Another update!
My Lenovo laptop connected to the TV works. So I could ignore the new computer problem and just use the laptop when I want to watch computer stuff on the TV.
EXCEPT my laptop still has Windows 10 on it. When I upgrade to Windows 11, will it still work?
The whole thing could be a 10 vs. 11 problem.
Should I create a “restore point” before upgrading, then upgrade, and if it doesn’t work, then I can restore back to Windows 10? Would that work?
But I’d have to upgrade in the near future anyway because they won’t be supporting 10 anymore.
Well guys, it’s fixed. I called Dell tech support. He took over my computer remotely and did something, but afterwards couldn’t tell me what he did! So I don’t know what fixed this issue.
The new computer only has one HDMI port so I have the monitor plugged into the USB-C port via an adapter and the TV plugged into the HDMI port.
All I know is that beforehand when I went to the settings>sound screen, my computer speakers and a couple of other irrelevant choices were listed, but NOT my Samsung TV. And after tech support, the Samsung is now listed under sound. So he fixed that somehow. I wish I knew how.
But…
When I press the Windows button and the “P” button, there is the choice of “PC Only”, “Duplicate”, etc. He had me leave it on “Duplicate” at all times. Then I would have to go to the Sound setting and chose either computer speakers or Samsung, and go back and forth depending on where I want the sound. That is how he left me.
But leaving it on “duplicate” changes the display to weirdly sized fonts and so forth. I don’t like that. So I decided to take a chance and switch it back to “PC Only” instead of “Duplicate”. That fixed it. My computer screen fonts are back to normal.
AND I don’t have to go to the system sound settings anymore because if I leave that on Samsung, where the sound comes out is now controlled by “PC Only” and “Duplicate”. That is the way it used to be on the old computer.
So he helped in one sense, getting the Samsung TV listed as a choice, but he failed in one sense, saying I had to leave it on “Duplicate” with the weird fonts and use Sound setting to switch back and forth.
I hope I’m being clear!
All that matters is it’s fixed! I can relax finally. At least about this one life kerfuffle. There are plenty of other life kerfuffles to deal with! There always are.
Well, luck is not on my side with this computer. I may have to return it. After all that it took to get it up and running properly, it isn’t continuing to run properly.
This morning it was just pure frozen. I tried everything before having to finally just power it down and restarting it.
It worked okay during the day but tonight I went in to use it and there was a blue screen saying I have to restart. Even that didn’t work. I clicked the restart button and it went into the dreaded “power save mode” which I hate. I would like to get rid of that permanently. It’s not a laptop on battery!
So I had to power it down again. Twice in one day.
This is why I don’t like upgrades. They always suck. Windows 10 was much better than 11 as far as I can tell so far. I had very little trouble at all with 10.
What’s the big deal with powering down? I power down every Saturday morning. Been doing that forever as part of my Saturday morning ritual for making backups. No big deal. After running 24/7 for a week everything deserves a 30 minute rest.
What I mean by powering it down is holding the power button down so it shuts down inappropriately, with several apps still open.
I couldn’t shut down the computer in the normal way after shutting down each app.
It was frozen in other words.
I don’t recall if you’ve mentioned it, but have all OS and BIOS updates been installed? I assume Dell provides some application that manages all that. My trusty old Dell laptop - now retired - did a pretty good job at keeping up to date.
Wow, if I’m not too late I may have to return this new computer. Sometimes it’s fast, but sometimes it’s as slow as my old one!
I go from a old type HDD with 8GB RAM to an SSAD with 35GB RAM and have to put up with a constantly spinning mouse pointer while I wait for it to respond???
If I return it, any suggestions what brand to go to instead of Dell?
Well, I am seriously considering returning this computer. Sometimes it’s fast, often it’s so slow it’s insane. Click the mouse and 8 minutes later it still hasn’t responded. I went to task manager to end the task and couldn’t get it to respond there either. Finally I had to hold the power button until the whole computer just shuts down so I can restart it.
I go from an old HDD drive with 8 ram to a SSD drive with 32 ram, both changes of which should be blazing fast, and I get this crap?
If I return it (I hope I’m not too late and they don’t hassle me), any suggestions on what brand to buy instead of Dell?
Does this slowdown happen no matter what you’re doing or only in some apps?
Don’t take this the wrong way, but perhaps you’ve grown too “mature” and inflexible to deal with the mess that a new Windows machine almost always ends up being. Heck, I’m almost at that stage myself and I’m “only” 61.
The only thing I might suggest at this point is to re-install Windows 11 from scratch and remove any “bloatware” such as whatever anti-virus program Dell blessed you with. All you really need for full protection is the free version of BitDefender and what Windows 11 provides built-in for free. Some also install MalwareBytes, but I’ve found that I don’t even need that. Or, if there is still any of that bloatware on your current machine, remove it and see if that helps.
If none of that appeals to you, I think you should seriously consider buying an M4 Mac Mini. Yes, it will be a learning curve - perhaps a steep one - for a Windows-only guy, but it will be blazing fast.
The painfully slow down yesterday was in Quickbooks.
If I reinstall Windows, that will wipe out all my apps, right? So I would need to spend days again reinstalling?
I immediately uninstalled McAfee anti-virus as I always do because it sucks.
I don’t think Mac’s support a lot of apps I use, like QB and Quicken, etc. And that would be way too much of a learning curve for such an old “mature” “inflexible” non-technical curmudgeon like me, LOL!
Even if I wanted to return this computer (which in the light of a new day I’m thinking of not doing) I suspect Dell wouldn’t let me. They have a terrible return policy of 30 days from the INVOICE date! So even if it takes them 10 days to get the computer to me, which it did, I’m screwed because it’s been a couple of days past the INVOICE date. And will they be nice and help me out there? Not if they are like they used to be. Years ago I wanted to return a keyboard that was one day past the return date and they refused outright.
FYI I got up this morning to a blue screen on the computer again. Restarted and it’s working now.
Ok, maybe switching to Mac is a bridge too far. So, at this point, I’d take it one day and one problem at a time and start googling for solutions to whatever problem is currently the most vexing.
I consider Windows to be a constant battle in which you have to keep striving to bend it to your will, however annoying that may be. Over time, there will be fewer and fewer skirmishes. Hopefully. I’ve reached that stage with my Lenovo laptop that I bought 2 years ago. It was quite a struggle at first, but I’ve managed to vanquish it!
If you lived near me I’d pay you a visit and try to be of more help.
Thanks so much for your help and consideration! I’m going to do what you are suggesting, take it a day and an issue at a time.
Windows 10 did not give me such problems. The first Windows ever that gave me no headaches! I sure wish they had left it at that and didn’t feel the need to upgrade again to Windows 11, but then how would they justify their jobs, LOL! I swear a lot of computer “upgrades” are so they can justify their jobs! If something just works and they leave it alone, they might get laid off!
I live in Northern California, where do you live?
Thanks.
