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Windows 8 for my father in law

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DennisCTB
Join Date: Nov 1998
Posts: 2707 NorthWest NJ
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2013-04-18          186758

My father in law wants me to order him a new all in one computer with Windows 8.

I have been his support person for the last couple of years, since my sister in law gave him an old laptop. When he was on Windows 7 he got into lots of trouble, confused over the simplest stuff, endlessly getting severe virus infections, even with antivirus on the laptop. His only uses are the Browser and printer, uses no office type apps. Probably a candidate for a Chromebook but he wants a big screen and a regular keyboard.

So 2.5 years ago his machine was corrupted beyond hope, so I installed Linux Mint on his laptop, set it so on startup it would start the Firefox browser. Put some tabs in the browser for his favorites. He has had zero virus problems in that time. Only bizarre user errors like the night he called me and left a message saying "he needed me to get the Meat Loaf off his computer". Which meant he had looked up a recipe for Meat Loaf, and had somehow hidden the favorite tabs I had set up for Gmail, NYT, WSJ, Weather ....etc.

So he is after me to order him a new touch screen all in one with 23 inch screen.

I am reluctant to put him on Windows 8 or 7 as I have never used Win 8 myself other than in a store, and Win 7 was a disaster.

Does anyone have experience with an Octogenerian and Windows 8?





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Windows 8 for my father in law

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2013-04-18          186759

Windows 8? No, an octogenarian with very limited computer skills and prone to mess stuff up? Ohhhhh Yeah. Big time!!

Except for the 23" screen part, I solved almost exactly the same problem for my folks.

An iPad. Point and shoot, period, no mucking about, everything just a finger poke away. It is everything in one, email, news, TV, GPS & back up camera in their motorhome, even their telephone back to Canada when they're in Florida for the winter or elsewhere wandering the continent.


Best of luck. ....

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Windows 8 for my father in law

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DennisCTB
Join Date: Nov 1998
Posts: 2707 NorthWest NJ
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2013-04-18          186762

His eyes glaze over when I have shown him smartphones or tablets etc....

He wants the big screen, wireless keyboard and mouse ( because he brings the whole thing to me when he messes up, and then he gets confused plugging in the mouse, keyboard, printer, and network......

Only blessing of a touch screen for that set up is that when the batteries go on the mouse and the keyboard he could touch the screen to make things work :)

Maybe the best thing to do would be to get him a non touch all in one and put Linux Mint on it just like he has now :(

Dennis ....

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Windows 8 for my father in law

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2013-04-18          186763

I had the same problem, my Father in particular didn't like the touch-screen.

My answer to the arguement worked, SIRI. No typing of any kind required. He likes that a lot.

The small screen was a bit of an issue, however they caught on to the zoom in minutes. You can zoom a 7" x 9" screen up to the equivalent of a screen a lot bigger than 23".


Best of luck. ....

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Windows 8 for my father in law

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DennisCTB
Join Date: Nov 1998
Posts: 2707 NorthWest NJ
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2013-04-22          186790

My father in law is much like Arthur (Jerry Stiller) from "King of Queens".

What would be best for me would be a Google Chromebox, but he loves to print and his printer is not network capable and I think cloud print would be confusing to him.

But boy would that be the best for me, he only uses the browser anyway, no viruses, no software upgrade ....

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Windows 8 for my father in law

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taogden
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 81 United States
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2013-04-22          186792

Quote:
Originally Posted by DennisCTB | view 186790
My father in law is much like Arthur (Jerry Stiller) from "King of Queens".What would be best for me would be a Google Chromebox, but he loves to print and his printer is not network capable and I think cloud print would be confusing to him.But boy would that be the best for me, he only uses the browser anyway, no viruses, no software upgrade

Dennis, Epson makes a network printer for under a hundred and it works great, simple just select print, can also scan/copy and fax. might be more than you wanted, but it is all transparent to the user unless initiated from the printer. ....

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Windows 8 for my father in law

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DennisCTB
Join Date: Nov 1998
Posts: 2707 NorthWest NJ
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2013-04-22          186793

Continuing on with the Arthur King of Queens parallel. My father in law had me get him an inkjet printer, he did not like it because the ink was too expensive. So he gave it to my kids and told me to get him a laser printer so that he could print more cheaply.

Now the reason he needs to print is he likes to print out articles for people he knows to read, which is not necessary as they could read it online but that is another story. And no one really reads the voluminous articles he prints usually about diseases and homeopathic cures for terminal cancer, politics, etc....

I told him a good laser printer is much more expensive than an inkjet if he just curb his printing habit. Within the budget he provided the only printer that met his limits was a Samsung SCX4623F laser. Well I got it and it totally confused him on how to operate it.

He got on his Selectric type writer and as is his habit when he does not have the knowledge to operate tech stuff, he writes a complaint letter to the CEO of Samsung saying he does not have a manual but only a CD, so Samsung prints out the manual and mails it to him.

Then he brings me the printer and the 500+ pages of the manual and asks me how to do something with the printer.

I tell him I don't need the manual, press one button problem solved!

:(



....

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Windows 8 for my father in law

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taogden
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 81 United States
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2013-04-22          186796

Dennis, hahhahahaha, your father in law sounds like my wife. ....

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Windows 8 for my father in law

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DennisCTB
Join Date: Nov 1998
Posts: 2707 NorthWest NJ
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2013-05-10          186906

I got him a HP Touchsmart all in one desktop 20 inch screen. I left Windows 8 on it but got the Classic shell, set it up to auto load chrome, also added Chrome Remote Desktop.

He has been itching to pack the system up and carry it to my house for when he miss steps. So far I have been able to do support remotely with Chrome Remote Desktop.

Also since I have him on Chrome with a login to his account I can add bookmarks for him remotely, which is one of the key things he asks me to do, gotta love him !!!

So far so good, or he is so confused he may not know what to ask me ha ha ha LOL ....

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