I haven't ordered it from PC Specialists yet but this is the specification I am considering. I want a laptop that is futureproof but I've probably gone way over the top and look forward to receiving your advice. But I *do* want to end up with a superfast machine! :laugh:
Chassis & Display
Optimus Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Quad Core Processor 6700HQ (2.6GHz, 3.5GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
12GB Kingston SODIMM DDR3 1600MHz (1 x 8GB, 1 x 4GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 960M - 2.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12
Memory - Hard Disk
960GB KINGSTON V310 SSD, SATA 6 Gb (450MB/R, 450MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
Ultra Slim 8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema 2
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8260 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11BGN) + BLUETOOTH
USB Options
4 x USB 3.0 PORTS AS STANDARD
Battery
Optimus Series 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (62.16WH)
Power Lead & Adaptor
1 x UK Power Lead & 120W AC Adaptor
Keyboard Language
OPTIMUS SERIES BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Professional 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£109)
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MP FULL HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Insurance
1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 11 working days
Quantity 1
Quote Value: £1,148.00
I'm quite out of touch these days, but I would have thought for that sort of money you would get a pretty good machine.
Well I remember paying £1500 for Time machines in the early 90's and we bought two at a time.
Quote from: Clive on Dec 05, 2015, 19:34:29
Well I remember paying £1500 for Time machines in the early 90's and we bought two at a time.
Time... ugh. Not my favourite firm.
That looks like a very good deal. The only thing that stands out to me is I think the graphics card chip set is a little old. Not ancient but not the most current. Probably only an issue if you were using it for competitive, on-line gaming.
On the memory, why 1 x 8 and 1 x 4gb, personally I would go with 2 x 8gb?
OK, I've upped the RAM to 2 x 8Gb which has pushed the price up to £1172 inc VAT. It's Hobson's choice with the graphics card. I'm going for Win 10 professional because I apparently have more control over Windows Updates which are allegedly a nightmare on 10. And I intend to install Kapersky instead of my usual Avira. PC Specialists only option is Bulldog. ::)
Bullguard. ::) ;D
Clive
I bought a custom-built Laptop from PC Specialist earlier this year and their service and support has been excellent.
Regarding your chosen spec: I would untick the Office 365 Trial if you don't plan to use it.
And I'd order quickly if you want it in your Christmas stocking, I know they're crazy-busy at present.
Looks good to me. You might, however, reconsider whether you need a separate anti-virus program. I've ditched mine in favour of the included Windows Defender. And yes, ask PC Specialists to leave it out the Office 365 trial (they may not be able to) unless you intend to take it up permanently.
Yes, Bullguard. :laugh: I will try the unchecking Office 365 free trial as I won't be using it. I have Office (starter) 2010 on CD which will serve my needs. Windows Defender comes out very badly in the tests, not much better than Bullguard whereas Kapersky comes out top. And I don't mind the Russians knowing all my secrets. Oh wait..... :bawl:
Thanks for confirming PC Specialists are a good company Peter. I intend waiting until just after Christmas in the hope of getting a better deal. The operative word is 'hope'. ;D
As far as the antivirus goes I agree with you with your choice of Kasperski. I use Norton 2015 and am thinking of changing to Kasperski as it has won every award going for the last two years. I would not use Windows Defender as it a awful reputation and came bottom in most tests as did Bullguard which I used before Norton and it caused all sorts of problems when I changed to Windows 8.
Quote from: peterbeaumont on Dec 06, 2015, 08:38:37
Clive
Regarding your chosen spec: I would untick the Office 365 Trial if you don't plan to use it.
I've successfully unticked the Office box so I can have a clean start with my Office 2010 Starter CD.
I know Computer Active mag pushes Kaspersky, you can get it off their website for £19.99 for a year. (www.snipca.com/17874) But be prepared for problems with it. I've heard of people being unhappy with it. What I didn't like is that you get no reassuring splash screen showing that it has loaded on boot.
Much as I like the magazine I'm always a tad suspicious when it pushes it so hard, but then I'm an old cynic.
Take a look at a free alternative like Libre Office, you don't need MS Office these days (and you certainly don't need to pay a subscription for it, which is what Office 365 is) and even if you wanted PowerPoint for presentations, Windows 10 comes with SWAY, which is another presentation software, and its free..
As far as Windows Updates in Windows 10, you don't have the options you used to have with previous Windows versions. Its take all of them or leave all of them.
Thanks very much for those observations Steve. I'm just as cynical as yourself as far as CA is concerned. I already have a copy of Office Starter which is adequate for my needs. I've slightly changed the spec on the laptop I will order at the end of the month. I've reduced the RAM to 8Gb because that, apparently is the optimum amount to have. I've also changed the SSD from Kingston to Samsung as Samsung has a five year warranty and comes out better in reliability tests. So the price has come down to £999.
Quote from: Clive on Jan 19, 2016, 18:22:17
Thanks very much for those observations Steve. I'm just as cynical as yourself as far as CA is concerned. I already have a copy of Office Starter which is adequate for my needs. I've sligh the spec on the laptop I will order at the end of the month. I've reduced the RAM to 8Gb because that, apparently is the optimum amount to have.tly changed I've also changed the SSD from Kingston to Samsung as Samsung has a five year warranty and comes out better in reliability tests. So the price has come down to £999.
My new iMac has a 1TB SSD its a 4 lane PCIe Samsung model, not SATA 3 though so its a bit faster, read and write speeds are so fast. Write speed is 1416.7Mbps and read is 1335.9Mbps, so you will enjoy the ssd in your new laptop. :) I did go for a hard drive based model but sent it back, SSD's are so much faster and its silent too.
Having the SSD was the most important consideration as far as I was concerned. I'll be ordering it as soon as I return from London at the end of the month.
SSDs are nice and quick, but don't forget to take backups. SSDs have some interesting failure modes, including dropping dead with no warning.
Quote from: nowster on Jan 21, 2016, 08:26:45
SSDs are nice and quick, but don't forget to take backups. SSDs have some interesting failure modes, including dropping dead with no warning.
While thats true, you should always back up anyway, the latest SSD's will probably out live your computer anyway. Most should hit ten years, unless there is a failure. :fingers: As long as you don't fill it up and it has enough cells to heal you are ok. The way I see it with the size of SSD's now even for a 256GB one to hold the OS its the way forward, spinning rust is rapidly becoming a thing of the past.
I agree with the others - get an external drive to create a drive image image and backup. Do the image soon, before the drive starts to fill with junk. Samsungs M2 drives would be an elegant solution here http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-Slimline-Portable-Hard-Drive/dp/B008PABFX8 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-Slimline-Portable-Hard-Drive/dp/B008PABFX8)
I've got a couple of them and can recommend them for value for money, speed and ease of use.
The drives come with software called Drive Manager which has a secure zone where you can password protect files.
Samsung SSD's come with useful software called Samsung Magician where you can easily optimise your drive.
You dont mention the chipset supplied on your board. I found on my old board the Intel Z77 chipset USB controller was a bit flakey on the USB3.0 side but I've upgraded to a Z170 Skylake board and the USB3.0 performance is much better.
It even came with the new USB3.1 port which I've not been able to push hard yet.
Now that I have completed my weekends away visiting family and undertaking intense babysitting duties I have a window of opportunity to order the machine and be at home when it arrives! So I'm ordering the machine tonight. 8-) The chipset is Skylake Steve.
Quote from: zappaDPJ on Dec 05, 2015, 20:19:52
That looks like a very good deal. The only thing that stands out to me is I think the graphics card chip set is a little old. Not ancient but not the most current. Probably only an issue if you were using it for competitive, on-line gaming.
If gaming it makes a difference. Otherwise no one would notice between it and an Intel Iris (I'd put money on it ;) ). But eveyones use case is different. :)
An SSD would be a nice option, as 1tb is not often used, again unless gaming and/or making home movies in HD. A 256 or more SSD would wizz around speed wise.It is an SSD. Wow, sizes have mushroomed quickly. Really has caught up with spinning metal. :)
Good price for all that. I paid similar for my Intel P4 512mb HP laptop back in the day. :D
Again, Ram is down to usage again. 8gb is rather the going rate for just above average for a new top range. 16gb is again only going to be used for pro video/gaming specialists. Even most games top out at 8gb, and with an SSD worry about caching is slightly less. You can always pop another 8gb in later. :P
Thanks Ben, I've ordered it. Or maybe I haven't. It went as far as confirming the card details then the card secure system seemed to crash. ::) And there has been no e-mail from PC Specialist. I'll have to phone them in the morning.
Apparently I was timed out through inactivity. ;D But it's definitely on order now!
Quote from: Clive on Feb 02, 2016, 14:00:48Apparently I was timed out through inactivity. ;D
I've heard that's not uncommon as one gets older. :)x
;D The machine is built already! Now it's gone to be configured and tested after which it will be tested again before despatch. I've even been asked which browser I want installed as I believe Win 10 defaults to Bing? :rofl: I've opted for Chrome.
Quote from: Simon on Feb 02, 2016, 16:08:02
I've heard that's not uncommon as one gets older. :)x
:lol:
Quote from: Clive on Feb 02, 2016, 22:55:28
;D The machine is built already! Now it's gone to be configured and tested after which it will be tested again before despatch. I've even been asked which browser I want installed as I believe Win 10 defaults to Bing? :rofl: I've opted for Chrome.
Defaults to... "Spartan" (Real name Edge) as the browser and "Cortana" as the search within the OS. Yes, they chose those names from a computer game they purchased years ago. Search engine for browser is "Bing" as default I guess.
/pedantic mode. "It's a vacuum cleaner, not a Hoover" and "it's a search engine, not a web browser" ;)
:back: ;D
Quote from: Clive on Feb 02, 2016, 22:55:28
;D The machine is built already! Now it's gone to be configured and tested after which it will be tested again before despatch. I've even been asked which browser I want installed as I believe Win 10 defaults to Bing? :rofl: I've opted for Chrome.
I hate Bing! it's gone ;D I'm using Chrome.
I don't know why Microsoft try flogging it because nobody likes it. ::)
It's been despatched!! :o EVERYBODY PANIC!
:laugh:
And it's arriving tomorrow. I will be given a 1 hr time slot in the morning. Although they can't get anywhere near our building at the moment because they have dug the roads up to renew the gas pipes!
:laugh:
And it turned up within the time slot. I hate Windows 10 already! ;D
You will get used to it! :laugh:
No, you won't! ;D
Windows 10 is a whole lot easier to use then Windows 8 ever was. I actually had to google how to turn off a windows 8 laptop! Fortunately that was the only time I ever used it.
Quote from: Lance on Feb 05, 2016, 17:14:25
Windows 10 is a whole lot easier to use then Windows 8 ever was. I actually had to google how to turn off a windows 8 laptop! Fortunately that was the only time I ever used it.
I used Google to find a button to download ;D
Edge is the preferred browser but you can also use IE11. Both are good but for me Edge gets it. Bing is a search engine but I prefer Google.
Widows 10 (latest version) is superb and I am now running Office 365 so my computer (s) is running faster and better than it has ever done.
Stick with it Clive the learning curve is very easy and windows 10 is the best ever. ;D
Well I've spent all day slaving over it tweaking the settings to de-Microsoft it as much as is possible. I've downloaded some free utility tools and assigned two users to it. One problem is that I have so far failed to prevent it asking for a password each time we switch users. ??? It's connected to the internet and my printers and I've installed some software on it such as Paint Shop Pro. It's pretty old and I'm surprised it works! I purchased a copy of Office Starter 2010 from Amazon but can't get that to work yet. It only cost a tenner but I may have to consider downloading Open Office or something. Any advice would be very welcome. I have a lot of doc and docx files to transfer over. A minor annoyance is that I ordered Win 10 transfer cables from Amazon a week ago and they still haven't been despatched. I have older Belkin ones but these are supposed to be the DB's. Yes, I am slowly finding my way around and I know I will have to get used to it. The tweaks have seriously tamed it. I could not have lived with that stupid Cortana for starters! And I'm advert free. 8-) I also haven't managed to get my Chrome bookmarks transferred over yet. It's work in progress but I'm feeling reasonably confident that it will work out. It's a very fast computer to be fair and the quality is superb.
Has anyone tried Libre Office? :dunno: Apparently it opens docx files.
Can anyone recommend a good free driver update site? I tried SlimDriver free but it's a complete scam as are many other 'free' driver sites. ::)
You shouldn't really need a driver update site as Win 10 has most that you'd need built in. What is it you need a driver for?
Chrome bookmarks https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/chrome/Vd1EwCsP5Po
Re-drivers, if there isn't a Win 10 version, use a 8.1 or 7 driver
Instead of Office 2010 go on Amazon and purchase 12months of Office 365 for £59. You then have the full Office 2016 on up to 5 machines and if you turn off automatic payment for next year you can keep on using Amazon next year. Office 2016 is much better than Office 2010 and I have now got it on both my computers and my iPad. Driver Booster free version works very well with Windows 10.
You can disable passwords completely if you want to, just go to accounts settings and it's obvious there.
SlimDriver is supposed to be a free update site but when it's downloaded it claims you are only allowed one free driver update. It scanned my computer and claimed four of my drivers were old and one was 'ancient'. When I chose a driver to update it demanded £25 for a year's subscription and never gave me my free update. Other users are saying it's a scam site and should be avoided. TBH the out of date drivers refer to my router and items with which i'm not familiar. Strangely there is no mention of my 15 year old Canon scanner. It does make me wonder!
Thanks Glenn for the info regarding the Chrome bookmarks but the transfer cables should sort those out for me. If they don't then your instructions will be put to good use.
QuoteInstead of Office 2010 go on Amazon and purchase 12months of Office 365 for £59. You then have the full Office 2016 on up to 5 machines and if you turn off automatic payment for next year you can keep on using Amazon next year. Office 2016 is much better than Office 2010 and I have now got it on both my computers and my iPad. Driver Booster free version works very well with Windows 10.
You can disable passwords completely if you want to, just go to accounts settings and it's obvious there.
That sounds interesting Den!
I'm here to help Clive and then you can learn from my mistakes :D
Much appreciated Den.
LibreOffice is to be preferred over OpenOffice. Although they're both based on the original StarOffice source, LibreOffice has had a lot more love in recent years.
Mrs Clive thought that Den's Office 365 plan was dodgy and she said the last time she did anything dodgy was to marry me. :whistle: I tried to download Libre Office but it wasn't free after all. It demanded a donation which was optional but there was no option to opt out so I declined. But Open Office really was free and it opens .docx files for me. I hope it will make .pdfs for me too! (Must check). Kapersky downloaded just fine and seems to work well. And I've managed to sync my Chrome account and now have all my bookmarks. I hope AdultSheepFinder is still there!! ;D Seems my google account changed from googlemail to gmail so I had initially used the wrong login details. If only Amazon would send me my transfer cables I'd be able to complete the changeover. :hairpull: (poetic license Simon)
:lol:
Libreoffice does not demand a donation. You can download without it, and it downloads in the background whilst showing the donation page. I've done so many times.
The Amazon way is not dodgy just a way of saving money and £20 a year for a pensioner is great. You can buy Office 365 from a number of sources (including PC World) it's just that I found Amazon not only the cheapest but also instant.
I must admit it blew 2010 away and I love it. ;D
The transfer cables turned up today along with Bravura easy transfer software. They have to e-mail me a product key so that I can use it. ::)
I tried all ways with Libre Office and the options were $5, $10 etc. There was no provision for $0. Not that I mind paying but when it's advertised as free it becomes a matter of principle. :laugh: Mrs Clive's worry with the Amazon deal is that she could suddenly end up without software. The OpenOffice seems to work fine although the acid test will be when *she* wants to use it. I will take to my bunker until I know it's safe to come out. :whistle:
:eyebrow:
;D I know my place Jill.
signed,
Oppressed
(from the bunker).
With Office even though you are paying via Amazon, Microsoft send you an email to remind you and then you log onto Amazon and renew and it's updated straight away. After using it and as I can have it on up to five machines including my iPad I think it's a great deal and product. I should be a Microsoft Salesman and be on commission. ;D
Go for it Clive, you know it makes sense.
Quote from: Clive on Feb 06, 2016, 22:04:01
Mrs Clive thought that Den's Office 365 plan was dodgy and she said the last time she did anything dodgy was to marry me. :whistle: I tried to download Libre Office but it wasn't free after all. It demanded a donation which was optional but there was no option to opt out so I declined. But Open Office really was free and it opens .docx files for me. I hope it will make .pdfs for me too! (Must check). Kapersky downloaded just fine and seems to work well. And I've managed to sync my Chrome account and now have all my bookmarks. I hope AdultSheepFinder is still there!! ;D Seems my google account changed from googlemail to gmail so I had initially used the wrong login details. If only Amazon would send me my transfer cables I'd be able to complete the changeover. :hairpull: (poetic license Simon)
Open office is as far as I know an older version. Libre Office is the current spin off. Though both are "alive" with development to some extent. You can skip the "donate" button. Usually the download starts, and then opens a "you can donate" button. But the download in the background, it looks like the "download" button takes you to a "donate first" option, when really it's after. :P
Thanks Ben, you are correct - it has downloaded! :red: All that matters is what Mrs Clive is happiest with so I'll just wait for the explosion. ;D I've now had the product key for the transfer software but both laptops are in denial about the transfer cable being connected. I've e-mailed Bravura for advice. I actually have a set of Belkin cables and wonder if I could substitute those instead? I'm not doing very well with this particular Amazon order because I also ordered a kitchen clock which happens to be radio controlled. It's not possible to set it manually - you have to wait for the radio signal. It's supposed to be accurate to one billionth of a second in a thousand years. I'd be delighted if it was accurate to within one minute a year! It's running seven minutes fast!! ;D But the wireless mouse I splashed out on for the new laptop seems to work OK. I can see me sending the cable and the clock back to Amazon. ::)
I've always found those radio controlled clocks to be useless. I have one in my kitchen, and it may be accurate to the second, but it's often out by several hours! :facepalm:
Depends on which transmitter the clock synchronises with. Many of those sold in the UK use the MSF transmitter at Anthorn in Cumbria. Some sold here use the DCF77 station near Frankfurt in Germany. Both will be affected by strong local interference (eg. computer monitors).
We have two alarm clocks, both radio controlled and they are always spot on. :o
The clock is 2hrs and 2 mins fast today. :o
They say time flies faster the older you get! :evil:
It's now 2 hours and 4 minutes fast so it's speeding up! ;D The Microsoft Office problem has been resolved. The Office 2010 Starter I bought from Amazon for a tenner and claimed hadn't downloaded appears to have downloaded after all. ::) I e-mailed a .doc file to the Win 10 computer and downloaded it to see whether Open Office or Libre Office would open it up. To my surprise, Microsoft Office 2010 loaded up and I was able to complete the installation. One caveat is that it said I will get adverts with it. That was not mentioned on the Amazon website! But I think my Adblock plus is blocking them anyway. If all is well then I may be able to delete both the open source packages.
The software transfer people are looking into the reason my cable won't connect but they think it might be Kapersky. They say I could try going into 'settings' at the top right hand corner of the main application screen but I just don't see such a screen. I have 'extended download insurance' and wonder if that means I can uninstall it then download it from the website again? Oops, 8.30pm. Time for bed. ;D
Kaspersky did not like Outlook 2010 on my computer so I went back to Norton and all was well. I updated to Office 365 on a whim one evening and it ran so much smoother that 2010 so I'm glad I did. ::)
Quote from: Simon on Feb 07, 2016, 23:06:35
I've always found those radio controlled clocks to be useless. I have one in my kitchen, and it may be accurate to the second, but it's often out by several hours! :facepalm:
I have a radio controlled wristwatch and it's solar powered too. Not merely is it accurate to a millionth of a second but I'm saving the planet! :angel:
From what? ;D
;D
Quote from: Simon on Feb 08, 2016, 19:16:22
From what? ;D
From global warming of course! :laugh:
My latest e-mail from Bavura tells me to uninstall Kapersky and try the leads again. The clock is still 2 hours 5 mins fast but the mouse has been a success story! It's given birth to five baby mice which are now munching their way through the contents of my food cupboard. :D
:laugh: Kaspersky gave me a full refund as they could not come up with a work around with Office 2010. :eyebrow:
I'm still using F-Secure and have done for years. Not had a spot of bother with it. :dunno:
I have to admit I'm beginning to have concerns about Kapersky. It's extremely pervasive and even comes between me and my bank account. I have to ask it permission to take money out and it tells me it's sending all my money to Russia for safekeeping. So how do I get to the Windows desktop without closing all my "apps". I've always used Alt and Tab. And another thing. I used to be able to drag icons to the desktop or copy and paste. Whatever happened to those crazy ideas? And there's more.... the entire font size on this computer is tiny. I have to use a magnifying glass. Mrs Clive will be livid when she sees it - or not as the case might be. :whistle: How do I make it normal? :dunno:
Quote from: Simon on Feb 08, 2016, 20:51:26
I'm still using F-Secure and have done for years. Not had a spot of bother with it. :dunno:
F-Secure stuffed me up a few years ago if you remember. :bawl:
Different machine and different Windows version? Can't quite remember what happened to be honest. But I can understand if once bitten...
Neither can I but I always remember when I get stuffed and always rabbit on about it forever. ;D
the entire font size on this computer is tiny.
Point down notifications icon and left click. Then click on all settings. You will then see display and you can increase the size of text, apps etc' .
I used to be able to drag icons to the desktop
Right click on app then choose more and then pin to taskbar. You can then drag to desktop and if you want to unpin from taskbar.
Or: Choose advanced settings and then advanced sizing of text.
Oh well done Den! I will get stuck into that straight away. My clock now says it's tomorrow. 8-)
I've changed the font size! Very neat Den! :thumb: In notifications it told me that Office 2010 won't work on my computer. :rofl: It also told me to get rid of some stuff out of start up so I've done that. Control control control. 8-)
I can access the desktop by right clicking the Windows 10 icon. But it won't let me put the Office 2010 icon there probably because it doesn't believe it works!! ::)
Office starter 2010 is not compatible with Windows 10 according to this
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wiki/windows_10-windows_install/a-look-at-running-older-versions-of-microsoft/6faf72ea-254a-4c8e-9982-2c36cdb1936c
Quote from: Clive on Feb 08, 2016, 21:01:55
F-Secure stuffed me up a few years ago if you remember. :bawl:
I'm using Sophos, and HitmanPro (SurfRight - Sophos) Son works for them ;D
Quote from: Steve on Feb 08, 2016, 23:29:29
Office starter 2010 is not compatible with Windows 10 according to this
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wiki/windows_10-windows_install/a-look-at-running-older-versions-of-microsoft/6faf72ea-254a-4c8e-9982-2c36cdb1936c
Amazon is advertising it as compatible with Windows 10 and I've had to register it with Microsoft so it seems legit. I haven't given it a great deal of use other than to import a .doc file and edit it and create a new file. It will convert .docx files to .pdf so that's me done! I haven't checked that it prints out yet but I presume it will. Mrs Clive will use a few more features than me but it seems to work fine apart from the fact I can't get an icon on the desktop and there is a message in notifications to say it's incompatible. Perhaps the author of the article didn't actually try it out for himself! ;D
This morning we woke up to find the clock has found the correct time! It got there in the end! ::)
Mrs Clive managed to pin it to the taskbar within seconds, never having seen Win 10 before. ::) She's had a look at the software and is very impressed, claiming that it does a lot more than the Windows 10 she has on her Dell laptop. Lots of Brownie points for me and the possibility I may be allowed to stay up until 9pm tonight as a special treat. :angel:
Gosh, carry on like that, and you may even be allowed to stay in the house over night! ;D
;D
Quote from: Simon on Feb 09, 2016, 16:10:47
Gosh, carry on like that, and you may even be allowed to stay in the house over night! ;D
Steady on Simon! My kennel has an electric radiator! I have further progress to report. I've become super friendly with Dave from Plugable Cables and I've been invited to Washington State for a cup of coffee and a pretzel in his office tomorrow. Fathoming out how to uninstall Kapersky made my brain explode but I managed it using 10Uninstaller. I hope I can get it back again from the download site! With Kapersky out of the way, the two computers synced and instructions flashed up on both screens. Flashed is the operative word because before I had time to read what it said, a very stable message appeared stating the connection had been lost. I don't give up easily but after a further 50 or so attempts I dug out my old Belkin cables. Much to my surprise, they worked a treat and all my files and pictures are now installed on the new Win 10 device. Which has no antivirus. What could
possibly go wrong? Now I have to transfer all of Mrs Clive's files and photos when I can get my hands on her Dell. I'm quite impressed with the two users accounts idea. My next quest is to locate Notepad.
If no other Anti Virus is detected, Windows Defender should have automatically activated, which will at least give you some level of defence. I'd steer away from the sheep sites for now though. :whistle:
Just type Notepad in the search and windows at the bottom left and it will open the app for you. :D
:thumb: I'll do that. Plugable have told me to send the cable back to Amazon under the 30 day refund scheme.
I've found Notepad and all my pics! :sheeplove: Not sure why they were hidden away. I do find that Win 10 makes it more difficult to locate software that I've been using since the halcyon days of Windows 3.0 :mad: Thanks for all the great tips guys. :thumb:
A minor mystery which has become somewhat of an irritation is that the new laptop came with two felt strips stuck to a piece of paper. The strips are about 2.5" long by 1/2" wide and have opposing notches cut out of them at each end. Perhaps they are supposed to be fixed on the keyboard to prevent the lid from closing down hard. :dunno: If anyone knows what they are for please put me out of my misery. ;D
They are to stick over your and Mrs Clives mouth to stop you moaning about Windows 10 >:D
God, Microsoft thinks of everything! 8-)
Cable ties for the charger, anti slip pads??
Good ideas Steve! I'll test your theories and report back.
During the file transfer process from Mrs Clive's computer, a number of enormous .tib files have gone over. Tib files are Acronis backup files and I wonder if I can safely delete them? The .tib System folder is 54Gb and is in the backup directory.
There is a compelling case for them being cable ties. But they could definitely be used as anti-slip pads too. I quite like Den's theory!
Eset Smart Security - light footprint, you always can upgrade to the latest version any time during the license period, has anti-theft module for your nice new lappy and if you have problems you'll be speaking to somebody in Bournemouth not Manila!
Also there is a multi-device option where you can add tablets/smartphones etc.
30 day free trial.
Been using it for years - very happy to continue
http://www.eset.co.uk/Home/Smart-Security (http://www.eset.co.uk/Home/Smart-Security)
That might be useful if I can't recover my Kapersky license. I was offered a CD for £3.50 when I subscribed and I now regret not taking advantage of that offer.
I'm sure I read somewhere recently in ComputerActive mag that there was a bit of free software to root out lost license details etc. Give me a couple of days and I'll find it for you Clive.
Oh thanks Steve, if it's very recent I'll probably have the copy to hand. I haven't opened the latest issue yet. I've taken every copy since issue 1 but I don't keep them very long. I have a feeling that all the Windows 10 tweaks I carried out from a recent issue were undone during a Windows update yesterday! I had loads of messages to that effect soon afterwards. Even Cortana was resurrected. ::) I think it's going to be a constant battle to keep control of this new version of Windows. ;D
Actually it was a doddle to reactivate my subscription. I just went on the Kaspersky website, downloaded it again and entered my code and that was it! :D
I've had my money back on the transfer lead. Good old Amazon!
I've installed all my old software going back to Windows Me and have not had any problems at all. It was my understanding that we should say goodbye to anything over a couple of years old. If I could have found somewhere to stuff my 3.5" discs I would have installed Ami Pro word processor for Win 3.1. :evil:
Something I should get around to trying is installing some of my old software on Windows 10. That's before I would even consider upgrading my Windows 7 machine, which I suspect would struggle with Win 10 anyway. I did try some older software on my then Windows 8.1 laptop, and I seem to recall having problems with older versions of .net framework.
I think my machines would have struggled with the upgrade and I've never gone down that route. I'm quite happy with Win 10 but it's a job to keep it under control.
Windows 10 forced update KB 3135173 changes browser and other defaults
http://www.infoworld.com/article/3032751/microsoft-windows/windows-10-forced-update-kb-3135173-changes-browser-and-other-defaults.html?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link
This happened to mine (see earlier post in this thread) but I managed to undo the damage easily enough.
Mine is fine. From the above link take a look at http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-other_settings/an-app-default-was-reset/7f51d3de-8e67-478f-9a10-fcd4873ce3af?page=3&msgId=2578fb4b-efc0-4aa0-90d0-3e65db7f6d9a&auth=1
Good call Glenn. Perhaps it was old software that triggered my own glitch. I have a problem installing Acronis True Image 2010 which says "cannot connect to update server". I think it will let me install but there have been a lot of vital improvements to Acronis during the past six years. I don't particularly like the software anyway as it was pretty much useless when I experienced a HDD failure on an XP desktop. It refused to re-install my files because it was a different hard disc. So I did wonder what purpose it served. If anyone knows of a better back up software I would be delighted.
Look at Macrium Reflect, Clive, there's a free and paid version, I've been using it for a couple of years at least, it's never let me down and I've found it's way better than Acronis ever was.
Thanks Ray. I've been wondering what the Macrium folder is on the computer. I must have had it installed on a previous machine and transferred it over with the tsunami. I'll delete it and look for a fresh installation. :thumb: