39 replies to this topic

[PassTheBuck]

Hi all, had a problem a while ago with this Winders 8.1 load o crap, and Dmmmsta recommended that I changed the OS, well I've tried with no luck. I put my other disc in (XP or Winders 7 pro ) but the bloody thing wont accept either, just keeps telling me theres a problem with installation and to try again. Is it the 8.1 stopping the overlay as it was or summat else do you think. DONT LIKE 8.! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Thanks in advance PTB

[Rallyist]

Rich, Happy New Year mate, would think that your windows 7 disc needs a clean install so need to start with an formatted hard drive.

[muddy]

With UEFI it's important to take certain steps when installing a new OS.

If you have a laptop or smartphone, try following a guide, like this one:

http://uk.pcmag.com/...windows-7-on-yo

[celticbiker]

I keep telling you guys, ditch windows and load Linux.
No virus, no malware, no problem.

Edited by celticbiker, 02 January 2015 - 11:58 am.

[leehenty]

might be because win 8.1 makes the hdd a gpt partition when used with UEFI. I had this problem downgrading to win7 and had to sort out the HDD first then switch the pc to legacy mode in the bios.

[PassTheBuck]

Hi Guys, thanks, Happy New year to you too Graham and everyone else on the Carpe site,  Graham, the new desktop PC i bought came pre-installed so if I take it off would this void my guarantee??? Muddy and Leehenty, WTF is UEFI?? Bit green with PC's lads and celticbiker, I have enough problems with any OS without trying to learn and use a new one mate, Makes my head boil all this tech crap.

 

Ta boys

[muddy]

Hi Guys, thanks, Happy New year to you too Graham and everyone else on the Carpe site,  Graham, the new desktop PC i bought came pre-installed so if I take it off would this void my guarantee??? Muddy and Leehenty, WTF is UEFI?? Bit green with PC's lads and celticbiker, I have enough problems with any OS without trying to learn and use a new one mate, Makes my head boil all this tech crap.

 

Ta boys

If you don't feel confident to navigate bios and format a drive, you're probably either going to have to find someone or hire someone to do it for you. Installing a new OS isn't the most difficult task in the world, but it can throw up a few problems. 

 

That said, installing Ubuntu is easy enough and compatible with most hardware these days and it will happily install alongside Windows 8 as your default OS. It's also very simple to navigate and use off the bat, unlike the awful Win 8. 

Edited by muddy, 02 January 2015 - 06:23 pm.

[PassTheBuck]

Hi Muddy, I've had Xp since it came out and got totally used to its workings , wish I aint bought this new thing with 8.1 its feckin awful just cant get on with it, apart from that it takes half the hard drive  amount to boot . like you say I might have to get someone to do it for us as I'm not too good at PC stuff and not a lot of patience aswell.

 

Ta bud

[leehenty]

you cam make win 8 work more or less like win 7 with classic shell and turn off the metro screen. It's free. I would disable the corners of the screen too or the charms will keep popping in form the side.The menus are all still in win 8.1 just disabled for that silly phone like screen that wants you to use a touch screen.

 

http://www.classicshell.net/

Edited by leehenty, 02 January 2015 - 07:36 pm.

[muddy]

you cam make win 8 work more or less like win 7 with classic shell and turn off the metro screen. It's free. I would disable the corners of the screen too or the charms will keep popping in form the side.The menus are all still in win 8.1 just disabled for that silly phone like screen that wants you to use a touch screen.

 

http://www.classicshell.net/

should do the trick. I'm not too familiar with Windows 7, I've got it, but hardly use it, from the time I've spent on it, it's not too dissimilar to XP though. MS in their wisdom, thought to add a layer to the GUI to make it novice friendly and instead have created a maze for most people. I've been using Windows since 3.1 and the first time I tried to navigate Win 8 I got hopelessly lost. What a cluster feck from Windows, long live Linux!

[krispa]

Is it true that every win 8 is free to downgrade to 7? I have 2 laptops 1st on 7 and 2nd on 8. No need to tell which one is hatted.

[Catteeclan]

I got myself a laptop about a year ago. It came installed with win7 upgradable to 8, still on 7 and it seems to work well and very similar to good old XP. It's also got XP mode which runs my old XP software for car data etc.

I've also got an older laptop with Ubuntu installed, don't use it for much other than getting data off damaged hard drives. More and more people seem to be going this way and once it gets popular like Apple, (got one of them too), they'll be more virus and malware out there.

 

Haven't talked to anyone who likes 8 yet.  

[leehenty]

win8 works ok on a phone but why they thought it would be a good desktop is beyond me. Years of cascading menus, then this metro thing wtf were they thinking ?

If they wanted to drive away their customer base they have pretty well succeeded. I still run XP on my netbook for the car diagnostic stuff never had a problem. Win7 is good on my main machine, win8.1 they now give away free to the makers of cheap tablets.

Edited by leehenty, 03 January 2015 - 11:43 am.

[PassTheBuck]

Hi all, think i'll get in touch with Microsoft and ask if theres an easy way to get back to 7 cos its doin me head in.

 

Thanks all PTB

[PassTheBuck]

Just been in touch with Microsoft and they said that support has stopped for XP which I knew anyway and If I wanted to pay I could get some tips and a runthru of how to use 8.1 . So i told him I would be selling this machine and buying another one with & or XP on it .

 

Ta Guys

[Bobos]

I keep telling you guys, ditch windows and load Linux.
No virus, no malware, no problem.

Wot he said.

[mikehit47]

You might find it difficult to get a PC / Laptop with XP nowdays. What I would personally recommend you is Windows 7 (it's more similar to XP than 8.1). But for you not to get frustrated getting the OS on the old hard drive I would recommend getting a SSD (UK Ebay Link), unplug your usual HDD, plug in the SSD and install Windows on it (only with the SSD plugged in), then reconnect the previous HDD and format it completely (or at least the partition that contained previous Windows installations). You will end up having 2 storage devices inside your PC, one that is REALLY FAST (the SSD) for the operating system and one to occupy with data (games, music etc).

 

You will also notice a BIG increase in daily performance (the PC will boot up in less than 30 seconds, applications installed on the SSD will load almost instantly, no more stupid waiting time for the PC to finish indexing stuff etc)

 

Good luck!

[TYREDNGRUMPEE]

Just been in touch with Microsoft and they said that support has stopped for XP which I knew anyway and If I wanted to pay I could get some tips and a runthru of how to use 8.1 . So i told him I would be selling this machine and buying another one with & or XP on it .

 

Ta Guys

 

How come you couldn't secure a rollback to Win7?

[TKH]

Hi all, had a problem a while ago with this Winders 8.1 load o crap, and Dmmmsta recommended that I changed the OS, well I've tried with no luck. I put my other disc in (XP or Winders 7 pro ) but the bloody thing wont accept either, just keeps telling me theres a problem with installation and to try again. Is it the 8.1 stopping the overlay as it was or summat else do you think. DONT LIKE 8.! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Thanks in advance PTB

Must admit I hated windows 8 when I first go it but now I have no problems. My laptop starts up and I choose the "normal" desktop. If you need to you can easily pin the apps cuts to the toolbar. 

Go into the tile view.

Right click on the tile

Click on the pin to toolbar

 

You'll see it added to the bottom toolbar. 

 

This way you will rarely need to use the tiles.

[PassTheBuck]

Tyredngrumpee, all he asked for was an original disc or authentication code from me, never offered a rrollback mate.