Here's how to get Windows 10 for free, if you're currently running a licensed and activated copy of Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 Home or Pro: Plus all the required updates..

Follow the onsite directions, which are basically the same as listed here, but may include a bit more detail ..
1. Go to the >> Download Windows 10 website << Linked on the site, and includes a Q & A area
2. Under Create Windows 10 installation media, click Download tool now and Run.
3. Choose Upgrade this PC now, assuming this is the only PC you're upgrading. (If you're upgrading a different machine, choose Create installation media for another PC, and save the installation files.)
4. Follow the prompts.
5. When the upgrade is complete, go to Settings Update & Security > Activation, and you should see a digital license for Windows 10.  

Disable any free 3rd party A/Virus, and while in Settings > Security, make sure Defender is activated.. Keep any Paid A/Virus, but remove other Free versions (Defender will look after you just as good)..

If your system has 6 G of RAM this will be plenty to run Windows 10 ..

[AdvancedSetup]

Excellent, glad all worked out well for you @noknojon

Here are some other links on doing an install or upgrade (I prefer a clean install myself) for those that might come along to read later on.

All the links are similar but some have more nuance or tips than others

 

Greg Carmack - MVP 2010-2020 -Clean Install Windows 10
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-windows_install/clean-install-windows-10/1c426bdf-79b1-4d42-be93-17378d93e587

How to Create a Local Account While Setting Up Windows 10
https://www.howtogeek.com/442792/how-to-create-a-local-account-while-setting-up-windows-10/

How to set up Windows 10 with a local account
https://www.windowscentral.com/how-set-windows-10-local-account

How to Clean Install Windows 10
https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/1950-clean-install-windows-10-a.html

How to do a Clean Install of Windows 10 the Easy Way
https://www.howtogeek.com/224342/how-to-clean-install-windows-10/

How to do a clean installation of Windows 10
https://www.windowscentral.com/how-do-clean-installation-windows-10

How to install Windows 10 from DVD, USB, or ISO file
https://www.digitalcitizen.life/how-install-windows-10/

How to Custom Install Windows 10
https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/120352-custom-install-windows-10-a.html

 

 

Edited March 18, 2021 by AdvancedSetup
updated information

[brad03]

I'm actually going to use the above to upgrade a computer tomorrow. 

[David H. Lipman]

On 3/17/2021 at 4:24 AM, noknojon said:

If your system has 6 G of RAM this will be plenty to run Windows 10 ..

Yes, to run the OS.  However to run applications under the Win10/64 OS, the minimum suggested is 8GB RAM.

[nukecad]

Win 10/64 runs fine on my laptops 4GB, even when running a CAD application (Autodesk Dwg TrueView) with house building plans open, a couple of spreadsheets, documents, PDF files, and a browser all open at the same time.

It's fine for basic games, 3D golf etc., as well.

Obviously the more RAM the better, up to a point unused RAM is wasted RAM, but 4GB is plenty for most 'everyday' users of Win 10. Especially those who's main use for a computer is Social Media and shopping.

Edited March 18, 2021 by nukecad

[AdvancedSetup]

I suppose mine is a hog. I don't have much open yet aside from Outlook. and Firefox, MS Edge. The killer part is 129 background processes (thanks Windows 10, not even a 1/4 of that in Windows 7)

 

[Porthos]

To me the first step in a computer upgrade is a SSD drive. Ram is next.

There are many computers sold that none of the above will really do anything to help.

[1PW]

Like it or not, If it's not already, I believe the new "sweet spot" for many W10 systems is at or quickly approaching 12 or 16GB.

The next is a good SSD.

[David H. Lipman]

I can't disagree with the Logic of a SSD vs. a Spindle Drive.  I have replaced all my Spindle Drives with Samsung and Crucial SSD.

However RAM is the easiest to install and add a performance enhancement.  However, 4GB is just not enough.  RAM is cheap.  Upgrade.

Replacing a Spindle Drive with a SSD has technical challenges and a level of knowledge that most do not have.  They can learn it and they can succeed and there are tools for this.  For example there are specific Free OEM versions of Acronis TrueImage to clone SeaGate (which covers Samsung SSD) and Crucial drives.  But, for many that are technically challenged, a Spindle Drive to SSD replacement is a bit too difficult and quite daunting.

 

 

Edited March 18, 2021 by David H. Lipman
Edited for content, clarity, spelling and grammar

[Porthos]

Some laptops require removing the motherboard to reach the ram. Not a simple task for most end users.

Also some can not be upgraded either the ram or the drive. All the 32gig and 64gig emmc laptops I am looking at you.

[David H. Lipman]

1 minute ago, Porthos said:

Some laptops require removing the motherboard to reach the ram. Not a simple task for most end users.

True but many others have trap-doors and desktops are the easiest.

 

[Porthos]

2 minutes ago, David H. Lipman said:

True but many others have trap-doors and desktops are the easiest.

 

Unfourtantly, none of the current gen off the shelf laptops have trap doors or even removable batteries any more. you have to remove the bottom at least.

Everyone and their grandparents are buying laptops instead of desktops lately.

[David H. Lipman]

We call them - JUNK.  

And yes, people buy them 'cause they are cheap.  Cheap JUNK.

 

 

[exile360]

15 minutes ago, Porthos said:

Some laptops require removing the motherboard to reach the ram. Not a simple task for most end users.

Also some can not be upgraded either the ram or the drive. All the 32gig and 64gig emmc laptops I am looking at you.

Yeah, thankfully such systems are rare.  More often than not, the most you have to do is remove the keyboard (which itself is only removable by removing the bottom of the laptop, removing a trap screw on the bottom that holds the keyboard in place, and sometimes removing one or more panels from the top around the keyboard).  And of course, most OEMs install the RAM in the most accessible slot(s), so if the device has any RAM slots on the more accessible bottom of the laptop, they are likely already filled with SO-DIMMs so that you have to remove the keyboard (unless you're only replacing an existing RAM module with a larger one, likely at the cost of dual-channel capability save for higher end laptops which typically have 4 SO-DIMM slots with 2 being on the bottom and 2 being on the top underneath the keyboard).

The typical modern Dell, Acer, HP etc. laptops most people are buying these days are generally configured this way, so upgrading the RAM can certainly be tedious.  More boutique systems such as those from the likes of Clevo and their large number of rebranded versions (Sager etc.) are usually a bit easier to work on as they're often designed to be modified, maintained, and upgraded by the user and to support a wider array of possible system component configurations.  That flexibility/upgradeability typically comes with a hefty price tag compared to similarly configured pre-builts from more vanilla OEMs like HP/Dell/Acer etc., though.

Edited March 18, 2021 by exile360

[Porthos]

1 minute ago, David H. Lipman said:

And yes, people buy them 'cause they are cheap.  Cheap JUNK.

You, in many cases get what you pay for.

[nukecad]

9 hours ago, AdvancedSetup said:

I suppose mine is a hog. I don't have much open yet aside from Outlook. and Firefox, MS Edge. The killer part is 129 background processes (thanks Windows 10, not even a 1/4 of that in Windows 7)

 

According to that screenshot 85% of your 64GB RAM is not in use.
To me that's a bit like driving round in a bus on your own everyday, just in case you might want to use all those empty seats sometime.
(Or living on your own in a house with 8 bedrooms - pick your own metaphor).

My 4GB RAM laptop running Win 10 20H2 generally looks like this: (That's Firefox, a spreadsheet, notepad, and 3 other apps open).

Edited March 19, 2021 by nukecad

[David H. Lipman]

To me it's like a Diner.  You want to have visitors that use your services.  Patrons have automobiles and so do the staff.  However, you need to have a parking lot for your patrons.  On a periodic basis and on some occasions you have more business than usual.  Like Mother's day.

If the parking lot is too small, the parking lot fills up.  It causes a backup of automobiles onto the thoroughfare.  A mini traffic jam ensues as well as a possible increase in vehicular accidents.  It causes some patron's to park elsewhere.  This causes the patrons to endure additional physical time and effort to find another spot and for the patrons to walk to the establishment from further away. 

Instead, let's see it not as a lone Diner but as Restaurant in a strip mall.  There other establishments in this strip mall and they too have their own patronage and needs for staff and patron parking.  Their respective patronage patterns may coincide with the Restaurant and complement the restaurant's traffic and at other times may have super peak traffic.

I want my parking lot to have plenty of space for my patronage.  I don't want to lose business because the parking lot is full and I don't want them to walk a block and a half away because the lot is full.  I want my patrons to be happy.  For there to be good traffic flow and no, or minimal, accidents amongst the patrons.

 

 

Edited March 19, 2021 by David H. Lipman
Edited for content, clarity, spelling and grammar

[Porthos]

And when you do run short on memory, Windows uses virtual memory AKA your page-file on your Hard drive. Now depending on your drive and if it is a SSD or a standard drive, the page-file performance will vary.

Like the stores main parking lot is full and the customers have to drive thru a very sticky muddy lot (page-file) around back and they can barely move.

That is why I start with a SSD upgrade first, ram if it can be afforded at the same time if the computer is worth it in the first place.

[AdvancedSetup]

3 hours ago, nukecad said:

According to that screenshot 85% of your 64GB RAM is not in use.
To me that's a bit like driving round in a bus on your own everyday, just in case you might want to use all those empty seats sometime.
(Or living on your own in a house with 8 bedrooms - pick your own metaphor).

My 4GB RAM laptop running Win 10 20H2 generally looks like this: (That's Firefox, a spreadsheet, notepad, and 3 other apps open).

 

 

 

 

13 hours ago, AdvancedSetup said:

I don't have much open yet aside from Outlook. and Firefox, MS Edge. The killer part is 129 background processes (thanks Windows 10, not even a 1/4 of that in Windows 7)

 

I had only just started the computer, thus not a lot open YET.

I also do some Vector Graphics as well as Video and Photo manipulation.  So, I don't need the 64GB of RAM on the daily but I do need it and when I'm doing Adobe After Effects and Adobe Premiere it uses almost all that RAM

I've supported many systems before that did run on 4GB of RAM in a business and we found that by the end of the day the user on an 8GB system was consistently able to complete tasks sooner and produce more work than the users on the 4GB systems. For the cheap cost of RAM we added 4GB to all the systems. But, yes for some users it will be more than enough.

 

[nukecad]

Indeed you get as much RAM as you need, I was just pointing out that Win 10 will run fine for most people on 4GB RAM.

I do have a SSD waiting to be installed in that laptop, (having a few issues with the new SSD) and may look at adding more RAM while I have the case open.

[exile360]

Even going to 6GB would be a noticeable upgrade and going to 8 or more would be ideal.  Believe it or not, web browsers are among the most RAM hungry applications these days, and the more extensions you have installed, and the more tabs you have open, the more RAM the browser consumes.  Usage can escalate pretty fast.  For lower-end devices without a dedicated GPU, there is also the issue of shared video memory where the integrated graphics chip takes some of the system RAM to use as graphics memory, reducing the amount available to applications.  The same occurs with dedicated GPUs which have their own VRAM, however it is more dynamic rather than being pre-allocated and unusable by applications running on the system as it is with the RAM in use by an integrated graphics chip.

[noknojon]

On 3/18/2021 at 9:51 PM, David H. Lipman said:

Yes, to run the OS.  However to run applications under the Win10/64 OS, the minimum suggested is 8GB RAM.

I currently run the upgrade on 4GB RAM, but it is a bit slow.. I have a topic in Bleep Comp Win10 where jenae is helping me get rid of extras..

Next I will get a bit extra RAM in the "old machine" and things will improve greatly ..

Quote

Even going to 6GB would be a noticeable upgrade and going to 8 or more would be ideal.

4GB is minimal, 6GB is ideal and 8GB is PLENTY ....... Mine runs without problems, plays games, and runs on the Wi-Fi.... (I can even watch "p@^n" without problems) ..
------ You guys should try these things sometimes ---------- Not watching "P", but upgrading smaller systems ........

Edited March 21, 2021 by noknojon

[AdvancedSetup]

I hear a good FDISK and FORMAT will help you get rid of Extras 🤣

 

 

[noknojon]

Ran a SFC/SCANNOW without any problems , but it lagged and stopped during a DISM/ONLINE/Health scan @ 57.0% ..

No problems with the 3 main forums that I log into (here included) and ebay / and similar sites ..

Trouble is it is a Toshiba Satellite and they came with too many pre-installed items that I needed to remove ..

Edited March 21, 2021 by noknojon

[exile360]

If you haven't already, running ADWCleaner would probably be a good idea to eliminate a lot of the less useful preinstalled apps that shipped with the system.  It should create a restore point automatically by default, however I'd recommend creating one manually before running it just to be safe in case anything gets removed that you end up wanting back.