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A gnashing of teeth

(68 Posts)
BradfordLass72 Sun 08-Sep-19 09:02:21

My son installed Win 10 on a new computer yesterday.
It replaces the now unsupported Win 7 I've stubbornly clung to longer than I should.
So now I am learning how to cope with a new platform and it is driving me MAD.
Nothing responds as it should.
All the easy things which made life better on Win7 have gone and worst of all, I can't enlarge some of the tiny text on drop-down menus.
I have consulted the tech sites and they say it can't be done on Win 10.
My printer decided it didn't like Win10 any more than I did and spit the dummy.
Picasa is defunt so I can't edit pictures as I used to.
I have spent every bit of the day 7am-8pm with a very few breaks to go have a scream cuppa and I'm ready to relax with an audio book.

My nipple covers are no comfort.....

Revis Sun 08-Sep-19 11:59:30

Picasa is no longer available so I swapped to Google photos which seems to work well but not so easy to edit photos. Albums good so I've stopped making physical photo books now. Saves a lot of time

Luckygirl Sun 08-Sep-19 12:02:07

I agree - it isn't great. But I am getting used to it.

Mealybug Sun 08-Sep-19 12:33:10

If you look in the top right hand corner of your screen you will see three dots, click on that, then settings and some options will come up. One of them enables you to change the font size. Don't be scared of it, just experiment.

oldgaijin Sun 08-Sep-19 13:19:43

Windows 10 for Dummies for Seniors is a good investment.
I, too, loathe Windows 10 with a passion...90% of the stuff to make life easier is never used. Try gin/whisky/vodka/rum...drink enough and you won't care.

Magrithea Sun 08-Sep-19 13:36:26

To enlarge the screen (which might help with tiny writing) hold the Ctrl key and hit the + key. To reduce again hit the - key while holding down Ctrl

Megs36 Sun 08-Sep-19 13:40:25

Bring back XP......

nanamac77 Sun 08-Sep-19 13:46:56

I changed from Windows Vista to Windows 10 and though it was not intuitively easy at the start I'm now perfectly happy with it. I found the book 'Windows 10 for Dummies' really helpful too. And I may be talking through my hat but I think it pays to allow automatic Windows updates.

Kartush Sun 08-Sep-19 14:07:36

Windows 10 is fine honestly, I have been through every windows version since 3.1 and 10 is no better or worse than any of the others, the problems seem to arise if you upgrade your current version of windows to 10 rather than start with a clean installation. Yes it does have a few different ways of storing and sorting data but nothing too horrendous. Also yes there are a lot of programmes that no longer run under 10 unfortunately.

grandtanteJE65 Sun 08-Sep-19 14:13:12

My problem is that I used the free update to Windows 10.

As far as I can see it installed itself but did not remove Windows 7.

I can live with that but does anyone know how to get rid of the adverts for a Premium version of Microsoft Solitaire that keep interrupting when I play Patience?

Bellocchild Sun 08-Sep-19 14:37:33

We had to have a new hard drive after updating from 7 to 10. Something different in the way it handled storage left PC terminally bewildered. We are also cross that you now have to pay an annual fee for MS Office. Soon mounts up.

jocork Sun 08-Sep-19 14:46:37

I used to do things on XP which I've not been able to do now for years. I've heard lots of people had problems with moving to W10 but my current laptop is W10 and I seem to manage most things except the old XP features which I lost with W7. I do find it annoying when things update and look completely different but I usually work it out in the end. I suffered after an update while I was away this summer and using a free wifi. I was blaming the wifi provider but got home to find it was probably due to an update as chrome has been dodgy ever since. It works most of the time but seems to go unresponsive much more often than before and everything looks different. I'd still happily go back to my old laptop but I accidentally broke the screen and had to replace it immediately as at the time I had no smart phone so couldn't survive without it for the time it would have taken to repair it. Perhaps I should get it repaired now and keep it as a back up!

nipsmum Sun 08-Sep-19 15:04:26

I am so sorry for you Bradford Lass.I had to get a new computer recently . My son in law has done everything so that i can use it and if i cant my daughter and SIL live a few minutes away and come down and help me or do it for me. I am not in the least computer literate and manage most of what i require on it and a small tablet. My SIL has spent a while this afternoon sorting out apps , passwords and sites that I had lost Access to with my inability to do things and a bad memory.

Elegran Sun 08-Sep-19 15:08:46

" . . there are a lot of programmes that no longer run under 10 unfortunately." In my case NO browsers would work with an updated windows 10 - ones which worked with previous versions of W10 - and one browser had been completely removed from my PC, with not a trace of it remaining.

Jaycee5 Sun 08-Sep-19 15:32:16

I agree with Elegran. Every update introduces a new programme. When I got my new computer I was pleased that I could use Outlook for sending emails but an update put paid to that.
A recent one has frozen some of my keys, particularly the backspace. Apparently it is a common problem but the sites telling you how to correct it are full of warnings about what can happen if you do that. I managed to lose the sound on my old computer so I try to change as little as possible on the system.
Luckily, I found that it only affects Edge and so I am now only using Firefox. I'll give Chrome a try as I don't like to be stuck with one browser, they all have their good and bad points.
Given the amount of money that Microsoft makes, there is no excuse for them introduces upgrades that make things worse and then not sorting them out.

Jaycee5 Sun 08-Sep-19 15:32:45

That should be 'introduces a new problem' not 'new programme'.

Nellie098 Sun 08-Sep-19 15:54:26

Have you changed your preferences via settings? Settings is the 2nd button up when you press the start menu. I suggest you note down what you change and where so anything can be reset if any problems. I am one of the lucky ones who so far has not had a problem with any updates. Don't forget you can still do a system restore if something goes wrong. I use Firefox and Vivaldi search engines and when on a webpage I can make it bigger or smaller by clicking the three line icon at the top right of the page. There is a site called Howtogeek that is worth looking at. There are some good upgrades on all sites going on but it is hard to keep up unless you use programmes all the time.

lovebeigecardigans1955 Sun 08-Sep-19 16:56:24

I share your pain Bradford - my laptop which I bought almost a year ago has Windows 10 and I've never been very keen on it. It was bought to replace the older one which couldn't really limp on any longer. I've almost torn my hair out over it. It's just change for the sake of change - not an improvement.
However, the nice people at the shop are always very helpful with any problems I've had. They never make me feel like an idiot, no matter what.
Could you email your son with your problems? Would he be able to sort them out? Fingers crossed.

Elegran Sun 08-Sep-19 17:04:22

Nelie I tried doing a restore, but it ground to a halt when it came across a Kaspersky Security file that it couldn't access.

BlueBelle Sun 08-Sep-19 17:05:42

I ve been on 10 so long that I ve forgotten what 7 was like I did have problems with 8 I remember and 10 was easy after that

SandraPotter Sun 08-Sep-19 17:36:19

I feel for you! Have just bought a new laptop after my old one died of old age. Frustration of not being able to do everything I used to - especially with a newer version of Word- is driving me to tears, literally.

BlueSapphire Sun 08-Sep-19 18:32:17

Have not had any problems with Windows 10. Am just about to get a new laptop and hoping all goes smoothly. (Old desktop computer was bought in 2007 and has now died on me). DSil has downloaded everything off it and hopefully will install onto new laptop. Luckily have a reserve laptop and Kindle which are still fine, although Kindle doesn't use Windows.

BradfordLass72 Sun 08-Sep-19 20:23:51

Thank you all for the hints and tips. I have to say I've been using computers since the 80's. Long before the Internet there were Bulletin Boards - as no doubt many of you will remember.

In addition, I've run 'Computer Usage for the Over-55s' at our library - so I'm by no means a novice.

I used to be able to repair everything which went wrong with both hardware and software in my computer and for others.

BUT

All the above was done with perfect sight.
Now, when I look at the line, square and cross at the top right of every page, I can't see it.

The text, everywhere is clouded, moving and undulating; there's a very small range of text sizes I can see.
Anything under 11pt and over 16pt is totallt unreadable.
It's a struggle to read anything on Word unless its Bold.

I shall persevere with Win 10 and try some of the other photo editing tools suggested here (thank you flowers
and no doubt I will, eventually get used to it all.

If not, I shall research Linux.

If you want some idea of what late-stage AMD looks like through my eyes, there's a good page here:

www.visionaware.org/info/your-eye-condition/age-related-macular-degeneration-amd/how-does-amd-affect-vision/125

Grandmama Sun 08-Sep-19 20:57:03

Windows 10 drives me mad, too, after being used to Vista. A friend of mine who started her own computer training business when she was made redundant set up Windows 10 for me, she was worth every penny - and I've emailed and rung her several times and she's always ready to help. Updates always change something and make me cross, recently I had to install some software to be able to get the latest updates on Windows 10 - a nightmare. My friend advised and my daughter did it for me. Time and time again my finger catches the left click and the page goes either very large, very small or I get multiple pages on the screen.angry

stillabitfit Sun 08-Sep-19 21:09:28

Bradfordlass I did click on your link. I am very sorry you have got AMD, it must be tough to adapt to. I wish you well, especially with finding some more tailored programmes so you can continue to enjoy online stuff. ⭐?

Pat1949 Sun 08-Sep-19 21:36:33

Just be grateful windows had to dump Windows 8 and 8.1 quite quickly, it was so totally different from windows 7. Users had no end of problems Windows 10 is what replaced it which I found very similar to 7. Firefox worked o.k. Can't stand Bing so that had to go. You can set it up so it's very similar to windows 7. Stick with it you'll conquer it in the end. Btw there's a new Windows due the end of next year.