Tablet advice

[BensGrandad]

I have a problem which I hope somebody on NSC can advise me on
I have a PC which is old and slow and runs on windows XP which I am very used to. It does all that I want it to but it is slow,I also have alaptop wehich runs on Windows 7 for which I am not au fait or comfortable with My choice is buy a new PC,and continue as was or upgrade the laptop to Windows 8 and by a tablet. I dont want to get into discussion as to which is best Android or I pad. leave that until I make a decision, but what I would like to know is what are the advantages and disadvantages of Windows 8. Which would be the most effective and cost related route to chose. I am sure that there are many on here who have the knowledge and experience to give me some advice.

 

[Ulloa's Soul Patch]

I hate windows 8. It's bollox

 

[Justice]

Is there really much difference between XP and windows 7..? I find them both very similar.

 

[gripper stebson]

Windows 8 is awful on a desktop. Download Classic Shell and it'll look like Windows 7 again. sorted.

 

[Justice]

Windows 8 is awful on a desktop. Download Classic Shell and it'll look like Windows 7 again. sorted.

OP dislikes 7

 

[Paddy B]

If you don't like Windows 7 you will HATE Windows 8.

W7 really is XP with a different coat on

 

[Acker79]

I have windows 8 on my laptop. I don't notice any difference to windows 7 (bar the start screen coming up first rather than the desktop), but then I didn't notice much difference from xp to vista to 7. I don't know what windows 8 is like with a touch screen.

 

[BensGrandad]

Probably due to age and common use I am able to work on XP but I find it hard on windows 7. Could I get an engineer to speed up my pc and also update XP or are the updates now expired and thus not available..

 

[dougdeep]

I'll bet an expert could speed up your old PC for a fraction of the cost of new stuff.

 

[Chicken Runner61]

Microsoft will no longer support XP after 2014

 

[Ned]

Take two with water

 

[bristolseagull]

Get an iPad

 

[brakespear]

Get an iPad

Don't

Not sure why the OP has an issue with W7 - it's not that different from XP and is my favourite version of Windows so far

 

[DavePage]

Viagra

 

[beorhthelm]

what an odd title, when you dont want to know Ipad vs Android and do want to know about win 8.

anywho... as above i really cant see you getting on with Win8 if you dislike 7. better off learning to live with 7 and getting tablet anyway.

as far as your slow XP is concerned: uninstall and reinstall your anti-virus; go through add/remove programs and remove anything you dont use or never heard of that doent say Microsoft next to it (bit risky but worse case is you have to reinstall something you do use but didnt recognise); if you have any "search" or tool bars on your browser, remove, uninstall, purge these demons; run the MS disk cleanup tool (under something like accessories, system tools) and clean all that cruft. it may be worth reinstalling your browser, or at least finding purging the temp files (carefull not to remove cookies and passwords, pain the arse to remember logins to everything). then defrag (Accessories, system tools).

or, short version, just defrag.

this should have you machine running near new again. remember, computer do not get slow with age, we just put more crap on them that they have to churn through, and Windows is appaling at manging disk allocation so slows as it has to thrash back and forth. other than unnecessary toolbars, the other thing we do is allow software to startup automatically, which leads to long boot times for utilities we may not need automatically.

oh, and keep an eye on likely new Nexus tablet in next few weeks, will probably be a stonker.

 

[dougdeep]

Of course the best way to speed up a computer is to dump Windows altogether.

 

[BensGrandad]

One problem I have is attachments to emails on windows 7.

Would an answer be to get a man in to clear my hard drive on the pc and install windows 7 so that I have to get used to using it as I id xp originally. If so could he speed up the whole pc by adding memory or whatever they do, sorry to sound so thick but if you dont know you have to ask.

 

[1066gull]

Get an ipad make sure its at least 64gb as you very quickly use it up with photos and videos which you will use as its so easily instant to view (no faffing about with file conversions or printing). you can play as soon as finished taking the shot

 

[Deleted member 18477]

If you want a tablet get an iPad. They're class, everyone I know has one and we all love them. Most I know have 16gb including me which is more than enough for what I use it for.

 

[BensGrandad]

what an odd title, when you dont want to know Ipad vs Android and do want to know about win 8.

anywho... as above i really cant see you getting on with Win8 if you dislike 7. better off learning to live with 7 and getting tablet anyway.

as far as your slow XP is concerned: uninstall and reinstall your anti-virus; go through add/remove programs and remove anything you dont use or never heard of that doent say Microsoft next to it (bit risky but worse case is you have to reinstall something you do use but didnt recognise); if you have any "search" or tool bars on your browser, remove, uninstall, purge these demons; run the MS disk cleanup tool (under something like accessories, system tools) and clean all that cruft. it may be worth reinstalling your browser, or at least finding purging the temp files (carefull not to remove cookies and passwords, pain the arse to remember logins to everything). then defrag (Accessories, system tools).

or, short version, just defrag.

this should have you machine running near new again. remember, computer do not get slow with age, we just put more crap on them that they have to churn through, and Windows is appaling at manging disk allocation so slows as it has to thrash back and forth. other than unnecessary toolbars, the other thing we do is allow software to startup automatically, which leads to long boot times for utilities we may not need automatically.

oh, and keep an eye on likely new Nexus tablet in next few weeks, will probably be a stonker.

Thanks for the advice that is exactly what I wanted. The reason I said about Android or I pad is that I am, not sure whether or not I need to actually buy a tablet or can convert what I have as a cheaper option. I may go down the route of installing windows 7 on my pc to make me get used to it.