Thinking of replacing W7 64bit with the W8 preview. Need feedback

mystvearn

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Hi,

I was wondering if W8 is good enough that I can ditch my W7 64 bit completely and use W8 consumer preview for my desktop. I don't have a touch screen so will not be using those touch stuff. Only normal work and decide if I should preorder W8. Core applications which work on W7 which I can't live without:

MS Office,
Endnote,
Adobe (acrobat pro, CS4),
rainlendar,
pop peeper.
W7 desktop gadgets

Does anyone know if all of these work on W8? If all is fine, I would just upgrade it immediately. I did try W7 consumer preview when it first came out few years ago and only the printer software did not work. Everything else worked fine.

Also, I have one of those all-in-one-desktops from dell which is a huge monitor with all the hardware being built behind the monitor. That monitor has touch screen capability. Would it be worth to put W8 on that, though I am not sure if the drivers will work though.


I read the comparison here and it seems W8 is better
Comparison Between Windows 7 and Windows 8 Memory Management System - Tweaking with Vishal
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W8 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel i5-4570
    Motherboard
    Asus Z87i-Pro
    Memory
    G.Skill Value 8x2 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI Lightning 770 GTX
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U2713HM
    Screen Resolution
    2x1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    960 GB SSD
    PSU
    Corsair TX650M
    Case
    Bitfenix Prodigy
    Cooling
    1x230mm Bitfenix Spectre Pro fan, 1x14mm rear fan
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard 4000
    Mouse
    Logitech M 705
    Internet Speed
    8 mb/500k
    Browser
    FF
    Antivirus
    Avast
    Other Info
    Printer: HP F4180
    Panasonic SA-PM11
Not knowing your experience level...
Before a trial installation I would suggest using reliable disk imaging software to backup your current system.
Opinions and experience varies with dual booting.
Also, not knowing your experience level, I would also suggest looking into creating a bootable CD or DVD that has a partition editor and a file manager among other utilities.
Until you have experience with deleting partitions and restoring images I would be careful.
Save your work first.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Server 2012 / 8.0
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    Intel i7 QuadCore 3770k
    Motherboard
    Asrock Extreme 4
    Memory
    16GB Crucial Ballistix
    Graphics Card(s)
    intel embedded gpu
    Sound Card
    Sound Blaster Z
    Monitor(s) Displays
    AOC / Westinghouse
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Plextor pcie msata
    PSU
    Rosewill Silent Night 500W Fanless / PicoPSU
    Case
    open bench - no case enclosure
    Cooling
    Silverstone HEO2 Passive Silent
    Keyboard
    logitech washable K310
    Mouse
    logitech wired
    Browser
    ie / maxthon
    Other Info
    Totally silent. No fans at all.
The great thing about Windows 8 is, you DON'T need a touch screen to use it.

Having said that, I would make a partitiion on your hard drive, say, 30-40 gigs and install Windows 8 on that. That will allow you to keep Windows 7 just in case, but let you use Windows 8 as a main OS. From the looks of it, yes, all of your programs should work. If not, install them and run them under Windows 7 compatibility mode.

I just noticed you said you have a touch AIO PC. Windows 8 will work with that right off the bat. If it has a bevel around the screen, that might be a little difficult to use for the system commands and app commands, but you change change the pixel amount around the edges of the screen with NVIDIA or AMD's video driver software.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
The great thing about Windows 8 is, you DON'T need a touch screen to use it.

Having said that, I would make a partitiion on your hard drive, say, 30-40 gigs and install Windows 8 on that. That will allow you to keep Windows 7 just in case, but let you use Windows 8 as a main OS. From the looks of it, yes, all of your programs should work. If not, install them and run them under Windows 7 compatibility mode.

I just noticed you said you have a touch AIO PC. Windows 8 will work with that right off the bat. If it has a bevel around the screen, that might be a little difficult to use for the system commands and app commands, but you change change the pixel amount around the edges of the screen with NVIDIA or AMD's video driver software.

Not knowing your experience level...
Before a trial installation I would suggest using reliable disk imaging software to backup your current system.
Opinions and experience varies with dual booting.
Also, not knowing your experience level, I would also suggest looking into creating a bootable CD or DVD that has a partition editor and a file manager among other utilities.
Until you have experience with deleting partitions and restoring images I would be careful.
Save your work first.

I've got no problems with the backup and installing part. Just want to know if W8 consumer preview is heavily designed for tablet use and ruin W7 desktop function?

I don't mind the partition as well, only not too sure if my OCZ synapse will play nicely for two OS. The software is quite picky.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W8 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel i5-4570
    Motherboard
    Asus Z87i-Pro
    Memory
    G.Skill Value 8x2 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI Lightning 770 GTX
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U2713HM
    Screen Resolution
    2x1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    960 GB SSD
    PSU
    Corsair TX650M
    Case
    Bitfenix Prodigy
    Cooling
    1x230mm Bitfenix Spectre Pro fan, 1x14mm rear fan
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard 4000
    Mouse
    Logitech M 705
    Internet Speed
    8 mb/500k
    Browser
    FF
    Antivirus
    Avast
    Other Info
    Printer: HP F4180
    Panasonic SA-PM11
Solid State Drives are awesome.
They are the future.
My primary is Solid State and works well with 8.

I did a search on OCZ synapse.
That system seems a bit complicated.
Good Luck with that.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Server 2012 / 8.0
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    Intel i7 QuadCore 3770k
    Motherboard
    Asrock Extreme 4
    Memory
    16GB Crucial Ballistix
    Graphics Card(s)
    intel embedded gpu
    Sound Card
    Sound Blaster Z
    Monitor(s) Displays
    AOC / Westinghouse
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Plextor pcie msata
    PSU
    Rosewill Silent Night 500W Fanless / PicoPSU
    Case
    open bench - no case enclosure
    Cooling
    Silverstone HEO2 Passive Silent
    Keyboard
    logitech washable K310
    Mouse
    logitech wired
    Browser
    ie / maxthon
    Other Info
    Totally silent. No fans at all.
I'm not running a SSD, but a cache drive. SSD still needs a long time to go before I ever start considering them. Prices for 500 gb need to be around £100. Hate to manage software installation between partitions. With the cache drive, I get SSD-like performance (almost) without having to partition drives. Just put in any kind HD size you want and you can boost it like SSD speeds with the cache drive.

I found this cache drive by mistake while trying to go onto SSD. So far I've compared to the crucial m4 256 gb on my i7 (8gb ram) laptop and don't see any difference.

Reviews here:

OCZ Synapse 60 GB Caching SSD Review - Page 10/10 | techPowerUp

OCZ Synapse Cache SATA 3 64GB SSD Review - Top Caching Solution At a Great Price - The SSD Review


BTW, I have decided not to install W8 on my desktop as I don't like the idea of going to a different start screen when I need to use the start button as I have work on the desktop. Hopefully a desktop only W8 version comes out, then I am willing to upgrade. Also feedback from this forum influenced me to go against it.
Your Windows 8 Views - [H]ard|Forum
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W8 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel i5-4570
    Motherboard
    Asus Z87i-Pro
    Memory
    G.Skill Value 8x2 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI Lightning 770 GTX
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U2713HM
    Screen Resolution
    2x1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    960 GB SSD
    PSU
    Corsair TX650M
    Case
    Bitfenix Prodigy
    Cooling
    1x230mm Bitfenix Spectre Pro fan, 1x14mm rear fan
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard 4000
    Mouse
    Logitech M 705
    Internet Speed
    8 mb/500k
    Browser
    FF
    Antivirus
    Avast
    Other Info
    Printer: HP F4180
    Panasonic SA-PM11
My 80 GB SSD was about 180 US dollars.
I think it was worth it.
No moving parts !


I like to have external storage sata III that is many terabytes.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Server 2012 / 8.0
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    Intel i7 QuadCore 3770k
    Motherboard
    Asrock Extreme 4
    Memory
    16GB Crucial Ballistix
    Graphics Card(s)
    intel embedded gpu
    Sound Card
    Sound Blaster Z
    Monitor(s) Displays
    AOC / Westinghouse
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Plextor pcie msata
    PSU
    Rosewill Silent Night 500W Fanless / PicoPSU
    Case
    open bench - no case enclosure
    Cooling
    Silverstone HEO2 Passive Silent
    Keyboard
    logitech washable K310
    Mouse
    logitech wired
    Browser
    ie / maxthon
    Other Info
    Totally silent. No fans at all.
Maybe you'll change your mind.
I went back and forth for months before going full on 8.
You get used to it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Server 2012 / 8.0
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    Intel i7 QuadCore 3770k
    Motherboard
    Asrock Extreme 4
    Memory
    16GB Crucial Ballistix
    Graphics Card(s)
    intel embedded gpu
    Sound Card
    Sound Blaster Z
    Monitor(s) Displays
    AOC / Westinghouse
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Plextor pcie msata
    PSU
    Rosewill Silent Night 500W Fanless / PicoPSU
    Case
    open bench - no case enclosure
    Cooling
    Silverstone HEO2 Passive Silent
    Keyboard
    logitech washable K310
    Mouse
    logitech wired
    Browser
    ie / maxthon
    Other Info
    Totally silent. No fans at all.
The great thing about Windows 8 is, you DON'T need a touch screen to use it.

Having said that, I would make a partitiion on your hard drive, say, 30-40 gigs and install Windows 8 on that. That will allow you to keep Windows 7 just in case, but let you use Windows 8 as a main OS. From the looks of it, yes, all of your programs should work. If not, install them and run them under Windows 7 compatibility mode.

I just noticed you said you have a touch AIO PC. Windows 8 will work with that right off the bat. If it has a bevel around the screen, that might be a little difficult to use for the system commands and app commands, but you change change the pixel amount around the edges of the screen with NVIDIA or AMD's video driver software.

Not knowing your experience level...
Before a trial installation I would suggest using reliable disk imaging software to backup your current system.
Opinions and experience varies with dual booting.
Also, not knowing your experience level, I would also suggest looking into creating a bootable CD or DVD that has a partition editor and a file manager among other utilities.
Until you have experience with deleting partitions and restoring images I would be careful.
Save your work first.

I've got no problems with the backup and installing part. Just want to know if W8 consumer preview is heavily designed for tablet use and ruin W7 desktop function?

I don't mind the partition as well, only not too sure if my OCZ synapse will play nicely for two OS. The software is quite picky.
Windows 8 has A LOT of touch centric control that Windows 7 doesn't have. The Start Screen is in itself, the main touch interface. Windows 8 has side swiping gestures that work great with touch. It doesn't really ruin the Desktop experience as long as you configure it to do so. For example, after an install of the Consumer Preview, media files want to open in metro apps that take you away from the Desktop. Uninstall those and use the Desktop programs and you'll be fine.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
Maybe you'll change your mind.
I went back and forth for months before going full on 8.
You get used to it.

I will get the retail edition if preorder is available. If I don't like it, I will sell it off. Got double what I paid for the W7 64bit HP preorder on ebay recently. Also would like to try it on the Dell AIO pc. If a corporate W8 desktop only is available, I will get that one immediately.

I don't like the idea of having a totally different start screen if I need to find stuff as I work with dual monitors, photoshop, endnote, word, excel, acrobat reader (sometimes all open at the same time) and I need to be able to see what I'm working on without disruption from a different start window. I am slightly affected by this as I have a keyboard with dedicated search button so I could live with that.

Though I see great promise with W8 especially if MS will include it for tablets as working with office products for android is a pain. Hopefully MS and Asus will come up with a W8 tablet that looks like the Asus Transformer Prime. That is a win-win situation for me and a lot of people. Tablet OS when you use the screen and desktop OS when you dock the tablet to the keyboard.

Hopefully someone from MS is reading this and implements it.
What I want: ASUS Transformer Prime running Windows 8 | ZDNet
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W8 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel i5-4570
    Motherboard
    Asus Z87i-Pro
    Memory
    G.Skill Value 8x2 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI Lightning 770 GTX
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U2713HM
    Screen Resolution
    2x1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    960 GB SSD
    PSU
    Corsair TX650M
    Case
    Bitfenix Prodigy
    Cooling
    1x230mm Bitfenix Spectre Pro fan, 1x14mm rear fan
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard 4000
    Mouse
    Logitech M 705
    Internet Speed
    8 mb/500k
    Browser
    FF
    Antivirus
    Avast
    Other Info
    Printer: HP F4180
    Panasonic SA-PM11
Windows 8 has A LOT of touch centric control that Windows 7 doesn't have. The Start Screen is in itself, the main touch interface. Windows 8 has side swiping gestures that work great with touch. It doesn't really ruin the Desktop experience as long as you configure it to do so. For example, after an install of the Consumer Preview, media files want to open in metro apps that take you away from the Desktop. Uninstall those and use the Desktop programs and you'll be fine.

I've seen few reviews on youtube so I sort of get it. I understand what you mean by not ruining the desktop. But for me the start button on W7 was never the main place I went. Most used software are pinned on the start bar. I don't like the ideae of the moving away from my desktop once I press the start button. Also, what is the use of touch controls on a desktop. I don't have a touchscreen. Also, I don't want to get a touch screen. The last thing I want is smudges all over the screen. Navigating on something that is 10" screen is fine. Try doing it on 23" x2 and you will get fatigue.

That is why I sort of get it as well why people on the [H]ardocp forums say its bad. W8 itself is not bad, but from a desktop perspective, where one hand is always on the mouse, the other on the keyboard, it is kind of pointless and time consuming having to lift your hand and touch the screen. Ergonomically that is slightly wrong. It actually would be fine if touch replaced the mouse completely, but we have been using mouse and keyboard input for a very long time and some software ergonomics will not work properly just by touching. Simple cropping in photoshop or applying brush changes would be horrible. Your hand is getting in the way of what you want to retouch :p
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W8 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel i5-4570
    Motherboard
    Asus Z87i-Pro
    Memory
    G.Skill Value 8x2 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI Lightning 770 GTX
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U2713HM
    Screen Resolution
    2x1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    960 GB SSD
    PSU
    Corsair TX650M
    Case
    Bitfenix Prodigy
    Cooling
    1x230mm Bitfenix Spectre Pro fan, 1x14mm rear fan
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard 4000
    Mouse
    Logitech M 705
    Internet Speed
    8 mb/500k
    Browser
    FF
    Antivirus
    Avast
    Other Info
    Printer: HP F4180
    Panasonic SA-PM11
Looks like I will be getting W8 after all. Better multimonitor support and one less installed software is always good
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W8 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel i5-4570
    Motherboard
    Asus Z87i-Pro
    Memory
    G.Skill Value 8x2 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI Lightning 770 GTX
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U2713HM
    Screen Resolution
    2x1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    960 GB SSD
    PSU
    Corsair TX650M
    Case
    Bitfenix Prodigy
    Cooling
    1x230mm Bitfenix Spectre Pro fan, 1x14mm rear fan
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard 4000
    Mouse
    Logitech M 705
    Internet Speed
    8 mb/500k
    Browser
    FF
    Antivirus
    Avast
    Other Info
    Printer: HP F4180
    Panasonic SA-PM11
Hi,

I was wondering if W8 is good enough that I can ditch my W7 64 bit completely and use W8 consumer preview for my desktop. I don't have a touch screen so will not be using those touch stuff. Only normal work and decide if I should preorder W8. Core applications which work on W7 which I can't live without:

MS Office,
Endnote,
Adobe (acrobat pro, CS4),
rainlendar,
pop peeper.
W7 desktop gadgets

Does anyone know if all of these work on W8? If all is fine, I would just upgrade it immediately. I did try W7 consumer preview when it first came out few years ago and only the printer software did not work. Everything else worked fine.

Also, I have one of those all-in-one-desktops from dell which is a huge monitor with all the hardware being built behind the monitor. That monitor has touch screen capability. Would it be worth to put W8 on that, though I am not sure if the drivers will work though.


I read the comparison here and it seems W8 is better
Comparison Between Windows 7 and Windows 8 Memory Management System - Tweaking with Vishal

To answer your question, if it is modern software and works in windows 7 then you should have no issues. CS4 works fine, as does Office (2003 -2010), and end note. 8 I think has its own gadgets but the one from 7 should work.
 

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    All Versions Of Windows
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    Intel I5-2500K
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    ASUS Maximus IV GENV
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    DD3 1600 Crucial 8G 2x4
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVidia ONY XLR8 gtx460oc
    Sound Card
    onboard xFI
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung 24" LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    2x160 SATA 2 WD
    1x250 Samsung SATA 2
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    Cooler Master 650w
    Case
    Antec 300
    Cooling
    Cooler Master 212 Pus
    Keyboard
    iRocks Gaming Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech G400
    Internet Speed
    25Mb Down 2Mbit Up
My advice is to dual boot W8 with W7. W8 is just a beta and another release is coming out the 1st week of June and don't know if you can upgrade or not, so may require a fresh install. Also when the final version is released in Sept of Oct another fresh install will probably be required.

Jim :cool:
 

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  • OS
    Windows 7 HP 64bit, Windows 8.1 Pro w/Media Center 64BIT
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    PC/Desktop
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    ASUS - Home Built
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    AMD Phenom II X6 1100T
    Motherboard
    ASUS M5A99X EVO
    Memory
    Crucial Balistic DDR-3 1866 CL 9 (8 GB)
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    On Chip
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    ASUS VE258Q 25" LED with DVI-HDMI-DisplayPort
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    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Two WD Cavier Black 2TB Sata 6gbs
    WD My Book Essential 2TB USB 3.0
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    Corsair 400R
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    Antec Kuhler H2O 620, Two 120mm and four 140mm
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    AVS Gear Blue LED Backlight
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    Logitech Marble Mouse USB, Logitech Precision Game Pad
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    15MB
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    Motorola SB6120 Gigabit Cable Modem.
    Brother HL-2170W Laser Printer,
    Epson V300 Scanner
Hi there
Once you get used to the navigation -- I actually quite like it -- then I think you should go for it.
Backup your W7 to an image and store it somewhere in case you want (or have) to revert back to W7.

You may need to change the method of working -- the metro tiles can get in the way unless you tidy them up. Put your really commonly used programs on the desktop or taskbar. I really don't miss the START Menu --arguments all over the web on that one.

I love also the Windows to Go feature -- am running this now on a Work laptop that runs "XP" still at work but have booted W8 to go from an external HDD.

Even running from an External HDD connected via a USB2 port the system is responsive enough. Can even run Photoshop fairly reasonably too !!!.

Haven't found anything that won't run on it yet that I was using in W7.

When I have to use the XP system it really DOES feel like a Dinosaur although I liked it at the time.

Incidentally -- for ease of re-installs - keep images of your install disks in say an INSTALLABLES folder (and any .EXE type install stuff too).

Windows 8 has a built in Virtual CD / DVD mounter which makes it very easy to save all your old install disks as .iso's and just mount them when required.

Having an Installables folder cuts down very significantly the time if and when you have to do a re-install as you just work down the folder. !!

I am quite prepared for possibly another release of W8 before "The real" edition hits the stores.

Note that it expires around the middle of January next year so you still have plenty of time to play with it.

Cheers
jimbo
 

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    SSD's * 3 (Samsung 840 series) 250 GB
    2 X 3 TB sata
    5 X 1 TB sata
    Internet Speed
    0.12 GB/s (120Mb/s)
Hey Jimbo,

I couldn't agree more with what you just said. I've been using Win 8 CP exclusively now for a month and a half. The only problem I've had is the special HP Media Keyboard Driver will not install and I cannot flash my BIOS (yet!). It does an OS version check and refuses to install under Win 8.

I've gotten very used to the Start Screen after cleaning it up and rearranging it for ease of use. The All Apps page of it is so similar to Start Menu 7 (which I used exclusively in Win 7), I can't imagine going back now.

I have a Win 7 image tucked away on an external drive (it's now 1 1/2 months old) and will probably never reinstall it. I've gotten that used to Win 8! :D

So far I haven't found any programs that will not run on it (other than certain drivers), including some old programs optimized for Win XP. I have a highly graphical game meant for Win 98 and XP that actually runs better on Win 8.

John
 

My Computer

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  • OS
    Win 8.1 Update 1 Pro 32-bit
    Computer type
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    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP m8200n Media Center PC
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+
    Motherboard
    ECS Nettle2 (Socket M2)
    Memory
    4 GB DDR2 335 Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    1GB NVidia GeForce GT 430
    Sound Card
    Onboard Realtek HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung BX2440
    Screen Resolution
    1920 X 1080
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    Samsung (primary) 500 GB,
    WDC-WD10 HP Personal Media Drive (USB) 1.0 TB
    Keyboard
    HP Multimedia
    Mouse
    Microsoft Explorer Trackball
    Internet Speed
    10Mbps/750Kbps DSL
    Browser
    IE 11
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Defender
I, like JCClouser, fell in love with Windows 8 immediately. Tried it for a few days as a guest OS in VMWare and then decided to upgrade my Windows 7 installation to Windows 8 CP. It works like a charm, although I have some annoying trouble with IE10 in metro mode. Otherwise everything runs just as good under Windows 8 as Windows 7, only faster as far as I can tell.
 

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  • OS
    Win 8 x64
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    AMD64 2x2.1GHz
    Memory
    4GB
The only problem I've had is the special HP Media Keyboard Driver will not install and I cannot flash my BIOS (yet!).

That's what the device manager and DOS are for.

For the latter, download the non-Windows version of the bios installer. Boot to DOS image and run the bios update .exe there. Have the image you're flashing to ready as well.

That's the "real" way to do it anyhow. It's only the past few years or more that makers started allowing bios flashing inside Windows, which seems to go well for most, but is probably still not the greatest of ideas with all those notorious antivirus and other drivers crashing machines.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8250 x86 + 7 SP1 x86 + Ubuntu 12.04 LTS x86
    CPU
    P4 3.4 GHz HT
    Motherboard
    MSI-7211
    Memory
    OCZ 2 GB DDR @ 400 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    HIS AGP HD 3850 Turbo Ice-Q
    Sound Card
    MOTU Traveler firewire interface
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer x223w
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    WD Caviar Black 1 TB Sata II, WD 400 GB Sata I, WD 120 GB Sata I
    PSU
    300W generic
    Case
    Cybertron
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keyboard 200, Dell RT7D20
    Mouse
    Logitech M510
    Internet Speed
    2 MByte/sec Down, 250 KByte/sec Up
The only problem I've had is the special HP Media Keyboard Driver will not install and I cannot flash my BIOS (yet!).

That's what the device manager and DOS are for.

For the latter, download the non-Windows version of the bios installer. Boot to DOS image and run the bios update .exe there. Have the image you're flashing to ready as well.

That's the "real" way to do it anyhow. It's only the past few years or more that makers started allowing bios flashing inside Windows, which seems to go well for most, but is probably still not the greatest of ideas with all those notorious antivirus and other drivers crashing machines.

Hey GMan,

I've copied the HP driver folders from my Win 7 image and installed the .inf with the Device Manager. It apparently installs properly, I reboot, but the extra multimedia and function keys are not mapped. :mad: The actual installer software from HP is for Win 7 64-bit. When I run it, it goes through the file extraction process, but refuses to actually do the update process. It has an error that basically reads that my system does not meet the minimum OS requirements and cancels the install.

John
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1 Update 1 Pro 32-bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP m8200n Media Center PC
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+
    Motherboard
    ECS Nettle2 (Socket M2)
    Memory
    4 GB DDR2 335 Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    1GB NVidia GeForce GT 430
    Sound Card
    Onboard Realtek HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung BX2440
    Screen Resolution
    1920 X 1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung (primary) 500 GB,
    WDC-WD10 HP Personal Media Drive (USB) 1.0 TB
    Keyboard
    HP Multimedia
    Mouse
    Microsoft Explorer Trackball
    Internet Speed
    10Mbps/750Kbps DSL
    Browser
    IE 11
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Defender
Under "normal" circumstances, does the driver installer also install software too, like an .exe that starts with Windows?

If so, try just running that .exe off of your already installed 7 partition. If that works well, try copying the folder that holds that .exe to a permanent place on your 8, then add the .exe to autostart with Windows 8.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8250 x86 + 7 SP1 x86 + Ubuntu 12.04 LTS x86
    CPU
    P4 3.4 GHz HT
    Motherboard
    MSI-7211
    Memory
    OCZ 2 GB DDR @ 400 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    HIS AGP HD 3850 Turbo Ice-Q
    Sound Card
    MOTU Traveler firewire interface
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer x223w
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    WD Caviar Black 1 TB Sata II, WD 400 GB Sata I, WD 120 GB Sata I
    PSU
    300W generic
    Case
    Cybertron
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keyboard 200, Dell RT7D20
    Mouse
    Logitech M510
    Internet Speed
    2 MByte/sec Down, 250 KByte/sec Up
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