Windows 8 steep learning curve

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Originally Posted By: demarpaint

Maybe Windows versions are like Star Trek movies.


They are, truth be told.



Windows 8 = lousy
Windows 7 = good
Windows Vista = lousy
Windows XP = good
Windows ME = lousy
Windows 98 = good
Windows 95 = lousy
Windows 3.1 = good
 
Originally Posted By: 2010_FX4
Go here and download Start8 as a trial to see if you like it. It will make your Windows 8 look and feel like Windows 7. If you like it, the cost is only $5.00 after your 30 day trial is over. I like Windows 8 now that I have Start 8.

Hope this helps!

Start 8


Yup, that is what I have on my new PC that came with the awful Windows 8 O/S. Well, it is only awful because Microsoft always thinks they know better than the users and set it up so badly.

The METRO desktop in Windows 8 is absolutely horrendous for a desktop or laptop. No problem for a tablet. Microsoft should have split it into 2 versions. Give the desktop and laptop users a traditional interface and save the METRO for the tablets and the like.

It took me a while to get my new system setup so it works like a traditional system. Now that I have, by using software like Start8, I like the new computer. I was ready to return it at first after being so turned off by Windows 8's METRO.

NOTE - what I have is actually Start Menu 8 not just Start 8. I use the one put out by I0bit. Not sure if it is the same as the one in the quote? I use this one and like it a lot...

http://www.iobit.com/iobitstartmenu8.php
 
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Originally Posted By: JGmazda
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
I'm still using Window XP. I tried my wife laptop with Window 7 and don't like it.


Good for you! Same here! I have no reason to upgrade. Who needs a more complicated OS? They could have "enhanced" the user experience, not complicate it.


I just upgraded systems and ended up with Windows 8( not by choice - tried to get Windows 7 ). I was using XP. I liked XP and had no issues with it. However, there are very good reasons to upgrade such as support being discontinued, not being able to use the latest web browsers, new software not being compatible with it, etc... Unless you are prepared to stay with what you have and never upgrade anything you will need to move beyond XP. Trust me I resisted as long as I could.
 
Originally Posted By: TrevorS
I've always found something to like in each new release. Even Vista was an improvement from a stability perspective which was important when I was more of a power user.

Haven't tried Windows 8 but my sense is that if your mind is open to new ways of doing things, then its possible to adjust and get more out of innovation.


Newer is not always better. Windows 8 METRO is a waste of time.
 
Originally Posted By: stephen9666
Originally Posted By: Mystic
Everybody seems to be saying basically the same things about Windows 8. It is really not a bad operating system-better in some ways than Windows 7. It has somewhat better security, native USB 3 support, can be installed faster, has good backup, starts up quickly, etc.

The really bad thing is the silly UI.


+1

It's quick and works well, but the interface is terrible. It was designed for tablets, so using it on a standard laptop sucks.

I was able to disable most of the stupid swipe commands. I was accidentally triggering the swipe commands like 40 times a day when using the track pad. You can't easily disable all of them, but you can disable most of them.


Agree X2.
 
Originally Posted By: NHHEMI
[

Newer is not always better. Windows 8 METRO is a waste of time.



Holy cow we actually agree on something.

The end is near.

But it's true, unless you are using Metro on a phone or tablet, that GUI IS worse than useless.

At least upcoming Windows 8.1 will allow users to set the default boot to desktop everytime allowing desktop users to skip
Metro GUI entirely, which is what ALL PC users want to do.
 
After I saw what Start8 can do to make Windows 8 useable I went ahead and upgraded to Window 8 Pro with Media Center. With Start8 and some other software (about 12 dollars worth of software) it is very, very good!

It is now clear to me that the programmers at Microsoft did a very good job with Windows 8. Somebody with a lot of power and no common sense dictated the goofy user interface. That interface is okay for touchscreen tablets and cellphones but is no good for a desktop. With Start8 everything is useable again.

Under the hood Windows 8 is excellent. It is faster to start up, faster to shut down, has built in antivirus, and the firewall even seems improved. And there is still the legendary Windows software and hardware compatibility. I had almost no problems with any hardware or software. And you can still use the 'Metro' apps with Start8. Or whatever they are supposed to be called. I don't think Microsoft for legal reasons can say 'Metro' anymore. I even like the appearance of Windows 8. Windows 7 was a little too gaudy for me.

I strongly recommend Start8 for anybody who wants to go to Windows 8. When they come out with Windows 8.1 I don't know how that will affect Start8. Maybe they will have a update but there are ways to make Windows 8.1 more useable.

How to solve the problems at Microsoft? Get rid of the top executives.
 
I installed a program called start is back. It costs outside of the trial but it is dirt cheap. I think five bucks buys you several licenses. It reviews well and according to the developer it uses some of the latent start menu code in Windows 8. We know this code exists because before MS disabled the ability in the final release, one could activate the start menu in the Windows 8 preview with a simple registry command.

I have used several of the major Start programs in Windows 8 over the last few weeks and this is the first one that just works. It is well customizable like many others but as far as functionality it is set it and forget it. Until it reminded me to register I forgot I was using it. It is that seamless. The best part is that all functions work just as they did on my Windows 7 machine including drag and drop and shortcut creation. The boot to desktop is flawless as well.

I am rarely this fulsome in my praise but I have to say this three dollar program saved me a Windows 7 purchase as it really makes Win 8 what it should have been in the first place, at least for those of us still using the traditional keyboard and mouse. I am still flabbergasted that MS did not build Win 8 with the option for interface preference. It certainly could not have been that difficult judging by the proliferation of third party applications to grant that functionality.
 
Start8 is pretty good also. It along with some other software made me willing to upgrade to Windows 8. Otherwise there was no way.

I discovered that there is really nothing wrong with Windows 8 'under the hood.' The Microsoft programmers did their job. Apparently some know nothing low information executive or executives at Microsoft dictated the user interface for Windows 8. Low information executives should never have that kind of power. Keep them in the offices with their high paychecks and leave the programmers alone. Marketing should not dictate to operating system design. Operating system design should be based on logic-not somebody's goofy ideas that in the very near future everybody will be walking around with a tablet computer.

As far as I can see now there is only one thing wrong with Windows 8. And that is the user interface which is silly. What is sad is that Microsoft had a chance to leap past Apple with one operating system that could have been used on touch screen tablets or desktops. They just had to make it possible for somebody to setup for whatever device they were going to use. It was actually brilliant programming if some executive/executives had not become involved in things they should leave alone.

Microsoft will be smart if Windows 9 is allowed to fill in the gaps.

The one thing I worry about is that Windows 8.1 apparently breaks Start8. Although Windows 8.1 itself can be setup as more of a desktop operating system. People will probably need to upgrade to Windows 8.1 because of all of the other improvements.

Otherwise I am happy with Windows 8. It starts up fast, shuts down very fast, has built in antivirus, seems to have a better firewall, has good backup and repair capability, and is just generally excellent as long as you can correct the user interface which Start8 does. And there is still the legendary Windows software and hardware compatibility. Some of my software and hardware is years old and I had very few problems. Where is with my Apple Computer I delay upgrading to the newest operating system until there is better software and hardware compatibility (hopefully).
 
I've grown to like Win8. The built-in inline search to the Metro interface is very powerful, but few even try it. For my user type (very advanced), I've been able to acclimate.

A friend of mine once says that animals that resist adapting go extinct.
 
There was no way I was going to go to Windows 8 just a short time ago. I told myself I would stay with Windows 7. And then I saw what Start8 can do and I decided to switch. What I have discovered is that there is really nothing wrong with Windows 8. In fact it is better than Windows 7. The only real problem was the UI.
 
The only other glaring fault I can see with Windows 8.1 besides MS not returning the correct and proper start menu function (which XP, Vista, and 7 had) is the lack of the very critical
F11 Safe boot function. Which is essential when your OS has a virus or malware that makes anything close to a normal boot to windows impossible. MS NEEDS to put these two things back in 8.1!
 
I have an old Thinkpad T60 that I use to test a few things on running, BSDs, Linuxen, Hackintoshes, etc. Windows 8 is the fastest of all Windows OS versions on this one. Only Windows 2K is faster. I had to upgrade to XP crab in order to support newer hardware, then W7 was a similar story. W8 feels like a fresh code base on kernel level.
Nobody remembers W2K anymore, that was like a real move from NT4 to a more humane interface and underlying structure. It was very fast. Did not support newer multi-core CPUs. W8 feels as fast on this old beater, much faster than W7 or XP.
 
I think it helped somewhat when they went away from the gaudy appearance of Windows 7. It was using more resources than necessary. And they probably have better code in Windows 8. If only the UI would not have been messed up. Maybe Microsoft will make some good decisions when it comes to Windows 9.
 
Originally Posted By: Y_K
I have an old Thinkpad T60 that I use to test a few things on running, BSDs, Linuxen, Hackintoshes, etc. Windows 8 is the fastest of all Windows OS versions on this one. Only Windows 2K is faster. I had to upgrade to XP crab in order to support newer hardware, then W7 was a similar story. W8 feels like a fresh code base on kernel level.
Nobody remembers W2K anymore, that was like a real move from NT4 to a more humane interface and underlying structure. It was very fast. Did not support newer multi-core CPUs. W8 feels as fast on this old beater, much faster than W7 or XP.


Win2k supports multiple CPUs and multiple cores just fine. It did not support hyperthreading in Intel P4 processors, though, which was supposed to work similar to multiple CPUs, but did not without OS optimization.

When does Windows 8 add the "close program" option? It is a no go until that happens.
 
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I have been using Win8 on a laptop for work and have been fine with it. A bit of a learning curve for finding simple stuff but once you do it becomes second nature. I actually like the corners acting as hotspots, bottom right for control panel, settings, etc. I think that's cool and I am now used to it.

I am getting close to wanting to make the switch to Win8 on my computers at home because a lot of what they have done makes sense. Not all of it does, but a lot of it is quite good.

This is just my opinion.
 
I don't know why people put up with this mess.

Return the computer and stick with your old one.
Build your own and install Linux
Buy a Mac (possibly the best option)

But don't install Linux on the new computer as that counts as a Windows sale. The only way to send a message to MS is to hurt their sales.
 
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
Originally Posted By: badtlc
When does Windows 8 add the "close program" option? It is a no go until that happens.


It's always been there. Just grab a program with your mouse on the top and drag it to the bottom of the screen. The program will be closed.


When I tried that, the process is still running in the background.
 
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