Computers & Electronics

So Windows 8 Is Going To Nickel & Dime Me For Basic XP Goodies?

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Oct 19, 2012
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So Windows 8 Is Going To Nickel & Dime Me For Basic XP Goodies?

I'm new to Windows 8 just changing over from XP, my last operating system. I'm shocked that I cannot even make a letter with my brand new desktop PC because the bloody thing lacks WORD? Seriously? Even Windows 3.1 had Word and this massive operating system wants me to purchase separately something that I used to have on Windows 3.1 for free? :facepalm:

Or is it that I cannot find it and it's buried somewhere?
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Apr 16, 2001
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You mean Wordpad? No version of Windows came with Word.

And yes, Win 8 has Wordpad.

I'd be shocked if you could 'make a letter', regardless.
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Oct 19, 2012
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That's weird I never had a desktop that did not had Wordpad on it, even on a 486 PC I had a program to type letters and resumes. No way I'm going to pay more than $19.99 for Wordpad or a similar program.
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Jan 1, 2008
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You could also download a program like LibreOfice (Cnet review plus download link):
http://download.cnet.com/LibreOffice/30 ... torsreview

Or OpenOffice (also free):

http://www.openoffice.org/download/

Kingsoft Office (kind of free):
http://www.kingsoftstore.com/

OP, did you have a name brand computer? The company that assembled your computer probably bundled MS Office or MS Suite or something in there.
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JAC wrote: You mean Wordpad? No version of Windows came with Word.

And yes, Win 8 has Wordpad.

I'd be shocked if you could 'make a letter', regardless.
Yeah. Or perhaps he meant Notepad?

PC manufacturers sometimes pre-installed a basic copy of Works, or something equivalent, but Word, Excel, etc, were pricy products usually sold separately.

The program I most resent being removed from Win 8 is Windows Media Center, needed for watching TV using TV tuner cards and sticks. MS will let you buy it - at additional cost. If I ever end up being stuck with just Win 8, I'll see if the bundled tuner SW works instead. I certainly won't be paying MS extra for what previously was included, and what already exists on my older gear.
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Gammatron wrote: I'm new to Windows 8 just changing over from XP, my last operating system. I'm shocked that I cannot even make a letter with my brand new desktop PC because the bloody thing lacks WORD? Seriously? Even Windows 3.1 had Word and this massive operating system wants me to purchase separately something that I used to have on Windows 3.1 for free? :facepalm:

Or is it that I cannot find it and it's buried somewhere?
Wordpad is what they have now for a basic word processor. To make the switch easier, I would highly suggest installing a start menu app like Classic Shell. It brings back a Win 7 style start menu within Win 8.
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Gammatron wrote: That's weird I never had a desktop that did not had Wordpad on it, even on a 486 PC I had a program to type letters and resumes. No way I'm going to pay more than $19.99 for Wordpad or a similar program.
I have no idea what you're talking about...

Notepad AND Wordpad (not to be confused with "Microsoft Word") has ALWAYS been included Windows....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WordPad
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Libre Office, as previously mentioned, is an excellent choice.
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I find it hard to believe that you're old enough to have used Windows 3.1!
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JAC wrote: You mean Wordpad? No version of Windows came with Word.

And yes, Win 8 has Wordpad.

I'd be shocked if you could 'make a letter', regardless.
Where? Cant find it anywhere, there's no start button and the only imitation start button there is takes me to control panel.

DjHerbal: My desktop is an HP from Future Shop.
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Go to Metro screen ("tiles" screen) and start typing "word...", program appears first in search list panel on the right.
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Feb 29, 2008
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Yeah.. that's the issue with the Metro desktop. You can't see what's installed. You can go down to the applications view, and enable all applications to be visible. I just installed classic start menu.

Start by upgrading to 8.1 (free). It fixes a lot of the crap.
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cwb27 wrote: I have no idea what you're talking about...

Notepad AND Wordpad (not to be confused with "Microsoft Word") has ALWAYS been included Windows....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WordPad
I don't think Wordpad was in the earlier versions. It came along with Win 98 or perhaps Win 95, iirc.

Edit: Just checked the link. Win 95. (Never actually had that version).
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Rehan wrote: I find it hard to believe that you're old enough to have used Windows 3.1!
Win 3.1 was still my OS in early 2000. Worked great on a 66MHz 486 with 8MB. :) Much faster (in my memory at least) than my 2008 or so 3.5GHz Celeron D with Vista and 1GB RAM. Vista was a real memory hog. Some manufacturers actually sold systems with an inadequate 512MB. That was barely enough for the OS alone.
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Are people that lazy to even use Google? Don't know how to use a new operating system Google it and Youtube it.
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Tornado F2 wrote: I don't think Wordpad was in the earlier versions. It came along with Win 98 or perhaps Win 95, iirc.

Edit: Just checked the link. Win 95. (Never actually had that version).
Good old Windows 95... "A 32 bit extension and a graphical shell for a 16 bit patch to an 8 bit operating system originally coded for a 4 bit microprocessor, written by a 2 bit company that can't stand 1 bit of competition."
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I used Windows 2.1, I'm an old geezer by this board's standards. ;)
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Rehan wrote: Good old Windows 95... "A 32 bit extension and a graphical shell for a 16 bit patch to an 8 bit operating system originally coded for a 4 bit microprocessor, written by a 2 bit company that can't stand 1 bit of competition."
Nice. I actually skipped Win 95 completely as I preferred the Win 3.1 desktop-covered-with-directly-accessible-folders approach over Win 95 (and later)'s less efficient go-bottom-left-scroll up-scroll across-scroll down-scroll some more approach. I still use folders on my desktop with app shortcuts inside them for that more efficient Win 3.x-like access to certain related programs and data. It just works. Better. As MS hype marketers might say.
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