My father downloads any videos directly from my NAS drive if we have anything like family video. Just send him the link, job done.....No need for DVD players to be involved...
So if want to send a 4.3B file of videos to my Grandparents how would I do that.......
The fact is most people also have a DVD collection as well and may want to play at least the odd one on their PC. I occasionally do when the wife is hogging the TV (as usual).
On things changing so much so often I really do believe it`s just getting too much. Stuff keeps changing almost for the sake of it. I`m of the view that most people (and I realise this probably the wrong forum to propound this view ! ) probably agree with me. All this rapid change is getting powered by a minority of people but they`re the people who are more bothered about buying technology (esp the latest thing) and, of course, by the manufacturers.
tech changes all the time, i'm sure you would of prefered to of sent a hundred weight of 8" disks with all the problems of crc failures etc that that entails especially around border controls x-ray machines
If we always went back to what people knew worked....we'd still probably be using mercury delay lines and probably around 1600 dpi tape drives to store stuff (and thats being 1980's top end)
So if want to send a 4.3B file of videos to my Grandparents how would I do that.......
The fact is most people also have a DVD collection as well and may want to play at least the odd one on their PC. I occasionally do when the wife is hogging the TV (as usual).
I would be lost without my Blue-ray writer, the problem is, certainly with laptops is that they are getting smaller and smaller and got no room to put a DVD drive.
Also Screens seems to be getting smaller. I went into PC world last week to get a mouse for my brother and I had a look at their laptops, most was with a screen of less than 13inchs. No point for me.
On things changing so much so often I really do believe it`s just getting too much. Stuff keeps changing almost for the sake of it. I`m of the view that most people (and I realise this probably the wrong forum to propound this view ! ) probably agree with me. All this rapid change is getting powered by a minority of people but they`re the people who are more bothered about buying technology (esp the latest thing) and, of course, by the manufacturers.
I agree with you.
Technology just to get people to spend, this new TV have got such and such, you will not see the difference, but it is there.
So people get hooked in and fall for the spin.
I wonder how many people even on here have got a new TV, not because they need it, but because they think they need it and may be better than their old one.
Like someone I know that have a new washing machine every couple of years, just because a new one comes out with something different.
I used to do that mind you, not buy a new washing machine, but with computers, every year I used to update my computer, gone down to every 4-5 years now and only if needed.
I wonder if only students and young professionals are the market for small screen laptops.
I've never had a flat-screen or LCD TV. My two main CRTs are widescreen and have excellent pictures. I also have two portable 14" CRTs with Freeview in bedrooms.
Freeview boxes and PVRs and laptop do the modern stuff. I don't replace unnecessarily.
I'm not tight or mean or a scrooge. I splash out or am generous to others when needed.
Everyone with flat-screens only seems to get a few years life. My computer monitors seem to last OK.
The social changes since the 70s and 80s have been amazing.
Going back to original question at top of this thread - I sincerely hope so.
As I am going to have to buy a new laptop in the very near future, I had a demonstration of a windows 8 laptop this morning.
The start button gives you a great screen-ful of mega sized icons instead of a list of programmes to select from. And it seemed there was no way of saving your own short cuts to the desk top. Or at least the sales assistant who was demonstrating it couldn't find a way. Neither could he find a specific programme without typing it in the search box - which of course relies on you knowing how to spell it and takes several more minutes.
Having begun using computers from the days of drives called A and B and floppy discs really were floppy, and progressing through Windows 3.1, NT, 95, 98, 2000, XP, Vista and a dabble with Linux on my brother's pc, I have experienced quite a range of operating systems, but I found what I saw this morning impossible to use.
My recently deceased laptop ran Vista, and I'm typing this on a loaned desktop pc with Windows 7 which I find absolutely no problem with.
So should I continue to beg, borrow or steal computer time from friends for a bit longer and wait for Windows 10 to come out before I buy my new laptop?
Going back to original question at top of this thread - I sincerely hope so.
As I am going to have to buy a new laptop in the very near future, I had a demonstration of a windows 8 laptop this morning.
The start button gives you a great screen-ful of mega sized icons instead of a list of programmes to select from. And it seemed there was no way of saving your own short cuts to the desk top. Or at least the sales assistant who was demonstrating it couldn't find a way. Neither could he find a specific programme without typing it in the search box - which of course relies on you knowing how to spell it and takes several more minutes.
Having begun using computers from the days of drives called A and B and floppy discs really were floppy, and progressing through Windows 3.1, NT, 95, 98, 2000, XP, Vista and a dabble with Linux on my brother's pc, I have experienced quite a range of operating systems, but I found what I saw this morning impossible to use.
My recently deceased laptop ran Vista, and I'm typing this on a loaned desktop pc with Windows 7 which I find absolutely no problem with.
So should I continue to beg, borrow or steal computer time from friends for a bit longer and wait for Windows 10 to come out before I buy my new laptop?
Windows 8.1 has a Desktop mode that resembles Windows 7 and previous versions. There are differences however but you can use it from the get go in a very similar manner to Win 7.
The major difference of course is that the Start button in Win 8.1 desktop doesn't do anything remotely similar to what Win 7 does. If you click on it you get thrown back into Tile mode and if you right click you get a menu of various options like Control Panel etc. But with something like Classic Shell or an equivalent Start button replacement you can make Win 8.1 look and feel a lot closer to Win 7.
LizzieL
What you have been shown about Windows 8.1 is wrong, very wrong indeed. That is a major problem with Windows 8.1 this total junk being bandied about by vociferous geeks and sales people.
I go back to DOS 3.0 Thru to Windows 8.1. There simply is not this great difficulty with Windows 8.1.
You can boot up Windows 8.1 to the Desktop, it is an option and you can also put Tiles on Your Start Screen to Desktop Applications, one Tile press and straight there, as I say no problem.
Applications are what you actually use anyway.
Windows 10 is a development of Windows 8.1 The Apps side is still there. So getting a new Windows 8.1 Laptop puts you in an excellent position for Windows 10.
LizzieL
What you have been shown about Windows 8.1 is wrong, very wrong indeed. That is a major problem with Windows 8.1 this total junk being bandied about by vociferous geeks and sales people.
I go back to DOS 3.0 Thru to Windows 8.1. There simply is not this great difficulty with Windows 8.1.
There really is. Otherwise people would not be having any difficulties with the revised user interface. It's as simple as that. You can shout all you like about how it is no problem for you, but people's experiences are the ones they actually have, not the ones you think they should be having.
Going back to original question at top of this thread - I sincerely hope so.
As I am going to have to buy a new laptop in the very near future, I had a demonstration of a windows 8 laptop this morning.
The start button gives you a great screen-ful of mega sized icons instead of a list of programmes to select from. And it seemed there was no way of saving your own short cuts to the desk top. Or at least the sales assistant who was demonstrating it couldn't find a way. Neither could he find a specific programme without typing it in the search box - which of course relies on you knowing how to spell it and takes several more minutes.
Having begun using computers from the days of drives called A and B and floppy discs really were floppy, and progressing through Windows 3.1, NT, 95, 98, 2000, XP, Vista and a dabble with Linux on my brother's pc, I have experienced quite a range of operating systems, but I found what I saw this morning impossible to use.
My recently deceased laptop ran Vista, and I'm typing this on a loaned desktop pc with Windows 7 which I find absolutely no problem with.
So should I continue to beg, borrow or steal computer time from friends for a bit longer and wait for Windows 10 to come out before I buy my new laptop?
There is a keyboard option, Windows Key and S that does search quicker. Also if you right click on a app on the start screen full menu or the computer folder on desktop. You can find the pin to start or task bar option, I rarely use the desktop through these days apart from older stuff. Also Windows 8 currently is able to get Windows 10 when it comes out so you don't need to wait. Also I found a picture breakdown of differences from Windows 7: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CEQBYemWAAA0Rj7.png
That's interesting to know - and clearly something the sales assistant this morning didn't know anything about.
Neither do you need to search to find programs.
If you go to the tiled Start screen there is a downward pointing arrow that you click to get a list of all the installed apps and programs that you can choose from.
And you can put icons on your Desktop if you want to, although admittedly it's not quite as straightforward as previously as the option is not directly in the right click menu.
But all you have to do is go to the program in the list I mentioned; right click it and choose 'open file location'. That opens the file explorer to a folder with the program shortcut in it, and you just copy that shortcut to your desktop. ;-)
But the practice, since Windows 7, has been to put launchers on the taskbar rather than icons on the desktop, as they are much easier to get to when you have program windows on screen. But as I say, you still have the option.
Well we finally decided we had to upgrade our laptop. I really wanted one with Windows 7 on it but everyone I talk to is only selling them with W8. So we waited till we could get one with W8 on it then update to W10s straight away as it is slightly more like W7 than W8 is. Every time I`ve ever "upgraded" a computer it`s given me loads of problems and I had an underlying feeling of dread when we picked it up. My negative feelings (and dislike of the constant forced rate of change of IT products) was amply justified......
When I got to the initial (first time) start up page I got to the one which says do you want to upgrade (to Windows 10) now ?
I clicked yes.
Nothing happened.
I`d heard you sometimes have to wait ages so left it on for 4 hours (despite the fact nothing appeared to be happening) till I concluded that nothing was in fact happening... I tried again, same result.
Next I booted the machine right up and looked for the Window 10 upgrade icon in the bottom task bar, but it wasn`t there.......
I then spent one to two hours doing all the updates I could on the (brand new) machine, still nothing. I left it on overnight (but just came downstairs to find it`d switched itself into standby.....) but still nothing.
I`m a busy man businesswise and family wise, I`m absolutely mad as hell that I`m having to waste all this time. I really hate computers, particularly IT companies forcing all this built in obsolescence on us all......
I gave it a go on laptops and tablets and it had an unfinished beta feel about it and it had nothing to do with "never complete Windows as a service" mantra, that's not how I understand it anyway. I am not a one to complain about change, but now I am back to W8.1. The only tablet still on W10 is my Dell Venue 8 Pro, because I accidently deleted my recovery image
Well we finally decided we had to upgrade our laptop. I really wanted one with Windows 7 on it but everyone I talk to is only selling them with W8. So we waited till we could get one with W8 on it then update to W10s straight away as it is slightly more like W7 than W8 is. Every time I`ve ever "upgraded" a computer it`s given me loads of problems and I had an underlying feeling of dread when we picked it up. My negative feelings (and dislike of the constant forced rate of change of IT products) was amply justified......
When I got to the initial (first time) start up page I got to the one which says do you want to upgrade (to Windows 10) now ?
I clicked yes.
Nothing happened.
I`d heard you sometimes have to wait ages so left it on for 4 hours (despite the fact nothing appeared to be happening) till I concluded that nothing was in fact happening... I tried again, same result.
Next I booted the machine right up and looked for the Window 10 upgrade icon in the bottom task bar, but it wasn`t there.......
I then spent one to two hours doing all the updates I could on the (brand new) machine, still nothing. I left it on overnight (but just came downstairs to find it`d switched itself into standby.....) but still nothing.
I`m a busy man businesswise and family wise, I`m absolutely mad as hell that I`m having to waste all this time. I really hate computers, particularly IT companies forcing all this built in obsolescence on us all......
In the more recent Windows 10 thread we have discussed this.
Thanks for that I may well end up going down that route if John Lewis technical cannot sort it out more easily ! They suggest I remove the pre installed "free month trial anti virus" (and just use the installed "Windows Defender"), then download all available updates to see if the Windows 10 update icon then appears. We`ll see......
But what I`m moaning about is it`s all such a bleedin` waste of time ! If I were interested in computers for themselves I`m sure I`d be fascinated by all this, but I`m not*, so to me it`s just a very frustrating WOT.....
* To be fair most people aren`t interested in TV transmitters for themselves, I am. We`re all different I suppose. The difference is nobody is forced to spend hours researching TV transmitters in the way millions of people have to do with IT, particularly "IT upgrades".
Thanks for that I may well end up going down that route if John Lewis technical cannot sort it out more easily ! They suggest I remove the pre installed "free month trial anti virus" (and just use the installed "Windows Defender"), then download all available updates to see if the Windows 10 update icon then appears. We`ll see......
But what I`m moaning about is it`s all such a bleedin` waste of time ! If I were interested in computers for themselves I`m sure I`d be fascinated by all this, but I`m not*, so to me it`s just a very frustrating WOT.....
* To be fair most people aren`t interested in TV transmitters for themselves, I am. We`re all different I suppose. The difference is nobody is forced to spend hours researching TV transmitters in the way millions of people have to do with IT, particularly "IT upgrades".
Use link provided by Stig. Experience has shown upgrading via the media creation tool to be quicker and more reliable. It is only about of five clicks to do.
Whilst farting about trying to download and install W10 (it aborted more than once....) the W10 upgrade icon appeared. I must confess I used that and W10 is on my machine. Now comes the real fun, which programmes (they`re programmes not bleedin` APPS as W10 insists on calling them ! ) will actually work. I`m particularly concerned about whether Microsoft Works Databases will work because the programme CD I`ve got is about 10 years old. They did work on W7 though.
One thing that`s really pissed me off is my broadband supplier, Plusnet. We pay for 5GB a month and usually use hardly any of it, we don`t use I Player or download videos or music and stuff. This W10 download (a few downloads actually because it aborted more than once) went over 5GB and they informed me that`d be an extra £5. What really pisses me off is on the average we`re way below 5GB yet Plusnet aren`t taking that into account, rip off merchants.
Be prepared for lots of network activity with W10, updates, etc. You may want to set your connection to metered to stop any excessive uploads/ downloads.
Be prepared for lots of network activity with W10, updates, etc. You may want to set your connection to metered to stop any excessive uploads/ downloads.
Are you saying the updates etc are GB (or 100s of MB) in size ! ? ! I really don`t want to put my bill up any more than it already is, to be frank I think we already pay too much considering how relatively little we use the broadband in GB usage (and the phone for that matter !).
I was so mad about PlusNet`s addition to the bill (PlusNet confirmed that on average we only use between 1 and 2 GB per month) I phoned them up and after a few minutes of discussion they did actually relent "for this month only" and say they`ll delete the £5 excess. Interestingly, at first they just kept offering me discounts to go for unlimited, not really understanding we don`t use the bleedin` thing that much !
Are you saying the updates etc are GB (or 100s of MB) in size ! ? ! I really don`t want to put my bill up any more than it already is, to be frank I think we already pay too much considering how relatively little we use the broadband in GB usage (and the phone for that matter !).
I was so mad about PlusNet`s addition to the bill (PlusNet confirmed that on average we only use between 1 and 2 GB per month) I phoned them up and after a few minutes of discussion they did actually relent "for this month only" and say they`ll delete the £5 excess. Interestingly, at first they just kept offering me discounts to go for unlimited, not really understanding we don`t use the bleedin` thing that much !
You spend a lot of time complaining. If you don't want Windows 10, don't have it. Unfortunately you have probably already had the 3GB download to your PC this month. However, we could advise how to stop it happening again. The upgrade is worth £99 though.
If you want some advice; check out the cost of moving to PlusNets unlimited package. You will probably find its not much more. Once you learn the joys of streaming from iPlayer etc. you won't look back.
Comments
(not suitable for people with 10GB per month ISP accounts really. All parties need to be Unlimited, unless you stick to short clips.)
tech changes all the time, i'm sure you would of prefered to of sent a hundred weight of 8" disks with all the problems of crc failures etc
If we always went back to what people knew worked....we'd still probably be using mercury delay lines and probably around 1600 dpi tape drives to store stuff (and thats being 1980's top end)
So how do you play DVDs on a Windows 8 machine? Download the codecs or another program that has the codecs built in?
You can get other addons for other players but I don't know which are the current recommended ones.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?pws=0&gl=uk&q=majorgeeks+codecs&gws_rd=ssl
(majorgeeks is a 'safe' download site)
I would be lost without my Blue-ray writer, the problem is, certainly with laptops is that they are getting smaller and smaller and got no room to put a DVD drive.
Also Screens seems to be getting smaller. I went into PC world last week to get a mouse for my brother and I had a look at their laptops, most was with a screen of less than 13inchs. No point for me.
I agree with you.
Technology just to get people to spend, this new TV have got such and such, you will not see the difference, but it is there.
So people get hooked in and fall for the spin.
I wonder how many people even on here have got a new TV, not because they need it, but because they think they need it and may be better than their old one.
Like someone I know that have a new washing machine every couple of years, just because a new one comes out with something different.
I used to do that mind you, not buy a new washing machine, but with computers, every year I used to update my computer, gone down to every 4-5 years now and only if needed.
I've never had a flat-screen or LCD TV. My two main CRTs are widescreen and have excellent pictures. I also have two portable 14" CRTs with Freeview in bedrooms.
Freeview boxes and PVRs and laptop do the modern stuff. I don't replace unnecessarily.
I'm not tight or mean or a scrooge. I splash out or am generous to others when needed.
Everyone with flat-screens only seems to get a few years life. My computer monitors seem to last OK.
The social changes since the 70s and 80s have been amazing.
As I am going to have to buy a new laptop in the very near future, I had a demonstration of a windows 8 laptop this morning.
The start button gives you a great screen-ful of mega sized icons instead of a list of programmes to select from. And it seemed there was no way of saving your own short cuts to the desk top. Or at least the sales assistant who was demonstrating it couldn't find a way. Neither could he find a specific programme without typing it in the search box - which of course relies on you knowing how to spell it and takes several more minutes.
Having begun using computers from the days of drives called A and B and floppy discs really were floppy, and progressing through Windows 3.1, NT, 95, 98, 2000, XP, Vista and a dabble with Linux on my brother's pc, I have experienced quite a range of operating systems, but I found what I saw this morning impossible to use.
My recently deceased laptop ran Vista, and I'm typing this on a loaned desktop pc with Windows 7 which I find absolutely no problem with.
So should I continue to beg, borrow or steal computer time from friends for a bit longer and wait for Windows 10 to come out before I buy my new laptop?
The major difference of course is that the Start button in Win 8.1 desktop doesn't do anything remotely similar to what Win 7 does. If you click on it you get thrown back into Tile mode and if you right click you get a menu of various options like Control Panel etc. But with something like Classic Shell or an equivalent Start button replacement you can make Win 8.1 look and feel a lot closer to Win 7.
http://www.classicshell.net/
Basically that is how I run my Win 8.1 laptop and rarely if ever venture anywhere near the Tile interface.
Just go for Windows 8.1 now.
What you have been shown about Windows 8.1 is wrong, very wrong indeed. That is a major problem with Windows 8.1 this total junk being bandied about by vociferous geeks and sales people.
I go back to DOS 3.0 Thru to Windows 8.1. There simply is not this great difficulty with Windows 8.1.
You can boot up Windows 8.1 to the Desktop, it is an option and you can also put Tiles on Your Start Screen to Desktop Applications, one Tile press and straight there, as I say no problem.
Applications are what you actually use anyway.
Windows 10 is a development of Windows 8.1 The Apps side is still there. So getting a new Windows 8.1 Laptop puts you in an excellent position for Windows 10.
There is a keyboard option, Windows Key and S that does search quicker. Also if you right click on a app on the start screen full menu or the computer folder on desktop. You can find the pin to start or task bar option, I rarely use the desktop through these days apart from older stuff. Also Windows 8 currently is able to get Windows 10 when it comes out so you don't need to wait. Also I found a picture breakdown of differences from Windows 7: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CEQBYemWAAA0Rj7.png
Neither do you need to search to find programs.
If you go to the tiled Start screen there is a downward pointing arrow that you click to get a list of all the installed apps and programs that you can choose from.
And you can put icons on your Desktop if you want to, although admittedly it's not quite as straightforward as previously as the option is not directly in the right click menu.
But all you have to do is go to the program in the list I mentioned; right click it and choose 'open file location'. That opens the file explorer to a folder with the program shortcut in it, and you just copy that shortcut to your desktop. ;-)
But the practice, since Windows 7, has been to put launchers on the taskbar rather than icons on the desktop, as they are much easier to get to when you have program windows on screen. But as I say, you still have the option.
When I got to the initial (first time) start up page I got to the one which says do you want to upgrade (to Windows 10) now ?
I clicked yes.
Nothing happened.
I`d heard you sometimes have to wait ages so left it on for 4 hours (despite the fact nothing appeared to be happening) till I concluded that nothing was in fact happening... I tried again, same result.
Next I booted the machine right up and looked for the Window 10 upgrade icon in the bottom task bar, but it wasn`t there.......
I then spent one to two hours doing all the updates I could on the (brand new) machine, still nothing. I left it on overnight (but just came downstairs to find it`d switched itself into standby.....) but still nothing.
I`m a busy man businesswise and family wise, I`m absolutely mad as hell that I`m having to waste all this time. I really hate computers, particularly IT companies forcing all this built in obsolescence on us all......
Just follow this process, after backing up your data just in case:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows-10/media-creation-tool-install
Thanks for that I may well end up going down that route if John Lewis technical cannot sort it out more easily ! They suggest I remove the pre installed "free month trial anti virus" (and just use the installed "Windows Defender"), then download all available updates to see if the Windows 10 update icon then appears. We`ll see......
But what I`m moaning about is it`s all such a bleedin` waste of time ! If I were interested in computers for themselves I`m sure I`d be fascinated by all this, but I`m not*, so to me it`s just a very frustrating WOT.....
* To be fair most people aren`t interested in TV transmitters for themselves, I am. We`re all different I suppose. The difference is nobody is forced to spend hours researching TV transmitters in the way millions of people have to do with IT, particularly "IT upgrades".
Use link provided by Stig. Experience has shown upgrading via the media creation tool to be quicker and more reliable. It is only about of five clicks to do.
One thing that`s really pissed me off is my broadband supplier, Plusnet. We pay for 5GB a month and usually use hardly any of it, we don`t use I Player or download videos or music and stuff. This W10 download (a few downloads actually because it aborted more than once) went over 5GB and they informed me that`d be an extra £5. What really pisses me off is on the average we`re way below 5GB yet Plusnet aren`t taking that into account, rip off merchants.
Are you saying the updates etc are GB (or 100s of MB) in size ! ? ! I really don`t want to put my bill up any more than it already is, to be frank I think we already pay too much considering how relatively little we use the broadband in GB usage (and the phone for that matter !).
I was so mad about PlusNet`s addition to the bill (PlusNet confirmed that on average we only use between 1 and 2 GB per month) I phoned them up and after a few minutes of discussion they did actually relent "for this month only" and say they`ll delete the £5 excess. Interestingly, at first they just kept offering me discounts to go for unlimited, not really understanding we don`t use the bleedin` thing that much !
You spend a lot of time complaining. If you don't want Windows 10, don't have it. Unfortunately you have probably already had the 3GB download to your PC this month. However, we could advise how to stop it happening again. The upgrade is worth £99 though.
If you want some advice; check out the cost of moving to PlusNets unlimited package. You will probably find its not much more. Once you learn the joys of streaming from iPlayer etc. you won't look back.