upgrading to windows 8

[Fran]

Hi all,


For the tech savvy: I have a windows 7 laptop that I'm thinking of upgrading to windows 8. Anyone done it yet and is it worth it?


Fran

[james]

I have installed the demo version [available from microsoft but maybe not any longer] ...

I would not consider it an improvement ..

Basically [on a normal PC with keyboard/mouse] you start with the metro screen [designed for a touch sensitive screen] and get lots of rectangles. One is labelled 'Desktop' and that brings you to the desktop we all know and love. But it is missing the start button .. and to log-off you have to go back to the metro start screen to close things down.

There is a free add-on start button .. look for 'classic shell'

http://classicshell.sourceforge.net/

If you can get the demo version it is worth trying

james

[james]

This is from windowsSecrets.com ...


http://windowssecrets.com/


Win8 boot guide: Your first hour with the new OS
By Woody Leonhard
Win8 is unique among Windows versions; every experienced Windows user will feel significant disorientation on that first journey into the new OS.

I call it "Metro vertigo." To get you off on the right foot, here's a one-hour intro to Win8 that will get you up to speed with minimal frustration.

We'll start with a few assumptions and warnings
For this rapid-start tutorial, I'm going to assume you're already adept at either Windows XP or Windows 7 — you have a solid understanding of mousing and keyboarding, can find the Control Panel, aren't intimidated by Windows Explorer, and have at least a nodding acquaintance with antivirus software and other common add-ins (such as Firefox or Chrome).

I'm also going to assume that you're working with Windows 8 — not Windows RT, which, as I detailed in the Oct. 25 Top Story, is an operating system of a different stripe.

In the process of setting up Windows 8 (either turning on a new machine for the first time or going through the online upgrade), you were asked to pick a user ID. Unless you went through three — yes, three — nonstandard choices in proper sequence, you ended up providing or creating a Microsoft account to sign in to Windows. Your Microsoft account, registered with (and tracked by) Microsoft, looks like an e-mail address — and might, in fact, be a real Microsoft e-mail address (i.e., @hotmail.com, @live.com, or @outlook.com, among others).

If you're already using a Microsoft account as your main Win8 account, don't fret: I'll have a few tips in next week's Windows Secrets Newsletter about reducing the privacy implications. On the other hand, if you set up a local account (typically, a Windows 8 user name that doesn't look like an e-mail address), I salute you — and also point you to next week's issue.

If you haven't yet set up your PC, I suggest that you follow the somewhat hard-to-find options and set your new Win8 system to a local account for now. You can later add Microsoft accounts till the cows come home, after you've read the caveats and suggestions next week.

This one-hour orientation takes into account all three major Windows 8 input methods: touch screen (which might work on your machine), keyboard (a very big help, even if it isn't literally required), and mouse/single-point trackpad. If you have a multitouch trackpad, and its driver is working correctly — by no means a foregone conclusion — the trackpad should behave much like a touch screen.

So get your Win8 computer cranked up, make sure the keyboard's plugged in, and follow along as we jump back and forth between the Dr. Jekyll — Mr. Hyde Win8 interfaces.

Fifteen minutes: Desktop/Metro basic navigation
The Windows 8 setup sequence includes a Microsoft-produced tutorial (I hesitate to use the term) that admonishes you twice to "move your mouse into any corner." That's a bit like sitting behind the steering wheel on a new Bugatti Veyron, pushing the Start button, and watching the heads-up display tell you (twice) to "Step on the gas pedal." Hey, at least the Bugatti has a Start button.

Moving your mouse into all four corners actually isn't a bad idea, but it presumes you have a mouse, and it really doesn't show you much at all.

Try this:

When you start Windows 8 for the first time, you'll see the "Mr. Hyde" Metro Start screen. (Yes, I know Microsoft doesn't use the term "Metro" any more. But I do — and it's useful for clarity.) Depending on your screen resolution and the options you chose during setup, the first smiling screen looks more or less like Figure 1.


Figure 1. Windows 8's default Start screen with the new application tiles

The very first thing you'll want to do is to run over to the traditional "Dr. Jekyll" Windows desktop — if only to reassure yourself that it's still there. To do so, tap or click the tile marked Desktop. It should be in the lower-left corner of the Start screen, as illustrated in Figure 1. (The exact location can vary, depending on your screen resolution. Look for the daisies, which — according to a nice little game site — pirates love.)

If you've tapped or clicked correctly, you see the plain, old-fashioned Windows desktop, as in Figure 2. Don't be surprised that it works almost precisely the same way as the Windows 7 desktop (and more or less the same way as XP). The only obviously missing component is the Start orb.


Figure 2. The Windows 8 Desktop should look quite familiar.

Yes, the Internet Explorer and Windows Explorer icons at the bottom work almost precisely the same way they do in Windows 7. If you click on the Windows Explorer icon (renamed File Explorer), you see another very familiar look, as shown in Figure 3.


Figure 3. Windows Explorer has been renamed File Explorer, but it looks and behaves much like what you're used to.

Now that you have your old Windows bearings set, jump back to the new Start screen by either (1) pressing the Windows key on your keyboard, (2) pushing the Windows key on your tablet, or (3) hovering your mouse in the lower-left corner of the screen (you know, where the Start button should be) — waiting for an oversized Start tile to appear, and then clicking it. You should now be back to the Start screen shown in Figure 1.

Congratulations. That completes your first, crucial, Windows 8 round trip — from Hyde to Jekyll and back. An important takeaway: To get to the Metro Start screen, press the Windows button; to get to the desktop, tap or click the desktop tile. There are about 100,000 different ways to get from Start to desktop and back, but those are the ways you're bound to use most. (Typically, repeatedly tapping the Windows key will cycle between Start and Desktop.)


ends==

[tony]

Will read through James thread when I get more time as it hopefully will add to the windows 8 experience. Agree with all James said the lack of start menu is annoying seems silly leaving it out. I got it because of the views relating to its performance with Jplay. It certainly doesnt disappoint in that regard. I honestly cant quantify the improvement except to say playing hires the other night really impressed a forum visitor.
I think for the €29 especially if you have the jkdac32 and jplay it is worth the upgrade. If it was costing the usual €100+ I wouldn't bother until they issue service pack 1 or 2.

[james]

Be carefull upgrading .. make sure you have the option of going back if you don't like it ..

[Fran]

Ok, I'm thinking over what to do. I ran the upgrade assistant and it looks like I have a small few incompatible programs. I'll see...... I want to try out those Linux drivers too and see what that sounds like..



Fran

[Frankie Lee]

First advice: If it's a computer you need to use a lot I'd recommend waiting a couple of months as there is bound to be issues this early in the game.

Second advice: Apparently the key is to realise that Metro IS the start screen!


I've been to a few Windows developer events over the last year and I think W8 is quite exciting – especially as a developer. Having said that they've been extremely progressive so I'm not surprised by the backlash.