Who uses Windows 8 as primary OS?

[Woelfel]

It cracks me up that so many people reply to her posts thinking that there is any sort of reasoning going on... downright funny stuff!

This.

[Dot Matrix]

Has anyone else noticed that Windows 8 is severely compressing desktop backgrounds?

[Lee G. Veteran]

Has anyone else noticed that Windows 8 is severely compressing desktop backgrounds?

I've noticed that too.

[Wakers]

I've noticed that too.

I haven't?

Have you set it to "fit" rather than centre?

Is this the same issue?

http://aaron-kelley....n-in-windows-7/

[Lee G. Veteran]

I haven't? Have you set it to "fit" rather than centre? Is this the same issue? http://aaron-kelley.net/blog/2011/01/crappy-desktop-wallpaper-compression-in-windows-7/

Actually, forget what I said. On my desktop there's no compression, but there is some on my laptop, but I think that's just because Windows is scaling the wallpaper down to a lower resolution.

[Dot Matrix]

I haven't?

Have you set it to "fit" rather than centre?

Is this the same issue?

http://aaron-kelley....n-in-windows-7/

No. All my wallpapers have since been converted into lossless JPEGs, but Windows 8 compresses them. I have not seen this issue in Windows 7. I've made a comparison screenshot for reference.

[Stoffel]

Go Andrea Go

Love reading her posts, just because they are so full of useful facts. :)

Still can't figure out if she really doesn't get it or if she is a proper troll.

If she is a troll, well done, spending all that time typing long posts ;)

[Orange Battery]

For me, a beta/developer preview should never be used as your primary OS - Your primary OS is meant to be the strongest link - not something thats test software. If your primary OS is not something which is reliable, trusted and your 'go to system' then you have no real idea what you are doing and are just setting yourself up for failure and a panic post on here at some point in the future.

[Dot Matrix]

For me, a beta/developer preview should never be used as your primary OS - Your primary OS is meant to be the strongest link - not something thats test software. If your primary OS is not something which is reliable, trusted and your 'go to system' then you have no real idea what you are doing and are just setting yourself up for failure and a panic post on here at some point in the future.

It's not my "main" OS, but I have it running barebones on my laptop to give it a proper run through. To me, that helps me compare how it stacks up against its predecessor.

[Woelfel]

For me, a beta/developer preview should never be used as your primary OS - Your primary OS is meant to be the strongest link - not something thats test software. If your primary OS is not something which is reliable, trusted and your 'go to system' then you have no real idea what you are doing and are just setting yourself up for failure and a panic post on here at some point in the future.

I don't think you are setting yourself up for failure, you just have to have realistic expectations...which unfortunately a lot of people don't have.

[Brandon H Supervisor]

I don't think you are setting yourself up for failure, you just have to have realistic expectations...which unfortunately a lot of people don't have.

*cough*Andrea*cough*

[HawkMan]

No. All my wallpapers have since been converted into lossless JPEGs, but Windows 8 compresses them. I have not seen this issue in Windows 7. I've made a comparison screenshot for reference.

How are you setting the wallpaper.

Oh and all jogs are lossy compressed, even the 100 quality ones.

[Dot Matrix]

How are you setting the wallpaper.

Oh and all jogs are lossy compressed, even the 100 quality ones.

It's a natively sized JPEG that is centered.

[V23]

It's clear that Andrea is just a troll. I'm quite astounded at the number of people complaining to bring back the start menu, how often did they actually use it? In Windows 7 I hardly ever used the start menu, except for the occasional search for a program (which is exactly the same in Windows 8). All of the programs I used with any regularity were either pinned to the taskbar or put as an icon on the desktop (hidden with Fences).

[migo]

^this.

And/or keep ignoring that stupid troll.

No ignore function

[HawkMan]

It's a natively sized JPEG that is centered.

But how are you setting it ?

[ozgeek]

I assume there's a simple answer to this, but why don't you just keep both drives in your computer so you don't have to swap between them all the time?

No room in this small of a case. I already have 2 personal drives inside the case and because the graphics card (GTX275) is taking up about 2 drive slots, besides, I'm not sure if my 600w thermaltake PSU would take the load of 5 drives. And besides, I tried loading the win8 drive in a external case and ran it on my laptop. I tried to boot into the win8 on the laptop but win8 thinks the install is damaged and wants me to repair. I had to decline as it would damage my laptop's orginal installation (win7).

[Dot Matrix]

But how are you setting it ?

Through the Control Panel.

[Andrea Borman]

Andrea the start menu IS in Windows 8.... For the last freakin time, HERE IS THE PROOF.

No the start menu is not in Windows 8 Consumer Preview. It was in Developers Preview, but not in this version.

And that picture of the Windows 7 start menu is from either your Windows 7 computer, or from Windows 8 Developers Preview.Which did have the Windows 7 start menu.That you could enable with either a registry edit or by using Metro Controller. But all of those things don't work in Windows 8 CP.

And the Metro theme is not the start menu. The start menu that I and most Windows users want is the normal Windows 7 start menu,not the Metro theme.I think they should change the name of Windows 8 Consumer Preview to-THE OPERATING SYSTEM THAT NOBODY CAN USE. Well it is is it not? Andrea Borman.

[blade1269]

Hey,

I will after today I will ... Ram upgrade

[Auroka]

No the start menu is not in Windows 8 Consumer Preview. It was in Developers Preview, but not in this version.

And that picture of the Windows 7 start menu is from either your Windows 7 computer, or from Windows 8 Developers Preview.Which did have the Windows 7 start menu.That you could enable with either a registry edit or by using Metro Controller. But all of those things don't work in Windows 8 CP.

And the Metro theme is not the start menu. The start menu that I and most Windows users want is the normal Windows 7 start menu,not the Metro theme.I think they should change the name of Windows 8 Consumer Preview to-THE OPERATING SYSTEM THAT NOBODY CAN USE. Well it is is it not? Andrea Borman.

Not really... I find it quite usable.

Don't like it then don't use it.

[Stacksmasher]

I generally don't run a beta(?) OS as my 'primary OS'.

[Dot Matrix]

No the start menu is not in Windows 8 Consumer Preview. It was in Developers Preview, but not in this version.

And that picture of the Windows 7 start menu is from either your Windows 7 computer, or from Windows 8 Developers Preview.Which did have the Windows 7 start menu.That you could enable with either a registry edit or by using Metro Controller. But all of those things don't work in Windows 8 CP.

And the Metro theme is not the start menu. The start menu that I and most Windows users want is the normal Windows 7 start menu,not the Metro theme.I think they should change the name of Windows 8 Consumer Preview to-THE OPERATING SYSTEM THAT NOBODY CAN USE. Well it is is it not? Andrea Borman.

Andrea, just for you, I'm going to install the CP on my netbook. $10 says I can still use it just the same as I can Windows 7.

[PGHammer]

Not a big poster to the forums, but with all the love/hate back and forthing going on over something as trivial as the default start display under Windows 8 thought I would at least leave my mark here as well.

First things first - I am and have been a loyal Windows user since the 3.1 days and have used and upgraded to each and every version without any issues for the most part - this would include the beloved ME and Vista. Add on top of those facts that I have also had the privelege to be an official beta tester for Windows dating back to Windows 2000. I am currently a Sr. Systems Admin/Network Admin for a mid size company.

Now that you can see my background a little, here goes.

I made the decision to go all in on the CP as I had just purchased a new laptop and typically wipe the factory install from the get go as a first step after opening it.

Downloaded the x64 version - used Microsoft DVD to USB tool to create a bootable thumb drive to install from and proceeded.

Laptop is a Samsung Series 9 Ultrabook with 8GB Ram,128GB SSD powered by a Core i-5

Installed Windows 8 fresh after deleting both the recovery and main partition that it came with ( I downloaded all the Win 7 drivers from Samsung Website to a 2nd USB drive before this step )

Took literally less than 15 minutes to install and be presented with the login display

Like most of those ranting, I too was a little unnerved with the new Metro interface, more or less because it was different than what I was accustom.

Post install - everything worked and all the drivers were found for the hardware on my laptop. To include the Renesas USB 3.0 port.

Like most of the neowinians, I am very intuitive by nature when it comes to navigating around Windows and just naturally found all the little right clicks, how to close metro apps and the charm bar. Took me reading here to learn about the right click in the "magic corner" as I have heard it called to bring up the power tools menu I guess you would call it.

After about 3 days of running it and playing with the different apps and setting things up I decided to revert back to Windows 7 and wait out Windows 8, as I had sort of started forming an opinion that this may fail for the average consumer because the interface would simply confuse most without some sort of training.

Windows 7, which I love, lasted less than 24 hours before I switched back to Windows 8 - In less than 1 day I had missed the speed and intutive menus that Windows 8 provides over 7. I find that I stayed on the "Desktop" for the majority of the time and once I installed all my applications and made them the default "open with" apps, I never got pulled back into the Metro interface unless I went there - aside from the PC Settings portion.

The Metro interface is cool if you want to open Cut the Rope or Pinball FX - but I simply dont nor have any real reason to use it. Not a live tile fan, hence I never considered Windows Phone 7 interesting - but can understand those who do and dont discount there reasons at all, just not my cup of tea.

Where Metro will be a game changer if done correctly is the Tablet world - THIS will be the only thing that comes close to rivaling the juggernaugt of the iPad - just my opinion - but I refuse to buy a tablet until I can do everything on them that i can do with my laptop.

In closing I believe that Windows 8 will be a success if those that complain the loudest approach it with the mindset that it IS different and is the beginning of the evolution of the Desktop OS that we have come to know. This is not as big a change as Win 3.1 to Win 95 - as the only real change is the "Start Button" and its menus have been tile'ized and made into a full screen overlay I would call it. Underneath that Metro is the same Windows you are familiar with and the keyboard shortcuts if used for more than 3 days will become 2nd nature.

There will be changes for the better within 8 by the time it comes out for the masses - dont push back against the changes, embrace them because this is just the beginning of the start of a new manner of computing.

Thank you.

My biggest worry and qualm with Windows 8 had more to do with backward compatibility (applications and hardware) than anything else - and that includes Metro and the different UI - because application and hardware compatibility is often the biggest problem any operating system trips over. (It was certainly true of Vista - it was even to an extent still true of Windows 7, and before Vista, XP.) Surprise - there have been NO issues with backward compatibility with either the Developer Preview, or the Consumer Preview, in my experience.

Due to Search, a person with a desktop can go hours, if not days, without seeing the StartScreen, if they don't reboot. To use Search, just type the Windows logo key, then the first letter of the application, game, or whatever you want to run. No special requirements - it merely has to be installed. (Therefore, why the fuss over the StartScreen?)

Now here's the thing about Search in Windows 8 - it's not a new feature. Not even close to it. It's been in Windows - in the current form - since Windows 2000 Professional, the last exclusive-to-workstations NT-based operating system. However, since Windows XP, except for certain types of power users, it's been pretty much ignored. With Windows 8 (both Developer Preview and the more fleshed-out Consumer Preview), Search has seriously come into its own as a usable lever.

That is one more reason why I will not install Windows 7 bare-metal on any computer I own, regardless of form-factor, ever again.

[Andrea Borman]

Andrea, just for you, I'm going to install the CP on my netbook. $10 says I can still use it just the same as I can Windows 7.

And then you will find out that Windows 8 Consumer Preview does not have the Windows 7 start menu like the DP did. And there is no way to disable the Metro theme or bring back the Windows 7 start menu on Windows 8 CP.

And then you will uninstall it like I did and go back to Windows 7. Andrea Borman.