Laptop computer

If you don't have a touchscreen on the laptop or desktop, there isn't much sense in getting win8. You can load win 7 on the new machines in place of the win 8 software.

How different it is depends on how you use XP.

My brother would keep an icon on his desktop for every application (did not use many), so Win 8 wanting him to pick everything from the screen was no big deal.

I have a couple hundred applications, accustomed to keeping desktop clean and getting apps from the Start menu. Win 7 started transitioning me to leaving more on the screen in front of me, and the dock provided by Dell and HP (concept borrowed from one of the free software desktop paradigms) helped me group some things I use less often.

Win 8, however, drives me nuts because the Start menu is hidden by default. But if I have to make the transition, I'll get used to it, probably a couple days.

bcsdguy wrote:
If you don't have a touchscreen on the laptop or desktop, there isn't much sense in getting win8. You can load win 7 on the new machines in place of the win 8 software.

I could not disagree more, but I won't disagree as it might cause an unintended argument. However, Win8 works great with a mouse or touch pad.

bcsdguy wrote:
If you don't have a touchscreen on the laptop or desktop, there isn't much sense in getting win8. You can load win 7 on the new machines in place of the win 8 software.

You can load free programs like Classic Shell to restore the START button and menu and you can turn off the GESTURES on your touchpad. Doing both essentially gives you back the feel of Windows 7.

IMHO the real fallacy in Windows 8 is the assumption that apps that run on the Tiles do the same things as programs that run in Desktop mode. I

For example, took me less than a day to realize that Chrome run as a tile has far fewer capabilities than Chrome run on the desktop even though they are linked and you can go from one to the other. Why would I want to have a program with less capability (can't use many of the extensions I like) when I can run the desktop version and do everything I want? IMHO it makes no sense.

But this same "logic" is what drives the whole notion of tablets. I think of it as "computing lite." I have the choice of using something such as the Weather Underground app which gives me only a small fraction of the information on the WU website, or I can use a "real computer" and go to the website!! While I'm doing that I can also use my real computer to run Photoshop, Quicken, Excel and anything else I'm used to.

Before anyone accuses me of being out of touch with today's devices, I'll mention that my wife and I have a pair of new Dell Inspiron's (an i7 and and i3) along with an iPad and a Nexus and two smartphones. We're not technologically challenged by any means. But we are both used to the capabilities of computers and the tablets just don't hack it. My wife plays games on her iPad but won't use it for her email because its email app doesn't have a SPAM filter, unlike both Outlook and Thunderbird. It's that sort of thing that convinces us we still need laptops.

Ditto on what Bill.Winegard and docj said in their posts.;)

Windows 8 is not hard to use. The tech press spun it as such a problem people actually paid attention to that rather than try it themselves. Shows the power of media.

Bill.Winegard wrote:
But the Win8 laptop. If you hate it, or want to learn it at a slower pace, you can install a program called Classic Shell and you will get a Win7 desktop much like what you are used to, only better.
I used Classic shell exclusively at first and then started to play with Win8 a bit and then finally figured out I actually liked the Win8 interface better (no, I do not have a touch screen) and I now use it exclusively. It even gives me a direct link back to my "old" desktop making it appear to be a completely seamless transition.

Good advice Bill.

I got my first laptop (HP 17 inch) a few months ago. It did come with Win 8 but is not a touchscreen. One thing I did (not related to this discussion exactly) was to get a wireless mouse and solar powered wireless keyboard. Seems to make things easier then having to use the built-in keyboard. Batteries in the mouse last FOREVER. And with a full charge, the keyboard can be used for 3 months in total darkness before needing a recharge. Mammoth Cave here I come !

Regarding Win 8:
You can configure the desktop to look and behave pretty much like Win 7 in the "Classic Mode' which is much like Win XP. The only inconvenience is having the start up going to the Metro screen instead of the desktop and once in the desktop having to hit the Windows key to get into the metro screen and then activate "All Apps" to run a program.
You can run many programs from a tile on the metro screen but the screen gets very cluttered if you have all your programs set as tiles. A list is much easier for me to use.

I have a folder on my desktop called Applications with shortcuts to the programs I use that are not used often enough to be on my taskbar.

Win 8.1 that is due out soon is rumored to be able to start up in the desktop mode and to have a start button that has the old style start menu.

It may also restore the ability to close or restart the computer from the start button instead of the silly business of having to move the cursor way over to the right and up on the screen to activate the stupidly named "charm menu", then click on settings and then finally "power" and then select Shut down, Restart, or Sleep.

Clay L wrote:
Regarding Win 8:
You can configure the desktop to look and behave pretty much like Win 7 in the "Classic Mode' which is much like Win XP. The only inconvenience is having the start up going to the Metro screen instead of the desktop and once in the desktop having to hit the Windows key to get into the metro screen and then activate "All Apps" to run a program.
You can run many programs from a tile on the metro screen but the screen gets very cluttered if you have all your programs set as tiles. A list is much easier for me to use.

I have a folder on my desktop called Applications with shortcuts to the programs I use that are not used often enough to be on my taskbar.

Win 8.1 that is due out soon is rumored to be able to start up in the desktop mode and to have a start button that has the old style start menu.

It may also restore the ability to close or restart the computer from the start button instead of the silly business of having to move the cursor way over to the right and up on the screen to activate the stupidly named "charm menu", then click on settings and then finally "power" and then select Shut down, Restart, or Sleep.

Fingers crossed! When you have people avoiding a purchase because your software is not what they wanted its time to add some of those features back in. At least offer the option.

Clay L wrote:
Regarding Win 8:
You can configure the desktop to look and behave pretty much like Win 7 in the "Classic Mode' which is much like Win XP. The only inconvenience is having the start up going to the Metro screen instead of the desktop and once in the desktop having to hit the Windows key to get into the metro screen and then activate "All Apps" to run a program.

A key reason for using Classic Shell is that you don't have to start up with the Metro screen. I don't encounter Metro unless I choose to which is never. I agree with you that cluttering your screen with tiles makes for a messy screen; a list is neat and simple.

BTW one thing that hasn't been mentioned in this thread are the useless Live Tiles that come with Win 8. Why do I want a news tile for which I can't tailor the news feed? Why do I want a "pictures" tile that randomly displays any of the thousands of pictures I have on my HDD? Those I "hid" almost immediately.