Windows

A couple of projects..

By Mike

Project #1.. a Compaq Presario M2305NR These started to get reviews around December of 2005 which puts the machine firmly in the XP era. Weighing in at 6.5lbs, it was regarded as eminently portable, and it was well built, a real brick. Equipment includes a built-in fax/modem, 24x CD-RW, and WPA2 G wireless capability. That was then, and this is now.. It is all 32-bit and is kitted out with a stunning 512mb RAM and a PATA 60Gb hard drive which is on its way out. I don’t like running XP as it is severely out of date, so I decided to … Continue reading A couple of projects..

OEM support in general..

By Mike

Windows: Under OEM terms, the computer manufacturer is responsible for supporting the operating system with which the computer is supplied. The OEM gets Windows for a cheap price, as do you, the end user. The actual price paid is that the OEM manufacturer will pass the buck, tell you it is all Microsoft’s fault and to contact them directly, and Microsoft will ask for money. So, you get stuff like this in forums.. I have just spent an hour on the Microsoft chat line but they were no help at all and only wanted to sell me a 99$ support … Continue reading OEM support in general..

Windows 10 isn’t a phone OS..

By Mike

What part of the image looks anything like what you might see if you fired up a cellphone? The Start menu perhaps, QuickLaunch, MS Word 2010, the notification area? Why do some persist in calling Windows 10 a phone OS? If anything, my Windows 10 looks a lot more like Vista or Windows 7, and that’s a good thing, right? No, the Start Menu is NOT the default. It is Start10, but could as easily be Classic Shell. Microsoft Office 2010 predated Windows 8, and actually appeared during the Windows 7 watch. So, between the Start menu and my main application … Continue reading Windows 10 isn’t a phone OS..

Wi-Fi in general.. Desktop v Portable/Mobile

By Mike

Domestic Wi-Fi can connect at slightly over 90 feet, assuming that both ends of the connection can clearly see each other, and that there are no other 2.4Ghz devices around which could cause interference, like wireless keyboards and mice and cheap radio control cars and helicopters. In this way, you could sit on a patio at the back of your yard and keep in touch on your notebook or tablet without too many problems Trouble is that desktop computers don’t have an antenna type good enough to do that because the likelihood of them ever being more than 6 feet away from the wireless … Continue reading Wi-Fi in general.. Desktop v Portable/Mobile

Upgrading to Windows 10..

By Mike

Microsoft have allowed for free upgrades from Windows 8 and Windows 7, so why not Vista and XP? Windows 7 didn’t become public until 22 October, 2009. Computers on sale in stores after this date were of varying quality, some not too good running Vista with full driver support, let alone Windows 7. Personally, I wouldn’t upgrade a computer of mine unless it was at least a late 2010 release because of patchy to non-existant hardware driver support XP machines are almost in a different galaxy. As good as some were in their day, without full driver support, one has the … Continue reading Upgrading to Windows 10..

Good news in the Windows Blog.. for a change !!

By Mike

It is an ‘How to make getting Windows 10 easier on you’ article, all official and straight from the mouth of Microsoft. Click HERE for it.. A lot of the time, Windows Blog deals with what I consider to be useless stuff, but this is actually informative and may even help lots of people, so spread it around, boys and girls.. 🙂 A useful fact has been left out.. Controlling the Windows Upgrade: Yes, you can roll back (I did it myself one time as a test) AS LONG AS you have made NO system changes or an installed utility has not … Continue reading Good news in the Windows Blog.. for a change !!

Windows Lifecycles..

By Mike

There is a lot so I won’t extract and paste the info. If you want to see it, click here.. One of the highlights.. Microsoft is pulling retail sales of pre-installed Windows 7 Professional machines at the same time as Windows 8.1. Note that this applies more to machines sold by suppliers to business, mainly small business.

Windows 7 still rules..

By Mike

Not too surprising really. Most PC owners own a computer which will and does run it. Windows 7 is reliable, looks good, has quite the array of traditional programs and applications still, and is the last Microsoft OS to sport games which first appeared years ago. Windows 8 features were not good, not reliable, no obvious way to turn anything OFF,  and bad news travelled fast. Version 8.1 helped a bit. Windows 10 tried to address the Windows 8 issues but didn’t completely erase the tiles, many of which I regard as substandard. I can’t be the only one who thinks … Continue reading Windows 7 still rules..

Do you need Windows 10?

By Mike

Probably not at the moment you don’t, no real pressing argument other than Windows 10 is free until next July. Ed Bott argues the case for Windows 7 in areas where upgrading is not one machine but may run to thousands, and where critical processes are not likely to change any time soon. I don’t disagree with what he says. However, for the public it is different. The public is fickle and subject to want to change at a minutes notice, and many like the latest and greatest if only for the bragging rights. Developers of fun stuff will be … Continue reading Do you need Windows 10?

Testing my patience..

By Mike

It’s a Toshiba NB305, Windows 7 Starter, upgraded 1 to 2Gb RAM, a fan which is allowing the base to get quite hot, and a hard drive which has seen better days. Guess how you get to the fan in a Toshiba NB305? The same way as you get to the fan in almost every Toshiba. You have to pretty much strip the ENTIRE machine down, the fan being the very last component which can be removed. Criminal design is what it is.. Anyway, it changed hands recently and the previous owner kindly re-installed Windows with the new users name … Continue reading Testing my patience..