SSD or HDD?

[MizBrown]

13 minutes ago, Harry Harrison said:

In theory I think it is possible to get a machine with a normal HDD and then clone the drive to an SSD that you've purchased yourself using a dual slot docking station, I have an Inatech but Orico is another brand. I've never tried this myself though!

 

If the machine has a M.2 slot, putting in a SSD M.2  is easy enough (make sure it come with a screw or buy the screw needed and a JIS 00 screwdriver or whatever fits.   Cheaper to buy and install extra memory, too. 

 

Macrium Reflect does a good job of cloning the original drive to the new drive.  YouTube has how-to videos.  I had to go into the bios to enable using the M.2 drive as the boot drive.

 

You don't need a separate docking drive if you have a free M.2 slot or free slot for a full sized SSD. 

[Harry Harrison]

16 hours ago, MizBrown said:

Macrium Reflect does a good job of cloning the original drive to the new drive

Yes, Macrium Reflect would save taking the drive out, and my docking station would obviously require another computer as well. I think that anyone considering continuing to use Windows 7  after January 14th as I am tempted to do would be sensible to "Create images of a live/running Windows OS" using Macrium Reflect, and possibly take the opportunity to switch to an SSD at the same time. I don't have an M.2 slot so it would be the SATA options for me.

Edited December 29, 2019 by Harry Harrison

[John Mitchell]

7 hours ago, Harry Harrison said:

Yes, Macrium Reflect would save taking the drive out, and my docking station would obviously require another computer as well. I think that anyone considering continuing to use Windows 7  after January 14th as I am tempted to do would be sensible to "Create images of a live/running Windows OS" using Macrium Reflect, and possibly take the opportunity to switch to an SSD at the same time. I don't have an M.2 slot so it would be the SATA options for me.

 

I'll probably keep running Windows 7 until I get a new computer set up but not for the long term. I need a new machine anyway. Mine is now woefully out-of-date and beyond serious upgrading. As I remember, I used XP for quite a long time after support stopped and had no problems.

[John Mitchell]

This article attempts to answer the following question: "I want to keep using Windows 7, but support is ending. Am I screwed?"

 

The response seems pretty level-headed.

 

 

[Harry Harrison]

43 minutes ago, John Mitchell said:

The response seems pretty level-headed.

Yes, very good summary of the options and some good stuff in the comments, though I didn't read through all of them. He did a similar article on XP:

 

https://askleo.com/four-options-for-xp-die-hards/

 

Actually his recommendation ultimately was to upgrade to Windows 10 but he recommended something called Classic Shell which removes the tiled appearance of Windows 10 to give a more Windows XP/7 look & feel:

 

Classic Shell

[John Mitchell]

44 minutes ago, Harry Harrison said:

Yes, very good summary of the options and some good stuff in the comments, though I didn't read through all of them. He did a similar article on XP:

 

https://askleo.com/four-options-for-xp-die-hards/

 

Actually his recommendation ultimately was to upgrade to Windows 10 but he recommended something called Classic Shell which removes the tiled appearance of Windows 10 to give a more Windows XP/7 look & feel:

 

Classic Shell

 

Yes the comments are interesting. I was a "from my cold, dead hands" person when it came to giving up XP. However, when I finally did reluctantly switch to Windows 7, I was pleasantly surprised. All my old software still ran, and I ended up liking 7 better than XP. Hopefully that will be the case with Windows 10. Buying a newer Windows 10 machine rather than trying to install Win 10 on my current two-core dinosaur should hopefully help matters. Not sure that the tiled look will bother me, but good to know about the Classic Shell option.

 

 

[John Mitchell]

Well, the big day has arrived. Windows 7 support ends today.

 

So far, the sky hasn't fallen in. However, I did take the plunge and buy a refurbished Windows 10 machine during the Boxing Day sales. I settled on a Dell tower with a decent 4 core processor, plenty of RAM, and an SSD. It wasn't exactly what I wanted but close enough, plus the price was irresistible. It's actually supposed to arrive today (good timing). However, it will probably sit in the box for some time as I hate setting up new computers.

Edited January 14, 2020 by John Mitchell

[Harry Harrison]

Good luck with it, I've got a check-list somewhere that I use to remind me of all the software and software settings that I feel the need to install, it's never anything but tedious and frustrating though. An 'expert' on the radio this morning said that the lack of W7 support was more of an issue for companies and provided you were sensible about what you click on you should be OK for a while. At least you can do it gradually.

[John Mitchell]

1 hour ago, Harry Harrison said:

Good luck with it, I've got a check-list somewhere that I use to remind me of all the software and software settings that I feel the need to install, it's never anything but tedious and frustrating though. An 'expert' on the radio this morning said that the lack of W7 support was more of an issue for companies and provided you were sensible about what you click on you should be OK for a while. At least you can do it gradually.

 

That's a good idea about making a list. I will do that. First I'll need a couple of sessions with my shrink, though.😭

 

P.S. I have a KVM switch and plan to keep my W7 machine running without being connected to the Web. It should help ease the transition. Also, there could be some issues with older software.

Edited January 14, 2020 by John Mitchell

[vpics]

I bought a Hewlett Packard with a 512 SSD drive, 8GB RAM. Good screen. Haven't looked back yet. Cost 799 EUR. Happy. 

[Marianne]

My second iMac back in 2012 was a fusion drive - 256GB SSD and 1 TB HDD and it is still going strong. Both my laptops are pure SSD - if Macbooks could be updated I'd have kept my old 13" retina drive with a 500GB SSD and just added more RAM to take advantage of the updates to LR/PS and to process my huge Sony files. Now I have a 2TB SSD 15" retina Macbook with 32GB RAM which I hope to keep running for years. It is blisteringly fast and lighter than my old 13" Macbook. 

 

I opted for such a large drive because resting my laptop on my lap is easier on my back, so I wanted to avoid the need to attach a secondary drive unless I'm backing up my files, and you can't get a fusion drive on the new Macbooks, but really the 256GB with the 1TB HDD is a decent solution. However, I would second the suggestion that you try to get 500GB if it's within your budget. If you use LR and keep your full size previews for 30 days or longer, even your catalog can grow at an alarming rate. As long as you run your apps and your LR catalog off the SSD, you'll be able to take advantage of the faster processing speeds you'll get with the SSD, and since PCs are far more customizable than MACs you should be able to set it up nicely with a second internal HDD to house your photos. 

 

I wish I wasn't so committed to Apple as being able to customize a machine is always better. Good luck. You'll love the speed difference that an SSD makes. I've hated using my husband's PC laptop for years - but when he upgraded to an SSD I stopped grumbling so much. It is really a game-changer. 

 

Edited January 15, 2020 by Marianne

[MizBrown]

On 27/12/2019 at 00:29, John Mitchell said:

This has been discussed before, but I thought I would check again. Is it worth shelling out a bit more for Windows 10 Pro, or is Windows 10 Home adequate? Thanks.

Windows 10  Home is locked into one language.   If you buy in an English language market, that's not a problem, but I didn't want to run my machine in Spanish.  Other than that, the features Windows 10 Pro has that Windows 10 Home doesn't are BitLocker, Update for Business, Remote Desktop, and Assigned Access.   If those aren't things you need (BitLocker encrypts your drive(s)), and you don't need to switch languages, Windows Home is fine.

 

[John Mitchell]

1 hour ago, Marianne said:

My second iMac back in 2012 was a fusion drive - 256GB SSD and 1 TB HDD and it is still going strong. Both my laptops are pure SSD - if Macbooks could be updated I'd have kept my old 13" retina drive with a 500GB SSD and just added more RAM to take advantage of the updates to LR/PS and to process my huge Sony files. Now I have a 2TB SSD 15" retina Macbook with 32GB RAM which I hope to keep running for years. It is blisteringly fast and lighter than my old 13" Macbook. 

 

I opted for such a large drive because resting my laptop on my lap is easier on my back, so I wanted to avoid the need to attach a secondary drive unless I'm backing up my files, and you can't get a fusion drive on the new Macbooks, but really the 256GB with the 1TB HDD is a decent solution. However, I would second the suggestion that you try to get 500GB if it's within your budget. If you use LR and keep your full size previews for 30 days or longer, even your catalog can grow at an alarming rate. As long as you run your apps and your LR catalog off the SSD, you'll be able to take advantage of the faster processing speeds you'll get with the SSD, and since PCs are far more customizable than MACs you should be able to set it up nicely with a second internal HDD to house your photos. 

 

I wish I wasn't so committed to Apple as being able to customize a machine is always better. Good luck. You'll love the speed difference that an SSD makes. I've hated using my husband's PC laptop for years - but when he upgraded to an SSD I stopped grumbling so much. It is really a game-changer. 

 

 

The computer that I bought has a 256 GB SSD. I wanted a 500 GB SSD but had trouble finding a refurbished machine with one. The  RAW processing software that I use has a lighter footprint than LR. Also, I use PS Elements rather than the full version of PS, so I think I should be OK. I'll be popping in a 1TB conventional HD (about $60 CAN here) for data storage, which is easy to do with a PC tower.

[John Mitchell]

1 hour ago, MizBrown said:

Windows 10  Home is locked into one language.   If you buy in an English language market, that's not a problem, but I didn't want to run my machine in Spanish.  Other than that, the features Windows 10 Pro has that Windows 10 Home doesn't are BitLocker, Update for Business, Remote Desktop, and Assigned Access.   If those aren't things you need (BitLocker encrypts your drive(s)), and you don't need to switch languages, Windows Home is fine.

 

 

Turns out that the machine I purchased comes with W10 Pro. I'll probably not use the extra features, though.

[Marianne]

16 hours ago, John Mitchell said:

 

The computer that I bought has a 256 GB SSD. I wanted a 500 GB SSD but had trouble finding a refurbished machine with one. The  RAW processing software that I use has a lighter footprint than LR. Also, I use PS Elements rather than the full version of PS, so I think I should be OK. I'll be popping in a 1TB conventional HD (about $60 CAN here) for data storage, which is easy to do with a PC tower.

 

Just what I thought. You should be in great shape. Wish I could have bought a 500GB SSD and put in a 1TB HHD 

[Johnnie5]

 

[John Mitchell]

2 hours ago, Johnnie5 said:

 

 

Hmmm... that antique PC looks familiar. I'll check out the video. Thanks.

[spacecadet]

On 14/01/2020 at 20:29, vpics said:

I bought a Hewlett Packard with a 512 SSD drive, 8GB RAM. Good screen. Haven't looked back yet. Cost 799 EUR. Happy. 

That's more than ten times as much as I've ever paid for a PC.

The most I ever paid was for an Acorn Atom in 1981... about £120, IIRC, and that's when £120 was a lot of money, as they say.

[spacecadet]

On 29/12/2019 at 18:54, John Mitchell said:

This article attempts to answer the following question: "I want to keep using Windows 7, but support is ending. Am I screwed?"

 

The response seems pretty level-headed.

 

 

Refreshingly sensible and pretty much what I'll do- and did, until I finally killed my 2004 XP machine with an ill-advised CPU extraction in 2014.

So by that reckoning I'll be looking for something different in about 2024, unless I get an offer of a hand-me-down which is how I usually acquire my PCs.

[John Mitchell]

7 hours ago, spacecadet said:

Refreshingly sensible and pretty much what I'll do- and did, until I finally killed my 2004 XP machine with an ill-advised CPU extraction in 2014.

So by that reckoning I'll be looking for something different in about 2024, unless I get an offer of a hand-me-down which is how I usually acquire my PCs.

 

I guess that the growing army of hackers is probably the biggest concern now. It seems they get more numerous and more sophisticated with every passing year -- i.e. the W7 hackers will probably be much more savvy than the XP ones were.

[John Mitchell]

I received what appears to be the last W7 update a couple of days ago along with this warning screen.

 

I don't remember getting a warning like this when XP support ended, but maybe. It was a long time ago.

 

Edited January 17, 2020 by John Mitchell

[John Mitchell]

Well, my new refurbished (I guess that's an oxymoron) Dell tower finally arrived. We've had quite a bit of snow in Vancouver that has caused delivery delays. The W10 beast, which looks brand new on the outside if that means anything, is now sitting next to my desk waiting for me to set it up. I'm in no hurry, but I'll report back re my adventures in switching from W7 to W10  just in case anyone might be interested. First I'll need to drink a lot of coffee, among other liquids. 😏

Edited January 18, 2020 by John Mitchell

[Phil]

1 hour ago, John Mitchell said:

Well, my new refurbished (I guess that's an oxymoron) Dell tower finally arrived. We've had quite a bit of snow in Vancouver that has caused delivery delays. The W10 beast, which looks brand new on the outside if that means anything, is now sitting next to my desk waiting for me to set it up. I'm in no hurry, but I'll report back re my adventures in switching from W7 to W10  just in case anyone might be interested. First I'll need to drink a lot of coffee, among other liquids. 😏

 

When the refurb box is powered up consider cleaning up the W10 bloatware junk as well as suggested settings and tweaks for W10.

Lotsa YouTube video's on this but I've liked this guy's:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWHiP9K8fQ0

 

[John Mitchell]

1 hour ago, Phil said:

 

When the refurb box is powered up consider cleaning up the W10 bloatware junk as well as suggested settings and tweaks for W10.

Lotsa YouTube video's on this but I've liked this guy's:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWHiP9K8fQ0

 

 

Thanks, I'll check out the video. I hoping for not too much bloatware. Interestingly, the W10 Pro activation sticker on my "new" computer says "for refurbished computers only." Not sure what that's all about.

Edited January 18, 2020 by John Mitchell

[Harry Harrison]

20 minutes ago, John Mitchell said:

Interestingly, the W10 Pro activation sticker on my "new" computer says "for refurbished computers only." Not sure what that's all about.

I considered buying a used desktop with that sticker on but actually decided that I didn't need to buy anything just yet, I was a bit dubious though as I don't thinkl it would have come with W10 originally. This thread suggests that it might be OK though I must admit I didn't read it all in its entirety:

 

https://superuser.com/questions/1208051/how-to-activate-windows-10-pro-with-a-refurb-license