I'm only just recovering from a crash that happened Sunday week ago. Thanks to the local Chinese "computer resurrection" shop I'm now back on the air with my 11 year old XP machine, but I have a new machine sitting beside it with Win 7 on it ready to become my new workhorse. I wanted Win 7 because I hate Win 8 upwards.

Over the years Harry the PC wizard has now brought two machines of mine back from the dead and this one was a real test for him. At one point it looked as though it was completely history and that I'd have to rely on my most recent backup (2 days before the crash) to build a new hard disk.

Just as well that was not necessary as it turns out the bloody stupid Memeo backup software will not restore to any PC that is different from the one that was used to make the backups. On top of that, the idiots at Memeo "support" told me that they no longer support my version (bundled with a Seagate external drive) and the only help they offered was 25% discount on the latest version (that only runs in Windows 10). Needless to say they have permanently lost a customer over that performance.

It's axiomatic that your backups are only useful if you can actually restore from them, and I have used my backups to recover accidentally deleted files in the past, but those restores were to the disc from which the backups were originally made.

So, I'm now giving serious consideration to purchasing a cloud-based backup solution.

I feel for you GTC!
I still use my XPpro machine to write magazine articles and do routine stuff all using Office 2000!
But o dear, you really do need a W10 machine for internet work.
I don't have a home network now I don't run a business but have 2 x W10 machines with wireless and copper line internet, plus the XP plus a W98 that runs old games so I cover all the technologies and each is independent of the others.
And then there is the Shmartphone, Samsung thing that I cant get my head around since my Nokia 1100!
Its got Windows and Android and god knows what and has a mind of its own.
Technology.
Fred.

I did attempt a reply last night, however Forum server decided to have another hissy fit & vanish.

Backup has always been a problem. As Microsoft made an OS obsolete & brought out new ones, none of the backups in the previous version was compatible with the other & the only way to avoid the issue was not to use them. In earlier times one could use PK zip to take sections of the HDD and zip then (registered version) have it re-write the HDD. As the program itself was on mother disks, they were kept & you only had to backup your files.

No more: A lot of self destruct is built into the downloaded files so you have to buy another. I have a Win 10 that came on a Zip. The loading corrupted due to a fault, but as the thing activated that zip is rendered useless as the program says its been used and will not load to a replacement machine: In one way that's not customer service, bordering on greed. Although rental seems to be the new money spinner.

I have a cast off Laptop as a fallback running Win 7 and a built in 2000 one running XP. The latter for some programs & a 1986 360 column printer. Those two mysteriously run at the speed of a tired snail, since the OS was discontinued. Of these XP is the most stable & has the best "file search" past that they are atrocious.

The newer Toshiba running 8.1 had to have a big clean out as like a lot these days it came with a whole load of HDD & resource wasting rubbish that was of no use to me.

I have resorted to a TB HDD which actually talks to all of them. So routinely files needed to be kept (like accounts) end up on it & a zip or CD. These go back into the 90's & photo's & files etc can be retrieved by all of them & some working / reference files are left on the old units, but copied, to BU.

I think the issue of forward compatibility will become less of an issue in future if Microsoft's agenda on new versions of Windows is stuck to. Basically they have said there will be "no new versions" again, coming in line with Apple - both companies will merely issue constant smaller upgrades to Windows 10 and OSX respectively.

I am not sure how many years that policy will last for but if it is the way forward then it may make life easier.

In reality, apart from the cost aspect, there is no real reason to dislike Windows 10. It has the familiar start button that has been a feature of Windows since Windows 95 was released and similar ergonomics overall. The important thing it has is better security. Windows XP was great in its day but because it, and most other old versions of Windows, no longer receive security patching, any XP machine connected to the Internet now will be a car wrecker's magnet for all sorts of nasties.

This can only be avoided by keeping such machines as single offline workstations. This website (and the other websites I once hosted) used to sit on Windows 2000 Advanced Server and this lasted up until only about five years ago. There's no way I could justify going back to that OS. It'd be over-run with viruses and other malicious attacks in no time at all, again because Microsoft doesn't patch that OS anymore.

Personally, I liked Windows 7 the best. It was and still is the most stable version to date and had a nice interface. Windows 10 will be just as good in a couple of years. I've had Windows 10 since it was released on a laptop with a ten core processor.

It goes without saying that Windows ME, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 were Barry Crockers.

What I dislike most about post XP is the introduction of the "ribbon" into Office. I hate the proliferation of icons. I much prefer the original GUI menu structure.

Whereas with the old menus I go straight to what I want to do, with the damned ribbon I search in vain and frustration. Office was already bloatware with tons of stuff that the average Joe would never want to use and the ribbon made that fact even more obvious.

Basically [Microsoft] have said there will be "no new versions"

That's because paradigm shift has shown them the end of the road. Mobile computing is the future. It's not for me, but then I don't need it either.

It's a classic scenario, where the typical user of any software only uses about 5% of the software's power or feature set. Office is packed to the gunwales with features I'll never use, though clerks in office jobs would find such features more handy, especially in Excel.

When using Outlook and Word I only use three or four of the buttons in the ribbon and even then, not every time I use it.

That's because paradigm shift has shown them the end of the road. Mobile computing is the future. It's not for me, but then I don't need it either.

I have a six inch Windows smart phone and again, probably only use 5% of its features. I need it for work because I often need to respond to e-mail when it arrives (though, thankfully, not out of hours) and there is an app on it for the firm's work order system. It's more than four years old now yet still works well with great battery life. I won't be replacing it until it dies because Microsoft is bailing from the phone game and I am not ready for Apple or Android, though when that horrible decision has to be faced I have to say I will probably go Android as Microsoft is writing a version of Office for it as a compromise for no longer issuing its own phones. I also find Apple phones a confusing experience and generally don't like that ecosystem.

I remember the days when Word, Excel, Outlook Express and an upgrade to IE4 weighed about 35MB! The source code for the ribbon would weigh more than that these days.

I have to say I will probably go Android

I won't have anything from Apple in my possession. A guy I know used to refer to Jobs as the iSatan.

Microsoft is writing a version of Office for [Android]

Envisaging Microsoft converting Godzilla into a Android App really makes me laugh.

As for the ribbon, I will probably install UBitMenu or Classic Menu for Office.

"Personally, I like Windows 7 the best."

Same here. I have been using 7 Ultimate ever since my XP retired without regret.

After a brief and feisty ( very feisty--very brief) honeymoon with W8, I had it removed. A mate went for the W8 upgrade and ended up in all sorts of strife. After a lot of money, hassle etc. he settled for W10.

I went back to 7 because I want clear written directions, not silly Play School picture blocks. (No wonder today's kids have sh*t for brains)

Meanwhile, my W7 chugs along nicely, runs my data logger splendidly and all I ever need to do is run CCleaner at the end of each day.

Hope they don't pull the pin on 7.

A mate went for the W8 upgrade and ended up in all sorts of strife

Mate of mine who only ever used Macintosh, had to buy a PC for his daughter because school stuff wasn't available on Mac. So, he goes to Officeworks and comes home with a Win 8 machine. What a debacle! I couldn't get anything to work on it and told him to take it back and demand a Win 7 machine.

Windows 8 sold more Macintoshes than any advertising Apple could have dreamed up.

Hope they don't pull the pin on 7.

From Microsoft's website: "End of extended support Windows 7, service pack 1 -- January 14, 2020 "

According to this stats site, Win 7 still comprises 42% of the operating systems in use by Web users:

http://gs.statcounter.com/os-version-market-share/windows/desktop/worldwide

According to this stats site, Win 7 still comprises 42% of the operating systems in use by Web users:

That is pretty much the same as here. Windows 7 is first, followed by Windows 10, Windows 8.1 and then 'trace elements'. We get a handful of tablets and phones but the vast majority of connections are from proper computers (desktops and laptops). As for browsers, Edge is first, followed by Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari and then 'trace elements'.

Brad is right about connecting an unsupported Windows computer to the internet. Don't do it!!
Last year I hooked my XPpro unit to the modem (plug back in the network cable) to look at something as the other PC's were occupied.
Within a minute or so the activity manager showed activity rising even with the PC just sitting doing nothing with the browser off having finished the quick look.
The activity curve rose exponentially to 100% and beyond and after 5 minutes every body else in the world was having a loan of my PC to do what?????? The hard drive was spinning continuously, keyboard response was slooooooooooow and I unplugged the thing real fast!!
Had to reset the poor thing to 1/2 hour back before that point and it recovered and became its good natured self again fast, quick boot up and so on.
Fred.

I have a collection of old desktop computers, over 50 of them. Operating systems range from DOS, through Windows 98 and NT, all the way to Win10. Additionally, there's a pile of spare hard drives, also with various Windows, with XP being the most common.

Last year I decided to upgrade all those XP machines and drives to the latest available updates while they were still available. Some required hours of work, and not once did any of them get attacked.

I've also still got a bunch of Windows 2000 machines, although since they are limited to IE6 there's not many websites that can be displayed.

There was one Windows 8 machine, which I decided to upgrade to 8.1, but I'd barely begun before the hard drive abruptly crashed, losing the lot. I cloned Windows 7 onto a new drive and used that to resurrect the machine.

It is actually inexplicable as to why the basic OS cannot be on the motherboard and not a HDD which traditionally is the most likely to fail. What is being got away with is the ability to render OS useless after a period of time. Its like buying a car & saying once the warranty expires, you are going to have to buy a new one as there will be no spare parts made.

Its a bit like my joke about "Battery Hens" for the agriculturally ignorant : (this breed often hang about Cafe's, sip latte & run for Parliaments) That when the battery goes flat they throw a way the Hen.

Within a minute or so the activity manager showed activity rising even with the PC just sitting doing nothing with the browser off having finished the quick look. The activity curve rose exponentially to 100% ...

I suspect what you were seeing was a bunch of automatic software updates occurring.

In any case, never connect a PC to the web without there being a firewall in place. Firewalls are bundled with anti-virus applications.

I have a collection of old desktop computers, over 50 of them

Along with your 200 or so radios, you must have quite a sizable shed!