Where’s my battery meter gone? Windows 7

Windows 7 laptop and the battery meter that has always been in the bottom right of the taskbar has disappeared.

Tried right clicking and looking for settings, tried taskbar settings etc. Can’t see it anywhere?

Any suggestions?

Upgrade to Win10.

Power options, it should be buried in there.

Presumably it’s not connected to the Internet so you can rule that out.

Windows 7 hasn’t had security updates for nearly 5 years so somebody has probably hacked in and stolen it 🙂

Seriously, Win7 is a hacker’s wet dream if you are still using it and it is connected to the internet. Please, PLEASE either upgrade to Win10 or buy a new laptop that has Win11 on it.

Only use it for general browsing, no banking etc.

I can’t upgrade, hardware doesn’t comply.

I’m surprised you can still get an up to date browser for it. Out of date browsers are just as much of a threat as an OS without security updates.

If it can run Win7, it should be able to run Win10, but not Win11. Win10 only has about 1 year of support left, after that, you’ll have to pay for updates. Win8 was released in 2012, I think. The machine is at least 12 years old. That’s a pretty good run, time to replace it.

Upgrade to Win10.

… is the right answer.

Only use it for general browsing, no banking etc.

Hack machine, access email, “I forgot my password” on your bank account… Anything with a login stored, Amazon shopping, iTunes? Pop-up fake login boxes, would you be able to tell? Or, once in pivot across your network to something more important. Etc etc.

I can’t upgrade, hardware doesn’t comply.

Nonsense. W11 sure, but W10 will run just fine. I have it working (OK, slowly) on a Vista-era laptop from 2008.

The machine is at least 12 years old. That’s a pretty good run, time to replace it.

I have a Thinkpad T420 here from 2011. It’s as capable for day-to-day usage as anything newer.

Yes, but Win10 security updates will end in about a year. Apparently, the free update to Win10 has been ended so the OP would need to buy a Win10 licence. That will work for 1 year. After that security updates will only be available if you pay for them, with the cost rising each year. The machine might still work fine (I have a 2011 MacBook that runs fine with Win10), but it’s going to cost money to keep it running and it won’t be economical beyond two years. Is it really worth throwing money at something that old?

Win10 only has about 1 year of support left

324 days IIRC (we have a countdown clock in the office)

Only use it for general browsing, no banking etc.

I can’t upgrade, hardware doesn’t comply.

Maybe stick a flavour of Linux on it?

Doh!

It’s actually Windows 10.

And my meter has come back without me doing a thing!

Did the check and I definitely don’t meet Windows 11 specs.

So in a year is it Linux time?

Apparently, the free update to Win10 has been ended

Has it?

So in a year is it Linux time?

I don’t have a crystal ball, but I wouldn’t be surprised if MS backpedal on this. They’ve put a massive effort into getting everyone onto a common platform, there is a lot of legacy hardware out there which cannot run W11.

I have half a dozen PCs here. Only one is W11 compatible. I’m not buying five new machines, they’ll have to stay unsupported.

Nonsense. W11 sure, but W10 will run just fine. I have it working (OK, slowly) on a Vista-era laptop from 2008.

My old Samsung W7 laptop was incompatible with W10. I just put Mint on it.

My old Samsung W7 laptop was incompatible with W10.

Why?

Why?

It was years ago but I think it was lack of drivers. It definitely wouldn’t install. No big deal, I haven’t used windows since and not missed it. Chromebook does everything I need these days.

I don’t have a crystal ball, but I wouldn’t be surprised if MS backpedal on this.

AIUI, their stated policy is that free security upgrades will stop. You will be able to pay for security upgrades for another three years, but the cost will go up steeply each year so it won’t really be economical for most people to keep old hardware running beyond the end of 2026.

but the cost will go up steeply each year

That’s only for businesses, consumers can get a single year (and only a single year) of updates for $30.

It was years ago but I think it was lack of drivers.

That seems arse-backwards to me. A lack of drivers would be a problem for W7 on modern hardware rather than W10 on legacy hardware.

That’s only for businesses, consumers can get a single year (and only a single year) of updates for $30.

AIUI, schools and business will be able to buy extended support for at least three years, but the cost will double each year. It’s not impossible that MS will extend the consumer support for an extra two years, but it seems safe to guess that it would be $60 for the second year and $120 for the third year if they did. That’s going to be more than a 10 year old PC is worth.

That seems arse-backwards to me. A lack of drivers would be a problem for W7 on modern hardware rather than W10 on legacy hardware.

Well it was a well reported issue and it affected me.

That seems arse-backwards to me. A lack of drivers would be a problem for W7 on modern hardware rather than W10 on legacy hardware.

Not necessarily, hardware so old that win 10 doesn’t have drivers for it – not economical to create the drivers for legacy kit.

You can get a perfectly serviceable win 11 laptop for £150 off ebay.

I had a multifunction printer-scanner that I bought in 2006 (i.e. WinXP days) that worked with Win8.1, but not with Win10 because Canon stopped supporting it. Win10 had amazing backwards compatibility but you can’t really blame Microsoft for 10 year old hardware being orphaned when a third party ends support.

A lot of Windows 7 or 8 drivers can be installed manually in 10, I’m pretty sure we had the same issue with a Canon until it died.

Cougar2Free Member

Nonsense. W11 sure, but W10 will run just fine. I have it working (OK, slowly) on a Vista-era laptop from 2008.

I’ve got a bunch of perfectly decent HP Win 7 machines sitting in my storeroom at work which couldn’t be upgraded because the BIOS doesn’t expose the NX feature of the CPU properly.   I think actually Windows 8/8.1 has the same requirement but we skipped 8.

@multi21 – Seems a shame.

Can you not put Linux on them and donate to some charity?

There’s loads looking for them.

I have 10 running on an Insiron 9300 with a Pentium M 750 and 2gb of RAM. I’m pretty sure all I had to do was install via the USB boot installer rather than upgrade. It’s about as ancient and shite as you can get, I’m actually tempted to force 11 onto it but it already takes about 10 minutes for it to let me do anything after loading windows.

I have a clean copy of XP SP3 I can fling on, either that or I could stick a Core 2 and 4Gb of RAM in for about 40 quid.

I’ve got a bunch of perfectly decent HP Win 7 machines sitting in my storeroom at work which couldn’t be upgraded because the BIOS doesn’t expose the NX feature of the CPU properly.

Will the x32 version not install?

Seems a shame just to have them sitting there. Is there not a charity which will send them to schools in Africa or something?

I think actually Windows 8/8.1 has the same requirement but we skipped 8.

Imminently sensible.

I have a clean copy of XP SP3 I can fling on, either that or I could stick a Core 2 and 4Gb of RAM in for about 40 quid.

SSD is your first upgrade. #Techsplaining

Honestly, that sounds like a prime candidate for Linux. My 2008 laptop has a Core 2 Duo (I think, I’d have to check) CPU which was an ebay special that when new would’ve cost more than the laptop itself. It’s perfectly useable but it’s not fast.

Is perfectly useable but it’s not fast.

…..Does not compute….?

SSD is your first upgrade. #Techsplaining

Please… *rolleyes* (I have a warranty replacement A400 on my desk)

I was thinking of putting XP on as that’s the least amount of faff to get old games running. I know I can use WINE but again, another layer of faff. I could leave it as is and just live with a mechanical drive (present board is IDE) but, meh, I prefer the mechanical faff.