Final Thoughts on Windows 8. Four days of pain and I am out.

musiclover7

Member
Member
Messages
219
I really wanted to like windows 8. When I first started using the OS, the new metro apps, etc, I saw a lot of potential, and I still do. The OS seems snappy at first, until you start doing some serious multi-tasking, and then it really seems to bog. My gut feel as to why this occurs, is that Microsoft, in an attempt to share some of the cpu load with the graphics card processor, has shoveled a bit too much of the load in that direction. It does not seem properly balanced. There should be no need for my gpu to be engaged all of the time as it seems it is, and I am worried my poor video card, a GTX 460, may suffer an early death because of it.

My 3rd day with the OS, just doing some fairly basic stuff, I started to smell something of a chemical nature coming from my machine. Yeah, it seemed like it was running hot, and the fans were extra loud all the time, but it was not until I started to smell heat compound coming from the machine, that I decided my experiment with this version of windows needed to be over. I also noted, while running a game, that if I backed out of it with Alt tab, and tried to go browse the web for something, that the rest of the machine was incredibly sluggish, even though the game should have been more or less idle. Just simply typing a few characters into my web browser took a few seconds for each letter. The game itself is not a very graphics intense game. I had the impression that the machine was trying to rely too much on the gpu for cpu function, which was causing it to be sluggish, which in the end made it far from worth whatever gain it my be providing to me otherwise. That was my impression, though I do not know for certain what is driving things behind the scenes.

Anyways, the rest of my beefs have all been made before. I just don't think this OS was designed for desktop users. Even after days of using it, it still feels clunky to me. I don't like the added steps I now have to take to get something that used to be simple accomplished. I liked the metro apps more or less until the mail and photos app quit working, probably because I have too many photos and emails.. I liked the way the people app interfaced with facebook. I thought I might even use it, until I discovered that it only showed about 20-30 updates, and there was no way to see more. I felt the same about the mail app at first, until I realized that simple things, like moving a handful of emails to a folder, or blocking a sender, were not easily done. It just feels like the os was designed for someone without a mouse and keyboard, which sort of produced the effect of piddling off those of us who are trying to use it with a mouse and keyboard. Now, when I click on any photo in my system, it tries to open it with photos metro app, and thus fails to open because the app crashed. I got around that by installing picasa, but it is the point. This does not feel ready for prime time.

-The start button just should be there, even if it has no other function than to take you to metro start menu. Period.
-The os should be for desktop users first, then tablet, not the other way around. I should be able to close an app with a single click, without the need for mouse gestures that only add to the sense that this OS was not designed for my desktop, but rather for a handheld.
-Native mail and photo apps should work, regardless of how big my mail box is or how large my photo collection.
-My graphics card should not be worked to the max for basic tasks..(even with latest driver).
-My start menu should be more customize-able. I should not be forced to use colors that make it look like it was designed by rainbow bright, or some other cartoon character. The icons on my start menu should be customizable as well (this is really just basic stuff, that I cannot believe is not included).
-I cannot see businesses embracing this OS as it is. Not at all. If you work at a desk, with a mouse and keyboard, and have done so for many years, you should not have to re-learn your working environment to accommodate the small fraction of users out there that are using a touch screen. The OS should be smart enough to know that there is no touch screen present, and adjust itself accordingly. I predict nearly 0% adoption amongst businesses. Except for those where touch is practical.

If the start menu were more my own, the apps did not always fail, if the OS felt like it was designed for my platform instead of another, and my gpu did not over-heat when running this os, I might feel different then I do. In the meantime, I'm out. I hope Microsoft knows what the heck they are doing...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro 64 Bit
    CPU
    Processor AMD Athlon(tm) II X4 635 Processor, 2800 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)
    Memory
    8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GTX 460
First, you do have to remember that this is a Beta version of the OS. There are bugs, and you may have run into some of them. Judging the final version based on your experiences with the beta is a bit premature.

Second, I have a NVidia 450 GTS, and I do not notice any extra workload on the GPU. In fact, I have my fans cranked down to minimum by using Rivatuner and it's quite fine.

I notice none of the problems you talk about. That means this is not the typical experience. Obviously something is wrong.

You don't have to use the Metro apps. You can install and still use the standard Live Essentails, or whatever. The Metro apps are still young and will need to mature over time.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    CPU
    Intel i7 3770K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z77X-UD4 TH
    Memory
    16GB DDR3 1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    nVidia GTX 650
    Sound Card
    Onboard Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Auria 27" IPS + 2x Samsung 23"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440 + 2x 2048x1152
    Hard Drives
    Corsair m4 256GB, 2 WD 2TB drives
    Case
    Antec SOLO II
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000
    Mouse
    Logitech MX
I just don't think this OS was designed for desktop users.

You are absolutely right. It is for tablets.

In addition, MS have gone out of their way to prevent desktop users from avoiding Metro - causing a lot of alienation among their existing user base.

That is the problem. If this turns out to be a disater for MS - it is their own fault.

The oem's will suffer too, unfortunately - could be a real bloodbath for them.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
The PC has been dead since 2009, wake up and smell the thermal paste. :huh:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro ($39.99 upgrade)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    Intel I5 3570K overclocked to 4.2ghz
    Motherboard
    Asus P8Z77-V LX
    Memory
    Cosrair DDR3-1600 (4 x 4gb)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce GT 610 2GB
    Sound Card
    None
    Monitor(s) Displays
    AOC 27" LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1920x0180
    Hard Drives
    Seagate HDD 500gb (windows)
    Seagate HDD 1.5tb (media)
    Seagate HDD 1tb (media)
    Seagate HDD 1tb (media)
    PSU
    CoolMax 700watt
    Case
    Cosiar R400 Carbide series
    Cooling
    Cool Master H212
    Keyboard
    Dell
    Mouse
    PowerUp 3 button mouse
    Internet Speed
    12mb down, 1mb up
    Other Info
    qty. (5) 120mm fans, four are monitored by motherboard.
    Logitech T650 Touchpad for touch screen gestures
The PC has been dead since 2009, wake up and smell the thermal paste. :huh:

I am guessing that the PC is still the crux of most peoples digital experience. This is especially true in the business world. The business world is probably where most computers get used on a daily basis and is the bread and butter of the Microsoft install base. I stand by my statements, I do not seem them embracing this OS any time soon. Time will tell.

I am sure I had some software problems which caused my heat issues. While it is true, that I do not have to use the metro apps and I can install whatever I like in place of them, what other reason is there to go for this upgrade. Y, there are some other nice features.. I actually liked the explorer ribbon, the app store addition, and native ISO support is great... Beyond that, if you have no desire for metro apps, then your best bet is just sticking with 7, which I just reloaded and am currently typing this message on.

I think Microsoft is in for a rude awakening. Maybe in another 3-4 years, they will release windows 9 which will fix most of these issues, and then the concept will be embraced, sort of like what we saw between vista and 7.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro 64 Bit
    CPU
    Processor AMD Athlon(tm) II X4 635 Processor, 2800 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)
    Memory
    8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GTX 460
Wow, that's odd, there must be something really odd going on with your hardware as I've never seen or heard something like that happening. I've installed it on several machines and everything has worked exceptionally well other than two PCs that have display driver issues.

But, yeah, this is still a beta of Windows 8. It's not close to final. It will be though very soon.

I do want to mention this though, the Start Screen at its original rumored concept more than a year ago was that it is an adaptable interface. It was said by steve ballmer that the new interface will be adaptable to the user. Little did it became known that the USER needs to be the input to make it adaptable to them.

Yes, you can say multitasking isn't too great with metro apps, but it's hard to multitask when there isn't a lot to multitask with in metro apps. Yes, Windows 8 is designed much more for touch and tablets, but Windows since xp has been like that, the only difference is that it's more noticeable. A mouse interface doesn't work too well with touch and sometimes is a bit tedious with certain UI designs for the mouse. A more touch based interface works with a mouse and touch, yes, it does. There isn't a physical impediment.

Also, I want to mention that if metro apps aren't floating you boat, then just don't use them. Simple as that. The Desktop is there and still feels more Desktop centric when it's adapted to be more Desktop centric. By default, it doesn't seem so much, but once you put a couple minutes into it, you've adapted it to suit your needs in the Desktop.

I would suggest when the RTM hits the internet, as I bet it might in a few weeks, take it for a spin again. Things probably and should work correctly, there should be new updated device drivers for Windows 8, and your GPU won't and shouldn't catch flame! :p I stopped using the Mail app and such as it didn't cut it for me after a while, must be some bugs that still need exterminating. I use Outlook 2013 now, one Desktop app that does four metro apps in one. It acts like the metro apps when you have notifications from them, the little toast on the side comes up when you have mail or a task. I do agree with you that the Start Screen needs customization more than it does, either built in or through a utility. I want it to match my Windows Phone 7.8 at that time! Black background and red tiles!

But as for businesses not adopting it, I don't know. For the enterprise that wants to use touch tablets, yes, they will use Windows 8. More IT people have been found that want to use Microsoft Surfaces than ipads as there's more familiarity to it. Also, it allows enterprises to build their own apps for their work staff to use them. For older xp era machines, it works better than Windows 7 and looks better. Believe you me, being able to change Desktop window colors is better than a yucky pasty blue! By the way, I know someone that owns a small car dealership and is actually willing to pay me to install Windows 8 Release Preview on their machines dual booted with 7 along with Office 2013 beta. I didn't show him the new UI, but I did mention it's wildly different, but worth it. Office 2013 is very different, but fantastic. Windows 8 would work better on their older machines than 7. And that was it, he wants Windows 8. Overall though, from the several people I've demoed Windows 8 to and the few I've shown Office 2013 to, the overwhelming response is a positive "Whoa!"
 

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
I've been running the release preview since it came out, albeit totally in desktop mode and my experience is that it runs rock solid.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win8.1 Pro, Desktop Mode
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Me
    CPU
    AMD FX-8150
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-890GPA-UD3H
    Memory
    8.00 GB Dual-Channel DDR3 (9-9-9-28)
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon HD 6570
    Sound Card
    Creative X-Fi Titanium
    Monitor(s) Displays
    PX2710MW
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080@60Hz
    Hard Drives
    1x1TB Western Digital WDC WD1001FALS-00J7B1 ATA Device Caviar Black -

    4 x 2TB Seagate ST32000542A -
    1 x 4TB Seagate External
    Case
    Antec
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D14
    Keyboard
    Logitech Illuminated Keyboard K740
    Internet Speed
    60meg cable
    Browser
    Cyberfox
    Antivirus
    AVG Security Suite
I finally made myself "like" Windows 8.
Solution: Simply completely ignore metro apps. The first thing I do when my PC boot up is click on the "Desktop tile".
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
I finally made myself "like" Windows 8.
Solution: Simply completely ignore metro apps. The first thing I do when my PC boot up is click on the "Desktop tile".

Download and install "classic shell" it'll boot directly into desktop, and give you back your start menu and start button....
Welcome to Classic Shell
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win8.1 Pro, Desktop Mode
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Me
    CPU
    AMD FX-8150
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-890GPA-UD3H
    Memory
    8.00 GB Dual-Channel DDR3 (9-9-9-28)
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon HD 6570
    Sound Card
    Creative X-Fi Titanium
    Monitor(s) Displays
    PX2710MW
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080@60Hz
    Hard Drives
    1x1TB Western Digital WDC WD1001FALS-00J7B1 ATA Device Caviar Black -

    4 x 2TB Seagate ST32000542A -
    1 x 4TB Seagate External
    Case
    Antec
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D14
    Keyboard
    Logitech Illuminated Keyboard K740
    Internet Speed
    60meg cable
    Browser
    Cyberfox
    Antivirus
    AVG Security Suite
I think this is a isolated case to the OP. I've run the initial beta and the current preview release on an old Dell laptop and it runs like a top. I never had an issue that wasn't caused by me. Drivers have been the biggest issue for me. No 64bit drivers for my video card so I couldn't really use the 64bit version. I tried to use an asus usb wifi adapter and again a driver issue. But that's not windows fault, that's the devices vender not putting out more recent drivers.
And most recently I installed win8 on a new Intel SSD. All I can say is wow. This 6 year old laptop starts and shuts down faster than my brothers lenovo with win7 home. I could probably start and shut it back down by the time his laptop boots fully into windows.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win8.1 Pro 64bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Build
    CPU
    Intel Core I5 3570K 3.4Ghz w/ Zalman CNPS9900NT RT
    Motherboard
    MSI Z77A-G45 Gaming
    Memory
    G.Skill F3-12800CL9D-8GbXL ; 4Gx2
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GTX 770 Superclocked
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster Z
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual ViewSonic VX2770Smh-LED Black 27" IPS-Panel
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel 730 Series SSD 240GBx2 RAID0 Win8.1Pro 6GB/s Sata III
    Intel 320 Series SSD 600GBx2 RAID0 Games 3GB/s Sata II
    Kingston Hyper X 240GB SSD Itunes Drive 6GB/s Sata III
    Western Digital Scorpio Black 1TB - Docked via Esata
    PSU
    Cooler Master GX 750W
    Case
    Corsair Vengence C70
    Cooling
    120mm, 140mm.
    Keyboard
    Corsair Vengence K70
    Mouse
    Logitech G500 Laser
    Internet Speed
    Generally 50/Mbps+
    Browser
    Firefox, Chrome, IE
    Other Info
    Samsung Bluray Optical Drive
    WD 1tb storage backup with Thermatake dock
    Sennheiser 558 Headphones
    Swan M50W 2.1 speakers
    Netgear WNDR4500
Or, get rid of metro apps and pin all the Desktop related items to the Start Screen.

That's how it becomes Desktop-centric and better.
 

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 PC has been dead since 2009, wake up and smell the thermal paste. :huh:


Trying to create YOUR OWN version of reality? LOL:roflmao:


I am guessing that the PC is still the crux of most peoples digital experience. This is especially true in the business world. The business world is probably where most computers get used on a daily basis and is the bread and butter of the Microsoft install base. I stand by my statements, I do not seem them embracing this OS any time soon. Time will tell.


This is most ordinary folks reality.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win 7 home premium 64 bit
I finally made myself "like" Windows 8.
Solution: Simply completely ignore metro apps. The first thing I do when my PC boot up is click on the "Desktop tile".

So what you are saying is, the first thing you do when it boots, is make it behave like windows 7, then you are happy?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro 64 Bit
    CPU
    Processor AMD Athlon(tm) II X4 635 Processor, 2800 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)
    Memory
    8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GTX 460
Happy is what we all want, if using the desktop most of the time makes you happy then it's all good.

I use the desktop +97% of the time, I still enjoy using Win8.
Agree that with desktop usage it's similar to Windows 7, but has some other advantages.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64/ Windows 7 Ult x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    76~2.0
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-3570K 4.6GHz
    Motherboard
    GIGABYTE GA-Z77X UD3H f18
    Memory
    8GB (2X4GB) DDR3 1600 CORSAIR Vengeance CL8 1.5v
    Graphics Card(s)
    Sapphire HD 7770 Vapor-X 1GB DDR5
    Sound Card
    Onboard VIA VT2021
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LCD Dell SP2208WFP
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    Samaung 840Pro 128GB, Seagate 500GB SATA2 7200rpm 32mb, Seagate 1TB SATA2 7200rpm 32mb,
    PSU
    Corsair HX650W
    Case
    Cooler Master Storm Scout
    Cooling
    Corsair H80 w/Noctua NF P12 12cm fan, case fans 2X14cm
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wave
    Mouse
    CM Sentinel
    Internet Speed
    Abysmal
    Browser
    Opera Next
    Other Info
    Dell Venue 8Pro: Baytrail Z3740D, 2GB Ram, 64GB HDD, 8" IPS Display 1280 x 800, Active Stylus.
    Haswell laptop: HP Envy 17t-j, i7-4700MQ, GeForce 740M 2GB DDR3, 17.3" Full HD 1920x1080, 16GB RAM, Samsung 840 Pro 128GB, 1TB Hitachi 7200 HDD,
    Desktop: eSATA ports,
    External eSATA Seagate 500GB SATA2 7200rpm,
Regardless of what we the members of this forum think, in Brinks post here, entitled: "How Microsoft can salvage Windows 8 before it's too late." it refers the reader to a ZDNet blog by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes. And if what AKH has to say is only partially accurate, it seems Microsoft is in trouble with Win8. And given his credibility in respect of past experience, I would think his comments are very pertinent.

Even so, the following statement by him gives a glimmer of hope:

However, given that the Redmond giant has already gone on the record to say that the UI that we see in the Windows 8 Release Preview is not what will be in the final release, it's safe to say that things are in a certain state of flux.
So hopefully some compromise can be reached by MS to accomodate traditional desktop users. The format is a serparate issue to the OS bugs still in Win8.

For me personally I would almost never use Metro, as I'm not into MS apps, and never use cloud storage. When I installed Win8 I chose not to create an account with MS so sign in at boot up is not an issue. While Classic Shell does get the job done, I stil prefer the Win7 Orb and Start Menu.

In regard to cloud services, I think MS are just joining the gold rush. Almost every free or retail 3rd party program I use has cloud service in one form or another; from Avast AV, Zone Alarm, Acronis ... to storage for upload/download files like Dropbox, TinyPic, etc.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 Ult Reatil & Win 8 Pro OEM
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Built as DIY
    CPU
    6 core 12 thread & 4 core
    Motherboard
    Inel Extreme & Intel standard
    Memory
    12GB & 8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    3 top end SLI linked & onboard
    Sound Card
    In built in graphics card & onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24 & 23 inch Samsung LED backlit
    Screen Resolution
    High def
    Hard Drives
    Corsair Force 128GB SATA3 SSDs in each machine. Plus several external USB3 and eSATA spinner HDs
Back
Top