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So, I keep hearing more and more about Windows 8. Is anyone using it? What do you think? My Computer is "OLD", like 2009 old. It has a Window Experience Index of 5.1, what ever that is. An Intel Core Quad CPU Q8300 2.5 Ghz, 6.0 GB memory, 64 bit OS, and one TB hard disk, about half full.
I'm using Firefox unless I have to get on the VA and then I use Chrome.
Any ideas?
Comments
Well...
In my own experience, I'm not fond of Win 8. Maybe I've been a Mac gal for too long, but Win 8 seemed really clunky and awkward unless you're using a touchscreen.
Win 7, which in reality is really Vista w/Service Pack 3, is proven, stable and usable.
But, I'm a Mac girl. *Hugs her Macbook Pro*
~And so it goes...
win 8
Currently win 8 has its ups and downs. it feels more like a phone os then a actual computer os. they did make some changes in 8.1 to make it feel a little bit more like the older windows os' however it still takes a bit of time to learn. they are moving towards apps instead of programs and seem to be trying to phase out the desktop. I would say if you have a chance to fool around with a comp in a store you can at least check out the dashboard and the desktop to notice the changes. there is no longer a programs tab in start, its all search based.
as for your computer...Thats actually not bad specs. not great but managable. keep in mind the index is 1.0-7.9 so 5.1 is not bad. if you look at the index and click on the link it will show you all of your scores. the score just represents ho much your computer can handle. its also the average so the 5.1 is your lowest score out of all the tests. i would check to see if thats the only 5.1 or if all of them or in that area. My desktop is at a 6.7 but thats do to me still using an old graphics card. my processor hard drive and memory all rate at 7.5.
In essence i would say baring total melt down your comp could last another year or 2 and still be considered higher end. I would also say that if you can stick with windows 7 do so, as you will most assuredly get annoyed while learning the windows 8 os.
As someone who has worked
As someone who has worked with every version of Windows since 2.0 (although not heavily until 3.1), I'll say this.
Windows 8 is almost as bad as Windows Vista or ME. Not because it's awful, but because it's completely mistargeted.
It's basically a touch screen operating system designed to be 100% on-line, for the consumer market. Then, they decided it was a fantastic idea to force businesses to use it, as well as people using standard mice and keyboards. So, it's clunky and unusable for people who actually want the original flexibility that the WinTel systems used to give for software and hardware.
Basically, it's a tablet OS that they shoehorned into a PC.
If you want to use it, you _can_ make it usable by adding Classic Start (or one of the other alternatives to it), and disabling their goofy tile/slider default 'desktop'.
Windows 7 is the most stable OS that Microsoft produced since Windows 2000 - and no, it's NOT Vista SP3. The original vista was actually quite stable - until Microsoft allowed the lawyers and marketing twerps to add all the extra DCMA garbage to the system. Then it became Windows ME for the Next Generation. The kernel core for Windows 7 is very much different from Vista.
If you don't have a brand new machine - don't use Windows 8. Keep on with Windows 7. If you have a business, use Windows 7. If you have a tablet, or a heavy touch-screen PC, go ahead and use Windows 8.
BW
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
Leave well alone
Your hardware is more than capable of running this OS however the general opinion in the IT world (Windows fans excepted) is that is a dogs breakfast after a bad night.
Windows 8 is designed primarily for TOUCH screens and media consumption. Tablets and phones mostly where it seems ok if you are willing to put up with the really crap applications MS supply.
If you want to upgrade your O/S (you don't say what it is though) then go for Windows 7.
The recent update to Windows 8.1 has tinkered at the edge of its problems by bringing back the start button but that is just a quick way to get into the 'desktop'. Everything is 'flat' in aspect and apps are to me anyway borderless. Later releases of Firefox will show you what it is like. Lots of the richness we have gotten used to over the years has gone poof!. You can install a start menu repacement that does give you a reasonable emulation of the old Tely-tubby/fisher-price desktop. I'm a fan of the real windows classic (Win 2000) desktop so even then I'm struggling and I get paid to fight this for a living.
The 'modern interface' as Microsoft like to call it is commonly known as Metro or TIFKAM (The Interface formerly known as Metro).
If you are able, take a trip to a retail outlet that sells PC's/Laptops and see for yourself.
Dell, will force Windows 8/8.1 on you if you are a retail customer. If you are a Business one then you get the option of Windows 7. To me that says everything.
So to conclude, my advice is to get Windows 7 and run it on your desktop. Leave it there for as long as you can. Perhaps you could consider adding a 128/256Gb SSD to your system. It will make everything run a lot faster. That would be a worthwhile upgrade IMHO
Samantha
PS,
Personally, I gave up on MS for home/personal use in 2007/8 and switched to a Mac. I've just upgraded that old Macbook to the latest OSX and changed the HDD to an SSD (solid state drive). The ONLY problems were ironically with MS Office which required a complete removal and re-install. This 2007 Core 2 Duo machine runs like a new one.
Even number Windows versions...
Even-number MSDOS and Windows versions... there's never been a good one. They called Windows 6 "Vista" to try to avoid the curse. :) That didn't work well and for most people, neither does Windows 8. Seven is outselling Eight and probably will continue to do so, just like XP (which was really Windows 5), outsold Vista until Seven came out. The current Windows game is waiting-for-nine-dot-oh.
Avoid any MicroSoft product with an even-number version number; they are usually marketing-department-driven releases and the programmers at MS hate them as much as you do.
Back in the bad old days, MSDOS 6 turned two of my computers into doorstops by over-writing the PROMs with garbage. Bad DOS, no biscuit.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
I have 7
Seven seems OK. I used to be a IE fan, but one day it just up and got awful, so I loaded Chrome and that worked great for a couple years and then it quit too. Now I am using Firefox and it seems Ok but does not have the frills that IE and Chrome had.
I just can't figure out who in their right mind would think to eliminate the desk top, and to what end?
Eliminating the desktop is
Eliminating the desktop is the next step in moving to an 'all internet, all on-line, all rented programs' "service oriented" system. Microsoft wants to guarantee their income stream, and this is the best way to do it.
I'm sorry, but I _really_ don't need my computer hooking up to the internet for _anything_ unless I specifically say so. Even my linux boxes, I don't have automatically starting network apps that are unnecessary. (I had a schedule/to-do list updater. that was it. No weather running in the background, no automatic 'news reader', etc)
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
MS Sacked everyone who
MS Sacked everyone who thought up the terrible Metro interface and the online shebang.
Which is why 8.1 will brint in a fully customisable Start Menu (which you can customise to look like a Win 7 start menu), will allow boot-to-desktop (bypassing metro) and a wjhole range of other things.
MS is not going to try and go Chrome OS way, they dont want an 'all internet, all on-line, all rented programs' "service oriented" system. That would screw them up.
They made a mistake, or let idiots at their software (like they seem to do every other OS....).
It was upper management who
It was upper management who decided on the "Metro" interface. They didn't sack a single one of them. They got rid of middle management who implemented it.
They definitely _are_ going for an all connected system. They've said it repeatedly. In fact, that's what "Office 360" is, as well as Office 2013. You can't even buy a copy. What you buy is a 'license' which allows you to download an installer to your PC. No ISO images, nothing. You don't get to have a backup, you don't get to install it offline, nothing.
They also now have the 'rent an Office', which is $100 a year for 3 PC's. Same installer.
They want a guaranteed income stream, and aren't willing to do it by hard work and normal upgrade/new purchases. They want to force it.
They've tried (repeatedly) over the last few years to claim that when you buy a 'license' for a server grade system, it's really a 'rental' that you should pay for every year.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
"The directors of the firm hired to continue the credits…"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1noqNkJEUA
I use a Mac. :-)
GeekGirl.
Back around the turn of the century...
Back around the turn of the millennium, the company that I worked for installed something called Citrix. Essentially, it was a way to run software on a server and serve it up over the internet. The advantage was that the user didn't have to worry about backing up their data or keeping their critical systems running. It was all run from the data center, which was connected using two T3 lines to two different providers, was connected to two power grids, had generator backup, and lots of other stuff designed to keep the system going come hell or high water.
(Speaking of high water, we once had to get a customer going again after their server was flooded. The roof leaked or something like that.)
Anyhow, running critical systems remotely is a great idea if you need the reliability. Forcing everyone to do things that way is not good, though.
I use Linux and stick to open source software. My backup system is sufficient.
windows 8.1
When you upgrade windows 8 to 8.1 which is a free upgrade then the desktop is back along with the windows start button. The Windows 8.1 upgrade is free from Windows 8. I am using Windows 8.1 due to my hard drive that crashed due to a bad memory board and my recovery disks got lost when I moved. It is was horrible with Windows 8 but when I upgraded to windows 8.1 the next day then it was almost back to windows 7 just have to get how the features had changed from windows 7.
Hugs,
Jenna From FL
Moderator/Editor
TopShelf BigCloset
It is a long road ahead but I will finally become who I should be.
Frills
You can get lots of frills on Firefox by using add-ons. You'll find it under the Tools menu.
Technically, Windows 2000 was
Technically, Windows 2000 was "Windows NT 5". If you dig into the kernel, that's what it's referred to.
Windows XP was "Windows NT 5.1". Windows Vista was "Windows 6"
(Gods, I remember Windows NT 3.1. What a stinker. I managed to crash it - repeatedly- with a simple MPEG viewer)
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
Internal version numbers
First up, a potted history of the early versions:
1.0 - Tiled windows, but can't overlap. The file manager's "MS-DOS Executive", little more than DIR in a window. Introduces Calculator, Calendar, Clipboard viewer, Clock, Notepad, Paint, Reversi, Cardfile, Terminal and Write. It was effectively just a GUI for MS-DOS and received mixed reviews: critics noticed poor multitasking performance and the inflexibility for keyboard users due to its requirement to use a mouse (a then unfamiliar piece of kit). As such, it draws many parallels with Win 8...
2.0 - Windows can now overlap. Control Panel arrives, together with a new version of Paint and a print spooler. It got them into trouble with Apple, who claimed that by using the same icons it was violating the copyright of the Macintosh "Look and Feel." The judge ruled in favour of HP and MS in all but 10 of the 189 patents Apple sued for - the remaining 10 the judge ruled as not copyrightable.
2.1 - HIMEM.SYS arrives together with Protected Mode Kernel. Multitasking MS-DOS applications was now allowed, although there was still no support for Virtual Memory.
2.11 - Effectively a service pack.
3.0 - Probably the first version to get noticed. Program Manager and File Manager replace the MS-DOS Executive, Paint is substantially improved, and Solitaire arrives. However, it was apparently very prone to crashes.
3.1 - Real Mode support dropped. Introduced TrueType fonts, drag-n-drop, 32-bit disk access and the Registry. Reversi was replaced with Minesweeper.
Windows for Workgroups 3.1 - codenamed Sparta, networking arrives, along with Hearts.
Windows for Workgroups 3.11 - codenamed Snowball, 32-bit file access, full 32-bit network redirectors, standard mode support dropped, Winsock arrives (initially with third party utilities, then with MS' own, codenamed Wolverine.
4.0 - Win 95 - codenamed Chicago, integrates DOS and Windows, goes 32-bit, rewrites the interface with the Start Menu and taskbar. Program Manager still exists, but is deprecated in favour of the menu. TCP/IP wasn't included by default, while IE only appeared in the Plus pack (and later in SR1 - FAT-32 arrived with SR2, while Active Desktop, IE4, Quick Launch Toolbar, and image previews in icons arrived with SR2.5 aka Windows Desktop Update). MS spent $300m advertising it, including a half hour promotional video by Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry.
4.1 - Win 98 - codenamed Memphis, integrated all the iterative improvements to Win 95 while also including Outlook Express, Personal Web Server, FrontPage Express, Netmeeting and Chat. There's also better hardware (esp. USB) support. Disk Cleanup and System File Checker also arrive, together with a Scheduled Maintenance Wizard that automates Scandisk, Defrag and Cleanup. Nine months later, 98SE arrives with a bunch of fixes.
4.9 - Win ME - introduced Net Crawler (LAN discovery tool), Internet Connection Sharing, UPnP, System File Protection, automated running of Scandisk following a bad shutdown before the Windows shell loads, Compressed Folders and restricted access to Real Mode DOS (which meant you had to manually tweak the configuration or boot from a floppy to run DOS games). However, it was widely perceived as buggy, slow and unstable - not to mention having a shelf life of just under 11 months.
Then they merged the consumer line with the business line - at first, retaining the NT prefix, but then getting rid of it.
5.1 - Win XP - codenamed Whistler, introduced the "Fischer-Price" Luna desktop makeover.
6.0 - Win Vista - codenamed Longhorn, originally intended to be a point release before Blackcomb, development originally started on the XP codebase, but after succombing to extensive delays related to Feature Creep, development restarted in 2004 on the Server 2003 codebase. Introduced Aero and the infamous UAC prompt. Widely criticised for being buggy, having high system requirements, and being riddled with DRM.
6.1 - Win 7 - codenamed Blackcomb or Vienna - pretty much what Vista should have been.
6.2 - Win 8 - codename unknown. The new interface was originally called Metro, but a lawsuit forced them to change the name at the last minute. Depending on who you ask, it's either "Modern UI" or "The Windows 8 UI". It also runs as the default shell (although third party utilities allow you to jump directly to the desktop and reimplement a clone of the original start menu). Aero Glass is replaced with a flatter theme, while Backup and Restore is deprecated. Native support for playing DVDs has been removed (allegedly due to the cost of licensing the codecs - really?!)
6.3 - Win 8.1 - codenamed Blue (what happened to cities and ski resorts?!) reintroduces the Start Button, although all it does is load the Modern UI. However, it does allow booting directly to desktop and allows the disabling of the hot corners.
Generally speaking, x.0 tends to be the first, testing release. They then get something more usable with x.1, but the last time they felt the need for a second point release, we got ME. About the same time, there was a joke doing the rounds that Microsoft had decided to merge their three product lines: Windows CE, Windows ME, Windows NT to form Windows CEMENT...
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!
Thanks for the mini tutorial.
When PCs first came out they were a step down from the Flex and CPM machines we were already using at work. We were all self-taught Motorola Mc68xx assembler programmers writing stuff to drive the hardware we'd designed. It was great fun, though the documentation left much to be desired :)
My first home computer was something called a Video Genie, which was really a copy of a TRS80 (marketed by Tandy/Radio Shack) which was followed by the superb BBC B which had a very different architecture and gave birth indirectly to the ARM (Acorn RISC Machine) processors widely used in smart phones today. My first IBM clone was a 386 running Win 95 (I think). We couldn't afford a 486 and there was no internet connection for years. I retired in 1995 and the only network we had at work was a small one I set up for my section that ran under Microware OS9. It used Motorola based computers which we used for hardware development.
The only reason the IBM PC became the de facto standard was because company IT professionals would never get the sack for buying IBM products. They were dreadful machines with a primitive architecture using a processor that was much inferior to the Motorola 68xxx types. Sad really. Just shows that competition doesn't necessarily result in the best getting to the top.
I use Win7 on my current machine and my partner has XP on hers. Earlier this year when a friend wanted a new PC we had a look at PCWorld and all their PCs were running Win8. It's obviously designed for touch screen users and why would I want dirty finger prints on my nice 19" vdu which is hardly within reach of my arms, anyway? He ended up buying an empty PC on line and a copy of Win7 which I installed for him.
Robi
Unfortunately
My main computer motherboard died this week and my new computer ( which is in the mail) has windows 8. I have to install DVD support? That is a pile of horse dung!
System bundle
As you have bought a system there's a good chance it will be bundled with DVD software anyway. BTW a little research proved my suspicions were correct, tablets, netbooks and ultra-thin laptops rarely have an optical drive so it makes less sense for MS (and arguably the consumer) to pay fees for something they don't use.
-
You can't choose your relatives but you can choose your family.
You can always "upgrade" back
You can always "upgrade" back to win 7
What happened to Windoes 98 2nd Ed?
4.2222 - Windows 98 Second Edition (SE) - While 95 was good, Windows 98 was a bit more robust and added a lot of features and SE continued that trend, but some of 98's improvement's led to frequent crashes, some caused by a memory overflow issue, resolved in Windows 98 SE, which in the older version of Windows 98 would crash most systems if left running for 49.7 days (equal to 2³² milliseconds). It also brought a more robust set of networking options, inluding Wake on Lan and Internet Connection Sharing, great for impromptu LAN parties. (parts above stolen from Wikipedia because my mind is gone).
I still use a Toshiba with 98 SE for stre4aming audio while I am doing stuff in the bedroom or basement, and the battery still is good for around 5 hours (had to replace the battery about 5 years ago)
Great wrieup mittfh!
You shouldn't try to use the
You shouldn't try to use the consumer version numbers for the current systems. The consumer version numbers were abandoned at Windows ME, and they shifted to the professional version numbers.
The labels (Windows 95, 98, 2000) were actually based on the years released, and not their internal kernels.
Windows 3.0 was where Microsoft realized they could be _paid_ by people to fix the mistakes in their software they never should have made in the first place. Windows 3.1 should have been a free service pack, not a 'new version', but they got away with it.
Anyway - to revise your revisions up there. Move DOS and Windows through Windows ME to one section. The current flow (keeping in mind I didn't work with Windows NT prior to 3.1. It came out while I was at University) is this.
Windows NT (New Technology)
3.1 - Early 1990's. First broadly available real attempt to do away with the 16 bit kernel with the 8 bit emulator for DOS. Sold to universities and other large institutions. Very buggy, crashed a lot.
3.5 - Basically a massive service pack for 3.1, fixed most of the bugs. DOS programs still unhappy
3.51 - minor upgrade, much like Windows 95a/b/c (gold, b, and c)
4.0 - Massive improvement, extended deployment. NT Workstation 4.0 was often sold as a flip license with Windows 98. (I remember doing a lot of deployments of this. I still have copies)
NT 5.0 - Named "Windows 2000" as Microsoft finally abandoned having two product lines - one based on 32 bit with 16 bit versions (win9x), one based on 64 bit with 32 bit versions (NT line).
Here's the big problem, though. You'd think they completely abandoned it? Nope, they still had a split - they had their 'server' line with the same kernels as the previous business lines, now consumer lines.
NT 5.1 - Windows XP. Basically Windows 2000 with Millennium Edition's UI grafted on top. The "Fisher Price Operating System". The only real change was remote desktop support (for the Pro version), and 'System Restore'. One taken from 2000 server, the other taken from ME.
Windows 2003 server shares the same kernel core as Windows XP. 2008 server shares the same kernel core as Windows Vista. 2008 R2 shares the same kernel core as Windows 7. (they jacked up the license costs between 2008 and 2008 R2)
--
So, Microsoft has NOT been following the 9x/DOS naming conventions for their systems since 2000. They've been following the NT naming conventions.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
Wasn't there a movie about Windows ME?
Love, Andrea Lena
The sad thing is if I were to
The sad thing is if I were to choose between Windows ME and Windows 8 I'd choose Windows ME without hesitation, Blue is a nice colour and much less trouble to deal with than Win 8.
I was a beta tester for Win 8, I installed on a virtual machine and deleted in an hour later, it was the biggest pile of c#*p ever. I swore to never install it again ever.
Big hugs
Lizzie :)
Bailey's Angel
The Godmother :p
Windows 8
Windows 8 in my not so humble opinion is the absolute worst version of windows to date. Everytime I've had to use it I wanted to throw the computer in question against the wall.... repeatedly. It's that bad. Personally, I'm a linux guy... 7, xp and 98 are reallty the only versions of windows I can bear, but even then they pale in comparson to awesomeness that is Linux Mint.
Have delightfully devious day,
Win 8
Gwen; If you can get a store like say Staples or Office Depot to let you try it out on a lap top. Unless you been using a phone with a touch screen. I myself don't have a touch screen phone and the one I try it out on I didn't like win 8. My current desk top has Win 7 on it and I wish I had Win XP back. I know that the professional business place does not like and that is why MS had update Win 8.1 but from I've read business world is still not liken it. And a lot are moving to Apple. But that could change as the newer workers are used to Touch screen and newer workers are going like it if the users go for it could change the business world! Like I said you might like it, But you will have to a machine that set up for touch screen or buying a touch screen monitor for your machine to update to it. also You need a lot memory to use Win 8. MS has a test available to test your machine for up date also, as it will not date your machine unless it passes that test. Good Luck, But plan on buying a machine to get it to work. And find a night school to teach you how to use it TOO!
Richard
Actually, I recently read a
Actually, I recently read a study that said a lot of the millennials prefer to have a desktop to work off of for concentrated work, and just have Iphones and Ipads for use when running around. It turns out older people are more likely to give up on desktops and switch over to tablets permanently. It makes sense when you think about it. Young people grew up with desktops, it's a ingrained skill they developed as children. Older people, who grew up before computers, had to learn the skill as adults, so it's not stuck as far back in their heads as it were, and a lot of them never became very tech savvy. Most of the older men I know never even learned to type. But since most of the older guys I know never went to college, and some never graduated high school, that's probably not representative. (I should point out that most of these people are now very well off and high up in their companies or own the company themselves, so they aren't stupid for all their lack of formal education.) Of course, I don't know how this applies to older people who were more heavily involved with technology in their life. I would guess they would react more as the young people who grew up with it do.
you can still pick up windows 7 computers brand new
The local Frys electronics store actually has one MSI gaming laptop with windows 7 home premium otherwise you can normally get windows 7 professional on a business grade machine from newegg.com or tigerdirect.com for under a thousand. but if you got the money you will love the Macbook Pro heck the MacBook pro 13" and 15" actually are the best rated machines out there to run windows 7 though bootcamp. I have my Macbook Pro 17" second to last of the series ever built for mobile work and travel with Mac OS and Windows 7 Ultimate though Bootcamp dual booting. Then at home I have my custom built Gaming Rig that is a Windows 7 Machine. For Portability and Power that is easy on a Bad back can't beat the Macbook Pros.
And Windows 8 I have it on a simple machine without the touchscreen of a tablet or added multi-touch monitor it is severely handy-caped to work with, because it is optimized for touch and not the classic desktop and notebook navigation experience.
"Cortana is watching you!"
You know, I quite like
You know, I quite like windows 8....
*Okay, Okay! it was a joke, stop throwing garbage!* :D
And just so I can add something of substance to my post rather than just making a joke, my grandmother is convinced she had Windows 9 on her computer. It doesn't matter how many times I tell her that she has an '8' after the 9 on her screen....and no, I am not making another joke. God love her, when I get old I want to be able to have things that are years away from being developed before everyone else too. :)
Win 8 is nothing more than
Win 8 is nothing more than basic Win 7 with a new user interface strapped on. Many people I have come across end up closing the Win 8 interface and using the regular windows interface.
Windows 8 is best suited to mobile devices and touchscreens. To be honest I believe that it was designed to compete with Android and the only reason a desktop version was released was to rip people off.
If your PC is good enough get Win 7, it is by far superior to win 8 on a desktop non touch screen PC.
Big hugs
Lizzie :)
Bailey's Angel
The Godmother :p
The bleeding edge
Can be painful if you try to keep up with it. As a home user you should only upgrade if the new OS has a feature you dont wanna live without. I work in support and development. I know a lot of businesses wont upgrade from xp home until a computer dies and needs to be replaced. They are able to do what they need to do and thats the way you should think. Is the new OS actually going to make my life easier?
I have worked with windows 8. Other than the fancy start screen its not that different from windows 7.
The average user wouldnt really notice the new features if tyey can find them. The big changes are hidden from the user. Strip away the gui and its windows 7 with some improvements to application and networking security tweaks
Personally if work didnt force me to learn it, id give the whole thing a pass and wait for windows 9
Dayna
Add-on that makes Win 8 tolerable
Two of my family computers have Win 8, and out of the box, it just plain SUCKS for desktop or laptop without a touch screen. But finding something with Win 7 is harder and harder. What to do?
Get "ClassicShell" addon. With a couple of very minor setup steps, it will look and feel like : Win 7, XP, or Vista. Then install proper programs instead of the stupid "apps" - lots of freeware that's far superior to tha applets that come with Win 8. If you use and know Office, you cannot find (easily, anyway) Office 2010, but you can still get the various packages to download and can still buy activation keys. (It!s my opinion that Office 2013 sucks as bad as, or even worse than, the basic Win 8 interface)
I wouldn't fear Win 8 - as long as ClassicShell is available!
(And yes,I'm our house's IT guy. 5 desktops, 2 laptops, 3 printers, etc. it's almost a full-time job, esp since I have two teenagers who constantly get malware on their machines!)
Imagination is more important than knowledge
A. Einstein
Getting PC/Laptops with Windows 7
If you are in the UK then I'd recommend Novetech http://www.novatech.co.uk
They are based in Portsmouth. I've been dealing with them for many years without problems.
They will even sell you a laptop without an operating system if you want to install Linux. :)
My Computer is working for the time being.
Wow, I had no idea that all this was so complicated! I like to write, and blog and spent 6-12 hours a day on the Computer doing that. Aside from that, I know how to change a power supply, and do some basic hardware stuff. I can configure a printer. As far as the software, it is witchcraft to me. I fully expect that computer guys have a boiling cauldron in the back room. :)
For now, I will keep using my present Computer, and I have a Toshiba laptop as a back up. The issue with the Toshiba is that I can not use the keyboard, but know how to plug in a proper one. My vision is getting worse, but I know how to plug in a large monitor, and much to my pride, I have discovered how to close the lid on the lappy, and keep it running, though I just found out that the lid needs to be open for ventilation.
Now I understand they are working on Quantum Memory Chips. Now that we can clone, we will soon see brain material as computer. :)
Gwendolyn
replacing a laptop keyboard is easy
you contact the manufacturer order a replacement keyboard.
Then you remove the keyboard screws, pop it up release the micro ribbon cable through away or recycle if you can in your area.
then attach the new keyboard ribbon able where the old one was attached secure down and replace screws.
"Cortana is watching you!"
The Keyboard is too bloody small.
I have arthritis from year of hard labor so I use an ergonomic board. The flat keyboard on the toshiba is murder. They need some old people designing this sort of thing.
Gwen
I can sympathize
Being 2m tall (6'7"), i have very large hands and, after years of banging up my hands repairing cars and other such things, I'm getting arthritis. I've not found a keyboard that's comfortably large enough.
If it gets worse, it'd impact my work (but then maybe i could apply for disability?) - and my ability to write :(
Imagination is more important than knowledge
A. Einstein
It sounds like what you need
It sounds like what you need is one of the original IBM AT style keyboards. The ones that you could beat someone to death with, then go back to typing again.
There are a couple of companies that still sell them,even with USB.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
Your current computer
Your current computer sounds powerful enough to cover most needs. Why change? If you're worrying about losing data, back it up to one of those USB hard drives. Actually, do it whether you think your computer is reliable or not.
As far as Windows 8 goes... I hear good and bad about all versions. Certainly, if you really feel the need to upgrade, you can do that without scrapping the whole computer.
The latest I heard is that XP is OK, Vista sucks, 7 is great, and 8 sucks. But, I use Linux, so what do I know?
But if you MUST replace your laptop, and the old one still works, give me a price and I'll probably buy it from you (depending on the price.) I can even pull your old data off of the drive for you.
Personally I prefer Linux in particular Ubuntu, but ...
... I dual boot Windows 7 for playing video games. In the near future I hope to not need Windows anymore. There is other software out there that may require you to use Windows. XP really started to make me hate Windows by adding more bloated functionality on a dated kernel (the brains of an OS). Vista was worse in many ways but better in others. Windows 7 finally fixed most of the problems and is actually a decent OS, but I still prefer Linux even if it's more about taste than anything else now.
Windows 8 was developed to provide a familiar interface between different devices (phone, tablet, PC) with the Metro interface (that tiles thing), but it failed to work well with non touch screen interface (mouse and keyboard). I have heard the latest versions 8.1 and 8.2 have fixed these problems.
Personally if you're using Windows 7 successfully then I wouldn't bother upgrading, but if you're using XP still and your computer can handle a newer OS you should switch.
Even though the big box stores don't sell Windows 7 anymore it can still be purchased some places, I got an OEM version from a local computer specialty store.
A couple of pennies adding the the heap
As someone said, 8 is really seven under the hood with a tablet interface overlay. Microsoft works in mysterious ways: they take a very nice OS (7) and "improve" it so that everyone can find something wrong with it.
I have 50 users on Win 7 and I expect next year's round of replacements (15 or so) will get 8.1. I'm the only one using it at present and it can be made to behave like 7. But I don't look forward to supporting users as we migrate.
I will suggest a couple things that make it less annoying:
Download "Classic Shell" It will give you a better-than-standard menu.
Get any applications from the developer's site rather than from the "App Store" - or whatever they call it. The apps versions will run whole-screen only from what I've seen. Any program designed for Win7 will work on 8.
That being said, you'll still have lots of frustrations if you use it. If you can install (or get installed) Win 7, you'll be happier and we can hope Windows 9 bring back some sanity to the desktop users.
Now, can anyone explain why we need a tablet interface on Windows Server 2012? Probably not. As I say to my staff on occasion, "It's Microsoft - it doesn't have to make sense!"
Jamie
You might want to look at
You might want to look at www.ninite.com - that's what I use for a lot of my customers.
"Classic Start" is one of the options. It's nice to be able to say "Okay, Firefox, Foxit Reader, PDF Creator, Java, Classic Start, XnView, Chrome", click, click, then run, then walk off.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
Server 2012
IMHO, MS only want you to 'interface' to Server 2012 via their remote systems centre (or whatever it is called.)
I use Server 2008R2 in my business and we are really dreading having to move to the dumded down 2012 version.
When I threw in the towel and said 'No more microsoft' and switched to a Mac for my home use I suddenly found that I had lots of time to actually you know do stuff rather than apply fixes on a daily basis, scan for virii and malware and do those periodic re-installs just to keep the system running at a decent speed.
Monitoring and managing the systems I develop with 2012 is going to be significantly harder than with 2008.
We don't run anything from Microsoft other than the OS and SQLServer. All our heavy lifting is done with IBM Middleware but some of our key systems insist in using MSMQ (boo hiss) so we can't move to another OS.
We are stuck with having to use systems are harder to use on a daily basis than before. This is progress???
It is almost as if MS can't be bothered to make OUR lives easy at all.
Mega fail if you ask me.