Solved Windows 8 - Couple of Questions

Newcdn

New Member
Messages
3
Hi,
Just got Windows 8 Pro from Dreamspark a couple of days ago. I have done a clean install and everything is working fast and smooth.

Just a quick question about the Windows 8 Start Screen.

- By default, if I want to go to the start screen from Desktop I have to scroll the mouse in lower left corner and click. I was wondering if there's a way to permanently pin the Start Screen icon to the taskbar so I can see it at all times? Since currently it is hidden, I sometimes click the File Explorer icon instead of Start Screen.

- Secondly, when I did a clean install I removed all previous partitions, including the one with the factory image which came when I bought the PC few years ago. Windows 8 did not create a partition for Factory image, does that mean I will have to re-install from the bootable DVD that I created if I encounter a problem in the future?

Thanks. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro
Welcome to forum.

For switching between Desktop and Start Screen, just click on ''Windows'' button.

Capture 0.JPG

Yep, or bootable usb drive.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 8 Pro WMC, OS X Mavericks
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home made
    CPU
    i7 860
    Motherboard
    ASUS P7P55D-E
    Memory
    Corsair CMX8G3M2A1600C9D ,DDR3 ,8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 5770 ,1 GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U2311H
    Hard Drives
    WD Caviar Black SATA 6.0 1TB x1 ,
    WD Caviar Blue 1TB x1
    WD Caviar Red 4TB
    PSU
    Corsair CMPSU-750TX
    Keyboard
    Logitech S510
    Mouse
    Logitech LX5

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy DV6 7250
    CPU
    Intel i7-3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
    Sound Card
    IDT HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
    Screen Resolution
    multiple resolutions
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 250GB + Hitachi HDD 750GB
    PSU
    120W adapter
    Case
    small
    Cooling
    laptop cooling pad
    Keyboard
    Backlit built-in + big one in USB
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Sensei
    Internet Speed
    slow and steady
    Browser
    Chromium, Pale Moon, Firefox Developer Edition
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    That's basically it.
- Secondly, when I did a clean install I removed all previous partitions, including the one with the factory image which came when I bought the PC few years ago. Windows 8 did not create a partition for Factory image, does that mean I will have to re-install from the bootable DVD that I created if I encounter a problem in the future?

You're talking about Win7 factory image? Then Yes it also happened to me and I ordered the image on DVD's a while back.
That was about 25 Euro from HP's site but depends on the manufacturer. Right now it should be cheaper.

Any Windows DVD is ok or, like Kizo said, put the DVD files on USB stick and it works faster.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy DV6 7250
    CPU
    Intel i7-3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
    Sound Card
    IDT HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
    Screen Resolution
    multiple resolutions
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 250GB + Hitachi HDD 750GB
    PSU
    120W adapter
    Case
    small
    Cooling
    laptop cooling pad
    Keyboard
    Backlit built-in + big one in USB
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Sensei
    Internet Speed
    slow and steady
    Browser
    Chromium, Pale Moon, Firefox Developer Edition
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    That's basically it.
1 more question - I was adding Shutdown/restart/lock/logoff Tiles to the Start menu, but I can't find the shortcut for Log off.

These are the shortcuts I have:


Shutdown - c:\windows\system32\shutdown.exe /s /t 0
Restart - C:\Windows\System32\shutdown.exe /r /t 0
Lock - rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation
Log Off - ???
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Hello Newcdn,

Just noticed you mentioned you were able to do a "clean install" of Win8 Pro from Dreamspark - can you confirm that the Dreamspark license allows a clean, non-Upgrade installation?

Thanks!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
Of course it allows a non-upgrade installation. You can do a clean install of *ALL* versions of windows, including upgrade versions. However, you do have to have an existing version on disk for upgrade installs (but you can still wipe out the old install and do a clean install).

If you mean, can you use the dreamspark copy to install to a computer without a previous os, then yes. It's a non-upgrade version.
 

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
Thanks Mystere - yes, I was wondering whether you can use the dreamspark copy to install to a drive without a previous OS. I am adding a new mSATA boot drive to my laptop and want to install the dreamspark copy to that drive (while having pulled the existing HDD with Win7 already installed to avoid any conflicts).

I appreciate the clarification!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
Of course it allows a non-upgrade installation. You can do a clean install of *ALL* versions of windows, including upgrade versions. However, you do have to have an existing version on disk for upgrade installs (but you can still wipe out the old install and do a clean install).

If you mean, can you use the dreamspark copy to install to a computer without a previous os, then yes. It's a non-upgrade version.



Sorry for the bump, but im downloading windows 8 64bit premium from dreamspark and i want to install it on my laptop later tonight. Would i be able to do so without losing any programs, files, or settings?


or is the dreamspark version going to format my hd?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win 7
If you have an existing Win7 x64 installation, you *should* be fine... upgrading from Vista SP1 should keep settings & files, XP SP3 is files only.

Of course, safest to ensure you have a full backup on another drive before attempting any upgrade.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
If you have an existing Win7 x64 installation, you *should* be fine... upgrading from Vista SP1 should keep settings & files, XP SP3 is files only.

Of course, safest to ensure you have a full backup on another drive before attempting any upgrade.
im sorry i dont understand.

When i download from dreamspark, it will give me an iso i assume, and i will make a bootable disc out of that, and then during installation it will prompt me to select wheather i want the full wipe or upgrade right?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win 7
Yes, you'll get an iso you need to make into a bootable disc.

To perform an "upgrade" installation with the iso, you will obviously need an existing Windows installation on the disk you are trying to upgrade to Windows 8. Yes, you'll have a choice of clean install or upgrade install during installation. However, what you are able to keep if you choose an upgrade install varies depending on what your existing installation is:

-If your existing installation is Windows 7 x64, you *should* be able to keep all your programs/files/settings during the upgrade
-If your existing install is Vista SP1, you should be able to keep settings & files, but not programs
-If your existing install is XP SP3, only your files will be kept

Again, even if you have Win7 currently and should be able to upgrade without losing anything, having a backup of everything before upgrading is the safest approach.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
Yes, you'll get an iso you need to make into a bootable disc.

To perform an "upgrade" installation with the iso, you will obviously need an existing Windows installation on the disk you are trying to upgrade to Windows 8. Yes, you'll have a choice of clean install or upgrade install during installation. However, what you are able to keep if you choose an upgrade install varies depending on what your existing installation is:

-If your existing installation is Windows 7 x64, you *should* be able to keep all your programs/files/settings during the upgrade
-If your existing install is Vista SP1, you should be able to keep settings & files, but not programs
-If your existing install is XP SP3, only your files will be kept

Again, even if you have Win7 currently and should be able to upgrade without losing anything, having a backup of everything before upgrading is the safest approach.
okay i understand, ill run Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant to see if everything transfers. Im a music producer so my files are very important to me :+)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win 7
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