Windows 7 lives, but it’s time to give Windows 10 a chance

Q: I am currently running Windows 7 on my computer and have had friends tell me that Windows 10 is very difficult to work with. In your opinion, since Microsoft plans to discontinue tech support at the end of this year, should I be taking a longer look at installing Windows 10?

A: While Windows 7 was technically end of life in January 2015, the extended support will continue until Jan. 14, 2020.

What this means is that Microsoft will no longer provide technical support or fea- ture updates for Windows 7. This is not a problem because most users of Microsoft products don’t tend to use Microsoft tech support to solve problems. They find answers online or from computer technicians.

Microsoft will, however, continue to issue patches and security updates until extended support ends in 2020. The operating system is still safe to use.

What this means for you is you can keep going on your current path, but you will eventually need to consider upgrading to Window 10 to make sure your system is protected.

This is, of course, assuming your computer supports Windows 10.

As to your friends who say Windows 10 is difficult to work with, I don’t agree. At least not anymore. I was happy enough with Windows 7 and was not in a hurry to upgrade until January of this year when I was forced to do so for work. Now that I am using it, I find it much more stable than Windows 7.

Yes, change is hard. But at some point you will need to replace your computer, and you will get Windows 10 whether you like it or not unless you switch to a Mac or decide to learn Linux.

If it were me, I would save my money and maybe in December 2019 consider buying a new computer. All new systems will have Windows 10 preinstalled and will be certified to work with that version of the operating system.

That way, you are not fighting against problems that could arise from upgrading an older system and you could make the Windows 10 experience a little more trouble-free.

Q: I would like to delete my Facebook account. I've found ways to deactivate it but not remove it completely. Can you help?

A: To completely delete your Facebook account, all you have to do is go to facebook.com/help/ delete_account and click on Delete Account.