What is a better plan

[pecrie]

So , we have to go to Win10 now.But I still have some devices that I want to use.
However some drivers are not available for Win10.I was using Win7 in 2019 and before.

I have read that I can use W7 in a Virtual Box in win10.That looks good.

But when I make a dual boot with W7 and Win10 ?

Which one of these options would be the better plan ?
Any ideas ...?

[stj]

Re: What is a better plan

So , we have to go to Win10 now.

why??

[shovenose]

Re: What is a better plan

What devices are you referring to? I had no trouble on some older laptops going from 7 to 10. I did have a little trouble with a Getac S400G2 but installing 7 and all the right drivers then running the upgrade to 10 worked perfectly.

[Curious.George]

Re: What is a better plan

So , we have to go to Win10 now.But I still have some devices that I want to use.
However some drivers are not available for Win10.I was using Win7 in 2019 and before.

Are these "devices" in the generic sense of the word (internal components)? Or, are they peripherals -- printers, scanners, etc.?

I.e., support for "internal components" tends to be almost essential to make a machine usable. OTOH, lack of support for a particular peripheral doesn't make the machine unusable.

Similarly, peripherals are often used infrequently. So, you may be willing to put up with a bit of hassle in order to use one.

I have read that I can use W7 in a Virtual Box in win10.That looks good.

But when I make a dual boot with W7 and Win10 ?

Which one of these options would be the better plan ?
Any ideas ...?

Is the option of leaving a Win7 machine around for those "devices" possible? E.g., some of my scanners are unsupported on W7 and I rely on older versions of Windows when I want to use them (then, transfer the scanned images onto a "real" machine).

Consider how often you will need to access those devices -- and what you are likely going to want to be doing AT THE SAME TIME.

E.g., if you dual boot, then you'll have to shutdown your current W10 session in order to reboot into W7. Then, use the device and reboot W10 when you're done with it. Presumably, avoiding engaging in any behaviors that were the cause of your leaving W7 in the first place (e.g., unplug network cable if you fear the W7 machine can be pwned)

Running W7 in a VM lets you keep W10 up-and-running ALONGSIDE the W7 VM. But, you have to make sure your drivers will be supported in that VM.

Running W7 on a dedicated/old machine avoids all of the above -- but means keeping it up when you need access to that driver (and keeping it isolated from other network traffic, if that's the case).

[stj]

Re: What is a better plan

actually the first question is simply WHY do you have to use win10?
religious dogma?
an idiot imployer?

[pecrie]

Re: What is a better plan

Thanks to all who have replied.I use windows because I have more experience with it.
I am sure that there are other OSes out there , but for now I will stick with W10.

@Curious George ,

You are right.That was just what I was thinking.
Yes , it is about peripherals like printers and scanners.No drivers for W10.

And I am not going to buy new ones - not at this moment.As for the drivers for the W7 system.

I know that I can upgrade to W10 from W7 and keep all or most of the drivers to keep working.
It is also for space requirements that I want to have just 1 pc and 1 monitor.

So I'm going with the Virtual Box method.I have read that I make a system image from my Win7 pc and then use that to create the VB system.
This will be a complete system with all the drivers.

Will see how it will work in the VB ....

[Curious.George]

Re: What is a better plan

@Curious George ,

Yes , it is about peripherals like printers and scanners.No drivers for W10.

And I am not going to buy new ones - not at this moment.As for the drivers for the W7 system.

Understood. I have many peripherals that would have been "left behind" had I naively adopted MS's latest offering, at each "upgrade". I've maintained previous OSs in VMs for exactly this reason (in some cases, on "hardware" VMs -- e.g., Chimera).

I have a 40" color scanner that is keeping me tied to W7 presently -- along with a boatload of COTS software -- so don't imagine leaving it anytime soon.

I know that I can upgrade to W10 from W7 and keep all or most of the drivers to keep working.
It is also for space requirements that I want to have just 1 pc and 1 monitor.

You might see if you can find a laptop or USFF machine to install W7 and tuck away in a corner of the room, "headless". You can configure RDP -- or VNC -- to access that box from your "real" computer, when needed. I keep a couple of very long "VGA" cables that let me run a cable *to* a headless machine -- without moving the machine or the monitor (e.g., if a machine fails to boot).

[Most of my monitors have multiple video inputs. So, I can plug the end of this long cable into an unused input on a monitor when I "just need to see the desktop -- and don't want to bother with RDP"]

So I'm going with the Virtual Box method.I have read that I make a system image from my Win7 pc and then use that to create the VB system.
This will be a complete system with all the drivers.

Will see how it will work in the VB ....

Verify that VB will do the job before you lose the W7 "native" capability. I prefer VMware -- you might give it a try if VB falls short.

[stj]

Re: What is a better plan

Thanks to all who have replied.I use windows because I have more experience with it.
I am sure that there are other OSes out there , but for now I will stick with W10.

that wasnt the question - i'll re-phrase it.
what's wrong with 7 - other than it's a m$ product??