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 Awesome.
Veni, vidi, vici.
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It has three legs on either side!
Bill was right![^]
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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So my brother just bought a new laptop. His requirements are really limited to browser and MS office. He is alien to IT World. Since I too have never seen Windows 8 (I like my cave and have no intentions of crawling out of it for now), I am not really sure what all do we need to do to get things going.
For instance, I would disable updates for some software, disable UAC and make start up programs and services to my liking. Apart from that, I would install MSE, Chrome and VLC player.
Is there any guide related to Windows 8 system for such users to tell what to do? Are keyboard shortcuts and display for changing properties of OS similar to Windows 7?
"Bastards encourage idiots to use Oracle Forms, Web Forms, Access and a number of other dinky web publishing tolls.", Mycroft Holmes[ ^]
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Most new Windows 8 desktop user I have seen hates it!  (and found the UI extremely confusing)
I do love it, but I did buy Start8[^] for $5
Otherwise it works just like Win7, just a little leaner and faster...
Maybe Win8.1 in October will improve the experience? That remains to be seen, I have the feeling MS only partially listen to customer, hoping to convince them to change their way...
As I see it, it's not going to happen if the chicken and egg problem of developers not interested in new API which only work on new hardware that is not available and not coming because no app for it!!!
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I did. Then I uninstalled it and bought Start8!
True Story! 
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Most new Windows 8 users I have seen love it. New users need training. 5 minutes will do it. Best advice - avoid add-ons like Start8 (completely unnecessary and slow down effective use of start screen, desktop and app screen). Windows 8.1 is basically Windows 7 with Start Screen replacing slower, clunkier start menu. When I have many apps open on desktop, I find it faster to go to, say, Excel via Start Screen than collapsing windows to desktop shortcut and certainly faster than using start button in the old days. I do of course set up desktop and start screen to my usage pattern.
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I also recommend Start8. See if you can get your hands on David Pogue's "Windows 8 - The Missing Manual". He writes tech columns for the NYTimes and is a good author.
/ravi
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d@nish wrote: disable UAC
Why don't you disable DEP, remove all Av software, and enable the hidden admin account that runs everything elevated by default as his normal login. Then all you'll need to do is to find a WinXP skin so that after the inevitable malware infestation that comes from disabling all the OS security features it'll look exactly like his old one. 
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason?
Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius
Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies.
-- Sarah Hoyt
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Visit www.ninite.com - you can get Chrome, VLC and MSE from there in a single download, with no added crapware, and also Classic Start which sounds much like Start8 others have mentioned, but it has the advantage that it's free
It's well known that if all the cat videos and porn disappeared from the internet there would be only one site left and it would be called whereareallthecatvideosandporn.com
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MSE doesn't work with Windows 8; they built it into Windows Defender.
Other than that, pretty much everything else is the same.
The United States invariably does the right thing, after having exhausted every other alternative. -Winston Churchill
America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between. -Oscar Wilde
Wow, even the French showed a little more spine than that before they got their sh*t pushed in.[^] -Colin Mullikin
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If the machine didn't come bundled with a third-party antimalware package, Windows Defender (the successor to MSE) *should* be installed. If it isn't, then launch the desktop version of Windows Update, click the link to have it install and update "other" MS software, and it should give you the option to install WD.
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Windows Defender aka MSE predecessor (in Vista) now a successor. Oh Microsoft decide yourself 
MSE was only a setback!
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d@nish wrote: Is there any guide related to Windows 8 system for such users to tell what to do?
Scott's tutorial is pretty good[^]
~RaGE();
I think words like 'destiny' are a way of trying to find order where none exists. - Christian Graus
Do not feed the troll ! - Common proverb
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Nice! +5 
/ravi
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My niece just bought a new low-end Dell Insipron 15" laptop that came with Win8. I'm thinking of wiping the disk clean and installing Win7 on it. Thankfully Dell makes all drivers for this model available for both Win7 and Win8. Just something to consider.
/ravi
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I am going to visit him in November. I will set it up the good way. I am thinking of getting ubuntu if not 7.
"Bastards encourage idiots to use Oracle Forms, Web Forms, Access and a number of other dinky web publishing tolls.", Mycroft Holmes[ ^]
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Those adverts for new laptops are so appealing.
Then I read this and am reminded of the horror of windows. Definitely Ubuntu, but be careful of the graphics chipset; 13.04 has Intel official graphics support via an app, but LTS is no longer supported by this(WTF?).
And if they've moved to UEFI, be sure to choose Ubuntu 64 bit.
Which means no skype in 13.04 !
Did I say 'horror of windows'?
Wait for 13.10 in October. They might have it sorted by then.
Incidentally, I bought a used Elitebook for £160, and installed a terabyte drive. It rumbles along nicely with core2duo.
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He could live with that. He ain't going to use anything else but a browser.
"Bastards encourage idiots to use Oracle Forms, Web Forms, Access and a number of other dinky web publishing tolls.", Mycroft Holmes[ ^]
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Ravi Bhavnani wrote: I'm thinking of wiping the disk clean and installing Win7 on it.
I see no reason to do that, unless your niece will be using the laptop for developing applications.
~RaGE();
I think words like 'destiny' are a way of trying to find order where none exists. - Christian Graus
Do not feed the troll ! - Common proverb
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Given that your brother "is alien to IT World", here's what I'd do ... ymmv ...
... Microsoft Security Essentials is built in to Windows 8, so nothing to do there.
... Make sure Windows Update is set to automatically install security patches and important updates
... Leave UAC in place and educate him about how it works (noting that UAC in Windows 8 is much less intrusive than Vista)
... Install Chrome & VLC Player
... otherwise leave it alone (specifically avoiding any of the third party start buttons).
Why? The more "standard" his laptop, the less he'll be dependent on you for assistance. A standard, vanilla, middle of the road configuration means more ways for him to get help when needed. Set up something geeky, cool and uncommon, and he'll be calling you for help for every minor issue.
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I uploaded set up files for Chrome and VLC player at dropbox for him to download and install. Other than that, he just needs to buy MS Office.
"Bastards encourage idiots to use Oracle Forms, Web Forms, Access and a number of other dinky web publishing tolls.", Mycroft Holmes[ ^]
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d@nish wrote: disable UAC
Not unless he's a power user.
Would you give him root access to a Unix box?
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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