Windows... 10?!?

[Jezza819]

Being 9 years old it may not take.
I had a 9 year old toshiba that was running Win 10, 1803 but couldn't update to the current version due to hardware limitations.

Best way is to just invest in a new one.

It's going to have to soldier on until it just quits because I don't really use it a lot except when I go out of town on vacation or to hook up to my tv to stream races.

 

[BobK]

Another option is to get it repaired, if it won't upgrade then install linux on it.

Unfortunately there only way to know if Win10 works on it is to try it, and even if it does there's the very real chance it'll stop working after the next update.

Just a thought.

 

[LeGeNd-1]

Disable animations, it might help



I have no anti-malware, use adblock and safe browsing practices, still not infected

Tried that. No difference sadly. If anything it makes the delay more noticeable because without animation the menu opening is more "jerky" when it does finally open.

I tried asking for help in another IT forum. Did sfc and /scannow and dism /restorehealth, followed by another sfc. First sfc found some system issues that could not be repaired. Dism repaired it and restarted, and the second sfc was clean. Still no improvement though. I guess I'll just shelve this as a battle to fight another day.

 

[TJ13]

Tried that. No difference sadly. If anything it makes the delay more noticeable because without animation the menu opening is more "jerky" when it does finally open.

I tried asking for help in another IT forum. Did sfc and /scannow and dism /restorehealth, followed by another sfc. First sfc found some system issues that could not be repaired. Dism repaired it and restarted, and the second sfc was clean. Still no improvement though. I guess I'll just shelve this as a battle to fight another day.

Again I've said it a few times that the "Start" menu issue is a windows thing not a something that us normal people can do.

As it's still there in the "November" preview update.

Microsoft knows about it but keeps breaking it after they fix it.

 

[Darla Starch]

Microsoft could you kindly not go through with this?

 

[Rallywagon]

Microsoft could you kindly not go through with this?

Time to make the switch to Notepad++?

 

[TenEightyOne]

Microsoft could you kindly not go through with this?

Same with the Snipping Tool, they're re-engineering (over-engineering) it in the name of improvement.

Time to make the switch to Notepad++?

I mostly do already, but Notepad is so beautifully fast-n-dumb when you need it.

 

[UKMikey]

I don't think I've ever used WordPad in my life. Notepad or Word for me.

 

[Rallywagon]

I don't think I've ever used WordPad in my life. Notepad or Word for me.

As Ten points out, it does have a couple of convenient uses. Mostly literary uses. It loads much faster and is lighter weight than word, while still being compatible with word document file types.
I use sticky notes, notepad++ and Sublime. However, my use case is computer scripting and Cisco switch configurations though, so word pad was never a tool for me.

 

[Grayfox]

Microsoft could you kindly not go through with this?

The 2 on the right are a bit concerning with the "Open Office" button.

 

[UKMikey]

As Ten points out, it does have a couple of convenient uses. Mostly literary uses. It loads much faster and is lighter weight than word, while still being compatible with word document file types.

Loading time of Word isn't really that much of a problem with today's computers. It sounds to me like Wordpad appeals only to a limited subset of users compared with the other options.

 

[Jezza819]

I don't think I've ever used WordPad in my life. Notepad or Word for me.

I use either Word or Wordpad as document savers for things like my in game settings, presets on my Fanatec wheel, contact lists, things of that nature but I can't for the life of me remember which one I use. I want to say it's Wordpad but I'll find out when I go home for lunch today. I think I use Wordpad because it's all I've ever known.

 

[HERE4BEER3]

Not sure if this is really Windows 10 related or not but last night I had one of the most mind boggling experiences on a PC ever I just feel the need to share. It also happened to be one of my first experiences using windows 10 on a gaming PC, so here I am.

Anyway, I was transferring some game profiles and saves etc from my old gaming rig to my brand new one. I needed to put one of these folder in My Documents folder, now, the Windows 10 "This PC" explorer is still very new to me, so I accidentally put this folder in my OneDrive Document folder instead of the one on my C: Drive. This apparently was a big mistake. MY ENTIRE INTERNET CRASHED, every single device lost connection, but my PC showed my connection being fine. Not knowing this was the issue I was on the phone with my ISP for nearly 3 hours troubleshooting. He could not even access my modem or anything. We isolated the problem to my PC, by means that disconnecting it from the network immediately restored all my other devices connections and returning things to normal with my ISP. We had come to the conclusion my PC was infected with a virus or something.

So how I found out it was OneDrive was also rather odd. I went to try and reset the PC but clicking the power icon in start menu did nothing! I was skeptical of doing a hard reset on my brand new PC so I thought I'd try ctrl-alt-del but the power button in there did nothing either. At this point I'm raging, thinking my PC was infected with some digital coronavirus. I thought I will at least try to sign out, that's when I at least got a message from my PC "Cannot sign out as OneDrive is currently uploading files"......."What? Oh no, the virus is uploading stuff to the cloud! What do I do!?!"........no, it turns out I'm the virus and stupid enough to put my game folder into my OneDrive. i assume I could not shutdown or restart the PC for the same reason I could not sign out, but it'd have been nice to get that message when trying to do that.

Now while the whole scenario is still very strange, I mean uploading a 400MB folder to OneDrive crashed my entire internet and even caused issues with my ISP, I am at least happy it wasn't anything malicious, that I know of anyway. I ended up just disabling OneDrive because what the hell was that all about! Things are fine now.

Hope you enjoyed this brief glimpse into my life struggling with computers


EDIT: Actually, thinking about it now, I tested the game and it recognized my save files. So I must have put it in my C: drive, but it must have been linked to OneDrive so whatever I put in my C: Document automatically was uploaded to OneDrive. At least I'm not that amateur!

 

[Touring Mars]

I need a new PC as my laptop is too old to upgrade (and has music software on it that I don't want to risk screwing up).

I connect remotely to my PC at work, and have been using my laptop (Windows 7) and iPad Pro to connect... the trouble is that the iPad is not up to the job... it's handy for having a look at data, but it is useless for doing any substantial work.

My question is, is it safe to continue using my Windows 7 laptop, since I'm only using the web to connect remotely to my work PC... or should I buy a cheap Windows 10 laptop and use that for work, and keep my old laptop permanently offline?

 

[Darla Starch]

I need a new PC as my laptop is too old to upgrade (and has music software on it that I don't want to risk screwing up).

I connect remotely to my PC at work, and have been using my laptop (Windows 7) and iPad Pro to connect... the trouble is that the iPad is not up to the job... it's handy for having a look at data, but it is useless for doing any substantial work.

My question is, is it safe to continue using my Windows 7 laptop, since I'm only using the web to connect remotely to my work PC... or should I buy a cheap Windows 10 laptop and use that for work, and keep my old laptop permanently offline?

Are you gonna be doing any sorta dubious web-browsing? If y'all are careful, shouldn't be too much of a risk now. Still worth shopping for W10 laptops in the meanwhile.

 

[FPV MIC]

Are you gonna be doing any sorta dubious web-browsing? If y'all are careful, shouldn't be too much of a risk now. Still worth shopping for W10 laptops in the meanwhile.

Would it still be an issue in the future if I'm using Norton Security with Safe Web Search? I have Windows 10 on my laptop and I dread having to use that in comparison to my computer with Windows 7 installed. I really don't want to change unless it's absolutely necessary.

 

[Darla Starch]

Would it still be an issue in the future if I'm using Norton Security with Safe Web Search? I have Windows 10 on my laptop and I dread having to use that in comparison to my computer with Windows 7 installed. I really don't want to change unless it's absolutely necessary.

If you really don't wanna change, then eventually Faraday caging your W7 machine someway (no Internet connection, virtual machines, etc.) would be needed. For now, proceed with slight caution.

 

[Nexus]

I need a new PC as my laptop is too old to upgrade (and has music software on it that I don't want to risk screwing up).

How old is the laptop? I got Windows 10 running fine on an old Core 2 Duo laptop (10+ years old).

 

[FPV MIC]

If you really don't wanna change, then eventually Faraday caging your W7 machine someway (no Internet connection, virtual machines, etc.) would be needed. For now, proceed with slight caution.

Even with the extra security I have? I also have a VPN. I was under the impression that nearly everything I do (and no, it's not porn ) is covered by the VPN and Norton.

I notice the programs getting the security updates from Microsoft are programs I don't ever use (Excell, Word, Office etc.), and any non MS programmes I use or have downloaded are checked by Norton before installation. I'm also fairly obsessive with running full system scans and power eraser.

 

[Darla Starch]

Even with the extra security I have? I also have a VPN. I was under the impression that nearly everything I do (and no, it's not porn ) is covered by the VPN and Norton.

I notice the programs getting the security updates from Microsoft are programs I don't ever use (Excell, Word, Office etc.), and any non MS programmes I use or have downloaded are checked by Norton before installation. I'm also fairly obsessive with running full system scans and power eraser.

My solution won't really be needed for a good while yet, I was thinking years into the future.

 

[FoRiZon]

Today I learned that upgrading to Windows 10 from 7, even today, is still actually free as long as the Windows 7 itself is genuine.

So cost reasons are pretty much out.

 

[Nexus]

Today I learned that upgrading to Windows 10 from 7, even today, is still actually free as long as the Windows 7 itself is genuine.

Can confirm, upgraded a Windows 7 laptop to 10 a few days ago without any difficulties.

@FPV MIC You'll probably be fine for a while, but AV software can only do so much. When major vulnerabilities are found, I'd take the plunge and upgrade to a newer OS.

 

[eran0004]

Last week I learned that there is no such thing as a guest account in Windows 10. In order to create one you need to create a fake name (I chose “Guest Guest”, but in hindsight I think “Guesty McGuestface” would have been more appropriate) and a password and come up with fake answers to three questions about the history of this fake person (name of first teacher: Teachy McTeachface?).

I mean, what the actual...

 

[Touring Mars]

My laptop is about 10 years old, but I asked a guy from Microsoft about upgrading and he advised me not to bother and recommended getting a new laptop.

I connect to work via the work's VPN, but a VPN doesn't provide you with any better protection against viruses etc., does it?

One thing I don't quite get is, how vulnerable to viruses would my computer be if I keep it online but only to ever use it for remote connection i.e. no web browsing? I'm assuming that the computer will still be vulnerable to viruses/attack just by virtue of being connected to the internet, and that connecting to work via a VPN will not make the computer any safer...

 

[Grayfox]

My laptop is about 10 years old, but I asked a guy from Microsoft about upgrading and he advised me not to bother and recommended getting a new laptop.

You can try installing windows 10, if it has no SSD which I suspect it wont, install one, even a 120GB SATA SSD is cheap a 120GB one in Australia is $40 which would be around £20, £30 might get you a 240GB one.

I connect to work via the work's VPN, but a VPN doesn't provide you with any better protection against viruses etc., does it?

Nope.
A VPN can still get you infected.
Go to a site that you know has malware and boom, you're infected.
Download a infected torrented movie and boom, you're infected.

One thing I don't quite get is, how vulnerable to viruses would my computer be if I keep it online but only to ever use it for remote connection i.e. no web browsing? I'm assuming that the computer will still be vulnerable to viruses/attack just by virtue of being connected to the internet, and that connecting to work via a VPN will not make the computer any safer...

Remote attacks due to bugs in the OS which can be exploited.
Many types of malware will try to ping random IP addresses and try to infect PCs that are not patched.
Wannacry exploited a bug and then spread via networked(Local or Wide) computers by exploiting the same bug.
Oddly enough microsoft released a patch for this months before wannacry hit

If you use safe browsing habits and common sense.
You can reduce change of infections down to a near 0%.

Do not illegally download things from torrents
Do not click on random links
Do not use flash
Do not insert random flash drives into the PC.
Keep programs up to date.

You could try and run a VM and do the work though it on your laptop.
If the VM gets infected.
Just replace the image with a backup.
Heck it is what I do with those "Microsoft Call center" guys.

I run an old XP image in a VM, let them mess with it, infect it.
Then I restore the image to before I let them in.

Besides most common form of malware today is "Ransomware" so as long as you keep backups and do not keep NAS devices constantly connected you should be fine.

 

[Jezza819]

My laptop is about 10 years old, but I asked a guy from Microsoft about upgrading and he advised me not to bother and recommended getting a new laptop.

I connect to work via the work's VPN, but a VPN doesn't provide you with any better protection against viruses etc., does it?

One thing I don't quite get is, how vulnerable to viruses would my computer be if I keep it online but only to ever use it for remote connection i.e. no web browsing? I'm assuming that the computer will still be vulnerable to viruses/attack just by virtue of being connected to the internet, and that connecting to work via a VPN will not make the computer any safer...

I'm in the same boat. My laptop is about 10 years old that won't recognize the battery and hasn't updated for probably close to a year. I almost took it to the repair shop a couple of weeks ago then thought what's the use? They will probably tell me the same thing you're guy told you, don't bother with it. But I don't have the money right now to sink into a new one and truth be told I probably don't need a brand new one. The only time I use it is when I go out of town on vacation or to hook up to my tv to stream races from websites (Motortrend for WEC, Motorsports.com for Super GT, etc) so a refurbished one would probably be in my best interest.

 

[Touring Mars]

I'm torn between buying a rock-bottom price Windows 10 laptop to tide me over (£200-£300), or to wait and buy a proper replacement for my laptop (£500-700) - in the meantime, I've asked IT support if I can borrow one for 6 months (I expect not...)

I feel a bit daft for spending the best part of £1000 on an iPad when I started my new job - I love it, but it isn't anywhere near as useful as a PC (not when you are used to using a PC, that is)... it does at least have Office, but I can't even connect a mouse (?!) or plug in a monitor to do some serious work.

If work come up with a temporary laptop (very unlikely!) then all will be fine, but otherwise I may just bite the bullet and buy a cheapo laptop to tide me over. Ironically, my old laptop has never had any problems and I will now exclusively use if for my music recording, but all the more reason not to try upgrading it... if ever there was a great example of 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' then this is it.

 

[Grayfox]

I'm torn between buying a rock-bottom price Windows 10 laptop to tide me over (£200-£300), or to wait and buy a proper replacement for my laptop (£500-700) - in the meantime, I've asked IT support if I can borrow one for 6 months (I expect not...)

I feel a bit daft for spending the best part of £1000 on an iPad when I started my new job - I love it, but it isn't anywhere near as useful as a PC (not when you are used to using a PC, that is)... it does at least have Office, but I can't even connect a mouse (?!) or plug in a monitor to do some serious work.

If work come up with a temporary laptop (very unlikely!) then all will be fine, but otherwise I may just bite the bullet and buy a cheapo laptop to tide me over. Ironically, my old laptop has never had any problems and I will now exclusively use if for my music recording, but all the more reason not to try upgrading it... if ever there was a great example of 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' then this is it.

If you just use the computer for teamviewer, install linux mint.
Will help keep you secure till you can get a decent laptop later.

 

[FPV MIC]

Can confirm, upgraded a Windows 7 laptop to 10 a few days ago without any difficulties.

@FPV MIC You'll probably be fine for a while, but AV software can only do so much. When major vulnerabilities are found, I'd take the plunge and upgrade to a newer OS.

Done... and for free as well 👍.

It was a lot quicker and far less painful than upgrading my Windows 8.1 laptop, but that was done very early in Windows 10's life so I presume they have the transition running a lot smoother now. Many of my apps and programs weren't considered compatible back then but seem to be okay this time round.

Thanks for the advice everyone

 

[RACECAR]

Anyone else on a touchscreen computer having this issue after installing the latest update? I turned on my laptop as I normally do and as its booting up, this is happening:

It's made using my mouse annoying. It's not my wireless mouse because it's doing this even with just the touch pad.
I try to move the mouse and it just teleports back to that spot (Hence why this post is being made on my phone and not on my laptop). Erratic scrolling and pressing happens too when I trying to navigate a page or a folder.