New computers automatically downloading Win 11

[roamer_1]

@roamer_1

Thanks to the chemo,I am not capable of doing much that requires a lot of thinking and "meat memory".

I'm just going to set fire to this SOB and buy another one.

Also,I am going to make sure next time the damn thing has black keys with white lettering,instead of this damn silver all over crap.

@sneakypete
Nah. go find a back alley pooter tech. Heck, maybe folks down to the VA will know who to go to. I know up here they send folks my way because I am easy on vets.

My flat rate for a rub and reinstall is a hundred bucks. That's taking off your standard data, rubbing it off, reinstalling, fully updated with firefox and a couple other things preinstalled. If you use windows mail or outlook or Thunderbird, your email would be set up too.

But then, you're a vet, so that's 25% off. and if you're gimped up good and proper, your money is no good at all.

I am SURE there is something like that where you are. And it don't hurt a dang thing to ask.

[sneakypete]

sneakypete:
Buy one of the brand-new MacBook Air 13" laptops.
I assure you, it WILL NOT download any version of Windows!

@Fishrrman

Not a chance. It's all I can do to remember how to operate Win10. No way in hell am I voluntarily facing a new op system.

[Smokin Joe]

This might affect me, so I have a hypothetical question.  My main machine bricked so I had to send it to Dell for warranty repair.  Since it's bricked it seem likely they will just send me a whole new machine, probably with W11 preinstalled.  They usually do that if the Mommy Board is dead.

Is there a way to roll it back to Win10?  I like W10 more than W11....

New computers at work have 11, and it is a PITA. Several common operations I perform are now two clicks to get out of the right click menu, and it keeps saving things to "this PC" as a default, instead of someplace specific where I can readily access them.

[Elderberry]

Win 11 won't install on my PC as MS doesn't like my CPU. I picked up a newer one last year, but never installed it. After all I've been satisfied with my machine's performance. I'll just stay with Win10. It's end date of 2025 shouldn't matter. I still have 98 and 7 running on a couple of my machines. And I run 7 on my win10 machine in an Oracle VirtualBox. One of my win10 updates wouldn't install as MS refused to update unless I removed Oracle. Even after I tried to remove all of Oracle, it still refused to install. It took a tech in India almost an hour running remotely to get that update to install. Afterwards I reinstalled Oracle.

[berdie]

@roamer_1

Thanks to the chemo,I am not capable of doing much that requires a lot of thinking and "meat memory".

I'm just going to set fire to this SOB and buy another one.

Also,I am going to make sure next time the damn thing has black keys with white lettering,instead of this damn silver all over crap.

I am always hesitant to post on these technical threads because I'm dumb as dirt about this stuff. But I do read them and occasionally find something I understand.

I just wanted to concur with you @sneakypete that I will never have another silver keyed laptop. They are really modern and sleek looking...and will also cause blindness.

[Kamaji]

I am always hesitant to post on these technical threads because I'm dumb as dirt about this stuff. But I do read them and occasionally find something I understand.

I just wanted to concur with you @sneakypete that I will never have another silver keyed laptop. They are really modern and sleek looking...and will also cause blindness.

I agree that the silver-keyed systems are difficult to see.  I have an HP with silver keys, and they light up in the dark, but it's still not as easy to see them as it would be if they were black keys with white lettering.

[DB]

I have expensive engineering programs that will not run under Windows 11. Microsoft really pisses me off when they do this crap.

[roamer_1]

I just wanted to concur with you @sneakypete that I will never have another silver keyed laptop. They are really modern and sleek looking...and will also cause blindness.

@berdie

A keyboard is just a part. And often times a part used on more than one model of machine... Which sometimes means you can find a black keyboard that will plug in as a replacement... For about 15 bucks or so.

[Kamaji]

@berdie

A keyboard is just a part. And often times a part used on more than one model of machine... Which sometimes means you can find a black keyboard that will plug in as a replacement... For about 15 bucks or so.

Yeah, but the "fun" part is taking the system apart to swap out the keyboard!

[corbe]

I have expensive engineering programs that will not run under Windows 11. Microsoft really pisses me off when they do this crap.

   I did a Lawyer's PC this week.  He had old DOS Based Tax Software that he wanted to keep running so I loaded Win 7 32 bit software on it and his software works fine   @DB

[roamer_1]

I have expensive engineering programs that will not run under Windows 11. Microsoft really pisses me off when they do this crap.

Run a resource sniffer and see what's missing. Often it is a dll that you can take from an older OS and drop in the program's directory... Normally a well designed program will search local and use local over system resources. I would recommend Sysinternal's.

Though often it is the program itself running an OS version check and refusing to run if the version is wrong... to prevent unknown inconsistencies... which really means they get a chance to make you buy it over again, when the only thing they changed is adding the new OS version to the version check. 

[corbe]

  Just plug into any USB port on a Laptop.

[roamer_1]

Yeah, but the "fun" part is taking the system apart to swap out the keyboard!

If you can.. They're gluing them on these days. 

But I have changed laptop KBs so very many times, it really is usually a matter of minutes. Battery and KB... basically every laptop out there needs a battery and KB. And a glidepad now and then.

[berdie]

@berdie

A keyboard is just a part. And often times a part used on more than one model of machine... Which sometimes means you can find a black keyboard that will plug in as a replacement... For about 15 bucks or so.

This is true @roamer_1 . But...if you aren't savvy in the method it is just  that is an overwhelming task.

Fortunately/unfortunately mine died in the day the warranty ran out so it was replaced.

I know you computer savvy folks won't understand, but to me a computer is a tool. I don't need to know how to build a hammer. I just want it to hammer a nail when I need to, lol.

[Kamaji]

Run a resource sniffer and see what's missing. Often it is a dll that you can take from an older OS and drop in the program's directory... Normally a well designed program will search local and use local over system resources. I would recommend Sysinternal's.

Though often it is the program itself running an OS version check and refusing to run if the version is wrong... to prevent unknown inconsistencies... which really means they get a chance to make you buy it over again, when the only thing they changed is adding the new OS version to the version check. 

Sysinternals is the bees' knees!

[roamer_1]

Sysinternals is the bees' knees!

Yeah buddy! Been a fan of Mark Russinovich since Hector was a pup! (ntinternals/Winternals)

 

[Cyber Liberty]

  Just plug into any USB port on a Laptop.

I bought to of these for my Lab. I loved them and sure as shit nobody was going to steal them.

[roamer_1]

This is true @roamer_1 . But...if you aren't savvy in the method it is just  that is an overwhelming task.

Fortunately/unfortunately mine died in the day the warranty ran out so it was replaced.

I know you computer savvy folks won't understand, but to me a computer is a tool. I don't need to know how to build a hammer. I just want it to hammer a nail when I need to, lol.

Oh, I get it alright @berdie ! What you need is to find you a geek of your own... Fellers like me are everywhere. Somebody you know knows somebody. Maybe a friend's grandson... maybe a duffer that's past the working curve (me)... There is someone near you that knows how and can send you in the right direction.

Tossin a whole laptop over a busted keyboard is just a sin. But you would be amazed how many I pick up just like that... Missing a couple keys, and needing a battery. Thirty bucks and a half hour later, it's a running machine again.

[corbe]

This is true @roamer_1 . But...if you aren't savvy in the method it is just  that is an overwhelming task.

Fortunately/unfortunately mine died in the day the warranty ran out so it was replaced.

I know you computer savvy folks won't understand, but to me a computer is a tool. I don't need to know how to build a hammer. I just want it to hammer a nail when I need to, lol.

   We all have our (usually self-imposed) Limitations of patience and what we are willing to spend time on to Learn. 
   I can't bake a cake, but I don't consider myself Stupid.  @berdie

[berdie]

That's what I did! Too bad you don't live closer. But it was more than the keyboard. It was the monitor and wouldn't boot.

He ain't cheap and could be pulling my leg about things. How would I know? I did take the old year old computer with me. I'm not sure what I'm gonna do with it. My brother keeps mumbling something about streaming, lol.

[roamer_1]

That's what I did! Too bad you don't live closer. But it was more than the keyboard. It was the monitor and wouldn't boot.

He ain't cheap and could be pulling my leg about things. How would I know? I did take the old year old computer with me. I'm not sure what I'm gonna do with it. My brother keeps mumbling something about streaming, lol.

@berdie

Well that's a little more complicated... It is troublesome that it all broke at the same time. That indicates something catastrophic. But may still be pretty simple.

If the monitor is salvageable is the hard part, providing the boot issue can be fixed.

If a guy could hook it to an external KB and monitor, and get it running, the next issue is why the monitor doesn't work, because if the monitor is truly busted it would probably cost more to replace than it is worth. At that point it is a boat anchor.

But I have had them come in just like that and just be a matter of wiggling internal connections, so it ain't over till it's over. 

[Cyber Liberty]

I'm a bit of an outlier.  Long ago I decided that while I can battle with the best with a big ol' Desktop unit, laptop hardware is nothing I want to dick around with.  I will venture so far as to add extra RAM to an under-performing unit but that's about it.  Everything is too damned tiny and fragile.

I maintain warranties for laptops.  Yeah, I pay for it but I know I can keep my tools sharp.

[roamer_1]

I'm a bit of an outlier.  Long ago I decided that while I can battle with the best with a big ol' Desktop unit, laptops were nothing I want to dick around with.  I will venture so far as to add extra RAM to an under-performing unit but that's about it.  Everything is too damned tiny and fragile.

I maintain warranties for laptops.  Yeah, I pay for it but I know I can keep my tools sharp.

I am forever on a laptop. Oddly enough, unless I am coding, wherein I tend to prefer my main whip. But otherwise, I enjoy the freedom and comfort a laptop provides... Anything real I am doing is actually happening on a desktop... But I can RDP in from the laptop and run it from elsewhere.... Like out on the porch, or in my big comfy chair... either of which where I would rather be than chained to my damned ol bench.

And in that I find laptops to be terrific and quite durable. even when they hit my service bag (which is not a nice place for a laptop to live), they will usually last a couple years... And considering that they are retired from first position use by the time they are consigned to the service bag, I have probably gotten 2-4 years out of them already, before spending the two remaining years in the bag.

And I like a honkin laptop. Something with above 16 (probably 32g) RAM, and an i7 processor. Not that I ever need anything that big (because my desktops are doing the real churning), but just because they are so dang responsive and can carry an RDP connection along with whatever else I am doing without even a burp.

[DB]

I use a ThinkPad P1 Workstation that I can easily use at the office and home.

[Cyber Liberty]

I use a ThinkPad P1 Workstation that I can easily use at the office and home.

I had one of those when I worked in the R&D lab.  Most people got "standard" Laptops, but mine was a designated "Work Station" with tons of RAM, large SSD and fast everything.  It never taxed my patience.  You could run huge SPICE Models on it. 

(My department developed the parameters for the SPICE.)