New Laptop

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Yesterday, I bought a new laptop, a back-to-school special [$399 at Best Buy, the Toshiba on the cover of their flier]. OMG, it this thing fast on the CB forum compared to my 4 year laptop...Yeowza !

Getting use to Windows 8 is a bit challenging, but man is the speed worth it. absolutely no waiting for anything...everything is INSTANT ! wow!

And getting all my software installed will take a while.

signed,
Very happy

[462]

Bought my first laptop, back in February, and working with Windows 8 is worse than being waterboarded. I'd install Windows 7, but I'd probably screw something up.

[grumman581]

Yesterday, I bought a new laptop, a back-to-school special [$399 at Best Buy, the Toshiba on the cover of their flier]. OMG, it this thing fast on the CB forum compared to my 4 year laptop...Yeowza !

Getting use to Windows 8 is a bit challenging, but man is the speed worth it. absolutely no waiting for anything...everything is INSTANT ! wow!

And getting all my software installed will take a while.

signed,
Very happy

Don't worry... It will get slower once you start getting the bloatware and spyware installed on your machine after you click on the wrong thing.

[Trey45]

I absolutely loathe Windows 8. Can't even buy a new machine with Windows 7 on it anymore.

[shooter93]

You should give it to me John....mine is 9 or 10 yers old.....smiles.

[Epd230]

On Windows 8, click on the desktop tile. It will take you to a Windows 7 style operation.

[oldred]

Hey just download "Classic Shell" and make that Junky Windows 8 look familiar again! Win 8 is total,,,, well something I can't say here, but Classic Shell makes it look more familiar and MUCH easier to use plus you can chose between versions such as Win 7 or even XP so it will look and operate in a more familiar format. I absolutely HATED Win 8 until I added this download.

http://download.cnet.com/Classic-Shell/3000-2072_4-75553853.html

[wills]

I absolutely loathe Windows 8. Can't even buy a new machine with Windows 7 on it anymore.

Seven? Who wants seven? Bring back XP!

[bbs70]

I just got a new desk top with windows 8, it does take some getting use to.

[farmerjim]

This Machine is running debian linux, the one to my right is running XP. I have a windows 7 machine, but find it not worth the trouble.

[Digger]

Another vote for a linux system as I have been using a version for the last few years , very dependable , can keep the old equipment running for a long time.
Company uses windows so am forced to when I have to ... by the way , with all that is going on with the internet "snooping" .... look up a version of linux called "Tails" .
once you locate it , it will be self explanatory.

[500MAG]

Bought two new laptops for my daughters last weekend, for this coming school year, and my wife has been complaining up and down about setting up Windows 8. I'll stick to my ipad.

[grumman581]

Bought two new laptops for my daughters last weekend, for this coming school year, and my wife has been complaining up and down about setting up Windows 8. I'll stick to my ipad.

The iPad is not a replacement for a real computer. Many web sites just do not work well with their touchscreen interface. It's a replacement for a portable DVD player -- well, as long as you are not wanting to actually play DVDs.

I was perfectly happy with Win2K until TurboTax quit supporting it. Damn idiot developers who think that they just *have* to use the latest thing and refuse to design for portability.

[500MAG]

The iPad is not a replacement for a real computer. Many web sites just do not work well with their touchscreen interface. It's a replacement for a portable DVD player -- well, as long as you are not wanting to actually play DVDs.

I was perfectly happy with Win2K until TurboTax quit supporting it. Damn idiot developers who think that they just *have* to use the latest thing and refuse to design for portability.
The ipad works great for the forum. What more would I need? :kidding:

[grumman581]

The ipad works great for the forum. What more would I need? :kidding:

I have found that the Safari browser just "goes poof" sometimes and disappears. It does not like some web pages. For others, they just don't like touch screens since they're not that great on my Android phone either.

I shouldn't complain too much, I guess, since the iPad was free ($500 Apple gift certificate for investing a certain amount of money with my brokerage firm). I definitely would not *pay* for one.

[archmaker]

Grumman, I write up clients all the time for failure to update their software. Why, because the old windows stuff is so much easier to hack into. If it is important to you, then it is important to upgrade.

For me, I run Linux, and have been doing so for over 17 years. But I have Winblows machines as required by work. :(

[cbrick]

Hate, despise, infuriate, barf, crappolla . . . Such weak words for windows 8.

Last winter I bought a new desk top & it has 8 on it. I played with it for a week and went back to my old lap top, haven't turned on the 8 machine in many months now, the desk top was a complete waste of money. Not just me, Bill Gates has been hearing much worse since 8 was introduced and is now supposed to have something new coming out. Whatever it is it could not possibly be as bad as 8, may not be better but it couldn't be worse.

If my old lap top gives up I will for the first time in my life go look at Apple machines. Whatever I do get it will not resemble 8 in the slightest.

Rick

[searcher4851]

Just an observation. Many seem to be unhappy with Windows 8. Several mentioning going back to windows 7 or XP. It appears there's even software available to do that. No one seems to want to go back to Vista though. Is there a pattern at Microsoft? They like to alternate a good OS with a bad one? Windows 8 was a bad move. All I could get on my new laptop. I strongly dislike it.

[dragon813gt]

I guess I'm one of the few that doesn't mind Windows 8. I have a touchscreen laptop and like it a lot for general browsing. For real work I use a mouse. There is no way I would want to use it w/out a touchscreen. I downloaded the stardock app which gives you the familiar interface and an easy way to power it off. It also loads directly into desktop mode.

Now what I don't like is that I've gotten more viruses then w/ all other operating systems combined. I don't know what it is but it's rather annoying to say the least. I also don't like flash being built into Internet explorer. It's really glitchy for some reason. And I'm not a fan of Firefox Nightly. It's extremely slow to load and the interface isn't nearly as intuitive as the latest version of IE.

There are some major growing pains w/ Windows 8. But once you add an app to make it look familiar it's great. The boot time on my Lenovo Ultrabook is 8 seconds. It's hard to beat that unless you want to get involved w/ Linux. And I can safely say most members here will not want to play around w/ it :laugh:

[oldred]

Hate, despise, infuriate, barf, crappolla . . . Such weak words for windows 8.

Last winter I bought a new desk top & it has 8 on it. I played with it for a week and went back to my old lap top, haven't turned on the 8 machine in many months now, the desk top was a complete waste of money. Not just me, Bill Gates has been hearing much worse since 8 was introduced and is now supposed to have something new coming out. Whatever it is it could not possibly be as bad as 8, may not be better but it couldn't be worse.

If my old lap top gives up I will for the first time in my life go look at Apple machines. Whatever I do get it will not resemble 8 in the slightest.

Rick




Check out that link for Classic Shell I mentioned above, it makes your Win 8 start look like Win 7 or even XP if you want but still retains all the good features of Win 8. If you don't like Classic Shell it's easy to uninstall but I have yet to see anyone not want to keep it!

[ratitude]

My wife needed a new laptop for her business so this past March I ordered a custom one from Dell Small Business and was able to get Win7. I believe it will be around for business use for quite some time still.

[daniel lawecki]

Bring back Windows XP it never left my house still using it.

[Dale in Louisiana]

My first REAL computer was the original Macintosh 128. I established hardware creds by doing my own memory expansion, hand-soldering new chips and a multiplexer onto that motherboard suing instructions in Dr. Dobbs' Journal. Athough I was fluent in DOS and had a business building and setting up 'IBM compatibles' (remember those?)I stayed on the Mac wagon until business use of computers drove me to the Windows world.

I use Windows at work because the company buys my computer and software.

Last year I dropped off the Windows wagon, though, and went back to Apple. My laptop is a Macbook Pro Retina, I have an iPhone 5, an iPad and an iPod and they all work just absolutely flawlessly.

Son says they're 'closed boxes'. I used to make pretty good money on 'open boxes' back in the day when even installing a printer required a level of geekitude above what normally walks the halls. Today it's 'plug and play' and honestly, when's the last time you needed to open YOUR box.

If the box does what I need, I don't need to open it.

dale in Louisiana

[MT Gianni]

Win 3.1 was all I ever needed. Our home PC died and Staples telll me they will special order Win 7 machines.

[dragon813gt]

Son says they're 'closed boxes'. I used to make pretty good money on 'open boxes' back in the day when even installing a printer required a level of geekitude above what normally walks the halls. Today it's 'plug and play' and honestly, when's the last time you needed to open YOUR box.

If the box does what I need, I don't need to open it.

dale in Louisiana

Your Son is 100% correct which is why Apple is losing market share quickly. Everyone is fed up w/ being locked into their hardware and software. Just look at iTunes alone. There is no need for a program like that just to put music on one of your devices. Drag and drop is all that should be needed. If it wasn't for jailbreaks I would have jumped ship a long time ago. I was able to do things on my 3G that Apple finally decided to make part of the standard iOS w/ 6.1. Their incremental updates are driving customers away.

[lmcollins]

I am at the other end of this upgrade thing. I have only bought used systems, and pay my local shop to blow them, and copy my data to my new used machine.

I am now at the point where I cannot use my new printer to scan in thing and email them to others, like guys on this site. I only use my computer to write letters, and work the web. I think it's time for me to buy a new cheap Windows 8 system to keep myself rolling. I well remember the time my printer died; I bought a new one, and couldn't get it to work with my "old" system. Results: I had to buy a new computer the next week. It's like one hand can only shake the other if the both hands are attached to the same body. Frankensteins not allowed.

[Swamp Man]

Your Son is 100% correct which is why Apple is losing market share quickly. Everyone is fed up w/ being locked into their hardware and software. Just look at iTunes alone. There is no need for a program like that just to put music on one of your devices. Drag and drop is all that should be needed. If it wasn't for jailbreaks I would have jumped ship a long time ago. I was able to do things on my 3G that Apple finally decided to make part of the standard iOS w/ 6.1. Their incremental updates are driving customers away.
I wouldn't use anything other then Mac my 10.8 will do things that widows can only dream about. I hate to be the one to tell you this but Apple has the most advanced systems in the world. Apple has nothing to worry about when it comes to market shares. My wife liked windows she had a HP it started freaky out I told her to get a Apple she bought a top of the line dell and it's a piece of junk. I let her use my old 2006 Macbook one afternoon now she refuses to even touch her 2013 Dell. I have a 27" desk top ordered my wife said she wants it I told I didn't think so. She told me she would take my 2013 Macbook Pro "yeah Right" so looks like I'll be buying her a new Mac soon.

[500MAG]

Your Son is 100% correct which is why Apple is losing market share quickly. Everyone is fed up w/ being locked into their hardware and software. Just look at iTunes alone. There is no need for a program like that just to put music on one of your devices. Drag and drop is all that should be needed. If it wasn't for jailbreaks I would have jumped ship a long time ago. I was able to do things on my 3G that Apple finally decided to make part of the standard iOS w/ 6.1. Their incremental updates are driving customers away.
Don't know about all that but I do know that I am tired of having to buy new computers every year and a half or so. I know some of you guys have had the same computer for years but my windows based computers get viruses that slow them down to the point I want to throw them across the room. I have not experienced that with Apple products. It kinda makes me think that Microsoft makes the viruses, kinda like the radar guns are made by the same people that make the detectors.

[dragon813gt]

I was talking about their mobile market share. Their desktops and laptops are just fine. But they're losing customers daily on the mobile side. There are better options to both the iPhone and iPad now. And not just for people who like to modify their machines to work better. For the casual user who just wants to take it out of the box and use it. Samsung has some really great products. I'm not a Apple fanboy so I call it like I see it.

Back to the OP. When they releasee service pack one it should address a lot of the major issues. It's not going away so you either have to learn to use it or switch operating systems.

[Swamp Man]

I was talking about their mobile market share. Their desktops and laptops are just fine. But they're losing customers daily on the mobile side. There are better options to both the iPhone and iPad now. And not just for people who like to modify their machines to work better. For the casual user who just wants to take it out of the box and use it. Samsung has some really great products. I'm not a Apple fanboy so I call it like I see it.

Back to the OP. When they releasee service pack one it should address a lot of the major issues. It's not going away so you either have to learn to use it or switch operating systems. I'm one of the vary few in this country who hasn't bought into the smart phone idea. I only use my cell for phone calls and I rarely do that just never have cared for those things so I still own a basic cell phone.

[Swamp Man]

Don't know about all that but I do know that I am tired of having to buy new computers every year and a half or so. I know some of you guys have had the same computer for years but my windows based computers get viruses that slow them down to the point I want to throw them across the room. I have not experienced that with Apple products. It kinda makes me think that Microsoft makes the viruses, kinda like the radar guns are made by the same people that make the detectors. I agree Apple is simply the best computers made.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I am at the other end of this upgrade thing. I have only bought used systems, and pay my local shop to blow them, and copy my data to my new used machine.
I am in this boat as well, I could have cleaned up the harddrive and upgraded windows for my previous laptop...but they never work like a new one and I may have spend about the same $$$...plus, I never really got all the egg yolk out of the keyboard after a breakfast spill :oops:




Back to the OP. When they releasee service pack one it should address a lot of the major issues. It's not going away so you either have to learn to use it or switch operating systems.
While I did say 8 is challenging in the OP, that was at about Hour 4. Actually I am liking 8 very much now that I've located everything I needed to find. I bounce back and forth between the tiles and the desktop. I wish my laptop had a touch screen, but this deal was very good, and to get a similar unit with touch screen would have been near double the dollars...at least that is this weeks price.


I'm one of the vary few in this country who hasn't bought into the smart phone idea. I only use my cell for phone calls and I rarely do that just never have cared for those things so I still own a basic cell phone.
Swamp, I am with you...I don't own any cell phone...I dislike talking on the phone in general and avoid most calls...to me a cell phone is a waste of $$$.

[Swamp Man]

I am in this boat as well, I could have cleaned up the harddrive and upgraded windows for my previous laptop...but they never work like a new one and I may have spend about the same $$$...plus, I never really got all the egg yolk out of the keyboard after a breakfast spill :oops:




While I did say 8 is challenging in the OP, that was at about Hour 4. Actually I am liking 8 very much now that I've located everything I needed to find. I bounce back and forth between the tiles and the desktop. I wish my laptop had a touch screen, but this deal was very good, and to get a similar unit with touch screen would have been near double the dollars...at least that is this weeks price.


Swamp, I am with you...I don't own any cell phone...I dislike talking on the phone in general and avoid most calls...to me a cell phone is a waste of $$$.
LOL Egg yolk can't be good for a keyboard.

Nothing worse then trying to fish and someones cell ringing. It's always the same line it was my wife or girlfriend wanting to know this or that. I won't even let people in my boat until they shut their cell off. I tell them if the boat is sinking then you can turn that thing on if not don't turn it on.

[cbrick]

I'm one of the very few in this country who hasn't bought into the smart phone idea.

Your not the only one though. I kept my flip phone until it finally died when I was forced to buy one of those ridiculous things that I hated worse than windows 8, no such thing anymore as a cell telephone, you have to buy and pay for a cell computer which the gubment uses to track you even if it's turned off. As soon as I retired I fired the cell phone company completely. When I was working I had to have the thing but not now.

I saw on the news this morning that they are now making them water proof so you can text and play video games while swimming. Geesh . . . .

Rick

[longranger]

Dumped Microcrap and opted for Apple, not crunching rocket calculus formulas or sending anyone to the moon. I don't have a bunch of **** running in the background,unending pop up's coupled with corrupted files,malware,virus' or any of the nonsense with Microcrap. Zero problems in 5 years, not spent one cent on security programs that infect your computer,Itunes is far more than music.

[Swamp Man]

Dumped Microcrap and opted for Apple, not crunching rocket calculus formulas or sending anyone to the moon. I don't have a bunch of **** running in the background,unending pop up's coupled with corrupted files,malware,virus' or any of the nonsense with Microcrap. Zero problems in 5 years, not spent one cent on security programs that infect your computer,Itunes is far more than music. +1


I saw on the news this morning that they are now making them water proof so you can text and play video games while swimming. Geesh . . . .Rick Rick that may be a good idea because if they ever turn them on in my boat they will be swimming with it. :)

[grumman581]

I agree Apple is simply the best computers made.

So, "best" equals "overpriced", "incompatible", and "braindead"? OK... I understand it now...

There are still viruses for Apple computers. Not as many probably since Apple has such a small market share that it is not worth the effort to write viruses for such a small market. If you really want to decrease your chance of getting a virus, switch to CP/M. :)

[Moonie]

I run windows for things that require windows, blueray's and 3d movies, to get real work done I opt for Linux, but then I'm a UNIX/Linux security analyst.

[km101]

If you really don't want to run Windows 8, the best solution I have found is:

startisback.com

Simple download shell hat provides all the look and feel of Windows 7.