16 January 2014

Windows!

The new laptop has Windows 8. The new desktop has Windows 8. I did not have a deep and burning hatred for Windows 8 until I got the laptop.

The new laptop requires me to sign on to the computer with my Hotmail account password. I do not like this. The desktop does not. The laptop will not open up until I have signed on with my password. The desktop is open as soon as I move the mouse. I don't have the option to remove the password lock on the laptop.

The new laptop will not let me install the Lexmark printer software. The desktop had no problems with it. The laptop also sent its name to the printer (even though the printer won't print anything since the drivers aren't installed) so even when I do run the printer installation software I have to first go to the desktop, access the printer and eliminate the name and then very quickly go back to finish the installation. When the installation is "finished", a test print page does not appear and the printer is not in the list of printers.

Out of frustration and desperation I tried to install Windows 7 but the computer boots straight up from the hard drive and does not allow a boot from the disk, so even that is not an option. There is not an option to get into the BIOS on startup.

I am half tempted to swap the hard drives from the old Acer, connect the new hard drive with a cable and format it, then reinstall it and install Windows 7. It seems like an awful lot of work for a brand new computer but at least then it would do what I wanted it to do without doing anything that I didn't want it to do.

Vile and hateful thoughts and words to you Microsoftmanager! Stop trying to be clever.

UPDATE: Resetting the computer back to factory settings and then setting it back up with a local account vice a WindozeLive account returned my seething hatred of Windows 8 back down to an active dislike. It took several hours to reset, but then I was able to install the software I wanted and not have things happen that I didn't want. I am now...not quite as disgruntled. Also, Classic Shell FTW!

6 comments:

Angus McThag said...

If the OS on one machine does something that the same OS doesn't on another; it's the maker of the machine and not the maker of the OS.

I've seen it before.

Anonymous said...

Computers (and by extension, software) are the tools of Satan!
Jus' sayin'

gfa

Larry said...

gfa, yes. Yes they are.

Angus, I think I know what happened. When I set up the desktop I didn't sign in with a Microsoft Live account, and with the laptop I did. I'm wiping it back to factory settings and setting it up without the Microsoft Live account to see what happens.

RabidAlien said...

You can set up the laptop to sign on with a local account and not a Live account. Also, if you want to wipe 8 and install 7, you first have to turn off UEFI, boot into BIOS and set the CD (or USB) drive as the primary boot device. If booting from USB, make sure you set the USB to legacy mode in BIOS. I've rolled a few computers back from 8, its possible, but they make you work for it.

Anonymous said...

As to the Lexmark problem, I seem to recall that one of your major issues with your brief ubuntu installation was that Linux didn't speak Lexmark. Just sayin'

Larry said...

RA, yes that's what I did, wiped it back to the factory defaults and then set it up with a local rather than a Windoze Live account. I was then able to install my printer software, too.

Yep, part of the Linux problem was it didn't talk to the printer, the other part is that it didn't play well with the other computers on the network. I still have the software...and I eyeballed it a time or two...

Thanks for dropping by!