Have you gone or thought about returning to Windows 7?

[Arceles]

I have both OSes... yet I prefer Win 7 for serious things and Win8 for anything else. Also, Win8 is modded with a gracefully AeroGlass donated key from one of the users here plus start8, even so... it simply feels so restrictive that I don't like it, starting by the false disabled UAC.

[+E.Worm Jimmy Subscriber¹]

Never felt the  need to leave windows 7.     planning to give win9  a go though.

[+Warwagon MVC]

Got a call from a customer today who was on vista, she said

 

"ya I have vista, it's slow, I heard windows 8 also isn't very good and it really slows down your computer"

 

I said, "No windows 8 does not slow down your computer. it sucks for a bunch of other different reasons, speed is not one of them"

[bigmehdi]

I said, "No windows 8 does not slow down your computer. it sucks for a bunch of other different reasons, speed is not one of them"

Perhaps we coud talk of speed , regarding user interaction  i.e how much clicks , keystroke etc... does it takes to do particular actions.

I don't know if "user efficiency" with a particular UI could be measured.

[+InsaneNutter MVC]

I did think about going back to Windows 7 after using Windows 8 full time for 6 months. Instead i upgraded to the 8.1 preview and actually really enjoyed using it. I found 8.1 to have many little improvements which added up to a much nicer user experience.

 

• Boot to desktop was good to have back
• The start button made accessing the start screen and power user features (via right click) a lot easier, especially in remote desktop sessions.
• Putting my PC on standby was now no longer a battle with the useless chimes bar, easy to do by right clicking on the start button. (still not as easy as start > sleep.. but an improvement)
• The top left and right hot corners can be disabled
• Having the desktop background displayed on the start screen makes the transition a lot more pleasant.

 

About the only thing i don't like is the horrible rainbow coloured tile backgrounds when desktop apps are pinned to the start screen, i much preferred them all to have the same background colour like on 8.0.

 

The modern apps are still useless in my opinion, however overall i find 8.1 is not that bad at all.

[+Warwagon MVC]

Perhaps we coud talk of speed , regarding user interaction  i.e how much clicks , keystroke etc... does it takes to do particular actions.

I don't know if "user efficiency" with a particular UI could be measured.

 

Yes, if we are talking "That type of speed" this yes, windows 8 is horrible.

[+jamwheat Subscriber²]

I have been stricktly on Windows 8 since Developer, and got the 8.1 from Technet and running it on my desktop and laptop.  I have Windows 7 in a VM so I can keep up with it for support purposes, just like I have XP in a VM.  So, no, not going back to Windows 7, as I am enjoying Windows 8.1.

 

I actually started off with the Sinclair ZX-80, then Vic-20, C64, Windows 3, on up.  Have an iPhone for work, and a Nexus 7 tablet.  That, I think, covers all the "modern" OSes, hehe...

[Zlain]

I used Windows 8 and then tried the beta (Win 8.1) before having to go back to Windows 7 because my drive ****ed up (my own fault) and only had a bootable disc for Windows 7. As a result, I'm in an ideal situation to give an opinion here:

 

Firstly, loading Windows 7 is such a pain in the backside. Seriously. Boot up with Windows 8 is FAST. I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like with an SSD but with a normal mechanical drive, its still quick. Things in Windows 8 are definitely smoother. Without a doubt. I like the start menu and its fairly easy to find stuff. But you know what? I don't really mind using either Windows 8.1 or Windows 7 for searching. I agree though, Windows 8 is terrible for searching because it defaults to one of those preset filters. I miss having my modern startup page. It is a lot cleaner than having a long list of programmes in the start menu. Tbh, I don't understand the fascination for the start menu. I truly believe Windows 8.1 is superior to 7. I'll be moving onto 8.1 soon, just as soon as the games I play support it (mainly X-Trap errors which is the only problem I had with Windows 8.1).

 

I fail to understand why people prefer Windows 7 over Windows 8.1. There is absolutely nothing that I will "miss" once all the support and updates are there for Windows 8.1. 

[Kalint]

I went back to 7 for a couple months then had to upgrade back to 8 because I wanted to start writing Metro apps.

[Dot Matrix]

One thing about WIndows 8, over Windows 7 is Hyper-V manager.

 

Nuff said.

[Tomoko]

I already did, used Windows 8 for a month and really wanted to like it but, never again. 

[DoctorD]

Windows 8 for my tablets and Windows 7 for my gaming rig, tried 8 for gaming and didn't get the desired effect so back to 7 it was.

[manwiththedroid]

I'm sticking with Windows 8.1. I don't use modern apps at all but I really like using the start screen for Steam Tiles. As awesome as Windows 7 is, I really think Windows 8.1 is polished nice and worth using.

[dvb2000]

Have you gone back or contemplated of going back to Windows 7?

 

I tested Windows 8 during its betas, and never moved off Windows 7 on my main machine. Microsoft were warned Windows 8 would be a failure, but ploughed ahead with it anyway.

 

Until Microsoft get rid of Metro, and touchscreen bias for desktops, and give us back the proper desktop and start menu, they O/S will be a failure.

[Growled Member]

Until Microsoft get rid of Metro, and touchscreen bias for desktops, and give us back the proper desktop and start menu, they O/S will be a failure.

 

I don't use Windows 8, or even Windows at home any more, but I figure people will get use to the start screen over time. It's just completely different, and people hate change anyway. I've read that 8.1 is really nice.

[spaceelf]

people will get use to the start screen over time

It really doesn't take that much effort.  Once you figure out where things are and how they're done it's second nature.  It's hardly all that different, except visually.

 

The biggest mistake they made IMO was hiding so much functionality.  People don't know you can just go to start and type to search for something just like with 7, because it's hidden.

 

The rest?  A child with a half hour could figure it all out.

[WAQT]

Until Microsoft get rid of Metro, and touchscreen bias for desktops, and give us back the proper desktop and start menu, they O/S will be a failure.

How is Metro a problem? With the new start screen, you can choose to see only the apps you use most often and unpin the rest, making choosing apps a lot easier. In a corporate environment where the IT preferably wants users not to poke around apps they don't have any use for, they can unpin them, keep the apps that are used on the screen, a lot cleaner, and efficient way to present apps.

 

The problem, if MS dumps Metro now, is that it will kill itself in the long run.

 

MS is taking a new direction, computing has taken a turn, and bets have been placed. The future is being able to sync/use apps using the same interface on mobiles, tablets, TVs, laptops, computers, and whatever comes in the future. All using an interface that looks the same, and apps that work universally, and are able to sync settings and files. That is the future, this is what I think.

 

Edit: Just found this front page new, about this video, kind of agrees to my point: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QGrv7JbzjU

[BoondockSaint]

5 minutes after switching to Windows 8, I didn't miss the start menu at all. Installed 8.1 as soon as it was available on Technet, and would never go back to 7.

[cork1958]

Been there and done that already!

 

Windows 8, in all it's infinite stupidity with that non desktop design and crap, is nothing but another Vista, for me!!

 

Windows 7 and Debian, for me!! :)

 

Edit:

Should add that I've also returned many other people's OS back to Windows 7. Several of them were brand new systems that the people just couldn't figure out that dumb a** desktop crap, amongst a few other things.

[TruckWEB]

Installed Win 8, went back to Win 7 a week later.  Now I have Win 8.1 and it's going to stay, feels much better.

[PGHammer]

I used Windows 8 and then tried the beta (Win 8.1) before having to go back to Windows 7 because my drive ****ed up (my own fault) and only had a bootable disc for Windows 7. As a result, I'm in an ideal situation to give an opinion here:

 

Firstly, loading Windows 7 is such a pain in the backside. Seriously. Boot up with Windows 8 is FAST. I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like with an SSD but with a normal mechanical drive, its still quick. Things in Windows 8 are definitely smoother. Without a doubt. I like the start menu and its fairly easy to find stuff. But you know what? I don't really mind using either Windows 8.1 or Windows 7 for searching. I agree though, Windows 8 is terrible for searching because it defaults to one of those preset filters. I miss having my modern startup page. It is a lot cleaner than having a long list of programmes in the start menu. Tbh, I don't understand the fascination for the start menu. I truly believe Windows 8.1 is superior to 7. I'll be moving onto 8.1 soon, just as soon as the games I play support it (mainly X-Trap errors which is the only problem I had with Windows 8.1).

 

I fail to understand why people prefer Windows 7 over Windows 8.1. There is absolutely nothing that I will "miss" once all the support and updates are there for Windows 8.1. 

From what I have seen, the desire for one or the other is subjective - not objective, for the most part.

In the case of some users (on both sides), it approaches fanaticism - it's why I've tried to steer clear of such threads.

[_dandy_]

Got a call from a customer today who was on vista, she said

 

"ya I have vista, it's slow, I heard windows 8 also isn't very good and it really slows down your computer"

 

I said, "No windows 8 does not slow down your computer. it sucks for a bunch of other different reasons, speed is not one of them"

 

Spot on.  There's a lot of reasons to dislike Windows 8, but to claim it "really slows down your computer" is patently absurd.

[_dandy_]

One thing about WIndows 8, over Windows 7 is Hyper-V manager.

 

Nuff said.

 

Hyper-V's great to have built into the OS, but the manager in Windows 8 won't let you connect to a remote 2008/2008 R2 server (right-click, Connect to Server).

 

How they can justify this is beyond me.  I have to RDP into the server in order to do basic things I should be able to do in the manager, such as powering VMs on or off.