Anyone use Windows 8?

[Code54]

A little while back my father asked me to upgrade his systems to Windows 8 - he thought it would be great. After putting it on, he hated it, hard to find things, not intuitive, and lots of little issues with programs/antivirus, etc... Ended up deleting and restoring his laptop to the org. configuration - he is happy again.
Windows 8 reminded me why we have all Mac machines in our house. I NEVER have to fix or deal with issue on my wife's or kids computers anymore. I can't figure out what to do with all my free time anymore.......

 

[GPintheMitten]

I never thought it was worth the trouble to upgrade an OS on an existing pc. But when I buy a new pc, I go with the then current OS.

I don't find W8 a problem, but I have been using smart phones and recently a tablet with touch screen interface.

I was a programmer/analyst. My job required that I introduce and adapt to change. I could never understand the few programmers around that became frustrated with change. Afterall, we were in the business of improving, which by definition, is change.

 

[radioman]

Forget all the drivel posted here. If you are used to windows before windows 8 and NEVER used a tablet, then you are never going to get used to win 8. When you asked if it free and other posters said no, sigh ........... there is a misconception here. IF you have windows 8 - you need an email address to SETUP and USE win 8. the free comes in with apps you can download to win 8 and this is because you setup win8 with email account. Not all apps are free, but many apps already are and they are actually good. I am a windows guy - but I really dont like win 8, I prefer Android over win 8.

Now, with all that said, if you get win 8, and you never used tablet, then please don't get the laptop without a touch screen. It just gonna frustrate the heck out of ya when you are used to win XP and jump to win8. I hate it when my friends come up to me and say its hard to use and they bought it because of low price with win8.

 

[Midniteoyl]

A little while back my father asked me to upgrade his systems to Windows 8 - he thought it would be great. After putting it on, he hated it, hard to find things, not intuitive, and lots of little issues with programs/antivirus, etc... Ended up deleting and restoring his laptop to the org. configuration - he is happy again.
Windows 8 reminded me why we have all Mac machines in our house. I NEVER have to fix or deal with issue on my wife's or kids computers anymore. I can't figure out what to do with all my free time anymore.......

Oh, ok.. Another 'Apples never break or get virus' post'...

 

[Larro Darro]

I guess I'm one of the few people who like Vista. I work with several windows open at once, and it lets you slide the windows part way off the screen. When I got my Win7, it would go to full screen if the window touched the side. It took me a while to learn to use it like I had Vista.

But I use XP, Vista and Win7 machines everyday. I also have an old ME that I use to record music. All the newer recorders don't offer exact copies of CD's.

My HP Pavilian Elite died for a couple of months a while back. The tech help guy told me it was the mother @#$%^ board. I held off on buying a new PC, and one day when I tried to turn it on, it came back on. As bad as I hear Win8 is, I'm glad I waited. Hopefully when my PC or one of the laptops die, there will be a Win9.

 

[dacoonz]

Egbert has it right. Unless there is a specific reason I wouldn't upgrade to 8. If it's a new computer that's different. You will get used to it and it will probably be ok once you have all 8 ready software.

 

[Jim Shooz]

3. If you already created a Microsoft user and don't want to have to enter the password every time, add a new user and Don't create a Microsoft user for that account. Give the new account administrator rights and you will not have to use the original account again.

On the desktop screen (not metro), right click on the bottom left corner and you will get a menu. Select Command Prompt Administrator mode.
On the command prompt, type "control userpasswords2" without the quotes. You will get a menu where you can untick "Users must use a password to use this computer". Press OK, and it will ask you for the username and password to use by default. Once you enter the details and reboot, it will no longer ask you to login. (there is probably a means of getting to that menu through settings somewhere)

 

[Jim Shooz]

If I had to do it all over again, I would have never gotten windows 8 and purchased windows 7 instead! Office 2003 is not compatible, !

For all the use I now have for spreadsheets and wordprocessing I decided that I was not buying another copy of MS Office so went with OpenOffice. It does all I want, Is compatible with othere and best of all, it's free.

 

[cmore]

For all the use I now have for spreadsheets and wordprocessing I decided that I was not buying another copy of MS Office so went with OpenOffice. It does all I want, Is compatible with othere and best of all, it's free.

Good Idea!

 

[Code54]

Oh, ok.. Another 'Apples never break or get virus' post'...

Nope - just the facts..... Been running 4 Mac's for 7 years and never did a thing but the normal updates - and yes, no virus software. Never said anything was wrong with windows in general, I use it at work daily, I was just very disappointed in Windows 8 when my father purchased it. I would LOVE to run a windows system, LOT cheaper but we just had some many "issues" it is simply not worth the hassles. I just have found Macs to work better for our uses (internet/Word/photo editing and a few movie editing)

 

[buickanddeere]

When support for Micro Crap XP ends. This computer gets tossed and replaced with a 13" Macbook.

 

[Egbert]

Reading this thread has become quite entertaining - lol.

Listen, Win 8 is different. It was meant to be. There is a learning curve - so learn. This stuff is not rocket science but you may have to spend a few hours to get the basics and you will continue to discover useful things as you move along. Some have said it performed poorly - not so. It runs great. This goes back to my earlier post of using the proper hardware. A system can never be too fast but it can easily be too slow. In short - buy power.

I preferred the traditional interface of Win 7 and, yes, Win 8 will remain quirky until all the apps are designed to run in Metro. But, did you quit using phones when they went to touch-tone? Quit watching TV when it required a cable box or a dish?

Technology will continue to evolve and advance - always has, always will. Be grateful for geniuses that make our life so much easier than only a handful of years before us. What if doctors said - "I aint gonna use that new fangled MRI thingamagiggy!" Heck, I even use a Raven Cruizer GPS just to drag a sprayer in a straight line across the pastures. Guess what ... I had to learn how to use it.

Oh well, just take this as an encouragement to keep your minds active instead of becoming the old codger that can't run his television without help. I'm certainly no fan of Micro$oft but, so far, the aggravation has not been so much that I wanted buy into so proprietary as Apple.

Happy Computing!

 

[Alan L.]

Why would anyone want to spend all day extending an arm to the screen when you can rest your arm on the desk and do everything with a mouse?

 

[aczlan]

Why would anyone want to spend all day extending an arm to the screen when you can rest your arm on the desk and do everything with a mouse?

That is my biggest issue with Win8. I have a touchscreen on my laptop, it is far more comfortable, ergonomic and faster to use my trackball or mouse (also, its harder for my kids to accidentally click things with a touchpad, mouse or trackball). My FIL has a tablet and I can see using metro for that form factor device, but (IMO) for a desktop or non-tablet style laptop, Metro is a huge step backward from a usability standpoint.

Aaron Z

 

[Egbert]

Nothing wrong with a mouse - but laptops are very comfortable to use as touchscreen devices.

 

[dragoneggs]

I tried 8 for a while as I am always dabbling. I now use a Macbook Pro after having DOS and windows machines forever... and use Parallels software to run windows if I need to. Been a Windows guy from the start but I uninstalled 8... just didn't like it. Back to using 7. My put is no reason to upgrade. Not sure I will buy another Windows OS until I have to. My put is Microsoft was searching for something radical to keep up with Apple. My :2cents:

 

[Midniteoyl]

Not Apple, Android (Google)

 

[Depmandog]

I just built a desktop machine two weeks ago. MicroCenter still had Win7 OEM in stock (thank goodness!!) I don't pirate software...but to keep me from Win8....I would have been tempted had I not been able to find Win7.

I guess that explains my opinion of Win8 !!!

 

[cmore]

Change for the sake of change is not an improvement. I have seen nothing in Win8 that makes me want to upgrade and spend the money and time in learning how to do something that I know in XP. I have even set up a Linux box to play with. May go to that operating system if MS continues to mess around. I worked in computing field and was always in change mode but we normally changed to improve not for the sake of change. We built on what we had and made improvements and enhancements. We did not though out everything and start over until we had a business reason to do so. When we did start over we attempted to keep the user interface the same.

To me MS is blowing a big advantage of windows Vs Mac by keeping compatibility with older software where as Mac required new hardware to run almost every new operating system.

 

[farmgirl19]

Reading this thread has become quite entertaining - lol.

Listen, Win 8 is different. It was meant to be. There is a learning curve - so learn.

I preferred the traditional interface of Win 7 and, yes, Win 8 will remain quirky until all the apps are designed to run in Metro. But, did you quit using phones when they went to touch-tone? Quit watching TV when it required a cable box or a dish?

Happy Computing!

OK, now I know many of you will find this amusing, but my cell phone is over 10 years old. It still makes the calls, lets folks leave messages, and lets me retrieve those messages from voicemail. I've seen no need to "upgrade" to a phone that has features that I would not use. I do not text or surf the web, while driving, and spend a lot of my time on the road. For internet, I am more comfortable with a laptop, or even a desktop.

And yes, when TV went digital, and I had to have a converter box, or a new TV, I removed the TV, and honestly, I have not missed it. I know, I am in the minority here, but change for the sake of just getting the "latest", is a bit silly, for some of us. :2cents: