Trainminder

Yes I did it. Well Chris did it for me. I transferred the info to the new computer but I couldn't find it. Chris Lord from the NJHirailers came over and figured it out. I wish there was a newer program that would be compatible and I could transfer all the info to it.

Jim D. 

So if I save it on my external hard drive before upgrading, are you then saying I should be able to bring it back over & it should work? I also wish the program would be upgraded. I mostly use it now for adding my own items. 

Just did that on my new computer. Saved everything from my old one and the technician installed it into my new one.

That's good to hear, but I am just going to upgrade my existing computer from Windows 7 to Windows 10. Would that be any different than getting a new computer?

Put a copy of all files on another device, memory card, external hard drive, cloud back up etd..  

It is very possible to crash a computer during a change of an Operating System. It isn't just àn update. You are changing the OS. (learn to partition well and you might do that to lower risk, but nothing beats isolated backup and it's easy)

Your computer wasn't really designed for w-10 and you need to keep an eye on things incase you're model needs a tweak to be 100% right.

Backup anything you care about fist. Including W-7 recovery discs to revert baxk to 7. (on a few w7 laptops, w-10 1st launch charged some nonstop, despite lights, cooking some batteries if the thing was left plugged in. You had to carefully monitor battery charge at 100%...fixed? Ya never know, it was hit &miss years ago)

The two most important things to back-up before you upgrade to W10 are data files (these may use a variety of filename extensions like .doc, .xls, .pdf, etc.) and software installation files (usually with filename extensions like .exe or .msi).  This is very important because you will have to reinstall that software IF that upgrade doesn't go well.

If the upgrade seems to go well, try all of your programs to see if they start and function as you desire.  Then, maybe a few years later, you can dispose of your back-ups.

Chuck

Thanks for all your help. Going to have a geru do it for me. 

You don’t have to update anything. All my business computers run Windows 7 and I have no intention of ever “updating” them to Windows 10. I bought a laptop that has Win 10 on it and it’s awful.

If your computer does everything you need it to do now with Windows 7, why “update?”

Why update?  How about because, eventually, (and I think it has already arrived for Windows 7) Microsoft will stop fixing newly identified weakness in the operating system.  Also, because so much of what we do is tied to the internet, allowing (even inadvertently) unfixed weaknesses to be exploited by malicious people permits them to steal our identities and our property through exposed / stolen e-mail addresses, logins, SSNs, tax info, ad nauseum.

And, some of those malicious people are now being backed by foreign governments wanting to weaken or destroy the US economy.  An outdated operating system (Windows) just makes it easier for them to achieve their goals.

So if you choose not to update and know the risks, that's fine.  Unfortunately, a lot of your readers will not be as computer savvy as you are, will not realize all the risks, and will get burned because they followed your recommendations.

Chuck

PRR1950, I’m going to play Devil’s advocate here. Hackers have always targeted the largest universe of users. Since Windows 7 is no longer the “supported” OS, the vast majority of users have updated to Win 10. So the hackers are now focused on Win 10, not Win 7.

Windows 7 was one the most stable versions of Windows ever released. My three Windows 7 Pro machines are all as stable as a rock, day in and day out. I don’t have the data privacy concerns that come with Win 10. Many people do not realize that most of the changes in Win 10 built serious privacy issues into the OS. Every Win 10 computer reports all kinds of data back to Microsoft, and you cannot prevent that. You also cannot prevent Microsoft from “updating” Win 10 whenever they feel like it.

No thanks. I’ll stay with Windows 7 and I don’t care at all that Microsoft no longer “supports” it. I view support from Microsoft like the old saying, “I’m from the government and I’m here to help you.” I will happily do without their so-called “help.”

Use a good anti virus. That stops most of the hacking. I have windows 10. I despise it.

Anti-virus, password managers (like Dashlane) and a good malware program are all you need to keep you out of trouble.

But wait a minute...if we still need to have them with Windows 10, then what’s the point of “upgrading?”  🤨