What Is Chromebook As Opposed To Windows 10 - Help Please!

[moggie 939]

Someone has offered me a new Acer Chromebook to replace my aging Acer Windows tablet but as I have always used Windows and am elderly I am wolrried I will not understand it!

I have all my icons I use on my desktop (I always use Classic Shell) and I have all my favourites in a folder for easy access and in Docs I have all my photos. I only use my laptop for emails, browsing and no much else - GMail is important to me and I save lots of my emails. I have currently two usb ports and a slot for putting in a SD card from my camera which is important - will these still be on a Chromebook?

Would I be able to transfer everything to a Chromebook easily and will the format be the same or will it be like my android tablet with apps which is not easy for me to understand? Is the Chromebook and android system?

Please advise me.

Thanks

Moggie

[ichkeria]

Chromebooks use the google chrome operating system and aren’t compatible with Windows. So if you are thinking of transferring stuff across and continuing to work as before then avoid.
Early chromebooks were little more than browsers anyway so it it’s an old one ...
You’d lose nothing by having it as an extra machine I guess

[ichkeria]

Sorry a new Acer chromebook you said.

[satprof]

Moggie. At first, I'd be inclined to warn you off going with a Chromebook as it will definitely be different from what you are using. OTOH, the circumstances of why you have this choice may be sufficiently strong to justify using the Chromebook. For example, it may be an unwanted gift that someone has and is happy to give to you.

There are quite a lot of different Chromebooks on the market, so it would be easier for people here to advise you if you could give details of the make and model.

Another major consideration to take into account is what you use your existing computer for and what software, if any, that you have bought or use, even occasionally. In particular, do you use things like Word, Excel or Powerpoint? How do you access your email? This might be simply by going to Gmail or Hotmail by using Web access or you might use an email client like Thunderbird or the built-in Mail client.

Do you have access to anyone technical who could help you with transferring data from one machine to another? (This is something that you'll have to face at sometime or another, whatever your choice at the moment.)

Lastly, it would be helpful to know a little bit about your existing machine. Roughly how old is it? Do you know which version of Windows it uses? (e.g. XP, Vista, Windows 7, 8 or 10.)

It's quite a lot of questions, I know, but without knowing these sorsts of details, it's hard to give sensible advice.

[satprof]

To go a bit further, you say you use chiefly email & browsing & not a lot else. In theory, this workload is ideal for a Chromebook, but it will be important to find out what other occasional uses you have. If you access your Gmail account with your browser, that will also point to using a Chromebook.

[moggie 939]

Thanks satpro and Ichkeria

I have been offered an Acer Chromebook 311. I do use word for writing letters on my current Acer Windows 10 which is Aspire and is about 5 yrs old.
I always use G Mail and did use Thunderbird but have stopped that a while ago and only use Gmail - saving quite a few G Mails into folders so I can view them again. I use Google Chrome as my browser and i have everything backed up on a portable hardrive. When I got my Acer I had no problem transferring everything across and loading programs such as extra languages (Greek) and printers.
What I am worried about is having lots of App on my desktop!

Thanks

Moggie

[barry1010]

Can you clarify, moggie. Do you have a desktop pc that is running well and you intend to carry on use as well as the Acer tablet that the Chromebook will replace?

[moggie 939]

No Barry - sorry for the confusion.
I meant the home page on my laptop. I only have the Acer Aspire laptop plus a Huawei tablet i use for holidays.

If I like thr Chomebook offered me I would relace my Acer laptop with it.

I am thinking this might be he wrong thing to do!

Moggie