# What to Expect from Jaws 15 and Windows 8.1

Category: Geeks r Us

## Post 1 by Shepherdwolf (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Wednesday, 15-Jan-2014 21:17:48

Hi there,
So, it looks like I'm apt to end up with a Windows 8 machine and Jaws 15 in the very near future. I'm a fairly good Jaws user and not exactly afraid of computers in general, but I hear Windows 8 is kind of scary, what with all the new features and visual bits they stuck in.
So here's what I'm after. Any of you who use this particular configuration, I'd like to know what to expect. What's good? What's bad? What's ugly? Do you have any tips and tricks? Is there anything I should really look out for?
Bear in mind, please, that this was posted by a guy who only three years ago migrated to windows 7 and jaws 12...I used to use Jaws 4.0 on a Windows XP desktop, and loved it. I'm not terrified of change, but it does make me nervous. Owing to my field, however, and owing to the specs of today's laptops, there's really no good reason not to upgrade. I may as well take advantage of what's here.
So there it is. I hope to hear from some of you soon. Thanks in advance.

## Post 2 by forereel (Just posting.) on Wednesday, 15-Jan-2014 23:05:12

I am typing this with Jaws 15 and Windows 8.1.
What you should know is that is works beautifully.
Next, be ready to enjoy it.
There are post on Jaws, or Windows 8 here, so I'll not get in to specifics.
It works, and works well.

## Post 3 by Runner229 (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Tuesday, 11-Feb-2014 23:55:30

I'm thinking of updating my computer to Windows 8 soon. From the reviews and the JFW commands that I've read online, it doesn't seem like it's a whole lot different except for where some of the settings are set up, like where you have to go to shut down the computer. But it doesn't seem too bad. I'll post again after I update it... it's over $100 which I quite frankly don't have at the moment but I should be able to update next month.

## Post 4 by forereel (Just posting.) on Wednesday, 12-Feb-2014 22:54:24

Shuting down the computer is as easy as going to the desktop and pressing alt F4. You are now in the log off, sleep, shutdown section.
There is also a key stroke, but I don't have it at my finger tips, because I just do the one I just described.

## Post 5 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Thursday, 13-Feb-2014 0:45:15

dont shoot it down wayne, you wont have a puter anymore! lol, i had too.

## Post 6 by Remy (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Thursday, 13-Feb-2014 1:11:55

I've been using 15 with WIndows 8.1 for a couple months now. Mostly, it works well. It's got some nice key strokes. Windows 8 does take a little getting used to, but I myself didn't find it too complicated after a little time with it. I do like how all of its settings are so easily accessible. really my only issue with it is the distinction between apps and programs. The former - at least for me - seem to be rather redundant most of the time. Also, even though JAWS 15 has touch screen support, I find the functionality lacking without touch input. What I mean is you can move around the screen with the keys, and it acts like you're using a touch screen. Only it's not very intuativve. I''m not sure why you can't use the mouse as a touch screen input. Perhaps one day. Anyway it's not a big deal,e specially if you don't use it. But certain "apps" such as mail would benifit from it, as navigating through them as is is more of a chore than it should be.

## Post 7 by forereel (Just posting.) on Thursday, 13-Feb-2014 14:39:16

Apps and programs are devided as you know.
If you download Office, or some music like iTunes, you've got a program.
Apps are smaller, like the weather, the news. They give you information without you opening them.
You only get apps form the store or you have the ones that came with.
On the home screen if you press control tab, you hear apps. If you keep going soon you switch over to the programs.
Programs have more functions, such as putting them on the desktop.

## Post 8 by forereel (Just posting.) on Thursday, 13-Feb-2014 14:41:08

I forgot to say, the desktop apps are programs.

## Post 9 by CrazyMusician (If I don't post to your topic, it's cuz I don't give a rip about it!) on Thursday, 13-Feb-2014 15:06:37

I keep looking for a new computer also, but I have JAWS 14. Does it support Windows 8.1 or should I upgrade? Or just look for a Windows 7 machine?
Kate

## Post 10 by Ed_G (Zone BBS is my Life) on Thursday, 13-Feb-2014 15:55:52

Hi Kate,
It'll work with Windows 8.1 but not as well as JAWS 15. JAWS 14 doesn't include touch support for instance, but that might not be a big deal. If you want to use Office 2013 I'd recommend either JAWS 15 or a different screen reader. JAWS 14 just about works but it isn't great.

## Post 11 by forereel (Just posting.) on Thursday, 13-Feb-2014 18:31:27

I'd agree and add.
Because things will be marching on in Windows, Jaws 15 will keep you abreast better. With 14 you will soon fall behind a little.
That opinion depends on what you want to do, because 14 will do reasonably well.
If you aren't upgrading Jaws, get Windows 7. The thing is, and I pointed that out on another board, computers with Windows 8 are less expensive for more machine than ones with Windows 7.
I'd get the cheaper machine, but better, and upgrade my Jaws. You end up about the same price wise.
That also depends on what kind of machine you want.

## Post 12 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Thursday, 13-Feb-2014 20:58:59

Why is a box running an older OS more expensive than a new box running 8 or 8.1?

## Post 13 by Brooke (I just keep on posting!) on Thursday, 13-Feb-2014 22:57:06

As others have said, Jaws 15 and Windows 8.1 work really well together; I'm using it to type this message and haven't had any problems at all. There are a few different keystrokes to remember, but that didn't take me long.

## Post 14 by hardyboy09 (I'm going for the prolific poster awards!) on Friday, 14-Feb-2014 5:40:04

Hi all:
Just thought I would contribute my two cents for what it's worth on this topic. If you are wanting a machine that is ultraportable, yet boosts plenty of features, the Microsoft Surface Pro 2 is a nice desktop replacement. Basically, this device is a tablet, but you (unfortunately) have to purchase a separate magnetic keyboard that attaches to the device. You can buy two configurations: a touch cover, which actually uses touch for typing, or a type cover that has regular keyboard keys.
At first, I was quite disappointed with my touch cover, but it is pretty easy to type on now that I've gotten the hang of it. Later, I'm going to Best Buy to return my Surface 1st generation, to upgrade to a newer one. I don't know if I'll end up with the Surface or something different, like an ultrabook that has a removable keyboard that becomes a tablet.
Jaws works and interacts with the touch screen quite well; not sure if anyone else has personally tested this functionality. I enjoy the fact that with the Surface, after I've gotten into an app, the keyboard can be detached, and I can use it in tablet mode. Jaws, in my opinion, has a lot more touch gestures than that of NVDA. However, I would like to see Jaws take full advantage of the touch screen in the near future, like the ability to open every menu, like the start menu and such, plus being able to touch on the screen to type. FS has pretty much copied all of Apple's gestures anyway. But, if you like being able to use the touch screen, then Jaws 15 works great in apps like News and Weather. It makes the Windows experience more intuitive. Grab a 12-cell Braille display, and you have a 2-pound tablet and a full-fledged Windows laptop.
In order to enable first letter navigation, by default, Jaws and Windows 8.1 touch screen, you can't do this. Go to classicshell.net and you can get the old Windows 7 start menu. It's a lot easier for navigation purposes.

## Post 15 by forereel (Just posting.) on Friday, 14-Feb-2014 15:59:30

The reason John it cost more to get a machinewith Windows 7 is due to manufacturing.
When they build the drive, they load them. They have to make extra effort to load Windows 7.
You've got to load the drive, create the stickers, load different drivers. If you are tooled up to load all Windows 8, it is simply easier.
Another thing might be Microsoft makes Windows 8 cheaper for them.
Third, pushing the consumer on.
If you shop you'll note what I mean. The same computer with Windows 7 cost almost 100 and up over the one loaded with Windows 8.1.

## Post 16 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Friday, 14-Feb-2014 19:38:32

at some point i'm just gonna take my old laptop and desktop and put W7 on it. dad says he thinks i'll like windows 7. I just did a fresh install for my dad using his key from his old W7 instulation. works very well.
i'll say reading posts on this board has h helped. like with th the easy settings transfer wizzard.

## Post 17 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Friday, 14-Feb-2014 22:39:04

from what i'm reading, its easy to find W7. also, consumer companies such as dell, HP etc are aloud to put W7 on boxes aand laptops until October 31st, 2014.
You could just get one with Windows 8 Pro and use your downgrade rights as an option to get W7. that may be why its more expensive.

## Post 18 by ¤§¤spike¤§¤ (This site is so "educational") on Saturday, 15-Feb-2014 7:57:30

Microsoft stays the execution of Windows 7 PCs for business, but not for pleasure: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2098241/microsoft-stays-the-execution-of-windows-7-pcs-for-business-but-not-for-pleasure.html
That's another option, getting a business system with Windows 7 Professional. Do ask for a Windows DVD along with drivers DVD if at all possible.

## Post 19 by Ed_G (Zone BBS is my Life) on Saturday, 15-Feb-2014 8:47:37

As to why Windows 8/8.1 machines are cheaper, there's also a supply and demand thing. Microsoft obviously encouraged manufacturers to make Windows 8 machines over Windows 7 ones. Many people are deciding that they actually prefer Windows 7 to Windows 8, and as the machines are less available, they are more expensive. Similarly, there are more of the Windows 8/8.1 machines which haven't proved as popular as perhaps Microsoft and the manufacturers expected.

## Post 20 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Saturday, 15-Feb-2014 11:12:56

If you wanted too and had sited help, you could get Windows 8 on a machines, wipe the drive and install 7 providing you have an OEM or retail copy box. they are easy to find too.

## Post 21 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Saturday, 15-Feb-2014 11:13:50

One good thing aboutWindows 7 Pro is that you can use XP mode if you want too o to run older XP software.
Has anybody done this? How wel does that work with Jaws?b

## Post 22 by forereel (Just posting.) on Saturday, 15-Feb-2014 13:47:31

Works fine if you happen to have old software like that. Who does? Lol
Even when you run XP update software was key, so if you have opted for W7 you'll want updated sosoftware. Especially if that software is something used to access the web.
I find, and have always found machines that have W7 installed available, business, or not.
For use W7 is just find. I like W8, but W7 can do exactly the same thing for me right now.
It is easy to find the program to install. Lots of people sale it, but that is an extra cost, and some time, so you may as well purchase the computer with it anyway, unless you can install it easy.
It is selling well, so I'd bet Microsoft keeps offering it.

## Post 23 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Saturday, 15-Feb-2014 16:09:11

Well, my dad purchased a retail copy of w7, and we used the key already supplied with his laptop to do the clean install. Now i could use that cd and the key that came with the disk to install 7 if i wantt to. he told me i could have it.

## Post 24 by forereel (Just posting.) on Saturday, 15-Feb-2014 16:52:52

You could use the disc, but the key won't be valad.
You normally can only have one computer at a time running the OS, so your computer would start, your windows just will never be artherised.
I don't remember if you can even complete the install with W7 without the key.
I know they made Office so that when you put the disc in, you need the key to continue the install, or it only works for a set amount of times, before you pay, or quit
W7 is $85 on Amazon, and I've seen it for less from time to time.

## Post 25 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Saturday, 15-Feb-2014 17:33:15

no i dont think you get it....
my dad was having problems with his windows 7 that malware removal couldn't fix, and virus scanns came up clean.
so he baught a copy of Windows 7 home premium.
the laptop came with Windows 7 home premium.
we used a key finder to find the key that was installed on his laptop. when we installed windows 7 fresh, we didn't use the key that came on the DVD. We used the key supplied with his laptop. it worked fine.
Now i should be able to use the key supplied with the DVD to install a copy on my system, since the key on the DVD was never used.

## Post 26 by forereel (Just posting.) on Saturday, 15-Feb-2014 22:54:28

In that case you'd be correct.
He could have saved his money and just used the machines repair mode, but now you've got W7. When you upgrading?
The key should have been on a sticker on the machine as well. It is even located where anyone can read it once installed on the computer. No key finder necessary.

## Post 27 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Saturday, 15-Feb-2014 23:42:36

ok, you like stories right? tech stories right? llol
ok here goes.
first, my dad baught this laptop on the day Windows 7 came out at staples
about 2 years or so, the HD failed.
We had a computer shop put a new HD in the laptop and load it with W7.
NO idea if they used the key that was on the laptops sticker or not...
but they said that because they put a new HDD in, and installed W7, that there was no repair utility installed. if it had been done by the manufacture, there woulda been a repair utility installed.
so his w7 was acting up. so i said ok, we'll get you a copy of 7 and install it fresh. this will be lots cheaper than taking it to a local computer place. In fact i called them to ask. i said this way in case something fails again, you'll have spent the money once. no reason to spend more than you gotta.
i've been doing a lot of research. i know the key can be activated up to 3 times. if the shop gave us a key, dad's fresh install would be time two that the key has been activated. and even if it winds up being used 3 times, I hear you can call MS and explain the situation and they'll most likely give you another activation.
he just so happend to have windows 7 home premium on his laptop. by the time i figured out you could find the key with a key finder program, the disk was already ordered. so if the version of windows on his laptop would have been different than the disk he baught,it woulda been too late. there was no returns I dont think. oh sure i coulda resold the disk on eBay, but he was puterless. sure he could use my mom's surface Pro if he had too, but i digress.
not sure when i'm upgadingupgrading b

## Post 28 by Senior (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Sunday, 16-Feb-2014 6:12:22

I have recently got a Windows 8.1 computer from a veery good local computer shop. The man who set it up for me put a shut down icon on the desktop so I can just use that. I also have Office 2013.
There are differences to get used to such as the layout of the start menu and other menus. Jaws does work fine with Windows 8.1, which I am uusing on a laptop.

## Post 29 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Sunday, 16-Feb-2014 10:50:04

there is something to be said for doing your own clean windows install, IMO.
b

## Post 30 by forereel (Just posting.) on Sunday, 16-Feb-2014 14:08:48

Yes, you get a clean running computer until you start using it. Who knows after that? Smile.
Nice touch putting the shutdown on your desktop. He did well.
Now, John dear, (when?)

## Post 31 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Sunday, 16-Feb-2014 15:18:49

Honestly? probably when jaws stops supporting XP.

## Post 32 by Striker (Consider your self warned, i'm creative and offensive like handicap porn.) on Sunday, 16-Feb-2014 16:37:53

nope, come october 15th, you won't be able to buy any more computers from manufacturers with windows 7 installed. That's the end of the line, more or less.
And as far as I know, Microsoft isn't producing any copies of windows 7, any more. So, once people run out of those disks, they're done.
It seems over all consumers really don't like windows 8, and 8.1. Visually a lot of things have been majorly changed. Some would argue not for the better. What we do know, is that microsoft has sold 100 million less copies of windows 8 and 8.1 than 7 at this point in both of their life cycles.

## Post 33 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Sunday, 16-Feb-2014 16:42:26

james, but you could by Windows 8 pro and use your downgrade rights as an option. You could get a laptop with Windows 8 Pro installed and downgrade that manually if you wanted too
You could also get a business laptop or desktop with the downgrade option already applied .What i'm tryin to say is even if the disks ran out, Windows 7 is still an option.

## Post 34 by forereel (Just posting.) on Monday, 17-Feb-2014 15:56:00

Windows 7 is going to be an option for a long time. I myself have a copy that is not used, and I'll bet others do as well.
Simply buying an old computer with it installed gives you the key for using on a new system.
I do wonder how many company's will actually stop completely after the 15th of October?
Windows 8/8.1 really isn't different to the point it is impossible. 8.1 even offers the usual desktop configuration, so Microsoft has done something to smooth it out.

## Post 35 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Monday, 17-Feb-2014 16:01:13

Is it true the older computers actually run better with Windows 7? I guess i'm gonna be one of those that finds out sooner than later.
come Spring 2015 there will be Windows Threshold, and MS may be doing even more to get users to want to consider windows 9 or whatever the next version is called.

## Post 36 by KC8PNL (The best criticism of the bad is the practice of the better.) on Monday, 17-Feb-2014 17:31:23

Windows 8.x users are probably Windows 9 beta testers, in the same way Vista users were kinda beta testers for Windows 7. Basically, it seems like every other OS release from MS is good. We can even take this a bit further back. Anyone remember the fuster cluck that was ME? After ME came XP. Not me personally, but that version of Windows. LOL.
As for running xp mode on W7, it seems to work fine, though it's kind of sluggish on some older machines, since you're running in a virtual environment. However, XP mode on W7 will be subjected to whatever security breaches that XP itself is. So I wouldn't bother with XP Mode at this point, especially if it's not configured.

## Post 37 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Monday, 17-Feb-2014 20:08:35

Yeah scott i met you so i know exactly how much of a fuster cluck you are. lol

## Post 38 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Monday, 17-Feb-2014 20:09:10

In regards to windows though, you are right about that.

## Post 39 by forereel (Just posting.) on Monday, 17-Feb-2014 21:37:56

Load processes are faster with W7, so you'll see improvement.
The thing is, you have switched to an SSD drive. I wonder how much of a change you'll see due to that change?

## Post 40 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Monday, 17-Feb-2014 21:53:18

No. my drive is the drive that came with the laptop. the 80gig one.
You are thinking of hartyboy aka Nason.

## Post 41 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Monday, 17-Feb-2014 21:56:40

my hard drive is an HDD not an SSD.
I dont know if my laptop has an IDE or SADA connection. In 2006 when it was baught, I hear that they were in that transition faze. I've looked at the specs and couldn't find any place that could tell me which kinda drive connection I have. I couldn't find it in Belark adviser, unless I'm missing something
load processes, meaning that it takes a shoter time for W7 to start things?

## Post 42 by starfly (99956) on Tuesday, 18-Feb-2014 9:47:03

compared to xp heck ya!!.

## Post 43 by forereel (Just posting.) on Wednesday, 19-Feb-2014 2:47:48

So you would only be doing your laptop John?

## Post 44 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Wednesday, 19-Feb-2014 17:20:29

no, i'd do both.

## Post 45 by forereel (Just posting.) on Wednesday, 19-Feb-2014 18:20:47

And one of your machines has an SSD right?
OIf I am right, I'd like to hear your results after you update that machine, in terms of speed from XP on that machine to W7.
I have expericned a great deal of speed and general computing smoothness or power when I upgraded from XP to W7 on a regular drive.

## Post 46 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Wednesday, 19-Feb-2014 21:16:53

No. my laptop has the 80gig drive that came with it.
My desktop has 3 40 gig drives.
both the laptop and the desktop have HDD's. Neither one has a solid state drive.

## Post 47 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Wednesday, 19-Feb-2014 21:18:16

Why is it that SSD's have read and write speed figures posted in their specs, but regular HDD's dont seme to list this ?

## Post 48 by forereel (Just posting.) on Thursday, 20-Feb-2014 18:39:14

The do list the speeds. It is the speed at which they turn.
Your old once are probably 500.

## Post 49 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Thursday, 20-Feb-2014 18:56:09

do you mean the revolutions per minute at which the moters spin the disk at?? 5400RPM or 7200RPM ?but what's is the read/write speed of a drive running at either of those speeds?

## Post 50 by forereel (Just posting.) on Friday, 21-Feb-2014 13:10:25

Yes. There are a few at 8500, but not many.

## Post 51 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Friday, 21-Feb-2014 15:04:20

Their's the rapture which runs at 10000 RPM too.

## Post 52 by forereel (Just posting.) on Friday, 21-Feb-2014 16:58:15

Yeah, but who's buying that baby! Lol

## Post 53 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Friday, 21-Feb-2014 17:00:53

i wouldn't mind having that baby.... lol

## Post 54 by forereel (Just posting.) on Friday, 21-Feb-2014 17:33:44

Why? Your computer would need the processor to match, and if you had all that, the thing would never need to wake up from sleep mode to handle your task. Lol
Guess us boys need bragging right though, huh?

## Post 55 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Friday, 21-Feb-2014 17:36:12

ok fine. i'll get that. the core I7 at 3.0 GHZ, 16gigs of DDR3 ram. then i'll have bragging rights. lol

## Post 56 by forereel (Just posting.) on Friday, 21-Feb-2014 22:35:51

Naw, your I7 needs to be at 3.9 with burbo boost, and you need 24 pony's running at 1800 with that kind of trive.

## Post 57 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Friday, 21-Feb-2014 22:38:41

you can get 24GB in a consumer computer?

## Post 58 by forereel (Just posting.) on Saturday, 22-Feb-2014 11:54:22

Yes. Some companies for gamers and or media center PC's build them.
Dell's top of the line computers can be outfitted with such power. 64 bit boards make this possible and easy.

## Post 59 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Saturday, 22-Feb-2014 11:58:13

Wow.... holy shit.
Do you even notice anything past say 4GB ?
I guess if you are gaming you do. but how about say for audio edeting?

## Post 60 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Saturday, 22-Feb-2014 11:58:42

The top of the line for Dell is the XPS line right?

## Post 61 by forereel (Just posting.) on Saturday, 22-Feb-2014 12:19:37

Yes, and Ailon ware. I didn't spell that correctly, but you understand.
More ram make it possible to do audio with highter bit rates, or use it, but the problem with that is who else can benefit if they don't have the same or greater?
For a blind user, it just make it possible to have more itmes running, or processes running at the same time that eat power.
Example, the machine I'm typing from is loaded with 8 GB and has an I5 pquad Processor.
At times I'll have a music source, Skype, email, browser, going, and I notice no power lag at all.
I've had a sighted lady, and my daughter come by and add a game to all that, plus text chat on other media's, and not have a lag.
If I had 2 monitors, they could even devide it all, and work on a document in one main screen, while the rest goes in the other, or bring the game to the main screen, while keeping track of Facebook, Skype, Email, listening to music, with the game sound muted.
Nothing lags at all. The computer will get warmer, depending on how intense the game is, but not marginally.
I've not had a user who could push it yet with intense gaming, so I can't tell you about that.

## Post 62 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Saturday, 22-Feb-2014 12:26:20

its Alienware
so i could minimize to the desktop while running recordings with Sound Forge without it taking a bit for jaws to start to talk.
I never play games and nor does anybody else.

## Post 63 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Saturday, 22-Feb-2014 12:29:17

I hear the Sony Vaio, Panisonic Toughbooks and Lanovo Thinkpads are made very well.

## Post 64 by forereel (Just posting.) on Saturday, 22-Feb-2014 12:29:25

Sure.

## Post 65 by forereel (Just posting.) on Saturday, 22-Feb-2014 14:36:55

Your new system John. Other companies will do this as well, so it isn't unusual.
You can have the processor over clocked even.
Where's your credit card. There waiting on your selection right now.
XPS 8700 Special Edition
$1,899.99
4th Generation Intel® Core™ i7 Processor
Windows 8.1
32GB Memory
3TB Hard Drive + 256GB Solid State Drive
Our most powerful XPS 8700 with Windows 8.1, more memory, high-end graphics and a 256GB solid-state drive.

## Post 66 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Saturday, 22-Feb-2014 18:13:39

lol. oh i know i can get a system that costs more...

## Post 67 by forereel (Just posting.) on Saturday, 22-Feb-2014 18:43:21

Sure, but you asked if you could buy a regular consumer PC with 24 GB of ram. So there you go. Lol

## Post 68 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Saturday, 22-Feb-2014 18:59:21

MSI GT70 2OLWS-683US
- 17.3" FHD 16:9 "Matte Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Matte Screen (1920x1080)
- Standard No Dead Pixel Policy
- NO Professional Monitor Color Calibration
- 4th Generation Intel® Haswell Core™ i7-4930MX (3.0GHz - 3.9GHz, 8MB Intel® Smart Cache) (SKU – X2X918)
- IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU (Cools better than all Compounds) (XPC Service)
- NVIDIA® Quadro™ K4100M (4.0GB) GDDR3 PCI-Express DX11
- COPPER COOLING UPGRADE - Extra Cooling Copper Heatsinks Applied to the Heatsink/Heatpipes (XPC Service)
- No Video Adapter
- No External Mobile Display
- 32GB DDR3 1600MHz [SKU-844PX] (Kingston HyperX CL9 Dual Channel Memory (4x8GB SODIMMS))
- Standard Laptop Finish
- No Laptop Laser-Sketch™
- No Custom Laptop Painting
- No Custom Laptop Painting
- MSI Logo [White] - Stock
- RAID 1 Configuration of mSATA's in Primary HDD Bay (If selecting mSATA Options these will replace primary hard drive with mSATA’s selected below)
- 1TB Samsung 840 EVO Series Solid State mSATA
- 1TB Samsung 840 EVO Series Solid State mSATA
- 1TB Samsung 840 EVO Series Solid State mSATA
- 1TB Samsung 840 Evo SSD (Read 540MB/s - Write 520MB/s (SSD2 - SATA III)) (SKU - SSD028)
- 1TB Samsung 840 Evo SSD (Read 540MB/s - Write 520MB/s (SSD2 - SATA III)) (SKU - SSD028)
- 6x Blu-Ray Burner + 8X DVDRW/CDRW Super Multi Combo Drive (SKU - ODD006)
- No Extra Optical Bay Hard Drive Caddy
- No Back Up Hard Drive
- NO External USB Optical Drive
- Bluetooth Included *With select wireless cards only* (See “Wireless Network” Section Below)
- Intel® Dual Band Ultimate-N 6300 (w/ 3rd Antenna) - 802.11A/B/G/N Wireless LAN Module | Up to 450Mbps (3x3) [NO BLUETOOTH] (SKU - WIFI08)
- No Network Accessory
- Internal 3-in-1 Card Reader (SD/SDHC/SDXC)
- Integrated Digital Video Camera
- No TV Tuner
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- XOTIC PC Basic Black Large Business Case (fits 15.6" and larger laptops) - BACK-ORDER
- Smart Li-ion Battery (9-Cell)
- Belkin AC Anywhere 300W
- ADD Extra AC Adapter (180W)
- Standard US Power Cord
- 7 Port Powered USB Hub (power cord included)
- No Fingerprint Reader
- No Headset
- No External Keyboard
- XOTIC PC Backlit Island Style Keyboard
- No External Mouse
- Full Size Brushed Aluminum Notebook Cooler - Large 200mm Blue LED Fan - USB Powered (For up to 17" Laptops)
- YES - Redline Boost™ Overclock My System (Operating System Required) (XPC Service)
- Yes, Redline Boost My Operating System (Operating System Required) (XPC Service)
- Windows 7 Professional 64-Bit Pre-Installed + Drivers & Utilities Disk
- Clean Windows Installation (Install drivers only - no bloatwares) (For factory installed OS only, not required if OS upgrade is selected) (XPC Service)
- Yes, please create a Windows 7 32GB USB Drive manufacturer factory backup recovery
- None
- No Antivirus Essentials Software Bundle
- No Back Up Software
- No Unlimited GB Cloud Backup
- No Office Software
- No Software Bundle
- No Global Anti-Theft Protection (Options below require an operating system)
- 2 Year MSI US/Canada Parts & Labor 1 Year Global Warranty w/ Lifetime Tech Support
+ 1 Year Accidental Damage Warranty (Requires Registration within 30 Days from Ship Date) (SKU - WTY007)
- No Certificate & Binder
- * 24/7 LIFETIME U.S. based technical support
* Extreme QA testing by dedicated technicians
* 24-72 Hour stress testing and benchmarking to ensure top performance and stability
- Standard Production Time
- No Outside of US Shipping Coverage
- No thanks, standard double boxed packaging is okay with my order
- No XOTIC PC Gear
1
$8,435.01
Sub-Total: $8,435.01
lol. can you top this ?

## Post 69 by forereel (Just posting.) on Saturday, 22-Feb-2014 19:10:43

Over priced indeed. The Dell is as good a system and a fraction of the cost in terms of power.
It isn't a laptop, but that isn't a big deal.

## Post 70 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Saturday, 22-Feb-2014 19:39:59

that's very true. besides, i wouldn't need all that shit....
i just wanted to see how much i could spend if i maxed the hell out of something.lol

## Post 71 by forereel (Just posting.) on Monday, 24-Feb-2014 16:08:25

I learned that lesson. I spent about 1500 on a PC. Soon as I opened the box it was worth about 500 Lol.
Now I buy what I need.

## Post 72 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Monday, 24-Feb-2014 18:10:36

i hope you got a nice rig for that price ?
pc's go down in price, not up, so i can see why it wasn't worth as much as soon as you opened itb.

## Post 73 by hardyboy09 (I'm going for the prolific poster awards!) on Tuesday, 25-Feb-2014 1:39:43

You should just upgrade your drive in the laptop to a SSD, then install Windows 7. It would be a lot faster.

## Post 74 by forereel (Just posting.) on Tuesday, 25-Feb-2014 10:15:00

Because John enjoys XP so much, if I were him I'd leave one of my computers exactly as is. If I needed a replacement for that unit, I'd buy new already with whatever I wanted it to have.
I'd also get all the necessary items to keep my XP machine running as it is.

## Post 75 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Tuesday, 25-Feb-2014 10:46:48

lol wayne i cant tell if your joking or serious. maybe both ? lol

## Post 76 by hardyboy09 (I'm going for the prolific poster awards!) on Tuesday, 25-Feb-2014 12:57:22

So, why not just replace the drive with an SSD, then put XP on it? I bet you it would be really fast.

## Post 77 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Tuesday, 25-Feb-2014 14:47:42

Because i dont think XP was designed for SSD's.
and if i'm gonna do a clean install of an OS on a drive, i'm gonna go with Windows 7.
Win7 is a pretty easy install.

## Post 78 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Tuesday, 25-Feb-2014 14:51:20

I believe the fastest SSD's read and write at 550MBPS.
although i think the drives that run at that fast of a rate are expensive.

## Post 79 by hardyboy09 (I'm going for the prolific poster awards!) on Tuesday, 25-Feb-2014 19:17:34

Well, you would benefit greatly from an SSD. It truly is a lot faster. You can get a 250 GB from Amazon for 150. That sounds expensive, I know, but it's truly worth it. It takes Windows 7 maybe 16 seconds to boot up and Jaws to start talking, and for Windows 8 about 10.

## Post 80 by hardyboy09 (I'm going for the prolific poster awards!) on Tuesday, 25-Feb-2014 19:18:32

Oh, and a lot of them come with cloning software, though if you did a clean install, you wouldn't need this. There also pretty easy to install, too.

## Post 81 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Tuesday, 25-Feb-2014 20:01:12

are you shittin me ?
ok, but what kinda processor and RAM are we talkin about? that would have an effect.

## Post 82 by forereel (Just posting.) on Tuesday, 25-Feb-2014 21:18:03

No, I wasn't teasing. If I were you and wanted to keep XP as a toy, I'd keep one computer exactly as it is, but get all the stuff needed to keep it running.

## Post 83 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Tuesday, 25-Feb-2014 21:21:04

oh i see.
wel the thing is when jaws stops supporting it, i wont wana keep it anymore.

## Post 84 by hardyboy09 (I'm going for the prolific poster awards!) on Wednesday, 26-Feb-2014 10:11:42

If you have a core 2 Duo or above, you should notice significant improvement in performance with an SSD. Though, I do have 6 gigs of ram in the laptop.

## Post 85 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Wednesday, 26-Feb-2014 16:01:45

my desktop is an Asus P4800E P4 HT 3.0 GHZ processor, 4DG of DDR2 ram.
my laptop is 4GB of DDR2 Ram, Genuine Intel(R) CPU
T2250 @ 1.73GHz
1.73 GHz

## Post 86 by rayon soleil (Newborn Zoner) on Monday, 04-Aug-2014 13:04:55

Alright peeps. I don't have your level of experience here so a dumb question. When I press the function keys in windows, some of them for whatever reason don't seem to quite work as if jaws is clashing with windows. For instance Insert f7 used to bring up the links list in older versions of windows, or f6 would allow me to enter in to a topic on the help page. Those go absolutely silent. Also, when i'm using my dj software and press f1 (which is one of the application's shortcut keys) I get the windows+f1 coming up and I haven't even touched the windows key. Has the configuration changed that much?

## Post 87 by Senior (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Monday, 04-Aug-2014 17:09:48

There might be a button on your keyboard you need to press to get them working. The keyboard I am using now has a button that disables and enables function keys.

## Post 88 by rayon soleil (Newborn Zoner) on Tuesday, 05-Aug-2014 6:20:21

I'm using a laptop with full numberpad.

## Post 89 by Hongsen (Zone BBS Addict) on Tuesday, 05-Aug-2014 12:02:43

Hi,
To the above poster, it is not changes in Windows 8/8.1. It has to do with your laptop's configuration done by the manufacturer. The function keys (F1-F12) performs a certain function when you press them. For example, pressing F1 brings up the help page and pressing F6 may mute your audio. In order to get the original functions again, press the function key along with the F keys. For example, as you pointed out, insert F7 brings up the links list in older versions of windows so for your laptop, you may need to press Insert-Function-F7 instead to get back that particular function. Another example, pressing F6 in older versions of Windows lets you enter into a topic of the Help page so to enter into a topic of the Help page on your laptop, you may need to press Function-F6. I am assuming that that you bought this laptop with Windows 8/8.1 preinstalled?
Manufacturers like HP does this to their laptop. I am using a HP and pressing F1 on my laptop is the equivalent of pressing Windows F1 wich brings up Windows help and Pressing F9-F10 adjusts my audio volume. Your laptop probably has a different configuration from mine. Then again, I am assuming that you got this laptop with Windows 8/8.1 preinstalled by the manufacturer. From your description of your problem, I think this is the most likely case. Do post back to tell us whether you managed to resolve your problem by pressing the function key with the F keys or if this is not the case.
Oh, the function key is located at the bottom row of the keyboard, probably on the left side before the space bar. It can be beside either the Control, Windows or Alt keys. Different manufacturers put it differently.
Sorry for the long post and hope this helps!

## Post 90 by forereel (Just posting.) on Tuesday, 05-Aug-2014 17:19:28

That is true if you leave the function keys set to what is called Media. If you change the function key to just function keys, they behave as expected.
This setting is different depending on the company, but is usually found under control panel under system, or in the mobility center.
In the search box simply try typing in function key or function key behavior, or just ask your manufactor where this setting is easy located if you don't want to go fishing.
Mobility center can also be found easy by typing this in to the search box, or on the start screen pressing control tab for apps and arrowing down until you find it.
All laptops, even ones without full keyboards can be changed.
Windows still works exactly as you know it.
On a laptop with a full keyboard, also make sure Jaws is set in desktop layout, not laptop layout.

## Post 91 by forereel (Just posting.) on Tuesday, 05-Aug-2014 22:30:44

I read on HP's website that to change the function key behavior on some models.
Hold the FM key down, and press F11 or press each key to set it to the function you desire.
On Dell lthis setting is under mobility center.
On other laptops it is under system configuration.
It can also be done using the bio's, but we can't see that.