Is It Practical To Avoid Windows 10 On A New Laptop Purchase?
 

Somebody is asking me to help them select a Windows laptop.

It's really the blind leading the blind, but I cannot convince them of
that.

My gut says to avoid 10 if at all possible (forced updates, for
instance)... and go with the familiar 8.1 with Start8 or, if possible,
7.

What think Those Who Know?
--
Pete Cresswell

Is It Practical To Avoid Windows 10 On A New Laptop Purchase?
 

(PeteCresswell) wrote:
Somebody is asking me to help them select a Windows laptop.

It's really the blind leading the blind, but I cannot convince them of
that.

My gut says to avoid 10 if at all possible (forced updates, for
instance)... and go with the familiar 8.1 with Start8 or, if possible,
7.

What think Those Who Know?

Simple. Direct them to a business PC.

One with a Pro version of the operating
system provided on it.

Even Win10 Pro should have a downgrade option.
But don't expect the laptop company to
help you. They won't necessarily give you
a Win8 Pro disc or a Win7 Pro disc with
drivers included. This is not "valet service".

You can even check the customization options
and see if an older OS can be installed by
default.

Paul

Is It Practical To Avoid Windows 10 On A New Laptop Purchase?
 

On 8/10/2015 2:44 PM, Paul wrote:
(PeteCresswell) wrote:
Somebody is asking me to help them select a Windows laptop.

It's really the blind leading the blind, but I cannot convince them of
that.

My gut says to avoid 10 if at all possible (forced updates, for
instance)... and go with the familiar 8.1 with Start8 or, if possible,
7.

What think Those Who Know?

I have been running Windows 8.1 since it came out. I had it set to boot
to the desktop. I have now upgraded to Windows 10.

If they are just computer user, and not trying to find every little
discrepancy in the OS, go a head and buy the Windows 10 laptop.

While there are differences between Windows 10 and Windows 7, they are
evolutionary differences not revolutionary.

The new user of Windows 10 needs to know that a right click on the MS
Icon in the lower left of the screen, brings up all of the OS functions
that they will probably ever need. It is quite easy to pin programs to
the Start Menu and the taskbar.

While the Start menu is different from Windows 7 and earlier, it is not
the problem some like to make it out to be. While I like the Windows
8.1 start screen better as it is easier to pin app to it, and to see the
apps, I can live with the Windows 10 start screen. In some ways it is
easier to use as it give you Icons that you can see, not a list of
programs in a barely readable font.

Like every version of Windows that I have ever used Windows 10 is full
of things that you will want to remove from the Start menu, and possibly
uninstall from the computer.

Once you get rid of the garbage and get the programs you use installed
and on the taskbar or Start Menu, you will be happily computing and for
get you are using Windows 10

Is It Practical To Avoid Windows 10 On A New Laptop Purchase?
 

On Mon, 10 Aug 2015 14:16:52 -0400
"(PeteCresswell)" wrote:

Somebody is asking me to help them select a Windows laptop.

It's really the blind leading the blind, but I cannot convince them of
that.

My gut says to avoid 10 if at all possible (forced updates, for
instance)... and go with the familiar 8.1 with Start8 or, if possible,
7.

What think Those Who Know?

Go with you gut feeling.

My wife has a Dell laptop with Windows 8.1 and it's slow compared to
Windows 7 and Windows 10.

I just checked Newegg.com, and you can still get New laptops with
Windows 7.

Is It Practical To Avoid Windows 10 On A New Laptop Purchase?
 

On Mon, 10 Aug 2015 14:16:52 -0400, "(PeteCresswell)"
wrote:

Somebody is asking me to help them select a Windows laptop.

It's really the blind leading the blind, but I cannot convince them of
that.

My gut says to avoid 10 if at all possible (forced updates, for
instance)... and go with the familiar 8.1 with Start8 or, if possible,
7.

What think Those Who Know?



I'd get one with Windows 10. So far, I'm happy with it, and I see no
reason to avoid it.

Is It Practical To Avoid Windows 10 On A New Laptop Purchase?
 

On Mon, 10 Aug 2015 14:59:42 -0400, Keith Nuttle
wrote:

Like every version of Windows that I have ever used Windows 10 is full
of things that you will want to remove from the Start menu, and possibly
uninstall from the computer.

Once you get rid of the garbage and get the programs you use installed
and on the taskbar or Start Menu, you will be happily computing and for
get you are using Windows 10

Everyone's different, but for me, when I'm eating a crap sandwich it doesn't
really matter how good the bread is.

Is It Practical To Avoid Windows 10 On A New Laptop Purchase?
 

On Mon, 10 Aug 2015 14:16:52 -0400, (PeteCresswell) wrote:

Somebody is asking me to help them select a Windows laptop.

Get something cheap and cheerful from eBay - for the cost of a
Windows license you can get an ex-business machine with Win7 or
8pro included. If it's not liked, not the end of the world, she/he
hasn't spent too much money.

Is It Practical To Avoid Windows 10 On A New Laptop Purchase?
 

On 10/08/2015 19:16, (PeteCresswell) wrote:

My gut says to avoid 10 if at all possible (forced updates, for
instance)... and go with the familiar 8.1 with Start8 or, if possible,
7.




Your gut needs some cleaning with anti-constipation pills. If somebody
is buying a new laptop then get it with Windows 10 installed. Windows
10 is now the /de-facto/ standard operating system and future updates
will be based on it.

Anybody who says avoid it is talking from his/her backside without
trying it.

Is It Practical To Avoid Windows 10 On A New Laptop Purchase?
 

Per Keith Nuttle:

Once you get rid of the garbage and get the programs you use installed
and on the taskbar or Start Menu, you will be happily computing and for
get you are using Windows 10

- The Start menu aside, how badly did they move the furniture around
from 8? e.g. "Add-Remove Programs" = "Programs and Features" = ??

- Is it straightforward to set 10 up so that the user never has to see
the tiled desktop?
--
Pete Cresswell

Is It Practical To Avoid Windows 10 On A New Laptop Purchase?
 

Per Good Guy:
Your gut needs some cleaning with anti-constipation pills. If somebody
is buying a new laptop then get it with Windows 10 installed. Windows
10 is now the /de-facto/ standard operating system and future updates
will be based on it.

Anybody who says avoid it is talking from his/her backside without
trying it.

My experience has been to avoid Release N.0 of anything and give things
time to shake out.

e.g.
http://www.zdnet.com/article/windows...or-some-users/
--
Pete Cresswell

Is It Practical To Avoid Windows 10 On A New Laptop Purchase?
 

(PeteCresswell) wrote on 08/10/2015 2:16 PM:
Somebody is asking me to help them select a Windows laptop.

It's really the blind leading the blind, but I cannot convince them of
that.

My gut says to avoid 10 if at all possible (forced updates, for
instance)... and go with the familiar 8.1 with Start8 or, if possible,
7.

What think Those Who Know?

Ask them if they'd like a MSFT operating system that stop receiving
security updates in 4.33 years.

If they say no...then your choices are Windows 8.1 and Windows 10.



--
...winston
msft mvp windows experience

Is It Practical To Avoid Windows 10 On A New Laptop Purchase?
 

On Mon, 10 Aug 2015 16:57:08 -0400, ". . .winston"
wrote:

(PeteCresswell) wrote on 08/10/2015 2:16 PM:
Somebody is asking me to help them select a Windows laptop.

It's really the blind leading the blind, but I cannot convince them of
that.

My gut says to avoid 10 if at all possible (forced updates, for
instance)... and go with the familiar 8.1 with Start8 or, if possible,
7.

What think Those Who Know?

Ask them if they'd like a MSFT operating system that stop receiving
security updates in 4.33 years.

If they say no...then your choices are Windows 8.1 and Windows 10.

As pollsters know, you can usually get the answer you want if you ask the
question in the right way. Above, if the intent is to encourage someone to
choose 8 or 10, that's a good question to ask. OTOH, given what we know
about 8 and 10, they are both immediately disqualified for consideration,
making the choice an easy one.

Is It Practical To Avoid Windows 10 On A New Laptop Purchase?
 

On 8/10/2015 4:26 PM, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
Per Keith Nuttle:

Once you get rid of the garbage and get the programs you use installed
and on the taskbar or Start Menu, you will be happily computing and for
get you are using Windows 10

- The Start menu aside, how badly did they move the furniture around
from 8? e.g. "Add-Remove Programs" = "Programs and Features" = ??

The Windows 10 system menus are nearly the same as in Windows 8. I am
not saying identical, but I have found nothing significantly changed.
Right click on the MS Icon brings up all of the system function that you
(I) ever use.


- Is it straightforward to set 10 up so that the user never has to see
the tiled desktop?


When you install Windows 10, it is set up to boot to the desktop, so
when you boot you are on the desktop.

Never is a long time. As in Windows 8.1 you will see the Tiles when you
right click the MSIcon. However it is a blend between the Start Menu
from Windows XP/7 and the Start Menu from Windows 8.1.

While I don't like the fact that the icons now go up and down not side
ways like Windows 8.1 I definitely like the icons over the collapsing
menus of Windows XP/7.

I have more problems on my Tablet, but they can be tolerated and learned.


When I mentioned garbage I was talking about the Icons for the various
things you use to find on the desktop of new Windows XP/7 computers that
were the first things that you remove back then.

Is It Practical To Avoid Windows 10 On A New Laptop Purchase?
 

On Mon, 10 Aug 2015 16:26:51 -0400
"(PeteCresswell)" wrote:

- Is it straightforward to set 10 up so that the user never has to see
the tiled desktop?
--

Yes. You can unpin each tile, and you are left with a big black box.

You can drag the right border all the way to the left, and all you have
then is the start menu.

Is It Practical To Avoid Windows 10 On A New Laptop Purchase?
 

On Mon, 10 Aug 2015 14:16:52 -0400, "(PeteCresswell)"
wrote:

Somebody is asking me to help them select a Windows laptop.

It's really the blind leading the blind, but I cannot convince them of
that.

My gut says to avoid 10 if at all possible (forced updates, for
instance)... and go with the familiar 8.1 with Start8 or, if possible,
7.

What think Those Who Know?

I fixed a Win7 laptop for my wife's friend last year. It had a
corrupted certificate. She loved it afterwards. She "suspected" her
brother might be stealing her identity and passwords for banking
sites.

She just asked me about Win10. For another, Win8 new laptop. Grand
kids got the Win7 machine I fixed. My advice was to postpone it for
the time being.

Pick your poison carefully :)