:: To 'Windows 8', or not to 'Windows 8?' ::
Through a student license, I received a copy of Windows 8 Pro x64 (see attachment).
Where to even start...
When installing Windows 8 (the first time), I upgraded from 7 to 8, which apparently is a bad idea. I can't imagine why it's a such an issue as it acted like I was reinstalling Win 7 (moving old install to Windows.old).
It also caused many issues with permissions with the new system that I had to command prompt my way back to owning directories and even the root drive.
If you make the jump to Windows 8, do not upgrade. Do a clean install!
I've been using Windows 8 for about 2 weeks now and have seen some issues that don't really matter much to me, and others that are quite annoying.
I think everyone here has seen the Windows 8 previews and screenshots, there are some cools features.
The other change from preview to final was the inability to restore the Start Button without completely disabling the Windows 8 features all-together. Doesn't make much difference to me as I rarely use the Start Button and like it being gone. I setup RocketDock to have links to all the frequently used programs anyway.
Overall, Windows 8 final needs another update before they release it. The issues encountered when upgrading from 7 are going to piss a lot of people off (in my case, Metro apps stopped working completely). It's going to take some getting used to for Desktop users (or just don't use it at all... there's really nothing "Great" about it), but it's really for tablet users. I like the new Windows, but I'm not typical user and this OS will turn a lot of users off. Luckily, you can buy a new system and downgrade to 7.
Apologies for the randomly ordered thoughts, if you have questions about the OS, I'd be happy to answer.
Where to even start...
When installing Windows 8 (the first time), I upgraded from 7 to 8, which apparently is a bad idea. I can't imagine why it's a such an issue as it acted like I was reinstalling Win 7 (moving old install to Windows.old).
It also caused many issues with permissions with the new system that I had to command prompt my way back to owning directories and even the root drive.
If you make the jump to Windows 8, do not upgrade. Do a clean install!
I've been using Windows 8 for about 2 weeks now and have seen some issues that don't really matter much to me, and others that are quite annoying.
- User Account Control (UAC) must be enabled to run any Metro app
- Even though the new sexified Task Manager shows little usage, the system is noticably slower
- Windows now strongly suggests that you do not use a local account, instead they want you to use a live ID. It's a catch 22. If you do, then your profile follows you to any Windows 8 machine, but then your local activity is uploaded constantly. If you don't, then you have to provide credentials for every Metro app.
I think everyone here has seen the Windows 8 previews and screenshots, there are some cools features.
- Native support for mounting ISO's
- Windows Explorer 'Ribbon'
- Task Bar management - Both screens now have a taskbar and you can make Windows only show the open program icon on the taskbar for the monitor it is open on.
The other change from preview to final was the inability to restore the Start Button without completely disabling the Windows 8 features all-together. Doesn't make much difference to me as I rarely use the Start Button and like it being gone. I setup RocketDock to have links to all the frequently used programs anyway.
Overall, Windows 8 final needs another update before they release it. The issues encountered when upgrading from 7 are going to piss a lot of people off (in my case, Metro apps stopped working completely). It's going to take some getting used to for Desktop users (or just don't use it at all... there's really nothing "Great" about it), but it's really for tablet users. I like the new Windows, but I'm not typical user and this OS will turn a lot of users off. Luckily, you can buy a new system and downgrade to 7.
Apologies for the randomly ordered thoughts, if you have questions about the OS, I'd be happy to answer.
