jgradyc

If you're happy with Windows 8.1, you might as well wait another 3 months or so for MS to get the bugs out of 10 and/or for early adopters (like me) to post work-arounds for common problems or nuisance aspects of Windows 10.    My favorite work-around so far is to reprogram the power button via power options to shut down the computer by simply tapping the power button. Under Windows 10 (and 8.1 as I recall), it takes a half dozen mouse moves and clicks to get to shut down. 

My guess is that windows 10 crashed during the install. It would probably load okay now. It does need to reboot several times and I think it needs to be connected to the internet. I did crash a hard drive doing a Windows 8 update three years ago. I switched to Linux until Windows10 Technical Preview became available last year.

Another problem just started on Windows 10. Cortana keeps popping up every couple of minutes even though it is turned off. I found a fix online at tenforums.com.  Here it is  

The OP needs to go to one of the websites that consolidates handgun carry laws for all states and look up the laws in the states he will be traveling through. No offense, but while I respect the advice from others on forums, I'd rather see something more official.   Here's one.   http://handgunlaw.us/   Oh, and one other thing. Printing is a function of how the holster tilts the weapon, how the belt holds the weapon, and how the fabric of the cover garment snags on the weapon. If you work at it, you can avoid printing with most handguns.   I adjust/modify my holster and belt until the grip touches my back instead of hanging out. That's mostly what causes printing. I carry in the 5 o'clock position. Any heavy t-shirt or polo shirt worn with the tail out will hide it nicely.  If I carry a different gun in the 3 or 4 o'clock position, I also have the grip angle in, but I wear a cover garment, like an open shirt made of heavy material. In fall, I wear a hipster North Face vest. 

Let's see,  fumble with a gun behind your back to find and insert a rod in the barrel. Next, fumble to stick the gun in the small of your back with an uncovered trigger. Then, fumble to hold it in position while finding the little dime-sized thingy to pull the cord up to hold the firearm in place. To draw, you have to find the little dime-sized thingy to pull it off before you can remove the gun.   What could possibly go wrong?.......

I know a guy who ran that race. He thought it was hilarious.

Bersa Thunder is nice if you can handle the reverse direction of the thumb safety. I couldn't and sold mine. It's borderline too big for me to pocket carry.   The Sig P238 is a great little gun. It's a little slippery in my hand. I think I'd change the grips and add the extended magazine with the pinkie extension. I have a small hand and it still feels small in the grip.    If you're a big guy, you might consider the Taurus Slim 709.    Oh, and there's the Kimber Solo...    And to echo nightrunner, my pocket carry is the Kahr PM9.

You're ready to move up. Don't feel like you're limited to 9mm. Find a gun that feels right in your hand, regardless of the caliber.   A 38 special revolver can be a good choice for a novice, especially since you're accustomed to shooting a revolver.  Lots of guys on TGO carry 38 specials or it's big brother, the 357. You can shoot 38 special rounds in a 357... a nice advantage to owning a 357.    I'd suggest you avoid really small guns. They're harder to aim, kick more, and jam easier. i.e., the LCP, TCP, P3-AT and the super light 9mm handguns. Great little guns, but they require extra experience to shoot well. ...oh, and they're not fun to shoot, in my opinion.    I'd also suggest that you avoid full sized guns. They look impressive, but they are heavier and harder to conceal. A good gun that you will carry daily is better than a great gun at home in a drawer.   Finally, I'd suggest you avoid Glocks. They're great handguns, but the trigger pull is short and light... not a good combination for a novice.  

I just noticed a problem with Windows 10 that I thought everyone should know about.   If you have multiple computers and don't use the one with Windows 10 for a couple of weeks, it will take FOREVER to boot up. It basically locks up at the login screen. Apparently, it's downloading all the updates MS has sent out since you last booted up, but there's nothing to tell you that. I didn't time it, but I'm guessing it took between an hour to an hour and a half before it finally shut down on its own and rebooted to the login screen. I wouldn't risk a hard shut off and reboot when it does this because it can (and did) crash my hard drive when I did this a few years ago on Windows 7.  

Could someone provide a link to this law, please? When I last looked this up, I don't remember it reading like this.

I don't carry that way for exactly that reason, plus it's very uncomfortable sitting down. That said, find what works for you and don't worry about how others carry. I finally gave up on finding holsters that fit and now make my own and carry comfortably in the 5 o'clock position. Once I made custom holsters, I can carry a larger and heavier handgun than before and it's almost comfortable enough to forget it's there.   If I ever needed to carry in that position, I would never, never, never reholster the handgun while wearing the holster. My protocol would be... remove holster, holster weapon, clip holster back on.   Whatever works for you...

This is a lot more complicated than I was expecting it to be. I especially appreciate the comments about what would be illegal. I'll reconsider my approach. 

I see there's a thread on predators, but since I have a very specific question, I'll start a new thread.   Last night at dusk, a coyote came out of the woods beside our house. My wife had been grinding turkey for the dogs and throwing the fat over the side of our 2nd story deck. At midnight, the rest of the fat was gone, so I'm sure it came back between 8:30 and midnight.   First, I can shoot this coyote right now, right? I live in the country outside city limits. I have a cat and all the neighbors have a cat... so far. I'd like to keep it that way.   I'm not a hunter, so I need some advice here. I believe it will come back tonight after dark.  We tossed out a bit more turkey fat today. The tree line is only 100 feet away, so it will be a close shot. I doubt if I will get a stationary shot, but since I'm elevated the movement won't be too extreme. I'm likely to get only one shot.   Here are my best gun choices in descending order, I think.... 20 gauge w/#3 buckshot, 410 with PDX1 defender ammo, 223 AR-style rifle, 9mm carbine. I have a motion sensor light that I can set up. I also have a red filter flashlight, but it won't light up much of the yard. I could also just leave the deck floodlight on. I have no idea if a light suddenly coming on would scare it off. Probably yes, right?   I plan to set up a "blind" on the upper deck, toss out some more fat at dusk, and wait for it to show up.    Thoughts? Suggestions? I'm not adverse to the idea of getting a 12 gauge... I even looked at one today at Academy Sports... but the guy there assured me that 20 gauge #3 shot would be enough to take it down. It does say "Deer and predators" on the box.

I've loaded Windows 10 on three laptops so far. Two are up and running with no glitches. The Lenovo E430 running Win 7 Home Premium seems slower than the others and I keep getting a Dolby Audio Driver not installed message. Audio seems to work fine. The Lenovo also seems to have a lot more bloatware loaded on it. It took maybe 2 1/2 hours to get Windows 10 installed. I also keep getting Norton notices to update my Norton software. I've tried to uninstall Norton completely, but there is no program listed to uninstall.    I immediately turned off Cortana and switched the default browser from Edge to Chrome so I can't comment on either of those apps. 

Other than the guy with the Airsoft gun, I think all the theatre shootings have been either at night or during a first weekend showing when the theatre is packed with people.   I wait until the movie has been out a couple of weeks and then attend a matinee. We arrive early and I check out the people as they come in. Usually, there's less than a half dozen people in the theatre. We only go maybe once a year, so I think the greater risk is walking to/from the car after the movie.

I've considered retiring overseas due to the cost of living and better climate. I'd probably consider Columbia and Ecuador first, followed by the rest of South America. I was really disappointed in my trip to Costa Rica. It wasn't that cheap and the lifestyle didn't suit me. The whole country is rain forest and narrow roads with no shoulder. You can't run, walk, bicycle, or motorcycle safely. There's just no where to do it. Of course, those things don't matter to most retirees, so maybe it would be okay. The Ex Pats I talked to said that foreigners don't get treated the same as natives, so there's that, too. 

Trump is an entrepreneur and top negotiator. One of the core rules of negotiation is never give up something without getting something in return, which is what he was asked to do at the debate.  He's smart enough to realize that a third party candidate wouldn't win and would give the win to the Democrat. He's just going to negotiate whatever he can directly with the eventual Republican candidate. I can't read Trump's mind, so I don't know what that enticement would be, but you can bet this is his angle if he doesn't get the nomination.   Not saying Trump is my 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc. choice as a candidate. I'm just saying he has no intention of running as a third party candidate.

Have you considered loading Windows 10 instead? I added Classic Shell (it's free) and it looks and acts very similar to Windows 7, but a lot faster boot up time. You can completely bypass the Metro UI. I never see it. My laptop boots to a normal desktop. You can turn off Cortana. Windows 10 doesn't have that stupid charms pop-up... or if it does, it's turned off on my machine. I've had no problems with Windows 10. There was a link posted on another thread you can use to download the install tool. It took less than two hours to complete the install.   Oh, I also turned off all the notifications and data sharing with Microsoft.   EDITED: I can't help but think that MS will lag in their updates to Windows 7 to keep it safe. They have a vested interest in making Windows 10 better in all ways and one way to make 10 seem better is to make 7 seem worse.

There is a web page somewhere that lists every mass shooting in the US and many throughout the world and shows what drugs the perp was taking.  I don't remember the link, but I saw it about a year ago.

I'm probably blowing this way out of proportion. I appreciate the feedback. Just recommend a good HCP class in the greater Nashville area. Thanks.  

I was talking to a friend today who is thinking about concealed carry and/or a home defense gun. It's apparent that he knows next to nothing about firearms, so I'd like to steer him towards a good weapon choice and a good HCP course.  He's in Nashville, mid-forties, about 6' 2", maybe 20-30lbs overweight, with normal sized hands for a guy that size. I doubt that he will ever be a recreational shooter.   Here's the kicker. In the very remote chance that he needs a firearm, he might be up against professionals intent on stealing invention prototypes or eliminating him entirely.    He doesn't want an arsenal, but cost isn't a major concern either. What would you recommend? 

Orbitz (along with Travelocity and a few others) will compare fares for the major airlines. If you're going where they fly, Southwest is a good choice, but you have to check on their website at www.southwest.com   Southwest flights won't appear on Orbitz's search or Travelocity. If you want to check other discount airlines, see if they fly to where you want to go and then check their websites directly.   Generally, if you check the box on "flexible when you fly," you can usually save $100 or more by picking one of the non-peak days.  It's also best to book a month in advance. The best fares disappear 30 days out or 21 days out depending on the airline.

5:22pm All disks loaded. Software is being installed. Please do not turn off your computer 6:47pm Software is being installed. Please do not turn off your computer. 8:00pm Logged in. Installing apps.... Please don't turn off your PC. 8:13pm Success! Windows 8 installed. 8:14pm Checked for updates, but system failed.   Forget the update 8:29pm went to link in this thread to download Windows 10. Started download. 9:00pm Downloaded. Installing Windows 10... 45% complete. 9:49pm Install done. Getting updates. This won't take long. 9:58pm Install complete. I still have to reinstall all my software. That will take another half day, but at least I have Windows 10 up and running.

Just for kicks, I'm going to document my Windows 10 update here. As I previously posted, I did a complete reformat and install of Windows 10 preview, so the update wouldn't work. I'm now in the process of reinstalling Windows 8, updating 8, and then I'll do the download of Windows 10. My best guess is that this will take... well, a long time.    At 3:45pm Friday, I dug out my Windows 8 recovery disks and got the install started. Currently at 31% on disk 1...   The bright side of all this is that I already know Windows 10 will work. I've been using it since December in the preview.

I read that, too. I think the bottom line is that I did a clean install of the preview so the builds couldn't see a previously activated version of Windows. At this point, it's probably easier to dig out my 8.0 recovery disks and start over from scratch.    At this point I am running Build 10162, I think, with a note on the desktop telling me to go to settings to activate windows. I do that and it tells me the product key won't work. The Help link says that I'll need to reinstall an eligible version of windows to upgrade.    <sigh>