New Laptop Tips & Hints

My new work laptop is a Dell Precision M3800. It is just as good as my MBP in terms of build quality and screen. Fully solid state. I really like it. I never thought I'd be saying this, but I'm actually recommending a Dell if you need a windows-based machine. (Of course you can run Windows on a Mac no problems, too)

Needs external ethernet and VGA display adaptors if you use those (I very rarely do). No CD/DVD/Bluray Drive. But slim, powerful and light. Very nice feel to it.

I needed to download a upgraded driver to get the best from the trackpad, (multi-touch etc) and I turned off the fairly useless touchscreen function on the display.

I find it best to run it in native resolution (3200 x 1800!), but then set the zoom to 150% to be able to interact with the UI icons etc (which are otherwise truly tiny at that resolution). Running lower resolution compromises the overall quality of the display. Apple's OSX does a better job of dealing with the ultra HD "retina" type screens, perhaps, but once setup right the screen on the Dell is truly excellent.

Just re-read your question. I answered everything you didn't ask. Windows 8? No idea. Sorry.

No probs winky,  it catches up on us all eventually.

I think I have settled on Dell,  just need to choose a model, delivery will be 29th which is pretty good. 

Need to watch out as some don't have DVD drives,  need to think about that & do I really need it.  I'm not ripping & burning so much these days but maybe an external drive will be better anyhow.

+1. No need for a CD/DVD drive these days. In the very rare case that something dosen't come via a network, I find it's rare that I can't do a work around using someone else's computer and a USB stick.

Windows 8.1 is the best OS that anyone has made.

Some people may disagree but if you are open minded and can cope with mild change then you will be just fine.

I think that it comes with a tool for doing file transfers. Why not sign up for OneDrive and move files there?

Mike-B

I went from Vista -> 8 -> 8.1. Once you get rid of all the MS crap apps on the home screen it's great. A very big jump compared to Vista.

Dave

Thanks for the advice folks,  relieved to be comforted over Win8.1,  I also read up a bit on it & it does seem & lot more user friendly than I feared  -  hate those cr/app things   

I gon'un ordered a Dell,  with i7OS, 1TB & the latest Intel 802.11ac dual band wireless  (Sonos Connect might be next) 

Now need to understand how to transfer stuff, is dBpoweramp easily reinstalled etc. 

Some of those apps are brilliant.

One click weather is great for example.

The Qobuz app is nice but lacks the ability of making purchases (although that might be a good thing).

Which model Dell?

Windows 8 / 8.1 are great for tablets, and games machines, but not so good for PCs.

The problem isn't so much using normal PC applications it's

1   the apps take over (inability to display 2 PDFs for instance)

2   doing any maintenance is a PitA (e.g. Notepad has to be run from the command line interpreter as there's no program menu).

Getting round these limitations takes patience, a lot of work, installing 3rd party utilities and directories with short-cuts to all your applications.

If you want to use the laptop as a tablet or a games machine then it's great, if you actually want a serious PC, then Windows 7 is much better.

If you find the Windows 8.1 interface a bridge too far, this will take you back to more familiar ground with the option to still use Metro when you feel the need:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...3fM&spfreload=10

Ignore all of this. It's nonsense.

To start Notepad you type Notepad for example.

+1. My thoughts exactly.

Dave

And where do you type notepad:

The run/find box...

Guess what, it's one of the inputs for the command line interpreter!

Oh yes, another thing, Windows 7 can control a ND5 XS (via DLNA 1.5), but the UPnP support in Windows 8 has been upgraded so that it won't (it's no longer DLNA 1.5 compattible).

It now only supports a few DLNA devices MS used for test and those devices where the manufacturer has paid to have them put on an approved list or those which use MS's propriety UPnP communications protocol.

Huge

What's wrong with Start Menu / Windows Accessories / Notepad? Or am I missing something? If you use the app a lot pin it to your customised Start screen.

Also, I can display more than one .pdf file on my screen.

Dave

No.

You press the start button. And then you type.

My system seems to be odd then, if I right click the start button, I get a simple list not a cascading menu, and Windows Accessories aren't on the list (that would for me be a huge improvement).

When displaying a PDF it automatically switches to a single full screen display (with a vestigial control UI that won't do anything other than navigation within the one document) of the one PDF using the app - in other words it turns my PC into a tablet (again).  I have had to install a 3rd party PDF rendered to fix this.

That switches the PC back into metro/tablet mode - utterly useless if you need to work with data from multiple sources (which for me is the norm).

No. It doesn't.

Left click, bottom left, and the screen toggles between the Start screen and Desktop.

Dave

Yes it does.

OK either:

1   both the installs of Windows 8.x that I use are broken,

or

2   there is different Windows 8.1 code around with different behaviour (possibly dependant on the hardware on which it is installed or the installation sequence).

You do understand that Notepad is a desktop application?

And it therefore runs on the desktop?

And not as a Modern Style application?

Notepad was just a single example of an application that suffers from the lack of a proper programs menu...

As I said...

That switches the PC back into metro/tablet mode - utterly useless if you need to work with data from multiple sources (which for me is the norm).

One set of data on one "Modern" page,

another set on a different "Modern" page

... multiples here ...

yet another dataset on yet a different "Modern" page

then the editing applications on the classic desktop

Sometime you can have two of the "Modern" pages displayed together, but you still can't see both the source material and the material being edited at the same time.

Great UI from a data integration / big data perspective!

There is no Metro/Tablet mode as you call it.

When you press the start button you get -- the start screen -- that has all of the programs in the same way as the old fashioned start menu did. If you start a desktop application then it runs on the desktop.

If you don't like the new style applications -- which is fine -- then why use them? Why can't you just use the desktop applications in the same way as you did with 7 ? It's not difficult.

As I said in my first post in this thread, Windows 8.1 is a great OS for those that are willing to embrace mild change.