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WIndows 8. Like, dislike, hate? Who cares?


Merc14

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Ill get it through the microsoft academic alliance and give it a crack sometime. I think Microsoft are taking a turn for the better and actually really innovating. I think with Windows 8 and this direction they are taking with all their products. They can once again take market share.

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From what I have heard from various sources Windows 8 is ok, but in U.K , its a lot more expensive than $40.00 , running at about $120.00 , (about £90.00) which is ok if you are earning and not on a pension,plus you have to buy extra software which was previously free.. I have Vista and Windows 7, having repaired an old Vista, (which I was told by a P.C firm that it was unrepairable) and for what I use I am quite happy with either system. I dont like these "touch screen tablet", thingies.

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Thanks Merc, sorry if my initial post came off as "Ranty", I didn't mean for it to come out like that. lol, I'm actually curious to see where MS goes with 8, and how the functionality will evolve, or if they'll move on to Windows 9 in a year, or two, should be interesting.

I am curious as well and think that the phone, tablet and desktop, all having the same general GUI will, hopefully, lead to some good things. Skydrive is an integral part of the whole ecosystem. Just came from a customer's house (replaced a PSU) and she said she was about to throw her new Win 8 Laptop thru the window. LOL. I showed her a few things and she is a bit less upset because it is a smoother and faster system but not a real happy camper at this point.

Can I vote 'who cares'? givahoot.gif;)

It was in the thread title. :tu:

Ill get it through the microsoft academic alliance and give it a crack sometime. I think Microsoft are taking a turn for the better and actually really innovating. I think with Windows 8 and this direction they are taking with all their products. They can once again take market share.

Hopefully so as Apple needs competition, as does any market.

From what I have heard from various sources Windows 8 is ok, but in U.K , its a lot more expensive than $40.00 , running at about $120.00 , (about £90.00) which is ok if you are earning and not on a pension,plus you have to buy extra software which was previously free.. I have Vista and Windows 7, having repaired an old Vista, (which I was told by a P.C firm that it was unrepairable) and for what I use I am quite happy with either system. I dont like these "touch screen tablet", thingies.

The $40 is a special running through January 31st. You download and upgrade version of Windows 8 Pro and directly upgrade a Vista or 7 install without losing anything. Supposedly works well, unlike past upgrades, but takes a while to complete. I have used the upgrade version to do fresh installs (clean drive wiuth no version of windows on it) on five machines now and had to use the registry tweak only twice. Registry tweak, for those interested is:

  • Open regedit by pressing Windows-q, entering regedit and selecting the result from the list of hits.
  • Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Setup/OOBE/
  • Change MediaBootInstall from 1 to 0
  • Go back to the start screen and enter cmd there.
  • Right-click Command Prompt and select to run it as administrator.
  • Type slmgr /rearm on the command line and hit enter.
  • Reboot Windows now.
  • Run the activation utility afterwards, enter your product key to activate Windows.

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I am curious as well and think that the phone, tablet and desktop, all having the same general GUI will, hopefully, lead to some good things. Skydrive is an integral part of the whole ecosystem. Just came from a customer's house (replaced a PSU) and she said she was about to throw her new Win 8 Laptop thru the window. LOL. I showed her a few things and she is a bit less upset because it is a smoother and faster system but not a real happy camper at this point.

It was in the thread title. :tu:

Hopefully so as Apple needs competition, as does any market.

The $40 is a special running through January 31st. You download and upgrade version of Windows 8 Pro and directly upgrade a Vista or 7 install without losing anything. Supposedly works well, unlike past upgrades, but takes a while to complete. I have used the upgrade version to do fresh installs (clean drive wiuth no version of windows on it) on five machines now and had to use the registry tweak only twice. Registry tweak, for those interested is:

  • Open regedit by pressing Windows-q, entering regedit and selecting the result from the list of hits.
  • Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Setup/OOBE/
  • Change MediaBootInstall from 1 to 0
  • Go back to the start screen and enter cmd there.
  • Right-click Command Prompt and select to run it as administrator.
  • Type slmgr /rearm on the command line and hit enter.
  • Reboot Windows now.
  • Run the activation utility afterwards, enter your product key to activate Windows.

Tks 4 the info , I might give it a try when I have some spare time, cheers
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From what I have heard from various sources Windows 8 is ok, but in U.K , its a lot more expensive than $40.00 , running at about $120.00 , (about £90.00) which is ok if you are earning and not on a pension,plus you have to buy extra software which was previously free.. I have Vista and Windows 7, having repaired an old Vista, (which I was told by a P.C firm that it was unrepairable) and for what I use I am quite happy with either system. I dont like these "touch screen tablet", thingies.

It's only £29 for the download or £12.99 for a dvd, Spud but yer better staying with Win 7, imo. I only upgraded cos I was sick of looking at XP and who can argue with £30 for a new legit OS? :) And thank you for the heads-up, Merc... I never knew it was on special. Edited by Eldorado
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On second thoughts.... Win 8 is probably the worst and most annoying I've ever used bar SUSE. (Using a desktop) Far slower than XP with no Start button on the taskbar; you need to jump back and forth to open a program, ffs.. :( (I've said much about the same about every new OS I've tried... lol)

Edited by Eldorado
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Concur 100% om the old folks giving up if faced with the new GUI. I have been telling a lot of them that a tablet may be more appropriate for what they do. My biggest problem is the older business customers running XP on really old machines that suddenly die. SInce you can't buy XP retail any longer they want me to get it off ebay and install on new computers just so they don't have to change.

Older people do not like change. I'm still trying to convert my Father to a touch phone, but with his temper it would go flying thru the window as the android did. The only one he's comfortable with is the Nokia pre smart phone age, from the early 2000's but can't buy it anymore. What he has got on well with is a tablet size notebook with windows 7 - not a peep or tantrum in years. So i certify windows 7 as old proof lmao.

Edited by bLu3 de 3n3rgy
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Older people do not like change. I'm still trying to convert my Father to a touch phone, but with his temper it would go flying thru the window as the android did. The only one he's comfortable with is the Nokia pre smart phone age, from the early 2000's but can't buy it anymore. What he has got on well with is a tablet size notebook with windows 7 - not a peep or tantrum in years. So i certify windows 7 as old proof lmao.

I got my father a new laptop (his 2002 IBM thinkpad was really getting to be durn old) and next I knew is that I had to install him Windows XP (instead of Windows 7) on it 'cause he did not want to learn the "newfangled stuff". A certain backwards compatibility/mode should be on every new OS, else it will loose customers because they just will not upgrade. If they have to learn new tricks some might even change brands altogether.

Edited by questionmark
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Am starting to come round after a couple of days. Still annoyed that I don't appear to be in charge of my own computer though.

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Am starting to come round after a couple of days. Still annoyed that I don't appear to be in charge of my own computer though.

Goodluck man, I just couldn't do it. I fail at Windows 8.

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I got my father a new laptop (his 2002 IBM thinkpad was really getting to be durn old) and next I knew is that I had to install him Windows XP (instead of Windows 7) on it 'cause he did not want to learn the "newfangled stuff". A certain backwards compatibility/mode should be on every new OS, else it will loose customers because they just will not upgrade. If they have to learn new tricks some might even change brands altogether.

That is brutal because 7 is so much nicer all the way around than XP but I have customers that adamantly refuse to change from XP. Hard thing about going backwards to XP is finding the drivers for some of the new gear.

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Back after an involuntary vacation for reasons unknown but after almost three weeks with Windows 8 I can say that I am a fan of the stability, smoothness and speed of the OS as well as the ease of installation and lack of bugs. Seriously, this is a nearly bug free release version. Wow, never thought I'd see that. On the other hand there are some absolutely ridiculous issues that are forced on the user just to make Windows 8 "common across all platforms". This is a case of a really great OS crippled by a really bad management team with a stupid objective in mind. Tablets and phones are not the same as laptops and desktops so stop trying to make them so MS.

That said, I am willing to put up with the stupid decisions made by MS because this really is a great piece of software. Plus, I believe there are a few utilities coming on line that will turn the desktop GUI into a Windows 7 type interface. I'll ccheck some out and report back but would appreciate any input from those who have tried them.

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I am glad that a topic like this was started. I'm going back to windows 7 because it is obvious this windows 8 was an OS that was created with tablet/touchscreen in mind, it is the result of Microsoft trying hard to compete with Apple because you can even see that windows 8 uses word "Apps" or "App" in place of "application" which it did before. Most of the new laptops are becoming all touch screens which windows 8 greatly works with.

I got so p***ed off when I couldn't find the start button and shut down button i felt like throwing my laptop at the wall. You have to hold ctrl alt delete just to get the shut down/restart menu and their square/rectangled tiled start screen is useless and it doesn't even have a shut down option at the annoying metro start screen. I think Microsoft will start releasing updates to take the annoyance away by reintroducing familiar things as shut down icon.

I can almost guarantee this OS will end up like windows Vista where many i.t. departments on many companies will refuse to upgrade to it and just stick with windows 7 or wait for a newer os than windows 8.

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I am glad that a topic like this was started. I'm going back to windows 7 because it is obvious this windows 8 was an OS that was created with tablet/touchscreen in mind, it is the result of Microsoft trying hard to compete with Apple because you can even see that windows 8 uses word "Apps" or "App" in place of "application" which it did before. Most of the new laptops are becoming all touch screens which windows 8 greatly works with.

I got so p***ed off when I couldn't find the start button and shut down button i felt like throwing my laptop at the wall. You have to hold ctrl alt delete just to get the shut down/restart menu and their square/rectangled tiled start screen is useless and it doesn't even have a shut down option at the annoying metro start screen. I think Microsoft will start releasing updates to take the annoyance away by reintroducing familiar things as shut down icon.

I can almost guarantee this OS will end up like windows Vista where many i.t. departments on many companies will refuse to upgrade to it and just stick with windows 7 or wait for a newer os than windows 8.

Shutdown is under settings on the charm bar. Simply put your cursor in the right corner and select setting and there is you shut-down. Also, you can try some add-ons to get back to windows 7 look whilw keeping 8 speed and stability. http://lifehacker.com/5955755/how-to-fix-windows-8s-biggest-annoyances-and-make-it-more-like-windows-7

In less than a year MS will be rolling out Windows 9 and they will continue to this yearly release from now on to match the Google/Apple cycle. Windows 9 will be free or very cheap to Win 8 users but full cost to new users $100+) and I am guessing will be 64 bit only. If you've bought into windows 8 at $40 then it may be better to stick with it and stay on the upgrade trail.

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While Windows 8 sounds very intriguing I think MS is making a mistake by assuming everyone has a touchpad or tablet PC and that everyone wants their desktop to be the same.

If I want to use Photoshop, fore instance, I just want to open my start menu and go to it..from what it sounds like..having to remember key commands just to do something simple sounds more like MS revenge.

I don't know..we'll see.

Well..I don't and I am not sure I can remember so many key commands just to do something simple. Kind of reminds me of the very old versions of Windows..the pre-windows85 where you had junky icons, ugly white screen and applications that acted like cranky kids.

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While Windows 8 sounds very intriguing I think MS is making a mistake by assuming everyone has a touchpad or tablet PC and that everyone wants their desktop to be the same.

If I want to use Photoshop, fore instance, I just want to open my start menu and go to it..from what it sounds like..having to remember key commands just to do something simple sounds more like MS revenge.

I don't know..we'll see.

Well..I don't and I am not sure I can remember so many key commands just to do something simple. Kind of reminds me of the very old versions of Windows..the pre-windows85 where you had junky icons, ugly white screen and applications that acted like cranky kids.

It's not that bad but I shouldn't have to say that. The start menus has moved to a desktop GUI, which is always accessible in the left hand corner. Regardless, Photoshop will show up on the start screen but you can just make a shortcut on your desktop, as always and access from there. Let us know what makes iOS so much better though as I really want t know. It is a nice system, for sure but the ease of use meme escapes me.

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my friend just got an Hp envy with 8 installed at the factory seems smooth enough ,perhaps some issues with updating and locking up ...my fix for that was osx lion for Imac,havent believed in mountain lion yet

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Windows 8 Sales Well Below Projections, Plenty of Blame to Go Around

Uncertainty could turn Windows 8 into the next Vista

http://winsupersite....blame-go-around

The sales numbers and such may be Vista 2 but the OS itself most definitely isn't. It is a very solid very fast OS that installs easily. Vista was a buggy POS and a resource hog to boot. ANother thing is sales of PC's has dropped over 20% from this time last year, mostly due to tablets I believe. Where MS made a huge mistake was charging top dollar for Surface instead of discounting it to take market share from Apple. Edited by Merc14
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Not sure if I should upgrade my Windows Vista desktop from 2007 or let it die a natural death. I've gotten used to the Vista quirks. Adding memory helped. I may buy a new laptop soon.

I found out the hard way that the Windows Restore point function only partially worked in Vista. Better to backup your files to an external source.

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Not sure if I should upgrade my Windows Vista desktop from 2007 or let it die a natural death. I've gotten used to the Vista quirks. Adding memory helped. I may buy a new laptop soon.

I found out the hard way that the Windows Restore point function only partially worked in Vista. Better to backup your files to an external source.

A lot of malware will erase your restore points so restore should definitely not be a part of anyone's back-up plan. That is an older PC and although it can run 8 easily but be aware that unless it is a quality machine it may die soon. You can burn Windows 8 to a DVD and install on another machine but unless you build your own, like me, that isn't much of an incentive.

That said, I just upgraded a customer's Vista All-In-One to Windows 8 (hell, it is only $40!) and they are really happy! The original Hard Drive had died so the factory image was gone and I suggested that a used hard drive I have in stock and a $40 Win 8 upgrade may be worth the effort. I used the registry tweak I posted earlier and did a fresh install with Win 8 Upgrade and the customer, who was, possibly, skeptical of my intentions, is now thrilled! The machine runs much faster, it is more stable, a lot more "peppy" (their words) and the touchscreen is now actually worthwhile. Only downside is a slight learning curve and the photo editor sucks (I suggested they download Picasa). They were going to move to an Apple at Christmas but are now holding off till this one dies.

It really did make that All-in-one a lot better and I was surprised at the quality of the HP All-in-one. I am not a fan of HP but this machine was nice. The HDD died young but the rest of the rig seemed solid. Got the whole job done, with parts and software for under $200 and hopefully it lasts another 3-4 years.

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Not sure if I should upgrade my Windows Vista desktop from 2007 or let it die a natural death. I've gotten used to the Vista quirks. Adding memory helped. I may buy a new laptop soon.

I found out the hard way that the Windows Restore point function only partially worked in Vista. Better to backup your files to an external source.

I had XP and Vista on this desktop but wanted a fresh OS and I'm grateful for this thread. I was gonna buy Windows 7 OEM and a new hard drive for £125; like Merc I built my own system and the hardware is fine for a few years yet and I like messing with the configuration.

£30 and I now have a new OS that, after a week of customizing and not much effort, looks and works like a fancy brand new XP-Ultra. :)

p.s. I also had the choice after running the Windows 8 Upgrade advisor of downloading for £30 or having an Install DVD sent to me for only £12.99!!!

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The sales numbers and such may be Vista 2 but the OS itself most definitely isn't. It is a very solid very fast OS that installs easily. Vista was a buggy POS and a resource hog to boot. ANother thing is sales of PC's has dropped over 20% from this time last year, mostly due to tablets I believe. Where MS made a huge mistake was charging top dollar for Surface instead of discounting it to take market share from Apple.

I appreciate this thread you started because I, like others, am having my doubts about Win8.

One of my main doubts was because this OS is clearly oriented towards touchscreens and regular laptops and desktops are being pushed away in a dark corner. Or so it seemed.

I searched if it was easy to switch to the desktop layout instead of the metro style. You write it;s just a click of a button, but when i searched the net i found all these overly complex ways to do it. For example: Going into the registry and changing a value, or even deleting certain .dll files. So i have to wonder, why are they putting all those complex ways out there if it can just be done by a click of a button, or is it less user-friendly than that?

Also, someone wrote they had immens problems with installing a SATA drive. So im wondering if this Win8 version could have other driver and install problems.

And usually, according to Windows tradition and my bias, you always have a stable version and then the next version is total crap, and after that they bring out a stable version again. See Win xp - Vista - Win7.

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