Laptop upgrade questions

[Dave7]

As an old fart and well retired I hardly use my laptop now eg I use my phone for CC.
My old laptop is windows 8 and it is really struggling.
I spoke to a local PC "doctor" who tells me the following........
My laptop is too old to upgrade to the latest Windows 11 but can be upgraded to Windows 10.
For £65.00 he will upgrade it and transfer all my data (tbh there isn't much).

NB
I can afford a new one but imo it's a waste of money for what I need.
£65.00 seems reasonable but hey, what do I know?
What think you ??

 

[alicat]

You might get more replies @Dave7 if you post the query in the 'PC fettling and repairs thread'.

I would ask the PC doctor how long he expects the laptop to go before it is struggling using Windows 10.

In your shoes, I would put my data on Google drive then buy a Chromebook but I'm no expert.

 

[Psamathe]

Maybe consider longevity and security (which might be linked depending on your laptop use).

Even though you might not do much on your laptop, you might still store confidential information, financial information. And a lot of information that might appear "not significant" can be very helpful to somebody intent on identity theft (either your identity or somebody else's - they collect and amalgamate data from many sources).

I don't know Windows but my understanding is that Windows 10 will only be getting security updates for another year, so, if my understanding is correct you'll be buying a solution for just 1 year before secuirty could become compromised (which may or may not be important to you).

Also consider what apps/programs you use eg if you use them, will Word & Excel still be supported in a year? (they can have security vulnerabilities as well as the Operating System).

Maybe £65 for a year is good value, maybe the grief of another upgrade in a year outweighs the financial considerations. It all becomes down to the individual.

Ian

 

[Alex321]

While it might run Windows 10, that will no longer be supported from next October (a year from now). And if it was designed for Windows 8, it probably won't run Windows 10 well.

If you can easily afford it, I would replace with an up to date but basic Windows 11 model, which should last you for a good few years.

There are a few around for about £200, e.g.,
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BY937M5D
https://www.hp.com/gb-en/shop/product.aspx?id=A20JFEA&opt=ABU&sel=NTB
https://www.currys.co.uk/products/h...p-intel-celeron-128-gb-ssd-blue-10263975.html
https://www.johnlewis.com/asus-vivo...am-128gb-ssd-14-inch-full-hd-black/p110163429

 

[Dave7]

You might get more replies @Dave7 if you post the query in the 'PC fettling and repairs thread'.

Oh, I haven't noticed that thread, I will have a look.
BTW Google tells me Windows 10 will only be supported till October 2025

 

[wiggydiggy]

As an old fart and well retired I hardly use my laptop now eg I use my phone for CC.
My old laptop is windows 8 and it is really struggling.
I spoke to a local PC "doctor" who tells me the following........
My laptop is too old to upgrade to the latest Windows 11 but can be upgraded to Windows 10.
For £65.00 he will upgrade it and transfer all my data (tbh there isn't much).

NB
I can afford a new one but imo it's a waste of money for what I need.
£65.00 seems reasonable but hey, what do I know?
What think you ??

Just to answer direct you can download Windows 10 from Microsoft (link below), if you've not much data on it I'd consider doing it myself. Even for none 'PC Doctors' its a fairly step by step process. I think it might even as part of the installation offer to backup your folders (these are typically the Documents/Music/Videos/Pictures folders) and restore them later.

You're basically paying for labour here. £65 seems steep for maybe 1 hour but if he's guaranteeing the work, and no data lost and you can afford it then go for it.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10?msockid=23f581a2d2c96e1423cb95d6d3396f04

 

[markemark]

While it might run Windows 10, that will no longer be supported from next October (a year from now). And if it was designed for Windows 8, it probably won't run Windows 10 well.

If you can easily afford it, I would replace with an up to date but basic Windows 11 model, which should last you for a good few years.

There are a few around for about £200, e.g.,
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BY937M5D
https://www.hp.com/gb-en/shop/product.aspx?id=A20JFEA&opt=ABU&sel=NTB
https://www.currys.co.uk/products/h...p-intel-celeron-128-gb-ssd-blue-10263975.html
https://www.johnlewis.com/asus-vivo...am-128gb-ssd-14-inch-full-hd-black/p110163429

^^ What Alex321 said. No point as Windows 10 will soon be unsupported. If you're worried about security you'll only get it for a year with the added joy of a cost and a headache. I doubt upgrading the OS on an old machine will speed things up particularly anyway,

Either don't bother or buy a Windows 11 machine.

 

[Dave7]

While it might run Windows 10, that will no longer be supported from next October (a year from now). And if it was designed for Windows 8, it probably won't run Windows 10 well.

If you can easily afford it, I would replace with an up to date but basic Windows 11 model, which should last you for a good few years.

There are a few around for about £200, e.g.,
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BY937M5D
https://www.hp.com/gb-en/shop/product.aspx?id=A20JFEA&opt=ABU&sel=NTB
https://www.currys.co.uk/products/h...p-intel-celeron-128-gb-ssd-blue-10263975.html
https://www.johnlewis.com/asus-vivo...am-128gb-ssd-14-inch-full-hd-black/p110163429

Thanks for all that.
I am leaning that way but have some reservations ie. Mine has a 17" screen and I don't wish to go too small.
If eg I buy one from JohnLewis is everything loaded and ready to go?

 

[markemark]

Thanks for all that.
I am leaning that way but have some reservations ie. Mine has a 17" screen and I don't wish to go too small.
If eg I buy one from JohnLewis is everything loaded and ready to go?

Well, loaded with Windows but you'd need to install all the software you need.

 

[vickster]

Thanks for all that.
I am leaning that way but have some reservations ie. Mine has a 17" screen and I don't wish to go too small.
If eg I buy one from JohnLewis is everything loaded and ready to go?

Yes but you’ll have to pay for Office 365 (Word etc).
In your shoes, I’d probably just get a decent Tablet if you just want a larger screen for surfing. Won’t be 17” though (you could cast to your Smart TV though).
What do you actually use a laptop for?
If you do need one, maybe get a decent refurb rather than a lower spec new from JL

 

[Psamathe]

Thanks for all that.
I am leaning that way but have some reservations ie. Mine has a 17" screen and I don't wish to go too small.
If eg I buy one from JohnLewis is everything loaded and ready to go?

"Everything" is a big word and can mean different thin gs to different people eg Everything the Operating System needs or maybe including all the applications I use (eg Word, Excel, photo app, etc.) or to some "everything" might include your personal data and documents (and it would be very worrying if John Lewis had that pre-loaded on laptops they sell!).

Ian

 

[Mike_P]

There are free alternatives to Office such as Libreoffice. Outliok is now the default Windows email program

 

[Time Waster]

If you do need office then stalk deals on amazon as you can find cheap deals and often the providers will change the products costs around on a a daily basis. i ended up getting a family deal with norton (which I didn't use) for less than single M365 licence. You get 5 users with IIRC 5 devices each plus a lot of cloud storage for a decent deal. Sure free versions of office apps might still be cheaper or free and just as good but IME they are just so different to what I am used to that I am willing to pay for the M365 increase in productivity it gives me at least in part due to familiarity but also for being better (IMHO of course).

 

[Alex321]

Thanks for all that.
I am leaning that way but have some reservations ie. Mine has a 17" screen and I don't wish to go too small.
If eg I buy one from JohnLewis is everything loaded and ready to go?

17" one from Currys for £279
https://www.currys.co.uk/products/h...-intel-pentium-128-gb-ssd-black-10250269.html

Any you buy from a reputable merchant will be ready to go out of the box so far as Windows is concerned, but obviously, you would have to transfer all your files and settings, and install any other software you use.

Windows 11 no longer has transfer software built in, but there are free or paid for programs which will transfer everything (including any other software you use)
Free - https://www.easeus.com/pc-transfer/transfer-files-to-windows-11-new-computer.html
Paid ($39.99) - https://go.laplink.com/use-pcmover-instead-of-windows-easy-transfer

 

[Dadam]

I wouldn't pay £65 for an upgrade I could do myself, but especially not as it's only got a year of life.
The Windows 8 to 10 upgrade should run on its own and leave all your data where it is, no need to "transfer it". Unless the "PC doctor" is planning to wipe the disk and do a clean install, which is possible I suppose.

Either way I'd definitely look for a more up to date model.

While it might run Windows 10, that will no longer be supported from next October (a year from now). And if it was designed for Windows 8, it probably won't run Windows 10 well.

If you can easily afford it, I would replace with an up to date but basic Windows 11 model, which should last you for a good few years.

There are a few around for about £200, e.g.,
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BY937M5D
https://www.hp.com/gb-en/shop/product.aspx?id=A20JFEA&opt=ABU&sel=NTB
https://www.currys.co.uk/products/h...p-intel-celeron-128-gb-ssd-blue-10263975.html
https://www.johnlewis.com/asus-vivo...am-128gb-ssd-14-inch-full-hd-black/p110163429

I wouldn't recommend anything with 4Gb of RAM these days (all bar the first one), however that Lenovo from Amazon looks like a fantastic bang for the buck. 8th gen core i5, 16Gb RAM and 256Gb SSD is not to be sneezed at for the price. It's refurbed so not new and pristine but you've got the 30 day no quibble return policy if the condition doesn't meet expectations. The only downside is only a 14" screen vs the OP's 17"