Betty Pearl's Sissy Stories 20.1
Sissy Story Archives (older stories) => Recent Inactive Sissy Stories => Topic started by: Betty on August 29, 2019, 01:13:12 PM
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Got Windows 7? Don't Panic!
Microsoft officially ends support for Windows 7 in 2020. That doesn't mean it will suddenly stop working, you'll get infected, or hacked. More people are getting infected & hacked on Windows 10 computers than any other.
As long as you keep your third party antivirus & browsers updated you'll be fine. Do not ever use Microsoft Explorer or Edge browsers on your machines... not even on Windows 10. Most other browsers are safer, more secure, & private.
I would never NEVER get Windows 10 on any machine. If it already came with W10 on it I will remove it to put Windows 7, or something (anything) else on it.
Windows 10 is not more secure. It's forever changing, so is forever creating new vulnerabilities for itself, while they still haven't found & repaired previous vulnerabilities. It's overloaded, bogged down, bloated, & slow. It's chock full of adware, spyware, bloatware, & unsafe third party advertisers or partners far beyond any other OS or mainstream software.
It's unreliable. At least every couple of months an update breaks it, or even if you set it to not update & not reboot while you're working, it will suddenly do that when you're right in the middle of something anyway. It constantly changes & updates my drivers to some generic or odd type of driver that don't work, while I already had the correct & updated driver for that hardware already installed directly from the manufacturer. W10 updates change my settings, so I have to spend hours putting all my setting back the way they should be... every damn month or 2.
W7 has been attacked to death for so many years, that there's very little left that is still vulnerable that hasn't been discovered & patched long ago.
Explorer & Edge browsers are always vulnerable, less safe, less secure, & less private than most other browsers no matter what version of Windows you use. Just don't use them. Almost all popular browsers are better.
Microsoft antivirus, security essentials, & defender are a joke. Almost any of the good free third party antivirus sofware & security are better.
I will be comfortably, safely, & securely using W7 at least until 2023. When it gets to be you can't install an updated browser or firewall on W7 anymore, then you will be at risk. But I'll bet there will still be plenty that work on W7 in 2025.
Updated Opera browsers, many good antivirus software, & firewalls can still be installed on XP & Vista. I've seen many schools, libraries, cash register systems, ATMs, & military equipment still running XP fine & not getting viruses or hacked. Indeed, recently I'm seeing more W10 infected or hacked machines than with any other OS.
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Betty,
Thank you for sharing this information.
Would you recommend installing LINUX for better security, and if so, which LINUX distributions and browsers do you think are best?
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Hi Betty
Is it possible for win10 to be responsible for my printers not working correctly.
I have both a Epson ET2710 and Xerox 2515 printer and both show the same fault. I am allowed to print a test page but as soon as I try to print anything else I get the error message, 'printer in error mode'.
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It's possible. Constant & excessive windows 10 updates, also update drivers, including printer drivers. Frequently in Windows 10 updates, they're the wrong drivers & don't work. Download & install your drivers, including printer drivers directly from the manufacturer for best results. If you connect to the printer through wifi wirelessly, W10 could have screwed up your wifi drivers, settings, & sharing too.
Windows 10 updates change your settings, so after their constant, bandwidth-hungry, frequent updates, your settings, including your printer, wifi, & sharing settings could be wrong.
All my computers since the days they stopped full support for XP are on Windows 7. I already had licensed copies of W7 by then (from other older or discarded computers) & was planning to switch for a while. The only reason I hung on to XP for so long, was that so much of my older software wouldn't work on W7. But by the time I finally moved to W7, everything that worked in XP worked in W7.
Until Windows 10, Vista was the worst thing they ever made, so never considered it an option. Now W10 is even worse. I didn't want my computer turned into giant phone screens, so never considered Windows 8 either. But I'd gladly take W8.1 over Windows 10.
All my computers also have Linux installed alongside Windows 7 on the same machine in a dual-boot configuration. Most popular versions of Linux have the option to install them in that configuration alongside of whatever OS you're already using.
You can still access all your windows files while booted into Linux, but you won't be able to see Linux stuff while booted into Windows.
I'd probably be 100% Linux by now, but there's still some important software/programs I use in Windows 7, where there's still nothing close for them Linux. I am very familiar with getting Windows programs to work in Linux wine. But those particular programs wouldn't work in wine either.
If all you need is something to surf the web, mail, chat, use Facebook, see pictures, play music, play video, & print with, Linux a great option.
Even Chromebooks, Firefox OS, Android, Amazon Fire, & Kindle are Linux. Most web servers, including those for Betty's & Facebook are Linux.
Yes, Linux is safer & more secure. But because most users are on Windows, Apple, or Android, rather than Linux, Linux is also targeted & attacked less.
Linux Zorin used to be my favorite for decent fast computers. But then they got too big, bloated, resource-hungry, buggy, & less user-friendly. I've heard their newest versions are a little better, but I haven't tried them again in over a year. Distro Astro Linux is another favorite of mine (if you like astronomy), but they haven't been supported in a couple years. It still works fine though, comes in 32 & 64 bit, plus all the new/updated popular browsers, & media players still run on it.
I'm running my primary desktop with Linux Mint, & Windows 7 in dual boot configuration. Mint does well on it. On a few old 2005-2007 single core (1.3-1.8ghz) laptops, including an old 2005 ibook, I'm running Linux Xubuntu fine alongside Windows 7, in dual boot. Another choice, Linux Lubuntu is almost the same thing.
Xubuntu is great for older or slow computers because it's the least resource hungry while still being a full-featured OS that's easy to use. That ancient ibook really flies well with it... as long as you remember to get the Linux version designed for ibook's old, special "power pc" CPU configuration. Ordinary Linux will fail on it.
Here's a whole channel on Linux. Scroll through to stuff for beginners or other topics of interest. I don't agree with everything he says, but there's still a lot of useful stuff there.
https://www.youtube.com/user/homergfunk/videos
Get yourself a used cheap computer from a refurbished shop first, to poke with & experiment on so you don't break your only or primary computer by a mistake or glitch installing or transferring you files. Friends or family may even have a fair one in their attic to give away for free. Add some RAM & a new hard drive, & it might be better than it was new. You can find good used dual core or better desktops in reputable stores for around $100 or less, & laptops for around $200 or less with a warranty & return policy... even Amazon & Walmart has them.
Also by having more than 1 computer in the house, or a spare, if something goes wrong, you can always search google for help, advice or download software & scripts to fix it. Don't search Bing, or Yahoo for help, they're not that good. The spare can also be used to burn rescue or repair software onto a disk or USB fash drive, print instructions, or to read step by step troubleshooting guides.
All the best Linux & its software is 100% free.
Here's another very interesting channel on computing by a cool wizard. But you'll have to scroll around a bit to find stuff about starting with Linux.
https://www.youtube.com/user/explainingcomputers/videos
Don't Panic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIvIeWnJZdI
Top Linux OS's. The first review is for Linux Mint, the last one in the review is for Linux Zorin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYFcTix56e8
Windows 10-s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwZJPrgVncU
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If your printer connects through your wifi, try plugging it directly into the computer with a USB cord & see if that works. If it is on a USB connection, try a new cord, or connecting to it with wifi.
https://www.epson-printers.org/epson-et-2710-windows-10-setup/
Isn't an Xerox 2515 a huge, large format, obsolete 20 year old printer? If you did have drivers for that one, W10 probably wiped it out, & you'll have to reinstall them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkhcoQYodVc
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Betty,
Thank you very much for sharing your LINUX knowledge and advice.
I wasn't familiar with the first channel you recommended, but after I viewed several videos, it looks like it's worth subscribing to.
I already subscribe to the Explaining Computers channel and like his videos.
I hope that these postings interest other Betties members in exploring LINUX.
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Yes it is. I started this thread because too frequently in my private messages at Betty's Pub, & email from friends of Betty's, I've been getting questions about W7's end of support or alternatives. Because most of them are members or regulars, although the topic isn't sissy-related, it is related to many in our group.
Indeed, looking at traffic stats I've seen a slight increase of Windows 7 users & decrease in W10 users this year here. So W10 isn't winning any more this year among our users. They're either falling back to W7, or walking away from all of it in favor of an android device like phones, tablets, chromebooks, or Amazon Fire. More are going to apple devices too, if they can afford them or get a good deal on them used.
Almost half our visitors though, visit on a mobile device like a phone or pocket tablet. About 2/3 of those portable devices are a Samsung Galaxy with Firefox or Google Chrome.
That's pretty close to worldwide stats. Almost half the people that use the internet these days in the world don't use a real computer, & many of them never had one.
So more people haven't got more computer savvy & are using computers in modern times. They've just found that they can easily use some of the internet with a touch screen pocket device, or a google & adware infested android tablet. If there's not an app for that, many of them are lost.
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Quiet Saturday afternoon here at Betty's. I see our Linux visitors are back this weekend. It's not me. I haven't been on Linux since around dawn.
Contrary to the news, IT reports, & promotions, I still don't see Windows 10 winning here. Indeed, during work-weeks, especially near work & school hours, I see more people here on android devices than any other single OS. By Microsoft pushing Windows down our throats with W10, which mostly just imitates a giant android phone, it seems all they did was push more people to use android devices rather than like windows 10.
Map of our visitors during the past 30, with the OS & browsers they used:
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Whooooo boy I'm gonna come across as dumb here, but...
I'll be honest. I want to hate on new Windows, just because I've always done so, since 1995.
I used to keep running Windows XP for years past it's due date, just because I had it set up the way I liked it and all my peripherals worked. Ended up with Windows 7 and loved it.
Then, when they were trying to force 10 on us, I just kept delaying, not wanting it. At work, we still had 7, but no choice of OS there (it's work), and I wanted my home comp to stay the same. Yeah some of our equipment's GUIs were stripped-down machine-versions of Windows XP, but with those, the OS is invisible, almost, so who cares...
But then one day I came home from work and my computer, which I always leave on (it runs my Plex server for my tenant) was in the process of installing 10. I fuc-ked up.
It was HOURS of the computer looking like it was frozen. My home comp was only 2 years old and pretty darn good, around a thousand bucks for an idea of how it was equipped... but it seemed like it was hung on that installation. But I resisted unplugging it and giving up. It was something like 12-14 hours later when I heard a windows start-up sound...
Long story short? I'm a simple guy, I only run two USB-connected external hard-drives, and a printer for peripherals. And I've always paid for aftermarket virus/firewall protection. And I've always hated it, and hated how intrusive they all are.
But since my computer successfully installed Windows 10?
Total ease. The new install somehow got rid of the old Norton that came with the computer, I turned on the new Windows defender or whatever it's all called, my printer was ready for action, internet worked, all my stuff was right where it belonged (I selected 'normal' mode right at the start so I've never even seen what 10 looks like in that goofy phone-mode), nothing seemed weird, everything just... works.
I especially like how utterly invisible the virus scans and defenses are; I NEVER feel like I'm being bogged down like I did with (the obviously pathetic) Norton and others. My machine does not seem any slower now than it did right after the 10 install.
It doesn't feel/seem infected, even though I know full well I'm probably riddled with trackers/etc., and every other computer I've had with non-Microsoft purchased anti-virus all seemed slower within months after purchase.
Maybe I'm just lucky, but honestly? I was a hater and strong resister of 10 until it thrust itself on me, and I've been very happy since then.
But then again, I understand I'm probably suffering from that Dunning-Kruger effect, wherein I'm too dumb to know what I don't know about how bad it is. But seriously, if that's true, I'm kinda happy to be ignorant, because 10 has behaved flawlessly for me.
I mean, get this; I literally have not had one single actual 'crash' since 10 got installed. No blue screen of death, no total freeze-up. I've had moments that seemed like it was crashing, but it always recovered. No other computer/OS version has ever behaved that well for me.
Really; am I just lucky?
(Note; you might notice I'm one of those idiots using Internet Explorer here. It's because I do all my net-cruising of fetish-stuff with this. I like having a browser I can have hidden away, no shortcuts displayed, that nobody will want to use even if they notice it, so I can have my links all saved normally. I use Chrome for all my normal browsing!)
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Yeah. W7 will run anything XP does... you may have to install some stuff in compatibility mode to get old software to work though. You can even make it look like & act like XP.
I wasn't aware they were trying to force W10 upgrades on W7 past their "free" months. I'm running W7 on all my machines except my android tablet & phone. After I removed an upgrade folder they put in with a W7 update, it never came back after W10's their free period.
So they wiped out your OS & antivirus you paid money for without any warning or permission? That would be a lawsuit, & many have sued them for that.
I was a W10 insider testing W10 on older machines I use for testing & backup spares since before it was available to the public. I was still testing/using W10 on a test machine until last year when I decided to not waste any more time on it because it was getting worse instead of better, so I removed it.
It never took more than about 40 minutes to install or upgrade to W10, & nothing froze in the process... even on a very old 2005 1.3ghz single core Hitachi, with 1/2gb of RAM, & a 4200rpm 60gb hard drive. It ran without freezing too. Slower than W7 or Linux did on it though.
I did test runs of W10 until last year on a newer dual core 3.66ghz HP with 8gb of RAM, & it still was buggy, unstable, unreliable, (especially after their constant updates), & slower than W7.
No matter what you shut off or disable it still records everything you do, including every keystroke. I can monitor my data, & see it send data out every time I would strike a key. I don't want anything like that in my house.
It's a spyware & data mining terminal, not an OS.
I've never had W7 crash or almost crash or freeze on me. I've had a few browsers freeze when overloaded though.
W10 doesn't have an Explorer browser & won't run one. It uses Edge. That biggest flaw is Explorer & Edge are they're integral parts of the Windows OS. The OS can't run without them, even though you can surf the internet without them by using another browser.
It's a very risky & a bad idea to surf the web with a browser that's also an integral part of your OS.
Other browsers are almost "stand alone" & don't integrate themselves right into the OS.
Set up properly, your W7, Linux, or Mac is not intrusive. Indeed for privacy, W7 & Linux are your best bet... if you don't use Explorer, Edge, or Google Chrome (not the same as Chromium).
Avoid Chinese & Russian browsers too. Opera corp. is still a Norwegian media company, but they sold off their Opera browser division to China. Long before I found out that, I notice it had turned bad, & wouldn't use it anymore. But it turned out that happened just shortly after the Chinese bought it. Opera is not safe, secure, or private anymore.
If you like Opera or Chrome, Try Iridium, it's based on both platforms. I'm still warming up to it but like it so far. For my needs, security, & privacy, I prefer Pale Moon (based on Firefox), Firefox ESR, & Waterfox (also based on Firefox).
Norton is one of the most bloated, resource hungry, wasteful, & pointless bits software around. Most computer savvy people stopped using it in the 1990s. It's no surprise W10 security seems smooth & seamless by comparison. It probably does a better job than Norton or Mcaffee too. Norton was probably seriouly bogging down your machine.
I don't know what browser an individual is using unless they tell me. Statistical data of browsers, & OS stuff is only held for the past 30 minutes, no names are attached to it. Visitor ISP logs are only for the past 24 hours, for security purposes. If we're being attacked, hacked, spidered or probed, I need to see who's doing it. There no name attached to those either.
However, if the sites are under attack, I can keep the statistical data & ISP logs longer, cross-reference all the data, lookup the ISP, paths, & determine if it was a disgruntled member, visitor, or just those dang pesky Russians again.
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Hi Betty, I built my own computer, so that i only have what i want in it. I use windows 7 because a lot of my market research will not work on Windows 10. I do use opera as i am also using google as back up.
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Don't use Opera. It is not safe, or secure anymore. It was sold off to a Chinese firm, & can't be trusted anymore.
"Opera corp. is still a Norwegian media company, but they sold off their Opera browser division to China. Long before I found out that, I notice it had turned bad, & wouldn't use it anymore. But it turned out that happened just shortly after the Chinese bought it. Opera is not safe, secure, or private anymore.
If you like Opera or Chrome, Try Iridium, it's based on both platforms. I'm still warming up to it but like it so far. For my needs, security, & privacy, I prefer Pale Moon (based on Firefox), Firefox ESR, & Waterfox (also based on Firefox)."
https://iridiumbrowser.de/
https://www.palemoon.org/
https://www.waterfox.net/
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/organizations/all/
The only browsers rated worse for privacy, safety, & security than Google chrome (not Linux chromium), & Opera is Edge & Explorer. They're the bottom of the barrel & should not be used.
https://spyware.neocities.org/articles/browsers.html
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https://askleo.com/how-to-keep-using-windows-7-safely-after-support-ends/
Map of visitors to Betty's in the past 30 minutes & what they were using: