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Reply to: Windows 8

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Previously on "Windows 8"

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  • ctdctd
    replied
    Just installed it on my 5 year old Dell desktop Vista PC as a clean install on a new SSD.

    Used a £15 upgrade install from a W7 64 bit laptop I got earlier this year - downloaded from the Windows Upgrade Assistant and burnt an iso for the install.

    Install worked with no errors. Am not convinced by the new interface but have installed StartX to give me a Start button while I play with it. Start up / Shutdown way faster.

    All apps have installed fine - including the Steam backup of all my games. It comes with Windows Defender so have not bothered with 3rd party AV for now.

    So, as a cheap way of retiring Vista, it looks good so far!

    Leave a comment:


  • Sysman
    replied
    Teething problems

    Windows 8 Tip: Photos App + Library

    Also reports of UAC elevation being flaky.

    Wait for SP1?

    Leave a comment:


  • d000hg
    replied
    Why would you queue for W8? Nobody even queues for OS X.

    Leave a comment:


  • Sysman
    replied
    Win8 sales get a disappointing start?

    Leave a comment:


  • d000hg
    replied
    Yeah, it seems a bit unlikely but if MS could "do an Apple" and make existing but previously unpopular hardware mainstream, they could be back on top.

    Leave a comment:


  • VectraMan
    replied
    It's for tablets, obviously, and if you don't have one the rest of it probably won't make a lot of difference to you (though I did quite like the ribbon interface on Explorer). They're somewhat confusing the market by calling it Windows 8, which obviously suggests it's the successor to Windows 7. Bad Microsoft.

    Having said that, for £40 I'm tempted to buy an upgrade just for testing purposes.

    The interesting question is whether laptops (and even desktop monitors) will now sprout touchscreens, despite the previous 20 years suggesting nobody cared very much about touchscreens*. If that happens, MS could be on to a real winner.


    *Note to fanbois.Steve Jobs did not invent the "touch screen".

    Leave a comment:


  • Sysman
    replied
    Wait until SP1 comes is my idea, though I might grab a cheap download copy of Win8 Pro at $40 before the end of January:

    Windows 8 Pro costs $40 if you're running XP, Vista, or 7

    El Reg: I just LOVE Server 2012, but count me out on Windows 8 for now

    Leave a comment:


  • Willapp
    replied
    I had it running on my laptop for about 3 weeks but have just gone back to Windows 7. Is Windows 8 terrible? Not really. Does it offer any compelling reasons to upgrade right now? Not as far as I could tell.

    Once you get out of the (pretty pointless on a non-touch device) Metro mode and back to the 'normal' desktop it basically functions much the same as Windows 7. In the 3 weeks I was using it, there was only two benefits I could see (and "benefit" is a pretty loose term here):

    1) Boot from a cold start was a couple of seconds quicker (to the login prompt) than Win 7, and that's with an i7 quad-core with SSD.

    2) When you copy files you get a nice snazzy graph showing you the transfer rate.
    (Yes I said benefit was tenuous.)

    Why did I switch back? Truthfully I was having problems getting my shiny new 27" IPS monitor running at native 2560x1440 over HDMI and whether by luck or something else, I managed to fix it on Windows 7 whereas I couldn't on Windows 8 (probably just a driver issue).

    My advice would be to wait a while and see if anything does come out which actually is better on Windows 8, otherwise just stick with 7 until the next version...

    Leave a comment:


  • gingerjedi
    replied
    Originally posted by escapeUK View Post
    It follows the current Microsoft trend of forcing you to learn new ways of doing the stuff you've been doing for the last 15 years with no benefit. Someone thought that making all OSs look like a mobile phone would be a winner.

    It starts quick though.
    Well the trend is towards tablets and touch screen, how else can they bridge that gap?

    A sofa tablet that has seamless access to my PC and laptop is quite appealing to me.

    Leave a comment:


  • ctdctd
    replied
    Will be rebuilding my Vista Dell 9200 desktop PC as soon as I can download W8.

    Have got a couple of nice new SSD's to put in it so I can benefit from a speed up and / or go back to Vista when it all goes PeteTong.

    That should give me a W8 desktop with a couple of W7 laptops and keep me going for a few years.

    Nothing wrong with the Vista installation - just time for a change.

    Leave a comment:


  • Harmonic
    replied
    Been using it for a couple of months and to be honest can't see what all the bad press is about. Even Office 2013 kicks you into desktop mode, which looks just like Win7 minus the Start button.

    Leave a comment:


  • pmeswani
    replied
    Originally posted by administrator View Post
    Not dabbled yet but this is because I have heard nothing good about it. Just bought a new laptop so that I don't get a Win8 one foisted upon me as sounds like they are out in a couple of weeks... Let us know how you get on with it. Any reason for the upgrade?
    No real reason other than the urge to upgrade. I tend to take on new OS's when they come out. I took on Vista when it came out, and didn't have the same problems as those reports on the web. Yes, the interface was tulip, but it worked. Windows 8 may be the next Vista, but I hope that I don't have any problems.

    Leave a comment:


  • administrator
    replied
    Not dabbled yet but this is because I have heard nothing good about it. Just bought a new laptop so that I don't get a Win8 one foisted upon me as sounds like they are out in a couple of weeks... Let us know how you get on with it. Any reason for the upgrade?

    Leave a comment:


  • pmeswani
    replied
    Windows 8

    Originally posted by Spacecadet View Post
    WHS

    I'd only just got used to the taskbar way of doing things and then they go and change it all again
    The pre-upgrade checks says my AV is incompatible... Need to do some more research before the upgrade.
    Last edited by pmeswani; 21 October 2012, 20:00.

    Leave a comment:


  • Spacecadet
    replied
    Originally posted by pmeswani View Post
    So I should be ok then. I wonder when they will go back to the Windows 3.x layout?
    WHS

    I'd only just got used to the taskbar way of doing things and then they go and change it all again

    Leave a comment:

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