Windows 8

[Mickpat]

Has anyone upgraded to Windows 8 yet?  I purchased a new SSD drive from Newegg a couple of weeks ago and installed Windows 8.  After the standard BIOS startup, my PC boots in about 4 seconds. Windows is amazingly fast.  Resume from sleep in 3 seconds.  I installed LSP 2.5 and it runs fine.  I haven't tested the scheduler yet since I am planning to use the conductor.  I don't recommend making major changes to your show machine weeks before going live, but wanted to share my experience with an SSD drive.  Given the performance improvements, I am planning to upgrade my two laptops with Win8 and SSD.  I am hoping newegg will run some sales on SSDs for Thanksgiving. 

[chrisatpsu]

i've have win8 since aug15th, but installed it almost a month ago.

i use vixen, and it runs fine.

[Steve Gase]

i installed win8 into a vmware guest machine and played with it for a while.  it functions ok, i haven't tried hardware and drivers with it.  i think i'll end up getting frustrated with its UI...  if i want that experience I'd buy it on a phone or tablet.

i think i'll end up sticking with win7 for a while longer.  it is not broke, and it works very well for my needs.  i suspect that win8 will experience much of the situation faced by vista... vista had some good things in it, but it wasn't "good enough" to suplant win xp.  xp held on for quite a while until it was so old -- and win7 was that much better.

i could be wrong, but for now i'll hold on to my win7.

[tng5737]

I recently upgraded to win8 pro - taking advantage of the current sale.  The Metro UI can be circumvented, even eliminated if needed.   My Lexmark printers won't work because windows can't find a suitable driver and they have re-structured how print drivers work so that the Lexmark drivers don't work either.  Other than that,  the biggest change is the lack of the START button.  My desktop looks almost like it did in win7 except for how you access your pgms.  My resolution was to put lots of shortcuts on the desktop.
I did have some trouble getting the local Nutcracker to work.  I ended up installing Wamp and then using the toolbar icon - installed each service which forced win8 to modify the firewall rules.  Perhaps, that was a one-of - don't know but I did get it to work!
LSP works as good as it did before - which is to say that it is still broken. LOR still works.
Win8 does startup and shutdown much quicker than win7

[chrisatpsu]

I waited about a month and a half before installing win8 because i too didn't like the metro ui, compared to the start menu i had been used to since 1995. instead of a start button, you simple move your mouse to the bottom left corner and a tile appears to click on the start panel. I'm getting used to it, and deciding not to go back to win7.

Just with anything, when you introduce change, there will be people that simply won't like it. I was one of these at first.

If you're thinking of making the change, you should look at any devices you connect to your computer that are important (printer, scanner, webcam, etc...) and make sure they have software for win8 and your device.

If you're upgrading, you should make an image of your computer with a tool like Symantec's Ghost (or other imaging utilities). So that if you need to go back, you have a complete image of your system before the upgrade.

[rdebolt]

My son just bought a new laptop with Windows 8. How do you set it standard windows view?

[chrisatpsu]

you pretty much need to run an app.

You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

personally, i don't like to run apps that mess with the shell, in case there is a glitch that might pop up.

[rdebolt]

you pretty much need to run an app.

You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

personally, i don't like to run apps that mess with the shell, in case there is a glitch that might pop up.

I agree, Thanks for the info Chris. I think he is just going to learn to use it the way it is.  I know it would take some getting used to for me! 

[tbone321]

I have to say that Windows has really gone down the tubes.  They have completely gone off of the very foundation of Windows and for no valid reason. 

[chrisatpsu]

how did they go off the foundation? win 1x to 3.x didn't have a start menu either.   it's just a different way to present information

[Mickpat]

Good point chrisatpsu.  There are lots of good reasons.  Microsoft's building Windows 8 blog provides lots of good insight into decisions made.  I totally agree it takes some getting use to, but I really like it.  I learned to a few a of the shortcuts which really helped.  For example, Win-D takes you straight to the Desktop. 

[jeffcoast]

After reading some articles I was thinking I wouldn't like windows 8's UI, but I played with it at the store the other day and actually don't think it is all that bad.

[tbone321]

how did they go off the foundation? win 1x to 3.x didn't have a start menu either.   it's just a different way to present information

When Windows actually became an OS, back with WIN95, Billy boy made the claim that they would have a consistant interface both between applications and versions of the OS itself so that people wouldn't have to keep relearning different ways to do the same thing.  Windows 1.x to 3.x were not operating systems.  They ran on top of the OS which happened to be DOS.  While there were differences between 95, 98, ME, 2000, XP, Vista, and 7, many of the basics were at least close and the OS gave you the ability to revert back to more familiar functionality. But now with this new idiot in charge, it's all about the money and not with much in the way of originality.  They are pushing for their new tablet to be successful and what better way to do it than to make them an extension of their new desktop interface.  The problem is that in order to make them even more money, we now have to relearn everything so as I said, they have fallen off of their foundation.

[chrisatpsu]

The consistent interface is still there...  the minimize , and close buttons are still in the same place. The idea behind the "consistent" interface was that from program to program, you didn't have to remember 25 programs' different way to save a file, print, or close. That was the problem with DOS.

 It's just the menu system that's always changed. you still have a start menu, it's just now a set of panels

A lot of people complained when the start button changed in XP. many thought it was the downfall of windows, yet most think it's one on the more stable version.


Windows 95 Calculator


Windows 98 Calculator


Windows Me Calculator


Windows NT Calculator


Windows 2000 Calculator


Windows XP Calculator


Server 2003 Calculator


Windows Vista Calculator


Windows 7 Calculator


Windows 8 Calculator

[chrisatpsu]

Mickpat, you want to see something fly!   try installing Windows NT workstation 4.0 on an SSD drive. It's practically Instant-On!