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You cannot copy one profile into that path. There are register entries that will mess up things. For win7 we've been using windows enabler and the control panel users copy profile option. That has been removed from 8 making it more enterprise unfriendly. As it stands the 'folder copy and rename method' does not work fully either. Currently we're planning on skipping 8 because it is not enterprise ready it seems.

You cannot copy one profile into that path. There are register entries that will mess up things. For win7 we've been using windows enabler and the control panel users copy profile option. That has been removed from 8 making it more enterprise unfriendly. As it stands the 'folder copy and rename method' does not work fully either. Currently we're planning on skipping 8 because it is not enterprise ready it seems.

Maybe you should base your decision on the Enterprise version, not a beta with incomplete functionality?

*Snipped*

Actually, sincw Windows 8 starts at the Start Screen, you could make the case it is actually more efficient than starting on the desktop. I'm in Excel faster on Windows 8 than I am in Windows 7.

You're confused. The workflow is to open Excel.

No it is not. The work flow is your focus not to be taken from Desktop and whatever application on it might be opened while opening excel. Use same scenario but search for event viewer ;).

On left side you have professional looking OS where UI principles are followed. On right side you have rubish looking OS where everything goes against UI principles.

For average user when they go to Metro screen it is not obvious that they can type anything. Infact 99% of them will be browsing Metro Screen. Microsoft fails at usability big time.

Microsoft built Windows 8 around devices which only existed in the form of cardbox. That is pretty messed up!

I love Metro. I'm finding that, in my experience, getting to frequently used apps is just as quick as in 7, and comfortable and easy to use. Just my opinion. We all have them and each opinion is as valid as another.

My opinion is Metro is simply awesome.

18cc29.jpg

No it is not. The work flow is your focus not to be taken from Desktop and whatever application on it might be opened while opening excel.

I don't know about you, but regardless of what window(s) I have open, the minute I go to the Start Menu in Windows 7, my attention is on the start menu, not my open windows. Having a Start Screen now doesn't change that fact.

And since Windows 8 boots to the Start Screen, getting to Excel is even quicker, than booting to the desktop, going into the start menu, browsing or searching for Excel, then clicking it open.

Use same scenario but search for event viewer ;).

Challenge accepted.

It popped right up. Normal users don't use this tool, and the people that do, can easily tell a user to type "event viewer", or easily search for it themselves.

I don't know about you, but regardless of what window(s) I have open, the minute I go to the Start Menu in Windows 7, my attention is on the start menu, not my open windows. Having a Start Screen now doesn't change that fact.

And since Windows 8 boots to the Start Screen, getting to Excel is even quicker, than booting to the desktop, going into the start menu, browsing or searching for Excel, then clicking it open.

Challenge accepted.

It popped right up. Normal users don't use this tool, and the people that do, can easily tell a user to type "event viewer", or easily search for it themselves.

I pin Excel to Taskbar or as shortcut on Desktop. Desktop is unused in Windows 7. I always thought that Microsoft will come up with something on Desktop rather than create Metro interface. Why not bring Metro elements to Desktop itself? It is huge unused space minus small portion of the screen on the bottom for taskbar. Again speaking of Event Viewer, interesting. My Virtual Copy cannot find it unless i click Settings on right side.

I pin Excel to Taskbar or as shortcut on Desktop. Desktop is unused in Windows 7. I always thought that Microsoft will come up with something on Desktop rather than create Metro interface. Why not bring Metro elements to Desktop itself? It is huge unused space minus small portion of the screen on the bottom for taskbar. Again speaking of Event Viewer, interesting. My Virtual Copy cannot find it unless i click Settings on right side.

Do you know *why* the desktop is unused (or as you yourself put it, underused) in Windows 7 compared to previous OSes? Simple - application publishers and developers (including Microsoft itself) got told - by their users - to stop cluttering up the desktop with application shortcuts "back in the era of NT/9x" (before Windows 2000). Office 2000 was the first product to get the hint, as, instead of creating two shortcuts (one for the Office Launch Bar, which premiered with Office 95, and a separate one for Outlook on the desktop) it created just the one for Outlook (banishing the Office Bar - a direct ancestor of the Superbar). In Office 2007 even the Outlook desktop shortcut was gone. Hence the end of desktop clutter. (Most applications (even games) have an installation option telling it NOT to create desktop shortcuts.)

It sounds (at least to me) like you are part of that group of users that, absent a Start menu, would much rather you have desktop shortcuts (or Taskbar pinnage). And, as you have discovered, Windows 8 (in either Developer Preview or Consumer Preview form) still permits both - as Windows 7 does.

I pin Excel to Taskbar or as shortcut on Desktop. Desktop is unused in Windows 7. I always thought that Microsoft will come up with something on Desktop rather than create Metro interface. Why not bring Metro elements to Desktop itself? It is huge unused space minus small portion of the screen on the bottom for taskbar. Again speaking of Event Viewer, interesting. My Virtual Copy cannot find it unless i click Settings on right side.

You know what, I am fairly convinced Desktop and Metro will be tightly integrated by RC time. As we know, fine UI elements have traditionally been the last to be built in Windows releases, and this is no different. For CP they could only do Alt-Tab, that is seamless integration of Metro and Desktop apps right there. I would expect this to extend through to RC. Another clue is that the task switcher is very much a work-in-progress. Alt-tab already does not discriminate between Metro and Desktop apps, and neither will the final task switcher. In fact, I feel the task switcher will ultimately be redesigned and combined into the taskbar. Then we might see a single UI where Metro and Desktop apps play hand in hand, the taskbar becomes the task switcher and the Start screen is pretty much the "new desktop". As you rightly point out the desktop is mostly unused and for those who like to populate can still continue to pin files, shortcuts and folders on the Start screen, though granted it is less flexible.

The whole concept of "desktop is just another app" is just a temp placeholder till they polish Metro out and will also vanish then. If you use Alt-tab a lot, it is already very seamless switching between desktop apps and Metro apps, and I refuse to believe Alt-tab is a singular place where this level of integration of found, hence the above speculation.

Another thing, continuing the above discussion, searching for apps is pretty much the same, but searching for files is wayyyy easier! I rarely use Explorer nowadays, it is really a big time saver.

As for Event Viewer, right-click on bottom left hot corner, the power menu opens up, click Event Viewer, presto! Pretty simple.

It popped right up. Normal users don't use this tool, and the people that do, can easily tell a user to type "event viewer", or easily search for it themselves.

People who do tech support often will also know to type Win and eventvwr.msc, since the Start screen will handle all the old-school commands exactly the same.

People who do tech support often will also know to type Win and eventvwr.msc, since the Start screen will handle all the old-school commands exactly the same.

not to mention win+r hasn't disappeared
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