Upgrading to Windows 8 from XP

[MacB]

folks, idiotic as I am it wasn't hard to find the app and download the start button and force a boot straight to the desktop. I agree that it shouldn't be needed and I can see that the standard windows 8 tile opening screen is great on mobile devices...just not so hot for a keyboard and mouse. I just think that it should give you twin boot options in user preferences.

 

[MattHB]

Windows 8 is just windows 7 with new, badly fitting clothes with not enough pockets.

Stay WELL clear unless you have a touchscreen. And even then I'd seriously think about it.

 

[2Loose]

Is that a big issue? I click on the little pictures on the screen - which is a common feature of all the systems. I always double click - which always works but sometimes opens it twice, which can be irritating, but I can't be bothered to learn or remember when I shouldn't.

Often it seems like IT people do stuff differently just for sake of it - because they can and to show they are not being pushed around by the big players. Grow up, get over it and make life easy for those of us who just want an appliance that works without having to work out when the accelerator goes in the ash tray!

So your screen is filled with little pictures, where will the picture go for any new stuff you install?
Windows search is built into the start button menu in Vista and Windows 7, people should be used to it and therefore find the start button menu a bit clunky and slower to navigate. That's why they got rid of it in Win8...but making the jump from XP means people have never seen it, let alone been used to it.

IT people are paid to learn how many ways there are to swing a cat, metaphorically speaking. Find the quickest and\or easiest way of doing certain things. Also to find limitations and advantages...it isn't a question of 'growing up'. That's kind of like saying mechanics are too fixated on spanners.

BTW. Not condoning the use of Win8 in anyway. I haven't finished playing with my new toy yet and so it is too early to decide. Oops, maybe I see what you mean

 

[Shaun]

A bit off topic but I've built most of my machines with Ubuntu. I use virtualbox to create windows virtual machines. I am pig sick of Windows stuff complaining about licensing. Even with software purchased from Microsoft it does not like you looking at if funny without chucking out licenses requests. Once it is virtualised I can have the same vm cloned, try stuff in it and toss it away if I don't like it. TBH I do all my usual stuff like mail, documents, web surfing, printing and scanning from Ubuntu. I only use windows when I am forced to use a windows programme and that is not very often now.

You'd fit in well over on GeeksChat ...

 

[JoeyB]

Nope, but Windows 8 is ... the Start button ...

Its isnt missing a start button, in fact its the complete opposite...the start button has been injected with steriods and is now that fancy 'touchscreen friendly' big buttoned interface.

You still have a full desktop available, and when you hit the Start key (or even the small section where the Start menu historically lived) you get the steriod enhanced interface presented.

 

[Shaun]

Please, stop trying to sell me the Windows 8 UI for PC - it just doesn't work. MS should have had two modes - computer / touch device - and done both properly instead of the hybrid mess they've ended up with.

I've worked with multiple devices and OSs over the years and this has got to be the least thought-out and worst tested UI change I've had to deal with in a very long while.

 

[JoeyB]

Please, stop trying to sell me the Windows 8 UI for PC - it just doesn't work. MS should have had two modes - computer / touch device - and done both properly instead of the hybrid mess they've ended up with.

I've worked with multiple devices and OSs over the years and this has got to be the least thought-out and worst tested UI change I've had to deal with in a very long while.

If that was aimed at me then see my last reply on another Windows 8 themed thread....you'll see that I completely agree with your hybrid theory (see what I did there)...

 

[MacB]

So famous last words and all that, had a problem this morning which took me a while to sort. Booted up as usual but some things wouldn't work and I tried various options, one of the main things being Windows Update and similar stuff, they'd all just hang. After a fair bit of head scratching and fruitless experimentation, to the point I had the XP disc out ready but I couldn't copy files to backup so that stopped me. I finally thought to uninstall my app, Windowshell I think, that gave me the start button etc.

Once I'd rebooted everything behaved as normal and I sorted a backup and got the latest Windows Updates. Clearly the app had been jarring with other things....so my question do I reinstall the start button app, find a different start button app or do without?

 

[threebikesmcginty]

folks, idiotic as I am...

Hope it's not too late to isolate this statement and reflect on the honesty of Mac's words.

 

[goo_mason]

You'd fit in well over on GeeksChat ...

I say - ban this Shaun chappie for coming on here to plug his other websites. The dashed impudent cheek of the scoundrel...

 

[MrJamie]

Please, stop trying to sell me the Windows 8 UI for PC - it just doesn't work. MS should have had two modes - computer / touch device - and done both properly instead of the hybrid mess they've ended up with.

I've worked with multiple devices and OSs over the years and this has got to be the least thought-out and worst tested UI change I've had to deal with in a very long while.

You know I'm a bit torn on it now after a couple of weeks, I really put off installing Windows 8 because of all the negativity and now I'm plenty happy enough with it. Without altering settings or using mods, you can almost exclusively use desktop mode which is almost identical to Win7 on a PC and that I'm pretty happy with. If you were watching me use Windows 8, you would very rarely see any differences to me using Win7. The issues I have are basically how unintuitive it is, PC users get lost in Metro when they shouldn't really even be using it and it defaults to opening pics/music/PDFs etc in Metro apps when you're clearly in desktop mode and navigating Desktop Mode requires you to use shortcuts to be efficient. I cant imagine how long it would take a casual PC user to get to grips with when it's putting off experienced geeks who don't want to have to relearn a pointless UI change. So on the one hand I love it and would put it on all my desktops, but on the other hand I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone.

Once I'd rebooted everything behaved as normal and I sorted a backup and got the latest Windows Updates. Clearly the app had been jarring with other things....so my question do I reinstall the start button app, find a different start button app or do without?

I think you should try getting used to Windows 8, it's not that different really and quite nice when you're used to it, honest. Just stay in Desktop Mode as much as possible, make sure your files are associated with desktop programs not metro apps, pin anything you use regularly to the task bar so you can launch it in 1 click and start becoming a shortcut ninja.

Launching an app: Hit Windows Key and just start typing the name of it, then click app once its shortlisted (exactly the same as Win7)
Getting out of Metro UI back to desktop: Windows Key + D
Admin Menu (improved version of old start menu): Windows Key + X

There's plenty more shortcuts, but those are really all you need. If anything seems annoying or clunky, there's usually a better way of doing it, its just finding the time to figure it out.

 

[MacB]

thanks Mr J that's very useful, I had decided not to reinstall the start button and I'm already forgetting why I felt I needed it so much. But I like the shortcuts stuff will be pinning and learning....cheers....Al