Windows 8.1

Best solution for a tricky W8 install on a desktop is to downgrade to 7. I won't be using W8 at all and would rather wait for W9, which if rumors are remotely true will go back to the classic shell albeit updated. Having used W8 on a touchscreen monitor it's still a PoS.
 
Best solution for a tricky W8 install on a desktop is to downgrade to 7. I won't be using W8 at all and would rather wait for W9, which if rumors are remotely true will go back to the classic shell albeit updated. Having used W8 on a touchscreen monitor it's still a PoS.
Have fun waiting :)
 
Have fun waiting :)
With the exception of XP, Microsoft had introduced a new release of Windows every 2 to 2.5 years for the better part of 20 years. I view social media posts on how great the OS with little credibility because all large companies are known for their astroturfing campaigns.

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The only problem with that for me is this
I don't use any apps and have no need to on a desktop. That's why start8 works for me.

The thing is you do use applications :p

All the apps on my start screen are desktop. Games in one group, Photo, video, graphics designs in another, web browsers and development in another, general desktop apps in the first. 2 clicks and an app is launched... same or less effort than I did in the last 17 years of using windows.
 
The thing is you do use applications :p

All the apps on my start screen are desktop. Games in one group, Photo, video, graphics designs in another, web browsers and development in another, general desktop apps in the first. 2 clicks and an app is launched... same or less effort than I did in the last 17 years of using windows.

Yep I suspect a lot of people don't give the start screen enough of a chance. Once you start making categories for things and learn about things like OblyTile, it quickly becomes clear that it's the perfect refinement of desktop icons and the start menu rolled into one.

It's disappointing that microsoft don't properly explain how to take advantage of 8's features on desktops, and on top of that in a lot of their marketing seem to seriously suggest that anyone would use metro apps on a desktop. I wouldn't be unhappy if the entire metro system (apart from the start screen) was removed, because honestly the only purpose of metro apps for me is the nice facebook, twitter and reddit notifications.
 
The only real reason I made the jump was Battlefield 4 performance. I always knew if I made the jump id grab a start menu replacement. But once you throw all your start menu items onto a start screen grid whats the difference.

Personally I am always stubborn. I hated the Win 7 icon grouping and always disabled it and I hated when firefox 4 came out. But one day on a fresh install i said deal with it and it all became natural.
 
The thing is you do use applications :p

All the apps on my start screen are desktop. Games in one group, Photo, video, graphics designs in another, web browsers and development in another, general desktop apps in the first. 2 clicks and an app is launched... same or less effort than I did in the last 17 years of using windows.
None of the apps on the start screen are desktop for me because metro is empty they one thing I see is when I install something new there is a shortcut to the desktop software and nothing more.

I wouldn't be unhappy if the entire metro system (apart from the start screen) was removed, because honestly the only purpose of metro apps for me is the nice facebook, twitter and reddit notifications.
Silver bird and liquid streams for chrome do reddit and twitter without using the metro. As for facebawk I have no idea.
 
Yep I suspect a lot of people don't give the start screen enough of a chance. Once you start making categories for things and learn about things like OblyTile, it quickly becomes clear that it's the perfect refinement of desktop icons and the start menu rolled into one.

It's disappointing that microsoft don't properly explain how to take advantage of 8's features on desktops, and on top of that in a lot of their marketing seem to seriously suggest that anyone would use metro apps on a desktop. I wouldn't be unhappy if the entire metro system (apart from the start screen) was removed, because honestly the only purpose of metro apps for me is the nice facebook, twitter and reddit notifications.

Seems like all Microsoft was hopeful for was guinea pigs to try out a untested OS they thought was going to be a hit and it fell short. I can't say I thoroughly enjoyed using it when I was setting stuff up, with constant crashing and unintuitive ui it was just a pure pain. But you touched on a good point, which is a shame that Microsoft didn't provide enough documentation and with the new layout instead of providing good slid documentation they hype this **** up with commercials of people swooping their screens and (I'll say it) try to be something like apple (that's a compliment to apple and that takes alot coming from me). Atleast when they innovate (rare these days) they provide a solid product unlike Win 8.

What makes matters worse is that retailers (in our town anyway) don't provide alternatives in that you can pick a win 7 system, they force this garbage on you probably to get user stats up so it looks like people are embracing this hideous OS.

At the end of the day I want something that works, I can install programs without issue or crashing out and easy to use ui. Win8 doesn't provide any of that.
 
[...] and (I'll say it) try to be something like apple (that's a compliment to apple and that takes alot coming from me). Atleast when they innovate (rare these days) they provide a solid product unlike Win 8.

The comparison is slightly amusing, as someone who has primarily used a Mac for quite some time. The first few versions of OS X received a lot of the same criticism Windows 8 gets -- lack of features, stability problems, UI issues, etc. Even iOS had major issues at first. There's plenty of other examples where Apple shipped something not all that solid. A better measurement will be how Microsoft addresses any issues going forward.

That said, I've only used Windows 8 a handful of times, and don't really get the ire some people have towards it. Haven't experienced any of the issues that are often brought up in these discussions, but then again, I'm not a heavy Windows user either.
 
Far from promotion I just don't understand how people can say it's ****/broken/unusable etc... It works better than any windows to date. I'm just confused is all :)
You would be the minority. :)

I have been downgrading people to Windows 7 (friends, family, their friends...ect). Of course I have also been using this time to point out the advantages of Ubuntu Linux. The average computer user (home consumer) uses their PC for email, documents, games, music, movies, and sometimes work.

And before someone screams, Microsoft Office .... Not as much as I thought. Which I'm very pleased to discover (and surprised). But the few who do, seem to be using the "older" versions from work & for once I'm thankful large corporations don't upgrade things as Wine runs those old versions flawlessly.

Steam support for games has jumped. Hell, Steam OS, yes they now have their own OS .... Built off of Ubutnu I may add .... Has help a lot. And suddenly maybe because of this, PlayOnLinux development for gaming has also jumped, allowing many of the popular games that are windows only, run flawlessly. You've never seen the refresh rate of Call of Duty or Halo until you've played it on Ubuntu.
 
I have been downgrading people to Windows 7 (friends, family, their friends...ect)
It's the other way far me. Ive been upgrading people to windows 8 :)

And before someone screams, Microsoft Office .... Not as much as I thought. Which I'm very pleased to discover (and surprised).
Not used MS Office for years. no need to now thanks to libreoffice.

Steam support for games has jumped. Hell, Steam OS, yes they now have their own OS .... Built off of Ubutnu I may add .... Has help a lot. And suddenly maybe because of this, PlayOnLinux development for gaming has also jumped, allowing many of the popular games that are windows only, run flawlessly. You've never seen the refresh rate of Call of Duty or Halo until you've played it on Ubuntu.
I avoid steam as much as I can as I prefer GoG. (Long live DRM free games)
I don't use any linux other than on a server so I can't really comment on that.
(Also I wouldn't play games like Call of Duty even if you paid me too! lol)
 
Not used MS Office for years. no need to now thanks to libreoffice.
That's what I use and to my surprise that seems to be what a lot of people are using at their work now too.

Who knew?! :eek::ROFLMAO:
I avoid steam as much as I can as I prefer GoG. (Long live DRM free games)
I don't use any linux other than on a server so I can't really comment on that.
(Also I wouldn't play games like Call of Duty even if you paid me too! lol)
It's not my type of game either, to be honest. But it seems to be a popular one I came across... ie... Both Call of Duty & Halo.

You're in luck... GoG has been developing for Ubuntu as well. But in the mean time, there is a backport http://www.gogonlinux.com/
 
I know what you are saying but I have no reason to leave windows for any other OS's windows 8 works and works well for me.
I'm glad that Windows 8 works for you, but you asked why does it not work for others.... I guess it would be the same reason you provided. They see no reason to move to Windows 8 and every reason to keep with Windows 7 or switch to something else such as Apple or Ubuntu Linux (which is free). :)
 
I'm glad that Windows 8 works for you, but you asked why does it not work for others.... I guess it would be the same reason you provided. They see no reason to move to Windows 8 and every reason to keep with Windows 7 or switch to something else such as Apple or Ubuntu Linux (which is free). :)
Hey Ive got no problem with people not upgrading :) I just don't understand the "it don't work" comments :D

I remember the uproar when the start menu change from XP to Vista, Hell I was one of them! But after time you realise that it was better in every way.
 
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