Nice to see "Happy Campers".. was was hopeful as the load, long time as it was, seemed to load everything, all my history and some rather old drivers, e.g., Palm Desk Top. But over a short time, must be about the start of this thread date, the whole computer has bogged down, not just browser, both Firefox and IE, I'm not using the newer whatever-browser, but even the WiFi interface. I try to remember to shut down my WiFi when I am done, but leaving the computer on. Then I click on the wireless Icon and click connect. It is not a click, click, click operation, long (what 5+ seconds or longer) delay getting to each click. Wasn't that way in the beginning. I use a password as that is port of the IE security for saved passwords, I use a master pass word on Firefox.. suppose that's the problem? Wasn't in the beginning. Just before this exploration and gripping Firefox forgot all, I mean all, its personal data. I did a refresh on Firefox, then a restore on Windows 10, still total amnesia for Firefox. I have backup on a flash drive, but haven't plugged that in to recover. Seems houzz log on survived, must be something at the houzz end, not Firefox memory. On Linux, I used the Ubuntu GRUB to set up the dual boot, and right now I don't recall what the problem is... maybe it too slowed down, maybe there's something wrong with my mental clock too high an expectation. That possibility noted, I did some blogging on the Ubuntu forum, now a member, and there was some agreement on the problem. I have considered using XUbuntu to resurrect a XP Dell desktop that is very sick. But rather than dual boot, thinking using a USB Hard drive as the boot for XUbuntu and leave the Windows boot loader in tack. I think that leads to my too slow peeve. I suppose I may have problems with drivers too with Ubuntu.. I want to run my laser printers for one thing. The one dual boot I have worked "out of the box" with my WiFi.

To all you kind people: Update Some things I have managed to do so far: Made a recovery flash drive / Installed Classic shell, which has been a big help / installed my husband's Bible Works software and FireFox, our preferred browser. Today in my spare time I am working on getting and installing Open Office, having no need for and no desire to pay for Office 365, which we could have had a free trial of for one year. I don't want to start down the path of subscribing to the Office software, when all we need is a word processor, so am hoping things will go well. It seems that to download O.O. to the laptop was going to take "1 hour and 1 minute," so now I am about to see if I can download it to a flash drive on my PC and use that to do the installing. (Update on that: It worked fine. Downloaded in a flash and was easy to install, though I did have to override the laptop's warning that it wasn't from the App store, so might be dangerous.) Oh, and I have ordered an external DVD/CD optical drive so as to be able to install the OED, as my husband uses that a lot, too. Things are looking up, but he has not yet begun to try to use the laptop.

"I can use Google apps on my Apple iPhone, and sync that iPhone with my Microsoft laptop running Windows." Apple products are still less, not more, interoperable with third party products. A friend of mine, a pretty consistent Apple products user, has to maintain a Windows PC to use three very common financial products - Turbo Tax, Quicken, and Quickbooks. One of the three-maybe Turbo Tax - has a Mac version but my friend says it sucks compared to the Windows version. I think two of the others aren't available at all in Mac versions. These are widely used programs, with tens of millions of customers. As far as Apple compatibility with other standard products, well, duh. Maps are another good example. The iPhone map app has struggled, playing catchup for years and years and (according to iphone users I know) still isn't there yet. They could easily encourage use of the Google Map app to give users a more useful capability but they won't do so. My immediate thought concerning what lars was talking about when he said "I prefer to have more choices than what Apple offers". is how in the Apple world, there are few user configurable options and no alternative sources of equipment manufacturers (which keeps prices somewhere in check). As an example of inflexibility, I use Itunes as a "podcaster" or podcast aggregator. In it I choose what podcast series I want to receive regularly and when I trigger an update, it does the download. Itunes has this annoying feature that it periodically unsubscribes me from podcasts I've set up to have downloaded. . I called Apple support and asked why. The support guy asked "Do you ever listen to the podcasts on your PC?" I said "No". He said "That's one of the most useful features - when you haven't listened to the podcast in (I think he said) 2 weeks, we know you don't want it anymore so we switch the status to "not subscribed". I said - "No, not at all. I download the podcasts to the PC but then transfer the files to two different portable players that I use to listen to them. In doing that, I never listen on the PC. How can I change the setting so that it doesn't keep unsubscribing me". He replied- "You can't change that setting, it's made that way to be most useful to our customers" I got what I should have expected - a BS answer akin to the joke from long ago in the consumer-market software industry - No, that isn't a bug, that's an intentional feature. WIndows PC and Android device users are accustomed to being able to choose configuration options so that the devices behave as they prefer. I understand that at first pass sometimes for beginner level users, this can provide some difficulties and frustrations but all of it is well documented and can be learned. Apple products often don't offer options.

What you've pictured is a 12 volt male "plug" with USB sockets on the back side. There are many, many kinds of electrical do-dads, ranging from spotlights to tire pumps to vacuums to coolers , fans and what not that use 12 v male plugs (but without USB slots) for the connection to the 12V sockets often found in RVs and boats as well as cars. The socket used to be called a cigarette lighter socket in cars, now just 12 v. Cars always have one or more. Those work, of course. The limitation you have with using a thumb drive in the car's USB slot for audio books is this - there's no way to have personal mobility to listen to the book when you leave the car. Imagine a Kindle or book copy that can't be used outside of a car. And when you remove it from the USB socket, you lose your place. For those for whom reading a book is a continuous process of repeated sessions, one of which may be in a car but the next one out of the car, audio books are more easily listened to if on a smartphone (and most will play in the audio system over Bluetooth) or using a small MP3 player. I choose the latter, they're smaller than my smartphone and I can use them all over. If they fall or get damaged, I don't worry about them because they're inexpensive. Sandisk still makes and sells MP3 players. not sure for how much longer. WIth a spring loaded clip on the back that will clip onto your top when exercising, working indoors or out, etc., that you can use cheap earbuds with. Go in the car, use the 3.5mm cord instead. Leave the car, disconnect, plug ear buds back in to keep listening. Lots of choices, each with advantages and disadvantages