| Author |
Message |
Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Sunday, August 09, 2015 - 8:40 am 
Brave soul that I am I've gone ahead with upgrading two of our four computers to Windows 10. The first upgrade turned out to be my main desktop PC that was running Windows 7 Ultimate and it went more or less pretty smoothly. Had some initial issues with Norton and integrating it with Windows 10 but Norton issued some updates and that seems to have settled out. The second machine was my newer non-touch screen laptop that was running Windows 8.1. That went extremely smoothly and by the time I got the upgrade notice for that machine Norton seemed to have gotten its act together.
I'll have to say Windows 10 seems to be fast. Of course it's new and doesn't have the hundreds of patches Microsoft has put out over the years for Windows 7 and 8. Overall I like the interface, kind of a blend of the very comfortable Windows 7 and 8. There are some things I'll have to get used to but they're more of me learning and not an issue with the software. The one thing I don't particularly care for right now is the browser called Edge. Reminds me of Chrome and I didn't particularly like that. There's also some residual issues with Norton and Microsoft not reaching agreement or allowing some of the Norton add-ons like the password Vault. Supposedly that will be solved/addressed so for the time being I've defaulted to Internet Explorer 11 on both machines.
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Jimmer
Moderator
08-30-2000
| Sunday, August 09, 2015 - 8:42 am
Thanks for the update, Mack. I've been trying to decide if I should upgrade our computers and I appreciate the information.
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Treasure
Member
06-26-2002
| Sunday, August 09, 2015 - 9:33 am
Thank you for the information, Mack. My desktop PC is using Window 7 and Explorer 11, as well.
I have received notification to that my upgrade to 10 is ready. But I have been waiting to see if someone had anything to say about it. So, so far it was fairly easy to upgrade and looks to be fast for now. What was it that you didn't particularly like about Edge? I am glad to see that I can stay with Explorer if I don't like Edge. I have Webroot Anywhere and I believe I saw a note from them, sometime back, that they were ready for Windows 10. So, I think I will wait awhile longer to see what more you all have to say about 10 before I do the upgrade.
I won't be able to upgrade my laptop. It is an older model that has been refurbished. It has XP. The seller did allow for an install of Windows 7 but I have stayed with XP. So, there was no notification for the Windows 10 free upgrade. A friend also told me that the refurbished laptop wouldn't have the room for Windows 10, so not to consider buying 10 for the laptop.
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Sunday, August 09, 2015 - 10:29 am
Treasure - Edge seems to work fine but I like having a tool bar across the top where I can simply do things like email a connection to a friend, print, save, etc., without having to go to one of the not so well explained icons on Edge. Really a learning curve thing on my part but after years and years with IE, regardless of its issues, I have gotten quite used to using the interface. Right now it appears that Edge doesn't permit the same kind of tool bars. Now it might be I haven't figured it out yet. Might be some magic button or something in Settings I haven't found. Quite frankly even as I type this I'm using IE 11 instead of Edge.
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Thursday, August 13, 2015 - 6:42 am
An update on my Windows 10 upgrades: All is well, actually good, with the two machines I've let upgrade to Windows 10. Turns out my second laptop, an eight year old HP, won't upgrade. It is running Windows 7 Ultimate without any issues but after passing the initial Windows 10 compatibility test it failed the last check when it actually went to upgrade. Interestingly it turned out to be the video card drivers in the laptop that are not compatible. I checked the card's manufacturer site for updated drivers but the laptop and video card are so old they appear to no longer actively support the card. I could maybe replace the video card but we really don't need the old laptop. It has been on borrowed time so to speak with the notion that once it fails it won't be replaced so I'll just let it run Windows 7 until it no longer runs.
My wife received notice that her PC can now be upgraded to Windows 10 but we're holding off. She's been having issues with her machine, probably the motherboard going out, so we ordered her a new tower and it gets delivered tomorrow. We'll run them side by side so she can install her software and move files then probably destroy the hard drive in her old machine and recycle the rest of it. She prefers a desktop for her considerable web publishing and photo editing software and literally thousands and thousands of images from our travels. As it was she was pressing the limits of the 1 TB hard drive so we took the new machine to 4 TB.
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Sunday, August 16, 2015 - 5:32 am
Wife's new machine showed up Friday.....I have computer envy. We brought it up Saturday afternoon and started the process of bringing it on line. It came with Windows 8.1 loaded but during the initial install stages it asked if it could update to Windows 10 so we let it. After that we installed Internet security software and finally Office 13 before we ran out of steam for the evening. Probably spent four hours total yesterday but it wasn't constant effort and attention to the new machine. Mrs. Mack did play around with the Edge browser for awhile and then asked me how to make IE 11 her default. I can see the future being Edge but we're just not personally there yet.
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Treasure
Member
06-26-2002
| Sunday, August 16, 2015 - 7:35 am
Mack, thank you for your updates on your computers and the window's updates. I have been an relieved to see that I actually can return to Explorer if I am not comfortable with Edge and that windows 10 seems to be doing fine for you. I will continue to watch for your comments on them for awhile.
I am constantly getting pop ups that tell me my upgrade is ready, so I may be up loading it sooner than later. LOL But I will try to resist for awhile longer. Fear of change and all that.
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Sunday, August 16, 2015 - 7:43 am
No problem Treasure. Mrs. Mack is still using her old desktop while the new one gets all the software loaded, updated, and files transferred. Her old machine is running Windows 7 and we didn't see any sense in letting her new machine load, actually activate would be more correct, Windows 8.1 and then turn around and update to Windows 10. We only had our travel laptop running Windows 8.1 so it wasn't like she'd spent a lot of time getting used to that version. Might as well learn Windows 10 from the start rather than getting into the confusion between Windows 7, 8.1, and now 10.
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Wednesday, August 19, 2015 - 5:53 am
Hope I'm not boring people but I'm trying to be honest with my adventures with Windows 10 and share what I think might be are issues. I have had a recent, and actually recurring, issue with my main desktop, Windows 10, and Norton Security. (NOTE: Norton has apparently dropped all the various versions of Norton and now has one joint/single product called Norton Security.) Without getting into the debate about what is the best anti-virus, Internet security, etc., etc., software I'll own up to having used Norton for ages. Anyhow, my one machine seems to be having trouble with the new Windows 10 compatible Norton. Even though I supposedly have the latest version Norton has shut down twice and I've had to reload it to get it working. Funny thing is that it's only on this one machine and the other two running Windows 10 and Norton are just fine. Working this morning so maybe my last complete removal of Norton and reinstall has worked. Not the first time in my computer life I've had Norton and Windows conflicts or issues but in recent years it has been more stable. Growing pains I guess but still a pain.
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Mameblanche
Member
08-24-2002
| Wednesday, August 19, 2015 - 6:53 am
At this point I am still gunshy of W10. Will prob cave at some point when I am less busy. Too many deadlines and no time for the inevitable anxiety and learning curve. But I really appreciate your documenting your experiences with it Mack.
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Wednesday, August 19, 2015 - 7:35 am
Other than the Norton Security issue I'm still quite happy with Windows 10. Norton notwithstanding Windows 10 has not been a problem and it seems to be quite fast even on my five year old desktop. It's way better, at least easier interface, than the Windows 8.1 that was on our small traveling laptop. Can't count my wife's new computer as it is about as fast as they make right now so between that and Windows 10 it's flying. There have been a few updates to Windows 10 since I installed it on three of our machines but nothing massive or earthshattering that would point to a serious issue. I have been working with it now a week or so and have been on my computer enough I think I'd see major problems. Time will tell.
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Mameblanche
Member
08-24-2002
| Wednesday, August 19, 2015 - 7:48 am
THing is that I don't use Norton. I use Avast. Will there be conflicting issues? Will it insist I use Norton?
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Wednesday, August 19, 2015 - 9:19 am
MicroSoft doesn't dictate what or which brand of security software you use. According to the Avast website they are compatible with and support Windows 10. I started using Norton years ago because I got it free from the government. That was years and years ago before free basic antivirus software became available. MicroSoft never insisted or forced me to use Norton.
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Kitkat
Member
08-23-2008
| Wednesday, August 19, 2015 - 10:24 am
Thanks for your updates, Mack. Please keep letting us know your experiences.
One question: Is there a reason why you use Norton (or any other program) rather than the program that is part of Windows?
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Jimmer
Moderator
08-30-2000
| Wednesday, August 19, 2015 - 11:53 am
There is a whole debate over which anti-virus programs are the most effective and whether or not these secondary programs are superior to what is already included with Windows.
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Wednesday, August 19, 2015 - 12:08 pm
I appreciate your updates, too, Mack. My DH updated one laptop, and he said the only problem he's had has been MalwareBytes. It appeared to be uninstalled during the upgrade, and when he went to reinstall it, the license key wouldn't work. He's able to run it manually, and he's got a support ticket into MWB.
We'll probably be updating our laptops before school starts.
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Wednesday, August 19, 2015 - 12:14 pm
Kitkat - Years ago the Army started providing its military and civilian employees free Norton under their blanket contract with Norton. Back then Microsoft didn't have its own security software so you had to add a program. First it was simply antivirus for email then later on it was antivirus and a firewall that was needed to protect particularly always on connections like cable and DSL modems. Point is after now some 20+ years I've just gotten used to Norton so I've stuck with it even though I pay for it now.
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Kitkat
Member
08-23-2008
| Wednesday, August 19, 2015 - 3:53 pm
Thanks Jimmer and Mack for your thoughts on security programs. I have used both Norton and McAfee in the past. Both worked well. I am wondering if Microsoft's security works as well. Thanks again for your help.
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Dipo
Member
04-23-2002
| Wednesday, August 19, 2015 - 4:05 pm
I appreciate your updates Mack! I am just waiting a while before I upgrade.
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Mameblanche
Member
08-24-2002
| Wednesday, August 19, 2015 - 6:41 pm
Thanks everyone. Fascinating, helpful topic. 
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Wednesday, August 19, 2015 - 8:47 pm
Mack, keep those updates coming. I have a small cadre of computer amateurs who depend on me to tell them things, and I have told them don't be in a hurry to upgrade to Windows 10; wait until the bugs get worked out.
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Thursday, August 20, 2015 - 4:05 am
Having started with Windows back in the clay tablet ages I've gone through every version, update, upgrade, improvement, great leap forward, etc., etc., that Windows has gone through. Many, maybe most, haven't really lived up to the hype, I especially remember the problems I had with Windows Millennium back in 2000. I'll have to say to date Windows 10 seems to be one of the best, if not the best, updates. As I said before from my perspective upgrading from Windows 7 to 10 is maybe no big deal though certainly faster, upgrading from Windows 8 or 8.1 to 10 is a good change. (NOTE: I don't have any touchscreen computers so my Windows 8/8.1 is limited to standard keyboard/mouse interface so I can't comment on how 10 works on those computers.) If Windows 10 is buggy I haven't noticed or seen anything but the one machine and the Norton issue which appears to be resolved.
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Thursday, August 20, 2015 - 8:11 pm
Thanks, Mack.
I have a minor in computer science from a major university back in the days when a computer took up a whole building, and we trudged a mile in the snow (actually, that one is not an exaggeration, and it seems backpacks had not yet been invented in those days) lugging boxes of IBM punch cards to run on the computer, and if you made ONE typo on one of thousands of cards, the program would fail. Hahahaha!!
But I did manage to miss Windows Millenium, Vista, and 8 and 8.1. Although I did sit down one day to fix my friend's computer, and it had Windows 8, which I did not know she had, and I thought I had gone through the looking glass. It soon became apparent why she was wailing that she did something, and all her "apps" disappeared. I had thought she had lost her mind talking about "apps" on a PC, LOL.
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Friday, August 21, 2015 - 4:09 am
I remember the old key punch machines and the drawers and drawers of punch cards.....try dropping a drawer for a really fun day.  I also remember how excited we were to get our first reasonable sized office automation which really was nothing more than a word processor. I think it was a now long gone Wang. Only took a box about the size of a refrigerator and an IBM Selectric-like typewriter built into it. I think it took one 5 1/4 floppy disk to store one or two letters/memos.
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Friday, August 21, 2015 - 9:26 pm
Heehee! IBM Selectric typewriter, in the days when we had died and gone to heaven if we had access to one.
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