Computer Blog Comment

By Uncle Hans

I am writing in response to a helpful comment on my computer blog, by Sam and Donna. They suggested that XP would be OK, but not as good as 7. I actually ordered XP as a knee-jerk reaction because I had used it for years and was very comfortable with it. 7 would have been a better choice.

I tried to load XP, but gave up after I could not even achieve step one "disable your anti-virus software". So, I contacted HP via website and they helped me to download a new driver for my new printer (The commenter's other suggestion, thank-you!) and it worked fine. I have another older printer, a Samsung, which is black and white only and cheaper to run. I did the same trick for that one.

Then I set out to learn Windows 8. If you look, there are tutorials. But I was hung up on not being able to find "favorites". Amazing how important that is. We ALL have a bar with " File View Favorites Tools Help", Windows 8 does NOT. I contacted a "tech help" website, and they immediately started selling me $200 worth of security. I needed security, as the machine I bought had only a temporary 30-day system. But I insisted they help me with "a couple of questions" .

Of course, they "take over" your computer from their desk, to do this security scan stuff, and it amazing to watch from your monitor as they whir around installing stuff, scanning, uninstalling, installing new stuff, scanning, uninstalling.

I was on the phone and at my desk for 2hrs and 20 min. But I did get him to answer a couple of basic questions. One was "where the HELL is favorites?" The whole bar: File Edit View Favorites Tools Help, is not part of Windows 8. You don't know how much you miss that!! So I asked him about that. He just whirred the cursor around the monitor from somewhere in California or Lahore Pakistan and ....PRESTO!....

There was that bar!

that alone was worth $200!..............

I can live with Windows 8 now, I will learn the rest as time goes on.................

By Uncle Hans