Please help! I hate Windows 8! Can I get Windows 7?

groisamomma

Mon, Nov 11 2013, 8:56 am

Thank you everyone for your input. I keep coming back here to get your ideas, so keep them coming. So far 8.1 is out but I'm not sure I want to pay someone over $100 for Windows 7 if I still have 13 days to return the computer. If I end up keeping it, I will make all these changes mentioned here.

kiwi strawberry

Sun, Jan 26 2014, 2:00 am

Groisamomma, did you end up returning your computer? I just got windows 8 and don't like it for many of the same reasons you mentioned here (I know this thread is a few months old) but I'm wondering in particular about Microsoft Office. Did you use word or excel or anything? How did you do that? It doesn't come with it. I'm trying to get Office Starter.

bnm

Sun, Jan 26 2014, 11:38 am

ugh. also got windows 8. it keeps telling me I'm using lots of ram but I have no clue how to shut all the other programs. I really need to do some googling but I think I'll do it on my old computer with Windows Vista on it with the laptop next to me so I can follow directions without keeping on switching screens. I don't think I ever complained about a Windows edition like this one and I still remember when '95 came out. I went through 95, 98, ME, Vista, 7 and the stuff before that. 8 is just really dumbed down. maybe for a tablet its good but you can't have one operating system work well on phones tablets and computers... somewhere it gotta give.

bnm

Sun, Jan 26 2014, 11:48 am

I don't use anything on this thing besides for Firefox and Chrome. I have to install the printer then decide if I want office or I'll just use Google Drive. I uploaded my camera photos and know how to access them but don't know how to close the Picture folder afterwards. I am NOT computer illiterate, in fact at one job I was hired to learn the programs and teach it further and they where all shocked when I did it in one day. then they threw a different program at me that stopped functioning and I figured out why and contacted the company to fix it. I also worked with Windows and Mac concurrently and never had issues like Windows 8. I also don't have as much time to sit and patchke these days with 2 kids and a house to take care of.....

bnm

Sun, Jan 26 2014, 11:52 am

oh and I need to install Photoshop suite, I hope it works with 8. if not I'm going to get mad. I don't want to use Photoshop Cloud.

kiwi strawberry

Sun, Jan 26 2014, 9:18 pm

I hear you, bnm! If you get office you mean you'd get the full version? I just want my plain old office starter back... Sad

yo'ma

Tue, Feb 25 2014, 3:33 pm

I know it's an old thread, but while trying to do something on the $%^%@@$% computer, I decided to comment here, at least yours is in english!!! I already started a thread on how to change it, but didn't check it out yet. Oh, and my ds helped me figure out how to do what I wanted embarrassed

bnm

Tue, Feb 25 2014, 5:05 pm

I'm still getting used to this. I was told if your not getting touch screen you shouldn't bother with 8... if I would have known that BEFORE I bought the laptop would have been nice

FancyPansy

Fri, Apr 11 2014, 2:40 am

Windows 8.1 doesn't sound much better - I know some people who upgraded to 8.1 and can't even get a simple Word document to work.

I went to a computer place and asked if they could remove the Windows 8 and put in Windows 7, they said yes.
I also asked if they could take Windows XP and replace it with Windows 7, they said yes but since the XP computer is older it would need a new (bigger) hard drive the price was about $300. for a new hard drive and Windows 7.

ElTam

Fri, Apr 11 2014, 2:57 am

There's a piece of software that makes 8 work a little more like 7 or XP. http://www.classicshell.net/

My kids' computer is Windows 8. Wretched. When my computer dies, unless Microsoft has wildly upgraded Windows 8 (Windows 8.1 doesn't even scratch the surface), I will be switching to a Mac.

seeker

Fri, Apr 11 2014, 3:09 am

I don't hate Windows 8, but I haven't used it much yet (it's on DH's computer). I can see how it would be a little annoying with no touch screen, but doesn't seem like a deal-breaker to me, I haven't noticed much that couldn't be done with a mouse (the shticky swiping movements would be an issue, but there must be some mouse alternative, no?). We do spend the majority of the time in the display mode that looks like the old fashioned desktop, works fine, you can access all the programs that way AFAIK and never need to leave that mode.

Unless there is something really special about your old XP computer that you love, it probably pays to just get a new one. There are decent ones that can be bought for not much more than $300 especially if you shop around deals and refurbs, and then you'll have all the components more up-to-date.