Making Windows 8 less crappy

[YotaFun]

My apologizes Microsoft Surface:
http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-..._LEARN_surface

[paddlenbike]

OMG, not even close to having a working computer yet. Microsoft updates have been downloading for over 4 hours now and we haven't even started the 8.1 upgrade yet. I see the wife has the return policy documents sitting out. I think there will be a Mac sitting on the desk before Windows finishes updating.

[Good Times]

have you considered just scrapping msft win and going with an alternative os? so many other better options out there been windulz free for a long time and don't miss it at all! lol

[paddlenbike]

have you considered just scrapping msft win and going with an alternative os? so many other better options out there been windulz free for a long time and don't miss it at all! lol

It's Hanna's computer and she is already pissed about putting time into an expensive purchase just to get it working. I don't really have the time to monkey with it and I think it would push her over the top. I totally understand where she's coming from...she got frustrated trying to Christmas shop on her old computer and now we are on day 3 of updates on the new one and it's still not useable. I fully expect to come home and find a new Mac sitting in its place.

Good suggestion, but a non-Windows or Apple OS probably won't work for our needs.

[Good Times]

If you just picked it up at Costco just take it back. It could have been just a bad box perhaps?

As for the non-windulz os, with VMWare you've pretty much opened up many options. I'm running xp just so I can use excel and loving it cuz it's super fast and doesn't hog all of the resources.

could be a life changing decision! haha jk

[paddlenbike]

Well guys, today we threw in the towel on Microsoft and returned the computer. We spent a solid week messing with it and it gave me deja vu of what I went through when I bought a Windows Vista machine. We followed the directions and let Windows update itself, but Windows 8 is so uncommunicative that there was absolutely no status bar to tell you if it was downloading and updating or doing nothing at all. Windows 8.1 won't install until 8 is fully updated, but it offered no feedback on whether that was happening or not, even when we forced it to update. After a week of trying, we're both done with Microsoft. I wish I could have all of the hours back in my life I have spent on my Vista PC and trying to keep my entire family's Windows PCs running.

It's a shame because this computer itself was beautiful. When we returned it to Costco, the lady in the PC returns department said they get a ton of computers returned because of Windows 8. I think Windows 8 is the best advertising Mac could ever hope to have.

[DHC6twinotter]

I take it you all are getting a Mac then? I love the 2012 21.5 iMac my parents have, but I'm a bit disappointed with the newer, redesigned ones.

[paddlenbike]

I take it you all are getting a Mac then? I love the 2012 21.5 iMac my parents have, but I'm a bit disappointed with the newer, redesigned ones.

We aren't sure yet; Hanna hooked back up her old Windows XP machine for now. I think she wants to do more research on the Mac before she buys one. One thing is for sure, she won't buy anything that has Windows 8.

[Good Times]

The best marriage is getting a mac with vmware and installing an old version of windows xp. That's the best for anyone transitioning from win to osx. By having xp running while running osx you can learn the traps on how to use osx (which is actually pretty easy) while you do the bulk of your stuff on xp until you're able to not have to use xp anymore (though if you're using any msft office products you're better off on xp running those applications).

If you're looking for something mobile, I'd recommend the MacBook Air. That's what I use 75% of the time and my MacBook Pro sits idle unless I'm doing some heavy photo editing stuff done.

If you're looking for a desktop, the cheap best bang for your buck would be the Mac Mini. The step up from that is the iMac.

Apple products are significantly more expensive compared to any windows machine but I feel they're better bang for your buck. My MacBook Pro is almost 5 years old and still rocking solid. This new MacBook Air is barely 1.5 yrs old and still works like a charm. I even have a really old MacBook Pro which is 10 years old I believe and that still works! Says something I think.

Sadly during this whole period I've had a bunch of windows machine (more than 3) and I must say they're all dead or gone and the only machines that have stuck around are my macs. Go figure.

Happy hunting!

[paddlenbike]

Hanna's computer is used probably 85%+ for web browsing, 10% light photo editing and 5% MS Word/Excel applications. I was also thinking a Mac Mini connected to her existing 20" LG monitor would be plenty of computer. Best of all, it is less than half the cost of the machine we just returned. And down the road when it's time to upgrade, the Mini would make a great DVR/Multimedia host.

Is "learning" Mac OS really all that difficult when all you do is browse the web and move a few photos around?

Our main goal is to have something less Chevrolet-like and more Toyota-like, i.e. something that works when you turn it on and doesn't spend the first half hour downloading updates.

Thanks for the info Lance.