I am still struggling with my Laptop

[Piers Bowlan]

Posted by cymaz on 13/12/2020 06:41:34:

Posted by Robert Cracknell on 13/12/2020 00:53:52:

I don't like that organisations can modify my laptop without my knowledge or permission. On three occasions now I have suddenly found Microsoft Edge installed on my Win 10 laptop and set as the default browser.

On two occasions when uninstalling I have been asked for a reason. I replied that I did not want it, request it or authorise it. Nothing changed. On the third occasion I used VERY offensive language in my reply. So far it seems to have worked!!

I’ve used rather spicy language on the feedbacks. Boy does it relieve frustration. Why do these programmers think we know the product as well as they do....or even care. What’s wrong with a word in a box rather than some silly symbols? I ask you!

I don't wish to be controversial but has Erfolg considered buying a Mac? I went over to the 'dark side' over 20 years ago. I would return home from my foreign travels and my first job was to have to sort out my kids laptops that had either frozen or were doing 'weird things', probably as a result of them not keeping their anti-virus software up to date or perhaps them opening scam emails they shouldn't? One day, I was wingeing to my Brother-in-Law about the amount of time I was spending on this activity when he suggested I buy a Mac. I said I didn't know anything about Macs so he said, unless you buy one, you won't. So I did and after that the kids would always fight over the Mac desktop in the study rather than their own pc laptop in their room. Fast forward several years and my kids are grown up, they use PCs in their respective careers but for personal use their laptops are all MacBooks.

I am sure that PCs are infinitely better than they were and I am not claiming that Macs are better than PCs as I don't want this thread degenerating into an angry 'mine is better than yours type diatribe. I personally find Macs user-friendly and generally instinctive to use. Updates are infrequent and generally take a few minutes without the fear that something won't work after, or need reconfiguring. I think Erfolg might enjoy the Mac experience.

Edited By Piers Bowlan on 14/12/2020 11:20:49

[Jon H]

My biggest moan about apple products is the company itself. You cant repair it if it breaks, its designed to break (using software to kill it) after a period of time so you buy another and they are over priced to begin with if you compare the hardware specs of the machines vs a pc.

My girlfriend is in this position now where her old i phone is having its battery killed off by apple. They either want a bunch of money to repair it (only in their repair centre) or she can buy another.

I know no tech company is a saint, but apple really take the biscuit. As for privacy, well, if you think your chromebook is not logging everything you do think again. Google knows all. Apple will be the same.

That said, windows updates do bug me as they always reset my sound configuration and its really annoying.

My solution is to set my connection to a metered connection and tell it not to download updates over metered connections. After a while it will moan at me that i am out of date so i tell it to do one big update instead of 20 small ones. Then i can quickly reset my stuff and forget it for a while longer.

[J D 8]

I THINKI must have pressed something as my screen has rotated 90 degrees hard to typeon a vertical key pad, just what is the point o?n a laptop

ed

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

Control+Alt+Up Arrow key to restore it...other arrows will do other orientations...have fun!

Edited By Martin Harris on 14/12/2020 13:04:21

[J D 8]

Thanks a lot Martin, sorted the good wife got there first, but now I will have a chance with your info

[Piers Bowlan]

Jon, you are not alone, I can't stand the hype attached to Apple products either but the company has the cash reserves of a small country and their spend has resulted in a very strong brand, like it or not.

As far as I am aware laptop manufacturers use the same Lithium based technology and broadly speaking the batteries are good for about 1000 cycles which in most peoples cases amounts to about three years use. I agree Apple are not too interested in repairing anything, they would much rather sell you the latest product! However, there are many after-market companies which will repair MacBooks or replace the batteries in it, - or tablet or iPhone. I replaced the battery on my iPhone 6 after three years (£40) and it is into its fifth year, although I should really replace the phone before long, as my 'kids' are always telling me! Having bought many Apple laptops over the years for myself and kids I find that they are very reliable (the laptops not the kids!). My latest MacBook Pro is five years old and the one before that, eight years. My original iMac desktop lasted 12 years and had to be replaced because the power transformer failed not because the software wouldn't run. I hear that generally, laptops are often replaced after three years, so looking at it that way perhaps Macs are not so expensive after all?

Finally I agree, as far as data mining is concerned I am sure Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Apple are equally culpable and have a lot to answer for.

 

Edited By Piers Bowlan on 14/12/2020 17:50:35

[J D 8]

My Dell laptop has a trick it likes to play about 1 in 10 times I open it.

When I open the screen comes on, the mouse works but the keypad does not respond.

The only way to restore is to shut it right down and start again. Any ideas anyone? Thanks, John.