Is it possible to go without Windows and fulfil all your computing needs using a Chromebook or Chromebase machine? The answer might surprise you! Read the full article here.
Being pestered by the Windows 10 upgrade notification on your computer? Here's how to get rid of it:
http://ctacs.weebly.com/hints--tips/removing-the-windows-10-upgrade-notification There are quite a lot of computer bargains available right now. For instance, at the time of writing eBuyer are selling the Lenovo E50 desktop for just £119.99 including delivery. It runs Windows 8.1 with Bing, but they even have the same model with Windows 7 Professional - ideal for businesses - for just £179.99, plus you can then clain £30 cashback from Lenovo. The computer is not discontinued or dodgy in any way, so what exactly is going on that results in these bargain basement prices?
There are several factors, and in fact they all come together in the Lenovo E50. Firstly, there's a new version of Windows - Windows 10 - due to be released on July 29th and no vendor or retailer wants to be stuck with stock that runs the "old" Windows 8.1. To the consumer, though, there is no risk as the upgrade from Windows 8.1 or Windows 7 is free of charge anyway! Secondly, peek inside the E50 and, although it looks like and is sold as a desktop, the electronics are actually pretty much the same as you would find in a laptop. This provides savings in two areas: firstly, there are economies of scale. Instead of a manufacturer having to buy, say, 100,000 desktop processors and 100,000 laptop processors, it can buy 200,000 of the same processor and get better discounts. Secondly, laptop components can be cheaper. For instance, a desktop computer usually has a hefty internal power supply, whereas the E50 uses a separate 'power brick' the same as a laptop has. Finally, the processors themselves are cheaper and make for lower-cost computers. Specifically, whereas a computer had several dozen chips some years back, much of the functionality is now integrated onto the processor itself, creating a so-called SoC or System-on-a-Chip and this significantly cuts costs. It's official. The next version of Windows - Windows 10 - is to be released on 29th July. Although the current version is Windows 8, Microsoft considers the new version to be so improved that they are skipping version 9 altogether and moving straight to 10 (in reality it is largely Windows 8 with an improved Start menu, some cosmetic changes and some tweaks under the hood).
However, the headline feature of Windows 10 is that it is free to most existing users of Windows 7 and Windows 8 for the first 12 months, via a download from Microsoft (but don't all try to download it on Day One, okay?). As with previous versions, it comes in a variety of flavours: Home Edition, Professional Edition and so on. The retail versions will sell for the same prices as the current Windows 8.1, whilst the free download will correspond to the current installed version i.e. if you are running Home Edition 7 then you can get the upgrade to Home Edition 10. There is also a relatively low cost upgrade from Home to Professional Edition. Windows 10 will also be available in versions suitable for use on tablets and mobile phones. However, whether most existing models are suitable for upgrading is by no means apparent. |
About...A mixture of useful and interesting stuff, mixed in with some random thoughts. Archives
December 2016
Categories
All
|