[AZgl1800]

my Desktop is still on Win7 and will remain so unless I wipe it out, and install Linux Mint....

Today, I needed to use Win7 to print out a document and oh Lordy, was it ever so frikin slow.

I could not even drag the windows around on the screen....

2 things came to mind right away.
it is 12 years old, and I have never taken the case off and blown out the cobwebs and dust from the CPU and stuff..... I bet the power supply fan looks like the filter on our clothes dryer.

or, there are crap apps running that I do not want on it at all.

so, I brought up the config.msi and started going thru it to see what Services were running.
found a dozen at least that are not needed period, especially since it is not allowed to get Updates anymore.

Then I looked at STARTUP....
oh my, Adobe has crept in again, and I had turned it off eons ago.
and a dozen more pieces of crap that it does not need.

so, I stripped it down to bare bones, and oh my garsh, it rebooted and was up and running in about 3 minutes....

Firefox was fast!!!! just like on my Linux laptop....
Debating what to do with it, as TurboTax no longer works on Win7, they forced me to use Win10. they do not even have a Linux version.

So, put a note up, clean the dust out of the Desktop...
that will probably speed it up some more, when the CPU temp drops back down.

 

[DenverWinger]

Try upgrading it to Win10? Still doable for free. I've had success on even Dell D620 laptops, 14 years old!

If you have the Win7 licence Key it will probably make the upgrade successful. Win7 home (crippled) upgrades to Win10 home (crippled), all other Win7 editions except Enterprise upgrade to Win10 Pro. I've had good success with upgrades. Doubtful you have Win7 Enterprise (corporate edition), That upgrades to Win10 Enterprise.

Back up your Win7 System image to an external USB drive before doing this so you can restore it if upgrade fails.

You need to download a Win10 setup DVD image (.ISO file). Don't need to burn it to a DVD, just extract the contents of the ISO file to a folder somewhere on the hard drive. Use "Ultra ISO" program for extracting the files from the ISO image. Be sure to use same Win10 architecture as your Win7 (32 bit vs 64 bit). I would look for the 1903 or 1909 edition of Win10, still some issues with 2004 edition. Microsoft has a utility for putting Win10 Setup files on a USB Stick. I prefer to just get the .ISO file.

Run setup.exe from inside Win7, this will keep your files, documents and programs. Might make you uninstall a couple programs like Media Center, older versions of VMware, and Microsoft Security Essentials are not compatible with the upgrade. Most cases Setup will uninstall them for you.

After Win10 is installed, go to My Computer/Properties. if that page shows Windows is not Activated, Click on "Activate Windows" (has to be connected to internet). If that fails Click "Change Windows Licence Key and put in your old Win7 key. That should activate Win10. May not need to do this step, Win10 may read the key directly from Win7 and activate itself.

 

[AZgl1800]

I hate Win10 with a passion, that won't ever happen.
this laptop has Win10 on the primary SSD, and Linux on a separate SSD.
at bootup, I decide if I want to change the default boot, if I don't, it goes to the last OS used, and that is Linux all the time until the next time the IRS thieves need my taxes reported.....

TurboTax only runs on Windows.... and that pisses me off, they need to make a Linux version for the rest of the world that hates MicroSloth.

. the Microsoft Security features?
I have every one of them deleted in Services and STARTUP.
AVAST takes care of that, plus I run MalwareBytes if I think there might be a reason to do so.... and it has not found any vermin in over two years....

I run a firewall vulnerability test once in a while, it has never, ever, reported any open holes on my systems.

GRC | ShieldsUP! — Internet Vulnerability Profiling Steve Gibson Firewall Test

GRC | ShieldsUP! — Internet Vulnerability Profiling

GRC Internet Security Detection System

www.grc.com

 

[trike lady]

A good cleaning does wonders. I got a running poorly windows 7 desktop that all it needed was a good cleaning and new thermal paste. It has some games in it and it can run for hours without a complaint.