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Windows 10 again

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  • #382995
    Nathan Sharpe
    Participant
      @nathansharpe19746

      Today we suffered a close hit during a very short thunderstorm. The router,my pc motherboard and the ethernet cable between the two, plus the PCI ethernet card suffered damage.It looks like my HDD and 2 external drives are ok. OS is Win 10 32 bit. The cheapest option seems to be to buy a refurb PC. Should I stick with 32 bit or move to 64 bit? The only progs I need are CS2 and Paint shop X9, both of which are legal. All of my MS progs should be O/K. Any advise would be welcomed. Nathan.

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      #26316
      Nathan Sharpe
      Participant
        @nathansharpe19746
        #382996
        Nathan Sharpe
        Participant
          @nathansharpe19746

          I should have said that I'm working from a cheapo Viglen tablet via wifi. I hate it as a primary machine!! nathan

          #383002
          HughE
          Participant
            @hughe

            Nathan,

            I would go for a 64 bit system. However make sure your existing progs /apps will run on it. Have you got the installations discs for your MS progs? If not you could have some problems.

            Hugh

            #383004
            Mark Rand
            Participant
              @markrand96270

              It looks as though CS2 is only 32bit software. Paintshop Pro X9 can be either 32 or 64 bit. If you haven't run into problems with the size of images you are working with, you might as well stay with 32bit windows. Note that more than 4GB of memory is wasted on a 32 bit OS.

              #383007
              Tricky
              Participant
                @tricky

                32 bit applications will run on 64bit W10. I am still using Photoshop 7 on my W10 64bit computer without any problems.

                #383024
                Adam Mara
                Participant
                  @adammara

                  I have found that the '2000' versions of Excel, Word and Access run happily on my updated last week W10 64bit. I have one or two specialist programs that will only run on W4W, and an old desktop is still used for those!

                  #383033
                  Neil Wyatt
                  Moderator
                    @neilwyatt

                    CS2 works fine on W10 64 bit, aside from one annoying bug – you have to minimise it as it doesn't automatically minimise if you select a different program. Possibly running in compatibility mode might solve this.

                    Neil

                    #383034
                    Oldiron
                    Participant
                      @oldiron

                      Go for 64bit. 99% of all 32bit programs will run on 64bit pc's. You can then use all the available memory you have.

                      I use several 32bit programs on a 64bit machine. If you have the serial numbers for your programs there should be no problems redownloading them and reinstalling on the new machine.

                      regards

                      #383035
                      Nick Clarke 3
                      Participant
                        @nickclarke3

                        When installing any recent version of Windows it will select the most appropriate one for the computer hardware. Microsoft Office does the same. so unless you have any known incompatibilities 32 bit programs should all run OK.

                        One area to check though before committing yourself perhaps could be drivers for printers, scanners, input devices etc.

                        The laptop on which I am writing this has 6Gb of RAM and uses 32 Office in 64bit Windows 7 and several very old programs (pre 2004) all run fine. These were all the default options.

                        Edited By Nick Clarke 3 on 30/11/2018 10:36:45

                        #383036
                        Mark Rand
                        Participant
                          @markrand96270

                          I wasn't trying to imply that 32 bit software doesn't run properly on the 64 bit versions of windows (I'm sitting at such a combination), it's just that if Those are the only programs that Nathan is interested in, he might not need access to more than 4GB of memory, so might see little benefit from using Wx 64. smiley

                          #383039
                          J Hancock
                          Participant
                            @jhancock95746

                            If it is important to you , just check that whatever you buy will run any existing printer you may have.

                            I was running Windows 8 on my old Toshiba Satellite pro and everything was fine. Tosh broke so bought an

                            identical 2nd hand one but it has Windows 10, impossible to make printer work.

                            Now told common problem.

                            #383051
                            SillyOldDuffer
                            Moderator
                              @sillyoldduffer

                              You'll have to suck it and see. Running old software on a new computer is always a risky business and the answer ranges between 'no problem at all' to 'massive waste of time and money'.

                              Trouble is that 32-bit desktops and laptops are obsolete. During the last 20 years+ processors, operating systems and applications have all moved step by step in stages from 32-bit to 64-bit technology. During the transition a lot of effort was put into maintaining backwards compatibility, typically over no more than 3 steps. Unfortunately these measures were intended to give people more time to make the transition: they we're never designed to keep old software going forever.

                              If you're lucky, it will 'just work'. Or not! Don't be surprised if you plunge into difficulties with memory models, device drivers, and peripheral incompatibilities.

                              The simplest solution is to replace your old equipment with exactly the same – if you can find one! Failing that something similar.

                              A more complicated answer is to host your old software and operating system on a Virtual Machine running on a new computer. The Virtual Machine allows one operating system to host another operating on the same computer; thus Windows 10 host Windows XP. Outside the VM it's 2018, inside it's 2001. No guarantees it will work and it can be complicated to set-up.

                              Professionally we avoided getting into situations like this because the uncertainty makes providing a service unpredictable. Instead all computer systems came with an through-life plan, which – in theory – ensured that money would be budgeted and wheels set in motion to replace the system before it died of old age. Unfortunately this means getting on the upgrade treadmill, which is annoying and expensive when old software does all that's needed with minimum fuss. Until something goes wrong!

                              Dave

                              #383067
                              Neil Wyatt
                              Moderator
                                @neilwyatt

                                I have some 'legacy' programs from Windows 2000 era. They run better on under W10 than on any earlier version of windows.

                                Neil

                                #383077
                                Cornish Jack
                                Participant
                                  @cornishjack

                                  If you are thinking of a 'new' machine, (i.e. refurbished) ask the seller to install W7 64 bit Professional. No compatabilitry problems and as much RAM as you want. My latest will be such, with 16 Gb RAM – ,,, sitting on the desk, waiting for me to obtain a circular tuit!!

                                  rgds

                                  Bill

                                  #383097
                                  Nathan Sharpe
                                  Participant
                                    @nathansharpe19746

                                    Thanks' everyone. I'm considering a Dell 780/790 SFF from Morgan Computers. it comes pre loaded with W 10 64 bit and 4GB of memory. I'll upgrade to 16GB and fit a larger HDD, if I can find affordable PCI low profile graphics and sound cards they will also be fitted. Drivers for my printers are available so that's not a problem and I may just upgrade from CS2 which was a freebie anyway. Nathan.

                                    Is there a way of protecting routers and cordless phones from nearby lightning strikes, apart from unplugging everything?

                                    #383100
                                    Rik Shaw
                                    Participant
                                      @rikshaw

                                      I'm no expert but plugging each into a cheapo surge protector should do the job OK – yes????

                                      Rik

                                      #383106
                                      Nathan Sharpe
                                      Participant
                                        @nathansharpe19746

                                        Rik, they are plugged into a surge protected 4 way trailing socket. My feeling is that we're also getting it through the phone line. We've lost two phone base stations this year and are now running a mis- matched trio of phones. The satellite phones are always ok. Is that because they are not connected to the phone line or is it because they have less sensitive electronics? Nathan.

                                        #383107
                                        Nathan Sharpe
                                        Participant
                                          @nathansharpe19746

                                          I should point out that by "satellite" I mean phones that are slaved to the base station. In no way I could afford or justify owning a satellite linked phone!! Nathan.

                                          #383109
                                          Frances IoM
                                          Participant
                                            @francesiom58905

                                            re lightning strikes – my DECT phone base station but not my router also attached to same phone line, was taken out by a serious lightning strike that took off part of the roof of a house across the road from me (it also took out routers + attached computers in houses quite some distance down the road – almost certainly had to be via the overhead phone wires

                                            #383138
                                            Ady1
                                            Participant
                                              @ady1

                                              The only progs I need are CS2 and Paint shop X9

                                              Stick with the 32 bit if I was you

                                              If you want 64bit use/buy another machine

                                              #383139
                                              Brian G
                                              Participant
                                                @briang
                                                Posted by Nathan Sharpe on 30/11/2018 20:21:28:

                                                …My feeling is that we're also getting it through the phone line. We've lost two phone base stations this year and are now running a mis- matched trio of phones…

                                                 

                                                Surge protectors for ADSL seem readily available (Kenable list one at £2.44 **LINK**  ) which together with a surge protected extension lead might help protect your modem. Protection for telephones seems a bit less easy to find, but Masterplug make a BT plug adaptor (currently £3.49 on eBay **LINK** )

                                                Brian

                                                (No connection to either vendor except as a satisfied Kenable customer)

                                                Edited to remove accidental (but very annoying) emoticon

                                                Edited By Brian G on 01/12/2018 07:33:03

                                                #383141
                                                Danny M2Z
                                                Participant
                                                  @dannym2z

                                                  Like I told my computer customers many years ago; In a thunderstorm unplug your your landline phone and modem as there are no devices readily available that can withstand the energy of a nearby lightning strike.

                                                  Even the power companies cannot prevent outages when a thunderbolt hits their lines.

                                                  * Danny M *

                                                  Edited By Danny M2Z on 01/12/2018 08:12:15

                                                  #383150
                                                  SillyOldDuffer
                                                  Moderator
                                                    @sillyoldduffer

                                                    Much depends on how close the lightning strike is. If one actually hit your house you would have far more to worry about than a few phones!

                                                    Good lighting protection is expensive. Heavy copper straps are used to connect a lightning conductor to a seriously good electrical ground. Rarely fitted to private homes.

                                                    Your phones are probably being damaged by current induced in the phone and/or power lines by a nearby strike, where 'nearby' could be a few miles away. Although the power is much dissipated it can still cause damage.

                                                    Telephone lines are normally protected at the consumer box by a simple component that shorts out excess voltages. It reacts fairly slowly and may not be quick enough to protect the electronics in a modern phone. Adding the sort of surge protector mentioned by Brian G will improve the protection and is worth trying, but these devices have little effect on a close strike. You can get much more effective protection but the cost rises rapidly.

                                                    Whereabouts in the world do you live Nathan? Far fewer lightning storms occur in the UK than in the tropics, and ours are usually less energetic. The risk of damage is low. Best to take local advice if you happen to live in a place where violent thunderstorms are common.

                                                    Dave

                                                    #383151
                                                    HughE
                                                    Participant
                                                      @hughe

                                                      As previous response have said the existing protection on telephones lines is basic and will not help when you have a strike close by. The standard master socket from BT uses a spark gap device, this is defined as the primary protection element. The let through energy will still be high, you could make up some secondary line protection using MOVs and TVS diodes. If you search the web I am sure you will find some ideas what is needed. It is important that you have good grounding/earthing to make any protection elements fully effective.

                                                      By chance i have just found 2 protection sub assemblies from RS whilst clearing out some junk, if you pm me with your address I will post them to you, assuming you are in the UK.

                                                      Hugh

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