Decent mid-end touchscreen laptop with Windows 7 Pro?

[Oyeve]

I am going to pitch to my boss to purchase a mid-high end laptop to replace my work desktop which is a dual-core 3ghz for a laptop as I work from home a lot and dont want to use my personal PC for work. So, I am looking for a decent laptop with a large screen that will connect to my 2 21" screens at work and to use at home. I want touch screen but do not want windows 8 and my job is Win 7 Pro. Are there laptops like this? Under 1k preferably?

 

[crashtestdummy]

If you're going with Win 7, why do you want a touch screen?

Anything with 8.1 pro has "downgrade rights" to Win 7.

 

[Oyeve]

If you're going with Win 7, why do you want a touch screen?

Anything with 8.1 pro has "downgrade rights" to Win 7.

Because why not?

My concern is that downgrading a meant-for-win8-laptop will be a PITA finding drivers for win7. I have order 20 desktops last year that came with win8 and it was a pain finding drivers for win7. I built one and cloned the other 19 with that image. Just looking for a decent prebuilt win7 touchscreen laptop.

 

[Ravynmagi]

Good luck with that.

 

[dagamer34]

Because why not?

My concern is that downgrading a meant-for-win8-laptop will be a PITA finding drivers for win7. I have order 20 desktops last year that came with win8 and it was a pain finding drivers for win7. I built one and cloned the other 19 with that image. Just looking for a decent prebuilt win7 touchscreen laptop.

There were never any "good" touchscreen laptops designed for Windows 7. They were all meant for the Windows 8 driver stack. Unless you want a Windows 7 laptop where the touchscreen and touchpad don't work very well, you're going to be getting a Windows 8 laptop. :whiste:

 

[destrekor]

Yep - either give up on touchscreen or simply accept Windows 8.

The upcoming update to 8.1 will significantly improve the Windows desktop experience for those like you who refuse to adapt and must hold on to antiquated OS design.

If you must, get a non-touchscreen business-focused device from HP - you should be able to order it (or it comes standard) with Windows 7 and all functionality working as designed.
I know the last place I worked was doing that for new machines. They shipped with Win7 and all necessary drivers installed (and came with a Win7 system disc and a Win7 driver disc, as well as the same system and driver discs for Windows 8).

 

[Rdmkr]

I wish it was possible to make the touchscreen function just like a mouse; make it so that a single touch works like mouse hovering and the click only happens when the second finger makes contact (anywhere).

Wouldn't be hard to have a driver for any operating system with it functioning like that.

 

[s44]

The upcoming update to 8.1 will significantly improve the Windows desktop experience for those like you who refuse to adapt

I think it's MS that's refusing to adapt. The failure of Windows 8 has now killed Sony's PC business.

 

[foghorn67]

I think it's MS that's refusing to adapt. The failure of Windows 8 has now killed Sony's PC business.

nah. It's fine. Haters gonna hate.

 

[destrekor]

I think it's MS that's refusing to adapt. The failure of Windows 8 has now killed Sony's PC business.

Microsoft is adapting. Them keeping the same ol' tired approach to an OS interface is a lack of adapting. We've had the same thing since, essentially, Windows 95, and even earlier in some ways.

The new update (now rumored to be delayed until April), will do much to satisfy many users. The ability to bring "Metro" apps INTO the desktop will be big.

When it comes to massive shifts with software interfaces, you can't expect a company to get it perfect right away. Not even the beloved Apple has managed that feat. There are always short-sighted approaches, bugs, shortcomings, etc. They're doing pretty damn good with rectifying most issues users have had, while maintaining their stance that the underpinnings of Windows 8 will be sticking around.
It is good and acceptable that they will be better allowing the desktop to essentially be everything for PC/non-touchscreen users. And they still get to maintain perfect compatibility between the different device classes.
It's a win win for all of us.

 

[Ravynmagi]

I think it's MS that's refusing to adapt. The failure of Windows 8 has now killed Sony's PC business.

Don't think Windows 8 had anything to do with that. The PC market isn't lucrative anymore. And big companies like IBM and Sony, in which PCs were a very minor part of what they do, no longer see the financial benefit is staying invested in something that's pretty much plateaued.

And Microsoft is adapting to users' response to Windows 8. 8.1 was a good step forward in the right direction to making Windows 8 more intuitive to mouse users and less jarring. Windows 8.1 Update 1 is going to include more changes that should make desktop users happier. And "Windows 9" definitely has a lot of desktop focus on it.

Windows 8 was a very dramatic change, and while it's a shame users were unprepared for this much change at once. I do applaud Microsoft for the innovation and gamble, usually it seems they are following others lead and this time it feels like they are taking the lead.

 

[zerogear]

Stubborn users who refuse to take 5 minutes to relearn new Windows created for new post-PC market = Microsoft refusing to adapt. Okay.

 

[Fardringle]

Stubborn users who refuse to take 5 minutes to relearn new Windows created for new post-PC market = Microsoft refusing to adapt. Okay.

"Stubborn users" who don't want their car to have the steering wheel in front, the gas pedal in the back seat, the brake pedal in the trunk, and the speedometer on the roof, and you can only look out the front windshield if you manually reach over to flip a lever under the passenger seat, and you have to do that every time you get into the car.

This is what Windows 8 did to productive desktop computing. 8.1 is an improvement but still adds more work to almost every single task.

 

[destrekor]

"Stubborn users" who don't want their car to have the steering wheel in front, the gas pedal in the back seat, the brake pedal in the trunk, and the speedometer on the roof, and you can only look out the front windshield if you manually reach over to flip a lever under the passenger seat, and you have to do that every time you get into the car.

This is what Windows 8 did to productive desktop computing. 8.1 is an improvement but still adds more work to almost every single task.

If you know how to use your keyboard, and know how the different tricks for both keyboard and mouse usage on Windows 8, and Windows in general, nothing involves more work.

It's the relative appearance of more work for those who don't know the shortcuts. Microsoft is improving 8.1 (should almost call it 8.2, or at least 8.1.1 - but they'll keep it as 8.1 with a fairly major update) so that it appear more like what people are used to, so that doing tasks with the mouse doesn't take longer.

 

[zerogear]

"Stubborn users" who don't want their car to have the steering wheel in front, the gas pedal in the back seat, the brake pedal in the trunk, and the speedometer on the roof, and you can only look out the front windshield if you manually reach over to flip a lever under the passenger seat, and you have to do that every time you get into the car.

Yes, that's what it did.

 

[sweenish]

"Stubborn users" who don't want their car to have the steering wheel in front, the gas pedal in the back seat, the brake pedal in the trunk, and the speedometer on the roof, and you can only look out the front windshield if you manually reach over to flip a lever under the passenger seat, and you have to do that every time you get into the car.

This is what Windows 8 did to productive desktop computing. 8.1 is an improvement but still adds more work to almost every single task.

This doesn't apply in the least. What a terrible analogy.

 

[vbuggy]

This doesn't apply in the least. What a terrible analogy.

Well, not to be a devil's asshat - oh who am I kidding - but it does in many cases at this point in time.

The problem is Microsoft getting ahead of themselves in terms of how many users think they can use their OSs. I can say you definitely get an 'aha' moment when you're using Win8 on a large touchscreen. Or even on a decent convertible (RIP Sony Duo - Hope JIP-VAIO continues the line sometime down the line). Then the way you access things flows a lot better when you've touch available all the time.

Problem is, keyb/mouse based interactions (especially mouse) have suffered in some detail cases. These are what those who're unable to adapt or too dumb to realise a new OS in this vein requires new kit are most vocal about.

Thing is of course, most people on this planet are either not particularly adaptable or are quite dumb. It takes someone else more in tune with that contingent to dumb it down enough but at the same time in an aspirational-to-lowest-common-denominator way that egos aren't bruised, then put an Apple logo on it.

 

[podspi]

People cried bloody murder with Windows 95 too.

OP -- don't waste your time w/ a W7 touchscreen device. It will be, as I said, a waste of time and $$$. Windows 8 is the only thing that makes sense w/ a touchscreen... people dislike it for the experience w/ a mouse, not the touchscreen!

 

[s44]

People cried bloody murder with Windows 95 too.

People had no platform options then.