Forum nubie misses XP--please offer advice!!

install4you

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Greetings All!

1) If anyone helps me be more successful with Windows 8, consider yourself due free advice about hanging draperies, blinds, pictures, framed mirrors...ie hanging anything on a wall or assembling almost anything! This is not advertising--just serious gratitude.

2) I apologize in advance for any rants, soap-box speeches, &/or rabbit chasing.

3) THANK YOU in advance for taking the time to read my post and offer any advice.

My 5yr+ Tosh Satellite 65 literally broke--one of the hinges. I figured it was time to get a new computer. I used to work for Xerox and had lots of support and a totally stable computing environment. On my own I've gotten a bit out of touch with tech advances. I don't want to get left behind, but I'm really having a hard time adapting to W8.

I got an Acer i5 laptop--not a touch screen--and Windows 8 came on it. I alternate between feeling like a total idiot and ready to fling the thing against the wall. I thought I was pretty good at understanding computers. I used to help everybody else with their problems.

Can anyone tell me if there are ways to make Windows 8 default to acting more like XP? I want to scream "What was Microsoft thinking?" I appreciate that W8 can do things that haven't been done before on PCs, but come-on. I've been told that W8 was primarily designed for touch screens. WHY is on PCs then? I started on computers with an 8088, 2-5-1/4 floppies and no hard drive and Windows 8 is the most NON-intuitive low-functioning thing I've seen in all my computing experience.

It took me almost an hour to find out that I could not print a PDF from the resident reader on my PC. Finally I learned I could download the desktop version from Adobe so I'm good with that. I'm hoping there are enough fixes like that to help give me back timely productivity. I am not at all CHARMED by Windows 8. (I not even gonna start on Office2010.)

ANY survival advice will be totally devoured (oh yeah...and appreciated). I never believed that resistance was futile, but I have begun to wonder.

Eddie
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Q5LJ1
Hey you can't blame windows 8, between Xp and 8 there has been vista and 7...

If you haven't ever used those of course you won't know how to use Windows 8.

There are a lot of changes that came with each new os.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Microsoft
    CPU
    i5-3210M
    Motherboard
    m6 1125dx
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    HD 4000
    Sound Card
    Beats Audio
    Hard Drives
    750GB
    Case
    Hp
    Cooling
    Dry Ice and fridge
    Keyboard
    Sticky
    Mouse
    Dead
    Internet Speed
    Almost hit 2kbps
    Other Info
    I'm trying to get win8 onto iPad as main OS

    Have an Hp Envy Laptop
I get that. I know I have to learn new stuff, but this feels like everything I knew has been worse than reversed. It's like Microsoft randomly scrambled everything and then drew out half and rewrote it backwards.

I promise I'm not proud of my ignorance...just frustrated and feeling old.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Q5LJ1

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Microsoft
    CPU
    i5-3210M
    Motherboard
    m6 1125dx
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    HD 4000
    Sound Card
    Beats Audio
    Hard Drives
    750GB
    Case
    Hp
    Cooling
    Dry Ice and fridge
    Keyboard
    Sticky
    Mouse
    Dead
    Internet Speed
    Almost hit 2kbps
    Other Info
    I'm trying to get win8 onto iPad as main OS

    Have an Hp Envy Laptop
It took me almost an hour to find out that I could not print a PDF from the resident reader on my PC. Finally I learned I could download the desktop version from Adobe so I'm good with that.
In fact you can do this, but it's not obvious.

<Ctrl>+<P> will Print. It's a common print shortcut in a lot of software but not sure how you'd know this works in Reader, especially in the absence of F1 for Help and other such clues.

Or, more obscurely, you can bring up the "Devices Charm" by moving the mouse to the top right of the screen to bring up the Charms, or <Windows>+<K> key combination, and then selecting your printer from the devices.

Generally knowing your keyboard shortcuts makes Windows 8 a lot more bearable; fine for folks like me that use them a lot anyway but I'm not convinced it's a step forward for those who don't. So my general tip is to look around the web (including this forum) for Windows 8 Keyboard Shortcuts.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1, 10

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win7 Ult on DIY; Win8 Pro on MBP/Parallels; Win7 Ult on MBP/Boot Camp; Win7 Ult/Win8 Pro on HP
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    DIY Rig; MacBook Pro (MBP)/Parallels/Boot Camp; HP Pavilion dv6500t Laptop
    CPU
    Intel i7-2600K (sometimes OC'd to 4.8 GHz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS P8P67 Deluxe Rev B3
    Memory
    16 GB Corsair Vengeance
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 570 SC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Gateway
    Hard Drives
    Dual Boot:
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on OCZ Revo x2 and
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on Caviar Black SATA 3's
    PSU
    Cooler Master Silent Pro 1000W
    Case
    Cooler Master 932 HAF
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900MAX-B CPU Fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Mouse
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Internet Speed
    20 Mbps Download/2+ Mbps Upload
    Other Info
    Pioneer Blu-ray Burner/DVD Burner
Hey you can't blame windows 8, between Xp and 8 there has been vista and 7...

If you haven't ever used those of course you won't know how to use Windows 8.

That's a pretty sad statement right there when you think about it.

An OS should not be difficult, cryptic or confusing when you are working in it. I think if someone from a Windows XP background is having trouble with Windows 8, that's pretty telling right there.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Pssh. Who buys prebuilts?
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-2600k 3.4 Ghz
    Motherboard
    Asus
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GT 520
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual Asus 22" Widescreen
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    OCZ SSD boot drive. Spinny secondary drive.
    Case
    Diablotek
    Cooling
    Air
    Keyboard
    Razer BlackWidow Toureny edition.
    Mouse
    Logitech
    Internet Speed
    50 down 10 up
    Browser
    FireFox
    Antivirus
    HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. AV is for noobs.
    Other Info
    I like Macs.
Thanks for the new signature :cool:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Pssh. Who buys prebuilts?
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-2600k 3.4 Ghz
    Motherboard
    Asus
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GT 520
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual Asus 22" Widescreen
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    OCZ SSD boot drive. Spinny secondary drive.
    Case
    Diablotek
    Cooling
    Air
    Keyboard
    Razer BlackWidow Toureny edition.
    Mouse
    Logitech
    Internet Speed
    50 down 10 up
    Browser
    FireFox
    Antivirus
    HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. AV is for noobs.
    Other Info
    I like Macs.
It took me almost an hour to find out that I could not print a PDF from the resident reader on my PC. Finally I learned I could download the desktop version from Adobe so I'm good with that. I'm hoping there are enough fixes like that to help give me back timely productivity. I am not at all CHARMED by Windows 8. (I not even gonna start on Office2010.)
Eddie

Is this true? The installed PDF reader doesn't let you print?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Pssh. Who buys prebuilts?
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-2600k 3.4 Ghz
    Motherboard
    Asus
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GT 520
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual Asus 22" Widescreen
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    OCZ SSD boot drive. Spinny secondary drive.
    Case
    Diablotek
    Cooling
    Air
    Keyboard
    Razer BlackWidow Toureny edition.
    Mouse
    Logitech
    Internet Speed
    50 down 10 up
    Browser
    FireFox
    Antivirus
    HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. AV is for noobs.
    Other Info
    I like Macs.
All the previous ideas are very good, however, I will throw another idea into the pot: Virtual Machine; there is a free VM app called Virtual Box which would allow you to set up a VM of XP as long as you have a copy that is not an OEM, and you have the Serial Key. . .Hope this helps and good luck. . .:D

BTW, "Welcome to the Eight Forums." . . .:thumbsup:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8, (VM win7, XP, Vista)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion p1423w
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 3330 Ivy Bridge
    Motherboard
    Foxconn - 2ADA Ivy Brige
    Memory
    16 GB 1066MHz DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 5450
    Sound Card
    HD Realteck (Onboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Mitsubishi LED TV/Montior HD, Dell 23 HD, Hanspree 25" HD
    Screen Resolution
    Mit. 1980-1080, Dell 2048-115, Hanspree 1920-10802
    Hard Drives
    1 SanDisk 240Gig SSD, 2 Samsung 512Gig SSDs
    Case
    Tower
    Cooling
    Original (Fans)
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Keyboard 2000
    Mouse
    Microsoft Optical Mouse 5000
    Internet Speed
    1.3 (350 to 1024 if lucky)
    Browser
    Firefox 19.1
    Antivirus
    MSE-Defender
Mega thanks to all who offered advice. I'll try these ideas as time allows. I'll be sure to report back my success or difficulty with each idea so that other nubies can benefit.

Keep the ideas coming!

Eddie
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Q5LJ1
Hello and welcome!

First, I'd like to say, it's better to learn the new ways of Windows 8 and the capabilities of the touchpad on your new laptop. Believe me, it's pretty nice to use the touchpad on Windows 8 than something like xp or 7.

Also, going from xp to 8 is literally like trying to jump a canyon thinking it'd be like jumping over a small puddle. You're going to fall and pretty hard as well.

Next, my suggestions, tips, and other stuff...

1. Learn how to pin things to Start. The Start Screen is VERY easy to get configured when you figure out what to do. This is simple. Open File Explorer (the file folder icon) and go through and find things like Documents, Pictures, Videos, and Music Libraries (if you skipped over 7, this is a VERY handy feature if you have things like two video folders to consolidate them down into one view) and right click on them. Then, you will see, Pin to Start. Do that for all sorts of things other than libraries, like folders, program shortcuts, Recycle Bin, Computer, ect. Hit Start, go to the end, and click and drag the tiles around to how you'd like. I'd bet you might move them to the very left of the screen. To remove said tiles, right click them, then hit Unpin from Start at the bottom.

2. Uninstall the apps you don't want. This is dreadfully simple that most that decry Windows 8 don't seem to know. Right click on the app tiles, on the bottom of the screen you'll see an option to Uninstall. Hit that, and hit Uninstall again and that's it. But I'd suggest to keep the Weather, News, Finance, and maybe the Calendar or Mails apps as they're nice to have.

3. Choose program defaults. If you want IE 10 to ALWAYS open on the Desktop, you can do that by opening up IE on the Desktop, hit the Tools cog on the top right of the window, Internet Options, Programs, and set IE to always open on the Desktop. Do this for other programs like Photo Viewer over Photos, Windows Media Player (or VLC or whatever music player you'd like) over Music.

4. Learn the touchpad gestures. There are A LOT depending on the PC. My bet is that you have all so this won't be a problem. Swipe from the right side of the pad inward, opens the Charms. From the left, switches apps that are open. Swipe from the bottom of the pad opens the app command bar. Pinch to zoom to go to zoom in or out. On the Desktop, three finger gesture downwards minimizes all your open windows. Three up will show the window/app selector ribbon. Three left or right is the same as clicking the back or forth button in any program. You can probably also do a rotate gesture with Photo Viewer as well. Two fingers up or down will scroll. Pretty nifty! :cool:

5. Install Decor8. It will make the Start Screen look SO cool!

6. Ideally, you'd want to uninstall all the crap and bloatware that comes on OEM PCs such as from Acer. Makes things a tad faster and improves boot time.

7. Open the Task Manager, hit the Startup tab, and disable all the items that don't deal with needed programs like idiotic power utilities. Leave things like the touchpad software enabled.

8. Open some apps, and use the touch gestures I said of earlier to navigate around. Just a simple type to search will start searching. No need to hunt down a search bar. The Settings charm is what is used to change app settings, sound, power, and screen brightness. This is used very often. Share will be used if you're in an app and want to email someone a link to a website, but this is ONLY within apps, not on the Desktop. Things work differently. To close an app, move the mouse pointer to the top of the screen, see the little hand icon, click, and just drag down. BAM! That simple. To change some settings like Start Screen colors, account picture, picture password, and some other things, open the Charms, hit Settings, and you'll see PC Settings at the bottom. PC Settings is a condensed down Control Panel of very commonly changed settings within Windows. Also, on the Desktop, opening the Settings charm will display a few things from the Control Panel, like Personalization and PC Info.

I think that is 8 simple tips/suggestions to use Windows 8. Wow.

And for a screenshot of a few Start Screens to show how to arrange things nicely...
Screenshot (67).png
Screenshot (5).png
Screenshot (4).png
Windows 8 was designed for touch, you have a touchpad that makes interacting with Windows 8 better than a standard three button mouse. Simply, learn to take advantage of the Start Screen, make things your own, and use the touch gestures of your new and shiny laptop and you'll quickly start liking things and won't feel so lost. Also, ask us questions, we don't bite. At least, not too hard. :D
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
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