Windows 8.1- Desktop lovers rejoice (brief review)

By Atomic Wanderer Chicken
in Member Reviews

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Grand Master

Nashy

Posted
Posted

Metro in many ways work better with a keyboard and mouse, especially the start screen, and it works better than the old start menu. so...

 

For you it might.  I assure you, it made my experience using my computer absolute hell.  To the point where I requested a refund.

Grand Master

Nashy

Posted
Posted

The marketshare is merely saying that computers for the last 5 years have been powerful enough that people don't need to buy new laptop annually or bi.annually anymore. it says nothing about whether people like Win8 or not. 

 

Now you're being ridiculous.

Community Regular

nitins60

Posted
Posted

The trend changed a lot.

 

At-least most daily routine tasks are being done from phones and tablets.

The PC thing is decreasing rapidly. Certainly these can't replace PC at the same time and you don't need hammer for fixing small screw.

 

So you need to maintain the same in all the devices, which might feel awkward for few people, it's the best for most people.

 

 

Anyway, as usual this debate never ends. So it's much better to post reviews of your own rather than fighting/debating again. It's not debating thread, It's review thread I guess.

Grand Master

HawkMan

Posted
Posted

Now you're being ridiculous.

 

No, that's called truth. what you're spouting is called a modified truth, a truth colored by your desire for it to be so. so without any evidence you draw conclusions that don't exist, not understanding that correlation don't prove causation, especially not when there are other much bigger and more important causes. 

Grand Master

Dot Matrix

Posted
Posted

Metro is ideal for touch, and I think it's **** with my KB and mouse.  That's what I think. 

And that's your argument?

 

I don't think it works better than the start menu, it's a giant window of unrelated items that takes focus away from what I'm doing.

It's great on a small screen device that can't show multiple windows at a time (either due to limited resources or simply screen size), but when you have a PC with a good screen there's no reason to completely hide your web browser/word process/etc. to show a grid of 100 random icons.

Edit: Well, probably not 100, because it's designed for tablets everything is huge.

You can organize the Start Screen...

  • DConnell and Nashy
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Grand Master

Growled Member

Posted
  • Member
Posted

I don't think it works better than the start menu, it's a giant window of unrelated items that takes focus away from what I'm doing.

 

 

For the way I work it certainly does not. In Windows 7 I can hit the Super key, type a few letters, hit enter for the program I want, and be working away. I like doing it that way. I don't want to learn a new way.

Grand Master

hagjohn

Posted
Posted

In that case, no one can help you.

 

 

^ I wonder, how people always complains this. I have laptop and desktop neither one is touch. I haven't felt oh this is ridiculous or not good with KB and mouse/touchpad.

Except for one case, where few games in Store doesn't work or not smooth with KB and mouse

 

Point and click is hard.  :rofl:

Grand Master

Stoffel

Posted
Posted

For the way I work it certainly does not. In Windows 7 I can hit the Super key, type a few letters, hit enter for the program I want, and be working away. I like doing it that way. I don't want to learn a new way.

 

You can still do this in Win 8.0/8.1

No need to learn a new way

  • 2 weeks later...
Grand Master

Andre S. Veteran

Posted
  • Veteran
Posted

Excellent review so far. Looking forward to see what you think after a week. I cant see myself personally using it but if it can turn a Neowinian to using it, I may give it a shot although I too would be using a start menu third party app.

I tried to get used to the Start Screen again, but in the end I reinstalled StartIsBack. Lack of a list of most recently used programs, lack of hierarchy in the programs list, the fact that it hides all windows and the taskbar, the uselessly huge tiles that are just uninformative uniform color blocks... I just don't see what's the advantage supposed to be to offset all the disadvantages. I still feel much more productive with a Start Menu.

Grand Master

+Anarkii Subscriber²

Posted
  • Subscriber²
Posted

I tried to get used to the Start Screen again, but in the end I reinstalled StartIsBack. Lack of a list of most recently used programs, lack of hierarchy in the programs list, the fact that it hides all windows and the taskbar, the uselessly huge tiles that are just uninformative uniform color blocks... I just don't see what's the advantage supposed to be to offset all the disadvantages. I still feel much more productive with a Start Menu.

After reading you stuck with it (although installed StartisBack) I decided to give it go. Mind you, this is 8.1 - not 8. 

Here is a quick run-down for day 1.

Positive:

* Fast install. Was at the horrible start screen 13 minutes after clicking 'install' from Windows 7. That was impressive I must say.

* Drivers *semi* installed on first go. Nvidia drivers didnt install as it didnt detect my card (GeForce 670Ti) so for the fact it detected and installed everything else, thats pretty good. 

* My 3D applications still work with 8.1.

* Games work still, although slower.

* Disabled Metro, hot corners, charms, everything that could bring me back to my most hated part of Windows 8.1- that start screen. Uninstalled ALL start screen apps so I literally have 'desktop' tile left. 

* Have one store app installed, that monitors my data allowance.

* Love and I mean LOVE how Start8 puts a link to the start screen in the top of the programs list. Its a spot where no one would ever click it. Thank you for that Stardock <3

*Negative:

* That start button was killing me, taking me back all the time to the start screen. Fixed it by downloading Start8 - solved that problem. Have a nice Start MENU in place now.

* Uninstalling all the crap apps default with Windows 8.1 for the start screen meant I had to choose default programs for my stuff. Pictures now open Windowed as they should, and not in a ###### full screen Metro app.

* Deleted Skype that came with 8.1, installed the desktop version. So much happier now.

* Only took 2 minutes to activate using what I like to call 'Give us a ban for a week Neobond' methods :P Also as far as I know, the way I done is a indefinite method and does not require any 'rearming' every 180 days. No I wont say how it was done. 

* Cant fully remove windows.old - Ive tried and tried but 3 directories still there, and require 'system' to delete em.

* So much of a rigmarol to get Media Center. Just to play dvds and bluray.

* Sound defaulted to headset and not speakers.

* Sydney time defaulted to something like 11am, even thou when it was installed it was 5pm.

With everything Metro disabled so far its not a bad OS. But the first 2 minutes before disabling Metro/Charms/Hot Corners drove me to the point where I was about to punch the monitor of the PC. 

For those of you on Windows 7 who are unsure bout upgrading/downgrading to Windows 8.1, check this thread in a week, I will be giving honest feedback and hopefully mods wont delete my posts from the cursing :)

Grand Master

Arachno 1D

Posted
Posted

I normally use a Win7 laptop but updated my Win8 to 8.1 on the newer one even though I dont use it much as yet.One thing that bugs me now is before when I wanted to find a list of applications installed I just opened the search and a list of apps opened on a screen behind it for me to search through but not any more.So the question is how do I see and select from a list now the start menu is gone just using whats built in to win 8.1?

Grand Master

MorganX

Posted
Posted

I normally use a Win7 laptop but updated my Win8 to 8.1 on the newer one even though I dont use it much as yet.One thing that bugs me now is before when I wanted to find a list of applications installed I just opened the search and a list of apps opened on a screen behind it for me to search through but not any more.So the question is how do I see and select from a list now the start menu is gone just using whats built in to win 8.1?

 

Open search the same way as in Windows 7 (press the Windows key)

 

Then do one of the following:

 

1) Press the down arrow in the lower left for the all apps categorized view, if you can't find the app in this view you can type it in the upper left to search.

 

2) Just start typing the name of the app at the Start Screen just like on the Start Menu in Windows 7

 

I think that's what you're looking for if I understand what you're asking for ...

post-59115-0-46306500-1383420428.png

Grand Master

Noir Angel

Posted
Posted

You've just described the Start Menu for many PC users. By default, it is completely randomized, showing only the most commonly used programs (or the ones Microsoft puts there on a clean install), and only several of them. If the app a user wants falls off the MRU list after not having used it in a while (Which can scare a user when they realized it disappeared on them), or if users wanted to find something else, they had to dig through needless folders and subfolders, try and figure out which file is the executable they're after, then pin it to either the taskbar, desktop, the start menu, or all three (sound familiar? "Redundant"?)! If they're pinning to the Start Menu, they then needed to know how to increase the number of icons shown, that way your list isn't cut short. Also, the Start Menu is limited by vertical screen space, you can only pin apps to the Start Menu as long as your resolution allows. This is why the Start Menu has been highly problematic the last couple of years. It's become very limiting in regards to today's user needs.

 

All Apps still retains hierarchy, however, they are open for people to see without guessing where the apps are that they want. Metro apps are alphabetized, while legacy Windows options are still included under the "folders" they've always have been.

 

Also, if you're still thinking Metro is touch only, please stop. You're not doing anyone or yourself any favors. My mouse and keyboard still work with Metro, and just the same as they do on the desktop.

 

Would you, for once just kindly cut the crap? I think you know damn well what the poster actually meant. Click "all programs" and magically, that well sorted option exists, like magic I say! The start screen however only has one default: Cluttered and disorganised mess, it cannot be organised any better.#

 

 

The marketshare is merely saying that computers for the last 5 years have been powerful enough that people don't need to buy new laptop annually or bi.annually anymore. it says nothing about whether people like Win8 or not.

 

And the fact that in the last quarter Windows 8 grew by pretty much the same amount XP fell, while Windows 7 usage remained pretty static is just a giant coincidence? Somehow I think not. The numbers indicate to me that most people using 7 are very happy with it, and that almost all Windows 8 growth since the promotional sale has been from XP users getting rid of their old computers.

Grand Master

Stoffel

Posted
Posted

Would you, for once just kindly cut the crap? I think you know damn well what the poster actually meant. Click "all programs" and magically, that well sorted option exists, like magic I say! The start screen however only has one default: Cluttered and disorganised mess, it cannot be organised any better.#

 

 
 

 

And the fact that in the last quarter Windows 8 grew by pretty much the same amount XP fell, while Windows 7 usage remained pretty static is just a giant coincidence? Somehow I think not. The numbers indicate to me that most people using 7 are very happy with it, and that almost all Windows 8 growth since the promotional sale has been from XP users getting rid of their old computers.

 

You are wrong though. You can sort the all apps view in a  variety of ways, Last installed, most used, by name,...

Grand Master

Noir Angel

Posted
Posted

You are wrong though. You can sort the all apps view in a  variety of ways, Last installed, most used, by name,...

 

It's still sloppy compared to the way the proper start menu sorts things. Whichever way you do it, it's still just a bunch of icons slapped across a screen.

Grand Master

Stoffel

Posted
Posted

It's still sloppy compared to the way the proper start menu sorts things. Whichever way you do it, it's still just a bunch of icons slapped across a screen.

 

You can always use semantic zoom, that way you only have the headings which looks a lot like the folder structure in the start menu.

Grand Master

Noir Angel

Posted
Posted

Thanks for the smug condescension but I'm fully aware of how to use it, but it doesn't change my argument. The original complaint DM responded wrongly to was basically a complaint I know about because it's the same complaint I have... the lack of folder support in the start screen turns it into a disorganised mess. Arranging the row of icons in a different manner is irrelevant to my argument because arranging icons by name is really not the same thing as the organisation the person making the complaints actually wants. What's with you arrogant folks that assume that anyone that doesn't like it can't work out how to use it. We can, we just think it's complete s***

Grand Master

Noir Angel

Posted
Posted

You can always use semantic zoom, that way you only have the headings which looks a lot like the folder structure in the start menu.

 

I just had a look at semantic zoom. It allows you to re-locate blocks of tiles and icons but it still doesn't really offer the same thing as the old start menu structure.

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