Questions for the Linux forum - from a neophyte

I have been using Windows 7 and do not want to upgrade or purchase a new computer. (There is no continued support for Windows 7.)

What I would like to do is:
1. Continue to use my old-fashioned Windows programs (list below), and also:
2. Use some version (recommendations please) of Linux for browsing and operating the system.
3. My initial thought is to somehow partition my hard drive (something I have never done) and use one partition for Linux - connecting to the internet and maintain my web site (html) and such, and the other partition to run my old programs. I looked at WINE and it seems to be gamer-focused (I am not a gamer) and says nothing about the programs I use, as far as I can tell.
Perhaps I'd develop the web page additions using my old tools, then use Linux to send files, email, and other connection tasks - might this work?
Maybe there are Linux alternatives to all these programs, yet somehow I doubt it. Am I incorrect? I imagine there are Linux alternatives to Windows Explorer and MS word/excel (which are able to read and use old files) - not sure.
Maybe there is a better way to approach this than partitioning, suggestions please.
4. Do this on the most stable Linux platform - so that modifications and updates after updates are not needed. A friend told me that the MX version is very stable and easy to use.....?
5. I really have no idea how to proceed and could use some (OK, a lot of) help. I'm not a programmer or a computer person, yet someone who likes to do stuff with computers (not caring about the intricacies of how they work). I'm an old guy and did not grow up using computers; they are like a foreign language to me.

My system:
Desktop, Dell, studio XPS
Processor - Intel (R) core i7 CPU
Installed memory (RAM) 8.00 GB
System type - 64 bit
Windows 7 - home program 1
2 TB hard drive (installed after original drive crashed)
Approximately 245 GB of files - mostly jpg photos, text files, word files, pdf files
Connection is via a (slow) DSL set-up.
My web domain address is: http://wildernessvagabond.com/index.html

This website is not fancy. It's oriented to trip reports (hiking, biking) and little else. I mostly copy and paste code because I really don't know what I am doing, code-wise. It seems to work and that's all I care about. Silly me, I think that decent writing and relevant photos are more important than flashy programming, partly because I am not a programmer in any sense of the word.

The (old) programs I use to maintain and build this website include:
Batchthumbs (by Harmware) - to resize and create html for photo sets (see the website for examples - recent reports are most illustrative).
Notepad
Adobe photoshop elements 10
Smoky City Design\The Panorama Factory V5\PFactory_64.exe for stitching together panorama photos
Microsoft word 2003 (initial text work - copied to Notepad)
FileZilla - for ftp transfers to/from server
Epson Scanner - Perfection V500 Photo and text
Windows Explorer - for organizing files and photos

Other programs include:
Thunderbird mail
Seagate backup plus hub (8GB)
2003 microsoft office excel
Norton Antivirus - provided by my internet service provider

I have a Brother HL-5370DW printer - and hope that Linux has a driver for it?
Perhaps for the Epson Scanner - Perfection V500 too?

I do some things via web-based programs, such as gaiGPS mapping (creating files/maps on the web, sending them back and forth to the smartass phone), farcebook (no apps), GPS Visualizer, google maps, etc. - and assume that using Linux handles all these sorts of things just fine. Is this correct?

Among my biggest concerns are:
1. operating BatchThumbs and Panorama Factory (alternatives?)
2. using Photoshop elements 10 (is there a Linux alternative?)
3. using my scanner and printer
4. using the Seagate backup hub as a means to back-up files

Thanks for wading through my notes and questions.
What will be the smart and easy and non-technical and safe (no data or hair loss) way to proceed?

Thanks and cheers, WV

Where to start ...
Linux ain't Windows, so despite whatever you might read on the web, there will be (many) times when you just will not understand why you can't do something you reckon you have known how to do forever.

If you don't allow Win7 to connect to the web, it doesn't really matter that it's unsupported - I have an XP box in the corner for just one piece of software I sometimes want to run. However a corollary to that is that any Linux system you install must be allowed to update to ensure your system isn't subject to hacks. Non-updated systems are a potential threat to everyone else.
So I would keep the Win7 for programs you are comfortable with (and that scanner - I have a V600 I use under Windows for my slides), and install Linux along-side (dual-boot) to handle the web facing stuff. Firefox is probably the browser of choice, and the Thunderbird mail can be simply exported and imported into Linux using the same account at the ISP. For the Office files there is LibreOffice which should handle all those formats.
I don't know about that backup hub - I had similar that actually ran a bastardised Linux, but only had Windows/Mac drivers and was a PITA to connect to from a Linux client. Somebody else may have experience for you.

So, it's probably all do-able, but isn't going to be a simple drop-in replacement.

1 members found this post helpful.

Wild Vagabond,

Welcome to LQ forums.

syg00’s advice is sound, as usual.

Microsoft’s support is ending for W7 but it is not the end of the world:
https://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/...ort-guide.html

You have several options including dual-booting on a single drive or by adding a separate drive just for Linux.

However, since you have so much Windows-specific software, I would recommend getting a cheap legitimate copy of W10 from ebay (subject to local legislation requirements) and then using StartIsBack to make it look like W7:
https://startisback.com/

Your 2003 copy of MS Office may be problematic with W10, so I would get Office Professional Plus 2016:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MS-Office...gAAOSw0LleHflJ

Product keys are sent via email.

The ISO image of Windows 10 November 2019 update can be downloaded from here:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/soft...d/windows10ISO

I strongly recommend using Macrium Reflect Free for doing image backups in Windows:
https://www.macrium.com/reflectfree

Dual-boot guide (single drive):
https://www.lifewire.com/ultimate-wi...-guide-2200653

You could use one of these to guarantee total separation of the 2 drives:

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-...ay&sr=8-5&th=1

My advice, for what it's worth, is to stick with a Windows system and make regular Macrium image backups, just in case a major MS feature update messes up your computer.

Some basic advice about Linux:
https://www.linuxquestions.org/quest...ossible-38100/

MX Linux is one of several suitable options.

EDIT
I am assuming that you have the product keys for your various Windows software and that you are allowed to reinstall this software on a new OS.

Photoshop Elements 10 should install on Windows 10 according to:
https://community.adobe.com/t5/photo.../7456059#M2525

Do check all software and hardware compatibility with W10 before proceeding and naturally backup everything.

1 members found this post helpful.

Thanks syg00 and Beachboy2 for the exhaustive and (mostly) easily understood run-down on options. I say "mostly" because as I mentioned in my original post, many computer insider acronyms and language are foreign to me.
I appreciate the investment of your time and knowledge in helping me sort through things and apprising me of lots of things about which I would not know to ask. Super!

I very much appreciated the link about the survivability of Windows 7 and what to do while I contemplate the next steps.

https://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/...ort-guide.html

I am tending toward the dual boot approach. This makes sense to me, keeping the old programs running off internet, then having the web-facing tasks performed by Linux.

I'm wondering what the benefits and downsides are to a dual boot system? What should I beware of?

I have three full data back-ups, one stored in a safe deposit box. This saved my history of photos and reports and maps and gps tracks and such when the old 1TB hard drive crashed (after 8 years of use). I have never regained all the old utility (such as my old garmin mapsource program, which still does not work), yet I can do the basic stuff that I want. I replaced the 1TB with a 2TB with the idea that I would be running Linux and Windows, with Windows used only to operate the old programs (no internet connection). And, the old hardware too. I refused to upgrade to Windows 10 after the crash because my experience is that old programs do not run on new systems, despite all the marketing and claims and such.

I have a good deal of research and reading to do before making any (drastic) move.

Thanks for your spot-on help, WV

Acronyms ? - you mean this one ?. I'll let you work out which one I meant ... . That's a handy site BTW.

Benefit should be obvious - running both (more correctly either) operating system on the real hardware. Virtualising one as a guest is also possible, but would be messy in your case.
I personally don't see any downsides, but the boot will be "owned" by the Linux system and will look a bit different, but is well tested and presents a menu to allow you to pick which to boot. Should things go wrong, it is a lot easier to fix things from a Linux live environment - usually the install USB. Note that you can use the same liveUSB to simply try Linux without installing anything at all. Hopefully one of the links above will cover that.

Wild Vagabond,

A dual-boot is certainly doable, but bearing in mind your above comments, there is always the risk that you could put your PC out of action for a while.

There are many other computer users with W7 who are in a similar situation to you.

Some will decide to move to W10 on new hardware and sell off their old desktops/laptops cheaply, or even give them away.

Keep your eyes and ears open for a good deal.

You could then install Linux on that used machine and allow internet access, leaving your present W7 desktop offline.
This would be a safer option in my opinion and allow you to get gradually acclimatised to Linux.

If you make any mistakes with the Linux installation on a separate machine, it will not matter since you will also have a fully functioning W7 pc.

Just a thought.

EDIT
As an example here is a Lenovo T430 with Intel wifi (should work out of the box):
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-Thin...c4D1f&LH_BIN=1

1 members found this post helpful.

Linux is quite a different operating system then Windows 7. To me, it has a more systematic approach to data. You won't be shuffling your data between different folders called "C:\Myphotos1" and "C:\Anotherfolderwithdata\Myphotos2" but all your data is contained in e.g. the /home/Vagabond folder. You can even choose to install the whole system on one drive and have the /home folder point to another hard drive. Also you generally don't download software from some website but instead, use the built in software repository software to search and install software - it is a bit like an app store.

I would highly recommend NOT to "take the plunge" but instead, to keep things simple, I'd follow the advice from Beachboy2 and just get to know Linux using a different machine.

Man oh man... there's a lot here.


Just because Win7 is no longer supported doesn't mean you need to immediately stop using it. I would just not use it for anything that might touch the Internet. I haven't had a whole lot of luck working with Wine---even to run old Windows games.

You may have been misinformed. Linux gets updates all the time (I see four waiting for installation on my desktop box as I'm typing this). They tend to work when installed, though. There's one one supposed `critical' patch that has never successfully installed on my wife's Win7 laptop. Go figure. I'm lobbying her to switch to Linux (almost there). MX? I'm afraid you've stumped me.

I can think of Linux-native software packages that would suit as alternatives to most of those. I strongly suspect that your scanner is going to be supported (my Perfection 2400 Photo is). Ivaguely remember downloading a file from Epson that was needed by the `sane' scanning software package. I'm unsure of the photo stitching software. I've done some of that by hand using The GIMP. And Photoshop adherents will argue all day the The GIMP is no substitute for Photoshop. IMHO, depends on your needs. There are more alternatives to Notepad than you can shake a stick at.

Harmware? Bummer of a company name, IMHO

There's a Linux-native Thunderbird (I use it and love it). Excel? LibreOffice's `Calc' does everything spreadsheet-related that I need to do (which ain't much).

I've seen posts on LQ from Brother printer users. You should do some searching in the Hardware Compatibility List to see if your model -- or something pretty close -- is listed. If the Brother accepts PostScript files, you'll be all set. I briefly had a Brother printer many years ago but returned it once I discovered that the PostScript capability required a bit of Windows-only software. I mentioned above about my Perfection 2400. It works fine with The GIMP and Sane.

I'm unfamiliar with those applications. I (briefly) visited your site. Not sure what Linux applications might be suitable substitutes -- something from the GIS arena but I haven't investigated them much past a brief encounter with GRASS years ago. (Aside: I used to work in the GPS field -- mostly aviation/landing system-related work -- and still have a bit of interest in it and mapping applications. Last time I looked (quite a while back), I was unable to find GPS receivers (for my bike) that were Linux friendly when it came to downloading the trip data. :^( I'd be interested in what software you find that works for you.)

There are ways to do thumbnails using Linux programs like ImageMagick. Or so I'm told.

The GIMP but as I noted above, it's likely not going to be a 100% perfect replacement for Photoshop. Some photographers are very, very sensitive to changes in their photo processing workflow. Recent updates to The GIMP threw me for a loop for a while.

These are probably where I see the least problems.

Can't you help here. My wife could never get her Win7 system to properly backup using the Windows utility. (We installed Cygwin on that laptop and used 'cp -R' to make backups of her important files to a USB-attached drive.) Accessing this drive via Linux won't be a problem. Depending on how the Seagate has been used to store the backed up data. If backups on Windows employed some kind of proprietary file format... could be a problem accessing them from Linux. Backing up to the drive using a standard Linux/UNIX backup program could work for both the Win7 and Linux environments provided you installed Cygwin (a UNIX environment you can use on Windows).

First of all, backups. Verified backups.

If you have no plans to heavily use Win7, I'd look at repartitioning as part of a multi-boot rejiggering of the system and give Win7 only as much as it needs plus whatever space you think you'll need for the application-related files that you still use with the applications that have no Linux equivalent. Carve out enough space for a Linux operating system. You'll have to kind of guess -- or someone here will have some better numbers about the size of that partition. Then allocate a partition for swap -- my personal druther is 2X the physical RAM installed. You have 2TB available so you could probably justify 16GB (it's less than 1% of your total disk space). Finally, a fourth partition to hold all your documents, photos, and any other "portable" files. This keeps your personal files out of the way of any future operating system installs/upgrades.

HTH...

Ain't it though. I use it all the time (even pinned it to a browser tab). The world has gone crazy with acronyms.

If Window 7 follows the same security path post support that Windows XP did, it will have a dozen remote access vulnerabilities within 3 months. (These are the types of attacks where just having your computer connected to the internet makes you vulnerable.) So I'd suggest to uograde to Windows 10 ASAP.

The problem is Windows 7 users are a now a giant juicy target for hackers, Window 7 is no longer getting security patches, but it still installed on hundreds of millions of computers. So there is a large pool of computers to attack, that the hacker know will not get patched, so it's worth them putting in more effort to find a new weakness, as they know it will not be patch on most Windows 7 machines, and thus they will get a greater reward from their efforts.

Also because different version of windows have a lot of systems in common, when Microsoft publishes the next lot of Windows 10 patches in a month, they will also be publishing a set of blueprints for the bad guys, they simply need to compare what the Windows files looked like before and after the patches to see what has been patched, then compare those file to the ones in Windows 7 to see if the same bug is present there, if so they can use the patch to reverse engineer an attack, hugely reducing the work they have to do, and they know that it's not going to be patched, unlike when they do this on a supported OS.

Surely this won't be a problem. Mine is an HL-5470DW several years old, new when bought, with no problems I'm aware of. My whole LAN uses it only via wired IP connection.

Concerning windows backup: I was badly surprised to find that win xp "home edition" in a computer I bought long years ago didn't include any backup software. It seems that backup was included only in professional versions of that system.
Later, windows vista in my work's computer (professional version) included "Windows backup". This software kept backups on external media using a "vhd" format. This was a "virtual hard drive" format, developed by Connectix, a 1990s company. Microsoft bought it from them as part of the "virtual PC" project in 2003. The bad thing was that you couldn't restore just some isolated files. You could only restore the entire hard drive using its restore ability. Vista workstation/PC version couldn't access this vhd format. Only server version was able to do this, from server's HD backups. However, I found that 7zip was able to access those vhd files, and that's how I could restore some files. I don't know if Linux versions of 7zip can read it. I think this same format is used in later windows versions, i.e. 7 and 10.

Seagate backup is probably coming from the old Conner backup, a nicely functional backup software shipped with the Conner tape drives in the 1990s (Windows 95 years). Seagate bought Conner and did change it into Seagate backup. If so, I guess it would be better than any microsoft "native" solutions (not really native, as it is Connectix technology from the 90s :P ).


And I fully agree that there is no magical way for the data safety other than backup. "Verified" backup, I heard it for the first time from an IT professional administrator some 15 years ago. I've seen new hard drives fail a few weeks after their installation. Restore from backup was the only available option.
Back in 1992-93 I did administrator's tasks on a VAX computer (a mini-mainframe running VMS o.s.). A morning, after giving the boot commands in the console to boot up the system, I received some unknown reply codes. By searching in the system's library (a real library with dozens of volumes on system's hardware and software) I understood that something went wrong with the hard drive (a giant old-style 600 MB, yes MB, no GB). I called DEC's support asking more info. The DEC's technician asked me if all backups were available (hopefully, it was so). Later I left for another job and I took a last full backup on tape. About 3 years later the company was relocated to a new building. The director, who was a friend, asked me if I could backup the server, for increased security. It was sad to see that the last backup I found was the one I took myself before leaving. Bad practice. They were just lucky, as there wasn't any drive crash.
Sorry for the lengthy story, I think it is on subject.