Anyone use Windows 8?

[Midniteoyl]

YouTube... get a visual..

 

[SoGeorgia]

No SSD..

The Win7



The Win8

 

[Midniteoyl]

I don't know how old, or the capacities, of your current system. However, as always, Windows needs room to play - even moreso with each new release.

I would not recommend Win 8 on less than an Intel i5 processor, or equivalent, and no less than 6 GB ram. A system can NEVER be too fast but it can quite easily be too slow. Touch-screen capability is not required but I would encourage you to move that direction as this is where everything is headed.

It'll work just fine on i3 and even slower... I have it running on a AMD A8 laptop. Shoot, I have it running on a Pentium4 HT 3.0 Ghz w/ 4GB Ram and Radeon 9800 Pro.. From 2004!

 

[Midniteoyl]

we bought a new laptop recently with win 8, and i'm not a fan so far. i don't use it like SO does,
but it's confusing going between modes to get to the app she wants to use.
and the computer is not touch screen, so , the touchpad scroll is backwards!
rolls up when i motion to move down, ok if your used to it i guess.

i'll be interested to see an update that allows more familiarity with win7 mode.

Best thing you can do to help.. The M325 comes in different colors at cheaper/more expensive prices, but is darn near the best laptop mouse there is.... Amazon.com: Logitech Wireless Mouse M325 with Designed-For-Web Scrolling - Dark Silver (910-002136): Electronics

 

[Midniteoyl]

I have Windows 8 and it takes some getting used to as it is much different than Vista or 7 or XP. The command bar is sometimes hard to get it to come up and have to bounce the mouse against the side repeatedly to final get the Start, Settings etc to come up and Start no longer shuts down the computer, you have to go to settings to find the power button. One thing I don't like is the email command takes you to Microsoft mail and if you don't have that it is a wasted effort, like when the notice on some websites say email to friend, click and it directs you to Microsoft website. I suppose there is a way to make it go to your email but I don't know how to do it.

What email are you using?

On the Start Page type 'Default' and 'Default Programs' should pop up.. click it and you can play with the default programs and file associations.

 

[Egbert]

Midniteoyl ... Heck, you may get it to run on an old Sinclair or TI99 - but would you want to? I stand by the i5 and lots of ram comment. No Operating System is fun on a dog slow piece of hardware. Windoze is a HUGE piece of bloated code and it literally eats resources. Of course, it you have lots of patience, I wish you the very best

 

[MossRoad]

I'm a Sr. Systems Engineer for a fairly large company. I'm responsible for around 1500 desktops, laptops, servers and tablets. All windows of course.

I'm a Linux guy. I hate Windows. But I'm forced to use it. I just received a Surface Pro with Windows 8 Enterprise. It's taken a few weeks but I actually like it. It's quite fast even with the low specs of the Surface. It's more responsive with some applications than my high end desktop running Windows 7 Pro.

Just got a taste of W8 on Surface Pro. Surface Pro is too heavy and only wifi. No built in G4 service. For a thousand bucks it costs too much. Its basically a very tiny laptop for people with great eyesight. Given a choice, I'd pick a wide screen laptop over the surface and w7 over w8.

 

[Midniteoyl]

Would LOVE to have a Pro..

 

[SoGeorgia]

Just got a taste of W8 on Surface Pro. Surface Pro is too heavy and only wifi. No built in G4 service. For a thousand bucks it costs too much. Its basically a very tiny laptop for people with great eyesight. Given a choice, I'd pick a wide screen laptop over the surface and w7 over w8.

This is for work so I didn't pay for it. I don't use my laptop anymore after getting this. Mine came with a Verizon MiFi for internet access and the keyboard cover. Much prefer this setup over my HP Elite Book.

 

[jinman]

Hello, my name is Jim and I'm a Windows 8 owner.:ashamed:

Seriously, I bought a brand new Lenovo computer with Windows 8 and hate it. I've had that computer for almost a year and still use my old XP system. My wife has Windows 7 on her laptop and it is great. I try to use Windows 8, but hate it so much I find myself going back to Windows XP and my old system after a few hours of use. It takes days to get the bad taste out of my mouth.

 

[SoGeorgia]

The setup.

 

[dmccarty]

Windows 8 is a POS. It is a great example of the arrogance of Microsoft. Microsoft is loosing badly in the smart phone and tablet market and they are trying to force everyone using Windows 8 to use a user interface that is aimed at mobile devices. Mobile devices have to use a touch screen but my laptops and desktops do not use touch screens. With Windows 8, MS was hoping to force everyone into using this new user interface that would be the same on all platforms thinking this would get people to use MS products on tablets, smart phones and PCs.

MS took away the old Start button and forced you to find a mystery spot on the screen that you can click on to get you to an area the Start button would bring up. Course, how would you know about the magic spot? You can also use some keystrokes to do this but that is a step backwards in this case. Programmers have forgotten that GUI(Graphical User Interfaces) are supposed to be INTUITIVE and easy to use. Its not easy, or intuitive, if you take away old function and hide the replacement operations.

MS will be releasing Windows 8.1 that MIGHT bring back some of the Start button functionality.

What Bonehead Ballmer did, by completely changing the Windows interface, was to force every user to waste time relearning how to use Windows. Gross arrogance and stupidity. Did that twit think companies were going to accept having to retrain their staff to use Windows 8? Why yes he did. But companies are not going to want to spend millions of dollars retraining people to accomplish what the could do on previous versions of Windows. It took me a good eight hours for me to futz my way around Windows 8 to be able to sorta do what I used to be able to do. It still takes me longer to do the same steps in Windows 8 vs Windows 7 or XP. Bonehead Ballmer needs to be beat with a bat over this mess.

If MS been smarter and less arrogant, they would have introduced the new interface but left in a quick way to revert back to a Windows 7 interface. Eventually, SOME people would like the new interface and maybe buy a MS supported mobile device. Instead, people and companies have refused to buy Windows 8. I think Windows 8 was the last straw for Ballmer and that is why he was pushed out.

Later,
Dan

 

[Egbert]

And, in that vein, it is not at all uncommon for companies to skip a particular release of Windoze.

I agree completely, Micro$soft should have left the option for a functional Win 7 desktop. Hopefully, the 8.1 will address most of the complaints on this issue. We'll see.

I've been on every flavor of Windoze since Windows 286, 386, 95, 98, XP Pro, 2000, 7 and now 8. By any measure ME and Vista were the worst operating systems on the planet. The rest have their own set of pros and cons. Win 7 was probably the best system they ever designed - except for a big lack in backward compatibility. More irritating to me, however, than the operating systems is the evolution of Office. I absolutely HATE the "ribbon" bar, and it seems MS is dead set in spreading it to every app. On principle, I refuse to buy software that provides the old look, when MS should incorporate the option out of the box.

Good, Bad or Ugly, Micro$soft is "the" force in computer software. Surrender and be assimilated, or move to Linux

 

[rekees4300]

MS will be releasing Windows 8.1 that MIGHT bring back some of the Start button functionality.

8.1 = lipstick on a pig!

Hello, my name is Jim and I'm a Windows 8 owner.:ashamed:

Welcome to the WA (Windows Anonymous) Club Jim. Despite your mistake, you are worthy of living and we all love you. :rotfl:

 

[Gator6x4]

In my opinion Windows 8 is the second junky crappie operating system released by Microsoft. Windows ME was the first. The Windows 8 Operating system has impacted new computer sales so much Microsoft had to do something to slow the slide. That is the reason Microsoft is releasing a free upgrade to Windows 8.1.

 

[Egbert]

Lipstick ... perhaps. I just read through some comments on the downloadable 8.1 preview and the anger over the start button is still there.

I say we all just move back to DOS and call it a day!

 

[MossRoad]

This is for work so I didn't pay for it. I don't use my laptop anymore after getting this. Mine came with a Verizon MiFi for internet access and the keyboard cover. Much prefer this setup over my HP Elite Book.

How's the mifi work? Is it a separate device you have to carry around besides a cell phone and surface? I'm ignorant so please pardon the basic questions.

 

[MossRoad]

The setup.



View attachment 335612

Ah, that answers that. Yet another device we have to carry around, keep charged, etc... why didn't MicroSoft build cell service into the Surface? frustrating.

 

[Tor Arne]

I have Windows 8 on a laptop and I hate it. The day warranty runs out I'm going to format it and put in windows 7

 

[farmgirl19]

Lipstick ... perhaps. I just read through some comments on the downloadable 8.1 preview and the anger over the start button is still there.

I say we all just move back to DOS and call it a day!

Don't laugh, but I thought DOS was easier than WIN! Then, I got used to XP, and actually learned to like it. Now have Win 7. I am still getting used to it, as it isn't the version that I can make run as if it is XP. I hope all of the kinks are worked out of the next OS that I have to "upgrade" to.

When my old laptop crashed, after years of being a workhorse, I had a friend put in a new hard drive and put XP back on it! At least I can run my business program, on it, and that frees up the laptop with 7 for internet and other stuff.