I put Win 8.1 on my Dell M6800 yesterday in the hope it will be a bit more
sensible about virus detection.

It didn't ask for a product key and I assumed it picked it up from the
BIOS. However, it wouldn't activate saying the key had been used (may have
been too many times) which I've not seen before with a BIOS key.

Magical Jelly Bean and Nirsoft Produkey both show the same product key but
Speccy comes up with something completely different. Anybody know why?

Win 8.1 went crazy when it saw Produkey but couldn't do anything because
it's on a write protected thumbdrive but at least it lest Excel and Word
run!

--
Jeff Gaines Dorset UK
I can please only one person per day. Today is not your day.
Tomorrow, isn't looking good either.

On 27 Oct 2022 at 09:48:40 BST, ""Jeff Gaines""
<jgaines_newsid@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

>
> I put Win 8.1 on my Dell M6800 yesterday in the hope it will be a bit more
> sensible about virus detection.

Why would you think a version of Windows that goes end-of-support in
three months would be a better choice?
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-8-1-support-will-end-on-january-10-2023-3cfd4cde-f611-496a-8057-923fba401e93

Cheers - Jaimie

--
"I'd tried caffeine a few times; it made me believe I was
focused and energetic, but it turned my judgment to shit.
Widespread use of caffeine explains a lot about the
twentieth century." - "Distress", Greg Egan

On 27/10/2022 in message <jrv9jvFbqrrU1@mid.individual.net> Jaimie
Vandenbergh wrote:

>On 27 Oct 2022 at 09:48:40 BST, ""Jeff Gaines""
><jgaines_newsid@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
>
>>
>>I put Win 8.1 on my Dell M6800 yesterday in the hope it will be a bit more
>>sensible about virus detection.
>
>Why would you think a version of Windows that goes end-of-support in
>three months would be a better choice?
>https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-8-1-support-will-end-on-january-10-2023-3cfd4cde-f611-496a-8057-923fba401e93
>
> Cheers - Jaimie

Just experience, it's only ever been Win 10 that comes up with all the
false reports that I've mentioned in here.

--
Jeff Gaines Dorset UK
There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.
(Ken Olson, president Digital Equipment, 1977)

On 27/10/2022 in message <xn0nolqmsjxog9800x@news.individual.net> Jeff
Gaines wrote:

>Magical Jelly Bean and Nirsoft Produkey both show the same product key but
>Speccy comes up with something completely different. Anybody know why?

I found an answer in a forum:

"The key displayed by Speccy is the Windows serial key, and not the
license key that is used to activate Windows."

No idea what it means but explains the difference. I now have 4 or 5
keyfinders installed as part of researching this and it's only Nirsoft
Produkey that kicks Windows off.

--
Jeff Gaines Dorset UK
Every day is a good day for chicken, unless you're a chicken.

On 27/10/2022 13:12, Jeff Gaines wrote:
> On 27/10/2022 in message <jrv9jvFbqrrU1@mid.individual.net> Jaimie
> Vandenbergh wrote:
>
>> On 27 Oct 2022 at 09:48:40 BST, ""Jeff Gaines""
>> <jgaines_newsid@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> I put Win 8.1 on my Dell M6800 yesterday in the hope it will be a bit
>>> more
>>> sensible about virus detection.
>>
>> Why would you think a version of Windows that goes end-of-support in
>> three months would be a better choice?
>> https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-8-1-support-will-end-on-january-10-2023-3cfd4cde-f611-496a-8057-923fba401e93
>>
>>
>>    Cheers - Jaimie
>
> Just experience, it's only ever been Win 10 that comes up with all the
> false reports that I've mentioned in here.
>

My experience is that W10 functions almost faultlessly. I had some false
virus detections a few months ago, at the same time as everyone else,
but none since. And, like billions of other people, I have Excel and Word.

You can use W10 and install a third party virus checker, if you don't
like Defender. Or, go over to Linux.

On 27/10/2022 14:20, Jeff Gaines wrote:
> On 27/10/2022 in message <xn0nolqmsjxog9800x@news.individual.net> Jeff
> Gaines wrote:
>
>> Magical Jelly Bean and Nirsoft Produkey both show the same product key
>> but Speccy comes up with something completely different. Anybody know
>> why?
>
> I found an answer in a forum:
>
> "The key displayed by Speccy is the Windows serial key, and not the
> license key that is used to activate Windows."
>
> No idea what it means but explains the difference. I now have 4 or 5
> keyfinders installed as part of researching this and it's only Nirsoft
> Produkey that kicks Windows off.
>

Like a lot of other people, I have been running Win 10 without
activation for a few years.

Apart from the reminder on the bottom of the screen I dont have any
problem with it. Word and Excel seem to run fine as well. I dont
understand the attraction of 8.1

--
random signature text inserted here

On 27/10/2022 in message <tje59d$2pq07$1@dont-email.me> GB wrote:

>>Just experience, it's only ever been Win 10 that comes up with all the
>>false reports that I've mentioned in here.
>>
>
>
>My experience is that W10 functions almost faultlessly. I had some false
>virus detections a few months ago, at the same time as everyone else, but
>none since. And, like billions of other people, I have Excel and Word.
>
>You can use W10 and install a third party virus checker, if you don't like
>Defender. Or, go over to Linux.

I have reported the odd things that Win 10 throws up that Win 8.1 doesn't.
I have no idea why it does it but I can't be bothered to play with it,
it's a tool and if it doesn't play well I won't use it.

I have 30 years invested in Windows so Linux is not an answer to anything.

--
Jeff Gaines Dorset UK
You can't tell which way the train went by looking at the tracks

On 27/10/2022 in message <tjedje$2qem8$1@dont-email.me> Abandoned_Trolley
wrote:

>Like a lot of other people, I have been running Win 10 without activation
>for a few years.

The issue was lack of recognition of the BIOS key for what remains an
unknown reason.

>Apart from the reminder on the bottom of the screen I dont have any
>problem with it. Word and Excel seem to run fine as well. I dont
>understand the attraction of 8.1

In my case no false virus warnings and much easier to find settings.

--
Jeff Gaines Dorset UK
640k ought to be enough for anyone.
(Bill Gates, 1981)

On 27 Oct 2022 at 15:40:45 BST, GB wrote:

> On 27/10/2022 13:12, Jeff Gaines wrote:
>> On 27/10/2022 in message <jrv9jvFbqrrU1@mid.individual.net> Jaimie
>> Vandenbergh wrote:
>>
>>> On 27 Oct 2022 at 09:48:40 BST, ""Jeff Gaines""
>>> <jgaines_newsid@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>> I put Win 8.1 on my Dell M6800 yesterday in the hope it will be a bit
>>>> more
>>>> sensible about virus detection.
>>>
>>> Why would you think a version of Windows that goes end-of-support in
>>> three months would be a better choice?
>>> https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-8-1-support-will-end-on-january-10-2023-3cfd4cde-f611-496a-8057-923fba401e93
>>>
>>>
>>> Cheers - Jaimie
>>
>> Just experience, it's only ever been Win 10 that comes up with all the
>> false reports that I've mentioned in here.
>>
>
>
> My experience is that W10 functions almost faultlessly. I had some false
> virus detections a few months ago, at the same time as everyone else,
> but none since. And, like billions of other people, I have Excel and Word.
>
> You can use W10 and install a third party virus checker, if you don't
> like Defender. Or, go over to Linux.

+1
--
Cheers, Rob, Sheffield UK

On 27/10/2022 18:24, Jeff Gaines wrote:
> I have reported the odd things that Win 10 throws up that Win 8.1
> doesn't. I have no idea why it does it but I can't be bothered to play
> with it, it's a tool and if it doesn't play well I won't use it.
>
> I have 30 years invested in Windows so Linux is not an answer to anything.

I started using Windows before it had networking.

I got forced to learn Linux for work - embedded systems, but a Linux
based development system.

My home machine now runs Linux. The only thing I miss Windows for is the
odd thing which hasn't been ported to Linux - my current one being a VHS
tape digitiser.

Andy

On Sunday, October 30, 2022 at 9:01:30 PM UTC, Vir Campestris wrote:
> On 27/10/2022 18:24, Jeff Gaines wrote:
> > I have reported the odd things that Win 10 throws up that Win 8.1
> > doesn't. I have no idea why it does it but I can't be bothered to play
> > with it, it's a tool and if it doesn't play well I won't use it.
> >
> > I have 30 years invested in Windows so Linux is not an answer to anything.
> I started using Windows before it had networking.
>
> I got forced to learn Linux for work - embedded systems, but a Linux
> based development system.
>
> My home machine now runs Linux. The only thing I miss Windows for is the
> odd thing which hasn't been ported to Linux - my current one being a VHS
> tape digitiser.
>
> Andy

FWIW, I've had decent success digitising VHS tapes using linux and V4L2.
It probably does depend a bit on your capture card though. I did have some
fun in the days of ... BTWinCap, Virtualdun, and AviDemux etc...