Classic Shell Works on Windows 8

[Andrea Borman]

I have got 2 netbooks with Windows XP Home Edition and 4 others with Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Home Premium. Both versions of Windows,that is Windows XP and Windows 7 are excellent operating systems. But this Windows 8 is a disaster and I hate it. Because of the Ailien appearance Metro,tiled desktop and no start menu. And according to what I have read on the web and seen in videos,you have to log in with a password in Windows 8. But on Windows XP and Windows 7,you don't have to have a password if you do not want one.

They have already stopped selling Windows XP and Windows Vista in most shops in England. And so you can only buy Windows 7. I hope it does not happen that they stop selling Windows 7 and we are forced to buy Windows 8. I am not very experienced at computers. And I don't know what I would do if I had to live with a Windows 8 computer. Windows 8 is confusing,not like the Windows we know and love.And a lot of Windows users including me will find using Windows 8 a problem,with the Metro theme and no start menu.as well as the fact that we probably won't be able to run our Windows XP software,web browsers and chat messengers on Windows 8. But Windows 7 runs anything that you install on it,all of your software you use on Windows XP and Windows Vista,Windows Live Messenger for Windows XP,Windows XP web browsers like Deepnet Explorer. That were made for Windows XP because they were made before Windows Vista and 7 was invented but run they on Windows 7. And I have all of those great Windows Vista apps,Windows Mail for Windows Vista,the ORIGINAL Windows Sidebar that is on Windows Vista,Windows Calendar,Windows Movie Maker 6,and 2.6 all run on my Windows 7 along with the Windows XP software. Now can you honestly say that we will be able to run all of this in Windows 8 like we can on Windows 7? I don't think so.

We cannot even have a normal Windows start menu and desktop on Windows 8,like we have in every other edition of Windows. The truth is I hate Windows 8 and will never install Windows 8 or buy a Windows 8 computer if I can help it,no NEVER. I cannot believe that they are serious about making Windows 8 look like it is now. Windows 8 and the Metro theme is a Windows users worst nightmare. And many Windows users who are just ordinary people not computer geeks will find Windows 8 a problem to use. And wish they were back on Windows 7,Windows XP or Windows Vista or whatever version of Windows they had before Windows 8. And So will I find using Windows 8 a big problem as well as the fact that I will hate it.

Now I am thinking of buying more Windows 7 laptops to stock up and put away in a cupboard.So that if the time should come when my netbooks wear out and I need a new laptop. I will not have to face being forced to buy Windows 8,because they do not sell Windows 7 anymore. I will use one of my stored away Windows 7 laptops. And hopefully I will have enough Windows 7 laptops to use Windows 7 for the next 20 years.And I will never have to use Windows 8.

A few weeks ago I got the chance to look at a Windows Vista laptop. And to my surprise Windows Vista was quite fast,in fact it is identical to Windows 7. So Windows Vista is very usable and like all the other versions of Windows,it has a start menu and normal desktop,no Metro. And if you like Windows 7,you will feel at home with Windows Vista. And if I had to choose between Windows Vista and Windows 8.Of course I would choose Windows Vista,as well as Windows 7 and Windows XP. But windows 8? No. I am not going to install or get a Windows 8 computer-NO WAY. I hate Windows 8 and I see no need for a Windows 8 when I and everybody else is very happy with Windows 7. My advice is get rid of Windows 8 and go back to windows 7 or whatever version of Windows you had before. Andrea Borman.

[SharpGreen]

I have got 2 netbooks with Windows XP Home Edition and 4 others with Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Home Premium. Both versions of Windows,that is Windows XP and Windows 7 are excellent operating systems. But this Windows 8 is a disaster and I hate it. Because of the Ailien appearance Metro,tiled desktop and no start menu. And according to what I have read on the web and seen in videos,you have to log in with a password in Windows 8. But on Windows XP and Windows 7,you don't have to have a password if you do not want one.

They have already stopped selling Windows XP and Windows Vista in most shops in England. And so you can only buy Windows 7. I hope it does not happen that they stop selling Windows 7 and we are forced to buy Windows 8. I am not very experienced at computers. And I don't know what I would do if I had to live with a Windows 8 computer. Windows 8 is confusing,not like the Windows we know and love.And a lot of Windows users including me will find using Windows 8 a problem,with the Metro theme and no start menu.as well as the fact that we probably won't be able to run our Windows XP software,web browsers and chat messengers on Windows 8. But Windows 7 runs anything that you install on it,all of your software you use on Windows XP and Windows Vista,Windows Live Messenger for Windows XP,Windows XP web browsers like Deepnet Explorer. That were made for Windows XP because they were made before Windows Vista and 7 was invented but run they on Windows 7. And I have all of those great Windows Vista apps,Windows Mail for Windows Vista,the ORIGINAL Windows Sidebar that is on Windows Vista,Windows Calendar,Windows Movie Maker 6,and 2.6 all run on my Windows 7 along with the Windows XP software. Now can you honestly say that we will be able to run all of this in Windows 8 like we can on Windows 7? I don't think so.

We cannot even have a normal Windows start menu and desktop on Windows 8,like we have in every other edition of Windows. The truth is I hate Windows 8 and will never install Windows 8 or buy a Windows 8 computer if I can help it,no NEVER. I cannot believe that they are serious about making Windows 8 look like it is now. Windows 8 and the Metro theme is a Windows users worst nightmare. And many Windows users who are just ordinary people not computer geeks will find Windows 8 a problem to use. And wish they were back on Windows 7,Windows XP or Windows Vista or whatever version of Windows they had before Windows 8. And So will I find using Windows 8 a big problem as well as the fact that I will hate it.

Now I am thinking of buying more Windows 7 laptops to stock up and put away in a cupboard.So that if the time should come when my netbooks wear out and I need a new laptop. I will not have to face being forced to buy Windows 8,because they do not sell Windows 7 anymore. I will use one of my stored away Windows 7 laptops. And hopefully I will have enough Windows 7 laptops to use Windows 7 for the next 20 years.And I will never have to use Windows 8.

A few weeks ago I got the chance to look at a Windows Vista laptop. And to my surprise Windows Vista was quite fast,in fact it is identical to Windows 7. So Windows Vista is very usable and like all the other versions of Windows,it has a start menu and normal desktop,no Metro. And if you like Windows 7,you will feel at home with Windows Vista. And if I had to choose between Windows Vista and Windows 8.Of course I would choose Windows Vista,as well as Windows 7 and Windows XP. But windows 8? No. I am not going to install or get a Windows 8 computer-NO WAY. I hate Windows 8 and I see no need for a Windows 8 when I and everybody else is very happy with Windows 7. My advice is get rid of Windows 8 and go back to windows 7 or whatever version of Windows you had before. Andrea Borman.

Why would I get rid of Windows 8 when, it does all the same things that 7 did (and in many case the exact same way)? I don't know about you, but..my windows 8 install has a regular taskbar (3 in fact) and a desktop full of icons. Also my start screen functions exactly like the old start menu did. I can pin stuff to it (like you can in win7), I can start typing and search for stuff (again just like win7). There isn't anything that can't be done in windows 8 in the same way it was done in windows 7. Other than the fact that its now full screen, I fail to see any functional difference between the two.

My advice, is to actually use Windows 8 the same way you Win7 and see for yourself that you're wrong.

[lalalalalalalala]

I have got 2 netbooks with Windows XP Home Edition and 4 others with Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Home Premium. Both versions of Windows,that is Windows XP and Windows 7 are excellent operating systems. But this Windows 8 is a disaster and I hate it. Because of the Ailien appearance Metro,tiled desktop and no start menu. And according to what I have read on the web and seen in videos,you have to log in with a password in Windows 8. But on Windows XP and Windows 7,you don't have to have a password if you do not want one.

....................

"And according to what I have read on the web and seen in videos,you have to log in with a password in Windows 8"

yes you can, but i wont try to explain and then waste my time explaining why or how that happens. why? because if someone critize something from a DEVELOPER PREVIEW and then only says "And according to what I have read on the web and seen in videos"

that shows you know NOTHING about windows 8, if you haven't used it... then really you don't know it. and for the way you talk you aren-t interested about it.

obviously you wont feel it the same at the beginning, i started from ZERO like everyone else. the difference its i tried to adapt the new UI to my way of doing things.

what was the start menu for? launching programs. and what its the new metro for? launching the same programs, of course in a different way.

before you had FOLDERS and FOLDERS! and thats why people now use in win7 search or pinned items or MFU. because folders aren't and weren't nice.

if you want to think about the new UI it will be like MFU and Pinned start menu programs. and taskbar pinned programs aswell. anddd for programs you rarely use you use app section which gives you all the available apps, so no more folders.

like i told to a person in winrumors... "ITS THE SAME!" because it is. even in his example i told him, he had to go through the start menu all programs folders. and i would have to go to Apps in windows 8.

i respect people not liking UI. because people maybe not like something i do.

but saying its not efficient, because actually its more efficient even on search field. its silly, specially if you haven't used it.

Also its a Developer Preview! its not finished, they will fix alot of stuff. they will obviously add more things, and it will evolve more and more. if you have read MS blog post about win 8, you would see they are working hard on it. because its far from RTM, even Beta its unknown.

but one thing im sure, as you didn-t see 192391 times the old start menu, you wont have to see metro UI either, why? because its for launching programs. of course it gives a new developing area. new apps. and such... but it doesn't mean you have to stay there 3 hours. you go there launch a program and you don't have to see it. specially if you have desktop icons and pinned programs in taskbar. (the same way it works now)

how does it work for me then? because it does! i have had this windows 8 as my main OS since 3 weeks ago! and if it works for me it can work for anyone, but only if they want to. then it wont

[Andrea Borman]

I cannot believe that Windows 8 is as good as Windows 7 and the other editions of Windows,Windows XP and Windows Vista. for one thing it is only the developers platform preview not the final version. And there is no way to uninstall it from your system. And as Windows 8 is only the developers version,there must be bugs and it cannot be working properly.

And anyway because I have a netbook with no CD drive,I cannot install Windows 8 anyway. and even if I could it probably would not be compatible with my netbook hardware. I think windows users should complain to Microsoft that they don't want Windows 8. And if they must be a windows 8,then make it look like Windows 7 at least. With a windows 7 style desktop and start menu,which has been in all versions of Windows up until Windows 8.

Also what about having to have a password on Windows 8? On windows 7 and versions of Windows before that,you do not have to have a password if you do not want one. And that suits me because I do not want to have to log in with a password or enter it every time I do something on my own computer. So I do not have a password on any of my Windows XP or Windows 7 computers.but it seems that at the moment,on Windows 8 you have to have a password. Is that right? Another reason I do not want to go on Windows 8.

On Windows 7,we have got a good thing going with an almost perfect operating system.And Windows XP is also good and has a lot of good software,Windows Movie Maker 2.1 for example. The one advantage of Windows XP and Windows Vista is that they have a lot of bundled software that is already there. windows Calendar for Windows Vista,windows Movie Maker 6. And windows XP has Windows Media player 9, and two other earlier versions of WMP-WMP 6.4 and WMP 5.1. Where as on Windows 7 the software is not there,you have to put it there yourself. But that is easily done on Windows 7,you just download it from the Internet. And it works on Windows 7.in fact all software for Windows XP and earlier versions of Windows,Windows 2000,98 and 95 works on Windows 7. Except for Internet explorer 6 and 7,Outlook Express and earlier versions of Windows Media player,WMP 9 and 10. Although you can install WMP 11,a special version,that has been adapted for Windows 7. And I have installed WMP 11 on windows 7 as well as all of the other Windows Vista and Windows XP software.And all of this runs on Windows 7.

And Windows XP is also good and I like both Windows 7 and Windows XP. In fact if anyone who did not know about computers,would think that Windows XP was only made two months ago and not ten years ago. Windows XP is a very good version of Windows like Windows 7 is. And Windows Vista,although I have not got it,seems good. But Windows 8 is not the same. I hate the confusing appearance of it. I have tried Linux and I got rid of it because I did not get on with it or know how to use it. And Linux does not have a start menu either. And has those big horrible tiles too,Ubuntu does.

Now they want to make Windows 8 like that. That is why I do not want Windows 8. Andrea Borman.

[SharpGreen]

I cannot believe that Windows 8 is as good as Windows 7 and the other editions of Windows,Windows XP and Windows Vista. for one thing it is only the developers platform preview not the final version. And there is no way to uninstall it from your system. And as Windows 8 is only the developers version,there must be bugs and it cannot be working properly.

And anyway because I have a netbook with no CD drive,I cannot install Windows 8 anyway. and even if I could it probably would not be compatible with my netbook hardware. I think windows users should complain to Microsoft that they don't want Windows 8. And if they must be a windows 8,then make it look like Windows 7 at least. With a windows 7 style desktop and start menu,which has been in all versions of Windows up until Windows 8.

Also what about having to have a password on Windows 8? On windows 7 and versions of Windows before that,you do not have to have a password if you do not want one. And that suits me because I do not want to have to log in with a password or enter it every time I do something on my own computer. So I do not have a password on any of my Windows XP or Windows 7 computers.but it seems that at the moment,on Windows 8 you have to have a password. Is that right? Another reason I do not want to go on Windows 8.

On Windows 7,we have got a good thing going with an almost perfect operating system.And Windows XP is also good and has a lot of good software,Windows Movie Maker 2.1 for example. The one advantage of Windows XP and Windows Vista is that they have a lot of bundled software that is already there. windows Calendar for Windows Vista,windows Movie Maker 6. And windows XP has Windows Media player 9, and two other earlier versions of WMP-WMP 6.4 and WMP 5.1. Where as on Windows 7 the software is not there,you have to put it there yourself. But that is easily done on Windows 7,you just download it from the Internet. And it works on Windows 7.in fact all software for Windows XP and earlier versions of Windows,Windows 2000,98 and 95 works on Windows 7. Except for Internet explorer 6 and 7,Outlook Express and earlier versions of Windows Media player,WMP 9 and 10. Although you can install WMP 11,a special version,that has been adapted for Windows 7. And I have installed WMP 11 on windows 7 as well as all of the other Windows Vista and Windows XP software.And all of this runs on Windows 7.

And Windows XP is also good and I like both Windows 7 and Windows XP. In fact if anyone who did not know about computers,would think that Windows XP was only made two months ago and not ten years ago. Windows XP is a very good version of Windows like Windows 7 is. And Windows Vista,although I have not got it,seems good. But Windows 8 is not the same. I hate the confusing appearance of it. I have tried Linux and I got rid of it because I did not get on with it or know how to use it. And Linux does not have a start menu either. And has those big horrible tiles too,Ubuntu does.

Now they want to make Windows 8 like that. That is why I do not want Windows 8. Andrea Borman.

First of all, not securing your stuff by putting a PW on the admin account is just plain dumb. No question about that. And yes of course Windows 8 continues to allow people to not use a password for some reason.

Also I've been running the Win8 Developer Preview since its release as my main OS and I can tell you the I've only had two issues, and both were easy to work around. So this "cannot work properly" bit you're saying is not fully accurate. But I guess I should expect that given the rest of your two posts. Also as with ever other version of Windows before it, WMP is bundled.

Windows starting with 7 can be installed from a USB stick, so the lack of CD drive is irrelevant. Also the guy in charge of windows development at MS uses a Windows 8 netbook as his main machine so that obviously means it works just fine on netbook HW.

[still1]

y not use 7 then? Don't use 8

[Andrea Borman]

First of all, not securing your stuff by putting a PW on the admin account is just plain dumb. No question about that. And yes of course Windows 8 continues to allow people to not use a password for some reason.

So on Windows 8 ,I can just boot up and log in without having to have a password on Windows 8, just like I do on Windows 7? Is that true? They did not say that on the articles I read but maybe they got it wrong.

But if I did use Windows 8 I would not want to have a password on my computer. On Windows 7 and Windows XP you are set up as an Administrator account by default. And you do not have to have a password. Is it the same on Windows 8?

But then there is the problem of the no start menu,Metro tiles, and also there is no taskbar either on Windows 8.I like the simple way of a start menu and to be able to pin icons from the start menu onto the desktop as a shortcut.We have this in Windows 7, Windows XP and Windows Vista. But this is not metro tiles. In Windows XP I noticed you cannot pin items to the taskbar at least not in Windows XP Home Edition. Which is what I have but I do not know about in Windows XP Professional. But that is not important. But in Windows 7 you can and I think you can in Windows Vista. But there are only a small number of items pinned to my taskbar.

And in Windows XP there is something called quick launch that puts very small icons in the right hand side of the taskbar,but I never enable it. And in Windows 7 there is an option to make desktop icons large and this makes them very large like in Ubuntu.. But not many people use this option. Most people just choose to make the desktop icons medium or small size,small size is very small icons. This is good if you have a lot of desktop icons, but I set my icons to medium size on both my Windows XP and Windows 7.

But either way Windows 7 and Windows XP and other versions of Windows is what we understand. Windows 8 is not and I cannot believe that any software installed on Windows 8,such as Firefox or Aim Messenger and other things we use on Windows XP and Windows 7 works,at the moment. As Windows 8 is a developers platform. But when the main version comes out you will have to uninstall the platform preview,as it will stop working. Just like Windows 7 Beta no longer works now. What then? How would you uninstall it? Andrea Borman.

[HawkMan]

Why don't you wait until the beta to form an opinion, since the dev preview isn't mean for people like you and isn't done in any way. and you can't relly form an opinion on how it works and if it's better or worse without actually trying it, you're just basing your opinion on what other people are saying on the net and videos of an incomplete OS.

[AstareGod]

Did you just say there's no taskbar in WIndows 8? Where exactly are you getting this information? Windows 8 includes the taskbar (and actually has the capability to put more taskbars on multiple monitors), includes the desktop, pinned apps to the taskbar. Actually, very little on the surface of Windows 8 has changed since Windows 7. The login UI, boot screen, and new start screen are new, of course, but the desktop, Windows Explorer, taskbars, and such are still there!

[lalalalalalalala]

Dude AndreaBorman seriously...

did you read my comment? there is DESKTOP yeah the same you can have icons, taskbar, since wind7 you can pin to taskbar.

i told you READ MICROSOFT BLOG why? because maybeee you will understand why they changed START MENU.

they changed it because its not for touch, and also because people use it less and less. they know new devices will be touch, and you will get someday a touch device, so its time to make revolution and start forcing that. because touch isn't nothing new. but Windows as it was wasn't meant to be for touch.

that doesn't mean desktop will disappear. and like you say you pin stuff to taskbar. yeah... thats the whole point. START MENU is less and less used. so they are making a new one. but adding important stuff.

you search better and faster. you launch programs better and faster. and you do everything better and faster. people might complain about not being like start menu. and obviously it wont. but people have to get used to this new start menú.. like i said, it works for me, it can work for anyone.

and i have used Windows since 3.1! i saw the 95 change and how it changed until 7 and now 8. so its not like i dont know about these changes.

it doesnt mean you have to like it. but it doesn't mean your Windows 7 will be better. specially since they are adding amazing features like sync your account. and they will add people hub, and photo hub, and music hub, Messenger hub. and skydrive integration and these stuff that can make Windows 8 really amazing.

you use new metro style ui to LAUNCH programs. its not you have to use it and stare at it for 4 hours. no, you launch programs the same way you did with old start menu, difference? its obviously full screen. and it has App section, which has all your apps, no more folders and folders!

if you dont want to use it, ok stay with Windows 7.

but really everything i use works. yeah i had trouble installing 3dsmax, but i found a workaround, but small stuff like messengers and that stuff everything works! why? becuase there is still desktop! they arent removing it.

and seriously if you didn't even read my comment... i feel im wasting my time. i said YOU CAN LEAVE YOUR ACCOUNT WITH NO PASSWORD. yeah YOU CAN!

but its not like you think. because SECURITY is important for Microsoft specially if you can use Windows live ID to Access it.

if you dont know and havent used Windows 8. stay to Windows 7. talk about it. becuase you really dont know anything about Windows 8. i dont know what you have read or seen. but you are totally wrong.

[Andrea Borman]

Well I read a post on the web and in it is said that Microsoft do want to make a Windows 8 and make it look like that-Metro look with no start menu. But I don't know anybody who has got a laptop where you just touch the screen with your fingers. As far as I know there are not any laptops with a touch screen. Only Internet mobile phones or I pads. But I don't have one of those,just a text and talk mobile phone. It is not an Internet phone. But I have got my netbooks for that.

And I also read that a lot of laptop makers,while now,they are putting Windows 7 on them.Even the makers like Acer and MSI who traditionally like to put Windows XP on their netbooks. They have now had to put Windows 7 on them. But the one disadvantage of buying a 1GB netbook is that it only come with Windows 7 Starter. But you can upgrade to Home Premium or Ultimate like I have done. And by the way you can change the wallpaper on Windows 7 Starter,but first you have to install third party software,like Oceanis or Personalization Panel to do it. When I had Windows 7 Starter I used Personalization Panel to change my wallpaper,but now I have upgraded to Home Premium.

But they were selling Windows XP netbooks and Windows Vista for years,it was only last December that they stopped doing it.But I was lucky to get two brand new Windows XP 1GB netbooks,Acer Aspire One and MSI Wind with Windows XP,the very last in the store,in June this year. I thought about buying Windows Vista but as I have got Windows 7 and Windows Vista is almost identical to Windows 7. I thought I did not need it. On the other hand if my only choice was Windows Vista or Windows 8,of course I would choose Windows Vista. As it has a start menu and normal Windows desktop. Unlike Windows 8 that does not.

But a lot of people won't have a touch screen laptop and I don't know anywhere where there is one. So maybe that alone will stop makers putting Windows 8 on the laptops. But there is another way out for Microsoft,why not just make Windows 8 with a normal desktop and start menu or forget Windows 8. That would solve all our problems. My fear is that they will stop making Windows 7 and we will be forced to buy Windows 8. Which I hope does not happen.Andrea Borman.

[Ryster]

I don't see how random, ugly tiles are 'progress'.

New is not always better.

And that just goes to show you have no clue.

The tiles are not random, they are what YOU, the user, pins there (barring a couple of default ones like desktop, control panel, etc).

They are not ugly, they are what the app developer chooses as the icon for their app.

If you believe that all the tiles you see in this PREVIEW copy of Windows are what you will see in the final version, you need a better grasp on reality and a dose of common sense.

[Andrea Borman]

Well I hate the Metro,tiled appearance of Windows 8. Ubuntu has those big tiled icons and most Linux brands do not have a start menu. Except for Linux Mint but Linux is too difficult to use,so I gave it up. And Mac is like Windows 8 and I don't know how to use Mac either. That's why I stay with Windows,because it is easy to use and there are things about it,users like me understand,Windows search,the start menu,a blank desktop.That when you install Firefox and other programs gets filled up with desktop icon shortcuts. But you can take the shortcuts off of your desktop if you don't like clutter,and just access the programs from the start menu. And you can also pin programs to the start menu.

I don't want to use Linux or Mac that is why I am with Windows but now they want to make Windows 8 look like Linux or Mac. And that is why I don't want Windows 8. I don't think I will be able to manage with the new metro,tiled appearance. I will have trouble getting around the settings or finding them, with my limited computer experience. And so will a lot of Windows users.

That's why we need the normal Windows desktop and start menu. Some people don't like the Aero theme we have on Windows Vista and Windows 7. But it still has a start menu and normal Windows desktop,so it does not effect anybody in any way. And you can change the theme to Windows Classic on both Windows Vista and Windows 7. And this disables the Aero theme. And on Windows Classic,you can also change that grey taskbar to any color you want and change the desktop color using the color picker. And this also works on Windows 7 Starter. And of course you can add Classic Shell if you want to go one step further, and have a Windows XP or Classic Windows 98 start menu on Windows 7. But on Windows 8,I don't know if you can do all that.

And as for logging in with your Windows Live ID or hotmail account-not everybody has a hotmail email account or Windows live account.But there is nothing new about this. As on Windows XP and Windows 7 it asks you if you want to set up your hotmail account as Net Passport or Windows Credentials. But I have not done this. Andrea Borman.

[SharpGreen]

blah blah blah

Yes we know you don't like it.

Take it from someone who's actually used it (since it appears you haven't), Windows 8 (even the dev preview) still contains a desktop and taskbar; and still runs regular apps. I don't even know why I keep wasting my time posting this, because you obviously won't read it.

[lalalalalalalala]

Yes we know you don't like it.

Take it from someone who's actually used it (since it appears you haven't), Windows 8 (even the dev preview) still contains a desktop and taskbar; and still runs regular apps. I don't even know why I keep wasting my time posting this, because you obviously won't read it.

thats exactly the same i thought. its like he doesn't read and doesn't wan to read what you and i wrote. i felt like i really wasted my time.

"And as for logging in with your Windows Live ID or hotmail account-not everybody has a hotmail email account or Windows live account.But there is nothing new about this. As on Windows XP and Windows 7 it asks you if you want to set up your hotmail account as Net Passport or Windows Credentials. But I have not done this"

starting with that, first about the password and now Windows Live ID?...

this person dont understand that if you dont want a Windows live ID you just have to create a local account. and local account you can remove the password. why? because if you create a Windows live ID account, you WONT be able to remove password for security reasons.

besides Windows live ID its for synching if someone doesn't care about it, local account would be there.

but a person who doesn't even read or watch something relevant... its silly. like when they showed how fast win8 boots, they showed how it started with no password :) so, i really dont know which videos he has seen.

anyway i like new Metro UI. for the moment no having good metro style apps its why i dont see new Metro UI much.

but its good! and it promises to be amazing release.

about the classic Shell xD well i cant imagine using it, but if people wants to use it... well its their choice. but i see the same but better launching and searching in this new immersive UI.

[Andrea Borman]

Well,I have got two hotmail accounts,but I use them for email and to talk to my friends on Windows Live Messenger. By the way,Windows Live Messenger for Windows XP works great on Windows 7. I have got Windows Live Messenger for Windows XP on my Windows 7,not Windows Live Messenger 2011. But Windows Live Messenger for Windows XP is really last years version, and if you read the system requirements it is for Windows 7 and Windows Vista and Windows XP.

But the version of Windows 8 you have installed is only a platform preview. What are you going to do when the real version of Windows 8 is is released? As then the preview version will stop working. Just like Windows 7 Beta did.And you won't be able to use Windows 8 platform preview anymore. I have heard you cannot uninstall Windows 8. Andrea Borman.

[cooky560 Veteran]

I've tried lots of things with Windows 8, and the start screen still doesn't agree with me, sorry folks. If windows 8 is the way forward I'll just my mac more often

[Andrea Borman]

Well,you can use Classic Shell on Windows 7 to make it look like Windows XP. And then download the default Windows XP wallpaper,Bliss,from the Internet. And set it as your desktop background. And it does make Windows 7 look like Windows XP. As you can see here in these images from my netbook running Windows 7. And it does look like Windows XP and Classic Shell can also give you the classic Windows 98 start menu.On Windows 7 you just change from the Aero theme to Windows Classic to get the Windows XP or Windows 98 look. Can Classic Shell do the same thing on Windows 8? The bigest problem there is that Metro,tiled theme. But Windows 7 is very user friendly and flexible.Andrea Borman.

[+Matthew S. Subscriber²]

Actually theres windows XP for that...

[Andrea Borman]

Actually theres windows XP for that...

Yes I have got two Windows XP netbooks as well as my Windows 7 netbooks. But looking at my Windows 7 desktop that I have made look like Windows XP in the pictures above. Most people would think I am running Windows XP,but of course I am not. To get that Windows XP wallpaper you just download a JPG image of it from some where like Google image search. Save it to my pictures and right click set as desktop background. And if you have got Windows 7 Starter,you have to download a software called Personalization Panel,that lets you change the wallpaper.

But even when I have not got my desktop set on the Windows XP wallpaper.All my Windows 7 laptops are set on Windows Classic theme,not Aero. As I don't like the Aero theme and then I change the desktop and taskbar color to one of my choice. Here is a picture of my Windows 7 on Windows Classic in my own colors. Andrea Borman.

[HawkMan]

Disabling aero and using classic on a netbook or low powered pc... :facepalm:

[still1]

Disabling aero and using classic on a netbook or low powered pc... :facepalm:

yeah some people are dumb.....

[Biotoxic_hazard_835]

Pretty much what I was thinking. I think Windows 8 GUI is ugly, retarded and a step back. But what do they care, I'm just one person and they are a whole company full of "experts".

[Andrea Borman]

Well,you can also make Windows 7 look like Windows Vista. And as you can see I have got the original Vista sidebar on Windows 7,that's on Windows Vista. Because Windows 7 is almost identical to Vista,all of the Windows Vista software works on Windows 7. And also most Windows XP and even software for Windows 2000,98 and 98,works on Windows 7.That is web browsers,media players and chat messengers.

And above are two pictures of my Windows 7 desktop with the Windows Vista theme and the other on Windows Classic,where I have changed the taskbar and start menu color. By using the color picker. And you must admit the default wallpaper of Windows Vista is nicer than the default Windows 7 one.

But Windows 8 might not be so bad if they got rid of that Metro theme and gave it a normal Windows desktop and start menu. Like they have on the other versions of Windows. A lot of Widows users who are not computer geeks will not be able to understand or manage with the Metro theme or the way they want to make Windows 8. Unless they change it to be at least like Windows 7. Andrea Borman

[HawkMan]

Metro is made for the pool who ae NOT geeks, it's made to be easier to understand. And it is. Wait for the beta andactually try it out before you go complaining about how hard it is to use when you haven't tried it.