Sr. Citizen Quest's As A New W10 User.

Hello,

Sr. Citizen now, very,and frankly not all that sharp with this "stuff" anymore.
Would be most grateful for any help.

Have had W7 for many years, was "happy" with it, but new desktop (DELL XPS 8900) due to arrive
in a few days is coming with W10.
Would like to get a bit of head-start in using it.

a. What is the most practical way of transferring the files, Photos, etc. from the old to the new PC ?
Can it go back and forth thru my Cisco/LinkSys Router, perhaps, so I don't have to copy to an external HD
and transfer between the PC's using it ? Better and quicker way ?

b. Will blame it on old age, but would really like the new PC with W10 to emulate the look and feel of W7 as much as possible. Sure don't want the Tiles, etc. The Folder views that W7 has are quite fine for me.

So, what steps should I "immediately" take to put it in this (modes) ?
I guess there are quite a few "things" to do.

c. I use MS WORD and Excel a lot. Presently have the 2007 versions which is fine for me.
Assuming I can find the CD's for them, will they transfer to W10 ?

If not, and I have to purchase new copies of each, what is the best way, and the best price ?
Anyplace have cheaper ?
I see that they have a Home and Student for about $ 231. Ugh !
Anything cheaper for just WORD and Excel ? I don't want a yearly Lic., just want to purch. and forget.

Much thanks, appreciate the help,
Bob

Let me just address b) for now -- I'm sure others will be able to address your other concerns.

I don't like Tiles, either. Don't have a touchscreen so I have no use for a smartphone-like desktop. What I recommend is using Start10 from Stardock. It's not free, but it only costs a few $$ and after you install it, you can then choose different start menu graphics -- to then make your machine look a lot like Win7 did. If you don't want to buy Start10, then you should consider ClassicShell -- a nice alternative. There's also StartIsBack -- but I don't recall whether that's free or not.

Sir,

First of all, welcome to the world of Windows 10.
I will try to help you to find solutions to the queries you are having. :)

A. Transferring the Files From Windows 7 to Windows 10.
To transfer files between devices you can make use of these tools available
Free PC transfer/migration software - EaseUS Todo PCTrans Free
Check out the new SHAREit app!
They will help you do the task with out issues and they are free. :)

B. Make windows 10 look like windows 7.
It is pretty much a hybrid of Windows 7 and windows 8 There are not much complicated changes there you can get the start menu back by Simply right-clicking on the tiles and selecting Unpin from Start. The other options have only got a UI uplift so that wont be hard to navigate through.
How to Make the Windows 10 Start Menu Look More Like Windows 7

C. Office products will work on windows 10, If you can find the CD for the product then just go ahead and use that it will install just fine with out any issues.
And also you can try other office suits without the need of spending any money.
Alternatives which you can use are
1. WPS Office 10 Personal Edition - For Home and Student <- Closely resemble Microsoft office with all the functions and compatibility.
2. Home | LibreOffice - Free Office Suite - Fun Project - Fantastic People <- Open source free alternative.

With all due respect,
-Shadow

a) I have no doubt that the files can be transferred through the router. For my own purposes, I'd probably use the external HD or a large USB flash drive. (They're getting surprising inexpensive in adequate capacities.)

b) I used StartIsBack under Windows 8, but I haven't felt the need under 10. The 10 start menu isn't identical to 7, but I have no trouble going between 7 at work and 10 at home. If you need the Win 7 look, StartIsBack is $3US, $5, or $10 for 1, 2, or 5 PCs.

c) Office 2007 is supposed to work just fine under Win 10. (I have Office 2010, which definitely is OK, but no personal experience with 2007.)

I would expect the differences between 7 and 10 to be more of an issue for power users than for the rest of us. (In particular, the settings/control panel dichotomy is lousy. That's really not ready for prime time.)

Mark Phelps said:

Let me just address b) for now -- I'm sure others will be able to address your other concerns.

I don't like Tiles, either. Don't have a touchscreen so I have no use for a smartphone-like desktop. What I recommend is using Start10 from Stardock. It's not free, but it only costs a few $$ and after you install it, you can then choose different start menu graphics -- to then make your machine look a lot like Win7 did. If you don't want to buy Start10, then you should consider ClassicShell -- a nice alternative. There's also StartIsBack -- but I don't recall whether that's free or not.

Or, what you can do without hassle, just unpin and uninstall all the apps you don't want. It becomes an updated Start menu. This was made by design. At least give the new bits a full proper spin.

1. Create a "local" account to login to the OS. (I don't use "metro apps", nor do I download "apps")
   
2. Go to the Settings "app", Privacy, and disable everything possible. Turn off everything under "Allow apps to use X", and on the last box, disable " Allow Windows to ask for my feedback" and "Send device data to Microsoft."
   
3. Open Control Panel, go to Default Programs, and change default programs that open pictures, videos, and audio from "metro apps" to Windows Photo Viewer and Windows Media Player. They're more efficient than the "metro apps".
   
4. Disable OneDrive from starting up when the PC starts up. Im not sure why this is on by default. I open OneDrive in the task bar notification area, go to Settings, and turn off the option.
   
5. Make sure to set Windows Updates to ask me when it needs to restart my computer. I definitely don't want it restarting it randomly while I'm working!
   
6. Install my favorite start menu replacement. The start "menu" in Windows 10 is a joke. It's nothing like Vista or 7's fantastic start menu.
   
7. Uninstall the "Xbox app". For some stupid reason, the "Game DVR" feature is enabled by default and it can be extremely annoying when it shows up while I'm playing a game. To disable it, you'd normally need to login to the "Xbox app" with a Microsoft Account just to disable it, but if you delete the "app" completely, you can disable it that way.
   
8. Uninstall all the other "metro apps" that can be uninstalled, and use the PowerShell to uninstall all the other ones that cannot be uninstalled. They're shit.
   
9. Install Microsoft Office 2007.
   
10. Install graphics drivers, sound card drivers, display drivers, etc. etc.
    
11. Disable Windows Defender and install COMODO Internet Security suite. Defender is a joke of an antivirus.
    
12. Run Windows Update to get the latest updates for Windows.
    
13. Make Windows Explorer open to This PC instead of Quick Access, and disable Quick Access.
    
    That should be about it.