Electronics

[LilacTree]

On 10/1/2014 chickenbutt said:

Wow, so soon! I guess they have to keep technology moving, but sometimes it just seems like they move in the wrong direction.

As for the Office 365 thing - I just uninstalled it on both of our Win8 computers and installed Office from a copy I have (office home & student, something or other). I don't know how many times it can be used, but I've installed it several times and so far, so good.

I really didn't love Win8, but it was so completely simple to change it around to make it easier and more familiar for me that it's a zero on the 'big deal' scale. I'm sure the next one will be fine, too.

Oh man, not for me, chickenbutt, and I have been working on computers practically every day of my life for the last thirty years. I started with DOS, went through all of the Windows versions, ran two different networks, one consisting of 36 workstations on a Windows XP platform, then after retirement bought my own computer which started with XP and went to Vista, then 7 . . . no problems with any of them.

Maybe its my age, but Win 8/8.1 makes no sense to me, is not the least bit intuitive, and I simply don't want to be bothered with it anymore. Since I can't take this six-month old laptop down to Windows 7, I bought a desktop from Dell yesterday with Win 7 on it and will run that down to the last day they support it.

This computer will go to my grandchildren, who will probably have absolutely no problems with it. But it won't be in my bedroom much longer . . . I'm supposed to get the new desktop tomorrow.

I did check with Microsoft yesterday as I still have MS Office 2007 and MS Outlook 2007 CDs, and they said I will have no problem installing them on the desktop with Win 7, or any other computer, and they still support those programs. I really won't need support anyway because I know all of those programs so well. I do get a year's free support from Dell though with my purchase in case I run into installation issues.

I can't wait to get rid of this thing.

[chickenbutt]

Hi Ford! that's why I suggested 'Classic Shell'. It's a teeny tiny install (free) that makes the computer look like Win7, or Vista, whichever you prefer. From there on out you don't even see any of the silly Win8 stuff, as I explained. It's really great - and super easy.

[ROMARY]

As I mentioned somewhere else, maybe in Electronics, someone gave me a new, in box Windows 8.1, and, talking about 'being afraid', I'm indeed afraid to open the box and try to use the W8.1.

[glb613]

On 10/1/2014 ROMARY said:

As I mentioned somewhere else, maybe in Electronics, someone gave me a new, in box Windows 8.1, and, talking about 'being afraid', I'm indeed afraid to open the box and try to use the W8.1.

Afraid of what?

[LilacTree]

On 10/1/2014 chickenbutt said:

Hi Ford! that's why I suggested 'Classic Shell'. It's a teeny tiny install (free) that makes the computer look like Win7, or Vista, whichever you prefer. From there on out you don't even see any of the silly Win8 stuff, as I explained. It's really great - and super easy.

Worth knowing if my grandkids have problems with this one. Thanks, chickenbutt!

I already bought the desktop with Win 7, it is coming tomorrow.

[KJPA]

I've been using Windows programs forever too. I've always had some problems with all of them but I don't find anything unusually difficult with Win 8 (or 8.1). What does everyone find so hard? I really am interested as I do tech support for Web apps, write user documentation, IT business requirements, etc. I really think that most users have trouble because they haven't been shown the easy way to use it. They get a new computer and this is so different they just don't know where to start.

All I do is turn on my PC, log into it using my Windows account, and when that Metro page opens (with the tiles) I click the one named "Desktop". Then everything looks pretty much like it did when it was Windows 7. Of course the big difference is no Start button once you are in the Desktop but all I do is press the "Windows" key and that takes me back to the Metro page where I can do most of what I would have done from the Start menu. For example:

Press the "Windows" key (looks like four window panes) and from the Metro page I can:

Start typing to find anything on the PC. This functionality has been improved with 8.1 because the search results now show everything on your PC that matches the search criteria instead of you having to pick a category. Just start typing on the Metro page and the search results display.

Scroll through the Tiles to find an app if you want to look that way. When you see "Word" or "Excel" or "Internet Explorer" etc. you simply right-click the icon and then select "Pin to taskbar" if you want it to always be available at the bottom of the desktop window. This is very similar to how you would have added those icons to the taskbar in earlier versions of Windows too. Then you don't have to use Start or the Metro page to find your common applications.

You can of course also delete a lot of the "tiles" you don't want to see or you can rearrange them so the ones you want are easier to find. But I really don't use them very often, if ever, now that I've added what I want to the taskbar. Plus I can use the Search feature anytime to find them.

Oh, when you are done on the Metro page simply press the Windows key again to return to the desktop. Easy really if you know those tricks.

Forget the stupid Charm bar, IMHO. I do use it to shut down or restart my PC but that's it.

BTW, in Win 8.1 they "brought back the Start button." Uh, sort of It's not the Start button of old. It's really just the same as pressing the Windows key on the keyboard. But hey, you don't need the old Start button. Just click the new one or press the Windows key and start typing to search. For example, while on the Metro page type "Control" and you will immediately see a list of things like "Control Panel" "PC Settings" etc. Click the one you want and it opens.

One problem I do see is the difference between applications, meaning whether they run as Desktop apps or Windows 8/8.1 apps. I usually prefer the desktop versions myself. For example, I installed the desktop version of Skype because I don't want to use the Win 8.1 version. It takes up too much real estate on my screen.

Do those tips help anyone or are the problems bigger than what I've described?

[chickenbutt]

KJPA - You are right. It is easy to remedy any confusion or difficulty. But one characteristic about this board, that I've observed over recent years, is that people will start a thread asking for help.

Then people offer the information or assistance to help the person do what they are asking for and they just qrap on it and do what they were going to do anyway, so everybody's time and effort was a big waste.

I like to help, whenever I can. I don't have a lot to offer people anymore so whenever I think I have the information or knowledge-base to help somebody who appears to be asking for help, I WANT to help them get where they are trying to get and ease their mind. On this board, however, I'm pretty tired of trying to help people who actually don't even want the help they appear to be asking for.

Ok, sorry - rant over! I just did the Classic Shell thing and you would not even know it's a Win8 computer, AND I can easily find everything I need to find. No silly tiles or frustration to find things. For now I'm 100% happy because it's just as easy as any of my older computers.

My ONLY, seemingly unfixable, frustration was the loss of Solitaire. I don't do 'gaming' but I do love the solitaire that was on all previous Windows OS and when I realized that it was gone from Win8, I was upset.

So, what did I do? I found the answer. I found out how to make it happen and I made it happen. It was very easy and took about 3 minutes to get the solitaire I was used to added to my Win8 computer. That was the last element of frustration for me.

[LilacTree]

On 10/1/2014 chickenbutt said:

KJPA - You are right. It is easy to remedy any confusion or difficulty. But one characteristic about this board, that I've observed over recent years, is that people will start a thread asking for help.

Then people offer the information or assistance to help the person do what they are asking for and they just qrap on it and do what they were going to do anyway, so everybody's time and effort was a big waste.

I like to help, whenever I can. I don't have a lot to offer people anymore so whenever I think I have the information or knowledge-base to help somebody who appears to be asking for help, I WANT to help them get where they are trying to get and ease their mind. On this board, however, I'm pretty tired of trying to help people who actually don't even want the help they appear to be asking for.

Ok, sorry - rant over! I just did the Classic Shell thing and you would not even know it's a Win8 computer, AND I can easily find everything I need to find. No silly tiles or frustration to find things. For now I'm 100% happy because it's just as easy as any of my older computers.

My ONLY, seemingly unfixable, frustration was the loss of Solitaire. I don't do 'gaming' but I do love the solitaire that was on all previous Windows OS and when I realized that it was gone from Win8, I was upset.

So, what did I do? I found the answer. I found out how to make it happen and I made it happen. It was very easy and took about 3 minutes to get the solitaire I was used to added to my Win8 computer. That was the last element of frustration for me.

Chickenbutt, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings by not trying the Classic Shell thing. Frankly, I had made the decision before I saw your post and several others. It had been floating around in my mind for several weeks, actually.

Please accept my apology, as I treasure our good relationship on this BB.

[ROMARY]

glb: A few folks we know had (and are still having) problems with W8 .........There was an article in the newspaper, too (about a year or maybe more ago). Maybe all of the problems have been corrected by now in the newer models. I guess I'll give it a try. I love my W7.....so easy right from the beginning, etc. I'm not tech savvy, so I guess 'easy' is what I'm looking for.

[2blonde]

Ha, Chickenbutt! For me, it's the Mah Jong game on my Win 7 laptop that I'd miss. I don't play all the time, but once I get started, I can't leave it alone.

I just want to add that I don't have Win 8, but I have read lots of the complaints, questions and answers on this board about it, as well as other computer issues. I feel like I've gathered enough info from here that I'd have absolutely no problem with it at all. Sometimes people just don't like changing their habits, I guess. So, don't ever feel like your advice is being wasted.........Laura is taking it all under advisement!