Unbiased PC help offered

I hope you get lots of questions, oldkranky that will keep you from boredom, that dreaded affliction for the not-quite-as-young-as-we-used-to-be who were accustomed to being too busy and now are not busy enough.

Meanwhile, are there any more threads that you can read and join in the conversations? Be assured, there is no boredom once you get into Gransnet. There are political arguments to raise your bloodpressure, silly games to lower it again, a moan about the way no-one sends thankyou letters any more, just plain chat and you could even appear in a commercial for Vanish and get £300 Never a dull moment!

Windows 10 is my problem , I don't like it

Oooohhhhh I have a question.

I have a partitioned hard drive on my lap top and it's almost full . I think every time I install something it's kind of backed up there.

My laptop is running like an old three legged dog .... What can I do...can I access the partitioned drive and clean it up?

Or does my 3 legged dog have me barking up the wrong tree lolx

Any thoughts about Windows 10 would be interesting - OH has it on his laptop, but I do not, as I run some excellent but old items of photography software and do not want to run into problems with them.

Please note. i cannot be held responsible for you not reading the instuctions carefully before using progs i suggest - so there.
I will try to answer everybodies questions in order of reciept. Please bear in mind that not knowing your level of computing knowledge makes it difficult
not to imply a lack of savvy on your part, no offence is intended or implied
when i reply at a lower level than you need. Here goes!

NanaandGrampy - Before you consider removing files adhock! try a disk cleaning program to clear swap files - junk files etc. All windows o/s have them built in - by far the easiest way is to use a freeware cleaner like
ccleaner (read instructions) Also note this prog will delete cookies and internet histories if you let it. There are others this is the one i use.
As a rule of thumb you should leave at least 10% of your drive/partition
for windows to use as a swap file. Uninstall unwanted films and prog also back up to dvd files and pics you want to save. Sorry not enough room in this box to go into greater detail. Repost if this does not help.

Luckygirl

Windows 10 does NOT like older software/hardware I should avoid if at all possible. Me I hate it. I cannot tell you how intrusive it is of your data, browsing and emails. Its just as bad as Google and social media.
But any way be sure to regulary back-up to DVD all your pics etc.

Thanks for your thoughts

Thanks - Ive used ccleaner but not really had the effect I'd hoped for. It's very difficult here but I really do appreciate your advice . I'll have another look at it :-))

oldkranky hello!
A friend installed Picasa 3 for my photos, but I don't get on with it at all well. Can you suggest a new programme which is not so 'fragile' (jumps around a lot!)? I may have a new computer in the NY and would not want to lose the photos - or would it be better just to download them onto discs?

Thanks for those comments - rather what I had thought!

Thanks oldkranky that answers my concerns about Windows 10.

NanandGrampy Sorry ccleaner did not work for you. It is very hard to reply to questions at a distance without knowing the specs of the machine - o/s
ram size and details of hard drive partitioning. The only thing i can say is to
take a hard look at what you have stored on your drive and delete/backup all unused files and progs. Have you considered backing up all your data then reinstalling windows as windows does grow after a year or so. A fresh install often works wonders. Hope this helps.

rosequartz hi it is always a good idea to copy all valued pics and data on a
regular basis. Dvd or usb stick - you never know what will happen. there are plenty of free picture editors about. Google for them. which one you use is down to personal preference. Look at Gimp - serif also do a cut down one of their top editors. Happy Photoshopping.

Good Morning All - Info for all
Although I advocate the use of shareware, of which is 99% useful and helpful, be aware. Most, if not all, shareware is funded by ads. So, when installing, read each install page carefully and do not just click "install" willy-nilly. Most installs will ask to install extras, just decline them, and carry on. You can check/remove these browser add-ons/ads etc by going to control panel>programs and features to see what is installed. Right click to un-install unwanted progs/add-ons. Be sure to check that you dont want it before removing. The easiest thing is not to accept them in the first place.
Please make a habit of de-cluttering/backing up at least once a week.
By the way, how many of you copy a pic to another place, before editing the pic.

I def think that's the way forward oldkranky !! I'll let you know how it goes :-))

I am running 8.0 - is there any reason why I should download 8.1? - any advantages? - would it also mess up my use of old software?

May I ask a question about my Samsung galaxy tablet?
A few weeks ago I had the warning icon saying I was running out of storage so I cleared the cache, uninstalled all unnecessary stuff and installed an sd card.
Things are much better but I wonder if you can tell me why some apps-eg iplayer- do transfer to the sd card while others won't. Only a tiny bit of storage is used on the card but I'd be happy to shift more over to it if I could.
If you can't help, never mind, but it's lovely that you've offered to share your expertise.
Thank you and best wishes now and for 2016.

Thankyou oldkranky I will get one of those USB sticks and look for another programme when if I get a new pc

Hi Luckygirl - yes windows 8.1 is worth the upgrade. It is the O/S I use myself. NB i also use classic menu - this is a free replacement for the tiled/apps orientatad theme of 8.0 and 8.1. I gives you a choice of the XP Win7 start menu's. Google for the site and have a look.

Mcem I have a samsung galaxy tablet myself - mainly used for epub/book reading and bbc news in the morning. am very conversant with the android system but do know that not all apps will install to the sd card. What i have done in the past is to go to settings/app management and have had the option there to transfer files to the sd card. There is an Android for Dummies book available that will probably help - There are a lot of android forums up on the net - free to look at and search. Have just googled - "transfer files to sd card android" - and there are a lot of answers up there.
Sorry cannot help more - not really my area.

mcem - oops should read NOT very up on the android system - do you realise that the galaxy syncs nicely with a PC using the supplied charging cable into the usb port. This gives you the option to edit the tablet and sd card files. Be very wary though ! i put my books on and off this way and you can also transfer pics to the PC. I would suggest being very careful when in the main system storage area.

Hi Oldranky

Just seen your post, I did put this question on the tech forum , maybe you can help me.
My mum is 91 and partially sighted.
She had an iPad which she was not to happy with, can you suggest a touch screen tablet for her, she just wants to look at videos and photos and play music.

Many thanks
Junie

Hi oldkranky had fitbit for Xmas. Don't how to use it. No insructios just go on to website but still don't understand. Had to Use DH laptop. I use Blackberry torch not surei f it will work with it. Any info that is easy to understand would be much appreciated I have no tech know how.

Hello oldkranky, probably a real techno numpty question, but my Hudl sometimes tells me I have accumulated x% of disposable data.

How do I get rid of it?