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Author Topic:   Computer Help Please?
nwr
Member
Posts: 6408
From: Geneva, Illinois
Joined: 08-08-2005
Member Rating: 5.1


(1)
Message 16 of 236 (753866)
03-22-2015 9:59 PM
Reply to: Message 14 by xongsmith
03-22-2015 9:07 PM


"While Clark didn't mention it, booting to a Linux operating system on a Windows 8 machine appears to be a whole different kettle of fish that's associated with a UEFI "secure boot" controversy.
That's bogus. Some of the newer hardware does cause problems for linux, but that is not due to Windows 8, and it is not due to secure-boot. In most cases, it is due to poor implementations of the UEFI specifications. In a few cases, it is because the hardware uses 32-bit UEFI (mostly with Intel Atom processors), and the linux world hasn't done much for those systems.
Edited by nwr, : No reason given.

Fundamentalism - the anti-American, anti-Christian branch of American Christianity

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Percy
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Posts: 22392
From: New Hampshire
Joined: 12-23-2000
Member Rating: 5.3


(1)
Message 17 of 236 (753934)
03-23-2015 12:58 PM


In Defense of Us Luddites
There are two ways to look at the OS evolution from XP to Windows 7 to Windows 8. If you're doing your own thing on your own computer and don't need access to the broad markets of opportunity that Windows 8 might bring, then unless new OS's offer new features that make what you're doing faster or easier or both, then changes represent a diminishment in ease of use and/or speed.
For code development I have everything I need on Windows 7. Upgrading to Windows 8 would at best only let me do what I'm already doing, and then there are the compatibility concerns. Would all the 3rd party software I use run on Windows 8? When I upgraded to Windows 7 from XP a few years ago, it took approximately a week to properly reinstall and reconfigure all the 3rd party software I used that worked, and to find alternatives to those that didn't. And there's one little app I really like called Handy Thing where half its functions work on Windows 7 and half don't (turns out it works fine on Windows 7 Home Edition - I have the professional edition - why that makes a difference they have no idea).
Also, don't tell Microsoft, but I'm retired now, so I'm no longer entitled to the Microsoft Office suite that employment at my former company qualified me for. Moving the license to a new install would be detected. Next time I upgrade the OS or purchase a new computer I'll have to pay for a Microsoft Office license.
--Percy

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xongsmith
Member
Posts: 2578
From: massachusetts US
Joined: 01-01-2009
Member Rating: 6.8


Message 18 of 236 (753946)
03-23-2015 2:32 PM
Reply to: Message 15 by ThinAirDesigns
03-22-2015 9:18 PM


I'd love to know how you did that, Thin Air. Seriously - I learned how to change the 2 millisecond interrupt and made a thumb drive boot, but it never sees it.

- xongsmith, 5.7d

This message is a reply to:
 Message 15 by ThinAirDesigns, posted 03-22-2015 9:18 PM ThinAirDesigns has replied

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 Message 21 by ThinAirDesigns, posted 03-23-2015 3:59 PM xongsmith has replied
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xongsmith
Member
Posts: 2578
From: massachusetts US
Joined: 01-01-2009
Member Rating: 6.8


Message 19 of 236 (753947)
03-23-2015 2:34 PM
Reply to: Message 17 by Percy
03-23-2015 12:58 PM


Re: In Defense of Us Luddites
Percy - I hear that 10 fixes a lot of the 8 troubles. Just a little wait longer?

- xongsmith, 5.7d

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coffee_addict
Member (Idle past 477 days)
Posts: 3645
From: Indianapolis, IN
Joined: 03-29-2004


Message 20 of 236 (753960)
03-23-2015 3:58 PM
Reply to: Message 19 by xongsmith
03-23-2015 2:34 PM


Re: In Defense of Us Luddites
Actually, if he feels more comfortable staying with 7, I see no reason to update.

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ThinAirDesigns
Member (Idle past 2373 days)
Posts: 564
Joined: 02-12-2015


Message 21 of 236 (753961)
03-23-2015 3:59 PM
Reply to: Message 18 by xongsmith
03-23-2015 2:32 PM


xongsmith writes:
I'd love to know how you did that, Thin Air. Seriously
There are several ways, but the easiest way I found is to hold the shift key down while clicking on "Restart".
JB

This message is a reply to:
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xongsmith
Member
Posts: 2578
From: massachusetts US
Joined: 01-01-2009
Member Rating: 6.8


Message 22 of 236 (753965)
03-23-2015 4:12 PM
Reply to: Message 21 by ThinAirDesigns
03-23-2015 3:59 PM


There are several ways, but the easiest way I found is to hold the shift key down while clicking on "Restart".
That also didn't work for me.
But thanks.

- xongsmith, 5.7d

This message is a reply to:
 Message 21 by ThinAirDesigns, posted 03-23-2015 3:59 PM ThinAirDesigns has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 23 by ThinAirDesigns, posted 03-23-2015 4:14 PM xongsmith has replied

  
ThinAirDesigns
Member (Idle past 2373 days)
Posts: 564
Joined: 02-12-2015


Message 23 of 236 (753966)
03-23-2015 4:14 PM
Reply to: Message 22 by xongsmith
03-23-2015 4:12 PM


Very strange, because upon restart, that puts me right into the boot options where I can pick my USB.
Wish I could be of more help.
JB

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Jon
Inactive Member


Message 24 of 236 (753991)
03-23-2015 5:01 PM
Reply to: Message 20 by coffee_addict
03-23-2015 3:58 PM


Re: In Defense of Us Luddites
Actually, if he feels more comfortable staying with 7, I see no reason to update.
You may not, but MS sure will when they drop support and force everyone to upgrade or be left vulnerable.

Love your enemies!

This message is a reply to:
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Replies to this message:
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 Message 52 by ramoss, posted 03-26-2015 11:26 AM Jon has replied

  
coffee_addict
Member (Idle past 477 days)
Posts: 3645
From: Indianapolis, IN
Joined: 03-29-2004


Message 25 of 236 (754001)
03-23-2015 5:36 PM
Reply to: Message 24 by Jon
03-23-2015 5:01 PM


Re: In Defense of Us Luddites
What does dropping support mean? MS dropped support for xp and there are still plenty of people using xp without the sky falling.
I'll tell you this much. My company's official OS is still xp because it is run by a bunch of anti-tech old men. It's doing quite well, actually.
If you like xp or 7, then stay on it. Just like if you hate laser and gps, then by all means continue to use string lines. Why force the rest of us to stay behind?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 24 by Jon, posted 03-23-2015 5:01 PM Jon has replied

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xongsmith
Member
Posts: 2578
From: massachusetts US
Joined: 01-01-2009
Member Rating: 6.8


(2)
Message 26 of 236 (754020)
03-23-2015 8:23 PM
Reply to: Message 25 by coffee_addict
03-23-2015 5:36 PM


Re: In Defense of Us Luddites
coffee_addict writes:
What does dropping support mean? MS dropped support for xp and there are still plenty of people using xp without the sky falling.
I'll tell you this much. My company's official OS is still xp because it is run by a bunch of anti-tech old men. It's doing quite well, actually.
I'll tell one huge advantage of dropped support! You don't get any more of those annoying popup windows demanding you upgrade! LOL

- xongsmith, 5.7d

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xongsmith
Member
Posts: 2578
From: massachusetts US
Joined: 01-01-2009
Member Rating: 6.8


Message 27 of 236 (754021)
03-23-2015 8:29 PM
Reply to: Message 23 by ThinAirDesigns
03-23-2015 4:14 PM


First off thank you for kicking my butt about this. Time has flowed under the bridge and the help files out there are a bit better.
Thin Air writes:
Wish I could be of more help.
I have tracked it down to a comedy of errors. The first time I tried to install Ubuntu I used wubi. Little did I know that 8.1 can't use wubi. But even further more it will never work if any of the wubi files are still on your system. So you have to clean that off and start again with UEFI stuff.
Then I need to make the ISO file reside on a bootable CD or flashdrive. So I am making a bootable flashdrive now.
Edited by xongsmith, : ing

- xongsmith, 5.7d

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nwr
Member
Posts: 6408
From: Geneva, Illinois
Joined: 08-08-2005
Member Rating: 5.1


Message 28 of 236 (754026)
03-23-2015 10:23 PM
Reply to: Message 18 by xongsmith
03-23-2015 2:32 PM


I'd love to know how you did that
Many UEFI systems have a key that you can use to get into the BIOS boot settings. It is often F12, but on HP systems it might be F9.
On both of my UEFI boxes, I pound away on F12 while booting. On one of the two boxes, hitting F12 once or twice after the logo appears is enough. On the other (a Dell), I have to start pounding the key before the logo appears, and keep hitting it. Occasionally I miss, and it goes into Windows. But, 90% of the time that brings up a boot menu where I can select booting from a USB.

Fundamentalism - the anti-American, anti-Christian branch of American Christianity

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Jon
Inactive Member


Message 29 of 236 (754032)
03-23-2015 10:49 PM
Reply to: Message 25 by coffee_addict
03-23-2015 5:36 PM


Re: In Defense of Us Luddites
ABE: I just realized this was in Dr. A's computer help thread. If you reply, can you, please, post it in the Windows 8 thread? I really think Dr. A deserves his thread to stay devoted to helping him with his computer problems!
What does dropping support mean? MS dropped support for xp and there are still plenty of people using xp without the sky falling.
The sky will fall on them in time. Look at how MS talks about XP:
quote:
"Windows XP Support Has Ended" from Microsoft.com:
While it's true that you can keep using your PC with Windows XP after support ends, we don’t recommend it. For starters, it’ll become five times more vulnerable to security risks and viruses, which means you could get hacked and have your personal information stolen. Also, companies that make devices like digital cameras, Internet-ready TVs, and printers won’t provide drivers that work with Windows XP, so if you get new devices, they won’t work with your current PC. And over time, the security and performance of your PC will just continue to degrade so things will only get worse.
They could have more honestly worded all that as: "what you have works just fine for you but we're going to do everything we can to make you update, and if that doesn't convince you, just remember your computer is old and smelly; so you better buy our shiny new turds anyway, grandpa".
I'll tell you this much. My company's official OS is still xp because it is run by a bunch of anti-tech old men. It's doing quite well, actually.
More emotive nonsense. There's likely a reason they are still on XP other than because they are "a bunch of anti-tech old men".
Why don't I want Windows 8?
  • First, the computer I use works perfectly fine, but it would be a paperweight if I got Windows 8 because I'd have to buy a new machine.
  • Second, I've used Windows 8 and found it no better at sending emails, typing documents, entering data in spreadsheets, keeping track of photos, and pretty much everything else I do on my computer, both the useful and non-useful stuff.
  • Finally, Windows 8 is full of bells and whistles that do nothing but eat up memory and processing power. New computers are pretty powerful. But so much of that extra power just gets sucked up by the fancy OS, and, as I've mentioned, half of its features (like those that might work well with a touchscreen) are useless for most applications.
I would imagine that many of these reasons, and more, keep companies from updating from XP/7 to Windows 8. There is so much cost associated with the upgrade and hardly any real benefit.
Improvements are great. But most of the new stuff necessarily peculiar to Windows 8 was designed specifically to increase MS's competitive edge in the phone OS market (which I said earlier, but you said was wrong, despite the fact that it's true):
quote:
Wikipedia on Windows 8:
Windows 8 introduced major changes to the operating system's platform and user interface to improve its user experience on tablets, where Windows was now competing with mobile operating systems, including Android and iOS.
I know Bill Gates is probably getting low on $100 bills for heating his home, but that's no reason for businesses to want to buy into his planned obsolescence.
Just like if you hate laser and gps, then by all means continue to use string lines.
The nice thing about levels and chalklines is that they don't require batteries.
Why force the rest of us to stay behind?
No one's forcing you to do anything. But any company with a decent IT department can manage an open-source OS. MS will find out the hard way that planned obsolescence of software doesn't work so well on those customers who can simply make their own.
Which means that the ones who 'stay behind' won't be the companies that don't want Windows 8, but the greedy software developers who put profits over performance and practicality.
Edited by Jon, : -i
Edited by Jon, : No reason given.

Love your enemies!

This message is a reply to:
 Message 25 by coffee_addict, posted 03-23-2015 5:36 PM coffee_addict has replied

Replies to this message:
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coffee_addict
Member (Idle past 477 days)
Posts: 3645
From: Indianapolis, IN
Joined: 03-29-2004


Message 30 of 236 (754035)
03-23-2015 11:48 PM
Reply to: Message 29 by Jon
03-23-2015 10:49 PM


Re: In Defense of Us Luddites
Ok, I was right. You are probably a college student with little to no real life experience. I used to sound exactly the same way.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 29 by Jon, posted 03-23-2015 10:49 PM Jon has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 31 by Jon, posted 03-24-2015 12:21 AM coffee_addict has replied

  
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