Who uses Windows 8 as primary OS?

[Dot Matrix]

But cannot install Windows XP anyway,as I don't have a Windows XP CD. My 2 Windows XP netbooks came with Windows XP and I can reinstall my system using system recovery. But I do have Windows 7 CDs. But the question is would I be able to install Windows 7 on a new laptop if it comes with Windows 8? Which is what I would want to do.

I have posted here on the Windows 8 forums about the problems I had with Windows 8 Consumer preview is.Here-http://windows8forum...download-2.html

And a lot of people on that forum,like me prefer the Windows 7 start menu. So I am not the only one who does not like the Metro theme.Andrea Borman.

No wonder Windows 8 isn't working for you. You need something better than a netbook to test the true power of the OS.

[Andrea Borman]

Hey get it through your Skull Metro is not a theme is is Part of windows at its core it is the new start menu and everything you could do in the start menu you can do in the start screen. Simple as that

Well whatever they call the Metro theme it does not work on Windows 8 Consumer Preview. In fact I was in tears when I found out I could not have my start menu on this new and horrible version of Windows 8. Everyone here seems to think that the metro theme is great. But what is great about a theme and operating system YOU CANNOT USE?

I will NEVER upgrade to Windows 8, if I have to have that horrible horrible Metro theme. I was able to use the Metro theme on Windows 8 Developers Preview but that was different. As on Developers Preview,you could use it even with the Metro theme.

As it was quite user friendly and flexible. Meaning you could add software like Classic Shell or Start Menu XP to give you a Windows XP or Windows Vista start menu. You could use it in or out of the Metro theme. And you could disable the Metro them altogether.

And even when I did use the Metro theme alone I did not have any of the problems I had with Consumer Preview.

But Windows 8 Consumer Preview is a different story. It is not user friendly at all.In fact it's worse than Linux and I have problems using that also.But at least with Linux you have a start menu. And even on Ubuntu which at first glance does not have a start menu. If you click the taskbar at the top of the screen,the start menu comes up.

And on other versions of Linux if you right click with your mouse on the desktop,you get a Windows 98 like start menu,that lists all of your software and settings.

As I said on Linux it is not perfect and can never match Windows XP or Windows 7.But at least on Linux you have a start menu.but on Windows 8 you have got nothing.

Microsoft have got no right to do this to use. That is take away our start menu.we pay a lot of money to use Windows as Windows is not free to use. And this is how they treat us. Andrea Borman.

[Quillz]

Microsoft have got no right to do this to use. That is take away our start menu.we pay a lot of money to use Windows as Windows is not free to use. And this is how they treat us. Andrea Borman.

Actually, they do. It's their software and their intellectual property. They have the right to do just about anything they want with their software.

If you don't like Windows 8, don't pay for it. Windows 7 will not quit working.

[The Teej]

I've been using it as my primary OS since launch and I've loved it, bring on the golden master!

[Dot Matrix]

Well whatever they call the Metro theme it does not work on Windows 8 Consumer Preview. In fact I was in tears when I found out I could not have my start menu on this new and horrible version of Windows 8. Everyone here seems to think that the metro theme is great. But what is great about a theme and operating system YOU CANNOT USE?

I will NEVER upgrade to Windows 8, if I have to have that horrible horrible Metro theme. I was able to use the Metro theme on Windows 8 Developers Preview but that was different. As on Developers Preview,you could use it even with the Metro theme.

As it was quite user friendly and flexible. Meaning you could add software like Classic Shell or Start Menu XP to give you a Windows XP or Windows Vista start menu. You could use it in or out of the Metro theme. And you could disable the Metro them altogether.

And even when I did use the Metro theme alone I did not have any of the problems I had with Consumer Preview.

But Windows 8 Consumer Preview is a different story. It is not user friendly at all.In fact it's worse than Linux and I have problems using that also.But at least with Linux you have a start menu. And even on Ubuntu which at first glance does not have a start menu. If you click the taskbar at the top of the screen,the start menu comes up.

And on other versions of Linux if you right click with your mouse on the desktop,you get a Windows 98 like start menu,that lists all of your software and settings.

As I said on Linux it is not perfect and can never match Windows XP or Windows 7.But at least on Linux you have a start menu.but on Windows 8 you have got nothing.

Microsoft have got no right to do this to use. That is take away our start menu.we pay a lot of money to use Windows as Windows is not free to use. And this is how they treat us. Andrea Borman.

As many have said, you're crying over nothing, really. All the functionality of the old Start Menu is still present in the Start Screen. Fundamentally, it's no different. All that's changed is the layout. You can still pin desktop apps, and you can still type to search. I honestly don't see why this is such a big deal.

[JOHW]

Using it as a primary OS, and will use it till the RC and RTM. Still a bit uncomfortable with Metro, but I'm getting used to it. I do have some annoyances that I have feedback to Microsoft and hope they will be rectified when the time comes.

[Andrea Borman]

Actually, they do. It's their software and their intellectual property. They have the right to do just about anything they want with their software.

If you don't like Windows 8, don't pay for it. Windows 7 will not quit working.

But Windows users do not even get to choose which version of Windows they use.In England they have already stopped selling Windows XP and Windows Vista. And you can only get those from a shop that sells second hand or reconditioned laptops.

So if they stop selling Windows 7 and we are forced to buy Windows 8 when we need a new laptop I don't know what I will do.because I cannot use Windows 8 the way it is.

Windows 7 is so user friendly,even a child can use it. But Windows 8 CP is not the same.I would love to try Windows 2000 but you cannot buy it any more. If Linux users can choose what version of Linux they want why can't Windows users?Andrea Borman.

[Dot Matrix]

If Linux users can choose what version of Linux they want why can't Windows users?Andrea Borman.

Support. Linux is open source. Windows isn't.

[Stoffel]

Well whatever they call the Metro theme it does not work on Windows 8 Consumer Preview. In fact I was in tears when I found out I could not have my start menu on this new and horrible version of Windows 8. Everyone here seems to think that the metro theme is great. But what is great about a theme and operating system YOU CANNOT USE?

I will NEVER upgrade to Windows 8, if I have to have that horrible horrible Metro theme. I was able to use the Metro theme on Windows 8 Developers Preview but that was different. As on Developers Preview,you could use it even with the Metro theme.

As it was quite user friendly and flexible. Meaning you could add software like Classic Shell or Start Menu XP to give you a Windows XP or Windows Vista start menu. You could use it in or out of the Metro theme. And you could disable the Metro them altogether.

And even when I did use the Metro theme alone I did not have any of the problems I had with Consumer Preview.

But Windows 8 Consumer Preview is a different story. It is not user friendly at all.In fact it's worse than Linux and I have problems using that also.But at least with Linux you have a start menu. And even on Ubuntu which at first glance does not have a start menu. If you click the taskbar at the top of the screen,the start menu comes up.

And on other versions of Linux if you right click with your mouse on the desktop,you get a Windows 98 like start menu,that lists all of your software and settings.

As I said on Linux it is not perfect and can never match Windows XP or Windows 7.But at least on Linux you have a start menu.but on Windows 8 you have got nothing.

Microsoft have got no right to do this to use. That is take away our start menu.we pay a lot of money to use Windows as Windows is not free to use. And this is how they treat us. Andrea Borman.

First of all, the netbooks you are trying to put Win8 CP on don't have a high enough resolution to run Metro Apps.

To have the full potential of the CP you need at least 1366 x 768.

If you don't have a device with a resolution that high you will always have a crippled experience in Win8

Win8 still has a start menu, it just takes up the whole screen. You can organize all your apps on that screen, group them together in a way that makes sense to you, you can even name those groups. If you don't like that idea, you can still put shortcuts on your desktop of all your favorite apps, or pin them to your task bar

And yes you have to pay for windows, but nobody forces you to buy Win 8. And if it comes pre installed on a new device you can always install Win 7 on it, unless you have an ARM device

[Andrea Borman]

First of all, the netbooks you are trying to put Win8 CP on don't have a high enough resolution to run Metro Apps.

To have the full potential of the CP you need at least 1366 x 768.

If you don't have a device with a resolution that high you will always have a crippled experience in Win8

Win8 still has a start menu, it just takes up the whole screen. You can organize all your apps on that screen, group them together in a way that makes sense to you, you can even name those groups. If you don't like that idea, you can still put shortcuts on your desktop of all your favorite apps, or pin them to your task bar

And yes you have to pay for windows, but nobody forces you to buy Win 8. And if it comes pre installed on a new device you can always install Win 7 on it, unless you have an ARM device

But Microsoft have said they want to put secure boot on their Windows 8 laptops. So how can we install Windows 7?Andrea Borman.

[Quillz]

But Windows users do not even get to choose which version of Windows they use.In England they have already stopped selling Windows XP and Windows Vista. And you can only get those from a shop that sells second hand or reconditioned laptops.

So if they stop selling Windows 7 and we are forced to buy Windows 8 when we need a new laptop I don't know what I will do.because I cannot use Windows 8 the way it is.

Windows 7 is so user friendly,even a child can use it. But Windows 8 CP is not the same.I would love to try Windows 2000 but you cannot buy it any more. If Linux users can choose what version of Linux they want why can't Windows users?Andrea Borman.

Because Windows and Linux are different products with different licensing. And your analogy is weak anyway, because older versions of Windows are technically obsolete, anyway.

And again, if you have Windows 7 now and it's working for you, keep using it. Windows 8 will not prevent Win7 from still working. If you don't like Windows, don't buy it. Use Mac OS X or Linux or any other OS.

But frankly, as others have stated, the Start menu you claim is gone isn't gone at all, it's just been moved onto its own screen now. And I find Win8 no less "user-friendly" (a mythical term, to begin with) as Win7 was.

[Stoffel]

But Microsoft have said they want to put secure boot on their Windows 8 laptops. So how can we install Windows 7?Andrea Borman.

The only devices MS wants to lock are ARM based tablets, just like Apple locks their iPad.

Any other device you will be able to disable secure boot.

[DClark]

I am using it. Only one problem: my monitor resolution is at 1920x1080, yet I am only getting 3 vertical tiles on the start screen. Yet, if I lower the resolution, I get more! (and less, as I lower the resolution further). I downloaded the latest Nvidia driver (for 9800GT) and the specific monitor driver (SyncMaster P2370), and no resolve.

[Chris123NT]

Oh. My. God.

This thread just makes me want to slam my head against the wall.

Andrea, noone is putting a gun to your head and forcing you to use Windows 8. Windows 7 will be supported until 2020. And writing to the president? Yeah, like he's going to care about what a company is doing. Microsoft is a company in business to sell products and make money. They're not a government entity, which is in the business of spending money and losing trillions.

If you don't like windows 8, don't use it. Simple as that. But judging by your desktop screenshots it seems you never used windows 7 the way it was meant to be used which explains why you can't get used to 8. Same concept when it comes down to it. Want to start word? Hit the windows key, type word, hit enter. Same in 8 as it was in 7, just a different start interface.

[FATILA]

But Microsoft have said they want to put secure boot on their Windows 8 laptops. So how can we install Windows 7?Andrea Borman.

That is for ARM machines. Get yourself any x86 machine and install any version of windows you want. How about you download ReactOS which is very similar to windows 2000 and runs a lot of windows applications. Or use Windows 7 until EOL in ten odd years, who knows by that time you might be sick of computing and not care anymore anyway.

And who said windows xp was not for sale?

http://www.saverstore.com/product/20243082/7725665/MS-WIN-XP-HOME-REFUR

Can still buy Vista as well. I am sure windows 2000 can be bought on ebay. You do know how to install an OS don't you? You don't need recovery partitions or to be forced to buy a new machine.

[COKid]

Hang in there, Andrea!

[PGHammer]

But Microsoft have said they want to put secure boot on their Windows 8 laptops. So how can we install Windows 7?Andrea Borman.

Secure Boot only applies (at this point) to WOA (Windows on ARM) as a requirement - it will be *optional* on non-ARM hardware, but not a requirement.

[Andrea Borman]

Secure Boot only applies (at this point) to WOA (Windows on ARM) as a requirement - it will be *optional* on non-ARM hardware, but not a requirement.

So does that mean I will be able to install Windows 7 if I want to?Andrea Borman.

[Stoffel]

So does that mean I will be able to install Windows 7 if I want to?Andrea Borman.

YES, you will be able to install Win7 on any Win8 certified device, as long as it doesn't have an ARM chip in it

[Mazhar]

I am also using CP as my main and only OS now. Formatted the Windows 7 partition and clean installed Windows 8 Consumer Preview.

[tuneslover]

I'm using it. Though Metro experience is way better on the phone.

[morphen]

Running Windows 8 as my primary OS, as it's the only true way to test it.

I do have a complete backup of my windows 7 installation though, just in case :)

[Muhammad Farrukh]

I am dual-booting it with 7.

Using it as my main since day 1.

I don't think there is a a reason to go back to 7 :p

[Stoffel]

I still have the dual boot option, but I haven't used Win7 since somewhere in October 2011

The CP works great for me so far, just a shame most of the metro apps are still very buggy

[migo]

But Windows users do not even get to choose which version of Windows they use.In England they have already stopped selling Windows XP and Windows Vista. And you can only get those from a shop that sells second hand or reconditioned laptops.

So if they stop selling Windows 7 and we are forced to buy Windows 8 when we need a new laptop I don't know what I will do.because I cannot use Windows 8 the way it is.

Windows 7 is so user friendly,even a child can use it. But Windows 8 CP is not the same.I would love to try Windows 2000 but you cannot buy it any more. If Linux users can choose what version of Linux they want why can't Windows users?Andrea Borman.

If you buy a system with Windows 8 preinstalled you will not experience the problems you currently have with it on your netbook.