Changing Windows

[olbod]

I cant bloomin remember now.
In my HP I am still running Windows XP home thingy which is no longer supported and causing problems.
I can get Windows 8 online and install it with the updates etc but if I install it will I lose everything on the hardrive and need to reinstall everything ?
Dont want to buy a new pc really.

Ta.

[Eevo]

i always recommend back everything up and do a clean install.


i recommend windows 7 over 8.1 but i dont know if they still sell win 7.

[discovery39]

If you Install Windows 8, also install a program by the name of Clamshell. It will make Windows 8 more like old Windows. Having said that, as Eevo said, Windows 7 is the go.
From memory, when Installing a newer version of Windows, an option is given within the setup to keep your old files. Windows will create a file called 'windows.old' .
Also double check things like space requirements and memory etc.....

[vnx205]

A tiny number of people need to stick with Windows.

A lot of people think they need Windows, sometimes because they are completely unaware that there is an alternative. Some of them have heard of Linux but think it is for geeks or that they will lose all their old files.

Unless you run some very specialised programs such as an expensive accounting package or a very powerful photo manipulation program, there is a very good chance that you would be able to do everything you need to do with Linux. That is especially true if your computer is a few years old.

If the only important files you have are some documents, some spreadsheets, some Powerpoint presentations, some music, some photos, and some videos, then there are Linux programs that can handle them.

I have had to help someone recently who has an Apple computer of some sort. He says he is saving the documents as Word files and they do have a docx extension. The Windows/ Microsoft Office based computer that he then has to open them on won't open them. Open Office on a Linux computer opens them automatically with no problems whatsoever.

If most of your computer needs involve browsing, sending and receiving emails, tidying up photos, organising photos, writing documents, creating spreadsheets and things like that, then there is no need to pay for a newer version of Windows and certainly no need to buy a new computer.

Have you considered Linux or are you one of the very tiny minority of computer users that have a genuine need to stick with Windows?

[incisor]

easy upgrade to 7 or 8

use the easy transfer tool

download the 32bit version for windows xp

Windows Easy Transfer - Microsoft Windows (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-AU/windows7/products/features/windows-easy-transfer)

install it and use an external drive to backup your xp including mail etc if you use outlook or outlook express

then install windows 7 32bit available from most decent computer shops

install windows 7 then install windows live essentials and microsoft security essentials

Windows Essentials - Download Windows Live Essentials (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-au/windows-live/essentials)

http://www.microsoft.com/en-au/download/details.aspx?id=5201

and do a custom install that includes only live mail

then when installed you use the easy transfer wizard that is under start programs accessories to import all your xp stuff

then when you reboot, start windows live mail and it will import your email :p

you will even have your old desktop background so you feel at home

easy peasy...

yell if you need a hand

[olbod]

Thanks for the reply's.
I dont have a genuine need to keep windows as such but it is what I am familiar with.
I wouldn't bother changing if this HP continued to open Aulro but it wont.
Also I have to reset the time and date first everytime I turn pc on, it reverts back to 2009 when turned off.
I use Firefox to open Aulro but I am not up to speed with that either.
I know nothing about Linux but will look at all options.
I need a new laptop and I might get one from the Laptop Man with later Windows.
The old EEE PC that I have I use strictly as a GPS.
I will sleep on it.

[vnx205]

For a lot of tasks, you probably wouldn't notice the difference between doing it with Windows and doing it with Linux. So lack of familiarity need not be a problem.

Firefox runs under Linux and so using it for opening AULRO would be the same whether you use Windows or Linux.

Did I mention that Linux is free? Did I mention that there are versions of it that run a lot faster than Windows on old computers?

A couple of months ago I installed a version of Linux called LXLE on an oldish computer belonging to someone about your age whose total understanding of computer would barely fill the back of a postage stamp. Every time he has seen me since, he just tells me that everything is working perfectly.

This site is a good place to start if you want to begin a bit of general reading about Linux.
DistroWatch.com: LXLE (http://distrowatch.com/table.php'distribution=lxle)

[discovery39]

A tiny number of people need to stick with Windows.

A lot of people think they need Windows, sometimes because they are completely unaware that there is an alternative. Some of them have heard of Linux but think it is for geeks or that they will lose all their old files.

Unless you run some very specialised programs such as an expensive accounting package or a very powerful photo manipulation program, there is a very good chance that you would be able to do everything you need to do with Linux. That is especially true if your computer is a few years old.

If the only important files you have are some documents, some spreadsheets, some Powerpoint presentations, some music, some photos, and some videos, then there are Linux programs that can handle them.

I have had to help someone recently who has an Apple computer of some sort. He says he is saving the documents as Word files and they do have a docx extension. The Windows/ Microsoft Office based computer that he then has to open them on won't open them. Open Office on a Linux computer opens them automatically with no problems whatsoever.

If most of your computer needs involve browsing, sending and receiving emails, tidying up photos, organising photos, writing documents, creating spreadsheets and things like that, then there is no need to pay for a newer version of Windows and certainly no need to buy a new computer.

Have you considered Linux or are you one of the very tiny minority of computer users that have a genuine need to stick with Windows?

That is Assuming that the person is running WINE on the Linux system.
CORRECTION: Open Office will do it. I read it wrong.

[theresanothersteve]

If you are running an old spec machine you might consider Win 8 over 7. It has been designed to run on a multitude of devices, including mobile phones, so is less demanding on system resources than Win 7.

A lot of people are anti Win 8, just as many people were anti ribbon when office 2007 came out. Don't be afraid of it. After updating to 8.1 a PC will boot to the desktop, and there is a replacement for the office button. Clicking it will open the tiles, but if you think of it as a 3D start menu it is not as intimidating. When you are at the tiles, just start typing the name of the program you are looking for and Windows will find it.

You mention the date and time of your PC is resetting each time it is shut down. That sounds as if the CMOS battery has had it. The battery keeps enough juice in the system to retain settings, so you should consider getting it replaced.

However, when you factor in repairs and new operating system (yes, I know Linux is free, but...) you might consider a new PC. Entry level boxes can be had remarkably cheaply, and will perform so much better, use less power, and run quietly compared to your current system.

Ans, unless you are using high end programs, you could consider a tablet with a keyboard...

[PhilipA]

OK,in the spirit of helping and curiosity, I have installed UBUNTU on this EEEPC which is basically useless as it is so slow on Windows7.

It took me a looong time last night as , being over 10 (well over 65) I had several false starts. It is only installed for trial at present.
FIRST PROBLEM.-There is no dvd in this computer and the UBUNTU installation does not give an option of USB. I googled and found another program called AFAIR universal USB installer.
Then I found the download of UBUNTU had disappeared as I selected RUN rather than save.
OK got both in Downloads, then ran the uSB installer.45 minutes later WAITING WAITING. This is after about 2 lots of thirty minutes downloading UBUNTU.

So then UBUNTU is installed on the USB.Yippee.

So then to get the EEEPC to boot from USB. Looked up on google to press F2 on switching on. Did this and about 20 times in succession opened to a "windows boot facility". This took about an hour or so.

FINALLY I held my tongue correctly and actually got the damn machine to go to the initial BIOS page.AT LAST it booted up and I got to go to bed at 12.15 or so.

So far it has made the machine more useable as is much quicker on the forum, but I have already noted some quirks. The AULRO version of Google does not work, it only does a normal google search. I don't know whether this is Firefox or UBUNTU.

So I will continue playing.

to save me some more google hours anyone know
Are there HP3100 series drivers available?
Can you have public files in a network sharing with a windows 7 machine
Can I copy the windows 7 off this machine before installing the UBUNTU and install it on my other currently windows Vista machine. I think I saw how to do this on a Utube video but I was so tired by then it didn't sink in. It was a tutorial to move windows 7 to a USB.
There seems to be a spell corrector which I assume is Firefox but there is not a spell check button. I cannot remember form Firefox whether it just highlights the errors or does a spell check.
Regards Philip A

[p38arover]

I've tried Linux several times but keep coming back to Windows. I can't get comfortable with Linux and many software packages I use will only run in Win XP - so I keep a PC running it. I've not been successful getting XP running under Win 7.

If I could sit down and learn Access, I could probably write something to import my data from a program that is no longer supported (and improve the application at the same time as getting rid of "features" aka bugs).

[Eevo]

I've tried Linux several times but keep coming back to Windows. I can't get comfortable with Linux

your not the only one. i use linux daily in my job. every server we run is linux.
for my desktop, its windows, as its everyone in the team except for one person who runs windows in a VM.

over the years ive dried dozens, probably close to 50 linux distributions. and i always come crawling back to windows. linux just doesnt have a distro that makes me go wow.

[PhilipA]

Well I have been fiddling this morning and found that I can see public pictures etc on the Ubuntu, and I have found and mounted a printer driver for a network printer HP 3110 and printed.It printed even though windows was not opened with my password on the printer server which surprised me.

It all seems painless and it has made the EEEPC actually useful and probably a bit faster than my old HP Compaq Presario C793 running Vista Home Basic and Trend Micro. The Trend Micro 2015 seems to slow the machine down heaps.

I wonder if there are any mapping programs available like Mudmap as I have a bluetooth GPS which should work on the EEEPC but is not "approved " by Apple so will not work on my Ipad 1, and it is only written for Ios 6 onward anyway.AGGGH.
Pity we poor people who cannot afford the latest and greatest but rely on hand me downs and gifts.
Regards Philip A

[p38arover]

Pity we poor people who cannot afford the latest and greatest but rely on hand me downs and gifts.

I can afford it but I hate throwing out perfectly useful stuff.

However, I think I have to bite the bullet and toss out my old Toshiba Satellite 4030CDT laptop as the power supply has died. I could probably adapt something. This laptop runs Win 2000 (the only late Windows that I can get to run in the maximum 192kB of memory the Toshiba will accept). The laptop has been monitoring my solar generation and power consumption for the past 4 years. I have a few other laptops but no power supplies.

[Dougal]

A tiny number of people need to stick with Windows.

A lot of people think they need Windows, sometimes because they are completely unaware that there is an alternative. Some of them have heard of Linux but think it is for geeks or that they will lose all their old files.

Unless you run some very specialised programs such as an expensive accounting package or a very powerful photo manipulation program, there is a very good chance that you would be able to do everything you need to do with Linux. That is especially true if your computer is a few years old.

If the only important files you have are some documents, some spreadsheets, some Powerpoint presentations, some music, some photos, and some videos, then there are Linux programs that can handle them.

I have had to help someone recently who has an Apple computer of some sort. He says he is saving the documents as Word files and they do have a docx extension. The Windows/ Microsoft Office based computer that he then has to open them on won't open them. Open Office on a Linux computer opens them automatically with no problems whatsoever.

If most of your computer needs involve browsing, sending and receiving emails, tidying up photos, organising photos, writing documents, creating spreadsheets and things like that, then there is no need to pay for a newer version of Windows and certainly no need to buy a new computer.

Have you considered Linux or are you one of the very tiny minority of computer users that have a genuine need to stick with Windows?
Linux still has a lot of hardware limitations. I've found older versions are still available for older hardware, but trying to get repositories to work is beyond the average computer hack.

I will get there eventually, but it's far from easy.

[PhilipA]

I worked out why the EEEPC was so slow last night.

It was downloading 51! updates, then today took a couple of hours to install said 51 updates then another while to configure said 51 updates.

I had to reload UBUNTU as somehow I buggered up installing it and the boot would now not recognise the USB. So now I am waiting to reboot using UBUNTU once again.

I just shut it down an hour ago and now it is installing 19 updates before it will shut down.. It's now at 12 0f 19 . I suppose that is is the penalty of not using a computer for 6 months , and having auto update enabled.

BUT it sure makes you think of how many attacks there are on Windows that they need 70 updates to counter vulnerabilities in about 6 months.

Regards Philip A

[p38arover]

My XP laptop is dual boot - XP and Ubuntu.

It was originally bought with XP SP1 in 2003 but has been upgraded to SP3.

In XP SP3 it is painfully slow - to the point of being almost unusable. Yes, I have tried reformatting and reinstalling XP.

With Ubuntu, it is still quite quick. Too bad I have no use for it as a Linux machine except to try to learn Linux. I still need it for XP.

[vnx205]

I don't want to start a "my operating system is better than your operating system" debate. I am interested in people's experiences with Linux.

If I can learn about something that either prevented someone using Linux or simply dissuaded them from using it, then that might be useful for me to know if I am recommending Linux to a friend. If I know what stops other people, it might help me work out whether suggesting trying Linux is advisable for a particular person.

Dougal, when you say that Linux has a lot of hardware limitations, especially with older hardware, that surprises me. All of my hardware is fairly old and all of it was actually someone's cast off equipment. That has been the case for the last 15 years or so. My graphics card is very ordinary. I have a Brother HL-2040 laser printer and a Canon MP450 multi function printer and every Linux distro I have played with has recognised them immediately. I didn't need to download anything to get then to work.

I suppose that it only takes one bit of incompatible hardware to create a problem and I suppose if my particular hardware works then naturally I don't see that there is a problem. If I do have a problem, then it doesn't help much to know that someone else had no problems Do you know of some specific examples of hardware that creates a problem?

I often hear people say that they tried Linux and didn't like the way it did things so they went back to Windows. Is that just because Linux is different? Anything different is likely to seem worse at first, but when you become accustomed to it, then it might actually be just as good or better. Remember the recent thread about indicator stalks on the left on European cars and on the right on Japanese cars? :D

I am not doubting people's experiences and their reasons, but could some of those people give me a couple of specific examples of things that turned them off Linux; either things that could not be done or things that were much harder to do.

There are certainly some programs that some people need to use that really only run satisfactorily under Windows. However the range of Linux programs available is increasing all the time. Maybe there wasn't a suitable alternative five years ago, but maybe there is now. Is it the case that sometimes people expect to find the exact equivalent when all they really need is something that will do the job they need to do?

Once again, can someone give me some specific examples of tasks they need to do that can only be done on Windows programs. I don't mean highly specialised tasks. I am more interested in tasks that ordinary home computer users might have to do.

I am conscious of the fact that the tone of this post looks as if it is developing into a criticism of anyone who isn't sufficiently enlightened to see the benefits of converting to Linux. I apologise for that, but it was often the easiest way to put my questions into some sort of context.

I am not trying to convert you. I am genuinely interested in learning more about Linux and knowing something of other people's experiences with it is part of that.

[vnx205]

My XP laptop is dual boot - XP and Ubuntu.

It was originally bought with XP SP1 in 2003 but has been upgraded to SP3.

In XP SP3 it is painfully slow - to the point of being almost unusable. Yes, I have tried reformatting and reinstalling XP.

With Ubuntu, it is still quite quick. Too bad I have no use for it as a Linux machine except to try to learn Linux. I still need it for XP.

Your laptop may be more powerful than my desktop computer, but I would have thought that given the age of your machine, another distro based on Ubuntu might be a better choice.

My computer happily ran Ubuntu for several years and I seem to be part of a rather small group that quite likes Unity. However I had to run the 2D version and when they dropped the 2D version, my graphics card just couldn't cope. It was just too slow.

I tried Lubuntu and everything was back up to speed, but I came across LXLE and found that for a number of reasons it suited me better. It is based on Ubuntu, so I still do almost everything the way I used to.

Have you tried one of the distros aimed at lower spec machines or is your laptop very powerful for its age?

[p38arover]

I tried several distros but some wouldn't run because the computer was lacking something. I can't recall what but I had to step back to an early distro.

I think I'm running Xubuntu but I'm not sure how to check. I know how to work out what I'm running with Windows.

It ain't a fast laptop - it's a Pentium M-based 1.5GHz Compaq Presario X1404AP but I can't find any specs on the 'net anymore - not even on HP's site.

[Eevo]

I don't want to start a "my operating system is better than your operating system" debate. I am interested in people's experiences with Linux.

If I can learn about something that either prevented someone using Linux or simply dissuaded them from using it, then that might be useful for me to know if I am recommending Linux to a friend. If I know what stops other people, it might help me work out whether suggesting trying Linux is advisable for a particular person.

Dougal, when you say that Linux has a lot of hardware limitations, especially with older hardware, that surprises me. All of my hardware is fairly old and all of it was actually someone's cast off equipment. That has been the case for the last 15 years or so. My graphics card is very ordinary. I have a Brother HL-2040 laser printer and a Canon MP450 multi function printer and every Linux distro I have played with has recognised them immediately. I didn't need to download anything to get then to work.

I suppose that it only takes one bit of incompatible hardware to create a problem and I suppose if my particular hardware works then naturally I don't see that there is a problem. If I do have a problem, then it doesn't help much to know that someone else had no problems Do you know of some specific examples of hardware that creates a problem?

I often hear people say that they tried Linux and didn't like the way it did things so they went back to Windows. Is that just because Linux is different? Anything different is likely to seem worse at first, but when you become accustomed to it, then it might actually be just as good or better. Remember the recent thread about indicator stalks on the left on European cars and on the right on Japanese cars? :D



to make linux the way you want it, most of the time you need to use the command line.
the command line is a big and steep learning curve. pretty sure this turns off most people

linux drivers arnt as good as windows drivers.

most games dont run on linux

if i could get past hrough hardware virtualization to work, and run windows in a VM with zero overhead/performance hit, chances are i would adopt linux fulltime.
{Guide} Create a Gaming Virtual Machine (http://www.overclock.net/t/1205216/guide-create-a-gaming-virtual-machine)

unfortunately i dont hve that hardware

[vnx205]

to make linux the way you want it, most of the time you need to use the command line.
the command line is a big and steep learning curve. pretty sure this turns off most people
.... .... ..


I suppose it depends on what you need Linux to do for you, but I haven't seen this as a big stumbling block.

I have used the command line, but in just about every case, it was so that I could do something that I really didn't need to do. It was just something that I wanted to experiment with. I find I am using it less now than I did previously. That might be because there are now many more tasks that can be done with a GUI than there used to be or it might be because I have stopped fooling around and changing things that I really didn't need to change.

My expectation and based on my quite limited experience is that a lot of the people who are likely to need to use the command line are the sort of people who are happy to learn about such things. The vast majority of users could survive quite well without ever knowing that the command line existed

It appears to me that generally the sort of people who would be frightened off by the command line are the sort of people who are never going to need to use it anyway. I know it only takes one task for which there is no GUI method to blow my theory out of the water, but I still think that it would generally be true.

Eevo, I know from our earlier communication that this comment doesn't apply to you, but I have frequently found that some people are not aware of just how far Linux has come since they last looked at it a couple of years ago or sometimes even a decade ago.

Ron, I don't have recent version of Xubuntu handy, but there should be something in the menu called 'System Tools" or maybe "System Settings". Selecting that should then give you an option called something like "System Information" or "System Profiler". That should offer all the information you need about the computer and the operating system.

[p38arover]

I'm not afraid of the command line. I used it for years in the days of DOS but I'd have learn the very different syntax - something I no longer wish to do.

As far as I am concerned, Windows is much more user friendly than Linux.

Generally speaking, I don't use my laptop very much, say once or twice a month and that's almost exclusively when I need to run a Win XP program. I don't have enough interest in Linux to use it in Linux mode.

[JDNSW]

I have been using Linux exclusively for about four years, having been using dual boot for perhaps the same length of time before that - then realised I had not used windows for over a year, so scrapped it.

Currently using Mint 17 KDE - and I have had zero hardware issues, and I don't think I have used the command line this year.

Whether it works for you will depend on what you want to use your computer for, and what hardware you have. I find that the slight restrictions in use I face with Linux are worth it just to have freedom from all the hassles that seem to go with Windows.

John

[PhilipA]

Well, UBUNTU will not install on my EEEPC. It just goes into a loop.
I have reformatte dthe USB and redownloaded and tried to reinstall but no go.
It works fine from the USB.
Maybe some hardware problem although I have a big virtual disc, with 200Gig and have doubled ram to 2gb.

So now I am trying LUBUNTU downloading at the moment.
Regards Philip A .

[Roverlord off road spares]

I Fiddled with linux for a couple of years, found it did everything I needed at that time.
I dop not like the look and desktop of ubuntu. I did use the KDE version Kubuntu.
The last distro I used and liked was PclinuxOS, which I really liked. It doesn't use .DEB

I bought a Mac in the end as a desktop mainly for space, the imac doesn't need a big brain box like windows so less clutter. (every thing is in the monitor)
But I still need to run VMware fusion for my accounting/inventory software for the business, which is a pain.
But I still have a soft spot for Linux

[vnx205]

Philip, at what point does it go into a loop? It isn't at the point where it asks for a password is it?

Recently I thought I would be very clever and leave the password blank. It just sat there spinning its wheels and going nowhere. It insisted on a password. It had run OK from the USB.

I think it was either Lubuntu or LXLE that I was installing at the time.

[PhilipA]

No. It doesn't get that far. The screen that asks about language doesn't seem to complete and when you press continue it stalls at 3dots at the bottom. If you press continue again after waiting with no action on hd for several minutes it shuts down and reboots from the USB . I haven't tried to have as the only operating system, as I wanted to keep the windows7 and trend micro i paid for.lol
Philip A

[Dougal]

Dougal, when you say that Linux has a lot of hardware limitations, especially with older hardware, that surprises me. All of my hardware is fairly old and all of it was actually someone's cast off equipment. That has been the case for the last 15 years or so. My graphics card is very ordinary. I have a Brother HL-2040 laser printer and a Canon MP450 multi function printer and every Linux distro I have played with has recognised them immediately. I didn't need to download anything to get then to work.

It's an on-going project. Some of the issues I've struck are in this thread: http://www.aulro.com/afvb/computers/203364-linux-choice.html

If you've got any solutions, I'm happy to give them a shot.
This is for a 32 bit laptop (I have several of them) which supports PAE but doesn't have a hardware flag to show it. So the linux distrubution needs forced or faked to run properly. That in itself severely limits linux options.

I have zero luck so far getting CUPS to work with the network printer. It detects the printer and says it's printing fine, but nothing prints.

I'm not "going back to windows", I'm still using windows until I can get the time to make linux work. Long term it's where my peripheral work computers need to be.

[angus1]

I've been using Ubuntu for some years and the improvement in usability has been amazing. I have never used the command prompt although I came up with CPM and DOS because it has never been necessary. It offered all the software I needed and all for free! Admittedly many software companies don't support Linux but there is usually a workaround available. Anyone with any doubts should give the new release a try, it's a lot easier than Windows 8, that's for sure.

[JDNSW]

No. It doesn't get that far. The screen that asks about language doesn't seem to complete and when you press continue it stalls at 3dots at the bottom. If you press continue again after waiting with no action on hd for several minutes it shuts down and reboots from the USB . I haven't tried to have as the only operating system, as I wanted to keep the windows7 and trend micro i paid for.lol
Philip A

Somewhere else I have seen a similar problem with that computer attributed as a BIOS bug, and fixed by resetting the BIOS to factory defaults.

This may not be your trouble, but could be worth trying.

John

[PhilipA]

After several failed attempts I gave up on Ubuntu and tried AFAIR Lubuntu which was supposed to take up fewer resources on a EEPC.
It had a very simplistic screen appearance and really added not much to speed.
I gave up and reverted to Win 7 and it now goes fine if a bit slowly. the problem is that I only use it every few months and it slows right down when downloading updates.
I then had my Son in law buy me a win 7 professional as they can buy for family. I now find with my 3 laptops on win 7 that it is much better than having the printer server on Vista home basic.


We can share files and the printing is done through Homegroup. it all works great.


Only PITA is that they sell an original WIN 7 and first /second night it tells me there are 197 updates to be installed, and it took all night to advise 98 installed!LOL. Over the next couple of days it did another 50 or so, then I remembered that it should also update Office2007 which I owned already,so I downloaded Microsoft update rather than Windows update and it updated another 50 or so.
I think it is all finished now.LOL
Lucky I have 50 megs download limit.
Regards Philip A

[theresanothersteve]

I hope you mean 50 Gigabyte...

[PhilipA]

I hope you mean 50 Gigabyte...


Yes of course we oldies have trouble keeping up. What is next terabytes isn't it? one definition is a 1000 gigabytes.
Geez hard to comprehend but I guess in 10 years or so we will have to have a terabyte hard disc.
Regards Philip A

[Dougal]

I hope you mean 50 Gigabyte...


Yes of course we oldies have trouble keeping up. What is next terabytes isn't it? one definition is a 1000 gigabytes.
Geez hard to comprehend but I guess in 10 years or so we will have to have a terabyte hard disc.
Regards Philip A

I've been running terrabyte backup drives for about 6 years or so. They're quite common.
I was just thinking back to the first 286 my family had with a 30mB hard-drive. Back when Windows came on 9 floppy discs.:o

[s7000]

I cant bloomin remember now.
In my HP I am still running Windows XP home thingy which is no longer supported and causing problems.
I can get Windows 8 online and install it with the updates etc but if I install it will I lose everything on the hardrive and need to reinstall everything ?
Dont want to buy a new pc really.

Ta.

I'd suggest a new PC buddy.

Get an external HD and save all your files etc so you can move them over... In all honesty, everything has moved so far forward, an upgrade won't really be that useful.

W7 is better... Although I now run both, 8.1 is fine once you get used to it.

You can pick up a cheap PC from officeworks from about $500... (Everything included)

Upgrading old technology is a waste of time unless you want to replace everything in the box... And the box itself

Ps. Stop making out like it's so damn hard. You can jump online, you can clearly get/receive emails, and you can clearly join up to forums etc... Your "bloomin' memory" can't be that bad.