I pick up the phone, listen and immediately bang my head on my desk in sheer frustration. My dad spilled coffee on his laptop.
Now most of you are probably saying to yourself – Susan, that’s annoying but certainly not head banging worthy. Oh but it is. Yes the laptop was only 6 months old which was frustrating … however the bigger issue is that it had good old Windows 7!
My parents are seniors and getting them into the techie world has been a challenge. Do they have all the latest gadgets. No. Can they text? No. But they have mastered SKYPE, can do simple things online and they play solitaire… a lot. That is it.
When their old computer died about 6 months ago, I picked up another laptop which was loaded with Windows 8. I was not familiar with Windows 8 so after several hours of head banging in absolute frustration, the laptop was returned. So I scoured the online stores and eventually found a perfect laptop in clearance … with Windows 7. My parents were thrilled. I was the hero daughter for returning their beloved solitaire. And best of all, my head stopped hurting.
Fast forward to the call that has ruined the past 7 days of my life.
After countless hours of searching online, I could not repeat my luck and locate a laptop with Windows 7. My trusty IT guy took the laptop apart and tried to bring it back to life, but the damage was too extensive. So Windows 8.1 here we come. After reading things online, I wasn’t as hesitant as I was with Windows 8. The reviews all assured me that it was easier to use. I found endless sites that all gave clear instructions on how to use things. And I even downloaded instructions on how to make sure solitaire was loaded. I was confident and set.
Oh how the reviews lied. Yes Windows 8.1 is improved from Windows 8, however it’s still a big pain in the neck to use. If you are using it with a touch screen or on a tablet, it might work well once you get used to it. But having it loaded on a regular laptop doesn’t make any sense. And trying to teach a dramatically different program to people who aren’t techie anyways – well it’s just really painful. All of the basic tasks that took years for my parents to grasp no longer work the same. It’s been a nightmare. Every time my office phone rings and I see their number come up, I bang my head knowing that I am about to be bombarded with questions that I know I can’t answer.
So for anyone still using Windows 7 and dreading the Windows 8.1 upgrade … I urge you to please don’t drink coffee while using your computer and save yourself from the frustration!