Author Topic: Windows 8 (Read 14302 times)

Asmodai · « **on:** October 31, 2012, 02:35:59 AM »

So who's upgrading?

I'm pretty impressed by what I've heard so far in terms of kernel improvements (http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/10/windows-reimagined-a-review-of-windows-8/), and I'm getting reports of much better battery life from friends with laptops.

My copy is still somewhere in the mail (and probably waylaid by the hurricane), but seems worthwhile.

Not sold on Metro UI though.

TeriyakiBoi · « **Reply #1 on:** October 31, 2012, 02:57:25 AM »

My brother got a copy for his computer and bought a MS tablet as well. If anything, it looks like they mixed the functionality of Windows with Zune/Xbox Music. I can't say anything about the desktop PC experience but trying it out for a little bit on my brother's tablet, it feels different without the taskbar. I was surprised when he showed me how to shut down. I'm personally waiting for Windows 9 (or 10) since I'm really satisfied with 7 (made the jump from XP).

frblckstr1 · « **Reply #2 on:** October 31, 2012, 06:25:11 PM »

Have been running the beta and the consumer preview and now the RTM version on a ACER W500 (10" tablet), and I like it.

Your whole home screen is the start menu/taskbar/search box in one.
Pin apps or links to the start home screen and you have shortcuts to about all you can think of

Still waiting on the Pro version to come available (and buyable for me in Holland)

BX_LeMans · « **Reply #3 on:** November 01, 2012, 01:05:41 AM »

Someone knows, how compatibility with older programs is?

frblckstr1 · « **Reply #4 on:** November 01, 2012, 06:18:15 PM »

^ as far as I know at least on the same level as windows 7
And you can pin 'old' programs to the new home screen, it will start them in desktop mode no problem.

J-Triumf · « **Reply #5 on:** November 02, 2012, 03:41:45 AM »

At $40 for an "Anytime Upgrade" I'm very tempted to get Windows 8 within the next month or so before that deal expires, especially with the promise of a more stable, optimized system under the hood. I mean, if the new Metro start screen is the only real "drawback" then I really don't have much to worry about since I'm always using taskbar/desktop shortcuts and keyboard commands anyway....plus having tried out the new UI in stores a few times, it doesn't seem like anything too intimidating to get used to. I have to wonder if the majority of criticisms towards Windows 8 is 1) only because of Metro, and 2) if people have actually used it at all and are just looking for any excuse to once again be angry at Microsoft for the slightest of reasons.

I might just wait things out, though, considering the hardware I have right now. My main hard drive needs replacing soon and I feel like if I'm gonna upgrade to an SSD and a Windows version that supports it I should upgrade more substantially (like a new mobo with DDR3, USB 3.0 and SATA III), so I'll probably just stick to my original plan of getting a new traditional drive for the time being and wait a year for all the kinks/patches to get worked out, and hopefully by that time prices on SSDs and touch screen monitors will be lower.

Asmodai · « **Reply #6 on:** November 12, 2012, 11:33:25 PM »

After a week and a bit of pretty heavy use, I'm happy with it. Metro UI goes away pretty quick - and it actually makes finding a lot of system controls and settings easier to access (XP/Vista/7 would bury them four submenus into control panel).

BitLocker is doing its thing fine, and gaming works as well as ever.

BX_LeMans · « **Reply #7 on:** November 14, 2012, 04:43:56 PM »

I think, I will wait for a good X-Treme Edition without the crap, that always comes with Windows, slowing it down and spying us out.

frblckstr1 · « **Reply #8 on:** November 14, 2012, 06:18:43 PM »

Quote from: BX_LeMans on November 14, 2012, 04:43:56 PM

I think, I will wait for a good X-Treme Edition without the crap, that always comes with Windows, slowing it down and spying us out.

Then never use Google

each link you click reports back what you have selected, Chrome updates itself in the background...

BX_LeMans · « **Reply #9 on:** November 18, 2012, 07:46:22 PM »

I have already a legal pro-version key here. I get such soft for free from my sidejob as teacher.

So which version I install in the end, is not of interest

Google can do, what it wants, it doesn't get on private data ON THE computer, as windows does. And I don't use illegal sites, so what?

And you can block that with an proxy. I'm german, if I want to use Youtube, I have to use one anyway, or else our nice f*** music-mafia is blocking nearly every video there, even music, that isn't licensed or distributed here.

What is chrome?

I'm an opera user.

Asmodai · « **Reply #10 on:** November 21, 2012, 03:45:37 AM »

Got somewhat annoyed because the new Metro messenger won't let me block spammers. Switched back to Windows Live Messenger 2012 (which works fine), and since that was the only Metro app I used, I added Start8 - now my desktop experience is more or less I identical to Windows 7, expect a bit faster.

Shenjin · « **Reply #11 on:** December 03, 2012, 12:38:55 PM »

Like most people here, the new metro interface really pisses me off as it really favours touchscreen rather than a mouse & kb experience. After 10min of fondling around with Metro, I went to download Start8 and there I go, back to Windows 7

Asmodai · « **Reply #12 on:** December 03, 2012, 06:19:43 PM »

I think StarDock were really the biggest winners from the Windows 8 launch.

Shenjin · « **Reply #13 on:** December 05, 2012, 12:38:04 PM »

Yea, actually there are quite abit of launchers out there but somewhat Start8 to me looks more stylish and simple than others which have quite alot of bloat (apps, etc)

nachdenki · « **Reply #14 on:** December 08, 2012, 06:06:51 PM »

Upgraded about a week ago, to have something to keep me busy and play around.

Upgrade assistant reported some possible compatibility issues but so far I had none.
Only for the winpcap install I had to turn on win7 compatibility mode.
And of course creative only has a beta driver for my sound card that is losing all the settings with each reboot.
Had one software that encrypts data (due to Japanese copyright law) using system specific variables that stopped working on win8 and thus made the data useless. Support didn't want to help me (because of that law) so I spent some days reverse engineering the program to decrypt them myself.

Missing the start button but instead of getting some software to add it back I placed the "run" dialog close to the position because I mostly used the start button for "searching" aka starting the cmd, calc or notepad and that I can do with the run thing too.
For the rest I use the new full screen search or use the metro rectangle. I also have pinned a few more apps to the task bar now, those I used to start via the top used list of the old start menu.

Most metro apps I started so far take forever to start (compare to a native windows application), are slow and unresponsive and lack functions.
BUT having an IRC app (with jphip irc) split screen with the classic desktop is comfortable.

vampireape · « **Reply #15 on:** December 17, 2012, 01:19:10 AM »

Installed it once in a dual boot system, never touched it ever since. Though Windows 8 has some slick OS selecting screen for dual boots

Amplifier · « **Reply #16 on:** December 22, 2012, 03:44:28 PM »

Installed it yesterday, because I was bored. It's pretty amazing, and it's so much easier to do everything. I dunno what so many were bitching about..

Tanier · « **Reply #17 on:** February 05, 2013, 06:42:10 AM »

After first use i hated it, and was considering returning my Sony Vaio. Then I downloaded Classic Shell, (start menu) and i loved it! its like a slightly faster more stable version of windows 7.

Forthisgift · « **Reply #18 on:** February 09, 2013, 09:42:17 PM »

Installed it a few days ago with my new PC build.

Honestly, I just ignore the metro interface and treat it like windows 7. It's acceptable enough and I guess it'll be nice to have access to DX11.1 when it comes out seeing as it won't be available to windows 7 users according to recent reports. I'm hoping they'll change their mind about that for all my win7 peoples. Otherwise, it hasn't given me a single problem so I'm happy.

Yoshino · « **Reply #19 on:** March 07, 2013, 03:15:16 AM »

My laptop sort of died last week so needed a new one, purchased a new laptop with Windows 8, really the new computer and the upgrade are taking a while to get used to but the biggest thing I'm missing is the DVD burner the old version had. The new one can play DVDs and burn them but only in the Data format, is there a good free program out there to upgrade my laptop so it will burn regular DVDs? Have checked out a few sites, none of them appear to be so hot and most programs are just the trial versions, does anyone here know of a good program out there?