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  • HI folks the server that hosts the site completely died including the Hdd's and backups.
    Luckily i create an offsite backup once a week! this has now been restored so we have lost a few days posts.
    im still fixing things at the moment so bear with me and im still working on all images 90% are fine the others im working on now
    we are now using a backup solution

Windows 10

I must be one of the lucky ones with Win 10 1803 because it runs well for me. My broadband runs at 48Mbps down, 9Mbps up.

I just tried the latest photo editing app Gimp 2.10 (ref post#802) to replace my current 2.8 version.

I first tried it in my dual boot Linux Mint Cinnamon, but it was not yet in the Mint repository, so direct installation took at least 30 mins. I then installed it in Windows 10 and it took less than 5 minutes, it was easy.

After all that I did not like Gimp 2.10 so uninstalled it and reinstalled 2.8, which in Win 10 took about 8 minutes. In my Linux device it will be complicated and take much longer.

Linux is good but not suitable for the average user.
 
Although I was sorry to lose Windows 7 as even a PC idiot like me could understand it, I have now adapted to W10 and so far have no problems apart from a difficulty in finding Internet Explorer, which oldMohawk kindly sorted out for me. My speed is 51Mbps according to BT's speed test, which is double Dutch to me but apparently is more than adequate for my simple needs. I did purchase a guide book called 'Windows 10 for dummies' but not gained much from it. Eric
 
as you know eric i still have windows 7 on my desk top and 10 on my 2 year old lappy and that was only because it came with it...i cant think of one app or fancy function that i use on my lappy...just like my mobile phone so long as i can do the basic things i am happy with that and over the past 10 years i have had no trouble..its not that i am a thicko but even if i wanted to i just dont have the time to adapt or try out anything new with computers....knowing me if i started messing around i would end up crashing and as our dad always said.."if it aint broke dont fix it":D

lyn
 
I have Gimp 2.10 available on Linux Mint 18.3 Sylvia. However I haven't a clue what it does as I have never used it. I do, strangely enough, remember in depth articles in Computer Active magazine many years ago when I was using Windows XP. I did not pay much attention to them I must admit.
 
I suppose we all use our Windows computing devices differently, some of us like Chrome, others like Internet Explorer, and one or two might even use Edge. I use a PIN to log into my computers others may use a password and some just switch on. There may even be someone who uses Cortana.

Google knows all about me but I exchange that for using their services and I've never got round to using Microsoft's 'Bing' search. And for those who prefer not to use Windows there is Linux and of course the shiny world of Apple.

In July, Windows 10 will be 3 years old .... how time flies ...:)
 
Very true, Phil, and some of us just like to get our various projects completed with the minimum of interference from the machine and without layout and functions of the machine changing every time we use it. :) And, of course, it taking twenty minutes to shutdown because of some unknown task running in the background when we want to go to bed!

Maurice :) :)
 
I don't know much about these sort of things from the technical point of view only the 'office' viewpoint.

I have Windows 10 but it's Word 2016 which we downloaded shortly after buying the laptop that I have problems with. We have to pay a subscription every year to continue with the programme and although I can cope with it I don't like it. The Word takes ages to get started and has a sort of time delay (as does Excel) - a bit like an old teleprinter where you typed, nothing happened for a moment or two and then the words appeared. Every now and then the screen goes blank and it says 'Word is not responding'. It's very frustrating as I use Word a lot.

I have Windows 7 at work and much prefer it. I think the answer for me is to buy something which has Windows 7 on and an earlier Word already installed. I've started saving all my docs to an earlier version in case I need to transfer them.
 
There are several free office programs available on-line. Try a google search. They are compatible with MS office files. Good luck.
 
Hi Lady P,
If you are using Word with the yearly subscription it should run fast. There must be some setting in your computer which is possibly wrong. When you mention a typing lag it makes me wonder whether it is working in your device or on a remote server somewhere. I use the free alternatives mentioned by Lumpammer and one I always use is in the link below. You can download and install it and it will sit there waiting to be used. Try opening a Word document with it and see if you get typing lag. If you do, try typing a test doc in Libreoffice ... if you get lag in that we will have to look for other causes.
https://www.libreoffice.org/
 
oldMohawk said:
Hi Lady P,
If you are using Word with the yearly subscription it should run fast. There must be some setting in your computer which is possibly wrong. When you mention a typing lag it makes me wonder whether it is working in your device or on a remote server somewhere. I use the free alternatives mentioned by Lumpammer and one I always use is in the link below. You can download and install it and it will sit there waiting to be used. Try opening a Word document with it and see if you get typing lag. If you do, try typing a test doc in Libreoffice ... if you get lag in that we will have to look for other causes.
https://www.libreoffice.org/
Click to expand...
There is also Open Office which is also free, but of the two I prefer Libre Office as suggested above.
 
I use good old 'works' for my 'word processing' and 'data base' more than adequate for my needs and, more important, simple to use, also free ! Eric
 
Looks as though this is a common problem Lady P. Google "office 2016 slow windows 10" and you'll see what I mean! Plenty of suggestions to try there.
 
Ladies and Gentlemen
Reading all this technical talk amazes me and I bow to your unquestionable knowledge of computers and computing. I have to advise a techie my broadband speed. How or where do I find it? I have an HP laptop, an HP notebook a Samsung tablet and a Motorola Smart phone of which the tablet is the most used. Advises please

Bob
 
Bob Davis said:
Ladies and Gentlemen
Reading all this technical talk amazes me and I bow to your unquestionable knowledge of computers and computing. I have to advise a techie my broadband speed. How or where do I find it? I have an HP laptop, an HP notebook a Samsung tablet and a Motorola Smart phone of which the tablet is the most used. Advises please

Bob
Click to expand...
I use this to check my speed. https://broadbandtest.which.co.uk/
 
Ref post#802 Example of Gimp 2.10 Photo Editor running in Windows 10 1803
Before ... a screenshot of a photo of an old WW1 pic in an album lying on a desk.
Before_Gimp.JPG

After ... Gimp pulled the photo upright off the desk and did other quick edits to it.
After_Gimp.JPG
I forgot to put Sepia back on !

Gimp is very powerful and runs in any Windows version but needs time to learn how to use it. There are easier Photo Editors such as the 'built in' Windows 10 'Photos'
Other ref https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/albums.48839/
 
There are compatibility issues with the free Office software like Libre. My daughter is doing a Masters and the uni told the students to steer clear and gave them all Office 365 for the duration of the course.
 
I can understand the comparability issues: Microsoft do not like competition; maybe there is a financial benefit to the Uni promoting it. However, never having wasted money on the M/soft product the only time I have known anyone experiencing issues was basically due to their lack of knowledge on how to open and read from one to another. Of course there is a discounted version specifically for students but proof of course etc. is needed. Ordinary researchers - such as many folks on this Forum - have to pay up or choose the free, but equally as good, alternatives. ;)
 
Even different versions of Microsoft Office have compatiblity problems with each other. The more complex the file, the higher chance of getting some glitches. If all the work is carried out in LibreOffice or OpenOffice then there are no problems. However, when sending important files to a business or university they often require that the files are produced with the software they use. If the files are invoices or information they can be exported to PDF format which can be opened and read anywhere with any operating system. All the many pdf files I have uploaded to the forum were produced from OpenOffice files.
 
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Windows 10 'Timeline' is not so bad after all ...
I have a desktop PC, a laptop, and iPad all connected to my router and among them I had lost an image and could not find it because it had a cryptic file name. I clicked the Win 10 'Timeline' icon and had a look and there it was bottom right on the 14th May. I would never have found it by name but the thumbnail pic identified it and a click put it on screen. I also played some music that day and used Notepad twice.
Timeline.jpg
 
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Bob Davis said:
I have to advise a techie my broadband speed. How or where do I find it? I have an HP laptop, an HP notebook, a Samsung tablet and a Motorola Smart phone of which the tablet is the most used.
Click to expand...

I just noticed this from a couple of weeks ago so the comment below may be too late, but it may be useful to others.

There is no such thing as a "fixed" Broadband speed, your Broadband speed will vary for all sorts of reasons.

It can depend on the time of day, how busy the internet is, how busy the other phone lines are in your area, and how many devices are using Broadband in your house.

So you really need to check your Broadband speed a number of times over period of a few days, and at different times, to get a sort of average.

Also note the Broadband speed you get from a device connected by wi fi (such as a Smartphone or Tablet or Laptop using wi fi) will be slower than that from a device such as a desktop PC (or laptop) connected to your router via a cable (Ethernet).

So to get your "real" Broadband speed you need to test it with a desktop PC or laptop connected to your router via a cable and not using wi fi.

FYI I have Virgin Cable and get a Broadband speed of 150mbps and this stays pretty much the same no matter how far you are away from the exchange as Virgin cable works differently than a BT phone line.

Here is my Broadband speed test.

Broadband.PNG
 
Glad your internet runs, mine walks - very slowly.
I get 33ms ping, 5.15 download and 4.2 upload. It’s fast enough for Netflix so it suits me.
 
I'm giving my existing laptop to a young family member so bought a new one.

Fast i5 cpu, 17" screen, 128Gb SSD drive for programs, 1Tb hard drive for data and images.
Cortana talked me through set up but I've now silenced her for the time being ... might speak to her later.

Logged into Wifi and Microsoft account and Win 10 synced my existing desktop background and settings from my old laptop.

Edge synced its favourites and I used it to download Chrome.

I use Gmail so Google Chrome synced my bookmarks ...and probably a lot of other things.
I increased the system font size ... because it can look small on a large 1920 x 1080 high res screen

Windows installed lots of updates and after 30 mins I had the latest Win 10 1803 version.
Installed all my usual programs and they all work. Found IE 11 just in case I ever need it.

Finger Print log in ... I use it on an iPad but first time on Windows ... forgot to register more than one finger !
 
jukebox said:
Update went smoothly on both desktop & laptop except that the brightness now can't be adjusted on the laptop and runs at full wack. Seems like a common problem when Google consulted. None of the suggestions have solved it so I guess I'll just have to wear my sunglasses when using the laptop :(. No point uninstalling the update I think as it will only reinstall sometime in the future. And Intel no longer support the relevant chipset.
Click to expand...

W10 update received today (17134.112) has fixed the problem. (Not before time!)
 
What is important about download speeds to PC users like me who never download music or films, just the occasional pic. I have BT's fibre optic cable giving a reasonable high speed, but what use is it to me, if any? Eric
 
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