Windows 8

Anyone else using it? Apart from having to overcome the start up screen stuff, what's the difference? I havn't really noticed anything so far.

This weekend I updated 1 computer at home that I use for recording tv (I have a cablecard tuner) and I already knew it was just ok. It's not as bad as some make it out to be and not as good as MS says it is. Windows 7 is fine for me.

I would suggest spending the $5 and using Start8 or at least, the free, Classic Shell which makes it look and act more like W7. However, if you want it to look like W7, why upgrade?

Supposedly quicker than Win 7, but I've not seen any numbers on it. I'm probably going to skip it unless there is some really compelling reason to pick it up.

Starts up MUCH faster on my tablet, compared with Windows 7. Just waiting for Acer to release some updates/patches for it.

aygov said:

Supposedly quicker than Win 7, but I've not seen any numbers on it. I'm probably going to skip it unless there is some really compelling reason to pick it up.

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Yeah, the supposed quicker boot and supposed less memory usage is why I bought it for my work computer. I see nothing yet that makes me think it would be worth the small amount of cash to update any other of our computers.

Oh....And I can't find out how to avoid having to log on with a user account at start up!!

Laughing_Gnome_Invisible said:

Yeah, the supposed quicker boot and supposed less memory usage is why I bought it for my work computer. I see nothing yet that makes me think it would be worth the small amount of cash to update any other of our computers.

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Costs me $0 to get it. I have a TechNet subscription, so I pay <$300 a year to get thousands of dollars worth of software.

My Windows tablet took at least 60 seconds to boot up under Windows 7. It takes less than 10 seconds to boot up with Windows 8.

Laughing_Gnome_Invisible said:

Oh....And I can't find out how to avoid having to log on with a user account at start up!!

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Solution was just a google search away (search for "automatic login windows 8")...
http://www.howtogeek.com/112919/how-to-make-your-windows-8-computer-logon-automatically/
and
http://www.ghacks.net/2011/09/16/windows-8-how-to-automatically-log-on/

I've not tried either since I have no issue entering my password on login.

I installed it on a PC I rebuilt for the local animal shelter over the weekend. I couldn't really tell much difference... Still a piece of garbage like all those before it.

headbanger said:

I installed it on a PC I rebuilt for the local animal shelter over the weekend. I couldn't really tell much difference... Still a piece of garbage like all those before it.

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I think you'll see more benefit on tablets or systems with either SSD or hybrid drives. Older, barely within spec, systems will probably see little (if any) benefit. I also see Windows 8 geared more towards tablets than regular systems. I suspect that enterprise adoption rates will not be all that fast. Especially since I know of more than a few places that are just getting onto Windows 7 (not the abortion that was Vista).

On my 2-year-old laptop, with 6-month-old hybrid HDD, bootup and even general performance is notably faster under Win 8.

I'm eager to see how the cross-device synchronization works once Windows Phone 8 and Surface Pro come out.

Once I get a new SSD for my tower, I plan on giving Windows 8 a shot in it. For reference it's a 4+ year old Dell workstation (490) tower with two E5345 Xeon processors, GeForce 8800 GTX video card, and 16GB of RAM. Right now it's using three 750GB Seagate 7200rpm drives in a RAID 0 array. Looking at getting one of the new Intel 335 series SSD drives for the OS and apps. I'll probably leave a pair of the current drives inside for additional storage though. The slowest aspect of my system IS the storage, so it will be nice to get that upgraded.

I'm a TechNet member too (do lots of beta testing) but I don't know if it is really worth it. W7 is so good and for a tablet, I'd jump at 8 but on a desktop or laptop, I'm not crazy about it.
It does boot up very, very fast and I like that.

I think that if we could get rid of the tile initial screen for desktops and non-touch enabled laptops, it would be an easier decision. As it stands, I have to tend to agree with you, Beer-lord. I'll give it a shot, but I'm not committing to staying with it.

I also enjoy being able to test out new operating systems and applications, for zero additional cost.

I'm curious, but mostly for a "I'm an IT guy and ought to know this new stuff" reason. If I can dig up a spare drive and a spare machine with enough guts to run it reasonably well I might give it a go soon. I'm guessing there is a copy available from the usual sources for testing with.

If your main rig has enough juice, you could just use VMware Workstation (or Player if you have a friend who can send you a VM) to run it there. Means no additional hardware is running while you 'test' it out.

PM me if you have interest in that...

Golddiggie said:

Costs me $0 to get it. I have a TechNet subscription, so I pay <$300 a year to get thousands of dollars worth of software.

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This used to be the case, but they've changed the terms now. When I signed up for TechNet recently I noticed that all the licenses expire at the end of my subscription. Your subscription may have started before then so you may be fine, but it's not an option anymore.

From the TechNet site:
What changes did Microsoft implement to TechNet Subscriptions in July 2012?
On July 16, Microsoft made changes to TechNet Subscriptions to better reflect the intent of the program – aiding IT professionals in evaluating current Microsoft software—and to help protect the integrity of the subscription from unsupported use. As part of this change, we:

Reduced the length and complexity of the User Agreement.
Made Microsoft software use and other subscription benefits available only during the 12 month subscription period.

So?? Just keep renewing it each year. Renewal pricing is (or has been so far) less than new subscription pricing. If you're in the IT department where you work, you can often get 'testing' versions from them, IF you know who to ask, and they allow it.

For me, the annual cost is well worth what I get for software from it.

I've been using it on my laptop with a 128GB ssd and it's very fast. I'm not sold on the Metro UI, but just click "Desktop" and you're pretty much back in Windows 7. I'm digging it a lot more than I thought I would. Not ready to make a jump on my production system though and have no intentions of updating the department's computers to 8 - from 7.

I did find that I needed to find out how to add the items I need to use, to the desktop screen and such. Being able to see the 'all apps' does help. I'm talking about things like 'run' and command windows. Things that are more for the IT pro's than average Joe's...

I run it and Office 2013 because "I am an IT guy and need to know this stuff" as Homer mentions above. The BIG reason to get to know it ASAP is it is the same layout for windows based phones, tablets, net books, laptops, desktops and servers. It will be a seamless interface for everything.

BEFORE installing O-13, uninstall Lync or you will have fits. IE9 blows dog ass as all other IE's before it. IE is like a virus disguised as a web browser.

Going to have to see what's new with Exchange 2013 now...

Golddiggie said:

I think that if we could get rid of the tile initial screen for desktops and non-touch enabled laptops, it would be an easier decision. As it stands, I have to tend to agree with you, Beer-lord. I'll give it a shot, but I'm not committing to staying with it.

I also enjoy being able to test out new operating systems and applications, for zero additional cost.

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From what I understand you can get rid of it. Need to create a desktop shortcut and put it in the startup folder of the start menu. You'll the the tiles for a moment until it catches up and executes the shortcut command.

Nova5 said:

From what I understand you can get rid of it. Need to create a desktop shortcut and put it in the startup folder of the start menu. You'll the the tiles for a moment until it catches up and executes the shortcut command.

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But you still don't have the same usability that you have with Windows 7. I'm talking about having the Start/Programs menu in the bottom left corner. You'll have to make shortcuts for ALL the apps you want to run from there, or go back to the Metro/tiles initial screen... IMO, locking people into this is not a wise thing.

I don't like Office 2013. Outlook is too white and there's really no way to change the way it looks.
My small business will not be switching to 8 anytime soon if at all. But, I did play with it more at home last night and am getting the hang of it. It does seem to be faster.

I'm probably going to install Office 2013 onto my tablet (running Windows 8). That way I can really kick the tires without committing my main system to it.