Why doesn't Windows 8's setup use the Modern UI style?


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They undated the post-install has been updated so far at least. I just think it's low on the priority list.

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The setup screens in Windows always look like the previous version of Windows. For instance, here's are the Vista setup screens which you can see start off with classic theme borders and title bars:

It's all quite deliberate.

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One of the bigger technical reasons why I think they didn't get a Metrofied setup interface set at the first phase of the setup was more related to Metro working well if Explorer runs as shell.

Ohh, and of course they were laaaaazy to change it too!

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The setup screens in Windows always look like the previous version of Windows. For instance, here's are the Vista setup screens which you can see start off with classic theme borders and title bars:

It's all quite deliberate.

Windows XP's setup was nothing like those.

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Im installing Windows 8 in a virutal machine and I notice that the setup doesnt have Modern UI style elements.

Is there a technical reason for this?

Not sure what you mean, the new setup client very much uses the Windows 8 style. Or do you mean the classic/legacy installer? Obviously that one wasn't changed much since it's legacy by definition :-)

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Windows XP's setup was nothing like those.

You misunderstood me. I'm not saying that the setup looks like XP's, I'm saying that the windows during Vista's setup use classic theme rather than Aero theme so it is reminiscent of XP. If you take a look at the border and titlebar of the first screenshots with windows (the third and fourth slides) you'll see that they use the classic theme. It's only later in the setup that it starts to use a glass-like effect. I'm sure they do this deliberately to demonstrate that you are upgrading.

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Not sure what you mean, the new setup client very much uses the Windows 8 style. Or do you mean the classic/legacy installer? Obviously that one wasn't changed much since it's legacy by definition :-)

I mean start your computer and boot from the Windows 8 DVD to install....

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Not sure what you mean, the new setup client very much uses the Windows 8 style. Or do you mean the classic/legacy installer? Obviously that one wasn't changed much since it's legacy by definition :-)

If you boot from the installer image you get faux Windows Vista Aero.

You misunderstood me. I'm not saying that the setup looks like XP's, I'm saying that the windows during Vista's setup use classic theme rather than Aero theme so it is reminiscent of XP. If you take a look at the border and titlebar of the first screenshots with windows (the third and fourth slides) you'll see that they use the classic theme. It's only later in the setup that it starts to use a glass-like effect. I'm sure they do this deliberately to demonstrate that you are upgrading.

The Windows 8 installer first starts in Aero Basic and then goes to Windows Vista's Aero. You don't get the Windows 8 desktop theme anywhere during installation. When going by your story Windows 8's Installer should at least use Windows 7's Aero theme. It doesn't do that either.

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The only consistency you can expect from Microsoft is that their interfaces are always highly inconsistent.

OSX is highly consistent!

/s

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If you boot from the installer image you get faux Windows Vista Aero.

The Windows 8 installer first starts in Aero Basic and then goes to Windows Vista's Aero. You don't get the Windows 8 desktop theme anywhere during installation. When going by your story Windows 8's Installer should at least use Windows 7's Aero theme. It doesn't do that either.

What? Aero is the theme in the previous version of Windows and later in the process it switches to a Windows 8 Modern theme. What is difficult to understand here? The pattern is old theme, new theme. If you want to argue about any other details such as whether the aero looks like Vista or 7 then knock yourself out. I've wasted enough time on this pointless thread already.

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The only consistency you can expect from Microsoft is that their interfaces are always highly inconsistent.

Then why do so many detractors cry over Microsoft removing the glass effects in Windows 8, when Microsoft actually took the time to flatten it to match the Metro UI?

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I don't think updating the setup is a priority. The Windows Blue setup, however, has been updated and the windows look like a mix of Windows 7 and Windows 8.

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What? Aero is the theme in the previous version of Windows and later in the process it switches to a Windows 8 Modern theme. What is difficult to understand here? The pattern is old theme, new theme. If you want to argue about any other details such as whether the aero looks like Vista or 7 then knock yourself out. I've wasted enough time on this pointless thread already.

Except Windows 8's installer pattern is old theme > old theme. It starts with the Basic theme and then goes on to faux Windows Vista Aero. At no point during installation you get the Windows 8 desktop theme. What don't you understand here? If you think a thread is pointless be sure to refrain from posting altogether in the future.

Then why do so many detractors cry over Microsoft removing the glass effects in Windows 8, when Microsoft actually took the time to flatten it to match the Metro UI?

Yet the Windows team didn't take the time to update the system icons to be consistent with Metro and their new desktop theme, something the Office 2013 team did do. Of course they on their turn didn't deem it necessary to use the default window control buttons and scroll bars. But let's not pretend you never noticed those things yourself.

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I suspect it's due to different teams working on the main UI and the setup UI.

Main UI team makes something shiny and fancy, but there's no time to adapt that to the setup UI in the version that shiny UI is debuting. Setup UI team takes shiny UI and makes it the new setup UI, but by the time it comes out Main UI team already has shiny UI 2 ready to ship.

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I don't think updating the setup is a priority.

That indeed might be the case. Because, we see, they did such a good job with the rest! Nah, ok, they might have... But I'm calling them "feckin' lazy buggernuts", nevertheless. I insist that overall consistency (not only these screens - nearly every little corner of 8 lacks polish) is something they should move to the top spot and then work from that point on. Purely because nobody's yet tried it that way before. May bring them luck, who knows.

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What's the point of updating something that majority of the users won't see? I would rather have them work on updating desktop UI more (icons too if possible).

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The reason behind it is indeed technical. Microsoft developed what they call the Windows PE (preinstallation environment) which is a very small version of the kernel with a bunch of utilities to format your disk, apply installation images etc. This is intentional to reduce initialisation time and transfer over networks as I might do a PEX install. If you create a WinPE iso using the WAIK you will notice a desktop and a command prompt when you boot from that ISO. Hope that answers your question :D

Actually the reason is just a matter of priorities. As I alluded to in my earlier post, you're all talking about the legacy installer which wasn't invested in for Windows 8. Most people don't see it. Instead, the installer team focused on the new modern installer. That's the one you see if you upgrade, do a clean install starting from in Windows, or install from the web.

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