Home › Forums › Open Discussion › Window 8, or Not
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March 25, 2014 at 10:21 pm #610828
Schmitz Park DadParticipantI am in need of a new PC and have held off as long as I can, as I’m not sure I am ready for Windows 8. Everyone I talk to hates Windows 8. Has anyone out there had a positive experience with Windows 8? Are there any work-arounds to make it easier to use and feel more like Windows 7?
I am sure this post will generate 100+ replies suggesting the Mac. Unfortunately, the Mac will run a program I need for work, so not an option.
March 25, 2014 at 10:41 pm #806077
clark5080ParticipantThe update 8.1 will allow you to make it 98% just like windows 7 my wife has no problems with it and she is not real computer savy. Most places I checked before buying my new computer actually were going to charge you another $50 dollars to use windows 7 I didn’t want to pay the extra
March 25, 2014 at 11:34 pm #806078
JeannieParticipantWindows H8! I’ve used it for more than a year, so I’ve gotten accustomed to it. But I still think it’s horribly designed and user-unfriendly. I’m pretty computer-savvy, but one gets the feeling that the idiots who designed Windows H8 weren’t consumer-savvy. Any software that uses terms like “charms” (no, I’m not kidding) has to be a little off its rocker.
March 25, 2014 at 11:43 pm #806079
clark5080Participantmakes much more sense if you have a touch computer
March 25, 2014 at 11:54 pm #806080
2 Much WhineParticipantI HATE Windows 8 and $50 is a small price to pay to get rid of it. It sucks. No, I have not contacted the manager of Microsoft to tell him of my displeasure. I could see how it might be a better experience on a touch screen.
March 25, 2014 at 11:59 pm #806081
clark5080ParticipantHere is how you change it back to working like windows 7
The Windows 8 Start screen is a good starting point for Windows 8 devices with touch screens, but on PCs with standard screens, you might prefer to boot directly to the desktop. Previously, you could bypass the Windows 8 Start screen with Start8 , but Windows 8.1 now lets you do it natively. Here’s how:
Step 1: Right-click on the Windows 8.1 taskbar, then choose Properties.
Step 2: Click on the Navigation tab, then under the Start screen section, check the box next to “When I sign in or close all apps on a screen, go to the desktop instead of Start.”
March 26, 2014 at 12:08 am #806082
kayoParticipantWindows 8.1 is a big improvement over 8. I have been using 8 for a year and have adapted, although there was definitely a learning curve at first. I don’t really have many complaints anymore, but it helps to have someone show you some key things (or go through a tutorial) so you know how to maneuver. It is not that bad. Honestly, there would be a learning curve with a Mac, too, and this will probably be less so for you since you are already familiar with Windows (and the Desktop screen is basically the same as your old Windows home screen).
March 26, 2014 at 12:09 am #806083
kayoParticipantJeanne, lol on the charms. I hated those stupid charms when I first started using Windows 8!
March 26, 2014 at 1:26 am #806084
trickycooljParticipantIt’s a pretty slick update, I like it! If you get a PC or laptop with a touchscreen Windows 8 makes so much more sense! I had no problems going from 7 to 8 when setting up my moms new laptop a few months ago. Within a few hours you know your way around.
Also just updated to Office 2013 at work, so many useful new features in Excel!! It was like someone at Microsoft made the Excel programmers actually use it.
March 26, 2014 at 2:03 am #806085
EdSaneParticipantI prefer windows 8. CPU/memory optimization are improved. Some may not like the metro interface, however after a week or two it really isn’t noticeable. The only caution I’d give to upgrading is to confirm that the software you use frequently is supported… MS now shows a :( when you crash >.> quite frustrating.
March 26, 2014 at 2:15 am #806086
JeannieParticipantYep, nothing “charming” about the charms! What marketing genius came up with that? By the way, I have a touchscreen, but I still hate Windows 8.
March 26, 2014 at 3:00 am #806087
Schmitz Park DadParticipantThanks all. Good info here. Sounds like Microsoft tried to redeem itself with 8.1, if that is possible. What a disaster for Microsoft and its customers.
March 26, 2014 at 3:05 am #806088
amaliaParticipantRUN RUN RUN as fast as you can to Apple!! I H8. After 3 months, it’s still finding ways to screw me up, even though I’ve downloaded a number of apps to make it more like something a grownup might use. I guess it’s okay if you have a touch screen and/or are a 14-year-old girl who needs pictures and tiles to operate a computer, but for a professional, it’s annoying garbage. I have not “upgraded” to 8.1 because I spent a month setting options and downloading apps to make it usable and I don’t want to lose that.
RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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That’s my opinion:). I don’t wish the frustration I’ve suffered over 8 on anyone!
March 26, 2014 at 3:14 am #806089
amaliaParticipantOops, sorry, I missed that Mac is not an option in my rush to save an innocent from Windows 8 :).
March 26, 2014 at 4:39 am #806090
elikapekaParticipantHate, hate, hate Windows 8.
The awesome folks at PC Mobile put a classic shell on mine so that it looks and feels like 7.
Love, love, love the folks at PC Mobile.
March 26, 2014 at 6:04 am #806091
trickycooljParticipantYou guys do know there’s a desktop mode right? That functions like every other windows? Just don’t look at the tiles if they’re that confusing, but they’re so much easier than all the icons I see covering every inch of some people’s desktops.
And no, I’m not a 14 year old girl, I’m a 29 year old woman that uses computers to make spreadsheets, metrics and presentations for executives and can’t wait for the rest of my office to join this decade in software.
March 26, 2014 at 4:24 pm #806092
helihuParticipantI use Windows 8 mostly in desktop mode, but I’ve grown to love things like the just-start-typing app start and the super-fast search everything features.
(From the modern tile view, just start typing (anywhere — really) to launch any app or find any file or web page.)
March 26, 2014 at 8:37 pm #806093
metrognomeParticipantit’s hard to make a recommendation without knowing more about what kinds of things you use your computer for. As a basic user, I’m not a huge fan of Win8, mostly because they made things so much harder to find (I liken it to buying a car with the ignition in the trunk and you can’t find the manual to look up the new location because the manual is hidden in the door panel.) I simply use the desktop mode. I’m having lots of trouble with IE10 freezing, which has been the biggest frustration. The charms also pop up when I don’t want them and then won’t appear when I need them.
I haven’t upgraded to 8.1, which was the first effort to quell the anti-Win8 uprising. There is an update to 8.1 coming on April 8 that is supposed to give users even more options to set it up to look and function way more like XP/Win7.
Some manufacturers (HP and Lenovo, maybe others) offer Win7 if you buy direct from them but they seem to cost $150 more than comparable Win8 computers, probably because of the licensing fee. MS is so desperate to move people off XP that they are offering $100 off select 8.1 computers.
Speaking of XP, many ATM’s are XP-based and will be more vulnerable to hacking after April 8th.
March 26, 2014 at 9:32 pm #806094
sacatoshParticipantI have it too. I’m what used to be called a “superuser” – do pretty much everything myself most of the time and can do a little coding, though I’m too busy to do it lately. I bought a new all in one computer rather than building my own after a burglary, because I wanted cheap and easy, and had too many other things to rebuild and didn’t want to monkey with it. It’s ok. It takes some getting used to, but it’s deal-able. I start into desktop mode and always run in desktop mode unless I want to use a specific app like facebook once in awhile. I downloaded and installed a start menu replicator that makes the start menu look and act like the previous versions, and it made my life so much easier. I couldn’t previously find any programs I’d installed unless I created desktop shortcuts, and I prefer a clean desktop. (which means the tiles annoy the **** out of me.)
At any rate, it’s not terrible. It’s not great. The annoying part is the java issues where certain websites and the like just wouldn’t work at first because it thinks it doesn’t have Java support. That seems to have disappeared with recent updates. Thank goodness.
I’d recommend going by Staples or somewhere, where you can go play with a computer that has it and see what you think. If you do end up buying it, Google the heck out of “how to use Win8” or “win8 tips and tricks” and watch a few YouTube tutorials as well. I promise it’ll make the transition dramatically easier!
March 26, 2014 at 9:43 pm #806095
wakefloodParticipantI wonder if anyone here (besides me) is struck by the irony of this topic. MS has released yet another major flagship OS that has people pining for its predecessor.
Hundreds of millions of dollars and many thousands of man-hours of smart people’s work to get another resounding “meh”.
Q: How do you know when you’ve built a company too big to prevent group-think or focus group testing from producing profound mediocrity?
A: Not sure, but I wouldn’t run to Bill Gates or Steve Ballmer for the answer. ;-)
March 26, 2014 at 10:50 pm #806096
sacatoshParticipantWakeflood: agreed.
I do agree that it makes more sense for touch screens, and it makes a LOT more sense for a generation who has been raised on ipads and androids and is used to tiles and apps.
I’d also venture to say it’s easier for computer beginners (as in adults who haven’t had a ton of exposure) but that doesn’t mean that teaching to the lowest common denominator is the right way to go.
March 26, 2014 at 11:25 pm #806097
trickycooljParticipantMaybe the tiles were actually pandering to the crowd wanting to bring back the features of Windows 3.1 because they were mad about the confusing start button in Windows 95…. It just took 20 years.
March 26, 2014 at 11:45 pm #806098
rwParticipantWindows 8 is worth it for the “under the hood” performance and security improvements alone. But if you get a touchscreen it is even better.
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I myself am an old-fashioned user and don’t have much use for the Metro interface, so I use the traditional desktop mode 80% of the time. But Windows 8 (and even more so 8.1) is easy to get along with.
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Sure, there is a learning curve just as there is for every new feature and technology. But after you make the leap you’ll wonder what the big deal was.
March 27, 2014 at 12:22 am #806099
Heaven SentMemberWindows 8 has worked very well for my wife and me. It boots up very fast.
I hear that if one wants to delay the onset of dementia, learning new tasks can help. Windows 8 was a real challenge. It took about 10 minutes to figure out the main differences from earlier Windows.
My Appleodean friends like it, though. Every change to Windows gives them a new opportunity to foam at the mouth. They enjoy foaming. They love the Apple baby bibs I send out every Christmas.
March 28, 2014 at 1:20 am #806100
Michael WaldoParticipantI am a computer technician and I dislike Win 8. I haven’t tried 8.1 yet.This site: http://www.classicshell.net/
It is a free software download that can make Win 8 look and feel like Win 7.
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