Windows 8 pitfall to be aware of

[RhythMick]

I just set up my parents-in-law's laptop for them. I've not played with Windows 8 before. First impressions are that they have gone a LONG way to a) make it user-friendly and b) to tie users into Microsoft where possible. They've largely succeeded in both but Lord forgive you if something goes awry.

I'm a very long way from being a computer newbie with almost 30 years professional computing experience. I fell into a hole and had to find my way under the Windows 8 covers to sort it out.

From scratch you need to either sign in with a Microsoft account or create one, in which case you need to provide an email address. Be careful here. If you provide an email address which isn't IMAP capable (eg FREEUK) then you won't be able to retrieve the validation email Microsoft sends you.

Microsoft has, in its wisdom, made the standard Windows 8 Mail application incapable of retrieving POP3. Sigh. There's no wonder they have lost so much market share to Apple and Google.

 

[defy-one]

I prefer IMAP as it keeps my folders synced on ipad,pc and android phone.
Agreed they should let you use whichever email protocol YOU wish

 

[Garz]

I heard similar feedback from my friend up the road whom always purchases the latest gadge.

He told me to steer clear too, I am also dreading the family support calls - it's bad enough when they are using the same version as me!

 

[MontyVeda]

thanks for the tip... I'm still POP3!

 

[tadpole]

Goodness is freeuk still going? That's a blast from the past when Demon was the only decent provider

 

[HovR]

Microsoft has, in its wisdom, made the standard Windows 8 Mail application incapable of retrieving POP3. Sigh. There's no wonder they have lost so much market share to Apple and Google.

Thunderbird it is then.

 

[Lanzecki]

There is an option where you can create a local account. This negates the need to create an email address.

 

[Leaway2]

Sigh. There's no wonder they have lost so much market share to Apple and Google.

And Linux. Ubuntu 12.04 here.

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

Windows 8 will never see the light of day in my company. XP and 7 produce more 'F' and 'C' word based diatribes than I've seen in 25 years elsewhere.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Windows 8 will never see the light of day in my company. XP and 7 produce more 'F' and 'C' word based diatribes than I've seen in 25 years elsewhere.

so they actually like vista?

 

[Kiwiavenger]

i'm still on windows 2000 professional at my work!! lol.

i really need to get a dual booting system, i like 7 and all but i cant fiddle with it as much as i used to

 

[dellzeqq]

i'm still on windows 2000 professional at my work!! lol.

i really need to get a dual booting system, i like 7 and all but i cant fiddle with it as much as i used to

I worked for a company that put the entire network on 2000 back in (you guessed) 2000. It hasn't missed a beat since.

 

[Lanzecki]

Ahh, the good old days when M$ tested the products before selling them. No adays the release the operating system and get us to find the faults. If there is enough bad publicity they change a few things around and 'launch' it as a new product.

That said, windows 8 is much faster then windows 7. But it doesn't seem to like dual screens that much. I occasionally have to remind it I want the desktop spread over both screens, not have both screens showing the same thing.

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

so they actually like vista?

They swore at XP, they swear at 7.
One guy can work with anything, the other has a serious personal problem and pulls the other into his world of victimisation and anger. He has to find something to use and prove his 'point', and unfortunately Windows provides lots of things for him to use, be it a printer driver that suddenly loses touch, or a server that will never, ever be fast enough.

 

[sabian92]

Windows 8 will never see the light of day in my company. XP and 7 produce more 'F' and 'C' word based diatribes than I've seen in 25 years elsewhere.

Windows XP and 7 are actually decent OSes, the bad ones were ME and Vista. Shocking operating systems.

I've yet to try Windows 8 (Got a netbook and need a USB stick to boot from - unfortunately I only have a 4gb stick and it needs to be 8gb) but it does look okay - I downloaded the beta (which wiped my previous Windows installation without telling me...) which was alright. Not sure I'll get on with the "metro" thing though.