Hi everybody,

I've been browsing the forum for months and tried a lot of suggested solutions from other users, but unfortunately it seems I am getting nowhere. I have the same problem quite a few users experience: Windows 7 with the newest drivers works flawlessly, but Windows 10/11 on the exact same computer is terrible (headaches, eyestrain, eye muscle ache).
I am staying on Windows 7 with my old laptop for the time being, but I bought a new computer with a Ryzen 3700 2 years ago and I can hardly use it since then. Unfortunately, staying on Windows 7 is not going to work for me forever, since some of my latest software versions require at least Windows 10.

What I have tried so far:

1) Bought a total of ~7 different monitors (IPS, TN, VA, G-Sync / HMDI, Displayport, DVI, VGA). Some are better than others, but none work well.

2) In addition to my modern 1660Ti , I tried 4 different old GPUs that are often recommended on here (Geforce 760, 750, 660, 650). I even made sure to get the exact recommended manufacturer, but that didn't work either.

3) Bought blue filter glasses

4) Tried recommended bluefilter software (f.lux, Iris)

So I am now contemplating what my next step should be, since none of the remaining alternatives sound very appealing. From what I understand some users report success with eye patching, but that would be a long time attempt. On the technical side, I could try a projector instead of a display and see if that works. Theoretically I could also try an Apple MacBook though reports here from newest Apple products seem rather disheartening (I can't use a new iPad Pro, only my old iPad works, as it is the case for many users).

Since all of these alternatives are either quite expensive or require a lot of time, before I go down that road I wanted to ask if there is anyone around specifically from the group of "Win 7 good, Win 10 bad" users, that has found a solution for Win 10/11.

Thanks!

    Garman Which software is not working? There is now a Windows 7 Extended Kernel with OS version spoofing which may be able to to help.

        degen

        That sounds like an interesting idea if I can't find any other solution

        I do some audio work and my DAW Steinberg Cubase 11 refuses to install on Windows 7. The latest version is actually 12, but I haven't tried this one yet due to the same Win 10 requirement.
        On the plugin side, Celemony's Melodyne and the Waves Central Installer will abort the install process on Windows 7 as well or force you to download a legacy version for older plugins.

        When it comes to games, from what I have read MSFS 2020 and Forza Horizon 5 require Windows 10. My MSFS is on the Windows store, so if I understand correctly I can't even try to install them under Windows 7.

        Do you know if the extended kernel will support modern CPUs or would I have to build a new PC with the latest supported hardware if I wanted to try the extended kernel?

            Garman if i were you, i'd give the eyepatching a try. It worked instantly for me. Then i bought prism glasses (and with a slightly higher diopter than my old ones) and that gave me even more relief.

              Well I have found a "solution" - im staying on Windows 7 😃 I also have Ryzen 2700 with GTX 1070. I have bought couple brand new motherboards, couple ryzens (1700-2700) and 2-3 GPU + some RAM's to be safe for longer period of time. I also have an eye for same monitor model I use I propably will buy 1-2 as backup. You can install W7 on Ryzen (im positive up to 2nd gen but I saw solutions for 3gen too), some hassle yes but you can.

              Im tired of trying and buying new things/software/settings etc because its to painful.

              Garman Modern CPUs still work under Windows 7 (minus the integrated graphics), as does Windows XP, even with some 12th Gen boards by using the newest ACPI.sys! I think we will even see mods for newer integrated graphics on Windows 7 in the future. Laptops are a different story and everything from the integrated WiFi to the trackpad will not work.

              Extended kernel will work under any hardware running Windows 7. Having said that I think your professional software requirements are out of the scope of an extended kernel project. It is also quite early in development.

              I wish I could be of more help. It is a very difficult situation for many of us as software drops support for older versions of Windows.

                Do you have ClearType disabled in Windows 7 and enabled in Windows 11? You could try disabling ClearType in Windows 11.

                  OyoLarsen

                  No, I haven't tried that yet because I read on Notebookcheck that many OLED panels have inherent flicker similar to PWM down to 60Hz, which is very likely problematic for sensitive people.

                  mike_t_angelo

                  As a matter of fact, I have disabled it and it's definitely better for me when turned off. Unfortunately, it's a rather small improvement, not as in "now I can read texts for an hour".

                        Garman I am sensitive as f*ck, but havent any problems with AMOLEDs, especially with PWM. But for somebody else it can be serious problem, of course. Try to look at the OLEDs panel showed in store for few minutes, smartphone /best one are hight PPI density Samsung s AMOLED/ on low brightness is ideal … just try some browsing on net, look at his menu, few minutes and you l be know, if your are sensitive to PWM.

                            mike_t_angelo

                            Good call, but I had checked Ditherig earlier and as far as I am aware this only works with integrated GPUs such as Intel Iris, doesn't it? So I can't really test it, but I guess no harm in getting something like an entry level Notebook with integrated graphics and giving it a try.

                            OyoLarsen

                            That's interesting, which OLED display model are you using? It seems outside of phones, OLED monitors for PC are just hitting the market and there isn't much choice yet. But I could give it a shot as soon as they are more widely available, because it is comparatively easy to simply test a display and return it, in case it doesn't work out.

                                My solution was patching. It saved my career when work forced me onto Windows 10

                                For my home PC, I am staying on Win7 forever pretty much. I am building a new Core i7-9700 with 64 gigs of RAM that will likely run Win7 comfortable for over a decade or so.

                                What I have tried so far:

                                1) Bought a total of 7 different monitors (IPS, TN, VA, G-Sync / HMDI, Displayport, DVI, VGA). Some are better than others, but none work well.

                                2) In addition to my modern 1660Ti , I tried 4 different old GPUs that are often recommended on here (Geforce 760, 750, 660, 650). I even made sure to get the exact recommended manufacturer, but that didn't work either.

                                3) Bought blue filter glasses

                                4) Tried recommended bluefilter software (f.lux, Iris)

                                It seems the problem that Win10 introduces has something to do with DirectX, specifically DirectDraw and DirectWrite, and how it is used to render the desktop. There is no "fixing" that. It has nothing to do with hardware, the issue is how Windows 10 draws the screen. You can take a perfectly fine Windows 7 system, install Windows 10 in a virtual machine on that system, ans that Windows 10 will give you the same issues, even though it's running inside the windows 7 OS on the Windows 7 hardware.

                                  2 years later

                                  ensete have you tried what the most recent post on this forum suggests? Seems like he disabled directX?

                                    a month later

                                    Any links to that win 7 with kernel dpoofing?

                                      dev