cookie273uk
master brummie
What is the point of it all ? surely a mouse and keyboard is perfectly adequate and far more reliable. I think it is a gimmick but there again what do I know
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Windows 10
- Thread starter terryb18
- Start date
Cortana and similiar aren't exactly "idiot applications" the idea behind voice communication with the device has been around for a while but with the reduction in interface size - the new assistants are mostly being sold for mobile phones and smaller - they fill a need in replacing mouse and keyboard on a device on which such would be impractical. Earlier ideas had them being used for those with disabilities (eyesight or problems with hands).
oldMohawk
gone but not forgotten
Windows is 30 years old this week ... it's got a history ... a nostalgic look back …
Love it or hate it most of us have used it. I only know one person who never has.
MS DOS 6.0
In the mid 80s I was using this. No colour, cryptic command lines, we felt rather clever.
Windows 1 (1985)
I was sure it would never ever catch on, it wasn't real computing, I stayed with DOS.
Windows 2 (1987)
I never noticed this version, I was too busy typing cryptic DOS commands, and batch files.
Windows 3 (1990)
Hmmm...it was starting to look good with overlapping windows and a fully usable mouse. I started to take notice
Windows 3.1 (1992)
This version won me over we could use a mouse, see pics, and play Solitaire in colour. I stopped using DOS.
Windows 95 (1995)
I could not afford a home PC at the time so never used it.
Windows 98 (1998)
My first home computer had this and I loved it. Flight sims, scanning photos, music, and I found Google.
Windows ME ..(2000)
This 'Millennium Edition' passed me by, did anyone use it ? I suppose if you bought a new computer you had to.
Windows 2000
Our company started a new IT dept who tried in vain to control our works computers.
Mainly for business and serious computing but we could still play with it when the boss wasn't looking.
Windows XP (2001)
In 2004 I bought a new desk computer, it had XP which took time for me to like after Win98. It could upload pics from a camera.
Windows Vista.(2007)
I never tried this because I was now very happy running XP mostly trouble free.
Windows 7 (2009)
While grocery shopping in Tesco I bought a Windows 7 disk on impulse and installed Win 7 alongside XP.
I still use Win 7 in my desktop. I also bought my first laptop which came with Win 7.
Windows 8 (2012)
Gave this a wide berth, I was happy with Win 7, but I did break ranks and bought a shiny Apple iPad.
Windows 8.1 (2013)
The screen broke on my Win 7 laptop so I bought a new one which had Win 8.1. I liked it but did not use the tiles.
Windows 10. (July 2015)
I've now got Microsoft's latest baby and it runs well for me. I upgraded my existing laptops (free) from Win 7 and 8.1. The new 'Edge' browser is a disappointment so I don't use it.
Windows 10 update April 2017
I've used Windows 10 since the July 2015 free upgrade and it is now very stable on my computers. It looks like this on my laptop, and the improved Edge browser now works ok for me. The 'Start' now has multi-item tiles.
Version 1703 (OS Build 15063.296)
Windows 10 Version 1809 (OS Build 17763.292) at Feb 2019
My Desktop ... it looks at bit like Windows 7
Press the Windows key and the Win 10 Start Menu appears ... my current one Feb 2019.
Window 11 launched October 5th 2021 ... has a neater Start menu compared to Windows 10
Love it or hate it most of us have used it. I only know one person who never has.
MS DOS 6.0
In the mid 80s I was using this. No colour, cryptic command lines, we felt rather clever.
Windows 1 (1985)
I was sure it would never ever catch on, it wasn't real computing, I stayed with DOS.
Windows 2 (1987)
I never noticed this version, I was too busy typing cryptic DOS commands, and batch files.
Windows 3 (1990)
Hmmm...it was starting to look good with overlapping windows and a fully usable mouse. I started to take notice
Windows 3.1 (1992)
This version won me over we could use a mouse, see pics, and play Solitaire in colour. I stopped using DOS.
Windows 95 (1995)
I could not afford a home PC at the time so never used it.
Windows 98 (1998)
My first home computer had this and I loved it. Flight sims, scanning photos, music, and I found Google.
Windows ME ..(2000)
This 'Millennium Edition' passed me by, did anyone use it ? I suppose if you bought a new computer you had to.
Windows 2000
Our company started a new IT dept who tried in vain to control our works computers.
Mainly for business and serious computing but we could still play with it when the boss wasn't looking.
Windows XP (2001)
In 2004 I bought a new desk computer, it had XP which took time for me to like after Win98. It could upload pics from a camera.
Windows Vista.(2007)
I never tried this because I was now very happy running XP mostly trouble free.
Windows 7 (2009)
While grocery shopping in Tesco I bought a Windows 7 disk on impulse and installed Win 7 alongside XP.
I still use Win 7 in my desktop. I also bought my first laptop which came with Win 7.
Windows 8 (2012)
Gave this a wide berth, I was happy with Win 7, but I did break ranks and bought a shiny Apple iPad.
Windows 8.1 (2013)
The screen broke on my Win 7 laptop so I bought a new one which had Win 8.1. I liked it but did not use the tiles.
Windows 10. (July 2015)
I've now got Microsoft's latest baby and it runs well for me. I upgraded my existing laptops (free) from Win 7 and 8.1. The new 'Edge' browser is a disappointment so I don't use it.
Windows 10 update April 2017
I've used Windows 10 since the July 2015 free upgrade and it is now very stable on my computers. It looks like this on my laptop, and the improved Edge browser now works ok for me. The 'Start' now has multi-item tiles.
Version 1703 (OS Build 15063.296)
Windows 10 Version 1809 (OS Build 17763.292) at Feb 2019
My Desktop ... it looks at bit like Windows 7
Press the Windows key and the Win 10 Start Menu appears ... my current one Feb 2019.
Window 11 launched October 5th 2021 ... has a neater Start menu compared to Windows 10
Last edited:
sospiri
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
Phil,
A nice display. I still wish we had a real DOS, as code written for this would go like a rocket on today's hardware. Instead we have a inferior Command Prompt which runs a simulation under Windows. I still occasionally use DOS - sorry, the Command Prompt - when generating code for web pages with embedded data. QBASIC is no longer compatible, but there are several lookalikes available that do the job. Why spend hours writing C++ code when you don't need a proper Windows display?
Maurice
A nice display. I still wish we had a real DOS, as code written for this would go like a rocket on today's hardware. Instead we have a inferior Command Prompt which runs a simulation under Windows. I still occasionally use DOS - sorry, the Command Prompt - when generating code for web pages with embedded data. QBASIC is no longer compatible, but there are several lookalikes available that do the job. Why spend hours writing C++ code when you don't need a proper Windows display?
Maurice
guilbert53
master brummie
Great to see some of the old Windows desktops from over the years.
One not on the list that I used a lot at work was "Windows NT" (1993 onwards).
All versions of Windows before then (Windows 1 up to Windows ME) were really just a pretty desktop laid on top of DOS.
Windows NT was Microsoft's first "proper" multi tasking 32 bit operating system with "protected" memory (so a crash in one application would not bring down the whole of Windows as often happened in windows 95 etc). It had been written from the ground up by Microsoft (though I believe they bought an early version of the code from DEC) so was not built on a DOS "base".
It was also secure with a "proper" Windows logon / password.
It was more of a "business" version of Windows than a "home" version.
I worked for IBM at the time and we began to use Windows NT to host some of our "business" applications as it was more secure than Windows 95, 98, ME etc.
Windows NT eventually morphed in to Windows 2000 AND Windows XP (neither of which were based on the DOS platform) so it could be said that Windows NT was a very important version of Windows for Microsoft.
(In fact I think the only reason Microsoft brought out Windows ME was because Windows 2000 and Windows XP were "late" and they wanted a "stop gap" product to fill the gap. I gather it was pretty terrible (my father bought a PC with Windows ME on it) as it probably was not tested enough as it was "rushed" out.
In fact I believe much of the underlying technology in Windows 2000 / XP is still inside Windows 10 (though there has been of course major changes to the internals of Windows).
Looking back at those screen shots it is a bit like "This is your life" for me as I worked for IBM for 30 years so saw Windows (and computing) change on a daily basis.
.
One not on the list that I used a lot at work was "Windows NT" (1993 onwards).
All versions of Windows before then (Windows 1 up to Windows ME) were really just a pretty desktop laid on top of DOS.
Windows NT was Microsoft's first "proper" multi tasking 32 bit operating system with "protected" memory (so a crash in one application would not bring down the whole of Windows as often happened in windows 95 etc). It had been written from the ground up by Microsoft (though I believe they bought an early version of the code from DEC) so was not built on a DOS "base".
It was also secure with a "proper" Windows logon / password.
It was more of a "business" version of Windows than a "home" version.
I worked for IBM at the time and we began to use Windows NT to host some of our "business" applications as it was more secure than Windows 95, 98, ME etc.
Windows NT eventually morphed in to Windows 2000 AND Windows XP (neither of which were based on the DOS platform) so it could be said that Windows NT was a very important version of Windows for Microsoft.
(In fact I think the only reason Microsoft brought out Windows ME was because Windows 2000 and Windows XP were "late" and they wanted a "stop gap" product to fill the gap. I gather it was pretty terrible (my father bought a PC with Windows ME on it) as it probably was not tested enough as it was "rushed" out.
In fact I believe much of the underlying technology in Windows 2000 / XP is still inside Windows 10 (though there has been of course major changes to the internals of Windows).
Looking back at those screen shots it is a bit like "This is your life" for me as I worked for IBM for 30 years so saw Windows (and computing) change on a daily basis.
.
oldMohawk
gone but not forgotten
Hi Guilbert,
I forgot Windows NT and I now remember seeing it at work. It is a bit like 'This is your life' for me also.
Just now my shiny new Windows 10 running in my old laptop froze on me. Ctrl Alt Del would not do anything so I had to pull the power cable out but the battery kept it on so then had to take the battery out. Starting up again I looked at my 'Reliability History' and all it said was 'Windows did not shut down properly' which I knew because I had to pull the power out !
ps... Since found out it was the Chrome browser which froze.
I forgot Windows NT and I now remember seeing it at work. It is a bit like 'This is your life' for me also.
Just now my shiny new Windows 10 running in my old laptop froze on me. Ctrl Alt Del would not do anything so I had to pull the power cable out but the battery kept it on so then had to take the battery out. Starting up again I looked at my 'Reliability History' and all it said was 'Windows did not shut down properly' which I knew because I had to pull the power out !
ps... Since found out it was the Chrome browser which froze.
Smudger
master brummie
On the rare occasion my laptop freezes i hold down the power button for about 5 seconds & it switches off. Then when you power up again It will ask if you want to start normally or in safe mode.
sheldontony
master brummie
Interesting seeing all the sreen shots for Windows again.
oldMohawk
gone but not forgotten
Thanks Smudger, I forgot about that method - I think I was a bit shocked that the famous Win 10 would fail on me !
brummie nick
master brummie
I've just downloaded windows 10 it all came on then it told me to close down and restart did that and now I have lost everything any ideas what I can do to restart it
oldMohawk
gone but not forgotten
What happens ? Do you hear your computer start and is running but just get a black screen where you can see the mouse moving but nothing else appears to happen. Do you use a password to log in to your computer ? If so you might have encountered the 'Black Screen Login' problem. I had this about a month ago and solved it.
Also when I upgraded my computer Windows closed down itself and then restarted itself several times, it never requested me to shut down.
Can you try a start up in 'Safe Mode' which on my computer means I have to keep pressing the F1 key immediately after switch on. It may be a different F key on your computer.
Also when I upgraded my computer Windows closed down itself and then restarted itself several times, it never requested me to shut down.
Can you try a start up in 'Safe Mode' which on my computer means I have to keep pressing the F1 key immediately after switch on. It may be a different F key on your computer.
brummie nick
master brummie
Its on a laptop so I unplugged it, restarted it, and it was in a restarting loop after a while it all came back on.
what a relieve,
what a relieve,
oldMohawk
gone but not forgotten
If you are using Chrome you might have accidentally altered the zoom. CTRL + or CTRL - can alter the zoom.
Alternatively a click on the settings bars top right gives the option to zoom in or out in the list which appears. I have mine set at 125% at the moment.
CTRL + or CTRL - works with any browser.
Alternatively a click on the settings bars top right gives the option to zoom in or out in the list which appears. I have mine set at 125% at the moment.
CTRL + or CTRL - works with any browser.
oldMohawk
gone but not forgotten
Hi Carolina, had you accidentally clicked on the window size squares top right on the screen. If you can see two little squares then the window is full page. If you can see only one square then the window is not full screen. Usually, if you can drag the bottom or sides of a window then the window is not set to full screen.
cookie273uk
master brummie
problem with my 'Pictures' file, since downloading a large windows 10 update (took 30 minutes) yesterday I cannot enlarge thumbnails on any of my pic files, a box pops up saying 'THIS PROGRAM CANT START BECAUSE MSVCR110.dll IS MISSINGFROM YOUR COMPUTER. TRY REINSTATING PROGRAMME TO FIX THIS PROBLEM' this is of course all double dutch to me, is it something simple or do I fetch my friend from PC PAL to sort it out. Document and Music files not affected Eric
oldMohawk
gone but not forgotten
Hi Eric, which program do you use to view images? The default in Windows 10 is Windows Photos. However, try 'right clicking' on the image thumbnail and then click on 'open with' which will list a choice of programs to view the image. Try one of the programs from the list. The old 'windows photo viewer' is in the list, but any of them can be used. If one works then it can be made the default program.
The missing file can be downloaded from Microsoft but I would try my first suggestion first.
The missing file can be downloaded from Microsoft but I would try my first suggestion first.
Chris B
master brummie
if you can't find an alternative programme to open your pics like mohawk has suggested try this.
To solve this problem go to: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2977003
Download Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2012 Update 4 from Official Microsoft Download Center
To solve this problem go to: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2977003
Download Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2012 Update 4 from Official Microsoft Download Center
terryb18
Gone but not forgotten R.I.P.
Since the last update the other day, it appears that Microsoft have turned on Windows Defender and removed Spybot-search and destroy. Now what gives them the right to remove programs without my ok. However I have just checked and it seems its still there, and working. Puzzled?
Attachments
oldMohawk
gone but not forgotten
They seem to be copying Apple who recently removed their own iPhoto app from my iPad. I was annoyed because I had paid for it and they did not offer a refund. I use Norton and Malwarebytes for Windows and these were still working after the November update.
I had a 'Critical Event' at 5.00pm Sunday evening when Win10 unexpectedly shut itself down, sent a report to Microsoft, and started up again.
I had a 'Critical Event' at 5.00pm Sunday evening when Win10 unexpectedly shut itself down, sent a report to Microsoft, and started up again.
cookie273uk
master brummie
Old Mohawk/Chris B, problem solved by going on 'control panel' and 'repairing' windows essentials/photo gallery. Eric
norfolk brummie
gone but not forgotten
Fully agree, Maurice.
I have Windows 8, and like yourself, they keep asking me to go to Windows 10. Truth is, I do not need it. Everything I need, for my very limited knowledge, and websites, I have on Windows 8. Additionally, Windows 8 has thousands of more facilities than I will ever need.
Windows 10 is fine for my grandson who is into all sorts of very complicated websites, and his computer screen is constantly filled with all sorts of very sophisticated patterns and images, that I will never understand. Somehow, he thinks it is all very easy!
Remember the old motto: "If it ain't broken, don't try to fix it".
Eddie
I have Windows 8, and like yourself, they keep asking me to go to Windows 10. Truth is, I do not need it. Everything I need, for my very limited knowledge, and websites, I have on Windows 8. Additionally, Windows 8 has thousands of more facilities than I will ever need.
Windows 10 is fine for my grandson who is into all sorts of very complicated websites, and his computer screen is constantly filled with all sorts of very sophisticated patterns and images, that I will never understand. Somehow, he thinks it is all very easy!
Remember the old motto: "If it ain't broken, don't try to fix it".
Eddie
cookie273uk
master brummie
I liked windows 7 but when you change your PC you have no choice. I have had windows 10 for 3 months now and have slowly changed it round so it is fairly similar to windows 7, have not used Cortina or Edge and have restored Internet Explorer version 11 and am reasonably happy with it. Must admit I find the search box useful. Eric
oldMohawk
gone but not forgotten
Some clouds on my Windows 10 horizon ...
I have the Windows 'Home' version for which updates are automatic, they cannot be stopped, only the Windows 'Pro' version can pick and choose which updates to accept. Microsoft's 'Photos' app came as the default image viewer with Win 10 and I used it even though it's interface was clunky and it's photo editor very basic.
After a recent update, I used my laptop to view a photo and found that 'Photos' would not open and Microsoft were pushing something called 'Twinui' which looked total rubbish. Microsoft's update had changed something in my laptop and the 'Photos' app was not even in the settings app list. After spending some time trying to find 'Photos', I gave up and installed Google's Picasa Photo Viewer as the default app. It's fast, has a nicer interface and a reasonable photo editor, I had forgotten how good it is.
Windows 'Photos' app is now invisible on my computers.
I have the Windows 'Home' version for which updates are automatic, they cannot be stopped, only the Windows 'Pro' version can pick and choose which updates to accept. Microsoft's 'Photos' app came as the default image viewer with Win 10 and I used it even though it's interface was clunky and it's photo editor very basic.
After a recent update, I used my laptop to view a photo and found that 'Photos' would not open and Microsoft were pushing something called 'Twinui' which looked total rubbish. Microsoft's update had changed something in my laptop and the 'Photos' app was not even in the settings app list. After spending some time trying to find 'Photos', I gave up and installed Google's Picasa Photo Viewer as the default app. It's fast, has a nicer interface and a reasonable photo editor, I had forgotten how good it is.
Windows 'Photos' app is now invisible on my computers.
sospiri
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
Phil,
That's the feature of Win 10 that I least like - I want to be in complete control of what my default programs are and not have Microsoft's poor quality overriding my choices. Firefox is my default browser, but I use Opera for viewing some slow sites as Firefox can be sluggish. Irfanview with all it's drivers is my default viewer, but I use either Photo Impact X3 or PhotoShop for editing. I find Windows Media Player very clungy and to a certain extent so is PhotoShop. I've had Photo Impact since version 6 when it was owned by Ulead, before Corel bought it and discontinued it because it competed with Paint Shop Pro. The latest PhotoShop has little for photographers that wasn't in the two earlier versions - it all seems to be aimed at graphic designers.
So whilst Win 7 behaves itself, I'm happy with it. Anything that looks even remotely like Win 8 is a definitely no-no for me. Microsoft has apparently finally fixed the Win 10 bug that affected Notation Composer 3, so that is a move in the right direction.
Maurice
That's the feature of Win 10 that I least like - I want to be in complete control of what my default programs are and not have Microsoft's poor quality overriding my choices. Firefox is my default browser, but I use Opera for viewing some slow sites as Firefox can be sluggish. Irfanview with all it's drivers is my default viewer, but I use either Photo Impact X3 or PhotoShop for editing. I find Windows Media Player very clungy and to a certain extent so is PhotoShop. I've had Photo Impact since version 6 when it was owned by Ulead, before Corel bought it and discontinued it because it competed with Paint Shop Pro. The latest PhotoShop has little for photographers that wasn't in the two earlier versions - it all seems to be aimed at graphic designers.
So whilst Win 7 behaves itself, I'm happy with it. Anything that looks even remotely like Win 8 is a definitely no-no for me. Microsoft has apparently finally fixed the Win 10 bug that affected Notation Composer 3, so that is a move in the right direction.
Maurice
The problems with picasa are :- it likes sharing. Your pictures could wind up on the internet if you're not careful.Some clouds on my Windows 10 horizon ...
I have the Windows 'Home' version for which updates are automatic, they cannot be stopped, only the Windows 'Pro' version can pick and choose which updates to accept. Microsoft's 'Photos' app came as the default image viewer with Win 10 and I used it even though it's interface was clunky and it's photo editor very basic.
After a recent update, I used my laptop to view a photo and found that 'Photos' would not open and Microsoft were pushing something called 'Twinui' which looked total rubbish. Microsoft's update had changed something in my laptop and the 'Photos' app was not even in the settings app list. After spending some time trying to find 'Photos', I gave up and installed Google's Picasa Photo Viewer as the default app. It's fast, has a nicer interface and a reasonable photo editor, I had forgotten how good it is.
Windows 'Photos' app is now invisible on my computers.
It also creates a lot of little (or not so little) files wherever it finds pictures. They're usually invisible and called .picasa. It also has a fair-sized database file.
Other notes.
The facial recognition in picasa actually works but if you identify one face in too many pictures it starts thinking every unidentified face is that person.
If you plug in any device while picasa is open, it automatically wants to scan it for pictures.
Keyword tagging is one of the most useful ways of organising a large collection of pictures and, although picasa lets you tag stuff and will search for the tags it doesn't keep a list of what tags you've used beyond the last two.
Editing pictures in picasa will change how they look in picasa but may not change the picture itself. You need to save it for that to happen. If you don't save it keeps a copy of the edited image separately.
For a while I used Zoner Photo Studio which does a lot of the things picasa does (organising and basic editing) but without the irritating side effects
sospiri
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
I agree, Wam, that Picasa is heavily into sharing anything it can find and I like photos to be totally under my control. Several people have remarked to me that they don't like Lightroom because they never know where it is going to put their pictures and that's not a freebie. Not quite true, but it does like to organise things and I would prefer that it doesn't.
Maurice
Maurice