Windows 8

[ignis]

New laptop in the next few weeks......... Will NOT be touch Screen

Love Windows 7 Ultimate, problem is most come now a day with Windows 8 or Windows Home...

Appears lots of topics on Windows 8, most not good...

Any advise please ? Thinking of buying one with DOS and installing Win 7 Ultimate on it...

never tried Linux, notice some have this pre-installed. I Have used Open Office for years, still use Windows Office 2007 and Open Office together

[canopus1969]

I am an old fool who is NOT a techie but have been using Win 8 for a few months with ease. Must admit it took me 30 mins to find my way around but would not go back to Win 7 even though that was a good OS.

[HeavyDrinker]

Windows 8 is just the same as Windows 7 once you get past the opening screen crap, bar no start menu at the bottom. However there are plenty of start menus for windows 8 apps you can find online for nowt.

Or simply ask the vendor not to install windows 8 and install your windows 7....

[JetsetBkk]

Yes, buy one with DOS on it and install Win 7.

That's what a friend of mine did - no problems.

Or just reformat to get rid of Win 8 and install Win 7.

[Chicog]

Win 8 with Classic Start Menu is fine, better and more secure than Win 7.

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Crossy]

Yup ^^^, to the above.

I've been using W8 Enterprise since forever, faster and more stable than W7 and now I've got used to not having Aero it's just fine for me.

The updated fonts seem sharper and easier on my ageing eyes, but that is purely subjective on my part.

Still got W7 on the desktop, but purely because I've not got round to changing.

[HeavyDrinker]

I've got Aero on my Win 8 pro Crossy...

http://betanews.com/2012/09/07/get-aero-on-windows-8/

Have a gander at this....

[ignis]

Thanks, will try to find a place that will let me try out Windows 8 on a shop display machine..

Linux pre installed ?

[JoePai]

You don't need Aero or any other other offerings - stick to the standard Win 8 - soon get used to it

[givenall]

I am an old fool who is NOT a techie but have been using Win 8 for a few months with ease. Must admit it took me 30 mins to find my way around but would not go back to Win 7 even though that was a good OS.

I also upgraded my new laptop from 7 to 8 and love it

[yimlitnoy]

Windows 8 is different from Windows 7.

I cannot find an update driver for my Linksys extender R1000 for Windows 8 and I recently had a work related remote training using Citrix which also would not install on Windows 8. Windows 8 was built for touch screens, why then force it to us all on computers with a normal display screen? In my opinion, Microsoft has forced us all to buy in their gimmick by installing Windows 8 on ALL computers.

Now I am waiting for the next OS to correct those problems.

[BlackPuddingBertha]

I dont like the absence of aero on Win8 but I can live with it.

What I cant live with is that terrible, awful, impractical, pointless, useless, time-wasting mess known as the Metro GUI. So I just installed this wonderful tool and now I simply never have to see that ghastly Metro crap at all, ever. I am a happy bunny.

That said, I have Win8 on my laptop which I only use when travelling (which means rarely). I dont think I would want to install Win8 on my desktop as for me Win7 is simply a better interface and works plenty fast enough and reliably enough for my needs.

[BlackPuddingBertha]

Windows 8 was built for touch screens, why then force it to us all on computers with a normal display screen?

Indeed. That touch-screen interface is totally unsuitable for use with a mouse and is impossible to use. Not to mention the way all the "apps" work full-screen, thus removing all the advantages of drag and drop. Very poor design indeed.

[ETatBKK]

_{ha ha ha . . . Microsoft stop Windows 8 phone in 2014, when will be the turn for Windows 8 ?}

_{well, after a week of hard learning curve, I am very comfortable with Windows 8. just notice, I have a upright monitor setup ( turned 90-degree clockwise ), it may help :-)}

[hml367]

Windows 8 was built for touch screens, why then force it to us all on computers with a normal display screen?

Indeed. That touch-screen interface is totally unsuitable for use with a mouse and is impossible to use. Not to mention the way all the "apps" work full-screen, thus removing all the advantages of drag and drop. Very poor design indeed.

Maybe that's why they have the Desktop?

If I use the tiles I have no problem using my mouse, trackball, or Touchpad with the apps.

MSPain

Edited April 6, 2013 by hml367

[BlackPuddingBertha]

Maybe that's why they have the Desktop?

I think that's the point of the discussion. Win8 desktop mode is fine (though I miss aero). The problem with Win8 is that you cant remain in desktop mode permanently without installing some extra third-party shell such as the one I mentioned. The tile/Metro nonsense is simply pointless as it does nothing that the desktop cant do, yet requires many extra mouse movements to do it. There is nothing in the tile interface or "apps" section that I want or will ever need on my desktop or laptop, so why is it thrust upon me all the time?

Why MS never thought to just put a tick-box in labelled "make my Windows 8 PC use the Windows 7 interface", I shall never know. It was all they had to do to keep everyone happy.

[hml367]

I use the desktop 8 or more hours every day. It only goes to the tiles if I tell it to.

It is possible to make the desktop appear after the tiles without user input.

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Chicog]

Microsoft are really pushing their luck with this product, and I expect them to release a separate desktop version without the crap. If only because their shareholders demand it.

http://www.zdnet.com/the-love-affair-with-windows-8-powered-hybrids-is-over-before-it-started-7000013551/

[BlackPuddingBertha]

I use the desktop 8 or more hours every day. It only goes to the tiles if I tell it to. It is possible to make the desktop appear after the tiles without user input.

You dont seem to understand. I dont want to see the tiles on my desktop PC at all, ever, under any circumstances, not even for one second in my entire life. They are a totally pointless waste of time and I do not want them thrust upon me. They are the PC equivalent of TV sport as far as I'm concerned, the only difference being that on my TV I have a channel change button that allows me not to see sport.

As I mentioned, I'm not too bothered because Classic Shell gets rid of the tile interface quite nicely, but I would still prefer to have the option in Windows 8 to remove them completely and utterly, and all the apps that go with them, in exactly the same way that I can remove all the pointless dross that manufacturers load PCs up with.

[JSixpack]

I use the desktop 8 or more hours every day. It only goes to the tiles if I tell it to. It is possible to make the desktop appear after the tiles without user input.

You dont seem to understand. I dont want to see the tiles on my desktop PC at all, ever, under any circumstances, not even for one second in my entire life. They are a totally pointless waste of time and I do not want them thrust upon me. They are the PC equivalent of TV sport as far as I'm concerned, the only difference being that on my TV I have a channel change button that allows me not to see sport.

Agreed. I use the utility Iconoid to hide all desktop icons when I'm on Windows.

Edited April 7, 2013 by JSixpack

[Digitalbanana]

Until the next iteration of Windows comes out that allows for a desktop centric UI option and switching off tiles entirely without the need for add-ons (just like I have now in Win7 -that looks pretty cool with rainmaker on top!) I am sticking with Win7.

[Chicog]

Windows 8 is different from Windows 7.

I cannot find an update driver for my Linksys extender R1000 for Windows 8 and I recently had a work related remote training using Citrix which also would not install on Windows 8. Windows 8 was built for touch screens, why then force it to us all on computers with a normal display screen? In my opinion, Microsoft has forced us all to buy in their gimmick by installing Windows 8 on ALL computers.

Now I am waiting for the next OS to correct those problems.

Have you tried the Windows 7 drivers and compatibility troubleshooter?

Or contacting Citrix Technical Support?

[Pib]

I still use Windows 7 Home Premium...works fine...no problems at all....most stable operating system I've ever used.

Is it OK for me to continue using Win7 since Win8 came out?

[Chicog]

http://www.businessinsider.com/everything-we-know-about-microsofts-next-os-windows-blue-2013-4?op=1

Microsoft is working on a new version of Windows, which is expected to be available sometime this year.

It's codenamed "Windows Blue" and a lot of details about it have leaked, including an early version that several people were able to install on their PCs and Windows tablets. That version showed that Microsoft is fixing a lot of stuff that people really hated about Windows 8.

[damole]

Some interesting thoughts in this Guardian Tech article.

[wpcoe]

I just read that "Windows Blue" (Windows 8.1) will [a] have a setting to permit booting directly to the Desktop and return the Start button to the taskbar of the Desktop -- BUT... the Start button will only be the equivalient of the "charms bar" that you get when you bump your cursor against the right edge of the screen.

[BlackPuddingBertha]

It's a step in the right direction at least. No problems when running Classic Shell (free) anyway as it makes the Win 8 start menu and desktop look almost exactly like Win 7's.

[Pib]

Interesting 1 May 13 article/opinion on Windows 8 lack of sales success here: Link.

Note the market share pie chart in the article shows Win 8 at only about 4% market share...even lower than the old Visa which still has a market share of almost 5%. Win7 and XP still rule the market share with 83% approximately split between them....I guess I'm helping to keep up the Win7 and XP percentages as I have Win7 on my 8 cylinder laptop and XP on my 4 cylinder laptop--and 0% urge to upgrade to Win8 mostly because I would need to buy new laptops to fully utilize Win8 features....new features I don't need nor interest me. Come on Bill G....get me excited about Win8...tell me why I need it/gotta have it...right now I'm in yawn mode regarding Win8.

[BlackPuddingBertha]

Win8 is nice enough apart from the lack of the proper start menu, and the ghastly tiled interface. Windows Blue seems to be what Win8 should have been for devices without a touch-screen (ie nearly all of them) and I will update my laptop to Blue from Win8.0 as soon as it is available.

I would happily put Win8 (with Classic shell, or Windows 8.1 Blue) on my work desktop to replace my existing Win7 except that my 5 year old system is too old to run it . This is both bizarre and unfortunate as with the SSD that I am using the machine is plenty fast enough for my (professional) needs and I see no valid reason to change the MB or processor before they break, which may be a very long time.

[guzzi850m2]

I just bought a Dell Ultra Book in Singapore 2 days ago and it also came with Win 8 preinstalled.

I hate it, I tried in Singapore 3 times to get an account with Microsoft but no luck so I don't know what to do now (back in Thailand for a few days).

I will try to register with Microsoft again tonight and also install this classic shell.

Thankfully I got a legal 64Bit Win7 on my desk top PC in my house but I use the Dell when overseas working (6 month pr year) so I better get used to it.