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windoze 8 [classic gatesware]

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Had the unfortunate opportunity today to assist setting up a brand new Toshiba with this carp installed.
Hours and hours spent, best things we did was A) unpin dozens of items from the start menu, then B) unpin dozens more from the task bar, and finally, C) find and download Start8, which returns you to a more classic desktop and a lower left button that opens control panel, all programs, and a TURN COMPUTER OFF button.
Figured thread Gates, not going to sign up for a Microsoft account so I can do their e-mail...searching on-line showed they don't support POP3 e-mail anyway...downloaded Mozilla Thunderbird. Works.
Then the silly thing had Norton. Unloaded all of that carp, too, Essentials was already there, lit it off for now.
There's another freeware called Classic Scene (I think) that puts most of it back to an XP appearance.
This Toshiba has no touch screen anyway, so don't need their "charms". Geez, couldn't they think of something better than that?
Now that I've got control back, and can access data the way I am used to, Program Files get a visit, and all sorts of bloatware gets offed.
I have already put out word for some XP Pro discs.
I may just wipe it and start over.
Morons.
 
I actually went through almost the same thing setting up some Dell desktops years ago, that came with XP installed. Gazillions of bloatware and trial-ware apps installed. Spent hours removing all the unneeded stuff. The hardware makers get paid for putting that stuff on the HD - probably 50% of their profit on each box.

Thing that gets me, is that there are so many folks who have nearly *no* computer background, who have to deal with these things. Popup windows go wild ("You need to update xxxx" "Access denied - enter system password" "Update complete - restarting in 30 seconds", etc. Warning and Update windows on top of other windows. Drives folks nuts - and causes a *lot* of tension. They see "Click OK to proceed", then they hit <enter> but don't always know what they're setting up - other than the need to seek help from a tech service that asks for their credit card number.

sheesh
Tom
 
MS developed Win 8 to sync data and interfaces across devices: mobiles, portables and desktops.

Mobiles and portables are big on touchscreen, icon-based data manipulation...desktops not very much. Touchscreens for desktops are few and far between.

Win 8 is really intended for users who network and who store data on a desktop but retrieve and manipulate it with a smartphone, tablet, notebook and/or laptop.
 
NutmegCT said:
Gazillions of bloatware and trial-ware apps installed. Spent hours removing all the unneeded stuff. The hardware makers get paid for putting that stuff on the HD - probably 50% of their profit on each box.
Click to expand...

That is one of the reasons Microsoft started making the Surface. They wanted people to see what Windows was like without all the "value added" software.
 
Re Windows 8 - Cheer up! I just finished reading 2 articles about MS "Blue" - speculation is that it'll be called "Windows 8.5" and ~may~ add some of the desktop-oriented features of the past. The most disturbing thing I read was that MS is likely to start releasing new Windows versions far more often than in the past.
 
Yeah...well.....how will Billie Gates maintain his richest status if he doesn't sell more shXt?
No more Outlook Express. Mozilla Thunderbird is close, closer than Microslime Mail or whatever they call it now.
I'm going to recommend XP if we can't get the rest of this stuff bypassed.
Apparently the computer stores now have these things with just the 8 ball stuff, no additional, like Office. You get to purchase that.
I told them, OpenOffice should work instead, and no more financing the gates lifestyle.
 
Open office does not work with my Quick books
 
I was very disappointed at the loss of Outlook Express... which does much more than Outlook (for home use). No more "newsgroups" because Outlook won't do that.

I have gotten used to Windows 8, and it does network well here at home... but there are lots of things I just don't (and may never) like about it. Lot's to re-learn.
 
Try Start8, for now. Helps.
Not sure I can load Outlook Express into 8, but I am going to try.
 
There are a few websites that go into how to get Outlook Express with 8... but it didn't look easy (and it remains to be seen whether it fully integrates properly).
 
Outlook Express is no more and hasn't been around since Vista. It wasn't in Vista and it isn't in 7. It's dead, gone, buried unless some enterprising developer tries to generate an add-on app of it and even then they would run up against a wall with Microsoft.

You will find some jabberings floating around the web that seem to indicate that you can install OE in 8 by going through the OE icon in MS Office. But that will just bring up Windows Mail, not OE.
 
Actually, I meant "Mail" with Vista (which was very much like OE). But Mail is also gone with 8. So, there is no heir apparent for newsgroups (that is integrated with email).
 
They've really messed it up. I thought Vista was bad.
You are required to choose a log-in for MicroSlime mail service, which we declined, loaded FF Thunderbird.
They have added and deleted several mail services since OE, it seems from research.
I've just about got it working like XP now. Opens to the desktop, no Metro garbage, no "charms", no pop-ups, or overlays. Killed off all the bloatware, the MicroSlime Bing apps are all gone. The games are all gone. Norton is not only deleted, but the Norton removal tool had to be run, and then manual removal of several files. Most of the Toshiba BS is gone.
I hit the start button, can then select documents, recent documents, search, control panel, all the stuff I can do with this box with XP.
I still have more to do to get it the way they'll be happy, and me, with the horrible mess they made of it all.
It's no wonder sales have been abysmal. Read up in the tech journals, none of them are happy (unless they're paid my MS, right?).
 
Getting a hard drive loaded with 3rd party software is the trade-off for buying a computer for what most people want to pay for one. You're buying the advertising that helped bring the lower price. In many cases the software that's added by the manufacturer are not the same versions that can be purchased and installed separately. The OS is loaded during manufacture and the buyer gets no installation disc with the purchase to repair or reinstall the OS without begging half a dozen manufacturers for codes and documentation. And if you're really lucky you'll get a system where the 3rd party software is integrated into the OS so that it can't be removed if you want the OS to keep working.

Every one of my systems was built for me and, in the end, I have less trouble and spend less time fussing with them than I would have had I bought one OTC for less money.
 
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Agreed, and that is why a search is on for XP Pro discs, just in case.
Dell was always really bad about that bloatware, but if you know where to look, you can dig it all out.
Norton, I hate Norton....took deleting from "remove programs", then had to use their own on-line tool, then a full search through files manually, remove the remnants..think it's all gone.
 
Holy Moly. Now that I am somewhat involved with 8, the information on-line to kill the metro UI is astounding. Registry changes, scheduled task changes that disallow Metro from loading, add-on programs, more videos on U-tube than you could watch in a week, it seems.
NOBODY likes it unless you work at a fast-food outlet for a living and are used to desktop touch and drag screens.
This is not good for MS. XP, good. Vista, bad. 7 not too bad, but worse than XP. 8 really bad.
Spiking up and down with each release, but the average looks like it is straight downhill.
 
Now assembling a server for a local business, I always use an OEM disk to cram the OS into 'em. 7 Pro x64 will be what this one gets as it is a simple file server. Buying a pre-loaded system is the last thing I suggest for clients wanting to integrate it into their business LAN. My time is better spent configuring LAN connections and security than on bloatwarez removal. Several of my clients have seen the light and have had me set up Linux on their servers and they will never go back to Winblows for a server OS. Ubuntu works and a lot of folks use it (more 'automagic'), but my preference is for CentOS on a business computer. I got used to the Red Hat distro and their file hierarchy long ago, it just RUNS. Uptime on a couple of them is in the 900 day range.

Thunderbird is an excellent mail client, been using it since we dumped umm... I forget what was in place before it! Something-or-other was between Pine and the switch to T-bird, tho. :tongue::blush:

Norton hasn't been worth a whit for years, Peter sold to Symantec and it went into the bin. But I can't easily buy a "naked" laptop nor get components to build 'em so am forced to scrape all the "value added software" whichever manufacturer decides it needs. ARGH. For AV warez I'm now looking to Bit Defender over AVG.

I've had to deal with Win8 a couple times now, integrating it into a Class-C LAN is a pissah. I'm NOT a fan.
 
We've had good luck with Dell buying through the "business" side of their web site. The software loaded is pretty much a la carte and there's no bloatware so speak of - just some Dell-specific stuff that's actually useful. I don't think you have to be a "business" to do this.

As software developers, we've been fortunate that MS has maintained compatibility - pretty much - through several generations of Windows OS's. We haven't been forced to re-write code since XP days unless it's to take advantage of some new capability. Even with all the new interface stuff, the old API's continue to work.
 
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