[deanhills]

@deanhills

I had a quite a week. I decided to install Windows 7 again. I found this ISO which has 3 versions of Windows Standard, OEM and per-activated. Most importantly he stocked all essential updates like security updates and other things upto January 2020. Weeding out all BS updates. Plus .NET Framework 4.8, DirectX End-User Runtimes and last version of IE. ultimate deal for someone who want to install Windows 7. So I have downloaded it and started creating bootable USB with Rufus. Since then whole thing started going down the hill.

After falling to do with 3 USB drives I finally did get it done using a real Kingston 16GB drive. I used 2 fake 32gb drives and Rufus gave me an error in middle of the process. So then I started formatting the PC. Next problem started there. Installer refuse formatting the drive and installing OS saying partition was MBR and it needs GPT, whole different drama about this installer, 64bit OS and something. Anyway I forgot I can change the partition to GPT right there. So I cancelled the installation and tried to make another installer using another ISO I have. it was older one from 2018. That didn't go well. rufus couldn't get it done and then that USB driver stopped working properly. Then something wrong with OS i was using too. I mean PC was not booting in to Windows. So I had to use a Windows 7 DVD to install Windows 7 again. That copy was from 2012. Without updating the OS I couldn't even get virus guard running. Anyway somehow I used it for 5 days and today created another UBS installer. Going to install again later today. If I go missing for another several days that means I'm in trouble again. lol

Thanks for sharing this experience @xdude.  This is one of my greatest worries with Windows 7, as when I installed it on my desktop in 2014, already then I had an update nightmare on my hands, that I never really recovered from.  I disabled the automatic update downloader as with the first attempt it completely froze my computer.  I then used a system wsusoffline that bundles the updates so one only got one smooth download of updates and can manage and install it offline.  Not sure whether one can still use it - looks like German then translated for international use:

https://www.wsusoffline.net/docs/

Here's a good tutorial for it:
https://www.techrepublic.com/article/how...d-servers/

But then a few months on - 2018 - of downloading Microsoft's bundles, my VPN one day stopped working, and I had to move to the previous version without the last bundle of updates.  That was in 2019.  I haven't done any updates since then - which is probably shocking to admit to - but I do have virus and malware protection and am still hoping for the best.  I don't download stuff from risky places.  

I was hoping that possibly Windows 8.1 would be an improvement over that scenario though?  If it is simple I thought to try it on a very old laptop of mine with Windows 7.  And see if it works for me.  However, if it's too involved, maybe Windows 10 Enterprise would be better after all.  For which I'll have to find someone who has access to Product Keys.  So plan of action for now is Windows 8.1 - but only in a test mode.  Unfortunately it's an OEM Product Key I purchased years ago with a Microsoft Disk (decided to dig through my software and was surprised to find it - I must have got it cheap).  So if Windows 8.1 looks as good as the reports say (I've heard good reports elsewhere as well and @ikk157 just reminded me when he reported here about this as well - there are many happy Windows 7 users who are happier after they moved to Windows 8.1 vs Windows 10 that turned out to be a problem possibly because of dated hardware technology wise).

@deanhills  I would suggest you may want to install Windows 8.1 on a separate harddisk as a free trial version first, before you actually go to buy a license.

And I would doubt if it is really a good idea to buy Windows 8.1 license now. Windows 8.1 extended support will end by January 10, 2023, so you will only get less than 3 more years support from now.

I've just found a very old OEM License for 8.1 that I never used so that solves that problem for trying out - and agreed, I should experiment with it first before I use it.  Furthermore, the difference between Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 may not be worth it for the change - as I'd probably have to find a whole new set of drivers for my hardware moving from Windows 7 to 8.1. I doubt if I choose to go for Windows 8.1 that I'll stay long with it.  Like I always told myself when I get new hardware (meaning my current hardware must be obsolete), I'll go for up to date Windows.  Only reason I'm still on Windows 7 is that I'm convinced my current hardware was built with Windows 7 in mind. New hardware is now built with Windows 10 in mind.  And possibly also Linux, which of course has a much higher learning curve if one wants it to behave Windows like.

In the final analysis though, I'm spinning my wheels, as just hate all of this effort and the possible rude surprises I'm going to get when some of my software or hardware will stop working.  If my Windows 7 was causing any problems, it would have been a different more pressing problem.  But I don't have problems and except for the updates issue it is still in perfect running order. I love my Windows 7.