Took a Tiny leap

Jeff-Groves · 02-20-25, 05:12 PM

So.
I had an older HP Pavilion notebook sitting around after Nancy got a Ryzan Notebook. It's an I5 with 12 gbs originally Windows 7 to start. I'd say from 2012.

I need something to run my 3D printers and the Slicer programs but that's all Windows 10 and up. What to do?

I've been watching Tiny11 and finally took the time to download and install it.
Tiny11 is a stripped down version of Windows 11 and claims to run on older systems. Well I can tell you it runs pretty well on this old HP. Still testing it and installing stuff but this looks like a viable way to use older systems with newer software.

I'm in the process of installing the Brave Browser, Creating the God Mode folder, and changing the GUI to be more like Windows 7.
YES. I freaking HATE the Windows 10 and up GUI!

Jeff-Groves · 02-21-25, 03:42 PM

After a couple days playing with Tiny11 I've changed a lot of things.
I had to activate Windows 11 before I could really do what I wanted.

First some information:
With the Brave Browser installed - 28.0 GB on a 931 GB SSD.
Memory usage is 2 MB out of 12 MB sitting idle.
CPU usage is 3% at sitting idle.

Booting up takes a few minutes but I can live with that. After shutting down Defender, PERMANENTLY!, things are snappier. Actually runs better then Windows 7 did on this old system! Lots of stuff turned off and Power is set to Best Performance.

I did try the program to get my Windows 7 GUI but that had a few issues I can not live with. No way to get my task manager open! so I removed that.

I had to crash course Windows 11 to get to all the settings I wanted but I figured it all out. Now I can work on Nancy's Windows 11 and get that one running better then outta the box!

Next I'll be installing the software for my 3D printers and testing how they run.

So if you have an older system but need Windows 11 on it?
Tiny11 may just be what you need.

Sean C · 02-21-25, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff-Groves

I did try the program to get my Windows 7 GUI but that had a few issues I can not live with. No way to get my task manager open! so I removed that.

Have you tried Open-Shell? I'm still using the last available version of its predecessor, Classic Shell (4.3.1). It works great and makes my Win10 PC look and feel just like I'm running Win7. (I also downloaded a nice Win 7 calc app. I can send you a link to the install file if you want.)

Jeff-Groves · 02-23-25, 07:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sean C

Have you tried Open-Shell? I'm still using the last available version of its predecessor, Classic Shell (4.3.1). It works great and makes my Win10 PC look and feel just like I'm running Win7. (I also downloaded a nice Win 7 calc app. I can send you a link to the install file if you want.)

Got Open-Shell on it now. Stll tweaking things but I can live with the GUI now.

The one main Slicer Program I wanted to run on this does not work (Yet).
It's missing a dll that probably was removed in the Tiny11 build. I'll install the program on Nancy's Windows 11 system and see if I can track down any missing dependencies. Then just copy them from her system to mine.

Jeff-Groves · 02-23-25, 01:32 PM

Seems the Slicer Program version I wanted has been pulled from the website.
I can run the version 1.4.4 on Windows 7 and Tiny11.
It does what I need to do so may not follow up on version 1.4.5
Been seeing a lot of problems with 1.4.5 anyways.

Commander Wallace · 03-07-25, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sean C

Have you tried Open-Shell? I'm still using the last available version of its predecessor, Classic Shell (4.3.1). It works great and makes my Win10 PC look and feel just like I'm running Win7. (I also downloaded a nice Win 7 calc app. I can send you a link to the install file if you want.)

Hey Sean. Are there any differences between Classic Shell and Open Shell for Windows 10 ? I have Classic Shell installed on a couple Computers running Windows 10.

Sean C · 03-07-25, 10:00 PM

Sorry, but I have no idea. Since Classic Shell is still working on my PC, I haven't tried Open Shell yet.

Sean C · 03-08-25, 08:43 PM

I probably should have added that Open-Shell started as an open source branch of Classic Shell when the original developer decided not to continue to update the latter and generously shared the source code. So, although it has been a few years since that happened, I imagine Open-Shell is still at least somewhat similar to Classic Shell.

02-20-25, 05:12 PM	#1
Jeff-Groves GLOBAL MODDING TERRORIST Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 5,649 Downloads: 137 Uploads: 0	Took a Tiny leap So. I had an older HP Pavilion notebook sitting around after Nancy got a Ryzan Notebook. It's an I5 with 12 gbs originally Windows 7 to start. I'd say from 2012. I need something to run my 3D printers and the Slicer programs but that's all Windows 10 and up. What to do? I've been watching Tiny11 and finally took the time to download and install it. Tiny11 is a stripped down version of Windows 11 and claims to run on older systems. Well I can tell you it runs pretty well on this old HP. Still testing it and installing stuff but this looks like a viable way to use older systems with newer software. I'm in the process of installing the Brave Browser, Creating the God Mode folder, and changing the GUI to be more like Windows 7. YES. I freaking HATE the Windows 10 and up GUI!

02-21-25, 03:42 PM	#2
Jeff-Groves GLOBAL MODDING TERRORIST Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 5,649 Downloads: 137 Uploads: 0	After a couple days playing with Tiny11 I've changed a lot of things. I had to activate Windows 11 before I could really do what I wanted. First some information: With the Brave Browser installed - 28.0 GB on a 931 GB SSD. Memory usage is 2 MB out of 12 MB sitting idle. CPU usage is 3% at sitting idle. Booting up takes a few minutes but I can live with that. After shutting down Defender, PERMANENTLY!, things are snappier. Actually runs better then Windows 7 did on this old system! Lots of stuff turned off and Power is set to Best Performance. I did try the program to get my Windows 7 GUI but that had a few issues I can not live with. No way to get my task manager open! so I removed that. I had to crash course Windows 11 to get to all the settings I wanted but I figured it all out. Now I can work on Nancy's Windows 11 and get that one running better then outta the box! Next I'll be installing the software for my 3D printers and testing how they run. So if you have an older system but need Windows 11 on it? Tiny11 may just be what you need. Last edited by Jeff-Groves; 02-21-25 at 03:58 PM.

03-07-25, 10:00 PM	#7
Sean C Grey Wolf Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Norfolk, VA Posts: 984 Downloads: 16 Uploads: 2	Sorry, but I have no idea. Since Classic Shell is still working on my PC, I haven't tried Open Shell yet. __________________ If you have a question about celestial navigation ... ask me! Celestial Navigation Spreadsheet

03-08-25, 08:43 PM	#8
Sean C Grey Wolf Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Norfolk, VA Posts: 984 Downloads: 16 Uploads: 2	I probably should have added that Open-Shell started as an open source branch of Classic Shell when the original developer decided not to continue to update the latter and generously shared the source code. So, although it has been a few years since that happened, I imagine Open-Shell is still at least somewhat similar to Classic Shell. __________________ If you have a question about celestial navigation ... ask me! Celestial Navigation Spreadsheet

02-23-25, 01:32 PM	#5
Jeff-Groves GLOBAL MODDING TERRORIST Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 5,649 Downloads: 137 Uploads: 0	Seems the Slicer Program version I wanted has been pulled from the website. I can run the version 1.4.4 on Windows 7 and Tiny11. It does what I need to do so may not follow up on version 1.4.5 Been seeing a lot of problems with 1.4.5 anyways.