Windows 10 and The Surface

I am not a computer expert. I have not had any formal training except for the various CAD (Computer Aided Design) platforms I used over 20 years of work. To me, a computer is a tool. I use it for some calculation, word processing and a lot of entertainment. I do not program nor "hack" around with the operating system. In fact, I can hardly tell the difference between the various Windows operating systems.

A few years ago, I bought a new desktop computer. I tried to spec it out with what I thought would be a computer that would have the power and storage to last several years. At the time, Windows Vista was the operating system of choice. After a couple years, I felt that Vista lacked something after Windows 7 came out. I arranged a barter with a friend who had access to a Windows 7 license. He took my computer home and installed Windows 7. Most of my programs converted over except for a few older ones that did not work well on Vista either. Some things on 7 worked really well and some things I struggled with.

Then a couple of months ago, I started hearing that Microsoft was going to upgrade Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 users to the new Windows 10. Sure enough, I received an announcement and scheduled an appointment to receive Windows 10. When the day arrived, I started the download and then left the house for a couple of hours. When I returned, Windows 10 was loaded and operating. I had one error message about a driver for backup hard drive that it could not recognize.

Windows 10 allowed me to use my Internet Explorer browser and a lot of the programs I used on Windows 7. But after a few days, I started using their new browser called Edge. It is fairly intuitive and has a Google Chrome appearance and feel. Strange. But I feel like my conversion was pretty seamless. I encourage others to make the switch from Windows 7 to Windows 10.

I had also been thinking about a new small laptop or tablet to use for travel. My old Dell 10 inch Netbook still worked, but with Windows XP operating system, it struggled to operate efficiently. In June while I was living in University Village while my mom was in the UW Hospital, I walked to the Microsoft Store to look at the Microsoft Surface. This is a tablet with an optional magnetic attachable keyboard and an optional stylus pen. They come in a small model as well as a larger Surface Pro model. The salesman demonstrated a standard model with Window 8.1. I could not keep up with all he was trying to show me. But he did tell me that newer models would be set up with Windows 10.

After a few weeks, I noticed that Costco had the Surface bundled with a keyboard and stylus pen for a very reasonable price. I selected the larger (more memory) of the smaller Surface tablets. The Surface PRO was several hundred dollars more and was physically larger with more power draw. The Surface I bought has about a 10 1/2 inch screen, USB power, and still has lots of RAM and hard drive space.

When it arrived, I fired it off right away. I struggled a little with the setup, but in a short time I was operating it. The amazing thing is that with my laptop mentality, I thought I would want to use the keyboard. After about an hour, I disconnected the keyboard and have not used it since. It totally is used as a touch screen tablet. I have not used a tablet except for my phone. The Surface is very similar.

I like the Surface. It is fast and runs the programs I use. It will run all day on a single charge. And as a Windows 10 machine, it was not hard to learn

 The Surface with the keyboard and the stylus pen.

And without the keyboard. It has a two position "kickstand" to allow a comfortable viewing angle.