Windows 8 Release Preview Discussion

[PGHammer]

In the Developer and Consumer Preview, there was a way to snap Metro Apps alongside desktop apps, even if your desktop was below the required resolution. However this hack doesn't seem to work in the Release Preview. Anyone know how to do this?

I have *always* been able to snap a Metro app beside a desktop app - in fact, I did it yesterday with Mail (snapped to the left of Waterfox).

[PGHammer]

Any help guys? I've tired installing it with Windows 7 x64 option and "other 64bit" option none work!

I have an AMD A8 CPU, with virtualization enabled.

Has anyone got it to work with VMware Player? Thanks

How much RAM do you have devoted to the virtual machine?

For x64, VMware (both Player and WS) likes 2 GB for Windows 8 guests - at minimum.

[jakem1]

I have *always* been able to snap a Metro app beside a desktop app - in fact, I did it yesterday with Mail (snapped to the left of Waterfox).

Windows Snap only works on resolutions >= 1366 x 768. I'd say that drazgoosh is looking for a hack to get it working at a lower resolution.

[x.iso]

I noticed Anti-Malware Service eating up CPU and HD - went to services and disabled Windows Defender.

No idea what the hell it was doing - but I never gave it permission to do anything. :)

probably it was checking your system for malware in scheduled manner, as every other anti-virus program do. but the problem is, it's hard to find the damn settings for Defender. so I recommend install MSE instead (almost same thing, but with icon in tray and ability to easily access it's settings).

[Jygoro]

Is scrolling with a mouse any more coherent yet?

Previously, even with some Microsoft apps, scrolling might not work. Sometimes it popped up a metro styled scrollbar, sometimes that was overlayed by a desktop style scrollbar.

Sometimes, you would be able to scroll horizontal and vertical content, sometimes only vertical.

Other times, an app might not even scroll at all with the scroll wheel! On occasion it was dependant as to where the cursor is, at other times, the scroll wheel would only scroll one part of the content on the screen no matter where your cursor was and even when there was extra content that could be scrolled. Sometimes you have to click the alternative content to focus it and scroll, sometimes that didn't work and you'd have to click on a screen scroll bar.

Even with my Logitech keyboard and trackpad combo with multi-touch scroll, scrolling vertically sometimes scrolls content horizontally, sometimes vertically. Same goes for horizontal scrolling, sometimes using it caused vertical scrolling.

This is my biggest gripe with windows 8 on the desktop!

(Disclaimer: I do realise that many of these problems are caused by developers but I don't believe Microsoft gave them clear enough rules to follow when it comes to standard user controls on desktops. Even if it turns out that they did, Microsoft aren't following them very well!)

Oh, try this. Open the weather app. Scroll left and right and leave your cursor in the middle of the screen. Try to scroll the middle section (think it was a 10 day forecast or something). This is one of the inconsistent instances which I'm talking about.

I think now is at least usable. If you move the mouse cursor to the bottom using the wheel you will always scroll horizontally the entire App. And if there is something with vertical scroll just move the cursor over it and the wheel will scroll vertically.

[Dot Matrix]

probably it was checking your system for malware in scheduled manner, as every other anti-virus program do. but the problem is, it's hard to find the damn settings for Defender. so I recommend install MSE instead (almost same thing, but with icon in tray and ability to easily access it's settings).

Are you able to install MSE?

[Argi]

Are you able to install MSE?

It's the same thing in Windows 8?

[George P Global Moderator]

It's the same thing in Windows 8?

That's right, it is, I don't think you can install MSE on Windows 8 because they should be the same code and engine, just with different names. MSE will be around for Win7 and Vista only from now on I'd guess.

But as far as finding it, without booting into win8 right now doesn't it come up if you just hit winkey and type defender? That should bring up the app, or if not I'm going to say you can find it in the control panel (the desktop one).

[Jygoro]

Exactly, you can't install MSE on Windows 8 RP because is exactly the same program as Windows Defender!

[contextfree]

That's a wise move and I can see why they did. Most people with mouse will need it at the right especially if they use the start button in Charms bar. Also you should think in people who is using a tablet and now they can open All Apps with 3 fast moves with the right thumb.

just to note, you can get to the All Apps screen just by using the Search charm while on the Desktop or the Start screen. (in the Developer Preview that was the only way to get there)

[Jygoro]

just to note, you can get to the All Apps screen just by using the Search charm while on the Desktop or the Start screen. (in the Developer Preview that was the only way to get there)

yep, you are right, but you need an additional click to really access to the All Apps list. With the new button placement It needs only 2 fast moves with right dumb if you are in StartScreen.

[Quillz]

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.

Well, it's not a hugely critical thing for me, anyway. On my laptop, I just close the lid. On my desktop, pressing the power button puts the computer into sleep mode and turns off the display. I was curious how to add the tile to the Start screen, but I actually wouldn't use it all that much.

[Subhadip]

It's really not such a huge issue. To reach the Power menu, Win+I + up. Really no different from Win 7 where it was Win + right.

That said I am sure the Win+X menu is a WIP and they will redesign it, make it configurable (it already is using the registry) and add a Shut Down in their somewhere.

Of course one can always pin the Shut down command as a Start Screen shortcut.

[KevinN206]

oh yeah i remember i asked that in the last release and forgot, shows how intuitive that is,... also if you've searched for something before you go into the store it keeps the history and looks like you are still searching your start screen

what exactly has changed in this compared to the last release, someone please tell me? (ok its a bit faster, but after that...)

The idea is that you can search for anything, at anytime, from anywhere, within any app, and within any place within any app WITHOUT having a dedicated search UI for each app. Once you understand this new idea of search, then it actually works pretty well. If I need to search for anything within ANY app, I think of the Search charm (or press Win+Q). Your search box is always at the same location regardless of where you are.

Most apps these days dedicate a portion of the UI for a search box. Microsoft decided to provide a method for app developers from NOT having to develop their own search UI. Instead, they can use the built-in Search function. Developers are encouraged not to provide a search bar but not prohibited.

[Tilt090]

what i find with windows 8 ui is that if there was a competition to break down the winxp UI into multiple unrelated categories and hide them all over the UI then you'd get windows 8. Its not difficult to learn or memorise this but whats the point.. some stuff hidden behind the fancy shamncy couch some behind the old shabby recliner.. etc etc.

its just like playing treasure hunt. rofl!!

[George P Global Moderator]

It's really not such a huge issue. To reach the Power menu, Win+I + up. Really no different from Win 7 where it was Win + right.

That said I am sure the Win+X menu is a WIP and they will redesign it, make it configurable (it already is using the registry) and add a Shut Down in their somewhere.

Of course one can always pin the Shut down command as a Start Screen shortcut.

I think having the new power user menu (win+x or right click in the lower left corner) be customizable either by MS doing it or some 3rd party tool that it'd be great. Right now it has a good chunk of links to useful stuff you'd otherwise have to go through control panel to get to from the looks of it so I like that part of it.

Honestly if they wanted to make it easier to shutdown then moving the power button to the charms bar or adding a restart/shutdown option in the user menu under log off would work as well.

[altr]

[...]

The bad : The store seems to take forever to install an app, whenever I try to add a new account in Mail and I go to Settings > Accounts and I click Add a new account, the pane on the side (or however that's called) disappears. Just like that. I've tried it multiple times, I tried installing / uninstalling , pin / unpin and even "Refresh / Reset your PC" . Nothing works, so I believe it's a problem with the metro apps. Also, in Calendar, if I try to add a new account, the same thing happens, only this time, not only does the pane disappear, it closes the app and takes me back to the Start Screen. In Music, whenever I try to get to the playback controls (via right click), the menu appears on the bottom, stays there for like a second and then disappears. I installed all the updates, all the drivers, and I have the exact same setup I did when I installed the CP. (these apps worked prefectly for me)

Has anybody else experienced something like this? Maybe I'm "holding it wrong"?

I had the same problem, I was able to solve it by doing the following:

Open up the charms, then chose "Settings" > "More PC Settings" > "Ease of Access", turn off "Tap through webpages and apps using caret browsing".

I hope that helps you ;)

[PGHammer]

I think having the new power user menu (win+x or right click in the lower left corner) be customizable either by MS doing it or some 3rd party tool that it'd be great. Right now it has a good chunk of links to useful stuff you'd otherwise have to go through control panel to get to from the looks of it so I like that part of it.

Honestly if they wanted to make it easier to shutdown then moving the power button to the charms bar or adding a restart/shutdown option in the user menu under log off would work as well.

+1

One thing I would have liked is for them to steal a page from Server 2012/Server 2008 R2 and include Windows PowerShell with the operating system (and a shortcut to a PowerShell prompt) to that menu.

PowerShell is the red-headed stepchild of Windows scripting languages - even VBScript, which predates it, is used more on desktops. Practically all of PowerShell's usage has been confined to *servers* - despite it being utterly platform-neutral, by both design and purpose.Even if you don't have it part of 8 by default, have the script that installs it add the appropriate menu item, please!

[Dot Matrix]

Found that if you run Skype in Windows 7 compatibility mode and as an administrator, the app will run. Still chewing up a good amount of CPU cycles though.

[Aergan]

Enjoying so far, great to finally be able to use the Xbox apps along with the media ones.

Music app doesn't like Zune DRM through which is a bit of a let down

[Sszecret Veteran]

I had the same problem, I was able to solve it by doing the following:

Open up the charms, then chose "Settings" > "More PC Settings" > "Ease of Access", turn off "Tap through webpages and apps using caret browsing".

I hope that helps you ;)

Wow, thanks! Turns out I was indeed "holding it wrong".

[The Teej]

Finally got round to installing Release Preview after using the Consumer Preview. Loving things so far!

One slight niggle though - in IE10 Metro, mouse overs are completely borked. For example, when you rollover a hyperlink with your mouse, it turns a different colour and gets underlined. Now typically, when you roll off the link it turns back to normal. However in IE10 Metro it doesn't do this! It stays a different colour/underlined! This is also true of other rollover features like the news and forum drop down menus at the top of the forums - the menus drop down, but when you roll off they don't pull back up! They stay down!

Any one else had this issue?

[Jygoro]

Finally got round to installing Release Preview after using the Consumer Preview. Loving things so far! One slight niggle though - in IE10 Metro, mouse overs are completely borked. For example, when you rollover a hyperlink with your mouse, it turns a different colour and gets underlined. Now typically, when you roll off the link it turns back to normal. However in IE10 Metro it doesn't do this! It stays a different colour/underlined! This is also true of other rollover features like the news and forum drop down menus at the top of the forums - the menus drop down, but when you roll off they don't pull back up! They stay down! Any one else had this issue?

Can't reproduce your problem. Yours seems a refresh screen problem. Maybe a graphics driver problem?

[The Teej]

Can't reproduce your problem. Yours seems a refresh screen problem. Maybe a graphics driver problem?

Well, a restart fixed the issue. Very strange.

Still also getting those issues of a freeze followed by graphical artefacts everywhere, followed by either a restart of explorer or the whole PC, just like in Consumer Preview in this picture here:

Anyone else getting this?

[Jygoro]

I can't see the image. Better upload it in tinypic.

Definitely you have drivers problems, Is your graphics card from Nvidia?