General Chat

Morning everyone,

Have just acquired windows 8 on new laptop, but we're finding it a bit difficult. Would be interested to hear what others think.

Sue :-S

Sue...im finding it the same I too have recently got a new laptop, Im not computer literate at all, but geeeeeez im blinded by it all.....I am getting used to it and have been told to bare with it and once you get used to it, its quite easy.

I have got a new broadband too and wish I had got it ages ago.....so we can only go onwards and upwards with the new technology ;-)

Good Luck x

Thanks Mersey. Yes, tearing hair out, its so different, and they think you are a mind reader. Luckily we still have the old one, for when things get tooooo much.!

Am also not happy with the space bar, which only works if hit in the middle. Thats probably nothing to do with windows 8, but almost impossible to use if a touch typist.
Its only a basic lap top, bought online. Its a bad design, and am thinking of making a complaint.!

Sue

Have just bought a new laptop too .its being set up for me tonight by our granddaughters PC boffin who will transfer over from my old windows XP All my saved photos etc .

When I was looking to get a new laptop I was advised by him to get Windows 7 rather than 8

Doesn't help you though
:-( :-(

It is very different, part of the problem is that it is really designed to be used with touch screens, so using a mouse on a normal laptop is awkward. I soon got used to it though, but I do use a smart phone and a tablet so that may have helped.

They are soon going to release an update which will put a start button down on the left hand corner to make it more like the older versions of Windows. It is only going to have some fo the functions of the start button though so I can't see the point

Am getting more into it now and as I find it
very touch sensitive got a mouse which is better
and easier on my hands.
Mouse is wire free so I don't get tangled up :-D :-D
every little helps.

Emma :-)

Thats what I have the touch screen now but im leaving that for abit so I can get used to the actual laptop itself......

We will all be techys before we know it girlies :-D :-D :-D

I can't cope with a scratch pad, I have a Logitech wireless mouse. a little dongle plugs in the side of the laptop and that connects to the mouse without it being joined on by a wire, It makes life so much easier, you can get them in any computer store, or on Amazon etc

Shirley, that was very good advise. I would second that. It is so very different.

Linda, am not too well up on computers, but managed to get round the W7.
We should have looked into this a bit more thoroughly i guess.
:-)

Sue

Good advice Golden Girl, thanks for that bit of info.

Good Morning Ladies,

About 3weeks ago I bought a new Computer and laptop as well, both with Windows 8 pre installed.
Don't like it at all, it seems a step backwards instead of forwards.

The laptop is still in the unopened box, until I get my head around this picture gallery of Apps.
The desktop seems like a massive advertising Billboard to me. :-(

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ & x x x`s to Sue and Mersey :-D :-D
Edit... Oooops, and all the others that have posted ;-) :-D

Same as mine Linda, sil got it at Tesco for me.

Couldn't remember the name and then looked
at the mouse and yes it says Logitech on it......
senior moment time :-D :-D

Emma :-)

Budgie R

Maybe Genes could do online lessons for us. It was certainly nothing like i had expected.!!
That is one lesson i have learned; try it out before you buy. :-D

Sue

You can fix it to behave a lot more like Windows 7.
It won't affect your warranty.

http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/software-and-web-apps/how-to-make-windows-8-look-like-windows-7-50009546/

I hate windows 8 on laptop/desktop. It is unworkable because the basic idea of using the same OS and UI on mobile/pad/laptop/desktop is wrong. Even if you have a touch screen leaning backwards and forwards is a pain.

It is pointless and expensive retraining staff, updating applications etc.

The "apps" are mostly rhubarb.

Mostly with laptops I remove the drive and fit another bigger one running a licenced Windows 7. It is still possible to purchase Win7 from trade sources and eBay. With desktops we build our own anyway. So far as we must run Windows8 I have it in a VirtualMachine where it remains under control, sulking.

fwiw the way Microsoft have implemented their OS, cloud integration, Office365 and Skype security is not worth diddly squat. So if you get caught in a "man in the middle" attack you have been warned!

Best choice: move to a new install of Windows7 / switch to Apple or Linux Mint.

A lot of well informed industry analysts believe that Windows8 and the "Windows Everywhere" objective across tablets and mobiles will be Microsoft's tombstone. The only major difference with the nearly gone Blackberry is that M$ has a bigger cash pile to burn through. For instance they have written off $ 2bn relating to unsold tablets....

The consumer OS is moving into the TV and it is Samsung, Sony, Huwei and so on who will call the shots not Microsoft. They have chosen embedded versions of Android.

Budgie R

Maybe Genes could do online lessons for us. It was certainly nothing like i had expected.!!
That is one lesson i have learned; try it out before you buy. :-D

Sue

btw if the version of Windows 8 you have is 8.0 make sure to install the free upgrade to 8.1. It is not quite so insanely irritating as 8.0

Hi Rollo,
Just had a peep at your link. Will have to be nice to my Son and see what he can do for me. Thanks v much for that.

I also mentioned that the space bar is useless to a touch typist, as it only reacts when hit exactly in the middle. Would you know if that is purely the computer or Windows 8.?

Sue :-)

Just to say, out for a bit, be back later.

I mentioned that for professional purposes Win8 was unusable ... touch typing seems like spelling to be a lost art. Whatever the speed of the machine my secretary can go faster than recent MS Office ( or its Linux equivalent) so she uses an old MS Office running on a Mac which is 100% trouble free.

The space bar shuld work normally though - if it doesn't then the most likely reason is that it is not secured properly to the machine. It should have attachments left centre and middle. Your seens to be missing left and right!
That is the only way I know to get this problem.

Rollo any chance of you looking at my IOS 7 thread please.

Emma
Edit......
Sorry Sue for putting this on your thread

Sue, I have the same thing, space bar will only work if banged hard in the middle.

I shouldn't have listened to my husband who is Sony mad.

He talked me into buying a Sony laptop with Windows 8.

It is so obviously made for tablets, I even find myself trying to get things to move by touching the screen and looks like it would be good on one. Having an iPad, I don't have it on mine though.

I have no problem with my iPad, am watching your thread Emma, husband is tempted to update his to IOS 7, I shall wait and see how he gets on.

I have to sneak upstairs and use my little Samsung laptop with Windows 7 if I want to do something quickly.

The best thing I find on it though are my photos, taken with my Sony digital SLR, come out beautifully, but then that is nothing to do with Windows !

I really do not like Windows 8 at all and Rollo gave me some good advice a few months ago but am ashamed to say I am too computer illiterate to put it into practice !!

M

Well im going to persevere for a while and see how it goes although gritting my teeth is hurting my face......LOL

Wishing all you new techys luck including myself :-D :-D :-D