Computer Help and Support

hobbit709

(41,694 posts)

17. I don't buy prebuilt machines If I can help it.

Mon Mar 17, 2014, 10:49 PM

Mar 2014

It takes too long to decrapify them. I have a Windows 8 laptop that now looks and feels like 7 but it took me about 3 hours of decrapifying and tweaking settings. I bought it for the performance 3 GHz quad-core cpu, 16 Gb Ram, 2 Tb hard drives, and NVidia 750M graphics.

If you install 8 on a new build you can set it up any way you want. I did once when 8 first came out to see what I could learn. Never bothered to activate and wiped the drive later and installed 7 on it. I have about 10 copies of 7 Home Premium and Pro with unused product keys(got them cheap for about $65 ea) so I can upgrade/downgrade customers' machines.

I know someone with an ancient Compaq laptop with 95 on it. It does what she wants-namely word processing and printing it out and she'll use it for that until it finally dies.
she has a newer machine she uses for email, etc., but for quietly doing her writing without interruptions and hassles the old one does just fine.

I have an audio player program that is a 37Kb .exe that sits in the system tray and will play music all day long. Works in every version of Windows from 2000 on including 8.

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To XP or not to XP . . . ? [View all] ucrdem Mar 2014 OP

another idea d_r Mar 2014 #1

Once you grok Linux, you'll never go back. hunter Mar 2014 #31

It's a good idea if you have Virtualbox to do the last updates while you can. Spitfire of ATJ Mar 2014 #34

Thanks for the informative post! gvstn Mar 2014 #2

hey thank gvstn . . . ucrdem Mar 2014 #3

Part of the discussion should include why folks are still running XP ManiacJoe Mar 2014 #4

Good point. ucrdem Mar 2014 #5

I've got WP 5.1 and some other 16 bit software on an XP machine... TreasonousBastard Mar 2014 #7

Yeah but can X6 preview 5.1 files? ucrdem Mar 2014 #9

I've read it can, too, but the truth is... TreasonousBastard Mar 2014 #10

Yep publish to PDF is awesome. ucrdem Mar 2014 #12

70% of ATM's run on XP, IRS, Hospitals, UK doesn't want to give up on it... Mondavi Apr 2014 #40

There's nothing wrong with Windows 8.1 ... Fantastic Anarchist Aug 2016 #56

thread pinned, thank you ! nt steve2470 Mar 2014 #6

hey thanks Steve.. ucrdem Mar 2014 #8

Great post. And I agree heartily with the Linux Mint recommendation below it. n/t jtuck004 Mar 2014 #11

Thanks! ucrdem Mar 2014 #13

More on Oracle's VirtualBox VM ucrdem Mar 2014 #14

New drives come unformatted hobbit709 Mar 2014 #15

Drives in new machines are formatted. ucrdem Mar 2014 #16

I don't buy prebuilt machines If I can help it. hobbit709 Mar 2014 #17

If Windows 8 had been more accommodating it could have been a huge hit. ucrdem Mar 2014 #18

My review of it when I did an OEM install hobbit709 Mar 2014 #21

Profits over quality and something very worng at Microsoft.... Mondavi Apr 2014 #41

I've had some luck with the latest Opera browser on XP... ucrdem Apr 2014 #42

Yes, I went to Opera before Safari and liked... Mondavi Apr 2014 #43

Here's how to set up an XP-Win 7/8 dual boot: ucrdem Mar 2014 #19

ps - cautionary advice from an EasyBCD user forum mod, March 4, 2014: ucrdem Mar 2014 #20

MicroSoft Answers 10 End-of-Support FAQs: ucrdem Mar 2014 #22

WSJ, March 18: "How to Survive the Windows XPiration Date" ucrdem Mar 2014 #23

Of course the WSJ wants you to spend money for something you most likely won't need. hobbit709 Mar 2014 #24

LOL, true. But nothing lasts forever, ucrdem Mar 2014 #25

I can build 4 PCs for the price of one Mac. hobbit709 Mar 2014 #26

But you don't get free eyebrow waxes at the Apple store ucrdem Mar 2014 #27

"For the extreme computer literate" d_r Mar 2014 #28

"How to Install Linux Mint" ucrdem Mar 2014 #29

So you can do this with a direct download to try it out.... Mondavi Apr 2014 #49

Actually, dowloads can be tricky.... Mondavi Apr 2014 #44

I hate that happened to you d_r Apr 2014 #45

LINUX offers a disc you can buy with the program on it because.... Mondavi Apr 2014 #46

Never had a problem downloading an .iso and burning a disk from it. hobbit709 Apr 2014 #47

Thank you for the help.... Mondavi Apr 2014 #48

I'm using that wallpaper on Win8.1, love it nt steve2470 Mar 2014 #33

How to disable Secure Boot in Windows 8/8.1: ucrdem Mar 2014 #30

Windows XP support is ending on April 8 and scammers from India has become hyperactive! David_ness Mar 2014 #32

I Have A MacBook & Will Switch Over, BUT ChiciB1 Apr 2014 #35

did you mean Silverlight? Service Pack 3 is not a "driver update" hobbit709 Apr 2014 #36

^ good advice. ucrdem Apr 2014 #37

Got Your Messages... A Friend Of Mine Is ChiciB1 Apr 2014 #38

Message auto-removed Name removed Apr 2014 #39

UPDATE - A couple of notes on XP, MSE, WP, and Windows 9: ucrdem Aug 2014 #50

You can "trick" XP into getting updates until 2019. Ampersand Unicode Oct 2014 #51

How can I tell if my XP is 32 bit? truedelphi Nov 2014 #52

XP is 32 bit unless you have the 2003 XP pro X64 version hobbit709 Nov 2014 #53

Message auto-removed Name removed Feb 2015 #54

Update to end all updates ucrdem Aug 2016 #55