Windows 7 fresh install

sparkyb · 9 Dec 2018 at 07:11

Hi,

Please can you help me?

I am planning on doing a fresh install of Windows 7 in the next couple of weeks after I have sorted out my personal files ready for back up. It will be the first time I have reinstalled windows since I built my pc 8 years ago. I appreciate W7 is out of date, but it suits my software setup and I am happy with that.

Please can you tell me if this is a simple thing to do and if there anything I should watch out for to make sure nothing goes wrong?

I have read some people have had a problem with updates afterwards, is this something i am likely to come up against and how would i go about fixing it?

I have the original W7 installation disc and the product key, which is on a sticker and on the inside of the box. Is this all i need?

Thank you

nightmare99 · 9 Dec 2018 at 09:54

This will help you greatly https://social.technet.microsoft.co...ollup-and-quality-rollup.aspx?Redirected=true

sparkyb · 9 Dec 2018 at 15:21

nightmare99 said:
This will help you greatly https://social.technet.microsoft.co...ollup-and-quality-rollup.aspx?Redirected=true

Excellent, thank you. That will save me some time.

Big Frank · 11 Dec 2018 at 00:10

Windows 7 is not out of date it is still supported by Microsoft. I'd still be on it if my hardware supported it.

sparkyb · 11 Dec 2018 at 18:12

Big Frank said:
Windows 7 is not out of date it is still supported by Microsoft. I'd still be on it if my hardware supported it.

Sorry, bad choice of words on my part. We still use W7 at work.

lurkio · 12 Dec 2018 at 17:41

I am pretty happy still using windows 7 on my 8700K based system, our work moved to 10 and it has been a massive ballache

sparkyb · 15 Dec 2018 at 21:26

I think I have just realised that I will loose Windows Live Mail if I do a fresh install of Windows 7? I do have the web installer for Microsoft Live Essentials, but from what I can see that's now been removed.

Do you know how I can get live mail back on if I do a fresh install please?

Is there any other Windows software that I will loose that support has been ended for? (just so I can see what I will loose after a fresh install)

Thank you.

ns400r · 16 Dec 2018 at 01:38

Live mail still works fine on Win7.

sparkyb · 16 Dec 2018 at 08:09

ns400r said:
Live mail still works fine on Win7.

Sorry, not sure if I worded my previous post properly;

Live Mail works no problems for me as well.

But what I meant to say was; I dont think Windows 7 comes with an email program built in after a fresh install. So you have to add one yourself, which I seem to remember installing Windows Live Essentials because Live Mail came with it? Live essentials and live mail are no longer supported and thus you cant download them from windows? Which means If I do a fresh install I will loose live mail.

I do have the web installer for live essentials, but I think if I try to use it nothing will happen as it will point to nothing on the windows website?

So, do you know how I can get live mail back please as I still want to use it?

Thanks

sparkyb · 17 Dec 2018 at 07:14

I have managed to find a link from a Windows community forum post that goes to a website called "Internet Archive Wayback Machine". This web site has the full Microsoft Essentials 2012 installer (130mb) that includes Live Mail. I am not sure if I am allowed to post the link here, so I wont unless I am allowed to?

I have downloaded and virus checked it, then started off the installation just to see what was on it. It came up with the option to install live mail amongst some other MS software, but I didn't continue as I have still got Live mail at this stage.

I have no idea if it will install ok. Some people have got it to install no problem, others say it gets stuck at a certain % during installation, one person had to change the install language to get it to work. Another extracted the file with 7zip and did a complicated process of accessing the 55 archive files and clicking each .exe file to install, it worked apparently!

Do you think its wise installing this seeing as it came from 3rd party site? Or do you know if the original installer .exe file might be on my PC in a windows file somewhere.

I should have realised this earlier lol! - I was planning on doing the re-install during my week off this week, but daren't now because of this problem!

Thanks

sparkyb · 19 Dec 2018 at 22:23

The fresh install and updates of Windows 7 went fine except for one error tonight, but I think that was my dodgy connection?

Was a little bit apprehensive about installing live mail especially as it came from a 3rd party website, but it was linked from a Microsoft forum so I figured I would take a risk.

There wasn't any problems during the install of live mail, loaded fine and downloaded my emails after set up no problem. The other installs from live essentials worked fine as well.

Thanks

VRdude · 20 Dec 2018 at 11:30

Does win 7 work on new hardware?

sparkyb · 20 Dec 2018 at 11:33

VRdude said:
Does win 7 work on new hardware?

I haven't changed any hardware myself and Windows 7 works fine. As for changing hardware with w7, I wouldn't know, sorry.

VRdude · 20 Dec 2018 at 12:06

sparkyb said:
I haven't changed any hardware myself and Windows 7 works fine. As for changing hardware with w7, I wouldn't know, sorry.

I mean like the newest CPU's etc, because i've heard that only win 10 works there.

sparkyb · 20 Dec 2018 at 12:10

VRdude said:
I mean like the newest CPU's etc, because i've heard that only win 10 works there.

Sorry, I don't know. I have the same CPU (i7 980x extreme) in my pc since I built it 8 years ago with Windows 7. The only hardware I changed since build was a Asus network card, all fine with W7

VRdude · 20 Dec 2018 at 12:11

sparkyb said:
Sorry, I don't know. I have the same CPU (i7 980x extreme) in my pc since I built it 8 years ago with Windows 7. The only hardware I changed since build was a Asus network card, all fine with W7

Yea I also got a 6 year old CPU

ED209 · 21 Dec 2018 at 14:24

VRdude said:
Does win 7 work on new hardware?

depends on the hardware, newer hardware such as cpu\mobo does not support Windows 7 and the manufacturers does not have Windows 7 drivers for the USB ports and chipsets etc.

there is ways to get W7 to install but can be a pain and then would need to block certain updates otherwise you will get messages stating your "using non supported hardware"

deuse · 22 Dec 2018 at 08:59

ED209 said:
depends on the hardware, newer hardware such as cpu\mobo does not support Windows 7 and the manufacturers does not have Windows 7 drivers for the USB ports and chipsets etc.

there is ways to get W7 to install but can be a pain and then would need to block certain updates otherwise you will get messages stating your "using non supported hardware"

Non of that is true.

My Z370 with a 8700K has windows 7 64bit installed and I have all updates.
I have even installed windows 10 drivers to see if there was any difference. Intel chipset windows 10 64bit install just fine as well.
It's just MS being a silly sod and forcing people to be come guinea pigs for the corporate guys.

Go here https://www.station-drivers.com/index.php?lang=en search for your mobo and chose your drivers.

ns400r · 31 Dec 2018 at 18:21

sparkyb said:
Sorry, not sure if I worded my previous post properly;

Live Mail works no problems for me as well.

But what I meant to say was; I dont think Windows 7 comes with an email program built in after a fresh install. So you have to add one yourself, which I seem to remember installing Windows Live Essentials because Live Mail came with it? Live essentials and live mail are no longer supported and thus you cant download them from windows? Which means If I do a fresh install I will loose live mail.

I do have the web installer for live essentials, but I think if I try to use it nothing will happen as it will point to nothing on the windows website?

So, do you know how I can get live mail back please as I still want to use it?

Thanks

Sorry, missed your reply as I don't have emails enabled here.
I would have sent you the full working version but it seems you have it sorted now. You could have also exported your emails from the old version and imported them to the new install. Address book is just a file that could be saved and imported later as well, and the email accounts can be exported.