Safe, nonBloatware site for software downloads? (drivers)

John Galt III

John Galt III

Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
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This is related to my ongoing quest to connect one of my old PCs to the internet. I may want to download drivers, to a thumb drive (not directly onto the PC). I would then copy the drivers onto my PC. I used CNET years ago to do this (didn't fix the problem,though, ha ha). Want to avoid Bloatware and Viruses, of course. Thanks.
 
Manufacturer websites are not going to have drivers for his ancient operating system.

He needs a new machine or just move whatever is on it to another machine he has.
 
What OS?
How old is it?

If it's not Win10 I strongly suggest loading ubuntu on it or tossing it in the trash. Probably too old to do anything else with it.
 
John Galt III said:
This is related to my ongoing quest to connect one of my old PCs to the internet. I may want to download drivers, to a thumb drive (not directly onto the PC). I would then copy the drivers onto my PC. I used CNET years ago to do this (didn't fix the problem,though, ha ha). Want to avoid Bloatware and Viruses, of course. Thanks.
Click to expand...
I agree with PP that if you can get it from the manufacturer, that would be best.


I'm not going to try to talk you out of using your old machine because that's not the question you asked. :angel:


It doesn't do you much good, but what I did over the years was keep all of the CD's organized. They only got tossed when the machine or peripheral went to the dump. But I mention this because you can sometimes find abandonware CD's on eBay.



The question I have is "are you trying to add newer hardware to an older machine?" If so, that's an uphill battle. If all of the hardware was produced around the same time, then you can have a nicely operating machine, as long as you don't try to go on the Internet with it. I still have a Windows 98 machine that's running nicely with a couple of apps that I couldn't migrate for hardware reasons.


What drivers were you looking for? I wonder if you could ask for an ISO of the CD or a (gasp) a floppy disk image on a forum somewhere. I have some software on one of my old machines that is a virtual floppy drive.
 
The IBM Personal Computer (model 5150, commonly known as the IBM PC) is the first microcomputer released in the IBM PC model line and the basis for the IBM PC compatible de facto standard. Released on August 12, 1981.



How old is your PC?
 
^It isn't, but if it were, it would probably be ignored because it's not worth the hackers time to go after so few targets.


The web browsers on old machines don't work with today's web pages. Even if you got a modern browser to run, the JavaScript on the page would eat up the processor cycles and you'd come to a standstill.
 
Thanks for the replies. I just want to make the most of the hardware I have. Frugality, I suppose. The basic situation is that I want to use my newest computer to access the internet, not my oldest one, which I am now using. The newest one is running Windows 7. The oldest one works (Windows ME) OK except that I can't connect to lots of websites due to the browser being too old, and I can't upgrade the browser version due to old hardware. New PC will be able (I hope) to connect to all websites. I am open to inexpensive, easy ways to fix my problem. Such as loading Windows 10 onto my newest PC. It has 2 G ram, 2.7 GHz Intel CPU, and 32 bit OS. Can I just buy a Windows 10 CD and load it in, answer the questions, and roll? Ubuntu ? Easy? Linux? Easy? I was a mainframe programmer, but this PC stuff I find somewhat challenging. Buy a new laptop? Buy a new desktop? Can I download Windows 10 onto a thumb drive and load it onto my new est PC from the thumb ?
 
As i mostly use an ipad for browsing I didn’t want to spend much upgrading my pc. I went with a bmax mini for less than $200 and like it so far. Mounted to the back of my monitor, wireless keyboard and mouse really cleaned up desk too. I turn it off when not using for security reasons. Mostly use it for excel and some financial that works better on browser than app
 
sengsational said:
^It isn't, but if it were, it would probably be ignored because it's not worth the hackers time to go after so few targets.


The web browsers on old machines don't work with today's web pages. Even if you got a modern browser to run, the JavaScript on the page would eat up the processor cycles and you'd come to a standstill.
Click to expand...

I am not trying to add new hardware to an older machine. I am accessing the net with my older machine, on Windows ME. I have javascript disabled on purpose. Keeps out unwanted junk, and speeds up loading. I know someone running Windows 7 on an old E-Machine, and she gets to all websites just fine. That's what I want to do with my newer, Windows 7 machine. I might be going 'the extra mile' just a bit too much to get my Windows 7 machine online. I bought it just for this purpose , taking over from the older machine when the time came. Like I said, I am open to alternative solutions in my quest to get online and access all websites, with minimal expense. Might be able to unload the Win7 machine on a collector. I have already sold 2 old PC's for $15 each to a collector. Even sold an old AT&T desktop from the 90's for $100. Would be nice to hook up the Windows 7 PC, though. It needs a driver(s) for a network adapter. It didn't connect to the net when I tried. So I hooked up the older PC, and it connected instantly, no tweaking needed.
 
Frugality is awesome, but it won't work here. win 10 will not run on 2gig. Well, it might boot, but that's it.

A must - Throw the oldest in the trash

Options...
For fun download ubuntu, burn to an iso, put it on your newest pc. Lot's of youtube videos on how to do this I'm sure. DM for help if you wish.

Go to Amazon and search for any refurb dell 8gb sub $200 dell. You'll be delighted.

It's kind of hard to compare, but you can compare processors here when you get ready for a final decision: https://www.cpubenchmark.net/singleCompare.php
 
gwill1010 said:
Frugality is awesome, but it won't work here. win 10 will not run on 2gig. Well, it might boot, but that's it.

A must - Throw the oldest in the trash

Options...
For fun download ubuntu, burn to an iso, put it on your newest pc. Lot's of youtube videos on how to do this I'm sure. DM for help if you wish.

Go to Amazon and search for any refurb dell 8gb sub $200 dell. You'll be delighted.

It's kind of hard to compare, but you can compare processors here when you get ready for a final decision: https://www.cpubenchmark.net/singleCompare.php
Click to expand...

+1

Your machines are best for hobbyist use for things like learning Linux. But I've installed light Linux distros (usually Lubuntu) on old hardware a few times for fun and you end up right back where you are now - the included drivers don't necessarily work with old hardware and you are searching for solutions.

A refurb from Amazon or Newegg is the way to go for the frugal. For example on Amazon, $181 gets you:

Dell OptiPlex 7040 Small Form Factor PC, Intel Quad Core i7-6700 up to 4.0GHz, 16G DDR4, 512G SSD, Windows 10 Pro
 
John Galt III said:
Thanks for the replies. I just want to make the most of the hardware I have. Frugality, I suppose. The basic situation is that I want to use my newest computer to access the internet, not my oldest one, which I am now using. The newest one is running Windows 7. The oldest one works (Windows ME) OK except that I can't connect to lots of websites due to the browser being too old, and I can't upgrade the browser version due to old hardware. New PC will be able (I hope) to connect to all websites. I am open to inexpensive, easy ways to fix my problem. Such as loading Windows 10 onto my newest PC. It has 2 G ram, 2.7 GHz Intel CPU, and 32 bit OS. Can I just buy a Windows 10 CD and load it in, answer the questions, and roll? Ubuntu ? Easy? Linux? Easy? I was a mainframe programmer, but this PC stuff I find somewhat challenging. Buy a new laptop? Buy a new desktop? Can I download Windows 10 onto a thumb drive and load it onto my new est PC from the thumb ?
Click to expand...


Your Windows 7 PC should have absolutely no issues connecting and working on the internet...as I type this from my Windows 7 PC using Mozilla browser. It's not a driver issue, it is simply some networking set up issue.


1. Go in to network settings (Control Panel->Network and Internet->Network and Sharing Center)

2. Click on the left menu for Change Adapter Settings

3. You should be taken to a page with a computer icon that says Local Area Connection, double click on it and you'll get a popup for Local Area Connection Status

4. Click on the Properties button

5. Check off (put an X in each box) all the boxes in the list for The connection uses the following items:

6. For each of Internet Protocol Version 6 and Internet Protocol Version 4 in the list, one at a time, click on the name (not the check box) to hilight it, then click the Properties button. On the Properties popup, choose the radio buttons for Obtain an IP address automatically and Obtain DNS server address automatically, then click the OK button to save/close.

7. After doing that, close all the windows, click the Start button on the bottom left on the desktop, and type in the box cmd to open a command shell window.

8. At the command prompt, enter ipconfig and verify that you have entries for everything in the Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection section. Pay particular attention to Default Gateway, IPv4 Address and Subnet Mask.

9. At the command prompt, enter ping and the IPv4 Address shown - probably 192.168.0.x or something similar. So "ping 192.168.0.22", for example in my case. Verify you are getting replies.

10. At the command prompt, enter ping and the address of the Default Gateway - probably 192.168.0.1 or something similar. So "ping 192.168.0.1", for example. Verify you are getting replies.

11. Assuming the above two work, next enter "ping google.com", again verifying you get replies.

Assuming 9, 10, and 11 worked for you, you are successfully connected to the internet and should be good to go.

If you run into to any difficulties with these steps, feel free to message me and I'll try to figure out where the issue is.
 
Last edited:
John Galt III said:
It has 2 G ram, 2.7 GHz Intel CPU, and 32 bit OS.
Click to expand...

Memory is cheap. Since you are using 32-bit Windows 7, 4GB is the max. However, you should still add the memory as it will make a noticeable performance difference.

Additionally, if it is using a hard drive, you should replace it with a SSD - that will make the biggest difference. A quality 500GB SSD is under $35 today.
 
Last edited:
John Galt III said:
...... I want to use my newest computer to access the internet, not my oldest one, which I am now using. The newest one is running Windows 7. The oldest one works (Windows ME) OK ...
Click to expand...

This is very risky to run even Windows 7 on the Internet.
It doesn't get security updates or patches for vulnerabilities since 2020.

You may end up joining a bot network or have other malicious software installed on your machine.

Hopefully you don't do any financial business on these machines.
 
Operating system updates are overrated IMO since they merely introduce new security holes. If you avoid running downloaded software, and put a router between your computer and modem, old operating systems are no more at risk than new ones. They might even be at less risk because they are uncommon and therefore not worth trying to exploit.
 
GrayHare said:
Operating system updates are overrated IMO since they merely introduce new security holes. If you avoid running downloaded software, and put a router between your computer and modem, old operating systems are no more at risk than new ones. They might even be at less risk because they are uncommon and therefore not worth trying to exploit.
Click to expand...

Good luck with that. Some of these are pretty easy to exploit.
https://stack.watch/product/microsoft/windows-7/
 
Al18 said:
Microsoft ended support for Windows 7 in January, 2020 according to https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...-14-2020-b75d4580-2cc7-895a-2c9c-1466d9a53962

It’s very risky for a machine running Windows 7 to connect to the internet. Additionally, all companies offering anti-virus software stopped supporting Windows 7 years ago.
Click to expand...

I don't recommend using the outdated OS, but some AV companies still support Windows 7, like Avira and Malwarebytes.

I don't recommend connecting any computer directly to the cable modem, though. A router should be used.
 
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