Does anyone use Windows 10?

[debby]

I had to buy a new computer as my old one is giving out on me.  I bought a Dell Inspirion, i-5 processor, 8 gb, 1T.  I am taking it to a computer person Monday to get the stuff off my old one and put it on new one. Yesterday, someone on Facebook stated they had been through h#!! with it and all it's apps.  He didn't state whether or not he went back to Windows 8 or is still using 10.  Did I make a mistake? I'm not super computer savvy, but I figured if you buy a new one, it's either going to be Windows 10 or 8.  Now I'm afraid when I get it home, I will be so confused with it I won't be able to use it.  Is it that bad?  Any thoughts or ideas you have, I'd appreciate it.  Scared to pick up my computer next week!  Thanks in advance.

Debby

[soybean]

Yesterday, someone on Facebook stated they had been through h#!! with it and all it's apps.

Hmm ... well, in my view, that type of reaction to Windows 10 usually indicates a user with vrey little competence.  Granted, I am an experienced user and  usually adapt rather quickly to new versions of Windows.  Anyway, I don't see Windows 8 being available in any brick-and-mortar retail stores now; Windows 10 is on all new systems. 

Microoft Edge, Microsoft's replacement for the older Internet Explorer browser, is significanlty different from Internet Explorer.  I suggest installing Firefox on a new system so that you immediately have an alternative to using Microsoft Edge.   Google Chrome is another option for a browser.

And, search for some Windows 10 tutorials on youtube.  Here's one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZqKyhfD7-E.  I only watched the beginning of it, which was enough to give me a favorable impression.  For more tutorials, just go to youtube.com and enter windows 10 tutorial in the search box.

[strollin]

I believe I have the same laptop you bought, Dell Inspiron 15 5000 (i5 cpu, 8GB RAM, 1TB hdd) with Win 10, typing this post from it.  I've had it about 6 weeks and have not had any issues with it.  I've been using Win 10 for quite a long time though since I started using it when the very first preview was released in Oct 2014.

I doubt you will have problems since your machine came with Windows 10 installed from the factory.  In my experience, those that have issues are those that upgraded to Windows 10 on machines running either Win 7 or Win 8 which is what's referred to as an "in-place" upgrade.  "In-place" Windows upgrades have always been problematic.  Sometimes issues come up because there was an existing unknown  problem with the previous OS installation that got carried forward and magnified during the upgrade.  It could also be due to Win 10 drivers not being compatible with Win 7/8 hardware. Lots of times (but not always) these issues can be fixed by doing a "clean install".  A "clean install" means to format the drive and install the OS on a clean disk.  This method deletes all previouly installed programs and data but is the surest way to get a successful install.

Windows 10 was installed using the "clean install" method at the factory on your laptop so you shouldn't need to worry about it.  In addition, the hardware in your new laptop was designed to run with Windows 10.

In addition to what Soybean recommended, I would like to point out that Win 10 may have other default apps that you may not care for but there is no reason why you can't install different apps and use them instead.  For instance, I don't care for the default mail app in Win 10 so I installed and use Windows Live Mail as my email client.  I use FireFox as my browser instead of the Edge browser and use VLC as my video player instead of the default video player.  I really don't use any of the apps that come with Windows 10 but there might be ones you like.  My point is that you aren't locked into the default apps, you're free to use or not use them as you like.

[debby]

I didn't buy a laptop, I got a desktop which has the same as yours has, Strollin.  You guys have made me feel a little better about it, but I do have a question as to which browser to use. Aren't there a lot of websites that don't support them, only will support IE? And Windows Live Mail sounds more what I would like to use as I am kind of used to that as it is on my husband's laptop.  He has Windows 7, but he's more computer stupid than me. Soybean, I'm not incompetent, just apprehensive. You know, lots of people, me, don't like change, but I'm sure I'll adjust. Thanks for your input!

Debby

[Allan]

I'm a bit confused. Doesn't W10 have BOTH Edge and IE? I have W10 on a couple of systems and they both have Edge and IE.

As for your last question debby, most websites support all major browsers (IE, Firefox, Chrome, Opera). You won't have any problems if you choose one of those.

[soybean]

I'm a bit confused. Doesn't W10 have BOTH Edge and IE? I have W10 on a couple of systems and they both have Edge and IE.

Yes, W10 has IE, although it's not on the taskbar by default, while Edge is on the taskbar by default.  At least, that is what I've seen with W10. 

IE can be found by opening All Apps, navigating down the list to the category of apps starting with W, clicking on Windows Accessories to open it, and then selecting IE from the list.   Alternatively, typing internet explorer, or at least part of the phrase, in the Search box to the right of the Start button will bring up Internet Explorer in the results list; from there, IE can be opened.  And, of course, it can be pinned to the taskbar for quick access. 

[Allan]

Thanks soybean, that's what I thought. Actually I was responding to your post above where you suggested installing Firefox so debby would have an alternative to Edge - but she already has one in IE. Anyway, thanks again for confirming.

[soybean]

Soybean, I'm not incompetent, just apprehensive. You know, lots of people, me, don't like change, but I'm sure I'll adjust. Thanks for your input!

Well, I was referring to the comments you saw on Facebook, not you.  You might encounter some frustration or minor roadblocks in the beginning of your use of W10 but some persistence will get you going fairly quick, I'd bet.  Some persistence with anything new is often the tactic that gets us over the hurdle; and, as I stated in my first reply, helpful info on W10 is readily available on the web.  I have always used a basic cell phone until about 2 months ago when I bought a smart phone with the Android operating system.  I'm new to Android and using a smart phone so I needed to spend some extra time getting familiar with it.  Expecting something new to immediately be comfortable and easy is generally not realistic, which is probably why many people react like those on your Facebook page.   

[debby]

Thanks you guys for the help.  Why can't I just use IE since I'm used to that?  Might help me over the hurdle of Win10.  I'm both excited and a little bit scared of my new venture, but I'm sure I will get it sooner or later.  You may hear a few cuss words in the air where you guys live, don't worry, it's just me!

[Allan]

You CAN use IE and there's no reason not to if you're used to it. And relax, it's just an operating system not a manual on nuclear physics. You'll get used to it very quickly.

[strollin]

Thanks you guys for the help.  Why can't I just use IE since I'm used to that?  Might help me over the hurdle of Win10.  I'm both excited and a little bit scared of my new venture, but I'm sure I will get it sooner or later.  You may hear a few cuss words in the air where you guys live, don't worry, it's just me!

As stated earlier, you can use whichever browser you wish to, you're not locked into the default apps.  You can easily set IE as your default browser by going to Settings->System->Default apps->Web browser and selecting Internet Explorer from the list.

[debby]

Okay - here I am with my new computer and Windows 10 with Edge. Definitely going to take Edge off and put IE on.  I'll do it tomorrow, very tired now, don't feel like doing much with it tonight.  I gotta figure out what is on here.  I took it to a computer shop today and they transferred all my stuff, now I just have to figure out how to use it.  All my pictures were on Windows Photo Gallery and this doesn't support it.  I went to the photos app on this and it doesn't seem like it wants to load my pictures onto it.  But then, that's the thing about being so computer incompetent - I probably can't do that, right?  I'll find out what I can and cannot do as the days progress.  Yeah, I know it's not nuclear physics, but to me all is clear as mud!  Thank you guys!

[Allan]

Utilizing classic shell (http://www.classicshell.net/), the W10 desktop and start menu will be almost identical to W7. If you're more comfortable with the way things used to work, you might want to give classic shell a try.

[debby]

Uh-oh, I think I have a problem.  Somewhere on this computer when I was looking around, I figured out how to get rid of Edge and then I go to IE and download the 11.  But I lost where I was and can't get back there.  How do I get rid of Edge and get IE?
I tried help, that didn't help!!

Debby

[patio]

You dont wanna get rid of edge...go online...then in browser preferences in the tool bar upper right corner set IE as the default browser...then reboot.