Upgrade or Switch to a different OS, but don't hold on to an older Windows.

Do you just hate the changes made with Windows 10? Do you dislike the default software, advertising, or UI changes? Well you should probably get over it. Technology changes and computer operating systems are no exception. Holding onto Windows 7 for these reasons are silly.

Holding out for the reasons above won't work very well. It may not be much of an issue yet, but over time you will come to regret it. Especially since the clock is ticking on the free upgrade. I know somebody that held out with Windows 3.11 for Workgroups well into the first decade of this century. Nothing ever worked the way she wanted it to, She was constantly wasting time looking for a work around or compatible 16 bit software to get anything done. She had stuff installed to to give her a Windows 95 type look along and she tried and often failed to run more modern stuff with Win32s. She could have spent that wasted time doing stuff she wanted to do if she had just upgraded. I ended up force upgrading her to Windows XP at some point. I installed third party apps to make it look and feel more like what she liked. She was pissed at first, but when she started using it she was happy with it because everything just worked. I of course made a full backup in case she dug her heels in and wanted it put back the way it was. Fortunately that didn't happen.

I understand this is an extreme example. I realize that Windows 7 is still useful and able to function fine for most people and will for some time still. But with ending support, yes I know you can still get security patches but that is not the same as being a supported product, and the fact that Windows 7 will eventually lose it's usefulness as well as be much less secure, nostalgia isn't a good reason to hold out. It isn't hard to get Windows 10 to look more like what you are used to. Default software and games can be removed or replaced. Advertising can and should be turned off. It's easy. A monkey could do it.

Legitimate reasons to hold out may include hardware compatibility, specialized setups based on Windows 7 that would break with an upgrade (industrial machines controlled by a Windows 7 box, etc...), Privacy issues (even though most but not all are easy to mitigate if you just look at your settings), and specialized software development needs. Even I have had use for old or unsupported operating systems in a few rare instances. I have really a couple old computers that I still have a use for which can not run newer stuff at all or without extreme modification.

I am a strong advocate for Linux, and am in know way a supporter of Windows 10 mind you. I just think that a decision of whether to upgrade should be based on sound facts, not on FUD, not on nostalgia, and certainly not because somebody is to lazy to make a few easy changes to protect privacy and make the UI more suitable.

I think however, that when it comes to Windows 7 you should either upgrade or jump ship to a different OS entirely. Old Microsoft operating systems are not secure and not any better with your privacy than Windows 10. Microsoft has been an expert at mining your data for a couple decades, they just got more aggressive about it recently. If you think you are safer using an older version of Windows, guess again. Also, if you do choose to go to a Linux distribution you will still have to make UI changes and worry about privacy settings in most cases. Ubuntu is a prime example of a Linux distribution that is easy to use but has some privacy issues and some UI issues.