Windows 8 Consumer Preview Discussion

By Roger H.
in The Fast Ring (Insider Previews)

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Experienced

Pygmy_Hippo

Posted
Posted

Is this right? Most Metro apps don't work at 720p?

I'm asking because I honestly can't believe that!

Why on earth would you use the standard of 1024x768 when 1280x720 is so much more common these days?! I mean, sure, maybe if we're talking about old legacy hardware but this really isn't for that kind of hardware!

I usually run windows on my PC at 720p, everything is simply too small to read at 1080p.

Now, I could use 1080p with the accessibility option to "make everything bigger" but it doesn't make everything bigger. It makes the tiles bigger and leaves the text tiny still :(

I've got the preview running through my TV and that only goes up to 720p and not one of the Metro apps work - not even the Weather app.

I won't be buying a new tele any time soon, and 1080i looks horrific so I just hope they come to their senses and ease up on the resolution.

Enthusiast

Myrdhinn

Posted
Posted

Confused with all the hate. Gee, want how it looks in Win7, just click the desktop metro tile and do your work from there. Need to shutdown etc, just dl one of the shutdown gadgets, they are still around out there. I like some of what metro can do.. and having the corner/charms functions even in the old desktop environment is great. It's far from perfect especially without a touchscreen but the lower memory usage and a touch of faster feeling response no matter how incremental is worthwhile. But hey, one day of usage so rant on, rant on... I remember the same usage of rants with win7, vista, xp, win2k, and on down to DOS.

Mentor

Azies

Posted
Posted

Dual booted by creating a bootable USB, then set Windows 7 as default to avoid that new boot menu, which half-loads the OS, restarts the computer if I choose Windows 7.. ugh.. Anyway, I haven't used Windows 8 CP enough to know whether it's good on my native hardware or not, so far so good.

Veteran

spudtrooper

Posted
Posted

I'm LOVING it.

I did an upgrade of my W7 x64 at home and WOW.. holy hell it worked and now it feels more familiar and now I'm learning all the new metro elements while still having a desktop that i'm familiar with.

The only app I had to remove to upgrade was MSE, it preserved everything else.. Virtualbox, vmware, office, zune, worldwide telescope, cygwin, office, visual studio 2010, windows phone sdk..

Collaborator

nw2001

Posted
Posted

Okay I'm getting used to the UI, it's a bit strange and messy in places but over all pretty functional.

I have one issue I'm hoping someone else has an answer for xD

How do I control the volume of the music app? Compared to every other application (Metro or not) it's incredibly loud. I usually keep music going through my head phones while I game but with this app it's just impossible. (Like to hear my game the music is blowing my ears out already.)

Grand Master

Eric Veteran

Posted
  • Veteran
Posted

I'm LOVING it.

I did an upgrade of my W7 x64 at home and WOW.. holy hell it worked and now it feels more familiar and now I'm learning all the new metro elements while still having a desktop that i'm familiar with.

The only app I had to remove to upgrade was MSE, it preserved everything else.. Virtualbox, vmware, office, zune, worldwide telescope, cygwin, office, visual studio 2010, windows phone sdk..

This is actually the only flaw I've found in it so far. :)

I removed MSE as it suggested but upgrading results in a dialog box saying "something happened" and it will not upgrade.

Grand Master

PGHammer

Posted
Posted

I'm LOVING it.

I did an upgrade of my W7 x64 at home and WOW.. holy hell it worked and now it feels more familiar and now I'm learning all the new metro elements while still having a desktop that i'm familiar with.

The only app I had to remove to upgrade was MSE, it preserved everything else.. Virtualbox, vmware, office, zune, worldwide telescope, cygwin, office, visual studio 2010, windows phone sdk..

Same here (upgraded from 7 x64+SP1). I had the DP on my other drive (Dueling Windows), and had previously upgraded that to the CP as a test (personal files only). Despite both upgrades being wildly different (DP upgrade was via the C2R-based installer, 7 upgrade was from a burned DVD), both succeeded with nary a quibble. Get this - despite both installs technically being upgrades (and one of them - specifically the DP-CP upgrade - being normally a no-no), everything - hardware and software - works just fine. The only reason I didn't give the CP 10 out of 10 (instead I gave it a 9) was the boot screen - basically a quibble.

As far as running 7 bare-metal again, except in extremis, two words - HECK NO!

And this is a traditional desktop - compete with keyboard, mouse, and flat-panel no-touch TN display.

Grand Master

Arceles

Posted
Posted

Windows 8 Consumer Preview in AMD Mobile APUs with crossfire:

Not having start menu is anoying.

Cannot install into a USB Harddisk drive, which is present already in other oses but not this since I don't know when.

Having to log in at the startup, always, is also a pain.

Programs:

Internet Explorer Metro Crashed

Firefox installed and working

K10Stat Runs (Overclock works but cannot set into autorun mode for some reason)

Autohotkey Runs (I can interchange the z for the place of the y, just guess what keyboard I have)

(How to autostart programs like it was before with the start menu: http://www.windows8g...s-in-windows-8/)

(Or basically Run (right click where the start orb used to be)->shell:startup)

XLaunchPad installed and working

Volume2 (Nice OSD for volume) installed and working

Dirt 3 Installs, took the hell of a lot of time in it. The consumer Preview AMD Driver works wonders with APUs and xfire, no BSODs nor anything like the newer versions.

Drivers:

Creative Surround X-Fi Installed/working

AMD graphics installed (Consumer Preview Version)/working

HP 3D driveguard installed/working

IDT Audio Driver installed (integrated beats HP audio)/working

Card reader installed/working

fingerprint reader installed but HP SimplePass 2011 simply doesn't install/ DON'T INSTALL OR MAY CAUSE PROBLEMS WITH OTHER INSTALLATIONS

MotionInJoy Installed but Triggers don't move in xbox mod (z axis) for some reason but in calibration they do work

WinCDEmu installed (althought doesn't seem to associate itself automatically to isos, It may be redundant since

windows has now it's own mounting utility)

Enough Testing... returning back to my beloved Windows 7, because I really want my start orb and start menu back!

Experienced

Sadelwo

Posted
Posted

The one problem I'm having is that my onboard VIA HD Audio (VTS1708S) sounds like a 56K modem with the last two drivers for Win 7. Same drivers worked fine in the Developer preview (without the via app). The other two machines with Realtek HD Audio work flawlessly.On the via system default windows drivers only show the SPDIF wheras in the DP it gave full 5.1 with the defaults. :/ Other than that everything runs beatifully.

Grand Master

PGHammer

Posted
Posted

You guys are forgetting, Windows isn't geared towards power users, Windows is geared for a broader consumer market, who prefer simpler ways at computing.

Precisely, Dot Matrix.

They are basically playing toward the non-Neowinians (as Bill O'Reilly would say, "the folks").

The reason that a lot of Neowinians and a lot of the Windows power users are so aghast over this major UI change is that it is just that - a major UI change.

Let's face it - compared even with the change from XP to the Vista UI (which introduced the Start menu the anti-CP/DP crowd is waxing lyrical about), the primary UI has changed only minimally since Windows 95 (the last truly major UI change for Windows).

Computing itself has changed dramatically since even the introduction of Windows 7 - the desktop is not even close to being the be-all and end-all of computing any more. Even more telling, the hardware itself - even non-ARM hardware that is capable of running any version of Windows - has changed more than Windows itself has.

Throw in iPad, Android, niche distributions of Linux, etc. (not to mention smartphones), and the definition of *computer* has blurred.

Microsoft itself has the classic choice - catch up/stay ahead - or get run over.

The problem that the majority of Neowin - not to mention the rest of the technical Windows userbase - is facing is that, as much they would like to, you can't unring a bell.

  • Stoffel and Dot Matrix
  • Like 2
Grand Master

+Elі Subscriber²

Posted
  • Subscriber²
Posted

Ok, I have been using it for over two hours, and yes it is a big change, but it's not that different from regular Windows once you pass the learning curve, so far so good, I do agree that it feels a little like there's two systems along side each other, Microsoft needs to make the regular desktop look more Metro, I don't think the Aero style fits at all with Metro.

Also how am I supposed to tell ONLINE from OFFLINE users on the Messaging application? the whole thing is a little bit overwhelming, so bear with me if this was a stupid question lol.

I love the Spell checker built into Internet Explorer btw!

Grand Master

Izlude

Posted
Posted

Tinkered around with Win8 for a few hours... I quite like it. It's definitely a fresh experience. Sorry to hear some folks don't like it.

Win8 has a VERY DIFFERENT feel to it. It almost feels like I'm running two operating systems side by side. One that runs apps and one that runs the older programs. Now I can't help but feel that the desktop is out of place in Win8. It feels artificial.

I'm wondering if they're preparing to reconfigure the desktop in future installments. What I see happening is this: The desktop turns into a "compatible environment" with no taskbar. You won't be able to click into the desktop (because nothing's there anymore). This compatible environment appears Only for the purpose of displaying the old desktop programs and closes after you've closed your last program, sending you back to the start screen. As for the file manager, maybe they'll make a metro version of it to nail the coffin?

With these changes, I can see the start menu becoming the new desktop hangout. Sounds like an unpopular idea, but what if that happened? What are your feelings about that Mr Horse?

Enthusiast

code65536

Posted
Posted

You guys are forgetting, Windows isn't geared towards power users, Windows is geared for a broader consumer market, who prefer simpler ways at computing.

And you are forgetting that, traditionally Windows has done a relatively good job of catering to both. It is insulting to see MSFT throw us under the bus like this. All they needed to do was add an option (make it hidden, if they want to, I don't care) to disable this Metro BS. They can cater to both. They chose not to. They chose to forcibly shovel this hot mess of usability down the throats of power users. That is what annoys the hell out of me.

And yes, I will concede that Metro has its merits. In most consumer use cases, it makes more sense. But for the things that I do, it doesn't. It's inefficient. It's clumsy. And I don't want it. Never in all my years of using Windows (since 3.0) has MSFT done something this controversial without giving users an escape hatch. That is appalling and unacceptable. Period.

  • knighthawk and Emon
  • Like 2
Grand Master

Evolution

Posted
Posted

One thing that I don't like is the new search. Before in Windows 7 if I searched for Calculus, the menu would display the most frequently used items for each appropriate category e.g. apps and documents. However if I do the same in Windows 8 CP, it'll focus on apps even if there aren't any and I have to click files or documents to get to where I want. Is there a way to fix this? I realize there are individual shortcuts to search for files, documents or apps specifically, but to me it's more of a hassle than what Windows 7 does.

Grand Master

BoDEAN

Posted
Posted

Shocked with the amount of people saying " I Upgraded from XXXXXXXX"

Why would one ever run this as their main OS? It's a preview, far from final version. VM or Dual boot, but to upgrade your OS to this, now? Damn!

  • COKid and d4rk5ky
  • Like 2
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