Windows 8 - Good buy?

[swak]

Are you guys upgrading? If so, how are you liking it?

I seriously considered buying the upgrade pack today at FutureShop $70.... (says its a limited time offer - whatever).

Good buy?
Good OS so far?

I played around with it on a laptop for a bit, wasn't sure what to think... No start menu!!

- as well, looking to use this on a desktop

[BigMass]

what's the point? There's no performance gain from it and the Metro UI offers nothing but an added annoyance. It’s kinda like, if you have it Windows 7 you’re set until they decide to stop supporting it. If you get Windows 8 with a new laptop or PC that’s fine too. Not worth “upgrading” to it. More like a side-grade.

[firebane]

Originally posted by swak
Are you guys upgrading? If so, how are you liking it?

I seriously considered buying the upgrade pack today at FutureShop $70.... (says its a limited time offer - whatever).

Good buy?
Good OS so far?

I played around with it on a laptop for a bit, wasn't sure what to think... No start menu!!

- as well, looking to use this on a desktop

Most people are going to say no due to not having a start menu, the touch screen interface not meant for desktops etc etc.

Windows 7 is the new XP and will stick around for a long time

[revelations]

Originally posted by BigMass
what's the point? There's no performance gain from it and the Metro UI offers nothing but an added annoyance. It’s kinda like, if you have it Windows 7 you’re set until they decide to stop supporting it. If you get Windows 8 with a new laptop or PC that’s fine too. Not worth “upgrading” to it. More like a side-grade.

:werd: I'm very please with 7 right now.

No need to be a free guinea pig to Microsoft. If there was a legitimate reason to upgrade I would wait a year at least.

[WhippWhapp]

Boot up times alone are worth. How can you go wrong at $40?

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by WhippWhapp
Boot up times alone are worth. How can you go wrong at $40?

Apps that doesn't respond well to faststart?

I don't know. Have not play much on 8. Don't feel like there's a need to.

[firebane]

Originally posted by WhippWhapp
Boot up times alone are worth. How can you go wrong at $40?

Windows 7 with SSD is like maybe 15.. 20 tops.. You really can't wait for that?

[bball2]

I've had the consumer preview running on my laptop for a couple months now.

I've gotten used to using metro now and I think it's really solid. Will definitely be upgrading :thumbsup:

[Disoblige]

Windows 8 probably would have been cool on a Netbook like 2 years ago. Good for travelling and stuff.

Otherwise, I'm sticking with Windows 7 for productivity.

[googe]

It's truly amazing how awful the interface is. It's like no one at MS actually tried using it...except they did. I don't get it.

[canadiandaytona]

$15 if you fill in the Upgrade offer, no receipt required. Great deal to upgrade my machine from stupid Vista

https://www.windowsupgradeoffer.com/

[Vagabond142]

Originally posted by BigMass
It’s kinda like, if you have it Windows 7 you’re set until they decide to stop supporting it.

Support for Windows 7 is first-line until at least 2017, with EOL scheduled for 2020

[BigMass]

Originally posted by WhippWhapp
Boot up times alone are worth. How can you go wrong at $40?

you shut off your computer?

[elite]

Originally posted by canadiandaytona
$15 if you fill in the Upgrade offer, no receipt required. Great deal to upgrade my machine from stupid Vista

https://www.windowsupgradeoffer.com/

Can you use this to do a fresh install? I have heard both that you can create an iso and do it and it will activate but also heard that it wont activate.

[ZEDGE]

Its $40. I am enjoying it. People hate change.

[firebane]

Originally posted by ZEDGE
Its $40. I am enjoying it. People hate change.

There is a difference when something is changed to make it more effective or better. Windows 8 is not that change. You remember all the hate behind Vista?

[vailoncity]

http://couponpromocode.us/article/windows-8-upgrade-offer/


Offer from Microsoft :) :D

[ZEDGE]

Originally posted by firebane


There is a difference when something is changed to make it more effective or better. Windows 8 is not that change. You remember all the hate behind Vista?

Vista and Windows 7 are almost identical interface wise. :dunno:

7 to 8 is something completely different. Windows has pretty much been the same from 95 and up.

[firebane]

Originally posted by ZEDGE


Vista and Windows 7 are almost identical interface wise. :dunno:

7 to 8 is something completely different. Windows has pretty much been the same from 95 and up.

Almost but not quite.. There was a lot of changes under the hood between Vista and 7 not including performance and UI changes.

7 to 8 is a MASSIVE change the whole Metro UI is not desktop friendly by any means.

[ZEDGE]

I'm having no issues with it. There is a bit of a learning curve sure but its fine. Have you even used it?

There is still a standard desktop. They just replaced the start button with the start screen.

[AE92_TreunoSC]

Windows 8 makes WAY more sense on a touchscreen.

It doesnt feel right and there is nothing wrong with 7 for me. I dont need to reinstall everything just to have my PC feel like a tablet.

[ZEDGE]

If you do the upgrade you don't have to reinstall anything. ;)

[Seth1968]

Originally posted by googe
It's truly amazing how awful the interface is. It's like no one at MS actually tried using it...except they did. I don't get it.

Given that the younger generations want computing mobility, Metro HAD to happen. Granted, it's designed for touch screens and as such, not a mouse.

For non-touch screens, there will always be ways to change W8 to a more standard Windows look and feel. The point of W8, is you can choose between the "best of both worlds".

[OCDP]

Meh, I like it? But all's I'm using it on is my home laptop for simple tasks. If anything I'd say it's a "fun" OS, looks nice, has some cool features.

Price was the deciding factor in upgrading, the price was right and my laptop was a guinea pig for it.

[Seth1968]

Originally posted by Seth1968


Given that the younger generations want computing mobility, Metro HAD to happen. Granted, it's designed for touch screens and as such, not a mouse.

For non-touch screens, there will always be ways to change W8 to a more standard Windows look and feel. The point of W8, is you can choose between the "best of both worlds".

In addition to that:

I completely understand and agree with what MS is trying to do, but with one exception: I don't understand why W8 doesn't have a Metro/Standard Desktop toggle.

[WhippWhapp]

http://www.windowsupgradeoffer.com/en-US

Even better @ $14.99

[OCDP]

My first real gripe with W8 is not being able to put a custom background onto the start screen. I'm going to try one of these freeware programs to customize it, just seems silly.

That, and I am missing the classic click X to close something. Having to drag it to the bottom or pressing ALT+F4 gets old fast. But as I said, that's why it's on my home laptop that I use mainly for movies and web browsing.

[kaput]

.

[FixedGear]

I can get it free through work and will probably upgrade soon. It will be strange not having a start menu, but I'm sure ill get used to it. There seem to be a number of new features that look good though, like the boot time, the 20 gb integrated online drive, etc.

[Seth1968]

Originally posted by FixedGear
I can get it free through work and will probably upgrade soon. It will be strange not having a start menu, but I'm sure ill get used to it. There seem to be a number of new features that look good though, like the boot time, the 20 gb integrated online drive, etc.


The Start screen replaces the Start menu in Windows 8. You can pin apps, contacts, and websites to Start to easily access what you use most. All of your apps—both apps you install from the Windows Store and desktop apps—are available from the Start screen. You can organize, group, and name categories of apps in whatever way makes sense to you. Tiles and notifications show what’s new so you can get important info and updates at a glance.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-CA/windows-8/faq

[BMW Power]

Got it for free today through my university. Going to install it this weekend :)

Also found this neat app that gives you a nice start button as well as the option to completely disengage Metro UI and boot straight to the desktop.

http://www.stardock.com/products/start8/

[sneek]

I have had the Consumer Preview on one of my desktops since it came out, and I am going to say no.

MetroUI is quite good looking and it is pretty slick, but I didn't find it as intuitive to use as Windows 7 or OSX. That might be because I have been using Windows so long that I just expect it to work a certain way. There are some features that are kind of awkward such as swiping across the screen that I would like to see removed, but Windows 8 is by no means Vista bad.

I would probably wait for you to buy a new PC to get Win8, that way all of your hardware will be optimized to give you the best experience.

[Xtrema]

So, bored handing candy out and upgraded.

Booting faster? Not really.

Interface? Worse.

Start button? Doesn't miss it that much.

None of the tiles apps works with administrator accounts, local or domain.

Verdict: Want my $40 back.

[ZEDGE]

Could of got it for $15. :P

[AE92_TreunoSC]

I installed a pirated version on my test machine and I hate it to death.

I will say it boots faster but it seems to have added 4 steps to very typical functions.

[iceburns288]

I installed it on my laptop and not my desktop that I use for more serious work. I think comparing it so a 'sidegrade' for normal use makes sense. Some cool stuff, things like the file explorer and task manager are improved.

I think a lot of people's problems with Windows 8 stem from them focusing too much on the Modern interface. Remember that for the desktop it's really just a start menu. On a tablet it's great to use when you launch everything from Modern, but on a desktop just use the old desktop like you usually would! If you want to find/launch something quickly just start typing and it'll start searching, and the search is pretty good.

There's definitely a learning curve/adjustment period. Once you use it for a while and get less fixated on the Modern half of it, you realize they made some decent, but not major, improvements to the desktop and keep using it like you used to. I will say boot time and battery life is improved over Windows 7.

Also, if you use more technical/enterprise-y software, I'd wait to upgrade, there are some compatibility issues until companies come out with patches.

All that aside, Windows 7 is so fucking good it's hard to recommend an upgrade.

[firebane]

See how much you hate windows 8 when you run it on a large screen setup with multiple monitors. :nut:

[Vagabond142]

(sits in the corner with his Win 7)

:poosie:

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by firebane
See how much you hate windows 8 when you run it on a large screen setup with multiple monitors. :nut:

Multi screen has some minor wins. Background is now cycling different pics on different screens. :rofl:

[Boosted131]

We finally started rolling out windows 7 at work... Give windows 8 another 5 years.

[taemo]

bump.

anyone else using Windows 8 for personal use?

I have to agree that the Metro UI sure may make sense on a tablet but on a desktop or even laptop. No.
I find it annoying that if you move the cursor to any of the 4 corners of the screen, then some sub-menu will show up.
I hate how hidden Control Panel is.
I tried liking Metro, putting all my favourite software on the front but it felt like an extra step to do just to launch an app.

Overall, I've had my laptop running Windows 8 for 2 weeks now and it's not bad when you install Classic Shell.

I might do my computer next and maybe my desktop at work as well.

[ExtraSlow]

Windows 8 came preloaded on my new laptop. Hate it. Probably would be great on a tablet, but the gestures are stupid on the tiny little trackpad.

[iceburns288]

Update to my Windows 8 review in one line:

After using W8 for a month, when I get home, I'm going to reinstall Windows 7.

[sabad66]

The thing with win8 is that you simply just need to modify your workflow a bit. Once you get used to it, you'll find its actually a lot more efficient. Biggest tip from me would be to push the start button on your keyboard and type what you're looking for right away (don't need to use the side charms search).

[revelations]

Had a chance to sit down and really use 8 for a couple of hours.

- its great for people who have a touch screen and have never used PCs before (or very little experience), the metro interface has most things fo most people (email, weather,news, music, etc.) My parents would love this.

- using a mouse is just painful with it (can be done, but it doesent feel right at all)

- if youre switching back to the classic interface, might as well stick to 7.

- mem express doesent sell any W8 compatible touch screen LCDs:dunno:

-I can see this being the future of home PCs (all in one) - http://cdn0.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net///art/desktop_pcs_and_macs/Vizio%20All-in-One%20Touch%20PC-580-75.jpg

[iceburns288]

Originally posted by sabad66
The thing with win8 is that you simply just need to modify your workflow a bit. Once you get used to it, you'll find its actually a lot more efficient. Biggest tip from me would be to push the start button on your keyboard and type what you're looking for right away (don't need to use the side charms search).
I was a huge proponent of this notion but I've found the Modern interface has nothing to offer for me (note for ME, not for everyone). The apps are cute in principle but the performance is god-fucking-awful. The battery life is roughly the same but general usability performance has decreased (more lag when opening programs, switching tasks, etc).

The kicker for me is that I'm still having a plethora of compatibility issues and frequent crashes across the board. On average it takes me > 1.5 tries to open file explorer (meaning that more often than not, it crashes when I open it so I have to wait for explorer to restart then try another instance!) That kind of performance on such a simplistic yet essential application is astounding to me for a release-to-customer product. It sounds like nitpicking but it's just one concrete example from a wide range of similar bugs.

Also, Microsoft turned me down for a job offer, so I'm bitter about that. W8 has still been pretty underwhelming though.

[flipstah]

Originally posted by revelations
Had a chance to sit down and really use 8 for a couple of hours.

- its great for people who have a touch screen and have never used PCs before (or very little experience), the metro interface has most things fo most people (email, weather,news, music, etc.) My parents would love this.

- using a mouse is just painful with it (can be done, but it doesent feel right at all)

- if youre switching back to the classic interface, might as well stick to 7.

- mem express doesent sell any W8 compatible touch screen LCDs:dunno:

-I can see this being the future of home PCs (all in one) - http://cdn0.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net///art/desktop_pcs_and_macs/Vizio%20All-in-One%20Touch%20PC-580-75.jpg

QFT. Every point is what I thought about it when I fiddled quickly on it @ MemX.

[revelations]

Originally posted by flipstah


QFT. Every point is what I thought about it when I fiddled quickly on it @ MemX.

Now that I've used it ... I wont hesitate to recommend it to young kids or people who have never used Windows before.

As far as relplacing 7, not for another 5-10 years for me.

[thetransporter]

maybe.. windows 8 is the next windows me?

[CaptainReboot]

I have it running on my Macbook with Parallels.

I don't mind it. I like the live tiles and how things update, but until there is more use of the Metro UI, it's just like Win 7 with a splash screen.

[taemo]

Yesterday I had to install Win 8 on my pc and performance wise, it seems to boots quicker than Win 7.
I also installed Start8 off the bat, sure Metro is very user friendly for new users but it takes too much space, I can't stand how it takes over the whole screen

[Xtrema]

Guy in charge of this turd is fired.

The replacement is a UI designer.

Windows 9 by Christmas 2014 would be my guess, just like how they rush out 7 after Vista. Windows 8 is another Vista IMO.

Yes Windows 7 will be around til 2020. But I hope hardware support will stick around for that long too.

As for Modern UI, I got used to it. But it adds nothing to experience Windows users. It will be a bomb in the corporate space.

[Recca168]

The new interface really needs a touch screen in order to be useful. Otherwise it just seems inconvenient. On the newer notebooks with a touch screen though it would be more user friendly since a touchscreen would be a lot nicer than the touchpad mouse. it would actually be a decent fit for businesses that use POS systems too since they are moving toward touch screen interfaces.

At home on a desktop though I can't see moving to windows 8 in the near future. Even if i had a touchscreen monitor, i can't reach it anyway when i'm sitting back in my chair. I could consider it usable if i had a "tablet-size-monitor" which would replace my keyboard where i could run the just metro interface and a keyboard app. But sadly Microsoft doesn't support this either. Any metro UI apps have to run on the same monitor as the metro interface.

[Khyron]

Originally posted by Xtrema

As for Modern UI, I got used to it. But it adds nothing to experience Windows users. It will be a bomb in the corporate space.

It will be common on the corp slates/tablets for execs/staff that need actual Windows programs to run like office/sql and such. Win7 on a tablet is just painful and ipads/androids are too crippled beyond basic email/web.

I'm eyeing those thin laptops with the rotating screens for dual duty - pretty slick if they could get something that would be 8/metro in tablet mode then 7 desktop when flipped open with the keyboard out.

[iceburns288]

Originally posted by Xtrema
Guy in charge of this turd is fired.

The replacement is a UI designer.

Windows 9 by Christmas 2014 would be my guess, just like how they rush out 7 after Vista. Windows 8 is another Vista IMO.
The replacement, Julie Larson-Green, brought the ribbon into Office 2007 so we'll have to see how her UI experience plays in...

I bet we'll see a big W8.5 release next October, Microsoft can't afford to be on a 2-year release cycle when its competitors are busy driving down yearly releases to a six-month cycle.

Now that my bitterness has subsided somewhat, I'm glad Microsoft went the direction they did and took a big step with Windows 8. It sends a clear message that while Apple and Google are releasing yearly incremental upgrades to iOS/OSX and Android, Microsoft is here to play again and they aren't pulling any punches. It's a shame they didn't get it quite right the first time but I think like Vista->W7 they'll regroup and come out strong for the next round.

It's been a while since you could say Microsoft has been the most revolutionary huge tech company, and I don't think it's a big stretch to say that about MS in the last two years or so. While Apple/Google fight it out over tablets, Xbox is kiiillliiinng the living room and is just printing money, with the nextbox out next year.

Ok, I know this post has gone on a bit, but Xbox reminded me of something. MS will need a major W8 release next year anyway so they can make significant platform changes and bring Windows and Xbox even closer together. Co-release the new Xbox/XBL with the W8.5 update for a huge holiday push next fall and watch the money pour in.

[ZEDGE]

Well its not all gloom and doom.

http://bgr.com/2012/11/27/windows-8-sales-40-million/

$39.99/$14.99 upgrade is probably helping a lot.

[Seth1968]

I had my first experience with W8 on a brand new HP tower.

My first impression is that most (if not all) of the negative comments I've read are erroneous. The most significant being, "I hate Metro, I want my Vista/W7 GUI back!". Well, here's a crazy idea: Just click on the Desktop tile and you've got it. Damn, it took me about 5 seconds to figure that out.

The option to choose between a classic and metro interface is great. It's a personal choice, but I've decided to go with classic.

I downloaded Classic Shell http://classicshell.sourceforge.net/ . It easily gives you the familiar Start Menu, and will also allow the system to boot to the classic GUI. I can see MS adding this feature as an option.

In a nutshell, I'm loving W8, and the boot time is mind blowing. From a cold start, the system fully boots in about 10 seconds.

[Disoblige]

They really stepped up the touchscreen technologies on all-in-one desktops as well as laptops. They aren't terrible like a year or two ago.

I used Windows 8 with a touchscreen ultrabook and it was actually very convenient and fun. I didn't have to tap the screen a few times just to do a basic function.

[adam c]

I haven't tested out Windows 8 but have Server 2012 and if 8 is like 2012 it's not that bad to deal with, I wouldn't mind it at all as soon as companies start making their software compatible

[thetransporter]

Originally posted by WhippWhapp
http://www.windowsupgradeoffer.com/en-US

Even better @ $14.99


tried that - thanks
but kept saying
not eligible

purchased a computer from bestbuy with windows 7 ,,,,,,, a few months ago .

entered everything correctly.

anyone have any suggestions?

[spikerS]

have had windows 8 on my new laptop for the past 72 hours, and I am ready to drop kick it into a billion little bitty tiny shit box pieces!

[D. Dub]

Originally posted by Seth1968
I had my first experience with W8 on a brand new HP tower.

My first impression is that most (if not all) of the negative comments I've read are erroneous. The most significant being, "I hate Metro, I want my Vista/W7 GUI back!". Well, here's a crazy idea: Just click on the Desktop tile and you've got it. Damn, it took me about 5 seconds to figure that out.

The option to choose between a classic and metro interface is great. It's a personal choice, but I've decided to go with classic.

I downloaded Classic Shell http://classicshell.sourceforge.net/ . It easily gives you the familiar Start Menu, and will also allow the system to boot to the classic GUI. I can see MS adding this feature as an option.

In a nutshell, I'm loving W8, and the boot time is mind blowing. From a cold start, the system fully boots in about 10 seconds.


That's pretty much exactly what I've done.

[sabad66]

Originally posted by spikers
have had windows 8 on my new laptop for the past 72 hours, and I am ready to drop kick it into a billion little bitty tiny shit box pieces!
Why exactly?

[spikerS]

So difficult to get to system operations, cant have my computer icon on the desktop, control panel was a bitch to get to, no red X close buttons, I can't close out anything without ending up at the Start screen.

Everything just frustrates me. I mean, I love new technology, but to me, this seems like a giant step backwards.

I wish this box would have had Win7 on it.

[ZEDGE]

Win + X is your friend.

And don't worry about closing metro apps. :D

[revelations]

Get a touch screen AIO PC and youll see the future of computing right there - but with out it, W8 makes zero sense. :banghead:

[sabad66]

Originally posted by spikers
So difficult to get to system operations, cant have my computer icon on the desktop, control panel was a bitch to get to, no red X close buttons, I can't close out anything without ending up at the Start screen.

Everything just frustrates me. I mean, I love new technology, but to me, this seems like a giant step backwards.

I wish this box would have had Win7 on it.
to get your 'my computer' icon back (this is how i've always done it even on Win7):
http://www.sysprobs.com/how-to-show-my-computer-on-desktop-in-windows-8

[kaput]

.

[EK69]

Win 7 on a touch device = stupid
Win 8 on a non touch device = not the best but workable
Win 8 on a touch screen laptop = probably the best combination

[Seth1968]

Originally posted by revelations
Get a touch screen AIO PC and youll see the future of computing right there - but with out it, W8 makes zero sense. :banghead:

This.

Tomorrow I'm going to address my third angry customer who can't figure out how to use W8. I'll just install VLC for the media player, and Classic Shell to get them a standard desktop and start menu.

Metro is designed for tablets and smart phones, and the average end user is in for a rude nightmare when they try and use Metro on their desktop or laptop.

For the life of me, I can't figure out why MS didn't do this:

1) When W8 first starts, there should be a pop-up that says something like, "If you prefer your computer to use a classic Window's main screen, then click here". With of course the option to, "Not show this message again". With that being said, one can simply click on the "Desktop" tile to do that, but it's an annoyance, and very few will figure that out anyway.

2) The end user chooses to go with the classic desktop...get that MS? Let me repeat, the END USER CHOOSES to use the classic desktop. So they do that, but low and behold, there's no "Start" button. What the hell are you thinking MS?

Other than that, W8 kicks ass.

[revelations]

^ MS is all about getting forcing the consumer to adopt their ideas. If the above was the case, people would choose CLASSIC over METRO anyday, even with a touch screen, as people hate change.

This is why places like FS, BB ONLY offer W8 machines now.


Smart consumers will wait until standalone touch screen LED/LCD monitors become the norm .... which they arent now (unlike AIO PCs).

[ugotahondaeh?]

Originally posted by Seth1968


I downloaded Classic Shell http://classicshell.sourceforge.net/ . It easily gives you the familiar Start Menu, and will also allow the system to boot to the classic GUI.


Thanks for this!! I can finally move over to windows 8 full time. It was driving me nuts without that familiar Start button.

:thumbsup:

[z2two]

Just installed it yesterday and i'm liking it. Had a little bit of a learning curve but once you figure out all the hotkeys it's pretty intuitive. However, the app store is pretty limited...

[Recca168]

I just bought the $40 upgrade yesterday. Haven't really looked at it since the development beta. Wasn't sure if I wanted to move over to it just yet so I installed windows 8 into a VM. After trying it out for a day I probably will stick with windows 7 for a while. The metro interface has some nice features

- The meto apps are generally very nice looking.
- The xbox music app is great
- Docking the apps is neat

Overall though I don't think windows 8 is quite finished yet. There's a lot of little annoyances that just don't function quite right. They really have to make the UI work without needing a touch screen. I am impressed with VM ware's unity mode with windows 8 though. They include a "start menu" and you can dock a metro app to your windows 7 desktop.

[flipstah]

They are pushing it here in Asia
I've seen more W8 commercials in a day than I have in Calgary for a week!

[ricosuave]

if any of you who are able to get the cheap upgrade and dont plan to use it, pm me, i'll buy it off you