Vocal Voices

... like an iPad/MAC OS X!

The experiences of a computer volunteer.

Earlier this year I joined club for older members of the community and offered help with their computing needs.

So far I have come across:
XP = brilliant.
Vista = why?
W7 = brilliant.
W8/8.1 = stay away!
W10 = The jury is out.
iPad, Mac IOS 10.x = Ever so easy!

I have never owned an Apple anything, and probably never will, so going to people with iPads was a bit scary. I had never come across it in anger, as such, but it is so easy to learn - everything is the same, no matter which app or device you are using, so my fears were unfounded. It is one of those "do this and this happens, do the other and 'this' still happens" systems. I do not like the 'app' side of things because I prefer proper programs, but I do like the way things work.

W10, on the other hand, cannot make its mind up. It is a mish-mash of apps and programs, and a sort of mobile come desktop/laptop system. a Jack of all trades. The front end is still a mess - unless you spend time sorting it out to suit your needs - yet the back end still has the familiar Vista/W7 interface working on different architecture. I am getting to like it, even though I desperately wanted to hate it, and my next upgrade will probably be to W10, but not the 'out-of-the-box' version. It will need some work doing on it.

In times past, when W95 became defunct, I went straight to XP. I made XP work like '95 before accepting its new look. From XP I skipped Vista and went to W7 and then made it work like XP, before accepting its new look and working with it as W7. With W10 I won't bother trying to make it look and work like W7 I will just accept it 'as-is' but with a few of my own tweaks.

So there you have it - the thoughts of a Nerdy Gurdy. I will probably go W10, but in the meantime I am going to try to get MAC OS X running in a virtual machine so that I can have a play. I quite like it.

Jen has had a Mac for ever, and she loves it, always has. I have an iPhone 5S, and if I had a Mac, everything including pics and music would also be on there as well as the phone. But I haven't and the cost of a new Mac is prohibitive!

So I'll have to remain with a Windows laptop when I eventually replace/upgrade this one.

Ah, now you see, this photo thing is what I did just the other day and it was so easy.

Unhook the iPhone charging lead from the plug that goes in the mains and keep it nearby.
Turn on the lappy and open My Computer - Computer - Windows Explorer - File Manager - File Explorer or whatever they are calling it today.
Turn on the iPhone and have it unlocked so that it is in working mode.
Plug the charging lead into the iPhone
Plug the other end in the lappy.

Windows will detect your iPhone as an external device and will pop-up the AutoPlay menu - pick Import Pictures. In the next new pop-up tag the pictures with a folder name then pick Import.

Your photos will automatically be in the Pictures library when upload completes.

That was i5 to W7.

I also understand that it can be done from the Photos app on the phone or pad and allowing the lappy to access Photos. Not sure how it is done but if my recent experience is anything to go by it will likely be as simple a pressing the Import icon/area in Photos and following the instructions.

Go play.

I have had a new computer, a Lenova C2000, Type FOBB, with Windows 10, for a couple
of months now, and have surprised Mrs A, and myself, as to how well I have got used to
it. I still have a Lenova laptop, but rarely use it now, as I much prefer the bigger screen,
and don't care much for dabbling about on a touch screen.

AliasAggers wrote:I have had a new computer, a Lenova C2000, Type FOBB, with Windows 10, for a couple
of months now, and have surprised Mrs A, and myself, as to how well I have got used to
it.

Once you start playing with it and get your head around the new way of things being presented it is not that bad.

I think we're going to have to replace our pc
It's windows vista, so must be quite old, they only did vista from 2007-2009 apparently. But it does have the lovely added memory that Suff so kindly sent me.

Vista can't upgrade to windows 10, plus now Firefox is telling me it's ending on vista too.
Beginning to think there's no alternative.

We only have macs and i things.

I'm amazed Suff hasnt been on here yet, spitting feathers, a Mac lover he is not

Diflower wrote:I think we're going to have to replace our pc
It's windows vista, so must be quite old, they only did vista from 2007-2009 apparently. But it does have the lovely added memory that Suff so kindly sent me.

Vista can't upgrade to windows 10, plus now Firefox is telling me it's ending on vista too.
Beginning to think there's no alternative.

I helped a couple transfer some files from their Vista laptop to a new W10 one.

They had looked into selling the Vista one, but by the time they had got someone in to do a clean install of Vista and some of the software they had bought - MS Office, PDF X-change etc., they would have been out of pocket.

I am going to do it as part of my voluntary work and they are then going to give it to the church to donate to a bright pupil of a poorer family for their school work.

miasmum wrote:We only have macs and i things.

I'm amazed Suff hasnt been on here yet, spitting feathers, a Mac lover he is not

Nor me! But I do like the way they have cleaned up the operating system.

Errm so you agree I should get a new one?
I don't want 'some files' transferring to a new one, I want all of them

Was intending getting our computer guy to do it, not me.
Take in old pc, buy new one, let him do it, yes?

Di, there will come a time when Vista machines come to the end of life... as with all things. How far into the future that will be is anyone's guess, so, yes, I would consider a change. Mine is W7 and I am going to give it two more years max.

Re the files, the way you describe is as good as any.

If it was me I would get a usb/SATA caddy and drop the Vista HDD in there then put a £10 120GB drive in the Vista machine and reload Vista.

I would then try any and every tactic to try to sell it for more then the drive I had just put in.