Windows 8 for old fogeys

My Dad is a nightmare as far as computers go. It has taken him forever to get his head round Windows XP and now he wants a new laptop. I guess the new laptop will come with Windows 8. Question is, can it be tinkered with to get as near as possible to the old XP interface. Also, any recommendations for a good value laptop circa £400.

Please do not say get a Mac. That would push him over the edge.

Classic Start Menu and tell it to boot into Desktop.

We have done the Win 8 thing.

At first I hated it, as it was nothing like windows of old. I preserved, and very quickly it won me over. It will quite happily look after all your stuff, puts things where it needs them, works well with all those internetty things and integrates well with all your accounts, and whatever have you.

You kind of have to go with the flow, but then there’s Win9 due out soon. Which, if Microsoft have behaved as normal, will work much like Win8, but be much much better. A bit like the Vista (bad), Win7 (good) debacle.

£400? so much to choose from, I’d get to one of the big retailers and have a bit of a hands on session, get the one you like the feel of.

Aside from the new start menu and the addition of apps windows interface changes have been mostly cosmetic since XP (possibly longer but I can’t remember that far back). So download a program like start8 and it should work pretty much the same.

Edit: you might have to change some default programs too so it doesn’t use apps

You can still get laptops online with Windows 7, which is much closer to XP than 8 is.

I’ve sort of gone the opposite way to seadog- I din’t mind Win 8 when I got it but a few months on it’s really getting on my nerves. I still have Win 7 at work and I much prefer it.

windows 8.1 with start menu reviver here and I like it.

18 months ago I bought a £400 refurbished laptop from the Dell outlet and it’s been great. There are a few wee marks on the corners which you can only see close up but the screen and keyboard was in as new condition.

You need something like this[/url]

Windows 7 (pro/ultimate) with windows xp mode is great.

http://www.classicshell.net/%5B/url%5D

I went from XP to 8 to 8.1 and Classic Shell has been a lifesaver for me. 8 was designed for a touch screen. I don’t use a touch screen. Try this free download for him and save both of you a load of hassle.

Cheapest core i3 laptop for £280 (asus). Nothing wrong with it unless you want a bigger than 15 inch screen.

Wait for Windows 9 at the end of September

windows 8 and classic shell, you can choice what menu (Xp/win7 & another IIRC)) you want. Installed 8.1 update and couldn’t see it made things any much better, maybe I didn’t find the right setting, but classic shell sorted it out in moments.