Listening to the Voices in My Head

6th time was the charm! Well, Windows Media Center is working on my Windows 8.1 Pro laptop. Currently scanning the laptops' harddrive for errors to see if that fixes the slow to start/login problem.

Still no word as to whether or not I can get a Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Center ISO/installation disc.

And no, not upgrading to Windows 10 on this laptop, as Microsoft and AMD stopped Point Five of a version of supporting my graphics card. I tried Win10 and it took over 5 hours to fix it.. well, roll it back to Windows 8.1.

Ok, annoyances in no particular order:

1: No matter if it's listed in the start up, certain programs/utilities need to be started by me.

2: Windows 8 isn't 'remembering' Wacom tablet settings. I keep selecting "Keep to Monitor One" but after I'm done using whatever program I was using it with is closed, the tablet spans both monitor again.

3: No matter what tips/tricks/hacks, I can't get Windows 8 native wall paper slide show options to work right. Had to get 3rd party program to do it.

4: The "Show Desktop" button on the right side of the task bar is so small, that when I try to 'Show desktop" those annoying charms show up instead. No hack/trick/tweak would change this, so yet again, another 3rd party utility.


*sigh*

and being someone who wants to control her computer and its' OS, not having the OS control her, I might just tough it out with Windows 8.

Why? My hosts file is edited/customized, to stop spam and other ads. Also, after installation and activation, there is NO reason for my software to 'call home' every time I start it. I prefer to manually check for updates, because updates aren't always a good thing. Alan told me that Windows 10 has it rigged that even if you have an edited hosts file, it has a DLL, and if the address you are blocking is in it, guess what? You have no choice, it will call home.

Updates whether you want them or not. Even if you keep your computer off the net, if any of the other home computers are connected peer to peer with yours, it will update that way.

Now, if I did that to someone's computer, I would be in deep shit, but since this garbage is in Microsofts EULA, that huge fucking file that you have to have business and legal degrees to not fall asleep reading it or to understand it. How many of us actually read them from stem to stern?

And then there's Windows Media Center. Yes, I know about PLEX, but I don't need something that big. It's only for watching TV on the computer with a USB stick receiver. There is Media Portal, and it's not bad. I can understand them not adding it to their latest and greatest, but disabling the one I had to PAY for because someone at MS managed to 'lose' my freebie serial number.

And I was seriously thinking about upgrading my Win8 laptop, but after that conversation, I am going to put it off for a while longer.

Someone just got a new computer, and it has Win8 on it. Well, that horrid Metro Screen and other issue with Win8 were really annoying her but she didn't know how to fix it.

I popped her off a message, and then spent about 2hrs (I offered, not complaining, just showing how thorough I was) getting her up and going, annoyances abated, start button and menu back, unnecessary apps shut down.

Time to take my tech support hat off, take my contacts out, grab a good book, and get ready for some me time. After "Galaxy Quest" is over. :D

Got the last of the known Win7/Win8 compatibility problems resolved. More like irksome quirks than true compatibility problems. (ie having to select to run things as Administrator in Win8, which I didn't have to do in Win7). I know Microsoft thinks they're making things 'dummy proof', but all it does is annoy those of us who know what to and not to do.

Still can't update the graphics drivers to the 'official' Sony driver. Had to use AMD Beta version. Hey, it works just fine.

Next thing, I have to recalibrate the screen. It's too 'bluish'.