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General discussion

Poll: How do you like Windows 8 so far?

Jan 31, 2013 8:24AM PST

To give you some context to this poll, please check out this discussion topic: Windows 8 just isn't my thing, can I install Windows 7 over 8?

If you are running Windows 8 on your PC, how do you like it so far and why?

-- I love it! (Did you have a hard time adjusting to it? What makes it so great to you?)
-- I hate it! (Please tell us why?)
-- It's just OK. (Care to explain?)
-- Still getting use to it, ask me later.

Discussion is locked

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You missed at least one option i the poll
Feb 3, 2013 10:56PM PST

"- I'm not using Windows 8."

I don't. I have Win 7 at work. I have Win 7 at home (the old notebook upgraded from Vista by the end of 2012, the new one bought begining of 2012).
I don't need to change OS, as Win 7 works fine in both machines. I don't feel the need of a new UI. Why to change?

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I didn't include that option because the poll question is...
Feb 4, 2013 3:28AM PST

"If you are running Windows 8 on your PC, how do you like it so far and why?"

Cheers,
-Lee

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That's right. Anyway...
Feb 4, 2013 4:03PM PST

this specific poll runs on a more precise scope than usual, where the whole readers population is asked for. I don't mean it is biased. Just that hasn't the usual statistic population.
Cheers!

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Windows 8
Apr 15, 2013 8:15PM PDT

I have recently installed windows 8 after a hardware failure in my PC, i thought to go for the latest version of windows. What i really liked about it is that the installation time is very less as compared to earlier version which used to take hours for installation. Windows 8 installation was over within 20 minutes.
The UI of windows 8 is very dynamic i like the look and feel of the boxes just like the mobile version of OS.
Also it has signing in feature whether there are multiple users or not it always ask you to sign in which was not there in the earlier version
The start icon is missing which i found pretty odd in this.
The inbuilt widgets provided by windows 8 are really cool
I like the skydrive since i am able to store my important documents online and access them anywhere without the fear of getting them lost.
While copying a file from one folder to another a pause button is added which is really cool because sometimes my PC used to become slow while copying 2-3 files from different locations to different drives now i can pause one of them at a time and increase the speed of transferring files.
So far i have liked the product i am really new to it there will be flaws in the system which will be discovered after a period of time. But so far this version of windows is really good than the windows vista

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Poll: How do you like Windows 8 so far?
Apr 30, 2013 9:39PM PDT

On the contrary, the means to do so is in fact in Win 7. You create a drive image back-up (the procedure is extremely simply) and a boot disk. If you do not like Win 8 you simply boot from the aforementioned disk and reinstall your Win 7 os from the drive image. If you do not know that much about Win 7 you are in no position to advise anyone on 7 contra 8.

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It appears you haven't done this.
Apr 30, 2013 10:34PM PDT

After a handful of new UEFI based machines with Windows 8, said drive image backup turned out to be not so trivial. Not only did the factory restore system fail but to backup the image you had to disable the secure boot and enable the new CSM feature in the BIOS.

Your average user is being taken to the cleaners and you are in no position to advice anyone about the backup you wrote is trivial as it is not.
Bob

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Had the same experience as bytlan - I hate it!
Feb 5, 2013 8:57PM PST

Had to wipe the drive using killdisk.com, reinstalled WIN 7 Home Edition using 4 recovery disks; they don't work with WIN 8 Pro installed, plus I created 3 new addresses to access it from outlook.com, hotmail.com & live.com.
They all failed in five days. Still waiting for my money back even though Microsoft said if you didn't like it beore 30 days I would get my money back. They lied!!!

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My experience has been very interesting
Feb 6, 2013 7:48PM PST

In my laptop windows 8 runs better than Windows 7 and the interface is clean, simply, very user friendly and it is optimised for ultramobile devices. It has been an great experience.

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On balance, I like it.
Feb 8, 2013 4:22PM PST

My primary use PC is a tablet (Samsung Series 7 slate) and I like using Windows 8 on it. There's only been a few minor issues with programs carrying over. All of them run, just some have occasional hiccups. I imagine that will get worked out over then next 6 months to a year as usual with a new OS, but I have no issues being unable to run anything I used to run before.

I got used to using it on the tablet (which I sometimes use in desktop mode) so I decided to just put it on my other computers as well, on my 2008 MacBook Pro under Parellels Desktop, and on my Alianware XPS desktop PC.

I can see how an average user might be confused by it, but I got my 65 year old mother familiar enough to use it during her visit over Christmas. And as far as people thinking you have to, for instance "go down 4 levels to power off your PC" they just aren't familiar with the OS enough (move to the charms bar, click settings, click power - it's one more step than on a windows 7 PC - move to the start button and click on it, click on power)
After a bit of familiarization I've found it to be just as easy to use as windows 7 was on my laptop and desktop and, honestly, more stable and convenient in some ways, without any artificial start button add-ons. Though, I will say that I don't use Apps very much on those systems and prefer to use the desktop programs more often due to the fact that Apps can't be windowed.

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Windows 8
Feb 9, 2013 7:17AM PST

I think it totally sucks for a laptop but probally fine for a touch screen device but for a traditonal PC just stick to windows 7 unless Microsoft comes out with a new system to accomdate a traditional Desktop(Which i know will be gone before too long ) and a laptop which should be around for a while yet

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Windows 8
Feb 9, 2013 8:02AM PST

ive liked every operating system that microsoft has comeout with except this one

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HATE it enough to buy an Apple laptop
Feb 9, 2013 9:33AM PST

My title says it all. HATE with capital letters

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(NT) Has anyone tried using Virtual PC on it?
Feb 10, 2013 6:57PM PST
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Windows 8 or a joke?
Feb 11, 2013 3:18AM PST

Why the hell would Microsoft develop a touch screen OS when millions of PC users use a mouse and keyboard and do have a touch screen? It seems to me that MS would have had enough common sense to realize this and made an OS with Metro and touch screen possibilities and one without, thus giving PC users their choice. What do I think of Windows 8? It sucks! Perhaps when MS develops their next OS they will keep die hard keyboard and mouse users in mind. Touch screen, ughhhh...

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But . . .
Apr 16, 2013 3:11AM PDT

it works great with a mouse. If your only concern is that Windows 8 does not work with a mouse or touchpad, its not a problem. I'm using right now on six year old desktop with a mouse, and it is fine. Windows 8 is more interesting and fun to use than the old style of Windows.

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On a Macbook Pro Retina
Feb 18, 2013 12:26PM PST

Pro:
- Beautiful Interface (There's a certain simplicity to the new Win8 not found in previous Windows)

- Hot corners (access settings and shut down options by moving curser to the upper right corner)

- Apps for people who like using apps format (When your computer turns on, you see a wall of apps. There're things like photos, videos, games all arranged as blocks. "Desktop" is on of these apps and when clicked, is similar to what you get when you turn on a Win7)

- Works with tablets and cell phones


Cons:
- Not necessary (there's not a whole lot of improvement from Win7 other than the concept of apps and hot corners)

- Expensive w/o Win 7 (if you want a genuine win8 without paying so much for it, pirate a win7 and upgrade it to winCool

- Consumes more Ram than Win7 (issue if you're using Bootcamp and are dividing your hard drive)


Verdict: Unless you hate the looks of Win 7 and love the blocky app interface the Win8 offers (like the Nokia Lumia interface) or you love using apps; there's really no reason to upgrade to Win8.

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Its just ok
Feb 18, 2013 12:36PM PST

Its just ok

If you're already on windows 7 there aren't that many reasons to upgrade.
But there aren't really any reasons not to either imo. Win 8 is mostly a further optimized version of 7 with some extras.
What some people go apeshit about is the new UI. Just give it a fair chance for a while, if you don't like it get one of those UI mods like start8 to get rid of it.

Anyway, personally I like it. It's stable, fast, supposedly more secure, faster boots and new task manager are nice. Helps that it's so cheap too.
I don't consider the UI an improvement, but for me it's not worse either, it's just different way of doing things. I'm not impressed by the way metro apps are integrated though. I don't know why anyone would ever use one on a desktop so they're mostly useless to me.
Took me a day to get used to the UI and set everything up but I can do everything at least as fast as in 7.

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I think it is time to shortsell Microsoft stock
Feb 18, 2013 11:32PM PST

It appears W-8 is yet another bomb. I have noticed too, Microsoft has been getting very tight, and stingy, with new licensing requirements. Microsoft in it's aggressive quest to keep huge profits once enjoyed from the companies early successes is having the opposite effect and driving away once loyal users. When one has created something to near perfection, it is hard to make it better and attempts to do so may just destroy it.

If users are ignorant of the new procedures in software because it looks and behaves in a completely different way, that is a Microsoft problem, not a user problem. Most users, and certainly employers of users, are not interested in spending hours upon hours trying to figure out how to accomplish tasks they could previously do in seconds. When they buy something, or lease it, users also want full control of it. They want to be the judge of what they are qualified to tamper with in software, not Microsoft.

If Microsoft built automobiles they would be moving the car controls all over the vehicle. With W7, and now W8, the steering wheel is somewhere around the center of the back seat and the radio controls and now located in the trunk and the climate controls are in the engine compartment.

It has been time consuming migrating from years of Microsoft data bases, spread sheets and documents over to Linux, I only wish I would have started before wasting time trying to figure out how to make W-7 usable. W-8 is even worse from what I have been reading. I will keep an XP computer around for archival purposes but Microsoft will never see another dime from me.

It astounds me that a company like Microsoft can continue in existence when its products waste so many man hours of their customer's time. I wonder too how a large corporation can afford to waste so many hours of their employee's time relearning Microsoft products every few years. Maybe Microsoft has not noticed yet that Microsoft software passed the point many years ago where the efficiencies gained by using their new software outweighed the monetary costs and the employee retraining costs of using it.

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Windows 8 poll
Feb 19, 2013 10:03AM PST

W8 its great for the surface device, terrible for the laptop and desktop!-- I hate it! Not about to play touchscreen with my $450.00 flatpanel monitor. Thats what the mouse is for. Next, the start menu, ***, Seriously... if its not broke dont fkn fix it! The start menu is that make a desktop work you freaks!. Finally, 3 versions, surface, laptop/desktop, and corporate! Follow the w2k design for anything business/workstation!

Dan USMC retired!

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But . . .
Apr 16, 2013 3:33AM PDT

I don't have any problem using it on my old desktop with a mouse. Windows 8 works great that way.

With respect to the start button menu, I'll pose the same question to you. Seriously, you like it? Maybe you're so used to it you haven't noticed, but the start button menu is a lot of fine print filled with stuff you usually don't use, and it makes you sort through all that junk to get to the things you do use. I'm a lawyer, but I don't care for fine print when I can avoid it. Do you like your IOS or Android device? Most people do, and the new start screen is modeled after those devices which allow you to place the icons and widgets you want, right where you want them. On the new Windows Start page you place and group the tiles you want where you want them, so when you call up the start screen they're right where you want them for immediate access. I think it is an improvement, and again it works fine with a mouse.

The only thing I would caution against is installing Windows 8 on a low end notebook that does not have a good touchpad. If the touchpad is not readily responsive to two finger scrolling Windows 8 may be frustrating because that is they way you navigate the Start page and many of the apps.

Under the start page is an all applications page that you get to with a right click. (On every tablet style app, a right click brings up a tool bar from the bottom of the screen (and sometimes from the top as well.)) All of the apps are automatically arranged in alphabetical order first grouped by the tablet style apps and then grouped by the desktop style apps. You use that page to pin the apps you want to the start page or access apps you have not pinned to the start page. It is a cleaner more visually appealing view than the old start button menu, and, in fact, it is more neatly drawn than the Android app menu.

If you don't like these changes, fine, but I do not think your complaints about Windows 8 have merit.

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You sound like U don't know how to create desktop shortcuts
Apr 16, 2013 4:31AM PDT

Please explain what you mean by "fine print". I haven't seen this fine print in my daily use of Windows since 1995. Also I have to suspect you don't know how to create desktop shortcuts from what you say about putting them where you want them. You can copy anything from the Start menu to the desktop and put it where you want it with all versions of Windows from 95 to 7 and you can put it anywhere you want it. You can even set it up to bring up an application by pressing a single key. For example I can start Quicken by just pressing F5 in Windows 7 and earlier. Finally you are a rare individual to prefer the touchpad over a mouse. My notebook mouse always goes wherever my notebook goes.
That's all OK though. I rarely understand anything lawyers say anyway! Especially those that reside in Washington DC. Mischief

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I don't like Windows 8
Feb 20, 2013 1:49PM PST

i would like to stick with Windows 7 rather upgrading. I feel that Windows 8 need lot more improvements.

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horrible windows 8 experience
Feb 24, 2013 3:16AM PST

I've had nothing but horrible luck with windows 8. Windows 7 was near perfect and I liked it, but I thought for $39.95 and the PRO version, that it was a great deal so I went for it. It turns out I have paid money ( cheap though it was overall?) for a PRE RELEASE quality OS.

Im disgusted, completely.

My view of microsoft is tarnished,and I won't forget this nightmare they have subjected me to. All my hardware showed to be supported, and none of it, short of maybe the dvd rom dried is even a little bit old, and the dvd drive lables disks so I truly doubt it is THAT old (burn right or whatever its called).

My 90 days are up now, lucky for microsoft,but whenever a issue crops up, instead of FIXING it by replacing it with the FILE that has gone bad ( you know, like dll's, etc.), they just say REPAIR by reinstalling ( except for yes, my files/folders,but the install STILL takes almost a half hour, and that is absoltely idiotic). Give me a break, as that is horribly and inexcuseably INEFFICIENT.

Now I have an error where File Explorer only shows 3 things: favorites, Libraries and homegroup, though its a random problem. Too bad for me, even though the issue started easily a month ago and had I done something about it THEN I would have had help, now they want to charge me for it. So much for decent, moral customer support huh ?

I've had tons of 'support' online, where they take over computer, and try to help,and most of the time they are from india, and are TERRIBLY hard to understand,actually worse than some astralian accents which are reallly really bad to listen to if you aren't native.

That is just a fact, nothing not headed here at all,and Im sure everyone knows precisely what Im referring to.

It's just more crap from microsoft, when before all this nightmare I supported them. Now all I want to do is get a mac!

THis computer is barely 4-5 years old, ( self made, worked gloriously on windows 7 for 3 years at least)so I am tempted to assume that windows 8 compatability is really really terrible.

I even ran a prescreening to verify that, and all was fine,short of a few apps that would need reinstalling...no biggie right ?

Wrong.

I am horribly soured on windows 8, even though I realize its a OS for a next generation, but man, while I love my windows 7 phone device, and I hate to sound immature,,but this SUCKS.

I expected better from microsoft honestly,but it seems EVERY company out there is outSOURCING to india, and while usaully they are almost TOO nice as support; understanding them is often a total NIGHTMARE.

IT used to be when you called into support, you got someone who spoke native ENGLISH, but not anymore. It's happening everywhere, and Im absolutely sick and tired of it. Anyone else ?

I have NOTHING against anyone who needs a job and offers 'credible' support, but when you can barely understand them, and they repeat things back to you and its WAY OFF, then am I suppose to say nothing and be a good littlle boy and shut up about it ?

Wrong.

That is my windows 8 experience.

Terrible.

The reason I bring that up, is the least time I used a mac ( when I had my imac G5,which was AWESOME, short of a few upgrade issues Happy ), I called in for support, and I always got someone who spoke native english,and it was SO REFRESHING. It's nice not to struggle to undestand someone, or struggle when they have no clue what you just said, even though it was clearly enunciated and spoken with pure fresh native english.

That's life with companies that are too CHEAP to give proper support, for paying customers.

The main problem right now though, is that I feel I wasted my time buying this JUNK, when I had a perfectly fine working windows 7 environment, but thought windows 8 looked slick and read it booted faster , etc. etc.

Boy was I fooled. Never again Microsoft. You can keep your garbage.

Yes, I feel slighted 100%, and this is my opportunity to speak out and by heard, because I did not deserve this treatment by a supposed 'team' of support engineers, which often could not understand me. Microsoft should be better. Is all their funding going to fund xbox or something ????

Thx for reading this rant, but Microsoft had that coming, and then some.

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I agree with most you say, but backup?
Feb 24, 2013 3:31AM PST

I couldn't agree more with the majority of your comments about MS. However I need to point out that whenever you make a significant change to your computer, you should always back your system up before making the change. Murphy looms large when it comes to computers, and you've seen first hand what I mean. You can buy an external 1 TB hard drive for around $70 and you can use something like Easeus Todo Backup Free, which you can download from http://www.todo-backup.com/products/home/free-backup-software.htm . You can set it up to make automatic backups whenever you wish, totally unattended and automatic. That can save you a lot of time and frustration the next time something like this happens. Sooner or later it happens to all computers for one reason or another.

Good luck.

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Murphy and W8
Feb 24, 2013 9:13AM PST

Oddly enough, it was one of those catastrophic mess-ups during my W8 install ( I took some bad advice about the upgrade procedures without a making a W7 backup) that made me fall in love with W8.

Just because the 'upgrade' was such a total mess, I had to start over from a clean install; I am so happy with the new OS...it is nothing like the nay-sayers would have had me believe.

I owe my present state of contentment from the fact that I had to do the whole thing cleanly; no W7 entanglements to confuse the issues...W8 had to stand on its own without excuses.

I am very happy to have made the change...just wish I had bought more $40 upgrade copies for my other machines!

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But does it 'work' ?
Feb 24, 2013 9:25PM PST

I did a bios upgrade, and while I honeslty don't know if its 'fair' to expect win8 to keep up with that change and not require a reinstall,- I do know that a windows 7 HDD can be put on a entirely different computer, rebooted and hit all the new hardware it encounters,and keep on ticking without a single glitch.

I stilll have file explorer issues,where I get this random glitch where it only shows, Favorites, Homegroup and Libraries, with no Computer info or partitions, yet now that my '90 days' is past, I'm having trouble getting help with it, even though I TOLD them several times inside online chat at microsofts windows 8 'support' page, that this happened BEFORE my 90 days were up. I guess they don't care about that, even though its true. Im not bothered by it really, because I have no plans of using windows 8 now given this clearly inept OS's stability issues.

I've had nothing but trouble with windows 8, and all of my hardware is spot on working , and I know that because of the memtest86 I ran, and the WD hdd testing exe app as well.

I don't card if my 90 days is up, this is something not of my own doing, and microsoft should have the decency to fix it without questions, but given that most 'chat' help is non native, I guess the communication barrier that naturally creates, is just too much for the once supposed superior microsoft tech help to address. What a shame, but those are the breaks when you cheap out on support.

When I can afford it, I WILL be going all mac.

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Yep...it works fine.
Feb 25, 2013 12:49AM PST

I have to say, I've had no issues with it at all; and this on an older Dell XPS.

All of my software and hardware is very happy.

I would never go back to W7...I just wish I had bought more W8 licenses.

If you want to legally transfer your W8 license to me, I'd be glad to shell out the $40 you paid for it.

Let me know, ok?

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transfer W8 to me
Feb 25, 2013 12:57AM PST

Here is the W8 retail EULA portion that applies:

"Can I transfer the software to another computer or user?
You may transfer the software to another computer that belongs to you. You may also transfer the software (together with the license) to a computer owned by someone else if a) you are the first licensed user of the software and b) the new user agrees to the terms of this agreement. To make that transfer, you must transfer the original media, the certificate of authenticity, the product key and the proof of purchase directly to that other person, without retaining any copies of the software. You may use the backup copy we allow you to make or the media that the software came on to transfer the software. Anytime you transfer the software to a new computer, you must remove the software from the prior computer. You may not transfer the software to share licenses between computers. You may transfer Get Genuine Windows software, Pro Pack or Media Center Pack software only together with the licensed computer.
"

Let me know if you'd like to transfer it to me.

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I hate it, for now
Feb 24, 2013 4:39AM PST

Well, i recently upgraded to Windows 8 and im not impressed at all, well first, nothing works..

Some of my softwares didnt want to work till i uninstalled and installed again.. Wasnt Windows 8 supposed to be a copy of windows 7 just with a few graphics added? or i was mis-informed ?

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Microsoft store
Feb 24, 2013 11:13PM PST

Has anyone tried going to the brick and mortar Microsoft store for help? If yes, we're they helpful?