Here Comes Windows 8

Original Post: 22 September 2013
Posted Here: 30 November 2017

Okay, Windows 8 has been here a while. From what I gather, it's been around long enough that many users are ready for Windows 9. But I've been using Windows 7. My philosophy has always been, "If at first you don't suck seed, try an avocado - it's got a bigger seed." When dealing with computer stuff, this translates to "Don't upgrade without a reason." Well, now, unfortunately, I had a reason: I can't buy a new computer without Windows 8.

I've posted about my use of Poser to create images of scenes from my science fiction stories and novels. Unfortunately, my HP laptop computer has always crashed at random times with a message that my video driver has stopped working, then "recovered." This was annoying, but became maddening when it happened again and again while running Poser. Although the video driver had recovered, Poser had not, and I had to start over. Interminably.

I talked to a local computer repair tech about getting a new video card. He told me that all that could be done was to send the whole computer back to HP. He said that they would probably just send me a reconditioned computer that they took off the shelf. Say "Bye Bye" to all the programs and data on my old computer, which they would eventually recondition and put on the shelf for some other poor soul. So I purchased a new computer - with Windows 8 installed.

While waiting for my new computer to be built somewhere in China and delivered to me, I ordered "Windows 8 - The Missing Manual" by David Pogue (yeah, the same guy you've probably seen on PBS doing those things "in the name of science") so that maybe I'd be clued in on how to work with Windows 8 when it came. I also ordered Laplink's PC Mover software for transferring my moveable software, files, and settings to the new computer.

When my new laptop arrived, I played with it a few days to get the feel for Windows 8. Except for the annoying amplification of the Start Menu (which I've never seen any real need for) into what Pogue called "Tile World", I didn't see much difference from Windows 7. Is "Tile World," which looks like a bunch of smart phone apps, Microsoft's hint that nobody should be using real programs like Poser, Photoshop, or WordPerfect? Or that nobody will be using laptop or tower computers in the near future?

Except for figuring out how to get an Internet connection, I didn't make changes in the computer's settings. I decided to do that after I'd transferred what I could from my old computer. So, after a few days, I took the plunge. I installed Laplink's PCMover onto my "source" and "destination" computers and did the obligatory updates to the software. Then I just followed on-screen directions. PCMover examined my "source" PC and decided which things to label what I called OK, Maybe, and No. I allowed it to transfer the OK and Maybe items. It only took about 11 hours. I got a lot of reading done that day.

The next day I began to learn a bit more about Windows 8. Stay tuned for future developments.

Keep reading/keep writing - Jack