Posts from the ‘Work’ category

Windows 10 Installation: my experience

According to several news sources, 14 Million Devices were upgraded to Windows 10 on July 29 (this number likely includes 5 million Insiders (Beta testers), but still – an impressive start. And the numbers jumped fourfold in the next 3 days.

Two out of my own three devices are part of those numbers and although I haven’t tapped a lot of the Win10 new features and I was NOT unhappy with Win8/8.1 … I am very much liking what I’ve seen so far.

But first, my Install experience on my new Toshiba laptop (quad core i7 2.60ghz processor with 16 GB Ram AND a solid state drive, i.e. a very current and very fast combination of innards) and my Toshiba Encore tablet (Intel Atom 1.3 ghz processor with 2 GB Ram, i.e. not the fastest tablet in the west!)

I reserved my Windows 10 upgrade ( Windows 10 Icon) on June 2. (I reserved my Win10 Upgrade on my new Toshiba laptop, my Toshiba Tablet and my backup Acer Laptop) On the morning of July 30, I received the pop up notification that my Windows 10 Upgrade was here – on my Toshiba Laptop. ( Windows 10 Is Here)

Throwing caution to the wind, I did the first install on my Toshiba laptop…the speed demon, but also my production machine…the machine on which my income depends. I have never, ever installed something like a new operating system on the first day on the machine I absolutely depend on. But, this round, after all I’d read and seen (videos) … I trusted Microsoft.

After the “Your Windows 10 is here” and “working on it” …and the license acceptance, the above screen appeared. VERY cool – I scheduled the install for 6:00 p.m. At 5:00 p.m., a notification popped up that reminded me that my Win10 update was scheduled in 59 minutes and gave me an opportunity to keep that time, schedule a different time or cancel altogether.

I never had a second thought…

Onward!!

Here we go!

The update proceeded without a hitch and it was nice to have both the percent complete info as well as info on what was happening: small text at the bottom of the screen.

Success at the 32 minute mark on the Toshiba Laptop.

It took an hour and a couple of minutes on my Tablet.

I have not yet received notification that the upgrade is available on the Acer. The Acer was the first device that I reserved on. There is some info that the rollout happened first for those devices that were most compatible. Additionally, the download is reputed to be a “stealth” download in that it downloaded in the background as it could and then the “Your Upgrade is Here” activates – on completion of the download. I don’t know any of those things for fact, but the order of things is working for me as I’d decided to keep my backup Acer on Windows 8.1 for a week or so and make sure there were no glitches in my work environment.

For Margaret :) … None of my folders or existing files were disturbed by the update. I haven’t read of any existing files or folders being lost by the upgrade.

There are some that are unhappy with the Win 10 install setting the default browser to the new Microsoft Browser “Edge”. I find this a bit laughable. I knew I needed to keep my default browser Internet Explorer or Chrome because Edge does not support the debugging mode of some legacy software I must support. It took me about 15 seconds to change the default browser from Edge to Internet Explorer: type “default browser” in the Cortana search box.

You can also click on Settings (Gear icon) and use the “Find a Setting” search box. AND, instead of directing you to a web page with directions, both searches take you directly to the spot to make the change.

Click on the current default browser and the Select App window pops up and you may select any browser you have installed or go and find one you want.

That’s it on my installation experience. It was easy and glitch-free on both devices. I worked Friday on normal stuff, including the legacy apps which must use Internet Explorer vs Edge and all was fine. I have zero complaints and am excited by all that Windows 10 offers. As I said, I have not really explored much, but below are a few simple things that I like a lot.

The party line is that Windows 10 merges the familiar with the new. The Start screen is back with jump links and all any Windows XP -> Windows 7 user is used to seeing. The Windows 8/8.1 tiles are there as well but if you dislike them, you can remove them. If you like them like I do, you can make them your own. You can customize the Start screen to your heart’s content!

Also the Taskbar. Add things you use often or just use the Start screen…take your pick.

Pinning applications to the taskbar was a Windows 8/8.1 feature and open apps had a lighter color AND you could see a preview of the window in miniature…but Windows 10 allows you to see the miniature preview and as you move the mouse up…you can see a full screen preview as well as get a close button. There are more taskbar features – above is just a sample.

Below are links to my initial Windows 10 post which includes several links on Windows 10. And following that link are two YouTube videos on Windows 10:

The first is a Joe Belfiore video – Joe is the Microsoft voice of Windows 10. I feel like he is a friend of mine. He is passionate about Windows 10 as he was about Windows 8/8.1 and Windows phone. He invokes a curiosity in me to delve into all that the Windows operating system is capable of. His video is nearly 34 minutes long. If that seems too long, try the second from a Windows Insider (non Microsoft beta tester). That video is just short of 12 minutes and highlights some of the new features in an easygoing way.

Lastly – do you need to upgrade? No. It is a personal choice. If you are happy with your current setup and are not a power user … at least wait a bit. Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1 registered owners have a year to update for free so you can take time to decide and let the first round of patches and updates happen.

I love the way the technology is going and I am thrilled with the Microsoft management team: Satya Nadella at the top and the others I’ve watched in developer conference videos. I think the future of technology is exciting. I also think that which platform you choose: Apple, MS, Android … there is not a wrong choice – look at them, find the one that resonates with you and how you’d like to use your devices. Ultimately, things are coming together in a way that makes it easy to select one and work with the others. In my mind, it is an incredibly fun time and will only get better.

Now, if technology could solve global warming and particularly the Hot-Hot summer we are experiencing this year in Montana … I would be ecstatic!!

My Windows 10 Post

Joe Belfiore

A Windows Insider (non Microsoft)

So much to catch up on

My work is crazy, crazy busy…but good and SO much fun…in between the frustration of learning new stuff and 2 deadlines, etc. Ultimately, though …SO much fun that I didn’t go to town this Saturday and stayed home working…BY CHOICE!

And to add to the tech fun, my almost 2 year old phone was wigging out so I did a factory reset which went VERY well and as all the “data” was saved to the cloud, it restored itself admirably…yes, lots of restarts and catching up on versions, but all in all, it was done in 2 hours with minimal interference from me. While 2 hours might seem a lot, per some reading online, some people were 4-8-12 hours for all to come right so…whatever…at the moment, I am happy!

Fires. Glacier National Park is the biggie, but we have a Type 1 team here and it IS the West and the West knows fire. Media hype is horrible. Meanwhile, weather tomorrow (Sunday) and Monday is poised to help things and hopefully the firefighters will get a handle on things … AND be safe. Because of the media hype and tourism, I have some worries that unusual risks will be taken. I hope to be very wrong.

Back on the home front…

Relaxing on Friday afternoon…

Clear, blue sky…the GNP fire smoke is blowing east I think. Here, it is clear.

The Fuschia continue to flourish. They are so beautiful and every day I am so happy to see them doing so well!

This is the first year in many years that I’ve had porch hanging baskets with gorgeous blooms. They add so much to the front porch and my kitchen window view.

Happy, happy boys…on Beardog Point.

Nothing better than seeing them together!

Saturday…inside light as the weather changes and thunder rumbles and hopefully rain comes as well…

…along the road home.

New stuff: it keeps getting easier

About 3 months ago when I was reworking my Windows 7 backup computer, it suddenly quit. I tried all I know and let it sit for days and tried again, but it was done. It was 5 years old which is ancient in my world, but still…as a backup, I thought it would work for some of the older software I was supporting.

My production machine, my Windows 8.1 Acer is two years old and I bought it to have a Windows 8 machine and as an interim machine as it was inexpensive and kind of light in the memory and processor speed. But it has been doing fine until several weeks ago when suddenly the “P” key and the left arrow key stopped working. And it was not because there was a crumb or something in the key. The touch keyboard’s P and left arrow didn’t work either.

In a panic, I considered another inexpensive computer.

But, I went online and found that other people had the same issue with the Acer and some of it was resolved by a reboot. Although, a reboot is typically the first thing I do, I started the whole trouble shooting issue thinking the problem was mechanical. It wasn’t until later in the day that I realized the touch keyboard was also having an issue. Bottomline, I rebooted and both keys came back on board.

Still.

I make my living on the computer and a non-working computer = no $$ and I was a bit nervous about an already not so robust machine that was 2 years old, possibly failing completely.

I had been looking off and on and putting off a purchase but the glitch got me looking seriously and today the new machine arrived.

I bought a customized Toshiba. Toshiba customizable laptaps ship direct from China.

The new machine has 16 gb RAM, 256 gb Solid State Hard Drive, an Intel i7 quad core 2.6 ghz processor with integrated graphics. This baby should fly like the wind!

The cool thing is that after starting up, the start screen had the usual extra stuff: games, various extra this and that. But after I signed in, the machine got itself ready and before I new it, my new start screen looked like my Acer start screen…just the way I like it.

Wow. So happy! I still have to set up my work environment, Quicken, Photoshop plus some utility programs that I use, but they are all subscription and/or downloadable and the only time consuming thing will be my work environment.

I’m guessing that instead of days to set up, I should be good to go in several hours.

New stuff: it keeps getting easier.

Elsewise, another beautiful day that topped off about 74F with a nice breeze.

Happy Friday.

Mobile Office

Bear and I went to Arcturus’ house today.

The plan was walks (Bear and Arcturus), lunch (me) and then working from the yard for a bit (me)…giving Arcturus some company, Bear and Arcturus some more time to see each other and Bear some diversity from the woods leash walks that we’ve been doing while resting his leg.

My office is mobile…

The setup.

VERY pleasant working conditions.

Hard to see the lake below with the reflection, but it is there! It was cool, slight breeze, good company and the house wi-fi was strong and fast.

Two beardogs for company. A girl couldn’t ask for much more :)!!

Well, it will be nice when Bear is comfortable joining Arcturus in his yard, but meantime the variety in routine for all of us…it rocks!

Some corallary of Murphy’s Law

Friday, late afternoon, I could type 2-4 characters….in any program… and then “not responding” appeared in the window header. I finally shut things down and went to bed. I woke Saturday and laid in bed wondering if I should try to turn the computer on or not. Based on Friday’s behavior and the prognosis from the laptop doctor, the hard drive was on its way out. IF, the computer would still boot and the hard drive was readable, although crippled, there was a good chance of getting a clone…thereby insuring that all could be moved to a new drive. I have my data. The issue is all of the software and in particular my working environment. Re-installing all is a 1 – 2 day event of mostly waiting for things to happen, doing a bit, waiting….

So, back to laying in bed and thinking. Should I turn the thing on or leave it off and hope there was enough life left for a clone. And if so, that meant an entire weekend without computer or internet. Somewhat inconceivable to me! My recipes, news, what if I needed to google something????

The plan: A trip to Costco to see if there was a computer that was reasonable…that could do in a pinch for working and/or for my computer withdrawal symptoms…

I went. And a bonus was that it was sunny! (those are the ski runs of Big Mountain, Whitefish)

And I found a computer. It is still in the box. I have 90 days to return it or take it out of the box. We wait.

But…I DID turn my computer on. And it is working, mostly ok. However, it has its moments, so we will be keeping its doctor appointment Monday morning.

Meanwhile, today, Sunday, it has been sunny off and on, but late this morning, on a run to Somers for a walk and a quick grocery run…

…light on the water…

…sun rays through a break in the clouds.

Time to relax…because sometimes….when preparation is made for the worst, it doesn’t happen – some corallary of Murphy’s Law.

Router and DSL upgrade

**I back timed this post so it appears before the MayDay flower. Not everyone is fascinated by routers…

I made a change in my DSL service and as I was doing that my 4 year old router “gave up the ghost” so I ordered a new one to be delivered toute suite.

The new baby was supposed to arrive Wednesday – after a Tuesday internet meeting and before a Thursday internet meeting. Mother Nature decided differently. The spring snowstorm that didn’t dump much snow on me, but DID on areas around, shut down the mountain passes and with them our FedEx service for Wednesday. Big Mike, my FedEx guy, was happy to have had Wednesday off with pay, but had no time for chit-chat on Thursday as his truck was full of 2 days worth of stuff. Karl did get his treat, though!

The bad news for me is that I had an extra day to worry about the installation. Routers and I have not gotten along well in the past and twice I’ve had to call for help. It has been 4 years since the last and I hoped that they were now “plug and play”. I mentioned this to one of the people on my programming team and he just laughed nervously…

I was encouraged by the “Start Here” – and also by 2 other labels that cautioned to insert the CD before plugging ANYTHING in to ANYTHING else. To me, that boded well for automatic configuration vs having to delve into IP and DNS and other acronyms I have only a passing knowledge of.

Things went pretty well! The main trick, which was one I DID know, but I think they could have been more explicit about is that anytime a setting is changed on the router, everything: DSL modem and router (and to be “safe”, I also cold boot my computer) has to be shut down and the order of restart is modem, router, computer.

But the CD did all of the configuration as well as leading me through adding the security for the wireless part.

Kind of cool looking…internal antenna instead of the directional “rods”. I’m getting the same strength signal everywhere with this router that I was with the old AND getting my new DSL speed.

Router and DSL modem live discreetly in a corner of the living room behind an antique dry sink. Everyone is happy, wires are hidden (I have a thing about wires and cords) and we get wireless internet like magic all over the house, yard and out to the motorhome.