ItsGeekToMe.co

Q: I’m thinking of buying a new PC but I don’t like Windows 8. I know Microsoft has built an optional desktop environment into newer versions of Windows 8, but I feel like a Luddite for not wanting to switch to the new look of Windows. Do you know of a really good tutorial for folks like me who can do the basics but aren’t really computer literate?

– D.S.S.
Fort Walton Beach, Florida

A: The Internet is rife with assistance for every conceivable question, and one need look no farther than one’s favorite search engine to find answers of every ilk.  (Sorry, but your “I feel like a Luddite” remark seems to have somehow affected my keyboard.  I’ll try to keep it under control.  Or maybe Alt.)

I did a quick Google search for Windows 8 Training and there were “only” 265,000,000 hits.  Of course, because this is Google we’re talking about, the paid ones were right up front.  Often when using Google for research this can be an annoying tendency, since it tends to push down what might be very desirable results.  However, in the case where you’re searching for good-quality training materials, it seems logical that companies willing to pay to get their products out there might just have products worth looking into.  Sure enough, my search showed courses from The Learning Tree (I have personal experience with their in-classroom training, and it is very good, if a bit pricey).  There are also hits from QuickStart.com, GlobalKnowlege.com, Microsoft itself, and a bevy of other vendors.

One excellent source that comes to mind is a website called Lynda.com.  Last year, they offered a special course for the Windows 8 neophyte that was free in exchange for a Like on their Facebook page.  I checked, and unfortunately that’s no longer available.  However, in checking, I took a look at their current course offering for Windows 8.1 and it seemed to be very comprehensive.  It’s all video-based, and broken into relatively short sections, so you can view them on a flex schedule.  Enjoy!

Q: At some point I will be replacing my desktop and laptop, both of which only have USB 2.0 connections.  Is there an external adapter which will avoid my having to toss my 2.0 peripherals? Conversely, many new peripherals are 3.0-only and will an adapter permit me to use them with my present computers?

– Doug B.
Niceville, Florida

A: USB, or Universal Serial Bus, is one of my absolute favorite things about modern computers.  This genius of an interface replaced many older technologies on PCs, and has made connection of peripherals a breeze compared to what it used to be.  It also paved the way for such amazing devices as thumb drives and tiny dongles for technologies like Bluetooth and cordless mice that are smaller than the plug on the end of a typical USB cable.

Like all popular technologies, USB has improved over time.  The USB 1.1 specification that came out in the mid-1990’s, supported up to 12 megabits per second (mbps).  USB 2.0 was released in April of 2000 (wow, has it really been over 13 years?) and improved the speed up to a blazing 480 mbps.  The USB 3.0 specification published in November 2008, defined a new SuperSpeed mode with a usable data rate of up to 4 gigabytes per second.  Each of the newer specifications was built on the older specification, and for once in the world of computing, they seemed to get everything right.  If you plug a USB 2.0 device into a USB 3.0 port, it works exactly as it always has, you just don’t get the 3.0 speed because the device isn’t capable of it.  By the same token, if you plug a USB 3.0 device into a 2.0 port, it too will work as designed, only at the slower 2.0 speed.  So, Doug, the answer to your question is no, there is no adapter, but that is because none is necessary; at least not for the electronic signals.  If there is any incongruity to be found, it might be in the size and shape of the plug.  The USB specification allows for plugs of several different sizes and shapes, but they all carry USB signals that are cross-compatible with each of the various USB signal specs.  In these cases, yes, adapters are available to change from one size plug to another.  I have rarely – if ever – needed such adapters, but if you do, they are easily available from many online retailers. So, plug away, Doug, and enjoy the technology that is USB.