Microsoft Windows 8 The Good The Bad & The Ugly

[C-N]

Hi all,

The purpose of this thread is firstly a mini rant from me to blow off some steam but following that I would hope other W8 users chime in with tips advice etc to make life with W8 a pleasant experience for all.

The rant......

I loaded up W8 RTM today with the intention of poking about in it & running some benches to see what happens however straight away was like WTF!!!! where it all at....... I could not find a damn thing, no start button, no menus of good stuff to allow me to litter my desktop with shortcuts, strange things coming out of the corners of my screen etc. I then set about trying to work out how to drive this thing only to find out through the power of Google that Microsoft had disabled the ability to ditch the "Metro" or "Modern UI" in the RTM of Windows 8 I was shocked!!!

IMO this sucks hard & on first impressions would have been a deal breaker for an old set in his ways stick in the mud like me. I'm sure this will likely come as no surprise to most of you Xtreme folks but for me it was nearly enough for me to spit my dummy!!!

The solution....

Poking about on the net I found a few mod shells & downloaded "Classic Shell" from here http://classicshell.sourceforge.net which after a little setting up gave me back the UI I was used to with the benefit of the new W8 tablet style start screen & the corner pop out thingy's. For now this will do me as I can poke about in W8 & get used to the new UI with the benefit of being able to find stuff in the way I have been used to & like.

I know the OS is not officially released retail yet but hope this thread will help me & others get up & running the way we want nice & quickly so lets have your 2 cents worth please.

[C-N]

List of W8 keyboard shortcuts
http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/b...windows-8.aspx

[andressergio]

i loaded the RTM 3 times and 3 times took it out, i know its fast has some features but the tablet menu is for tablets not for PC, in addition once you start adding those mods all becomes crap, mods to look like win7 menu etc...crap

some games dont work, so i went back to W7x64

[Buckeye]

Here is a better start button.

http://www.stardock.com/products/start8/

[C-N]

i loaded the RTM 3 times and 3 times took it out, i know its fast has some features but the tablet menu is for tablets not for PC, in addition once you start adding those mods all becomes crap, mods to look like win7 menu etc...crap

some games dont work, so i went back to W7x64

Yup I kind of agree about the tab menu but with the classic skin there's an option to skip it at boot, so you never see it unless you go to the corner of the screen & open it so not all bad. I kind of get the tab thing & there are a few good things in there just like on my phone just wish you could add them to a kind of W7 gadget sidebar on the desktop.

I agree the classic skin is kind of XP style crap/looks old but at least it works.

It's early days for W8 game wise hope it gets better...... nothing unusual its always the same with a new OS

Here is a better start button.

http://www.stardock.com/products/start8/

Thanks I'll give it a shot

######

Some screens of W8 with the Classis Shell

Apps Screen & Side Bar Screen


Control Panel Screen


Defender Screen


Side Bar Screen


Start Screen


User Screen

[CrazyNutz]

I'm having trouble getting past the bad & ugly part

[bazx]

been using the Classis Shell button for 3 weeks or so now and have got along fine with 8 as a result

but i still cannot get my windows nokia 800lumia phone 7.5 to hook up (using win8 enterprise 64 )

loads drivers and thats it , no functionality

[mdzcpa]

Loaded Win 8 a few weeks back.

3 days later I blew that abomination off my drive and went right back to Win 7.

Win 8 is cool for tablets and all-in-one touchscreens. Some cool features are burried in there. But Win 8 is just horrible for the desktop. Simply horrible. I suppose the only folks happily running Win 8 on the desktop are 1) not power users or 2) want bragging rights about how cool they are transitioning to new technology. I simply cannot see how any power user wants to jerk around with tiles, tile stacks, or any of that nonsense. I'm not even going to talk about the horrendous retina bleeding color schemes and layout. With a keyboard and mouse this is about the worst OS I can recall. Stable, but totally inefficient with the kayboard and mouse. I suppose MS is planning on the demise of the desktop anyway, so as the tablet and all-in-one crowd goes this interface is needed.

[mdzcpa]

I will add that the very fact MS didn't bother to add their own integrated desktop shell rubs me. It smacks of a puproseful attempt to kill the dektop space.

[C-N]

I'm having trouble getting past the bad & ugly part

Ha ha yup nearly got me to...... oh & might still!!

been using the Classis Shell button for 3 weeks or so now and have got along fine with 8 as a result

but i still cannot get my windows nokia 800lumia phone 7.5 to hook up (using win8 enterprise 64 )

loads drivers and thats it , no functionality

Yup I'm several days in now & its useable with a 3rd party add in

Guess stuff not working is fairly normal for a new OS, hope they fix it mate.

Loaded Win 8 a few weeks back.

3 days later I blew that abomination off my drive and went right back to Win 7.

Win 8 is cool for tablets and all-in-one touchscreens. Some cool features are burried in there. But Win 8 is just horrible for the desktop. Simply horrible. I suppose the only folks happily running Win 8 on the desktop are 1) not power users or 2) want bragging rights about how cool they are transitioning to new technology. I simply cannot see how any power user wants to jerk around with tiles, tile stacks, or any of that nonsense. I'm not even going to talk about the horrendous retina bleeding color schemes and layout. With a keyboard and mouse this is about the worst OS I can recall. Stable, but totally inefficient with the kayboard and mouse. I suppose MS is planning on the demise of the desktop anyway, so as the tablet and all-in-one crowd goes this interface is needed.

Hey good point maybe this OS would fit in better as a kind of media centre running through your lounge TV controlled by a remote keyboard thingy.

Bit like this http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/logite...ories~11358350

Then again I suppose a decent TV with wireless & net using cloud stuff may be just as good/better.....

I will add that the very fact MS didn't bother to add their own integrated desktop shell rubs me. It smacks of a puproseful attempt to kill the dektop space.

Arrogant & stupid IMO mate forcing anyone into W8 will just make them look elsewhere for an OS or keep on older OS's for longer = MS loss....

[B-Shot]

Here is one option i like headless http://windowssecrets.com/top-story/...ing-windows-8/

[Manicdan]

a few users at work are on win8 and all of us love it

the new UI is different and does require some training, but so far everything i need to get to, i can get to quicker. and by training i mean a 5 minute crash course and i was all set.

shutting down however is dumb, it use to be 3 button presses before, now its a few menus deep or you learn the Alt+F4 menu that works only if your not looking at any apps at the time.

the other dumb thing is all the default apps are set to those stupid tablet based apps and not programs. mainly this affected PDFs and pictures and a few others i cant recall. that took a few minutes to sort out and is now no longer a problem.

[C-N]

@ Manicdan, how did you fix the apps as programs?

Got lots of stuff loaded up today all went fine apart from my phone software..... heard this before somewhere

Samsung GS3 Kies software loads & starts fine, phone connects fine but Kies hangs doing most things.... Have to wait a bit longer for the W8 build me thinks.

I also removed Classic Shell & installed Stardocks Start8. It looks nicer integrates better however lacks the ability to list the start menu thing like control panel, downloads, music docs etc as drop down menus..... would love them to fix this then it would be perfect for me.

[Manicdan]

@ Manicdan, how did you fix the apps as programs?

right click the file and choose "Open With"
then select "Choose default program..."
and pick what you want and check off to always use it.

[Buckeye]

Interesting thing to note.

I have noticed on several forums and other places that when making a post the return key was not working so all I could type was one big paragraph. Thinking that it might be a driver issue with my old G15 keyboard or something along those lines I did try another keyboard, it was no help, still the return key would not work.

So just for S&G I tried Google Chrome and sure enough the return key works. So it appears to be an issue with Win 8 IE 10 <shrug>

[C-N]

Working

Fine

Over

Here....

Maybe try resetting explorer http://www.c-sharpcorner.com/UploadF...-in-windows-8/

###

On another note I got rid of Start8 & W8 is growing on me.... sure its imo still awkward but less annoying now I'm getting used to it. Oh & the kids have been playing on it just fine & gaming without issue.

[Buckeye]

Its not everywhere, example on XS it works fine.

But some forums it does not.

Maybe they are running old versions of PHP or something I don't know.
One is MechWarrior online beta forums and another is http://www.hammerfistclan.com/forum/forum.php which is my gaming clan.

I also have lots of issues logging into battle.net for my D3 account.

[Circaflex]

I suppose the only folks happily running Win 8 on the desktop are 1) not power users or 2) want bragging rights about how cool they are transitioning to new technology.

What a load of crap and a terrible generalization... Because YOU couldnt figure it out, everyone else isnt a 'power user'

[mdzcpa]

I

What a load of crap and a terrible generalization... Because YOU couldnt figure it out, everyone else isnt a 'power user'

I'm sorry you do not care for my opinion but I stand by it. As the CFO/CIO of a small business with about 600 desktop workstations deployed I am firm in my belief that Win 8 is a disaster on the desktop space based on our own testing.

For the 30 or so tablets we have deployed, Win 8 will be a win. It's faster, lighter, and very intuitive for those who are primarily email, internet, and media consumers. We tried Win 8 on a few of the tablets in sales and customer service and aside from a few teething pains of getting used to it, it was a success. Even light productivity applications were successful AND improved. (File Explorer much improved).

On the desktop trial rollout Win 8 was a fail. MS botched big time by not incorporating a desktop shell. When you think about mass deployment, downloading and installing Add-ons in order to fix the desktop space is a ridiculous proposition. And without that fix our production on workstation deployments was significantly down. And that was after folks were given the chance to find their way around for a week. The "power user" group in our test base struggled with productivity. The only way around this was to pin every relevant application to the taskbar and do our best to ignore the ridiculous Metro screen.

I love this forum and have been here many years. But take no offense when i say the those here on XS do not represent the majority of Windows users, and they certainly do not represent power users in the enterprise arena where mass deployment, training, process and productivity directly impact the bottom line.

My comments have little to do with my own personal experiences with Win 8 at home although I eluded to that disappointmet as well. I knew the moment I needed to download an add-on for desktop space that MS screwed up and this would not fly well in the enterprise space. Anyone can hack the desktop or live with the tablet interface if they choose for their own use or small office. But in the enterprise market running add-ons for mass deployment is a fail.

And I am not alone in this opinion. Simply pick up a copy of CIO. Many of my peers in the enterprise arena are unhappy with Win 8 and MS rather zelaous attempt to remain relevant by forcing an interface meant for touch and tablet onto the desktop space without the ability to go straight to deskop like Windows Server 2012. We are planning on holding off as long as possible by riding Win 7 on the desktops and ordering all new deployments as long as possible with Win 7 as well. Numerous large houses are offering this en masse (much like they did when Vista bombed). Eventually we will be force fed OS, but by then we hope MS has addressed the desktop space in a meaningful manner. Time will tell.

[Manicdan]

how is metro so bad?
just like the start menu, you can type out anything you want, file names or apps,
the screen has all relevant items in about 1 click, vs having to go to programs before.
you can still customize the crap out of everything so you know exactly where things are that you use.

the desktop can still hold icons, the taskbar can still hold icons, those areas are virtually unchanged. if you depended on them before, your workflows would feel identical.

i cant think of a scenario where what someone did before is so much worse to do now that they are unable to maintain efficiency.

[Buckeye]

I think you are pretty much correct mdzcpa.

Even tho I have been using it with out to many issues for a few weeks now I cannot see anyone that I know outside of the enthusiast area liking Win 8, except for tablets and laptop users, bet even then Win 8 has a hard road to travel.

Once I tweaked it the desktop is pretty much just like Win 7, to me anyway. But the out of the box experience is not good. No Start button, loss of gadgets and how you have to navigate the UI to do things that have pretty much become a standard over time.

I think the core problem is over time MS has built the UI to behave in a certain way and now to just change it with out any options to revert back is not going to go over well, but then why should we have to revert back to something we have become used to and feel comfortable using ?

I feel sorry for the mass of normal users who will do the Win 8 upgrade for a low price, then go WTF and want to roll back to Win 7. I hate to be in a support position to handle all this.

I am fine with Win 8 actually, but what I want them to do is put back the desktop experience that I have become used to and skip the Metro thing, I don't use it.

[Chickenfeed]

The hilarity with Microsoft's Windows 8 marketing push thus far is it almost universally depicts tablets. Based on that alone you'd think it wasn't even available on desktops.. Obviously they have a huge stake in tablets now ( not to mention Surface ) so that's understandable but I can't help but think they've neglected their core user base of the last 2 decades.

I can see their modern interface front end being interesting in some niche areas such as HTPCs but when there were and are other and better 3rd party options for such usage... why even bother? Other than tablets I don't see the point.

I like the underpinnings of 8 personally but that interface has *no* place in a traditional desktop environment. I continually see people play the 'you are just resistant to change' card but please. Change is fine when it is a clear improvement overall. When something as critical as the user interface is disjointed and unintuitive... not good. The contrast between the new interface and the desktop is just too jarring and it just doesn't 'flow'. Productivity takes a hit and you have to resort to 3rd party options to bring things up to par.

I've used 8 throughout its development and although things have steadily improved, I still feel that the front end is a serious set back all around. You thought the XP to Vista negativity was bad? You ain't seen nothin yet!

[OldChap]

Quick question:

I buy Win8 which MS call an upgrade.

Do I have to pay then to "downgrade" to Win7??

[Judaeus Apella]

What I really need to know is if Win 8 has all the compatibility options Windows 7 premium 64 has, for older software that was not designed for Win 8, or even Vista. I have a bunch of stuff thats only compatible with 32bit XP, like Graphics and publishing programs, editors, convertors, utilites, and games. If they won't work on Win 8, I'll be forced to go with Win 7 Ultimate... but I don't want to pay the extra $240!!! I can't believe how much they want for win 7 ultimate... then turn around and offer Win 8 for only a fraction of that. I don't have very long to figure out what I'm going to do. Can someone help me out?

[C-N]

What I really need to know is if Win 8 has all the compatibility options Windows 7 premium 64 has, for older software that was not designed for Win 8, or even Vista. I have a bunch of stuff thats only compatible with 32bit XP, like Graphics and publishing programs, editors, convertors, utilites, and games. If they won't work on Win 8, I'll be forced to go with Win 7 Ultimate... but I don't want to pay the extra $240!!! I can't believe how much they want for win 7 ultimate... then turn around and offer Win 8 for only a fraction of that. I don't have very long to figure out what I'm going to do. Can someone help me out?

Yes all the options are still there.

W8 in the background i.e. under the sh*t W8 GUI is great remember its still NT v6 just revision 2 (NT 6.2) NT6 was Vista/Server 08 NT6.1 was 7/Server 2008 R2. I have machines running all these versions & IMO its a very good & easy to use NT version.

XP/Server 2003 was NT5.1 / 5.2 I think our biggest problem may be getting old 16BIT stuff to install or run on 32BIT. You can get round a lot of installer issues but in all honesty a simple dual boot machine may be a less time consuming upgrade.