Help Windows 8

[dysfunction]

The start screen has most things you need or can be customised to have your most used or apps you wsnt close at hand.
To me that's quicker than the traditional start button. And its extremely easy to get to if you are in the desktop.

It's a huge change in your thinking of how to access stuff but I think its better and more efficient when you learn how to use it properly.

 

[Athan]

The start screen has most things you need or can be customised to have your most used or apps you wsnt close at hand.

In Windows 7 you can pin apps to the top of the Start menu. I have done this with a few things like Process Explorer.

 

[Scouse]

My Win7 build never BSOD'd on me. Ever.


My Win8 build, on the same hardware, has just done it for the 3rd time. It's a nicer shade of blue, sure, but it's still BSOD-ing...

It's good on my sister's touch-screen laptop - but otherwise it's a waste of time tbfh.

 

[Embattle]

Personally I did a secure erase of both my SSDs today and after using Windows 8 since October I've reinstalled Windows 7 after the erase, it isn't bad but still I think it is more suited to Touch devices and in this area there will be more improvements for touch devices in Windows Blue (8.1).

 

[Syri]

After using windows 8 on my desktop for a couple of months, I ended up buying Start8 to get a decent start menu back. I did try to get on with metro, or modern ui or whatever they're calling it these days, but I just got so frustrated in the end that some things were quicker on the start screen, some quicker pinned to the taskbar, some were quicker right clicking the bottom left corner and some quicker using the "charm" bar at the right hand corners. Now, I can get to explore my drives, launch programs, get to control panel and shut down or restart my pc, all from the same place, just like I can on my laptop with windows 7.
I'm sure it's all very nice for touchscreens, but they really should've put an option on installation that said "will you be using a touchscreen?" and if you say no, then it boots straight to desktop with a start button there, and an option to launch the new ui on the start menu, for those that want to use anything that runs in it.

 

[MYstIC G]

My Win7 build never BSOD'd on me. Ever.


My Win8 build, on the same hardware, has just done it for the 3rd time. It's a nicer shade of blue, sure, but it's still BSOD-ing...

It's good on my sister's touch-screen laptop - but otherwise it's a waste of time tbfh.

Clean install or upgrade?

 

[rynnor]

Bought new laptop with Win 8 today - not very impressed as its a non touchscreen device and the O/S seems to be pure tablet.

Found all the things I needed but have to teach the Mrs how to use it which will be painful - its fast to boot etc. but the learning curve is painful.

\thank god I didn't buy it for a desktop tbh - I had considered it for my next box but it will be win 7 now...

 

[- English -]

Did you take a start menu button? Theres not much difference imo when you have one installed

 

[Edmond]

Hmmmm.....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22439496

 

[TdC]

Steve Ballmer is a scary, scary man

 

[soze]

Windows 8 is a doodle the learning curve is pressing the Windows button and typing rather than clicking. It took about two days to get used to it and now I would say I get about faster than before. There is no need for a Start Button mod.

At work I see the "Not the Metro UI anymore" about twice a day if you ignore the times i hit start and type to get an application.

 

[DaGaffer]

I loathe it on my Missus' laptop but I don't know if its actually win8 or the touchpad on her lappy that's causing my rage. I constantly find it flips through applications without my say so and have to scroll through at the top left or alt tab to get back to what I want ( usually the browser).

I thought it might be because I'm a cack handed leftie but the Missus isn't and she has similar issues

 

[Shagrat]

I've used it for a while now and can honestly say I don't know where all the rage came from, it's alright to use, and I seem to be able to get around it pretty quickly to get to what I want.

 

[dysfunction]

I loathe it on my Missus' laptop but I don't know if its actually win8 or the touchpad on her lappy that's causing my rage. I constantly find it flips through applications without my say so and have to scroll through at the top left or alt tab to get back to what I want ( usually the browser).

I thought it might be because I'm a cack handed leftie but the Missus isn't and she has similar issues

That's the laptop being stupid. Those touch paf things are crap. Plug in a mouse its easier.

 

[rynnor]

Weird one now - for some reason the touchpad wont work anymore once logged into windows 8 - works fine on the logon screen so its not a hardware issue.

Any ideas where settings for this would exist?

I also had an IE hang for a few mins which is odd.

 

[Scouse]

I seem to be able to get around it pretty quickly to get to what I want.

You shouldn't have to get around anything. And it looks like Microsoft may be listening.

 

[DaGaffer]

That's the laptop being stupid. Those touch paf things are crap. Plug in a mouse its easier.

Kind of misses the point of it being a laptop... I don't want to plug in a mouse because we move the laptop around all the time and a mouse is toddler-bait. Annoying thing is its not a cheap lappy, its an HP Envy. All I envy is people who don't have one.

 

[soze]

You shouldn't have to get around anything. And it looks like Microsoft may be listening.

The UI needed to be changed to suite tablets which are getting more popular. And having to click start and typing Wo... rather than clicking Start > All Programs > Microsoft Office > Microsoft Office Word, is not a hardship if you try to get used to it is is far easier than the switch from XP to Vista or 7.

And the rumors of 8.5 have been out since before 8 was released. They say MS always had plans to release the start button but delayed it to encourage developers to write Metro Apps for the RT.

 

[Scouse]

The UI needed to be changed to suite tablets which are getting more popular.

They're still in the minority.

As a consumer OS for people with tablets - great. As a consumer OS for people with PC's/Laptops - down to personal choice. As a professional OS for people who use it in a work setting, especially for technical work - the systems administration people, it's an obstructive joke.

I don't need to be going through an extra layer of tablet-friendly-pretty to get to a suite of tools I'd use constantly. I don't need to be setting up separate icons for management tools to run in different user contexts because of the loss of a right-clickable context menu on a really handy one-size fits-all menu system that was developed over a decade and has proven the single most useful user interface ever.

Sometimes, shock horror, I don't even want to use my keyboard on a PC, and I could do everything with a mouse quickly, easily and sensibly organised in a conceptual way that everyone understands. Not with Win8.

Windows Blue will see the start menu back in some form. Not because business users are arseholes who can't learn anything new (I learned how to use the new UI in about 3 seconds flat - it's for numpties on phones and tablets after all) - it's because Win8 makes some tasks that were previously easy just slightly more annoying to get to - and if that's your main job then it's like wadeing through an additional layer of top-down-imposed beauracracy.

 

[MYstIC G]

Kind of misses the point of it being a laptop... I don't want to plug in a mouse because we move the laptop around all the time and a mouse is toddler-bait. Annoying thing is its not a cheap lappy, its an HP Envy. All I envy is people who don't have one.

Turn off all the fancy touchpad shit, that normally helps. Its probably got one of those "if you hold down for x seconds then you're using the scrollbars" settings.

 

[Overdriven]

Financial Times just slated W8 complaining that people don't how to turn it off. Heh. I admit, having to sign out to shut down (As a consumer) is a pita.

 

[soze]

You don't though. Bottom Right, then Settings then Power, then Shut Down. It is two more clicks that Windows 7.

 

[DaGaffer]

I thought you could just press the off button with win8?

 

[Overdriven]

You don't though. Bottom Right, then Settings then Power, then Shut Down. It is two more clicks that Windows 7.

I'm going at this as a consumer. Why should I have to go into Settings then Power to shut down? Why shouldn't I just click start key, right click + shut down?

How many end users are going to go into 'Settings' to find out how to shut down?

 

[Scouse]

It is two more clicks that Windows 7.

Two more clicks. Not one more, TWO more.

Q.E.D. IMO. There's many more clicks all over the place in the fucker.

I thought you could just press the off button with win8?

My PC sits about ten feet away from me in the corner of the room. I don't want to get up, go over to (and under) a desk just to turn my PC off...

 

[soze]

I am not saying it is good, I am just saying you don't need to log out to shut down.

It is one of the few things I miss about the Start Menu.

 

[rynnor]

I am a week in and I still dont like Win8 - cant wait for the update tbh.

What happened to task manager? It only features applications now - a backwards move for a pc o/s.

 

[SheepCow]

I am a week in and I still dont like Win8 - cant wait for the update tbh.

What happened to task manager? It only features applications now - a backwards move for a pc o/s.

Task Manager does everything it used to and more. The "Processes" tab gives you all the running processes. "Performance" gives you memory/CPU/network activity and pretty graphs. "App History" is new and gives info on the Win8 apps. "Startup" is new and lets you modify what's run at startup. "Users" is still there, it now gives you a list of all processes owned by each user too. "Details" is basically the old style of process list. "Services" lists services ...

edit: maybe you've got it in "fewer details" mode? press "More Details" if it's there.

 

[rynnor]

edit: maybe you've got it in "fewer details" mode? press "More Details" if it's there.

I think that's it - by default it just shows applications now.

 

[rynnor]

On a more serious note I cannot get Java to work - I installed it - it looks enabled everywhere but it wont even load the java based vpn I need for work