Windows 8 Release Preview Discussion

[Quillz]

Question for Win8 RP users with smallish SSDs that they use for boot drives. With Win7 it was a fairly complicated process to move the user folders and such to another drive to save space on the SSD, is it still complicated and is it even possible on Win8? Before I give this thing another shot (I really WANT to like it) I need to know if I'm going to run into any issues with that.

Isn't it just a matter of telling the Libraries where the content is stored? Couldn't you just create folders on the secondary HDD and have the Libraries index those locations?

[Dot Matrix]

Ok, so Skype isn't working on the RP? What the Hell???

[Bubbabyte]

Anyone else having issues with a complete random lockup while using chrome? I installed 8 RP today and so far it's locked up 3 times, but it's a weird lockup, meaning it doesn't just freeze everything at once, first i'll notice i can't click on anything on the browser, then i won't be able to click on anything on the taskbar, then after about 2 minutes of movign my mouse around the screen, the cursor will finally dissapear and i can't ctrl alt del or anything, completely locked up and i have to manually restart.

I'm associating it with chrome cause it happened each time while chrome was running on the desktop, but i have no idea what is causing it.

[Harrison H.]

Anyone else having issues with a complete random lockup while using chrome? I installed 8 RP today and so far it's locked up 3 times, but it's a weird lockup, meaning it doesn't just freeze everything at once, first i'll notice i can't click on anything on the browser, then i won't be able to click on anything on the taskbar, then after about 2 minutes of movign my mouse around the screen, the cursor will finally dissapear and i can't ctrl alt del or anything, completely locked up and i have to manually restart.

I'm associating it with chrome cause it happened each time while chrome was running on the desktop, but i have no idea what is causing it.

It's not just you. It's happened since the Consumer Preview. It happens to me on two different computers. I can't track it down to anything but Chrome. While using IE it never happens. Load chrome and within an hour it will freeze in that exact manner.

[PGHammer]

Ok, so Skype isn't working on the RP? What the Hell???

For some weird reason, Skype 5.9 (which I used without problems in the Consumer Preview) won't work in the Release Preview. However, Skype 5.0 (from oldapps.com) works just fine.

However, that is the only application I've had a problem with so far - period.

[Dot Matrix]

The Photos app is just plain useless. Nothing has changed in it from the CP to now, it's great if you just plan to stare at your pics, maybe hoping to edit them with brain power or whatever, but for ****s sake MS, where are your abilities on this one? I expected more from these apps in this release, but so far there's nothing.

[ArialBlue]

The Photos app is just plain useless. Nothing has changed in it from the CP to now, it's great if you just plan to stare at your pics, maybe hoping to edit them with brain power or whatever, but for ****s sake MS, where are your abilities on this one? I expected more from these apps in this release, but so far there's nothing.

I think of W8 as a way faster version of W7... and I am happy.

[The_Observer]

Ok, so Skype isn't working on the RP? What the Hell???

Ok its not me! found a fix

Quit Skype or use Windows Task Manager to kill any Skype.exe process. Go to Windows Start and in the Search/Run box type %appdata%, press Enter or OK button. The Windows File Explorer will popup. Locate there a folder with the name Skype. Rename this folder to something different, e.g. Skype_old. Restart Skype.

[Quillz]

Does that method to add a "Shut Down" and/or "Restart" tile onto the Start screen still work? Does anyone remember the command to make it work?

[Luis Mazza]

There were so many great UI ideas for Microsoft to use from. But no... they decided to innovate further.

The only caveat is that... it is worse. Microsoft is killing itself slowly by sacrificing a great product (Windows) to bite the tablet market, which is new and different.

It won`t work. Actually... It is not working at all.

[Amarok]

Isn't it just a matter of telling the Libraries where the content is stored? Couldn't you just create folders on the secondary HDD and have the Libraries index those locations?

I'm not talking about the libraries. I mean I put those on a different HDD too, but I'm talking about the entire user folder. A lot of games and programs write and store stuff in there outside of the libraries and take up a lot of space which is kind of irritating and troublesome if you're using a smaller SSD.

[rfirth]

Does that method to add a "Shut Down" and/or "Restart" tile onto the Start screen still work? Does anyone remember the command to make it work?

Shutdown:

shutdown -s -t 0

Restart:

shutdown -r -t 0

The -t n option says to shutdown in n seconds.

Here's the rest of the instructions:

http://www.howtogeek...o-start-screen/

[Bubbabyte]

It's not just you. It's happened since the Consumer Preview. It happens to me on two different computers. I can't track it down to anything but Chrome. While using IE it never happens. Load chrome and within an hour it will freeze in that exact manner.

thanks for the reply man.. puts my mind at ease a bit knowing it's not just me. It's annoying as hell and i'm sure it will be fixed cause its pretty major, but i'm glad i'm not alone.

[soulburner]

Could anyone explain why is the status bar gone from explorer windows? I thought it's by design, but then I saw screenshots on the web and people seem to have it just like in earlier preview releases. How do I reenable it?

edit - nevermind, found it. It's in View -> Options -> Change folder and search options, on the View tab.

[George P Global Moderator]

Could anyone explain why is the status bar gone from explorer windows? I thought it's by design, but then I saw screenshots on the web and people seem to have it just like in earlier preview releases. How do I reenable it?

edit - nevermind, found it. It's in View -> Options -> Change folder and search options, on the View tab.

Status bars have been turned off in Windows since Windows 7. Even when you turn it back on in Win7 explorer though it's often pretty useless since it doesn't give you much info like it used to.

[George P Global Moderator]

I'm not talking about the libraries. I mean I put those on a different HDD too, but I'm talking about the entire user folder. A lot of games and programs write and store stuff in there outside of the libraries and take up a lot of space which is kind of irritating and troublesome if you're using a smaller SSD.

The process of changing the location of the different User folders should be the same as it was in Win7. I haven't looked into it personally for Win8 but that's something that shouldn't have changed.

[Steven P. Administrators]

Looks like the flash issue in Firefox still isn't fixed. When I'm listening to a radio stream and I pause it, it will restart on it's own! Very annoying.

[keysteele]

Installed Win8 RP it seem to be very responsive so far since there isn't to much on my laptop, the only problem which is a big one :(, that I have no sound... i have sound in the CP but no mic, and I when I check device manager it's also telling me that there's no base system drivers :( . Looks like I'm going to have to go back to Win7 . Or at least dual boot for now unless there's no way to get it fixed then I'll just go back to Win7.

I have a Acer Aspire 5720z

[statm1]

I don't know anyone has answered this but is there a way to add back NX emulation so that I can install the RP on my older processor? (context: RP won't install unless your processor has SSE2, PAE, and NX support). Either add back emulation or force installation without NX.

Probably isn't a way but I thought I would ask anyway.

[HawkMan]

The Photos app is just plain useless. Nothing has changed in it from the CP to now, it's great if you just plan to stare at your pics, maybe hoping to edit them with brain power or whatever, but for ****s sake MS, where are your abilities on this one? I expected more from these apps in this release, but so far there's nothing.

IT is just for viewing, get live photo gallery for editing and stuff.

[GJVC]

It's not just you. It's happened since the Consumer Preview. It happens to me on two different computers. I can't track it down to anything but Chrome. While using IE it never happens. Load chrome and within an hour it will freeze in that exact manner.

same problem here

[theyarecomingforyou]

Shutdown:

shutdown -s -t 0

Restart:

shutdown -r -t 0

The -t n option says to shutdown in n seconds.

Here's the rest of the instructions:

http://www.howtogeek...o-start-screen/

I imagine that will be one of the first Metro apps made - one that lets you shut down and restart your computer from a tile. It's unbelievable that Microsoft hasn't addressed a very legitimate issue and common complaint.

[Dot Matrix]

IT is just for viewing, get live photo gallery for editing and stuff.

Yeah, but since Microsoft doesn't seem interested in the Live Essentials apps anymore, it's going to leave a huge gap in Windows.

[PGHammer]

The process of changing the location of the different User folders should be the same as it was in Win7. I haven't looked into it personally for Win8 but that's something that shouldn't have changed.

In fact, it is.

User folders no more have to remain on the boot drive with Windows 8 than they do with Windows 7 (or the entire *Users* folder, for that matter) - as Administrator (of course) in either a command-line session or Explorer started from such a session, copy (command line) or Move (Explorer) the Users folder from C: to where you want it. Moving, naturally, is preferred.

[PGHammer]

I think of W8 as a way faster version of W7... and I am happy.

Which is how I would have thought that MOST users (including the detractors) WOULD have thought of it.

Here's what we know - WinRT (as an API) is so new it's still got sawhorces and construction-scene tape all around anything created with it - therefore, WinRT apps are not that big of a deal (to me, or most normal users) just yet.

With WinRT (as both an API, and the applications thereof) mostly on hold, what's left in terms of a proper evaluation of Windows 8? Why, the usual way you evaluate newer versions of Windows - backward compatibility. With existing applications. With existing hardware. Here (unlike Vista, or even 7 + SP1) the Developer and Consumer Previews (and more so the Release Preview) sets a new standard.

Luis - what would you have Microsoft do? Tablets and slates had *already* mounted an assault on Windows - and that's just Android and iOS. However, they don't have an API ready to go due to their horrendously late arrival. That means they have to play catch-up - and in a hurry. We know that and so do developers. If you're a developer, why would you develop for a new OS/API that will basically start off being a smaller niche than either Android or iOS? Simple answer - you wouldn't! (That is, in fact, what is dooming RIM.) Therefore, you have to create a massive installed base for that API.

Intel (and AMD to an extent with their APUs) are in similar straits to Microsoft (made all the worse by a dismally-slow economy). All the sales are in the tablet/slate space - where neither is a player. You have ARM and Tegra - not AMD APUs and i-series.

ARM and nVidia's Tegra are doing quite well in the Android niche; however, that's exactly what it is - a niche. They have no desire to stay trapped there - they don't want what's happening to RIM (or what happened to Cyrix) to happen to them.

That is what each of them bring to Windows 8.

However, the majority of us (as users) don't think that way - it's way above our pay-grade. We're so insular the only comparison that comes readily to mind is the government of Pakistan - and considering what that mindset has bought them recently, it's not exactly pleasing. As much as we talk about wanting things different, we only want different when it comes to *completely new* - we don't want anything we currently have (or use) to change *at all* if we can help it. Change (when it comes down to brass tacks) is still something that "others" have to do.