Windows 10 Free Upgrade Screenshots

  If you're like me, you reserved the free copy of Windows 10 as soon as you knew it was available. I have several PC's and laptops and some run Windows 7 and some run Windows 8. Both versions are eligible for the free upgrade.
  If you use Windows 8, you know how good it runs. Some people complain about it. I really liked it so when I heard about Windows 10, I couldn't wait. The free upgrades were supposed to begin installing on July 29 and I wasn't disappointed!

  It looks like the Windows 8 systems will get the Windows 10 upgrade right away while the Windows 7 systems won't. At least that's what happened to me. All my Windows 8 systems received the update as soon as I booted them up.
  What follows are some of the screen shots that you will see during the upgrade. To see if your upgrade is ready, double click on the Windows 10 icon on the lower right of your screen (it's the same icon that you used to reserve Windows 10. If the upgrade is ready to install, it will tell you. Follow the directions to do the upgrade.

  At one point when you first launch Windows 10, you have the choice to accept the defaults or you can choose a Customized setup. If you accept the defaults, some of your information will be sent to Microsoft and maybe other web sites. I chose to customize and turned all those off. It's pretty easy and if you change your mind later, I'm sure there's an easy way to turn them back on.

  So far, I have not had any issues with Windows 10 and I really love it already. If you want to do a clean install of Windows 10, you must do the upgrade first in order to lock in your Windows 10 key. Once that's done, do a search and you will find a tool put out by Microsoft that will create the complete ISO file for you.
  Here are the screen shots...

Final Upgrade screen

  Once the upgrade is complete, your system will reboot into Windows 10. Enjoy!

My Heart Is In It!

  My son is getting married soon and the wedding shower was just held in our back yard. I was planning on cutting the grass twice in preparation for it the day before the event.
  Before cutting the grass, I came up with an idea...
  What if I could somehow cut a heart into the grass?

  But how could I possibly do that? I don't have an artful bone in my body. I failed at art. I can't draw. I have no interest in art. But I kept thinking...what if...?

  Somehow in my mind, I envisioned the heart and thought about it. If I put a 5 gallon bucket at the bottom of the "heart", a bucket on both sides and one more bucket at the center of the heart, could I actually do it?
  I placed the buckets where I thought the points would be, drove the big mower out to where the bottom of the heart would be and lowered my blades to the lowest point. I then proceeded to steer the mower where I thought I should. I honestly didn't know what the end result would look like but I just kept going. I was completely and utterly amazed at what happened.

  Here is the result!

Finished Heart

...and another view

  But the true effect was not known until these pictures were taken. My future daughter-in-law texted me "!!!!John just emailed me the lawn heart!!! How absolutely wonderful of you! I love you very much. I can't believe my luck!"
  Me neither...me neither.

  Here are a few more pictures showing the people from the shower and the bridesmaids less the one who couldn't make it from Alaska.

Tables are set up

Aerial View

Shower taking place

Everyone who was at the shower

The Bridesmaids

nextbook Flexx 11 Review

  I have been looking for a replacement to my Franklin Planner for a while now. Every year I spend at least $28 dollars for the next year's replacement pages and my page holder is wearing out.
  After looking at different tablets, I settled on the nextbook Flexx 11.

Specifications

• Processor
• It has an Intel Atom Z3735F Quad-core processor, 1.33 GHz with Burst up to 1.83 GHz, 2 MB cache
• Graphics Card
• Intel HD Graphics
• Display:
• It has a large 11.6" touch screen
• 1366 x 768 pixels
• Intel HD Graphics
• IPS (In-Plane Switching)
• Storage and Memory
• It comes with 2 GB system memory
• 64 GB of storage which can be expanded an extra 64 GB with a micro SD card
• Slots
• Micro-SD slot (up to 64 GB)
• Audio
• Built-in microphone and speakers
• Input and Controls
• Pogo keyboard with touchpad that comes off like the Surface 
• The keyboard protects the screen when closed
• Touchscreen on the tablet
• Input / Output Ports
• Two full sized USB 2.0 ports on the keyboard
• Micro USB 2.0 port on the tablet
• Micro HDMI port on the tablet
• Headphone jack on the tablet
• Connectivity
• wifi 802.11b/g/n 
• Bluetooth 4.0
• Camera
• 2.0 MP front-facing camera
  2.0 MP rear-facing camera
• Power
• Lithium-ion 9000 mAh
• Security Feature
• Security lock slot
• Dimensions and Weight
• Width: 11.25-inch
• Depth: 7.66-inch
• Height: 0.37-inch
• Weight: 4.45 lbs
• Color
• Black Matte finish
• Other Features
• 3-axis G-sensor 
• Operating System
• Comes loaded with Windows 8.1 and it will download Windows 10 when it comes out
•  All my current programs can run on it and there's more
• Price as of July 2015: $227 or less 

Unboxing
  See my Unboxing review 

  Once you unbox the nextbook flex11, I recommend you fully charge it which takes around 4 hours the first time. An odd thing is that the charging light shines RED while charging (it takes up to 4 hours the first charge) and ORANGE when it is fully charged. I don't know why they wouldn't have used GREEN when it's fully charged. See pictures below.

Charger plugged in and charge indicator light

Charger plugged in and charge indicator light

Micro SD slot

One of the USB 2.0 full sized slots

  If you look above, you will see that the speaker connection is at the back of the tablet and the charging cord is to the right of that. Make sure you push the charging cord into the correct hole.
  As you look at the above picture, the tablet is on top and the keyboard is at the bottom.
  When you open the tablet, it is a friction fit and will seem very hard to open. It doesn't have lock or release button. As you swing the tablet up, you will notice the keyboard tilt up from the back.
 

nextbook closed

Plastic protects the screen when new

  When you open the nextbook for the first time, you need to peel off the clear plastic protector. I found it kind of difficult to grab hold of. Ask someone with nails to help get it off. There is a piece of very thin tissue paper over the keyboard. Remove both of them.

Manuals and Quick Start Guide

  The manuals are under the nextbook in the box. There is a very nice quick start laminated paper guide shown above on the right that you can refer to.
  When you turn it on, the Windows software will load and you will need to go through a few items that are pretty standard on any new device with Windows loaded.
  Connect to wifi and then Go to the PC Settings screen and Activate Windows. If you don't have wifi at the time you turn it on, you can activate windows using a toll free phone call. It involves writing down a lot of numbers that are broken in groups A through H with 6 digits in each group. That's how I activated Windows and it wasn't too hard.

Keyboard has a blue background

Do Windows Update once you Activate Windows

   Once Windows is activated, you should do Windows Update. There are a LOT of updates to Windows 8.1 so this could take the better part of a day. You will need to restart the tablet many times during all the updates.

Windows Updating

More Updates

  At some point you will have all the updates and eventually the Windows 10 reservation logo will show up on the lower right if you don't have it yet. Reserve your copy of Windows 10 by clicking on it.
 

General Observations

  If you are typing on the keyboard, the right shift key is smaller than normal and you will keep hitting the up arrow. This takes some getting used to.
  If you lift up and walk with the tablet with the keyboard attached, you will hear some beeps to tell you that the keyboard connection is intermittent. Don't worry about it; you won't be walking and typing at the same time.
  Use a mouse instead of the touchpad. It will make you much happier.
  Unhooking the tablet from the keyboard: This is very easy. Just push down on the button in the center and lift the tablet off the keyboard. Attaching it is very easy too but it takes a little practice before you get fast at doing it.
  The keyboard can be lit up by pressing the function key and the upper left keyboard key but don't get all excited. All you have is back light blue LEDs so all the keys look like black squares. If you know how to type, it won't bother you but I don't type in the dark so I don't care.

Final Verdict?
  So far I really like it. I have loaded Open Office and Microsoft Office 2013 and both seem to function just fine. I've also loaded many of the programs I run on my PC like Avast and Malwarebytes and they all seem to work perfectly.

Additional accessories that I bought:

• The Friendly Swede Disc Stylus, (2 Pack), Black 
• BlueRigger High Speed Micro HDMI to HDMI cable with Ethernet - 15 feet  
• SanDisk Ultra 64GB UHS-I/Class 10 Micro SDXC Memory Card Up to 48MB/s With Adapter- SDSDQUAN-064G-G4A [Newest Version]
• StarTech.com 5in Micro USB to USB OTG Host Adapter - Micro USB Male to USB A Female On-The-GO Host Cable Adapter 
• Cable Matters® 3-Port SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Hub with RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter in Black
  
  

Update on 1/18/2017
A visitor asked me which Ethernet adapter worked with my Nextbook. I bought the adapter from Amazon and I'm still using it every day. It plugs into the full sized USB port on the left side and it is about 4 inches long. USB connector on one end and Ethernet on the other. Also, it has lights to show you activity.

Here is the information:

Thanks for choosing the Plugable USB2-E100 USB 2.0 10/100 Ethernet adapter!

If you are using Windows 10/8.x, Mac OS X 10.6+, Linux 2.6.35+, or the latest ChromeOS, the driver is already pre-installed in your operating system. You don't need to install any additional driver for this adapter.
If you are using older versions of Windows, OS X or Linux, you can download and install the latest software from our website:Please visit http://plugable.com/products/usb2-e100/drivers

Any questions or problems? We're on your side and happy to help. Save this email and reply anytime to reach our knowledgeable Seattle-based online support team. If we ever ask, the model you have is the Plugable USB2-E100 and your order id was 110-5038079-0905832.
Customer reviews have a big impact on a small business like ours. Once the product arrives, and you've had a chance to try it and contact us with any questions or issues, your feedback is deeply appreciated athttps://www.amazon.com/review/create-review?asin=B00484IEJS
Thanks again for joining the community of Plugable users!Bernie ThompsonFounder, Plugable Technologies


Update on 1/18/2017
A word of caution on the Nextbook power supply. I did experience problems with it charging after a while. The solution was to replace the Power Cord charger. The plug that plugs into the Nextbook was cheap and if you wiggled it in the Nextbook, the charging was stop. I ordered a replacement from eBay and then contacted Nextbook. They did send me a replacement.

Unboxing a nextbook Flexx 11 Tablet

  I have been looking for a replacement to my  Franklin Planner for a while now. Every year I spend at least $28 dollars for the next year's replacement pages and my page holder is wearing out.
  After looking at different tablets, I settled on the nextbook Flexx 11.
  Why?

• It has an Intel Atom Z3735F Quad-core processor, 1.33 GHz with Burst up to 1.83 GHz, 2 MB cache
• It runs Windows 8.1 and it will download Windows 10 when it comes out
• It has a large 11.6" touch screen with 1366 x 768 pixels and Intel HD Graphics
• It comes with a keyboard that comes off like the Surface 
• The keyboard protects the screen when closed
• It has two USB 2.0 ports on the keyboard and it has a Micro USB port on the tablet
• It has a micro HDMI port on the tablet
• It comes with 2 GB system memory and 64 GB of storage which can be expanded an extra 64 GB with a micro SD card
• It has wifi 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth connectivity
• All my current programs can run on it and there's more

 Unboxing
   I bought it at Walmart but you can buy at other places.

Outer Box

  There is an outer box and an inner box.

Inner Box

  The inner box has two sections: The larger nextbook section and the smaller recharging / power cord section.

Inner box opened up

  The larger section of the inner box contains the nextbook Flexx 11 tablet and all the manuals. The smaller section contains the charging power cord and US plug adapter.
  The plug is kind of interesting. You have to insert the US plug adapter into the holder in order to plug it into the wall. See the pictures below. It is kind of hard to mate the two pieces together the first time. This charging cord plugs into the tablet itself.

Plug receiver and US plug adapter

Plug mated to receiver

Back side of US plug on the right

  All the manuals are inside resealable plastic bags and are located under the tablet.

Manuals

    There is a nice Quick Start laminated guide and it says to fully charge the nextbook before turning it on. I plugged the charger in and an LED lights up red near where you plug in the charger. One thing I found awkward was the headphone/speaker jack is very near the charger jack and I think it would be easy to try and plug the charger into the wrong hole. I didn't try to but it sure looks like the same size. There is markings by the two holes so if you pay attention, you will be fine.
  Another odd thing is that the charging light shines RED while charging (it takes up to 4 hours the first charge) and ORANGE when it is fully charged. I don't know why they wouldn't have used GREEN when it's fully charged. See pictures below.

  This ends the Unboxing review. Please see my review of the nextbook Flexx 11 tablet for my initial thoughts on the tablet itself. Thanks for taking time to look through this review.

Kool Tie Review 

Keep your body cool in heat and humidity

  Keeping your body cool in heat and humidity is important if you live in a hot climate or during a hot summer day. I decided to try out a Kool Tie this weekend. I bought mine at REI but you can buy them elsewhere. 

  

  What is it?

  This is a cloth filled with water absorbing crystals. You tie it around your neck and then rotate the outer facing cloth towards your neck whenever you feel too warm. The outer surface evaporates water a little at a time so when you rotate it towards your neck, you instantly feel cooling taking place. Throughout the day, you just rotate it every 10 to 15 minutes to cool down. 

  What does it do?

Kool Tie packaging

  It can keep you cool for days and no refrigeration is needed. 

  How do you use it?

  You soak the whole thing in water for 30 minutes or so and the Kool Tie will go from flat to fat and become about an inch in diameter. Take it out of the water and hang it for a few minutes to get the excess water off it. Then you either begin wearing it or in my case, I put it inside a zip lock bag until I was ready to use it the next day. It says not to store it in a plastic bag because it could mildew but overnight is fine.

Wearing my Kool Tie (what else is in the picture? Hawaiian Lei and Pretzel Necklace string)

   What do you do when you're done using it?

  Hang it in either the bathroom or anywhere else to dry. Once it is completely dry, you will be able to feel the crystals again and it will be flat.

Hanging up to dry

  Here are the instructions printed on the packaging.

Kool Tie Instructions

  What did I think of it?

  I wore it all day yesterday. It was HOT Hot hot all day long and I was at a Summer Beerfest outside. I have to admit when you rotate it on your neck, you instantly feel a cooling effect. I was afraid the my shirt and collar would become soaked but neither seemed to get wet. I was very impressed. 

  Would I recommend it?

  Yes! It is $11 at REI and it's better than pouring ice down your shirt! Oh, I almost forgot. They come in lots and lots of colors. The packaging claims it can last for days and seeing what it looked like the next day, I think they are correct. You could wet it once and use it for several days.