Troubleshooting Laptop Frustrations: Tips for Navigating Windows 7 & 8

[byrd1956]

I had to replace my laptop and have been frustrated ever since. I spent over an hour yesterday with a PC tech person who was finally able to fix what the Geek Squad messed up on P3. This new computer has windows 7 & 8 (I am not happy with 8 and it keeps getting in the way of my desktop). I cannot find the start menu nor where to find my programs list. Does anyone know where I can find those? Also,
when I click to open a word document on chefsuccess it keeps trying to open it forever and says it is opening it in a protected view. It never opens. If I save the doc to my computer the same thing happens.The little videos on FB will not play.Someone said I needed to update a video player. I can't even find where/or what is on this computer. GeekSquad told me I had to have our provider help me move my files from Windows Live Mail on my old computer to my new one. My provider told me GeekSquad should have done that and that they (our provider) could not. I hope someone can help me. Thank you.

 

[jpanzenhagen]

I will see what I can do. First, I don't think that you have Windows 7 and 8. From what you said, it appears that you just have Windows 8. There is no start menu in Windows 8 (thank you Micro$oft). To find a program you press the Windows key on the keyboard and start typing the name of the program you want. It should bring up a list of programs including the one that you want. Micro$oft did release an update to Windows 8 to Windows 8.1. It makes it more bearable to use but still not good. The easiest way to know if you have 8.1 or not is that if you have 8.1 your computer will boot to the familiar Desktop. If you have 8 it will boot to the ridiculous (in my opinion) Metro UI. The good news is that it is pretty easy and safe to upgrade to 8.1. Just Google Upgrade to Windows 8.1 and follow Micro$oft's directions. Regarding Word documents, did Geek Squad reinstall Micro$oft Word (or Office) on your new computer? All computers come with a stripped down version that allows you to do very little and that sounds like that may be the case with you. If you have the disks from your previous computer, you can install it yourself, just be sure to uninstall what is already on there first. To do this, press the Windows key to bring up the moronic (can you tell how I feel about this) Metro Interface and type Control Panel. Click on the Control Panel in the list and it should bring up something that is somewhat familiar. From there you can use the Programs and Features options to uninstall any Micro$oft Office applications. Once they are gone, reboot the computer and install from your disk. For the Facebook videos, I need a little more information. Exactly what happens when you try to display them. Do you get a green screen with sound or does nothing at all happen? Regarding your Live Mail. If you still have access to the old computer, you should be able to export your messages and contacts from Live Mail and save them to a USB drive. Then you can import them into Live Mail on the new machine. If Live Mail is not on the new machine, you can download and install it for free from http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-live/essentials.I hope that helps. Let me know how it goes.Good luck.
John

 

[byrd1956]

Thank you John. Actually it does have 2 windows on it. The 7 and it must be the 8. A frustrating window, but I can get to my desktop from there. Not sure about going to the 8.1 and was never told by Best Buy that there was a problem. (they always act like things are so easy). Someone just told me that Sam's Club told them there was a patch or something they could get free from Microsoft that would make it so they can see the start menu. I have not looked into this.I figured out this laptop is set to update automatically and has been. Somehow the FB videos are now working (just started yesterday) & I have no clue how that happened. I have been slowly getting the Live Mail files transferred. I decided I should check to see if I really need them all or not before I do. Thank you for that information. Best Buy did install the Word Programs/Publisher from my disk & the # I had from the Publisher download/purchase. I can open any document I already have on my computer, but as I mentioned earlier if I try to open one here on cs it will never open and says 'opening in protected view'. I went to the Microsoft website and ask for help. Turns out they can fix this problem for $99 one time or around $149 for a year. I told them there was not problem before and it seems that they should be able to help without that huge of a fee. They gave me 2 links to look at saying they may help. The first one says something like "Word 2003 support is no longer available" I read both things and feel total confused; I just need simple language. My programs are 2010.I don't now if taking my laptop to BB to have the geeks look at again is what I should do or not. Any other advice for me?

 

[jpanzenhagen]

The patch that they were talking about is probably the 8.1 patch. You can get the complete instructions on it at http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/update-from-windows-8-tutorial or you can have the Geek Squad do it if they won't charge you for it. They should have done that in the first place. Also, why do you have both Windows 7 and Windows 8? Windows 7 is closer to what you are familiar with so you may just want to stick with it. Can you attach a picture of what the message you get when you attempt to open a Word document? You can use the Snip utility. If you are not familiar with it, you can press the Windows key and then type snip. Click the new button and then highlight the portion of the screen you want to copy. Then you can click on the save button to save it to your computer to post back up here.

 

[byrd1956]

Boy, it took me forever to find the snip utility! I saved it at the bottom of my screen so I can get to it easily. When I went to open a word document that would not open to get a screen shot. It opened! I am shocked....there must be 'gremlins' in this new laptop. I have tried opening all sorts of word docs, e-mailing them from the old laptop and now they are opening. I have no answer for that, but am happy it is working.
The thing that is no longer working is the Live Mail export; so the rest of the filed e-mails are being forwarded to myself. What a pain and so much time. When I export even just one folder of e-mails I end up with a huge file called 'pop server something' and when I try to import I am told nothing is there.
The pdfs I have saved from the PC website no longer have a scroll bar on them, just the little hand. Is there something I need to tweak to fix this?
John just so you know my laptop is a Toshiba Satellite. I will try to put a pic of both 'desktops'. I do hate that is usually opens to the one I don't want and it sometimes just pops to that one when I am typing or doing something else. Very much a pain. (I could use the snip to get the image of the desktop I like, but when I went to the other desktop and tried to use the snip it took me back to the previous desktop. So I took a photo of the one I don't like.)
As far as other problems I am making a list and will eventually be able to make it to Best Buy. Those geeks better be able to help me.