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Windows 8

Discussion in 'Techno-Magic' started by Taluntain, Jan 31, 2013.

  1. Taluntain

    Taluntain Resident Alpha and Omega Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    Anyone using it? How do you like it? I haven't made up my mind yet whether to go for Windows 7 or 8 on my new PC...
     
  2. Blackthorne TA

    Blackthorne TA Master in his Own Mind Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    I declined to upgrade, though I'm thinking I may want to buy the Surface Pro when it comes out. I'll have to see how it turns out.

    From what I understand there's not too much going for Windows 8 over Windows 7, especially for the desktop user. If you have a touch-enabled device then it is far more intuitive to use.
     
  3. Gaear

    Gaear ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful

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    I'm Mr. YouTube today.

     
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 19, 2015
  4. henkie

    henkie Hammertime Resourceful Adored Veteran New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!)

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    From what I understand, there's little to recommend it over Win7, unless maybe you're using a tablet or something. From what I hear there's also some trouble with backwards compatibility with quite a few programs because of how Win8 expects apps instead of executables.

    I've never tried it myself, though, so no first hand experience.
     
  5. Blackthorne TA

    Blackthorne TA Master in his Own Mind Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    I hadn't heard that, and I don't believe it's true. I believe once you get to the desktop instead of the Metro interface it's very much like Windows 7.

    I remember an article I read a while back that went over the changes to Windows 8 over Windows 7 besides the Metro interface and thinking there was nothing there that really interested me, but I don't remember where I read it now so I can't remember the details.
     
  6. Taluntain

    Taluntain Resident Alpha and Omega Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    But can you actually disable Metro? Obviously I have no use for it since I'll be using it on a desktop PC. But I haven't seen anyone mention that it's possible to switch to a "normal" interface...
     
  7. Blackthorne TA

    Blackthorne TA Master in his Own Mind Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    The "normal" interface is essentially a Metro "App".

    So you have to enter Metro and then run the desktop app and you're into the "normal" interface without a start menu. As I understand it at least.
     
  8. Taluntain

    Taluntain Resident Alpha and Omega Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    Ah, that makes sense... funnily enough, it seems it's currently cheaper to buy Windows 8 with a new computer than Windows 7.
     
  9. Jondar Gems: 3/31
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    Tal,

    I have a friend who purchased a disc for his home computer. He's kind of a techno type of guy. He has planned to install it. That was 2 or 3 days ago. I'm waiting to here from him this evening after I left a him a phone message saying I had found a deal at the Microsoft store online. The deal is Win8 Pro for $39.99.

    I let you know after his call.

    Edit:
    I just spoke with him. He says that once the computer boots up and Metro comes up, a quick mouse click or swipe will get the "normal" interface on your screen. Hope this helps. :)

    The deal I mentioned above may only be for 32 bit. I'll know later.
     
  10. Taluntain

    Taluntain Resident Alpha and Omega Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    Thanks Jondar, you've allayed my Metro-phobia. :D
     
  11. Topken

    Topken Elven-dragon wizard

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    There is also classic shell for windows 8 that will give you back the start menu and even boot you start into the desktop instead of having to go through Metro.

    http://www.classicshell.net/
     
    Taluntain likes this.
  12. fastfritz Gems: 4/31
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    Windows 8.1

    Got a new laptop with Win 8.1 without a touch screen. What a mistake. Cna't do diddly with it. Really convoluted shut down system. Added 8.1 update which made it somewhat better, works with mouse and keyboard. Still using old laptop with win vista business, work much better for gaming. Win 8.1 almost won't let you use Google. It wants to use Internet Explorer and Bing. Makes it hard to search with. Thinking about dumping 8.1 and going to Win 7. My advice is to try win 8.1 BEFORE buying. Sorry I didn't take my own advice.
    :mad:
     
  13. Taluntain

    Taluntain Resident Alpha and Omega Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    I got more or less used to it after using it over the last year but it's still got a few issues that make me cringe and no (easy) fixes, unfortunately. I always use the right-click on the Start icon shortcut to shut down. And definitely make it boot to desktop - Metro's pretty much completely useless as far as I'm concerned.
     
  14. Darion

    Darion Resident Dissident Veteran BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    Well thats Micro$oft for you.

    Simply ignoring the ingrained habits of Win-users running the daily operations of their OS (that got shaped over the decades) and making them deal with some unbelievable design decisions and Metro-Blocks.

    Meh.

    They seem to have forgotten that the 'O' in OS means Operating and not 'obnoxious'

    And the way they 'push' 8.1 on all new devices is annoying.
     
  15. fastfritz Gems: 4/31
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    Ask Me

    Anyone else hate the built in "ask me" pop up search feature that was hard to get rid of?:mad:
     
  16. Vorona

    Vorona Shadow-Whisperer

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    Reading this thread makes me glad I went with Windows 7 for the computer I plan to build this fall/winter. I've been getting worried because my current desktop still has XP and it's no longer supported; I want the new computer to last at least as long if not longer, which it should since this one is a low-mid-range HP. But I know I can upgrade the OS if necessary, and maybe the next one will be better than Windows 8. Or maybe it will be worse.
     
  17. henkie

    henkie Hammertime Resourceful Adored Veteran New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!)

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    Windows releases go from good to bad in a mostly predictable pattern, it seems. Win98 (SE) was ok, Win Millenium was horrendous, Win XP was good, Win Vista was draconic, Win 7 was pretty good, Win 8 was a tablet OS also released for PC. By sequence, Win 9 should be quite decent again. Let's hope so, or I'll just have to switch to Linux completely after Win 7 is no longer supported.

    Linux is hardly optimal either and takes a lot of getting used to, but there's more freedom to tweak it to be the way I want it to be.
     
  18. Vorona

    Vorona Shadow-Whisperer

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    Yeah, I keep telling myself I'm going to try out Linux, but I still haven't. My laptop is deliberately a Mac, so I stay used to both Windows and MacOS, so lacking Linux is something I really need to remedy. I hope you're right about Windows 9, though.
     
  19. SlickRCBD Gems: 29/31
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    To shut down the system, try the command line command:
    Code:
    Shutdown -s -t 0
    You can type it from the run command, the cmd (command prompt) program, and in Vista or 7 the search thingie in the Start Menu.

    It works in Windows 2000 through Windows 7.
    You can make a batch file with one line and put it anywhere so you can just click on the icon to shut down.
    Simply open Notepad, put a single line in the file
    Code:
    shutdown -s -t 0
    
    and save it as something like "shut down computer.bat". Make sure the extension is .bat and not .txt. To do that, choose to save it using "save as...". Under the part where you type in the file name is a "save as type" pop-up menu. Choose "all files" and make sure the name you type in ends with .bat.

    Note that these instructions for Notepad have only been tested with Windows 95 - Windows 7, I haven't tried it in 8. The instructions for the shutdown command have only been tried in Windows 2000 through Windows 7.



    * * * CHANGE OF SUBJECT * * *
    As for the OP with the choice of Windows 7 or 8, Microsoft no longer sells Windows 7. You have to get it from a third party vendor or purchase Windows 8 Professional, Enterprise, or Ultimate and use a downgrade option.

    I honestly don't see the advantage of Windows Vista, 7, or 8 for 32-bit systems without a touch screen over XP aside from the fact that Microsoft no longer offers updates for XP.
    That said, for a non-touchscreen system, 7 is the best bet of the three.
    For a touchscreen system, 8 might be better if you want to use the touch screen as your primary interface over the mouse.
    For a tablet, 8 is probably the way to go. For a desktop, 7 is better.
     
  20. Taluntain

    Taluntain Resident Alpha and Omega Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    Nobody today is going to install 32-bit Windows on a new computer, though. Well, no power user, anyway.
     
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