Integration with social networking, Windows Live and Cloud Computing.

I've just started playing around with W8 CP. I'm trying to hard to give it a fair go and to even force myself to like it long enough to do it justice, but I fear I'm losing the battle.

One of the things that I'm curious about is the integration of various technologies.

I don't use [anti]social networking. Never will (at least not voluntarily or knowingly)
I don't use cloud computing. Never will (at least not voluntarily or knowingly)
I don't use Windows Live, MSN, or any Windows Live APPs. I have a Windows Live ID for logging into my Technet subscription and that is all.

When installing W8 these technologies seem to be a big part of W8. I know I can "force it to use a" local account, but as I play around I find that there are ties to these technologies everywhere.

Am I missing something? If I continue to stay away from these technologies am I going to find lots of features of Windows 8 won't work?

I now have 2 x 27" monitors on my desk. Last thing I need is full screen apps, but when opening apps from Metro everything seems to open full screen (I must admit, I am a avid metro-hater). Is there a way to open things windowed?

So far the only way to close apps that I have found is to go into task manager and end them that way. Or use Alt-F4 which only seems to work in some places and not othes. What happened to the Red "X"?

As an observation : Finding things took a while. Without googling the answers to anything, just trying to find things myself, I found that things seem to require more keyboard interaction than Windows 7, and in many (if not most), are less accessible, and require more work to get there. It took me 30 minutes to find Control Panel, and just as long to find other stuff that is 1 or 2 clicks away in Windows 7.

I agree!

I don't want all those "Social Networks" "pop-ups" evertime I open something. They always open up covering something I am trying to use!!

The Metro Dektop is mesh-mash I want what "I" use on my desktop, not what somebody else "thinks" I need.

Also the "Metro" does NOT have what I use a lot, like "Control Panel"!

I think the only reason for the "METRO DESkTOP" is to look like a smart phone!

Closing programs using "Task Manager" is stupid as you said "where is the RED Xs!!"

Tully

Yes, I'm guessing I'm doing it all wrong. Surely using task manager is not the way to do it. I guess I'm running out of patience. The learning curve is significant (at least for me). If I'm going to move to Windows 8 it would be nice to know "how" to use it. I guess because it's still so far off release there is not a lot of documentation around, hence why I posted, to leverage of all those who have progressed further along the learning curve than I have
Tanya

I don't think you are doing it wrong.

Win8 is designed to force people into the MS clouds.

That is the entire purpose of the o/s.

Because of that , many people dislike it intensely.

You can find your own workarounds to avoid some of the annoyances eventually.



( There is a thread here that had to be closed because it was becoming a bit heated.
http://www.eightforums.com/general-discussion/5183-anyone-here-happy-windows-8-a.html
Most interesting thread on the forum )

TanyaC said:

Yes, I'm guessing I'm doing it all wrong. Surely using task manager is not the way to do it. I guess I'm running out of patience. The learning curve is significant (at least for me). If I'm going to move to Windows 8 it would be nice to know "how" to use it. I guess because it's still so far off release there is not a lot of documentation around, hence why I posted, to leverage of all those who have progressed further along the learning curve than I have
Tanya

Click to expand...

You can drag the top of any Metro app to the bottom of the screen and it will close it permanently. Of course, you can still open it again anytime.

Not really about the learning curve. It is exactly 100% the same as Windows 7. The only thing you have to learn is how to get to the places you want to get to. That part may take some learning but I don't consider that "learning" - get my point? I consider it to be "learning" when I dunno, for hypothetical example - they replace Device Manager with Peripheral Detail Setup. In this case on 8, they did no such thing or even similar.

So to sum it up, you're just about as good with 8 that you already are with 7. Just figure out how/where you want your shortcuts and you're set.

You don't want critism only support.
I thought it was about testing a Beta program!

I have been testing Beta programs for years & no one has ever shut the thread down because they didn't
want negative threads!

Tully

@ TULLY,

Looks to me as if it was closed because there was an argument brewing.

Right thing to do under the circumstances.

Unfortunate , because it was an interesting thread.

@Tanya,

MS has tried to prevent booting straight to the desktop - there have been lots of people trying to do it , but so far , the start screen always comes up first.

Once at the desktop, most folk create several toolbars for navigation.

That is pretty messy looking , luckily, there are a couple of free start menu alternatives which work well - Classic Shell and Start menu7.

You can use control panel > default programs to set e.g. photo viewer as default , which keeps you in the desktop ui when you open a photo.

You can close a Metro app by grabbing the top and dragging it down, as mentioned, if you have one or more Metro apps opened you can put your mouse in the upper left corner, move your mouse down to see them all, right click any thumb nail and click 'close'.

The idea for tablets is to leave the Metro apps running, when not full screen they use very little resources, so they can be re-opened instantly.
I don't like to leave the Metro apps running because the few I use are not needed more than once a day. So it's not the best situation, but that is the best way to close Metro apps that I have found.

Most people will spend the vast majority of their time on the desktop, so toolbars and the start menu alternatives, mentioned above, are the best way to navigate.
If you setup the 'Start Menu' the way you want it, it is not too bad of an app launcher. Just delete the tiles you don't use.

Thanx

Will try it!

Tully