Got a new computer

[abunaitoo]

My old computer, HP Win XP, started to act strange.
Yesterday it restarted, by itself, three times.
No blue screen.
So I got a new one.
Dell with Win10.
Took almost all day to figure out how to transfer my bookmarks and address book.
With help from google, I got through it.
Computer guy was going to charge $95 to do it.
So far Win10 is not bad.
We'll see how it goes.

[skeettx]

Good luck!!
I still have XP and so far with the help of Fire Fox things are OK
We shall see how long that last
I hope Win 10 is user friendly
I heard Win 8 was a tough nut

[bangerjim]

You are lightyears ahead of what you had! Just bought my wife a new puter with 10 on it. (max RAM/500G SSHD/2T spinning drive/BluRay burner). She had XP and it was as slow as molasses in January. I could not stand to use the thing. It is in the kitchen for her ease of use. I just stuck to my iPad! Faster and much better. She would try to do something online and it was like watching paint dry. We have a 65MB wireless connection downstairs and it was like 300 baud dial-up! Now it SCREAMS!

But she loves 10 after a few hours of me showing her where all her old stuff was, she is very happy. Now the XP thing is going in the trash, even though it works.....well mabe in someone's opinion!

Congrats on the new addition to your family!!!!!!!!! You will like 10, regardless of what some on here will say.

Two things in this life I have no problem spending money on for new ones.....cars and computers. I refuse to waste money keeping old carp alive.

banger

[DerekP Houston]

That should be a big step up hope you enjoy it! I have heard good things about 10 but haven't made the jump myself yet.

[runfiverun]

Ten is a mix-mash of 7 and 8.

But I like your style, I do the same.
the old one acts up?? the store has more.

[abunaitoo]

The XP was working fine.
It just started acting strange, so I changed.
I still like XP better than 10, but I liked 98 better than XP.
A while ago my XP was really slow. I found out that Internet Explorer was the problem.
Switched over to Firefox and it was like a new computer.
I have Firefox on this new one.
We're all going to change from XP sooner or later. I just wished it could have been later.

[dragon813gt]

I heard Win 8 was a tough nut

It really isn't. It was a big change from 7 which threw people off. Metro mode is the default. And you don't have the start button. Downloading an app, there are many of them, fixes the last two issues which are the biggest ones. After that's done everything is familiar and in places you'd expect them to be. All while being extremely fast to boot and no blue screens of death. I haven't had a single crash yet.

I'm holding off on 10 for as long as possible. Had some printer and iPhone(jailbroken) issues when I upgraded from 8 to 8.1. If 10 is anything like either version of 8 you will like it a lot. Any questions can be answered by a simple Google search but a lot of people seem to forget this. It cuts frustration levels down to practically nothing.

[rancher1913]

anybody know how to turn off upgrades on w10. upgraded due to the blue screen of death on our xp and now the upgrades are eating up our allowable usage and costing us money. tried everything I know and the machine won't let me turn off upgrades just change when they happen.

[dragon813gt]

I don't think you can. You can sort of turn off all the spying the OS does.

[Finster101]

I don't think you can. You can sort of turn off all the spying the OS does.

Exactly why I don't want it.

[Hickok]

I keep getting the prompts to update to Windows 10, but I am afraid if I do.....:groner:

[rancher1913]

I don't think you can. You can sort of turn off all the spying the OS does.

thats what I was afraid of. they cost me 15 bucks this month in overages already. might be cheaper to go buy a mac.

[flyingmonkey35]

http://www.howtogeek.com/224471/how-to-prevent-windows-10-from-automatically-downloading-updates/

[RogerDat]

Using XP is putting a target for hackers out on the internet, sort of like using a gun in poor shape for max loads. Sooner rather than later bad things happen. Microsoft stopped providing security patches and support for XP so any flaw discovered won't be fixed.

I would be reluctant to just throw the hardware out. Salvation Army might take it or local school. One can install Ubuntu or other free Linux/Unix operating system on it that is lean enough to use limited hardware with good performance. At least for the basic stuff most people use a computer for. Web browsing, email, some document and spread sheet. Maybe a digital camera if your not needing the latest version of Photoshop for image processing. Rock solid, secure operating systems that don't have the bloat that requires massive ram or processor to run. Heck you can copy the whole thing to disk to dump back onto the computer in the event you get a virus or malware.

[runfiverun]

I think some here forget many of us only use a computer to get on cast boolits and maybe 1 or 2 other web sites.
a complete melt down of my computer would be a 2 second tragic event in my life. [as I carried it out to the trash bin]
I would lose no data, no pictures, could care less what others had for dinner, and I know what my brothers kids look like.

[rancher1913]

thanks flyingmonkey, hopefully that will help.

[Walkingwolf]

anybody know how to turn off upgrades on w10. upgraded due to the blue screen of death on our xp and now the upgrades are eating up our allowable usage and costing us money. tried everything I know and the machine won't let me turn off upgrades just change when they happen.

Yes it is very simple, install Linux...

OK to be fair you can delete the hidden backup files on your drive, but you will also lose your DRM codecs. I had to do it on my wife's 8.1 laptop, I went to Microsoft to download the DRM codecs. It took some searching to find them. I gained 90GB by deleting these files that are put on your drive each update. For the life of me I cannot understand why the upgrades do not overwrite leaving one with storage space. Never mind I know why, to force consumers to buy new stuff.

[RogerDat]

Yes it is very simple, install Linux...
A Knoppix or Ubuntu *nix live disk is part of my rescue tool kit. For those with files they care about not losing it allows me to boot up, move files off to external drive THEN worry about what to do with the "sick" box. Have rescued more than one pile of family photos that way.

Linux is fine for just hitting a few web sites and getting email. Low barrier to adoption in the home. Using Open Office is pretty easy too. Trying to use for more involved stuff tends to require more investment in the learning curve. With fewer friends and neighbors able to assist since they don't use it.

[walltube]

mac. Try it once, and you'll never look back.

My Dearly Beloved could not, at first, believe that the monitor (screen) was "IT". "Keyboard and mouse? Is that all there is to this thing?" One demonstration, and that was all it took to convince my Doubting Thomasina.

iOS complete with top-of-the-line "Monster" brand surge protector and out the door we went. The courteous Best Buy crew carefully loaded the whole package into the Grand Cherokee. "Geek Squad" tech arrived two days later to complete the home installation.

For the curious, a 90 day 'same as cash' financed $2800.00 was the price. Worth every inflated penny.

We Be Happy,
Wt.& J.C.

[Walkingwolf]

A Knoppix or Ubuntu *nix live disk is part of my rescue tool kit. For those with files they care about not losing it allows me to boot up, move files off to external drive THEN worry about what to do with the "sick" box. Have rescued more than one pile of family photos that way.

Linux is fine for just hitting a few web sites and getting email. Low barrier to adoption in the home. Using Open Office is pretty easy too. Trying to use for more involved stuff tends to require more investment in the learning curve. With fewer friends and neighbors able to assist since they don't use it.

I keep personal data files on a Micro SDHC card, plus they are on an external hard drive. On the wife's laptop we use Lubuntu, 8.1 is terribly slow for the speed of the dual core processor. With Lubuntu the browsers are up in a couple seconds compared to a minute sometimes to fully load in Windows. Most of the tasks that are exclusive to Windows are reserved for my older Dell 755 which are blinding fast compared to the only 3 year old laptop. Video conversion tasks on the Dell are cut to 1/4 the time it takes on the laptop.

I wish there was more support for Linux, especially in the streaming category, but I believe that is intentional on the part of those who get special treatment from Microsoft. It is getting better, both Netflix, and Amazon are now streaming on the newer versions of Linux without doing anything special. Hulu is still not providing the codecs for it to work on Linux without tinkering.

My wife uses her laptop for the web, facebook, weather, and email. All things that Lubuntu does quickly, and easy to access. We strictly stream on the TV using Roku, Chromecast, and Android sticks, so unless traveling she does not need it. And then she watches her videos on her Android tablet when traveling. She has become a tablet person, I hate them myself. Even at home she is on the 50 buck Fire then on the computers.

I personally like Android computers, but again the support is lacking in the distros for laptops, and desktops unless they are factory loaded. Plus Android PC's are treated like tablets when trying to access most network streaming. Either restricted, or delayed, same problem with Roku. The sites will ask you to sign in with cable provider, and the whole point for many of us it to cut the cable. On PC's there is mostly no restrictions, but I expect that to change.

[jcwit]

I think some here forget many of us only use a computer to get on cast boolits and maybe 1 or 2 other web sites.
a complete melt down of my computer would be a 2 second tragic event in my life. [as I carried it out to the trash bin]
I would lose no data, no pictures, could care less what others had for dinner, and I know what my brothers kids look like.

LOL, like that post, sounds just like me.

I did do the free download of windows 10 way back last summer or fall, do not remember just when. It was a real PITA. So off to my buddy who wiped it out and installed windows 8.2, love it, just what I wanted.

His advice to me was, keep my fingers off the buttons installing anything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[vzerone]

Maybe some of you should watch the videos on "How To Live Under the Radar". There are far more ways then our personal pc's for the government to spy on us. All the negative things about Windows 10 are by the people resistant to change.

[bangerjim]

Don't blame 10 for updates. I have them in spades in 7 Pro. I just let them build up and then do them in a lump 50-70 at a time. With SSHD's in every computer, all that rebooting and dancing around that goes on for upgrades, it does not take long at all. My computers boot from cold to fully functional in less than 20 seconds thanks to SSHD's and fast FEB's and maximum fast RAM.

Agree.....if you do not know personal computer technology and what you are doing, keep your fingers off the buttons!

banger

[bangerjim]

If you want to worry about gubmint spying, how about the new iPhone6?

Mine was just laying on the end table last night and someone on the debate said something that sounded like "Hey Siri". The phone woke up asked me what I wanted. Then.... did a search for a phrase it heard on the TV and directed me to a Republican website.

My cell phone is NEVER EVER turned off.

If one wants to be REEEEEELY paranoid (like some on here seem to be), ponder this:

That means the phone is listening all the time to all your conversations everywhere. Not just when you are on the phone. So the gubmint (or hackers), with the right software, can hear everything you say.......all the time. OMG! Tin-foil-hatters.....get out the foil!

Am I worried? Heck no. I like the multi-faceted functions of the iPhone. Besides being an excellent phone with almost perfect coverage, thanks to Verizon, it offers many net features you could only get on a big PC just a few years ago. Where ever I am traveling is where my company office is, thanks to smart phone tech.

bangerjim

[dragon813gt]

Lots of people are putting Amazon Echos in their homes as well. I'm not a fan of the new Siri feature. And there is no way I'd put the Echo in my home. But lots of people seem fine w/ giving up privacy for convenience.

[bangerjim]

Lots of people are putting Amazon Echos in their homes as well. I'm not a fan of the new Siri feature. And there is no way I'd put the Echo in my home. But lots of people seem fine w/ giving up privacy for convenience.

Techno-geeks are trying for the "smart" home like in the si-fi shows! Not for me. We are turning into true couch potatoes when we are soooooo lazy we cannot get up to turn the lights on and off. Were would be all be without the TV "clicker" remote control!!!!!!

Probably 10# lighter?

[DougGuy]

I build all mine, and run win10 on a couple. It is more stable and self-repairing than previous versions of windows, ONCE you get it installed and all your hardware actually works in it. The November update is very hardware specific. Version 1511 (OS Build 10586.29) won't run on some machines that will run the first public release of windows 10 just fine. Windows 10 will allow you to defer updates but not completely turn them off. I would advise anyone running 10 to go into their settings menu and comb completely through each screen and turn OFF all the **** that Microsoft has turned ON by default. Share your camera, photos, videos, personal information, REALLY???? Pretty STUPID move on their part to ship this OS with everything shared and accessible to the outside world.

[gwpercle]

We got a new computer too. I hate it.
I could work the old one. I can't post photo's with this new one. It will do it , I just can't figure out how to do it. The problem is these things keep getting smarter and I'm stuck with the same IQ I've always had. Like I still have a 1957 black and white TV brain....and there is no upgrade in sight.
The instructions for it came on a disk....how the heck am I supposed read it and set up the computer....it just don't make sense.
Gary

[bangerjim]

We got a new computer too. I hate it.
I could work the old one. I can't post photo's with this new one. It will do it , I just can't figure out how to do it. The problem is these things keep getting smarter and I'm stuck with the same IQ I've always had. Like I still have a 1957 black and white TV brain....and there is no upgrade in sight.
The instructions for it came on a disk....how the heck am I supposed read it and set up the computer....it just don't make sense.
Gary

That disk will be in a native format that the computer - right out of the box - will be able to read.

Files should either be automatically read by a program on the disk (auto-run software) or files should be in rtf, txt, or pdf format that can be read by the native operating system you have on the new computer.

Stuff it in and see what happens.

banger

[dragon813gt]

Pretty STUPID move on their part to ship this OS with everything shared and accessible to the outside world.
Europe is going to have a field day w/ this. Microsoft is either disclosing all of this in detail up front. Or they are just waiting for the lawsuits to start. If they do then it's going to cost them billions. Europe takes privacy very seriously unlike this country.

[bedbugbilly]

The last software I used was XP on laptop. The laptop took a nose dive and my friend and my wife convinced me to switch to a Mac. At first I sort of fought it (I'm old . . I don't like change :-) ). Once I got used to the Mac, I'd never go back to the other. I still do my ledgers/bookwork with Office not he Mac. At first, whenI changed, I was "over thinking it". I'm no computer whiz but now, I'm very comfortable with the Apple and love it.

[dragon813gt]

For people that just want to browse the web and do other basic things Mac is great. I personally don't like their "my way or not at all" type of system. Which is why I have jailbroken all my iPhones. Mac is not for someone that wants full control of their system. As far as I know Quickload is not native to Max. I know there are ways to run windows programs on Mac. But it's another step and one that might be beyond some people.

[Mal Paso]

Price Check 128GB flash drives are $30, 256 GB are $60. One of my backups is in my pocket, pictures, Truck Repair Manual.....