Windows 8 Release Preview Discussion

[Order_66]

Obviously. You don't like something? Okay, let's talk about it. But the venom and hate some people like him constantly spew is baffling bordering on disgusting.

Yes, much like the venom and hate spewed toward those who don't like windows 8.

[NEVER85]

EasyBCD will fix any Bootloader issues. Free for personal use too.

http://neosmart.net/EasyBCD/

I have EasyBCD already, but for the first time ever, it didn't work, no matter how many times I tried. I did get the old bootloader back eventually though. I went into msconfig > Boot and set Windows 7 to be the default boot drive while booted into Windows 8 RP. I tried doing the same thing in Windows 7 and for some reason it didn't work. Go figure, lol.

[The Teej]

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

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

Yes. It's a GTX 560 Ti.

Try refreshing that image, it should work now.

[x.iso]

Are you able to install MSE?

don't know about RP, but I did on my current CP installation. don't see any reason for it not to work on RP.

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).

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

guys, don't claim that you can't do something if you didn't tried. I installed MSE without trouble. even if it's the same code, MSE is recognized as separate anti-virus (and installs into different folder) and so it turns off Defender when installed.

then reason I swapped Defender with MSE is that while Defender might be the same thing, it's quite a pain in the ass to deal with it's settings and quarantine/history list.

[altr]

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

Great! Though I wouldn't call activating a feature "holding it wrong"^^ I hope they are able to fix this until RTM...

[x.iso]

Still also getting those issues of a freeze followed by graphical artefacts everywhere

Anyone else getting this?

this kind of thing is either driver or overheating problem. or both. i had such problems many times in past due to GPU overheating

[Jygoro]

Yes. It's a GTX 560 Ti.

Try refreshing that image, it should work now.

I see it now. It seems Nvidia will release a driver update next week for Windows 8RP.

[mduren2445]

does anyone know how much memory metro apps use? The reason I ask is if you open a bunch then say go to Netflix and run a video the metro apps are still running and performance suffers

[Kenneth Micallef]

windows 8 is sexy but already a big fail!! without the simple start button makes this OS totally unfamiliar and a nightmare to use! bring back the darn start button! I will stick to windows 7 as the best OS ever created by MS

[Jygoro]

does anyone know how much memory metro apps use? The reason I ask is if you open a bunch then say go to Netflix and run a video the metro apps are still running and performance suffers

New task manager tells you everything about apps.

Also Metro apps don't work that way. There is only one App using CPU resources and the rest are automatically suspended. You can see this enabling the "View -> states -> show suspend state" in Task manager.

[~Johnny]

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

It should do - the music app is effectively a Metro version of Zune and plays it fine on my PC, and you can download & stream Zune Pass music from it. You might have to authorise your PC though, but other than that as long as you're signed in with your Zune Pass account it should work.

[UncleSpellbinder]

Most metro apps shut down virtually immidiately after opening. News, Sports, Weather and Maps in particular.

Actually Weather just shows that it's working but never changes to the local weather. Just the blue screen with the spinning indicator.

So far, this Release Preview is a step back from Customer Preview. CP was rock solid for me. RP is laggy and most metro apps do not work. :/

EDTIT: Uninstalled News, Sports, Weather and Maps. Reinstalled each, rebooted and still none work.

[+Neyht Subscriber²]

Anyone else having problems installing the release preview on a computer they had installed the CP on? Like it telling you the cpu "isn't compatible" (read: has been made incompatible)? Pentium 4 by the way. Guess it's old.

I'm going to try to do a clean install boot off the cd and see if it tells me the same.

[ViperAFK]

Noticed a bad oversight in the RP lol... Unpin metro IE10 from the start screen, now you can't even launch it again! only regular ie10 shows in the search. :rofl:

[Explore]

Windows 8 I feel is a great OS on touch based devices but on non touch based devices. I just feel awkward using it.

[UncleSpellbinder]

Most metro apps shut down virtually immidiately after opening. News, Sports, Weather and Maps in particular.

Actually Weather just shows that it's working but never changes to the local weather. Just the blue screen with the spinning indicator.

So far, this Release Preview is a step back from Customer Preview. CP was rock solid for me. RP is laggy and most metro apps do not work. :/

EDTIT: Uninstalled News, Sports, Weather and Maps. Reinstalled each, rebooted and still none work.

So I did a PC Refresh with no luck. Considering how ridiculously fast Win 8 installs, I just did another clean install. All works well now. Strange.

[MorganX]

Impressions

1) Nice nifty quick clean install

2) Cloud sync nice, especially when reinstalling clean

3) Speed all around but I'll withold judgments. All previous versions lose this extra speed when RTM'd at least that's how it's been in the past.

4) If it remains this fast, Metro will be a liveable annoyance.

5) Laptops NEED Apple's multitouch mousepad gestures, currently a scroll mouse is needed or this is unuseable.

6) Scrolling is inconsistent in Metro apps. All Metro apps and the Start Page should scroll the same.

7) Metro not as good as lovers would have you believe, not as bad as haters would have you believe.

8) Bring on apps please, real apps.

[ViperAFK]

After further use, metro still annoys me of course :p, but I think it COULD be pretty good, but its just not there yet in windows 8:

1. Reboot/Shutdown. Why is this under settings? It makes little sense and takes too many actions to get there. Why can't I hit the super key and search for reboot/shutdown? Why can't I add reboot/shutdown etc.. to the metro homescreen? (more on lack of homescreen customization later).

2. Metro start screen is not customizable enough. After using it for a while I think this is one of the main problems with metro. The start screen could actually be pretty cool if it was far more flexible. By default to view all my apps I have to right click, and then move my mouse all the way down to "all applications (this type of mouse travel can be tiresome on a laptop touchpad, and there is way too much of it in metro.) Why can't I put a shortcut to all applications right on the start screen? By default there is too little functionality on the start screen, and really no way to add much more.

3. Its confusing/hard to use with a touchpad. Navigating between different metro screens and the classic desktop can just be confusing. The gesture to get to the metro app switcher is a pain in the ass on a touchpad, this is true for the hotcorners as well. Trying to activate the charms bar with my touchpad makes me want to punch a baby. Hitting win key will switch between metro and classic desktop, quickly and easily.... Unless you have a metro app open, then it just switches between the metro app and metro homescreen, and to get to the desktop again you have to click it on the homescreen or use win + d.

tl;dr Metro screen could be pretty good if it had less awkward mouse/touchpad functionality and more customization features. It has potential with its good search functions and live tiles, but the metro implementation in windows 8 just isn't polished enough and makes the os feel inconsistent as a whole. IMO they really should have had an option to keep the start menu, until they improve the metro experience to a point where its more usable on the desktop.

[Exoskeletor]

if i install release preview version i can upgrade later to the rtm version without losing my apps and settings?

[Dot Matrix]

if i install release preview version i can upgrade later to the rtm version without losing my apps and settings?

Most likely not. And even if you could, it wouldn't be recommended.

[~Johnny]

After further use, metro still annoys me of course :p, but I think it COULD be pretty good, but its just not there yet in windows 8:

1. Reboot/Shutdown. Why is this under settings? It makes little sense and takes too many actions to get there. Why can't I hit the super key and search for reboot/shutdown? Why can't I add reboot/shutdown etc.. to the metro homescreen? (more on lack of homescreen customization later).

2. Metro start screen is not customizable enough. After using it for a while I think this is one of the main problems with metro. The start screen could actually be pretty cool if it was far more flexible. By default to view all my apps I have to right click, and then move my mouse all the way down to "all applications (this type of mouse travel can be tiresome on a laptop touchpad, and there is way too much of it in metro.) Why can't I put a shortcut to all applications right on the start screen? By default there is too little functionality on the start screen, and really no way to add much more.

3. Its confusing/hard to use with a touchpad. Navigating between different metro screens and the classic desktop can just be confusing. The gesture to get to the metro app switcher is a pain in the ass on a touchpad, this is true for the hotcorners as well. Trying to activate the charms bar with my touchpad makes me want to punch a baby. Hitting win key will switch between metro and classic desktop, quickly and easily.... Unless you have a metro app open, then it just switches between the metro app and metro homescreen, and to get to the desktop again you have to click it on the homescreen or use win + d.

tl;dr Metro screen could be pretty good if it had less awkward mouse/touchpad functionality and more customization features. It has potential with its good search functions and live tiles, but the metro implementation in windows 8 just isn't polished enough and makes the os feel inconsistent as a whole. IMO they really should have had an option to keep the start menu, until they improve the metro experience to a point where its more usable on the desktop.

1 - shows up in settings when you search. One could argue that the power state of your PC is a setting, but I'm not going too. :p

2 - If you're going into all apps often, just pin those apps you want in there onto your start screen.

3 - I find the gestures quite simple on a touch pad. I just do a sweeping arc gesture - (well, more diagonal and then up/down rather than a curved arc), but it works everytime, the same for both the app swticher and charms (diag-left then down for switcher, diag-down-right then up for charms :p) And you can click in the top left corner to flick between apps (to quickly get back to desktop if it's recent)

[Jygoro]

Touchpad experience will be way better when RTM release. After all this is a drivers thing and they need to redesign what a touchpad can do.

Like Synaptics is working on it

[dr_crabman]

Regarding touchpads: http://www.winsupersite.com/article/windows8/windows-8-release-preview-trackpad-gesture-support-143246

[ViperAFK]

1 - shows up in settings when you search. One could argue that the power state of your PC is a setting, but I'm not going too. :p

2 - If you're going into all apps often, just pin those apps you want in there onto your start screen.

3 - I find the gestures quite simple on a touch pad. I just do a sweeping arc gesture - (well, more diagonal and then up/down rather than a curved arc), but it works everytime, the same for both the app swticher and charms (diag-left then down for switcher, diag-down-right then up for charms :p) And you can click in the top left corner to flick between apps (to quickly get back to desktop if it's recent)

1. Doesn't show up when just hitting win key and searching though. Hitting win key, clicking settings, and THEN searching is still too many steps.

2. I don't all that often, but having to right click to bring it up is still annoying.

3. I do the same gesture, but the travel on a touchpad is REALLY annoying. In windows 7 I can do all these things with less steps and mouse travel.

[zhangm Supervisor]

Hitting win key, clicking settings, and THEN searching is still too many steps.

Win + W.