My wife is an expert at messing up her computer. She's taken it to Geek Squad a couple times, and they invariably remove software she's paid for and installed other stuff that THEY like - and then charge her for it.
As I've become known for saying these last six months, if you use Win 10, you no longer own or control your computer, Microsoft does. And it is getting worse, not better. After the last update, your computer isn't even completely off when you power it down. W10 goes into a "deep hibernation" mode so that MS can wake it up, install updates, replace pestiferous things like Bing or Cortana that you've disabled, and otherwise show you who is the boss with your computer.
If you are just an everyday computer user not required to use Windows by an employer or some Windows-specific aoftware (like a professional CAD/CAM suite or such) then you are a candidate to kiss Windows goodbye in favor of a Linux OS. Linux returns full control of your computer to you. YOU can set it up, change it, control updates, and do everything you do now with software that is not only at least as good as anything from MS, but is totally free.
Ubuntu is very popular (mostly because it is the most well known) but for the recent convert I most heartily recommend Mint 19.3 Cinnamon. You can put it on a bootable USB stick and try it for as long as you like WITHOUT ever installing it on your existing machine Just plug in the stick, set your machine to boot to it, and restart. Then explore - and when you see how comfortable, how stable, and how easy it is to use, it helps you install itself. Start HERE
Rocky, you can disable deep hibernate from the command line if you want. From the Windows search box type CMD and select the command prompt option. Then type the following and hit enter:
Powercfg /h off
Then restart the computer from the Start Menu.
Progressives are the most open minded, tolerant, and inclusive people on the planet, as long as you agree with everything they say, and do exactly as you're told.
Jake, I have absolutely no confidence that anything you do will not be countermanded by MS. Disable something you don't like, but before you know it, the evil wizards at MS will discover it and change it back. You are not in control any longer, you have been assimilated like a Borg as long as you have Win 10. That's a fact, not an opinion.
When you get ready, watch any of several YouTubes about how to try Linux. Or ask me here. It really is not that hard, as even this 73-yo geezer managed it.
Jake, I have absolutely no confidence that anything you do will not be countermanded by MS. Disable something you don't like, but before you know it, the evil wizards at MS will discover it and change it back. You are not in control any longer, you have been assimilated like a Borg as long as you have Win 10. That's a fact, not an opinion.
When you get ready, watch any of several YouTubes about how to try Linux. Or ask me here. It really is not that hard, as even this 73-yo geezer managed it.
I'm a systems analyst so I'm pretty familiar with the fun Microsoftisms. It's an ongoing effort to undo things they force on us. I especially enjoy it when they push out an update that breaks 100 computers.
Progressives are the most open minded, tolerant, and inclusive people on the planet, as long as you agree with everything they say, and do exactly as you're told.
We use a high end Dell workstation, and at purchase I demanded Win 7. At startup it immediately began downloading Win 10 and the only way to stop it was to power down. Went to one of our older machines and found some "Never 10" software to turn off the 10 update feature. No issues since its installlation, but I do get a screen once in a while asking if I'd like to jump to 10. Won't do that until the web world ceases to function with seven.
Just go to your nearest Apple store and buy an iMac. Buy AppleCare for 99 cents per month. The people you call are courteous and AMERICANS. If they can't solve the problem they will make an appointment for you to go to the Genius Bar at the Apple store. The Apple store also has a lot of free lessons on stuff.
Don't blame me. I voted for Trump.
Democrats would burn this country to the ground, if they could rule over the ashes.
My son is a computer geek. He has actually made a fair amount of money hiring himself out to “Fix” problems caused by the Geek Squad, and other computer/ I.T. repair services.
We had a discussion recently, and he went on a tirade about the Geek Squad.
(According to him) All they do is run a diagnostic program provided by their Corporate and replace whatever component the program tells them to. They charge you an inflated price for the components. No knowledge or talent necessary. No matter how clean or dirty your computer is, they charge you to disassemble clean it. Usually $90 to $125 for cleaning, plus diagnostics and components.
They will probably fix your computer. They will probably charge you $200 to $300 for 20 minutes work and a $20 component. There are better options, you just need to find them.
If they (Geek Squad) do not fix your computer the first try, they will tell you that everything they did was necessary (no refund) but now you need more work at additional charge. Some people end up spending more than the price of a new computer.
Jake, it's great to have an expert help us with this. If I say something wrong, please correct me.
Indy, that's a fairly blithe suggestion. "Just spend many hundreds or thousands of dollars to get a system that's just as restrictive and imprisoning as Microsoft is - or more so."
If you already have a computer, you do not need a new one. You do not have to spend a penny to rid yourself of digital tyranny. Even if your crusty old box is a decade+ old and runs Win XP at a crawl, there's a Linux version for you that will not only run but will run MUCH better. If you are now running Win 7 or 10, you will be amazed. And - I'll say this again - you can find out risk free.
Once you download and install a Linux version onto a USB stick, you can test-drive it on the stick without removing or changing Windows in any way - for as long as you like. When or if you decide to switch over to Linux, you can install it so that it erases Windows entirely, or installs Linux next to Windows (sharing the hard drive in separate partitions) and able to boot to either one. Such a "dual boot" system is a bit tricky to set up, and I don't really recommend it unless you take some precautions first. There's also something called a "virtual box" that allows you to do the same thing, but that's even more complicated and risky. I won't even try that myself.
What I recommend is that you do the test drive routine and then when you are ready, move all your personal data folders (documents, photos, music, videos, etc) to an external drive so they are preserved and then do a full erase install.
In the event that you don't like the first version of Linux you put on a USB stick, you can easily try another one the same way. (I recently experimented with eight of them!) In the VERY unlikely event you don't like any flavor of Linux, all you have to do is take the USB stick out and you are right back where you started - as a Microsoft slave.
Here's a video that shows how to make a bootable USB, and install a Linux version (in this case it's Zorin Lite, which is a slick little version meant for an older machine) except that he doesn't test-drive it and goes straight to install. Otherwise it's a good tutorial.
I'll probably go with either a dual boot system or separate Windows and linux pc's at some point. I have Windows based software applications like RCBS.LOAD and for the CED Millennium chronograph I want to continue to be able to use.
That sounds prudent. Many if not most Windows programs can be run under Linux using a "translation" program called Wine (which comes pre-loaded in Mint) but not all. I have a little program that is required to update my golf GPS unit, and it does not work except in Windows. For such, it is probably easiest to obtain an otherwise obsolete computer running Win 7 and keep it on hand.
I use one such that way, but also as a test-bed for Linux. I currently have it set up as a dual boot with Win 7 and Zorin Core. Both work great, and I use the Win7 side only to do my monthly golf GPS sync.
No offense to anyone but if you need the help of geek squad, I'm not sure its in your best interest to attempt to install a new OS like Linux or a variant like Unbuntu
I don't think you have to be an expert to do it but there is a learning curve.
have you paid your dues, can you moan the blues, can you bend them guitar strings
None taken, I'm sure. But as opined, testing it and installing it are somewhat different. Making a bootable USB is pretty simple, and if one can learn to shift from (for example) Win 7 to 10, then the learning curve with Linux is no larger challenge. It's certainly easier than going from Windows to Mac.
There's another option. You can probably contact Dell and buy a "recovery disc" if your computer didn't come with one. Such a disc allows for a complete reformatting and reinstall. You would have to save your important files and have the install media for any add-on programs that you have. It's scorched Earth but would allow you to start will a clean slate if you wanted to go that route.
Whenever I setup a brand new computer, I will usually lock it down and set it up the way I want. Then I use a disc imaging tool to take a complete backup of the hard drive before it even touched the Internet. That's stored on a thumb drive and sits on the shelf as an insurance policy for me. It allows me to return the computer to that known clean and safe starting point any time I want. Yes I know that Windows has the "restore" feature but trust me, it's flawed.
About once a year, even if the computer seems to be working fine, I will back up anything important and wipe the hard drive and restore it with my disk image and have a nice clean install again after about 30 minutes.
Progressives are the most open minded, tolerant, and inclusive people on the planet, as long as you agree with everything they say, and do exactly as you're told.
