Homegroup

[David Gwilliam]

An icon consisting of four balls and called Homegroup has suddenly appeared on my desktop. It does not appear to be a shortcut. I have tried moving it to a file called Oddments which is for icons I don't understand but all that does is create a short cut and the icon carries on cluttering the desktop.
Is it safe to delete this icon?

 

[Blaarev]

An icon consisting of four balls and called Homegroup has suddenly appeared on my desktop. It does not appear to be a shortcut. I have tried moving it to a file called Oddments which is for icons I don't understand but all that does is create a short cut and the icon carries on cluttering the desktop.
Is it safe to delete this icon?

I suspect that you have Windows 8 (?)

Check this; http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/windows/3443389/remove-homegroup-icon-from-windows-8/

 

[David Gwilliam]

I suspect that you have Windows 8 (?)

Check this; http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/windows/3443389/remove-homegroup-icon-from-windows-8/

Thank you Blaarev that has worked.

You are right about Windows 8 which I am not impressed by. The PC Adsvisor article says:
There seems to be a bug where the HomeGroup icon can reappear at random.

It was disconcerting since I thought I must have done something to put it on the desktop. Thanks again.

 

[Joe_Fox]

Windows 8 (or 8.1) is just different. It'll soon seem normal. Just takes some getting used to. Makes more sense for touch devices.

 

[Macky]

Windows 8 (or 8.1) is just different. It'll soon seem normal. Just takes some getting used to. Makes more sense for touch devices.

Win8 is ****ing atrocious. If you aren't using a touch device, you may as well be using Windows 3.1

 

[Biffa Bacon]

Win8 is ****ing atrocious. If you aren't using a touch device, you may as well be using Windows 3.1

Notice that they are adding back the start menu in the update coming in August, I'd guess it'll almost be workable by the time Windows 9 comes along and destroys it again.

 

[M17TT C]

Isn't it basically windows 7 with the metro interface on top?

Personally, I love it on my Asus T100 either in tablet form or desktop.

 

[Macky]

Notice that they are adding back the start menu in the update coming in August, I'd guess it'll almost be workable by the time Windows 9 comes along and destroys it again.

History shows that Microsoft alternate between 'shit' and 'usable' with each version of their OS, so Window 9 will probably be a huge improvement over the bag of cat vomit that is Windows 8

 

[Joe_Fox]

I've been using windows 8 ever since it came out. I don't have a touch device and find it completely fine. By the way, all the start menu does is take you to the windows 8 modern interface page, which you can do now by pressing the windows key on the keyboard. It's not what most people will expect from a start menu at all. Just catch up you whingers. Under the hood it is loads better than previous versions of windows. Also, Microsoft will now release more iterations of windows (for instance 8.1) so I wouldn't expect windows 9 will be hugely different. The world will catch up eventually, believe me. Just start using it without comparing it to previous versions. I'm sure you are all smart enough to figure it out pretty quickly.

 

[Biffa Bacon]

I've been using windows 8 ever since it came out. I don't have a touch device and find it completely fine. By the way, all the start menu does is take you to the windows 8 modern interface page, which you can do now by pressing the windows key on the keyboard. It's not what most people will expect from a start menu at all. Just catch up you whingers. Under the hood it is loads better than previous versions of windows. Also, Microsoft will now release more iterations of windows (for instance 8.1) so I wouldn't expect windows 9 will be hugely different. The world will catch up eventually, believe me. Just start using it without comparing it to previous versions. I'm sure you are all smart enough to figure it out pretty quickly.

They haven't integrated the old desktop and Metro interfaces in a sensible way which makes it act almost like you are using a dual boot system with 2 separate operating systems, not a sensible idea. They are bringing back the old style start menu as in older windows versions which basically shows they have given up on some of their changes to reduce the complaints.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2147...is-fall-not-so-fast-windows-watchers-say.html

 

[M17TT C]

Metro interface is basically the start menu in a different format.

People just don't like change and lots of people are stupid. Given lots of people use Windows, it's fair to say the majority of complaints come from stupid people.

Anyone with half a brain should be able to pick it up fairly swiftly and it is great in touch format.

Only neg I would say is that it should ask what device or what preference you would like on first use. Ie touch device or not and a choice of metro start or desktop view.

 

[Biffa Bacon]

Metro interface is basically the start menu in a different format.

People just don't like change and lots of people are stupid. Given lots of people use Windows, it's fair to say the majority of complaints come from stupid people.

Anyone with half a brain should be able to pick it up fairly swiftly and it is great in touch format.

Only neg I would say is that it should ask what device or what preference you would like on first use. Ie touch device or not and a choice of metro start or desktop view.

The problem is that some programmes work in the desktop whilst Metro apps work outside of it, it's a mess and the idiots are the designers that didn't bother integrating their system properly and are now trying to get back to a single unified experience that works across touch and non-touch devices.

I have a touch screen laptop and rarely bother with the touch interface because it is so badly thought out.

 

[M17TT C]

Well I don't use one for work but have a Win 8.1 device at home so you may have more use on it than me but I can't say I've come across that issue though the only metro apps I really use are email and music. Both these work fine switching between them and desktop apps and run happily in the background.

I have touch and use it the majority of the time and find it great, even on a 10" device. Physical keyboard is needed for extended typing but touch is the way forward with Win 8 etc.

 

[Mawsley]

Anyone with half a brain should be able to pick it up fairly swiftly

Amazingly, this was one of the original poster ideas from the M$ marketing department, but they changed it in case they alienated those without a brain from being able to aimlessly prod at a screen.

That's why they went for the successful "Windows 8. Grunt!" campaign instead.

Windows 9 is going to do away with the prodding, it's just going to be a blue painted brick. With porn on the bottom and a picture of the Daily Mail on the back.

 

[Macky]

Imagine how embarrassed I feel now, there I was thinking that the reason that I dislike Win8 was down to me finding it immensely frustrating and unintuitive to use without a touch-device and because I thought that the Metro design has all the styling of something produced by Fisher-Price and that it shits in the face of 30 odd years of UI design, but it turns out the whole time that I'm just stupid.
I'm absolutely mortified, I had no idea.

 

[Joe_Fox]

Imagine how embarrassed I feel now, there I was thinking that the reason that I dislike Win8 was down to me finding it immensely frustrating and unintuitive to use without a touch-device and because I thought that the Metro design has all the styling of something produced by Fisher-Price and that it shits in the face of 30 odd years of UI design, but it turns out the whole time that I'm just stupid.
I'm absolutely mortified, I had no idea.

Don't be too hard on yourself.