Solved New machine touch screen?

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markg2

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We're buying an inexpensive Acer Aspire for the office. The new lower end machines now are preloaded with Win8 vs Win7 (unfortunately).

To upgrade the machine to a touch screen would require an additional $150.

We only use the machine for Word, Excel and Outlook--a touch screen is totally unnecessary.

Is there a way to setup a Win8 machine with a non touch screen to use with a mouse (or similar pointing mechanism) and not negatively affect one's use and performance? Also, is there a way to setup a Win8 desktop so it sort of looks like a Win7 desktop?

Thanks--

Mark
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win7
Classic Start Menu is what I use for gaining a start button/menu. It works quite well, google will find it for you, there are also several others available online.

The computer should function just fine with a mouse as it comes out of the box. I have an All in one unit with touch screen and I seldom use the touch. I go to the metro side now and then and use the touch but it is not something I value very much at all. I can use touch to scroll around and move the cursor but the mouse does fine as well in the desktop.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win 8
markg2 said:
We're buying an inexpensive Acer Aspire for the office. The new lower end machines now are preloaded with Win8 vs Win7 (unfortunately).

To upgrade the machine to a touch screen would require an additional $150.

We only use the machine for Word, Excel and Outlook--a touch screen is totally unnecessary.

Is there a way to setup a Win8 machine with a non touch screen to use with a mouse (or similar pointing mechanism) and not negatively affect one's use and performance? Also, is there a way to setup a Win8 desktop so it sort of looks like a Win7 desktop?

Thanks--

Mark
Click to expand...
There is no reason to have a touchscreen unless you want to use one under Win8. No special setup is required to not use a touchscreen. You can do anything in Win8 without using a touchscreen that you can do in Win7--and more especially if you want to use the metro part of the Win8 interface. Absolutely no loss of performance associated with doing what you want. Sounds to me like having a touchscreen would be a waste of money for you.
 

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
Windows 8 works fine with a mouse. You can use any of the 3rd party start menu replacements to get a start menu and boot directly to desktop. I use Start8 which was $5 from Stardock.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Built in July 2009
    CPU
    Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
    Memory
    8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Acer x233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX modular
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    ABS M1 Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    15/2 cable modem
    Other Info
    Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
markg2 said:
Thanks for the unity of + answers. Problem reduced to no problem.

Mark
Click to expand...

One warning: if the user opens some file types (like pictures) by double-clicking, the default application for it is often a Metro (Modern, Windows Store) application. The users will have to be able to navigate back to the Desktop. It's not difficult, but I have met users who had trouble with the difference between Windows XP and 7. (My employer switched to 7 in 2012, and that isn't 100% complete. There are a fair number of XP 64 machines still around.)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Window 8 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    homebuilt
    CPU
    I7-3930k
    Motherboard
    Asus P9X79 Pro
    Memory
    16 GB Gskill DDR3-2133
    Graphics Card(s)
    eVGA GTX 680
    Sound Card
    Soundblaster Zx
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus PA246Q
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1200
    Hard Drives
    Corsair Force GT 120GB
    WD Cavair Black 1.5TB
    PSU
    PC Power & cooling Silencer 750
    Case
    Silverstone FT02B-W
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D14 w/ PWM fans
    Keyboard
    cheap Logitech USB wired
    Mouse
    old 5 button Microsoft USB optical
    Internet Speed
    6Mb cable
Screenshot (85).png
Screenshot (83).png
Simple, just make your Start Screen look like this, put Desktop apps on it, put Desktop folders and locations on it, and it's just a simple point and click. That, along with changing program defaults...

There is really nothing at all lost with Windows 8 over 7. If anything, you'll be losing the improvements of Windows 8 if you went with 7.
 

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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