This will be Microsofts biggest ever flop, far bigger than Vista.

[PaulGo]

Windows 8 adoption rate lags early Windows 7 adoptions by a five-to-one margin

The early results for Windows 8 adoptions likely won't please Microsoft: Net Applications reports that only 0.45% of Windows computers in October used Windows 8. That compares to a much higher adoption rate of 2.33% for Windows 7 during its October launch three years ago.

...
Even more worrisome for Computerworld is that Windows 8 may even be lagging behind the adoption rate of the much-maligned Windows Vista. Keizer notes:

Windows 8 will have to hustle to match the uptake of Windows Vista. That problem-plagued edition accounted for 1% of all copies of Windows after its first full month. To equal that, Windows 8 will have to more than double its share during November.​

Windows 8 adoption rate lags early Windows 7 adoptions by a five-to-one margin | Computerworld Blogs

 

[area 66]

so the 4 millions is Balmer BS

 

[crawfish]

so the 4 millions is Balmer BS

It's probably the number they shipped to resellers, which isn't the same as the number actually sold.

 

[amsanborn]

I just posted (General) asking what happens to my MS programs I use a lot. After reading all the problems people are having I guess I will stay with W7 for at least a year. I have a friend who believes in LX I think I will have a discussion with him.

 

[Max Peck]

Maxc Peck, have you try VS2012 ? I just use it to some feature to the launchpad, but until now I like it

Yup. I'm using VS2012 "Express" edition right now.

-Max

 

[lehnerus2000]

That's why it took him 7 hours

The format option is right there in the drive tools on the 7 dvd when you go to install 7.

Yes I know that.

That method insures there are no potential lingering Partition Table issues to come up after the clean install goes on. But even with the format option the quick format normally wouldn't take more then a minute or two on a large capacity drive. The old format command used for the old Legacy and even with XP however would take upto a few hours at times but unsuitable these days!

A "Full Format" overwrites all locations, not just the Partition Table.
That's why it took him 7 hours.

Earlier this year I had a problem on an external 2 TB USB2 HDD and I had to do a "Full Format" (using the manufacturer's utility).
It took over 18 hours (it didn't fix the problem)!

I returned the HDD and got a replacement.

XP also had "Quick Format".

​

​

 

[Night Hawk]

I had the choice of doing a quick format or a clean wipe and knew beforehand that a clean wipe would take quite a while. I'm not complaining about that.

I removed Windows 8 and replaced it with Windows 7. I would return my copy of Windows 8 to Best Buy if I could, but since I opened it I won't be able to do that. So, instead I'll just use the dvd as a coster to put my beer on. Even if I could make Win8 look like Win7 there would be no purpose in doing so. IMHO Win8 is a flop, worse than Vista.

What was wrong with Windows 8 ?

Granted it has it's issues, I don't see why some hate it so much. Over all it was fine. Not super great but not bad or poor either.

I liked almost every version of M$ os that they put out, except Windows 8, and I've been using it every since MS-DOS 1.0 was released. I just don't like the default user interface of Windows 8. Yes I could download a start button and other gadgets so that it looks like Windows 7. But why? What does Windows 8 then have or do that Windows 7 doesn't already have and do? What's the point of upgrading? I know M$ wants to have one os for PC, tablets, smart phones, etc. Nice gesture, but not very practical. I don't want my PC to look and feel like a tablet. And I don't care if the two have two different interfaces.

I know the feeling all too well at first considering seeing 8 as the second OS which proved to be "Problematic" with 8 not being so dual boot friendly as it turned out either! It wasn't just the gui change that put the final nail in 8 coffin here at first sight but the awaiting castrophy of making the mistake of what replaicing 7 with Windows RT? No Thanks!

The format option is right there in the drive tools on the 7 dvd when you go to install 7.

Yes I know that.

That method insures there are no potential lingering Partition Table issues to come up after the clean install goes on. But even with the format option the quick format normally wouldn't take more then a minute or two on a large capacity drive. The old format command used for the old Legacy and even with XP however would take upto a few hours at times but unsuitable these days!

A "Full Format" overwrites all locations, not just the Partition Table.
That's why it took him 7 hours.

Earlier this year I had a problem on an external 2 TB USB2 HDD and I had to do a "Full Format" (using the manufacturer's utility).
It took over 18 hours (it didn't fix the problem)!

I returned the HDD and got a replacement.

XP also had "Quick Format".

View attachment 10734
​

​

What's new there? Before XP you typically use a floppy disk and FDisk to see things done as well as the format.com file. The allbootdisks site has a list of the boot disk contents for Dos 3.3 and up seen at MS-DOS Boot Disk Contents | AllBootDisks - Providing Free Boot Disk Downloads. MS-DOS to Windows XP.

As for taking all day long try running the old dos tool zero fill tool! After 10hrs. an old 13gb drive wasn't finished back in the 90s! To see any drive wiped MUCH FASTER updated security tools like the open source Eraser or the disk wipe option on the Acronis media will see to that is far less time! No reason to spend all day or two on a simple drive wipe!

 

[brainout]

I agree 100% with the first poster. In Win 8, MS has forgotten who brought them to where they are. It was the PC owners. The Metro feature is a idiotic for PC's and the missing shutdown button is doubly dumb. It takes at least three different events to shut down the machine. Give me a break. MS better have the Metro feature as an alternative to the regular desktop or guarantee, 85-90% of those new PC owners will jump ship to Apple. Again, the Metro feature is DOA for PC owners who actually WORK with their PC, not spend useless hours chatting on FB, etc.

No, we'll jump ship and go to Linux. 10-12 of my 22 machines are still DOS. So the big question for me is a Linux DOS emulator. Once I find it works, I'll reconfigure my remaining (10) Windows machines, to dual boot with Linux. I might buy a Win8 machine only to be familiar with it; that machine will not have anything sensitive on it, since MS insists on you establishing an account with them to log in. That's a deal-breaker, even before I would list all the thousands of Win 8 dysfunctionalities. Every version of Windows has suffered from lack of intuitiveness. GUESSING AT THE INTERFACE ALL THE TIME leads to great losses in productivity. Lack of backwards-compatibility ruins operation.

Win8 is by far the worst interface and design I've ever seen in software, so I will never deploy it. So long as XP still works, I'll stay on it, gradually migrating to Linux for internetting, within the next five years. By then, Linux will have matured on desktops, thanks to the inevitable confusion over Win8.

Alternatively, Microsoft could win back disgruntled business customers like me, if it would simply allow us to port over our own settings, etc. It's claimed that one can do that with Win7, but it never fully works. And of course it doesn't work at all, for XP. I would gladly pay an annual service fee to Microsoft if it would continue to support XP, so I can keep doing what I am doing more productively, but either cannot do productively on Win8, or cannot do at all (i.e., run DOS well**). That would make MS more money, as millions of businesses like mine are still on XP and want to stay there. Sadly, this won't happen.


----
** XP Mode doesn't work well, and Taos Computing claims to have a DOS emulator which will work in Win8, and there's DOSBOX; but each of these three workarounds will not be foolproof, and frankly they all involve added expense and time costs for little or no added benefit. Win8 is not really more secure than XP, owing to the many workarounds for security which have been developed in third party software.

 

[Night Hawk]

I agree 100% with the first poster. In Win 8, MS has forgotten who brought them to where they are. It was the PC owners. The Metro feature is a idiotic for PC's and the missing shutdown button is doubly dumb. It takes at least three different events to shut down the machine. Give me a break. MS better have the Metro feature as an alternative to the regular desktop or guarantee, 85-90% of those new PC owners will jump ship to Apple. Again, the Metro feature is DOA for PC owners who actually WORK with their PC, not spend useless hours chatting on FB, etc.

No, we'll jump ship and go to Linux. 12 of my 22 machines are still DOS. So the big question for me is a Linux DOS emulator. Once I find it works, I'll reconfigure my remaining (10) Windows machines, to dual boot with Linux. I might buy a Win8 machine only to be familiar with it; that machine will not have anything sensitive on it, since MS insists on you establishing an account with them to log in. That's a deal-breaker, even before I would list all the thousands of Win 8 dysfunctionalities. It's by far the worst interface and design I've ever seen in software, so I will never deploy it. So long as XP still works, I'll stay on it, gradually migrating to Linux for internetting, within the next five years.

I'll simply be passing by 8 and keeping Linux Mint Debian for the time being as the OS on the second OS drive working with the Linux side of programs like VirtualBox where the RP refused to install on a VM there while 7 went right on! The RP is still on a VBox VM on 7 however as a quick reference only for the time being while investing in the actual desktop edition of the Surface Tablet Windows RT version doesn't quite cut it here!

Most will elect to stay with what works until something new is tried out before replacing what they already have. Those that rushed in to replace 7 with 8 have since regretted it and many(llaptop users mainly) are stumped not being able to reinstall 7 again not having burned any recovery media.

As far as simply installing 8 and running it the way it is you don't need a Windows Live soon to be Outlook.com account to log in. If you simply install and do not enter any password you won't be facing the new Lock screen and simply see the Start screen or desktop appear when starting up. To access certain features a Live account id is then needed however like the MS store for example.

 

[Kat]

@mcquicker: 'Three different events to shut down the machine. Give me a break.'


Um...Alt+F4 then Enter to shutdown from desktop, or Settings + Power + Shut Down from Charm Bar
in Metro OR desktop.

C'mon.....




@brainout: 'machine will not have anything sensitive on it, since MS insists on you establishing an account with them to log in. That's a deal-breaker'.

I'd agree, except they don't. You CAN logon with a MS account, but it is not mandatory.



'list all the thousands of Win 8 dysfunctionalities'

Where are they? I've been using 8 for nearly a year, and haven't found any that haven't been addressed in the RTM.

 

[Night Hawk]

When hitting Alt F4 here before even pressing the enter key the WaterFox browser window closed right up showing that does not control the shutdown options in 8 either! Besides the Crawler bar or right clicking on the profile pic you can opt to create desktop shortcuts for shutting down Windows if not restarting or logging off. Those go direct to the particular files found in the System32 folder like reset.exe.

Haven't been in the RTM while the RP was certainly found more buggy then the CP! Of course I wasn't trying to boot into 7 from the 8 boot options with the CP either to end up with a hugh volume of disk errors as a result. With any new version the RTM generally has most of the initial bugs worked out anyways regardless of which version including ME which was a hugh flop back then yet fixes seen in updates later.

 

[Kat]

They had it JUST right with the CP.

They should have fixed its bugs and then stopped there.

Just my 2/- (two shillings/20cents) worth.

 

[blackcherry]

To shutdown Win8, you can also do ctrl-alt-del and click the power indicator.

 

[area 66]

To shutdown Win8, you can also do ctrl-alt-del and click the power indicator.

I post this at least 20 times , it's good you post it back, because peoples seems to not get it.

 

[killswitch]

Hey, Kat - I like your style. You gave me your back when I was called a Troll by that woman Ivy8 (who's now banned) when discussing our ancient Hardware. I get a rush out of pushing the envelope as far as it will go and she just didn't understand, but you did, God Bless. I like the Pusstat on your sign - he's definitely mushable. Whoever did that sign is an Artist and deserves credit. You're right about CP - using it right now, Can't use RP - Pentium 4 NX incompatibility. I wonder if using ImageX will get past the CPU incompatibility? God, I'll need to go back to Temple Univ. here in Phila. to accomplish that one. Whew! Over my head. Thanx for your support. My name's John,anytime I can lend support I'll do so. Goodday.

 

[amsanborn]

MS has to many Scholastically educated idiots. To thinks all these years they never heard of a software button called (SHUTDOWN). my God (ctrl-alt-del). I think they are all DATA drunk.

 

[area 66]

my God (ctrl-alt-del). I think they are all DATA drunk.

First time you ear about " crt - alt - del " for shut down a PC ? Since ( I think ) Windows NT we use it to log on a PC, quite few peoples are use to it if they work in an office ( this is the way to log to a domain) . It's also use for log off, lock the PC , task manager and shut down, not something new.

 

[Kat]

Yes, the 'three-fingered salute' has been around for a long time.....

 

[Night Hawk]

Answer one question everybody! If a program locks on you what do you do first? PRESS CTRL-ALT-DEL to bring up the taskmanager in XP or with Vista and 7 and now 8 the full screen display of options like the taskmanager as well as shutdown options.

But the working solution established way back and "Legacy" was the point and click shutdown options provided from one Start button scroll to botton of Start menu for Shutdown button. With 8 a simple right click on the account profile pic brings out the sign out option.

 

[Max Peck]

Answer one question everybody! If a program locks on you what do you do first? PRESS CTRL-ALT-DEL to bring up the taskmanager in XP or with Vista and 7 and now 8 the full screen display of options like the taskmanager as well as shutdown options.

But the working solution established way back and "Legacy" was the point and click shutdown options provided from one Start button scroll to botton of Start menu for Shutdown button. With 8 a simple right click on the account profile pic brings out the sign out option.

Actually, you don't have to right-click there, a left or right click will bring up the menu.

Most of the time in 8 I've found that tapping the "Win" button gets me back to the Start screen if a Metro App locks up.

-Max