Windows 8, do you get used to it?

[midge]

My Mac book pro has broken (again) and rather than replace/fix it I've been thinking about getting a windows laptop as they are much cheaper for similar spec, I have played with windows 8 a bit and found it very difficult, I used windows 7 before my Mac and was hoping windows 10 would be out before I would have to replace it.

Do you get used to windows 8? What I use to love about windows 7 was how easy it was to navigate to all programs/files e.t.c it was also much better for transferring pictures/videos e.t.c from your phone than the mac.

 

[Adam D]

I didn't think i'd gel with it after really liking Windows 7 however i love Windows 8.1 more. It's just as easy to use once you get used to it and there are quite some nicer features on it such as lock screen wallpapers that are easy to set, easy to access admin controls by right clicking the start key.

I probably wouldn't have tried it though if it wasn't for working in an IT department and every one else starting to use it too but i'm glad i did.

 

[BRUN]

i put classic shell on pretty much straight away, 8 is a massive pain in the arse otherwise, its awful

 

[Addicted]

Yep, Win8.1 With Update and then install Classic Shell, job done.

 

[midge]

How easy is it to install classic shell? Does this bring back the start button? (Making navigating and use a lot easier)

 

[Gareth]

With 8.1 you don't need classic shell, you really don't. You can setup 8.1 with update so you'd hardly notice a difference between it and 7. If you go into control panel and type 'icon' you will see an option for adding common icons on the desktop which will allow you to add Computer & Control Panel, you can manually add one for Internet Explorer & File Explorer to the desktop. In 8.1 'with update' they also provide the ability for it to logon straight to the desktop as opposed to the Start Screen, my thing with Windows 7 was with many applications installed you always ended up with a massive list of applications in the start menu which you only ever really needed a handful of, you can easily accommodate them on the start screen and with the added bonus of the app store its basically Windows 7 with additional features. I've actually got Windows 10 & Server Technical Preview at home which re-introduces the Start Menu again, I've got to play with it a bit more but at the moment I still prefer my current setup on 8.1 with update.

 

[JaredHasNoBrain]

After having 8.1, I wouldn't go back to 7. I don't use barely any of the features just the fact it boots up a lot quicker and I haven't had a single problem with it and I do 5-10fps gain on some games so yeah plus all round for me.

 

[McGherkin]

How easy is it to install classic shell? Does this bring back the start button? (Making navigating and use a lot easier)

Yes. It essentially gets rid of the awful metro interface and just gives you a normal start button and a normal start menu.

100% would recommend.

 

[Sargara]

You dont need classic shell though. With 8.1 you can have it go straight to desktop and the only time you see the metro screen is when you press the Start button in which case you just start to type whatever it is you are searching for anyway "paint", "notepad" etc, theres no need to even navigate with it.

 

[Addicted]

With 8.1 you don't need classic shell, you really don't. You can setup 8.1 with update so you'd hardly notice a difference between it and 7. If you go into control panel and type 'icon' you will see an option for adding common icons on the desktop which will allow you to add Computer & Control Panel, you can manually add one for Internet Explorer & File Explorer to the desktop. In 8.1 'with update' they also provide the ability for it to logon straight to the desktop as opposed to the Start Screen, my thing with Windows 7 was with many applications installed you always ended up with a massive list of applications in the start menu which you only ever really needed a handful of, you can easily accommodate them on the start screen and with the added bonus of the app store its basically Windows 7 with additional features. I've actually got Windows 10 & Server Technical Preview at home which re-introduces the Start Menu again, I've got to play with it a bit more but at the moment I still prefer my current setup on 8.1 with update.

None of that brings back what Classic Shell does though.

Nobody wants a s**t load of icons on their desktop!

You dont need classic shell though. With 8.1 you can have it go straight to desktop and the only time you see the metro screen is when you press the Start button in which case you just start to type whatever it is you are searching for anyway "paint", "notepad" etc, theres no need to even navigate with it.

That is still way slower than using the start menu, which has Pinned apps at the top, and then your most used below, and of course the rest of the start menu.

It also has useful things like My Computer, Control Panel, Run etc which are commonly used.

 

[McGherkin]

the only time you see the metro screen is when you press the Start button

When I don't want to see it.

 

[Inequality Street]

How do you install this classic screen thing then? Is it like a downloadable app from Windows?

I don't own a computer (iPad only) but my Dad has a laptop that he almost throws across the room each time he used it due to Windows 8.

 

[McGherkin]

Yeah, it's just a small program.
http://www.classicshell.net/

 

[Gareth]

Run can be accessed by right-clicking on the Windows icon or even added to the taskbar for 1 click access (which is how I do it). Like I've said god knows how many times before, if you spend a little time configuring things you don't need any add-on software to make it easy to use.

Desktop:

Start Screen:

 

[ThomasBrentnall]

Windows 8.1 is leagues ahead of Windows 7.

I much prefer it to Windows 7 (and that's where all my Microsoft qualifications are!!)

 

[@Spoonie]

Anyone that says Windows 8 is s**t is usually referring to the Windows 8 start screen as it can be quite jarring at first to open a full screen opposed to the traditional start menu. By pinning common applications like browser, office, etc. to the taskbar you reduce the need to be opening that application launcher so often.

There are new application types on Windows 8 that run full screen but you cannot use these to compare to Windows 7 as they don't exist on that O/S. If you don't like them just don't use them as they are not compulsory.

Apart from that you won't notice much difference in day-to-day use.

 

[Addicted]

But Gareth all your solutions are either to do some obsurd thing, or just to make a shortcut to it - neither of which imo are solutions.

Tbh, I run Win7 on all my machines and I develop in Win7 so I maybe slightly biased at stuff changing. I don't mind change, the issue is moreso the fact that you have to take extra steps to do the same thing, and it's all about speed for me. I don't want to jump through hoops or have some ugly UI to do it.

I guess I'm used to Win7, and that's how I'll keep it. Screw change and all that. Classic Shell FTW!

 

[@Spoonie]

I don't mind change, the issue is moreso the fact that you have to take extra steps to do the same thing, and it's all about speed for me. I don't want to jump through hoops or have some ugly UI to do it.

Do you have examples?

 

[Addicted]

Do you have examples?

There we a couple above, not many though.

Also with the above, most used apps + pinned apps - granted you can do those with shortcuts but it's faster if I don't have to minimize everything on the desktop to do so, or clog up the taskbar with pinned Icons :]

 

[ThomasBrentnall]

None of that brings back what Classic Shell does though.

Nobody wants a s**t load of icons on their desktop!

Windows 8.1 desktop is EXACTLY the same as the win 7 desktop

That is still way slower than using the start menu, which has Pinned apps at the top, and then your most used below, and of course the rest of the start menu.

It also has useful things like My Computer, Control Panel, Run etc which are commonly used.

You have pinned apps on the windows 8.1 menu, which you can arrange into group with titles etc, which is surely loads better. And then click the arrow on the start menu to view all apps which takes no more clicks than it does on Windows 7.

Right click the start button and you get this...

Which is LOADS better than on 7, as everything is easier to get to.

 

[aucky]

This thread might have just saved me £2k on an iMac.

 

[ThomasBrentnall]

Tbh, I run Win7 on all my machines and I develop in Win7 so I maybe slightly biased at stuff changing. I don't mind change, the issue is moreso the fact that you have to take extra steps to do the same thing, and it's all about speed for me. I don't want to jump through hoops or have some ugly UI to do it.

As previously said, my main qualification lies in Window 7 (MCTS, Windows 7, Configuring 70-680) so surely I should prefer 7 to work with as I know that better. But I just simply think 8.1 is leagues ahead


Being a developer, surely you will wan't to work with the latest OS as that is essentially where the future of your program lies!

 

[Addicted]

As previously said, my main qualification lies in Window 7 (MCTS, Windows 7, Configuring 70-680) so surely I should prefer 7 to work with as I know that better. But I just simply think 8.1 is leagues ahead


Being a developer, surely you will wan't to work with the latest OS as that is essentially where the future of your program lies!

I'm a web developer, OS doesn't matter (to a certain extent)

 

[ThomasBrentnall]

I'm a web developer, OS doesn't matter (to a certain extent) :tongueout:

Fair play!

I'm a web developer too, but only use programmers notepad, color detector, filezilla & cs6 and there's no difference between 7 or 8.1 to me!

 

[Addicted]

Fair play!

I'm a web developer too, but only use programmers notepad, color detector, filezilla & cs6 and there's no difference between 7 or 8.1 to me!

Ahh - quite a few tools here sadly, including Visual Studio, Sublime Text, Toad, and then all of the associated browsers etc.

 

[ThomasBrentnall]

Ahh - quite a few tools here sadly, including Visual Studio, Sublime Text, Toad, and then all of the associated browsers etc.

You still shouldn't notice a change between the two OS's

 

[Nigel]

I disliked 8.1 to begin with but like everything you just get used to it. I now think it's pretty cool and as mentioned right clicking the start button saves mucho time.

Not sure if there is a work around to shutdown quicker though. It's a pain hovering to a cover waiting for settings to come up then clicking shutdown.

 

[Gareth]

Alt + F4 at the desktop should bring up a Shutdown / Restart / Sign Out etc menu. Alternatively if you have 8.1 with update you can use the Windows Key to get you to the start screen and then click the power button in the top right hand corner as shown on my Start screen screenshot above.

 

[CrippsCorner]

1) Boot up Windows 8
2) Click on the desktop tile
3) Now is basically Windows 7 :smile:

Anyone that can't get used to Windows 8 within 8 seconds is either younger than 8 or older than 88.

 

[Munson]

It's not as bad as I once thought. Originally I hated it, but I've recently been using it for business in a virtual machine. It's alright, but the experience is broken when you have to switch from the 'tile' side of things back to Windows as you previously knew it.

Not very impressive at all. Feels like two operating systems in one. Both of which aren't very special. OSX Yosemite kills it.

 

[ThomasBrentnall]

I disliked 8.1 to begin with but like everything you just get used to it. I now think it's pretty cool and as mentioned right clicking the start button saves mucho time.

Not sure if there is a work around to shutdown quicker though. It's a pain hovering to a cover waiting for settings to come up then clicking shutdown.

Run Windows update. The power off button is now on the top of the start menu next to your username

 

[Addicted]

I agreed with your post until you mentioned OSX, disappointed Munson.

 

[Munson]

Oh well.

 

[Darren S]

Windows 8 with me is like eating olives. No matter how many times I go back to them - thinking I'll like them, they just end up tasting rank!
In all seriousness though - I keep saying I'll use Windows 8 more. But every time I come back to a reformat at home, Windows 7 automatically wins. The other real pull towards 8 for me though, is in its likeness between it and Server 2012 - which is increasingly popping up at work in favour of 2008 R2.

I think only Fista received more resistance from me in terms of installation. Millennium was comical, but Vista was simply broken. I guess in a way that's why I have such an easy time with 7 - it's simply Vista that works.

Next time - I promise. I'll reformat with Windows 8

D.

 

[ThomasBrentnall]

Windows 8 with me is like eating olives. No matter how many times I go back to them - thinking I'll like them, they just end up tasting rank! :wink:
In all seriousness though - I keep saying I'll use Windows 8 more. But every time I come back to a reformat at home, Windows 7 automatically wins. The other real pull towards 8 for me though, is in its likeness between it and Server 2012 R2 - which is increasingly popping up at work in favour of 2008 R2.

I think only Fista received more resistance from me in terms of installation. Millennium was comical, but Vista was simply broken. I guess in a way that's why I have such an easy time with 7 - it's simply Vista that works.

Next time - I promise. I'll reformat with Windows 8.1 :smile:

D.

Efa,

It work's brill with 2012 R2 tbh. Management tools are a lot better than what they was on 7/2008 R2

 

[Gareth]

Agreed, as soon as I changed all of my servers at home to 2012 R2 was when I first bit the bullet and spent the time to get up and running on 8 (albeit it was a whole lot easier at the time with it being 8.1)

 

[wozzaa]

I personally really like 8.1. Most of the people that moan about it, do tend to be the ones using 7. So just see different as crap.

It is very noticeably quicker in day to day use. id you're a gamer you get increased FPS over 7.

An honestly I can't remember the last time I used the start menu. I pin things to the task bar. Or have common files in folders on one of my monitors.

Multi monitor use is also better in 8.1 in my opinion over 7. Got rid of a lot of the minor annoyances I had. Or full screening a program and it going across all three bottom monitors. Or even more annoying going full screen and using the upper monitors too.

My use is a bit different as not many people will run all the monitors I do. For work though I just can't not have them.

Definitely could not go back to 7 now. Been a while since I used it. But it drove me mental at times. Got to say 8.1 also seems even more stable too.

 

[Addicted]

I run 4 monitors in win7 and not had any issues (ever btw, not just now), how many monitors do you run?

 

[Nigel]

Run Windows update. The power off button is now on the top of the start menu next to your username :smile:

I hadn't ever noticed that. It's also present if you right click on the start icon.

 

[midge]

Great advice in this thread, I've had my macbook pro fixed with a new graphics chipset (apparently it is a common problem on the model i have and the last repair with tempory solution) i will be selling this MacBook Pro in the new year and going to windows 8, The price of the apple machines is to much for me to justify, can get a more capable windows machine for a 3rd of the price.

@Gareth your screens look great, my mind is now set and i will be getting a windows machine next.