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

(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

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

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.

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

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.

Per Keith Nuttle:

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.

Understood. My SOP has always been to clean house and then image the
resulting system as my first "Good" backup image.
--
Pete Cresswell

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.

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.

In message 20150810140907.0fee4931@jmspc, Johnny
writes
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.

I would be very careful if purchasing a "Windows 7" laptop from a major
store. I've just been through a gruelling few weeks with someone who
bought a "Windows 7" Lenovo B-series laptop from PCWorld Business in the
UK.
Just out of the 1 year warranty, it failed to boot. It had, as far as I
could tell, a Windows 8 recovery partition and automatic activation to
Windows 8 via the bios. All her work was on it and matched her office
Windows 7 system.
PC World were no help. They said it was out of warranty and that they
would have told her to take an image when it was new. She insists that
they did not ever mention taking images, but they did sell her their own
cloud-based backup. With this she has backups of files, but not the OS.

I eventually got the machine back and got what we believe was the
culprit, AVG, working again, but it was a huge job. None of the W7
recovery options helped at all, and in the end I had to use Linux to
"slide" the old W7 setup and data files across onto a fresh W7 install.

FWIW, I dislike W10 because of the pushed advertising and the vanishing
scroll bars, which I find really annoying. I find W8.1 awkward to use.
W7 is fine and XP is OK because anti-virus organisations are still
dealing with it even if MS isn't.

As someone else mentioned, a good, little used, ex-corporate W7 business
quality laptop would be my choice. It is what I am buying.
--
Bill

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.

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.

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.

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

(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