Windows 8/8.1 - Positive experiences, tips, and what would you have added?

By CG-88
in Microsoft (Windows)

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Grand Master

Dot Matrix

Posted
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What Microsoft needs to do is carry on developing Windows 8 "Blue", so it's released in a timely manner.

Seriously, the Start Menu is dead. It's no longer a viable option to continue using it, it just doesn't work anymore. The code for it has been removed in the new builds. It's not coming back, move on, or use a utility, but these "Microsoft Must..." threads are done to death, they're not going to do any of the things that's been listed, so why continue with that?

Enthusiast

rsrcomp

Posted
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I really dont understand Microsofts motivation for crap everything together in one OS then attempt to put it on all devices. If Microsoft's customers dont want a particular food, they shouldn't force that food down their customer's throats like this!

WIndows 8 is like Sushi, raw. Windows 7 is like a well cooked steak.

I don't like Sushi and refuse to have it pushed down my throat.

Windows 8 has some very nice features. If I could go to the Desktop by default and have the option

to turn on the Start/Orb button on by default I would use W8 as my day to day OS.

Harry Selfridge (Selfridge's stores) had the right idea. The customer knows best.

Come on Microsoft, listen to your customers complaints and act on them. Your stock is sliding !!!

Grand Master

+Warwagon MVC

Posted
  • MVC
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Wait... According to the PR bot... Windows 8 is the best selling Windows in history. So why would Microsoft need to change anything? They are doing better than they ever have!

He wouldn't lie to me...

(Y)

That's not it at all. It's the non-stop complaining about the same thing over and over. OP's "article" is just a rehash of the same thing that's been beaten to death.

And don't call me "son". That is incredibly ignorant and insulting. :angry:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0A5t5_O8hdA

Grand Master

HawkMan

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The topic of this thread should be "worst thing MS could do"

as for Vista. I'm pretty sure Vista is exactly what MS wants 8 to be. it sold millions and set the stage for windows 7. Windows 8 is merely setting the stage for windows 9.

Honestly if you only want the desktop and are use to the desktop, just use the start screen as a launcher, it's a superior launcher to the start menu. if you want to use some modern apps, you can. and if you can't see the advantage of a unified kernel and system across devices, then you're a lot more short sighted than MS. MS isn't going for the short run, they're going long haul. that's what they always do they aim big and they have long strategies. the first stage of this will come together with blue, when blue hits 3 devices at the same time making them closer to one, the second stag will most likely be the next xbox launch. and the third stage will be windows 9 released for computers, tablets and phones along with the first major next xbox update.

Experienced

strotee

Posted
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as for Vista. I'm pretty sure Vista is exactly what MS wants 8 to be. it sold millions and set the stage for windows 7. Windows 8 is merely setting the stage for windows 9.

I know you're just preaching the MS gospel but they really need to quit with the cycle of Release A "this is our first attempt, let's hope it works", Release A+1 "ok, we listened to your mountain of feedback, this is the version you should buy, we promise". It's quickly turning into a case of wait for the odd releases since they never get the first version right. BTW, "it sold millions" isn't as impressive as it once was when anywhere you go to buy a PC, guess what, it'll have Windows.
Grand Master

0sit0

Posted
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Long gone are the days of visible buttons and things that made sense. We need to embrace the change and figure out where things are.

Starting with the login screen... where is it? oh wait i need to click... or type in something... there's the login window!

How about turning off the computer? where's the menu? oh wait... It makes a lot of sense to move the cursor to where nothing is. Yep!

I love how we can customize the Desktop theme anyway we want. I also like the feature that the text on the title bar stays black even when my theme is dark. LOVE IT!

The computer got messed up, rebooting it might trigger safe mode... (might). But it doesn't and i have pressed every possible combination and it still doesn't let me start in safe mode! Must be a new feature!

Working on a word document while listening to music and chatting with a friend in a 32" monitor.... It must make a lot of sense to limit the screen to two apps. They must really have a reason. I trust them!

/ sarcasm

The list goes on. Overall I have learned to use Windows 8 and I have found "fixes" for everything that I had issues with but seriously, it just sucks.

Mentor

ScorpioRGc1

Posted
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I don't really have any complaints about Windows 8 at all. I rather like the new Start Screen, but aside from that and a weather app, I don't use the ModernUI stuff at all. Now, I wouldn't mind a bit more customization options, but I'm generally happy with the OS. It'd be nice to turn off some of the "Metro-feel" stuff on the desktop (such as managing wireless networks, or having settings split between two different areas), but this isn't really a big deal either once I got used to it. And this is coming from a desktop user; I still scratch my head at all the hate Win8 gets; I don't understand most of it, really. ^_^

Grand Master

BajiRav

Posted
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Microsoft just needs to make 8 more customizable. If somebody doesn't like Metro, let them turn it off. If they want a start button, let them turn it back on. Forcing everybody in one direction and creating a walled garden like Apple clearly isn't making people happy.

I kinda see your point bu that usually leads to people sticking to old things. One example I can think of is classic start menu. I know I have seen a good number of people sticking to the "classic start menu" a good 5 years after XP shipped. The classic start menu was just plain inefficient compared to XP style start menu but many kept using it.

Sometimes you have to push people to new things. Good or bad? that will be decided in due time. 6 months is too early.

Grand Master

Astra.Xtreme

Posted
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I kinda see your point bu that usually leads to people sticking to old things. One example I can think of is classic start menu. I know I have seen a good number of people sticking to the "classic start menu" a good 5 years after XP shipped. The classic start menu was just plain inefficient compared to XP style start menu but many kept using it.

Sometimes you have to push people to new things. Good or bad? that will be decided in due time. 6 months is too early.

I would say that's a pretty small minority of people though. Setting the new style as default will be good enough to swing most people in the new direction. The ones that hate it enough will be the only ones determined to find the methods to revert back, and they'll remain happy that they had the option to do so.

But honestly, the game isn't to make people into perfectly efficient robots. Technically we could all be using non-stop keyboard shortcuts for everything and be much more efficient than we are now. But doing so is tedious and requires a lot more effort. The same applies here. Microsoft is losing their ass in sales because they refuse to give people the options they expect. A sale is ultimately all Microsoft should care about, and getting the sale requires listening to the customer.

Grand Master

BajiRav

Posted
Posted

I would say that's a pretty small minority of people though. Setting the new style as default will be good enough to swing most people in the new direction. The ones that hate it enough will be the only ones determined to find the methods to revert back, and they'll remain happy that they had the option to do so.

But honestly, the game isn't to make people into perfectly efficient robots. Technically we could all be using non-stop keyboard shortcuts for everything and be much more efficient than we are now. But doing so is tedious and requires a lot more effort. The same applies here. Microsoft is losing their ass in sales because they refuse to give people the options they expect. A sale is ultimately all Microsoft should care about, and getting the sale requires listening to the customer.

Don't forget the main factor for lack of PC sales - people don't need to upgrade every 2-3 years anymore. My wife's laptop is from late 2009, my own desktop was custom build in May 2011. We didn't need to buy new PC to run Windows 8. We don't really intend on buying a tablet (wife is not a fan and I have an iPad from work). So just new UI changes in Windows 8 can't be the only or major factor.

Grand Master

Astra.Xtreme

Posted
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Don't forget the main factor for lack of PC sales - people don't need to upgrade every 2-3 years anymore. My wife's laptop is from late 2009, my own desktop was custom build in May 2011. We didn't need to buy new PC to run Windows 8. We don't really intend on buying a tablet (wife is not a fan and I have an iPad from work). So just new UI changes in Windows 8 can't be the only or major factor.

I was more so referring to the poor adoption rate of 8. Even when it was $15, people weren't really going for it. There's definitely a correlation between PC sales and sales of 8, but like you said, it's a variety of reasons. Win 7 was really successful because it was a huge step up from XP and it was everything that Vista should have been. With 8, there's really no incentive to upgrade especially since they revamped the UI.

Plus Microsoft has done an absolutely terrible job at advertising and promoting it. With such huge changes, they should be actively trying to convince people why it's better, but they aren't.

  • 2 weeks later...
Apprentice

DevonT

Posted
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With 8, there's really no incentive to upgrade especially since they revamped the UI
I guess system improvements such as better stability, security, and performance aren't things that intrigue you.
Grand Master

Astra.Xtreme

Posted
Posted

I guess system improvements such as better stability, security, and performance aren't things that intrigue you.

Stability is the same, security is barely an improvement (oh wow, they included MSE...), and performance is the same on a SSD. The hybrid boot that saves 2 seconds on the boot time is hardly worth anything.

So no, none of those things intrigue me since there are little to no benefits compared to 7.

Grand Master

MorganX

Posted
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Would it really make sense to continue calling it Windows, if it was all Metro? I mean, none of the UI at least would have anything to do with what came before, right? Why not simply give it a new name then?

Because it is Windows and the apps of worth are Windows 32 apps. I don't care what it's called, or whether or not there's a desktop as long as there are apps. For the time being, it is Windows.

The Start screen can be of great value, particularly on Surface Pros with users who would otherwise be lost in the Start Menu. More customization of tiles is needed.

One significant missing customization, and maybe someone has a solution, is configuring the Start Page for "All Users." This much needed capability seems to have slipped Microsoft's mind.

Grand Master

Active.

Posted
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Because it is Windows and the apps of worth are Windows 32 apps.

It looks like (at least) two threads were merged here. My posting from last August was specifically a reaction to post #29

If Win8 was my idea, it would be full Metro.
Apprentice

DevonT

Posted
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Stability is the same
I'll give you that just because that is somewhat subjective. But I can say that after using it since the Release Preview, I haven't had any problems with it whereas with Windows 7, I had to reboot my laptop about 4 - 5 times just to get past the BSOD.
security is barely an improvement (oh wow, they included MSE...)
For the average user, that's a good thing.

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-3667_7-57578546/windows-8s-rising-security-tide-raises-all-antivirus-boats/ :)

performance is the same on a SSD.
Remember, not everyone owns an SSD. You got to think of this as the big picture. If everyone owned an SSD, then yes, that wouldn't make much difference, but hard drives are still being used and because of that, the improvement is needed.

I also forgot to mention how well it works on older hardware. Not as slow as Windows 7, since Windows 8 utilizes less RAM than 7.

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