Windows 8 is Awful

[popeye]

I've tweaked it until it isn't that much different from XP Pro.
Windows Paint has new features.
DISM is nice.
I use the metro screen as a screen-saver.
Enabling the boot menu in bios helps.(F-12 to get into boot menu at restart)

DISM is awesome!

 

[pcRat]

ekessler43— Why is "Windows 8 is the worst OS it has ever been my misfortune to be forced to use."
I was forced to use 8 when my brother gave me a pc with 8 installed. Between google, other sites and Eight Forums 8 has been easy to customize AuNatural without 3rd party software.
Check out this page 8 Forums Tutorials for all kinds of shortcuts, context menu and other tutorials

These may make life with 8 easier.
1— Make the 'Desktop' tile first (upper left corner) on your Start screen. Now press Enter key whenever you are in Start screen and your Desktop will open.

2— This 'Programs Toolbar' is not the Start button you are use to but it may help you ease into 8. It's basically the left half showing Programs only. Once you create this toolbar, click it and see the similarity. From jimbo45.

1) on the bottom taskbar right mouse click ==> toolbars===>create new toolbar
2) enter %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs in the select folder
3) press the select folder button
Now in the bottom taskbar you'll see Programs with a >> sign
click on the >> and you'll see a list of your pgms in classical menu style -- what's difficult about that --you don't even have to go near the start screen / charms etc once you've booted.

3— The 'Desktop Toolbar' is like the right half showing Computer, Control Panel ... to create it just right click your Taskbar, hover over Toolbars and checkmark Desktop

4— "Start" Screen Shortcut - Create in Windows 8 I prefer the Start screen tiles vs small text of Start menu. I have this shortcut using the 'orb' on my taskbar. So now you can see start screen by pressing the Winkey, mouse over lower left corner, or this shortcut pinned to your taskbar.
　

5— "All Apps" Shortcut - Create in Windows 8 Normally to see 'All apps' you have to do a right click on the Start screen and click 'All apps' in the lower right corner. With this shortcut :winkey: (mine is white) pinned to your Start screen and/or Taskbar it is easier.
　

6— "Pin to Start" Files in Windows 8 This makes life with 8 easier. This will allow you to pin individual .rtf, .txt, .jpg ...documents to your start screen with your right click context menu. Which not only allows you quick access from the start screen. It allows you to pin any file or document to your taskbar.

 

[XweAponX]

Actually, if you don't like 8 then you'll like 8.1 even less. But either one can be made to look and act like Windows 7 using the proper mods. Start8, Classic Shell, Thinix, Startisback, all decent replacements for the missing Start Menu. I like Start8 the most, as it boots direct to desktop and avoids the "Lock Screen"

I was expecting to despise windows 8 but I found Start8 right away and got it. Now I like it more than 7, although I miss the Transparency of 7. I had to get used to the higher level of security on the Program Files and Windows folders.

 

[waltc]

Yea, I use Win8/8.1 my way--with classic shell, boot to desktop (btw, I discovered that with Classic Shell 3.9.3 beta, the boot to desktop setting trumps the Win8.1 boot to desktop task bar option, which surprised me*--but it doesn't hurt to have them both set to boot to deskop)--you don't really ever have to see the "Modern UI" unless you choose to see it. Personally, I don't recommend it, as it is dumbed down and if you don't have a touchscreen it's always all but useless.

That said, Win8/8.1 x64 is clearly superior to Win7x64, imo. A few weeks ago I reinstalled Win7 to a separate boot partition just to kind of reminisce and more directly compare the two. Win8 is faster, leaner, and sleeker and has standard features not available in Win7 that I like a bunch, like the automatic mounting of .iso's, for instance--immeasurably better than hacking Win7 with Deamon Tools (or whatever it is.) I'm surprised, really, how much I've come to rely on and use that feature. But that's just one good thing 8 has that 7 doesn't offer.

8.1 seems to be trying to force me into Metro/Modern more often than 8.0, but I'm resisting and getting around it for the most part.

I prefer 8/8.1 to Win7, frankly--but again, that is only after I set it up my way (and had Metro-whatever hit the highway)... Get out of the "new" UI and you'll like Win8 just fine. Really...


*I unchecked the "skip Metro start screen" option in Classic Shell 3.9.3b, but set the "boot to desktop" option in the 8.1 task bar--and the system booted to the start screen, anyway. I only use the start-button/menu feature of Classic Shell--don't care for the other CS features.

 

[sgage]

I've tried most all the start button/menu replacements, and to my tastes StartIsBack is the best of the lot. The Start Button/Menu functionality is identical to that of Windows 7 out of the box as far as I can tell, but it's very customizable. You can boot straight to the desktop, with no little flicker or momentary appearance of the Start Screen like you get with some of the others. You can turn off the hot corners. You can turn off desktop apps appearing in the Start Screen, so all you see is your Metro apps there. You can even set it to show the taskbar in the Start Screen.

Of course, all of this goodness comes at a heavy cost ... $3.00 for a lifetime license, including all updates, including StartIsBack Plus for Windows 8.1.

I have nothing to do with the outfit that makes this - just a very happy customer.

 

[Ivo]

(btw, I discovered that with Classic Shell 3.9.3 beta, the boot to desktop setting trumps the Win8.1 boot to desktop task bar option, which surprised me*--but it doesn't hurt to have them both set to boot to deskop)

In Windows 8.1 the "boot to desktop" setting in Classic Shell controls the OS setting.

 

[my2cents]

(btw, I discovered that with Classic Shell 3.9.3 beta, the boot to desktop setting trumps the Win8.1 boot to desktop task bar option, which surprised me*--but it doesn't hurt to have them both set to boot to deskop)

In Windows 8.1 the "boot to desktop" setting in Classic Shell controls the OS setting.

And it does that very well IMHO. Your beta 3.9.3 is working nicely BTW.