Always Searching . . .

1. I miss, miss, miss the desktop.  Tiles might work fine for tablets and touch screens, but they create frustration for mouse and keyboard users.

2. I miss, miss, miss the start menu.  From its most functional search, to quick access to docs, pics, and control panel.  I missed it so much I installed an program which gave me the desktop and start menu back: Classic Shell.  I may try others sometime and see which is the best.

3. Games are gone.  I checked my games folder and nothing’s there.  When I am extremely tired, I like to play mindless games.  I found games through the tiles but had to login with my Microsoft user ID before I could install something as simple as solitaire.  My old previously downloaded games from other sources work fine, but they are not in the games folder, either. 

4. Gadgets are gone.  Yes, I know they had to go because they were prey for hackers.  But I kept them because I like to live on the edge.  No, I kept them because they were useful.  I like a quick glance at an analog clock.  Yes, I could spend twenty dollars and buy a clock and put it on the wall. . . maybe I will do that.  Meanwhile I downloaded Google Desktop and am using the clock and system monitor.  Now all I need is a weather gadget.

5. Booting is very slow.  Minutes.  Over 5 minutes when I installed some updates yesterday.  2+ minutes normally.  It’s a good thing I don’t often reboot.  Note:  after using it a week, booting is now fast.

6. Windows didn’t offer to show me which updates were installed.  Yes, I can find it.  But a quick click after booting in Windows 7 showed me any potentially problematic updates right away.

7. When I click Devices on the Right Side Menu, it doesn’t show devices and printers as it did in Windows 7.  It seems to only deal with projectors.  Completely useless.

8. Sounds.  I liked the default sounds in Windows 7.  Windows 8 sounds are so gentle that I may miss email and appointments.  I can modify the sound scheme, but none of the other themes has a sound for appointment notifications.

9. Sorry, I’ve run out of reasons.  Can you supply two more?

Read Users' Comments (1)comments

First, the good:

1. My computer is more responsive
2. Programs open quickly and close quickly
3. The disk packaging is well-designed. 
4. The product key is business card size
5. The product key is printed black on white
6. The disks are clearly labeled as 32 bit or 64 bit
7. My programs all seem to work
8. My programs work better than they did under Windows 7
9. Add-ins to programs work except for QuickBooks Contact Sync
10. My hardware was all discovered and installed except for an HP printer.  It took me 3 tries to install it.

Read Users' Comments (2)

I installed Windows 8 upgrade today.  Went like clockwork, a very slow and uncommunicative clock, that is.  There were many times when it said “please wait” with no indication of how long.  When it finally did install, I tried to like the metro interface, but failed.  I wanted my Windows Start Button back with easy access to the control panel. I wanted my desktop back.  I was able to finally see my desktop but Windows I would not automatically go there at startup.  I found the solution for the missing Start Button and my desktop:  Start Menu 8.  Start Menu 8 lets you bypass the metro interface and go directly to your desktop.  And it gives you a start menu with quick links for frequently used programs and the usual Documents, Pictures, Music, etc.  So if you now have windows 8 and you miss the Start Menu and desktop download Start Menu 8. 

AN UPDATE:  While it worked well, it also disabled my left arrow button.  Now I am trying Classic Shell.  It is working very well.  I’ll let you know if there are any more updates.

Read Users' Comments (1)comments

Check your temperature: Computers can suddenly shut down for many reasons, but the most common is over heating. Even in winter a computer may overheat if it's fans are not working well or it's air intakes are blocked.  If you hear an unusual noise, sometimes pulsing from your computer, it may be the sound of fan bearings going bad.  Those fans should be replaced immediately.  A computer can also overheat when its air intakes are clogged by dust, lint, pet hair, or other soft substances.  Find those vents and wipe them with a Swiffer cloth or damp towel when the computer is turned off.  Using a vac may make a fan rotate in reverse and damage it.  So stick to cloths and give your computer a wipe down from time to time.

Read Users' Comments (6)

Read Users' Comments (0)

How much will it cost?

Getting started with Windows 8.

Microsoft's next operating system will be released by the end of this month.  How much will it cost?  If you purchase a new computer, it will come preloaded as it has in the past.  If you purchased a new computer running Windows 7 after June 2, then you have the opportunity to get a cheap upgrade.  How cheap?  $14.99.  But you must follow the instructions on this website:  If you are like the rest of us, running an older computer with Windows 7, Vista, or XP, you are in luck.  For the low price of $39.99 Microsoft is extending the offer of a Windows 8 Pro upgrade but only if you follow the instructions on this website.and only if you complete the transaction by January 31, so don't delay.

Read Users' Comments (0)

That seemed to be the substance of the Presidential Debate.  And that is a good question which I will try to answer in a round-about way.

I have been in several churches in my life.  They have ranged in governing philosophy from putting walls around activities that lead to harm to a strategy of giving us information and allowing us to make the decision. In other words from Puritan to . . . well whatever is the opposite.

The church I am in right now falls in the latter category.  The leaders and pastors are there to enable the congregation in doing the work of ministry.  How it works out is not setting out a list of rules or avoidances, but learning to listen to God as he speaks through scripture, through others, and through His Spirit. 

This is both an easier and more difficult way to live.  If I am given rules, I don’t have to think, don’t have to worry, don’t have to wrestle.  I need only obey.  Without rules, I have to think and wrestle with decisions which is better for me.

So how does that relate to government?  Like the church I am in, it works better if it enables the citizens to function freely .  .  . by getting out of the way.  Government does some things well: provides defense and security, maintains communication and roads, and carries on relationships with other governments.  But running a business is something that a government cannot do well.  Government functions best when it is inefficient.  Businesses must be efficient.  Inefficiency is good for government and bad for business.  Our founders knew that when they created an inefficient Tri-cameral body:  Executive, Legislative, and Judicial.  When government moves slowly, it moves best.

Business is different.  Business must have a leader, a decision-maker who can make business decisions on the fly.  Businesses have to take risks.  Business cannot function like a government or it will fail.  Government cannot run a profitable business—it can’t seem to run itself without incurring massive debt.  And an unprofitable debt-ridden business is no business at all. 

Government can help grow business best when it stays out of the way and lets business people run businesses. 

Wall image By Wenkbrauwalbatros (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

Read Users' Comments (6)