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So, I'll be getting a laptop with Windows 8...

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23
Ekaru
3,617 posts
Joined July 2008
Topic Starter
Ekaru
...because I don't really have a choice. ;_;

What are the first things I should do? I know to install 8.1 because it's apparently a decent update but I don't know what else. I want to be downloading a C++ compiler and doing my programming homework ASAP so I don't want to waste too much time dinking around. It doesn't help that I've heard so many things about Windows 8 I have no idea what to believe.

I've been using XP for over a decade. This'll be weird.
TakuMii
1,874 posts
Joined October 2009
TakuMii
My suggestions:

First things first: if you don't have a touchscreen, kill everything Metro with fire (except for the Start screen). Go to All Apps (the grey arrow at the bottom left on 8.1) and right click on the Metro apps and uninstall as many as it allows you to. Then make sure that the filetype defaults go to desktop programs instead of Metro apps (e.g. setting .jpg to open with Windows Photo Viewer).
I'd recommend making full use of the Start screen, as I'm one of the few who actually likes it and prefers it over the traditional Start menu. I removed all of the remaining useless Metro crap from the Start screen, then added the essentials (My Computer, Control Panel, etc.), anything I use regularly, and a few things I might need easy access to. Then I organized all of the icons (grouping them, and shrinking the lesser used apps but keeping them on the Start screen just in case), and now I find it much more efficient to use.
There are also a lot of handy keyboard shortcuts that Windows 8 has, so you might want to learn them and get into the habit of using them frequently.
Last edited by TakuMii , edited 1 time in total.
Trash Boat
4,403 posts
Joined April 2013
Trash Boat
and get Touhou 10.5 along with 12.3. well actually thats optional
Ven
85 posts
Joined August 2013
Ven
Has Microsoft re-added the Start button? I dunno this stuff. If not, download Start8 to get one.
Navizel
2,982 posts
Joined April 2011
Navizel
What YayMii said. Editing and customizing your start menu is a must. Organize your apps into a single group and might as well name it e.g. group 1 is MS Office with all the programs there and group 2 is games and etc. so opening programs is just a windows press and mouse click away. Learning shortcuts isn't that important imo but you may want to use windows key+c to open the charms menu (the menu with search, settings, etc) to avoid hassle on hovering your mouse to lower/upper right just to open that menu in case your laptop isn't touchscreen. You can also open the charms while in Start menu to edit your start menu.

Others are optional like editing your desktop, putting a lock screen etc.
Ekaru
3,617 posts
Joined July 2008
Topic Starter
Ekaru
Thanks, guys! Sounds good. ^_^
Trash Boat
4,403 posts
Joined April 2013
Trash Boat
you are welcome
Ekaru
3,617 posts
Joined July 2008
Topic Starter
Ekaru
Turns out what I got has a touchscreen (was $550 + tax): http://www.amazon.com/Dell-Computer-Ins ... B00HRO32J8

Does this make any difference? And I was too lazy to go to Best Buy or get something off Amazon so I went to Office Depot. How badly did I do? ><;
Trash Boat
4,403 posts
Joined April 2013
Trash Boat
now you can play osu! by just touching the screen, but this could lead to some misunderstanding. just saying
Ekaru
3,617 posts
Joined July 2008
Topic Starter
Ekaru

Trash Boat wrote:

now you can play osu! by just touching the screen, but this could lead to some misunderstanding. just saying
Tried that earlier. Need to figure out how to consistently click upon tap instead of sometimes dragging, sometimes clicking.
Marcin
osu! Alumni
4,944 posts
Joined March 2011
Marcin
I wouldn't personally buy a laptop with touchscreen, its processor sucks.

Just my 5 cents
Ekaru
3,617 posts
Joined July 2008
Topic Starter
Ekaru

Marcin wrote:

I wouldn't personally buy a laptop with touchscreen, its processor sucks.

Just my 5 cents
I had very few options since I couldn't buy online, had to go to a store I could get to through our shitty transit system, and had a budget of $600 after tax. This pretty much blew the rest of my options out of the water without even considering the touchscreen. Most of the laptops I saw had a touchscreen, too, so it was pretty hard to avoid.
Kitsunemimi
2,188 posts
Joined April 2009
Kitsunemimi
Wait what, your budget was $600 but you had no options but touchscreen laptops what?
What planet has touchscreen laptops that are cheaper than standard laptops?

Also what the hell, the laptop you linked was over $600. Also it has an i5, 8 GB of RAM and 1 TB HDD wtf i don't even understand laptops nowadays. AND IT'S FROM DELL?!!? There's no way that there's no catch somewhere, I don't believe it.

...Otherwise, if it's as good as it is on paper, then you got a pretty good deal.
The tough thing is that Windows 8 is based off of Windows 7, which is pretty different from XP. Except Win8 is just harder to use than Win7, so that could be troublesome. I guess my advice would be to take some time and learn the interface/explorer. Stuff like the Libraries, control panel, detail view instead of tiles view... um... etc.
I'd say more but I haven't used XP in so long that I've forgotten some of the differences ._.
Marcin
osu! Alumni
4,944 posts
Joined March 2011
Marcin

Kitsunemimi wrote:

Also what the hell, the laptop you linked was over $600. Also it has an i5, 8 GB of RAM and 1 TB HDD wtf i don't even understand laptops nowadays. AND IT'S FROM DELL?!!? There's no way that there's no catch somewhere, I don't believe it.
But check CPU, it was 1,4 GHz >_>
Also HDD was 5400 RPM which is slow.
That 8GB probably has slow FSB too.
Ekaru
3,617 posts
Joined July 2008
Topic Starter
Ekaru
The laptop was on sale for $550 at Office Depot. That's how it was under budget. I have no idea why the fuck touch screens are slapped on everything. I think it's because manufacturers think casual laptop users like touching things. Touchscreens are also not that expensive nowadays because they're mass produced.
chong601
388 posts
Joined November 2013
chong601
I rather use a laptop without a touchscreen (save the joints...)
Kitsunemimi
2,188 posts
Joined April 2009
Kitsunemimi

Marcin wrote:

Kitsunemimi wrote:

Also what the hell, the laptop you linked was over $600. Also it has an i5, 8 GB of RAM and 1 TB HDD wtf i don't even understand laptops nowadays. AND IT'S FROM DELL?!!? There's no way that there's no catch somewhere, I don't believe it.
But check CPU, it was 1,4 GHz >_>
Also HDD was 5400 RPM which is slow.
That 8GB probably has slow FSB too.
It's 1.6 GHz, which isn't too slow. It's Haswell too, so it's fine. The reason why it clocks slow is because it's a low-voltage processor.
5400 RPM isn't unbearable as long as you manage your processes well enough.
Also who gives a fuck about slow RAM, it doesn't change anything. Plus I've never seen DDR3 at less than 1333MHz before.

It's certainly more than enough for osu! and general mobile computing.
EDIT: The CPU turbos up to 2.6 GHz, and it says that the RAM is 1600 MHz.
TakuMii
1,874 posts
Joined October 2009
TakuMii
I got a touchscreen laptop recently too. While it really isn't that powerful (I have a Core i3 since my budget was $50-100 lower than yours and I wanted an 11.6"), it works just fine for general use, and is pretty decent for osu! too. The touchscreen makes the Windows 8 experience a whole lot more enjoyable (although I still like the interface without it) and makes Metro apps a bit more usable. The ULV specs might be a bit underwhelming, but it should net you at least 5-6 hours of battery life.
Ekaru
3,617 posts
Joined July 2008
Topic Starter
Ekaru
The battery life's around 7 hours IIRC. Either way it's a lot longer than the 4 hour average I was looking at from its competition. ^_^

EDIT: A few of the laptops there didn't even have i3s. A month-old $800 laptop at $250 off was probably destined to win the "competition" by default simply due to having a modern CPU and good battery life. :/
Trash Boat
4,403 posts
Joined April 2013
Trash Boat
stop complaining and enjoy this gift
Ekaru
3,617 posts
Joined July 2008
Topic Starter
Ekaru
Me? I love my new lappy. <3 I find its keyboard comfy, it's not too heavy or too big, and it can do twitch unlike my desktop. It also has a good battery life, which is very important to me. It also has ethernet and a DvD drive, which I wanted but aren't guarantees anymore for some reason.

Also, I look forward to playing the old maps I made with the touchscreen. ;P
TakuMii
1,874 posts
Joined October 2009
TakuMii
Yeah, I'd understand not having those two things, as they're generally things that most people don't use on a daily basis. I personally would prefer a laptop without a DVD drive, simply because of the amount of weight it saves (and I loved the convenience of being able to use my MacBook Air one-handed, although my new laptop is a wee bit too heavy for that).
And you might want to look into getting a capacitive stylus for osu!. I use one (although I got one of the cheap ones with a mushy-feeling hollow rubber tip), and aside from the stylus' friction and my hand getting in the way, it plays fairly well.

Trash Boat wrote:

stop complaining and enjoy this gift
I don't see anyone complaining, and I'm pretty sure he paid for the laptop himself...
Ekaru
3,617 posts
Joined July 2008
Topic Starter
Ekaru
Yeah, I understand no DVD drive, but I feel that ethernet is so essential to troubleshooting shit that it should always be there, even if a lot of people rarely use it.

That said, for me the DVD drive is a matter of, "I paid hundreds of $$, it better be able to play my Major's Mask OST straight from the disc!" :P
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