Study says 1/2 as many companies plan to adopt Windows 8 compared to 7

According to a Wall Street Journal report based on findings from Forrester Research, only 33 percent of companies plan or expect to transition to Windows 8 at some point, with 10 percent planning to skip it and 47 percent saying they haven't yet considered the new OS. Compared to the same questions asked at the same time before Windows 7's launch in 2009, 66 percent expected to transition, while only 27 percent hadn't looked yet and 1 percent planned to skip

Source

A Guy
 
We let our MS enteprise agreement on desktops expire...thus we anen't entitled to run Windows 8...we are only allowed to go to Windows 7 and Office 2010. Our management came down and said last week that we aren't moving anybody to Windows 8 as we aren't licensed for it and we aren't going to pay for it as it doesn't provide enough benefits to cover the costs.

So, there you have it. No Windows 8 for our users.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Built in July 2009
    CPU
    Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
    Memory
    8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Acer x233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX modular
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    ABS M1 Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    15/2 cable modem
    Other Info
    Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
I find it interesting that the number is 33 percent of the enterprise will be going to it. I thought it would be lower considering many have gone or are going to 7. My bet is xp machines are being chucked out or updated, and/or tablets might be used in conjunction with Windows 7.
 

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
My bet is xp machines are being chucked out or updated, and/or tablets might be used in conjunction with Windows 7.
If enterprises are still using XP, it's most likely because they are also dependent upon some older applications that don't work right on the newer machines. Some of these older apps may no longer be developed, so updates aren't forthcoming. Rather than put in the effort to replace the application, they just continue to use it and their Windows XP machines. I've seen it many times.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Built in July 2009
    CPU
    Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
    Memory
    8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Acer x233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX modular
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    ABS M1 Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    15/2 cable modem
    Other Info
    Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
I will be upgrading an existing PC at work from XP. I also have the option of Windows 7 Pro or Windows 8, but not sure which edition of 8, probably Pro or Enterprise. It is part of a Microsoft action pack. And I'm very tempted to go the Windows 8 route. So you may count me in as a Windows 8 user in the workplace. I am a Microsoft developer and not just your common user of office suites. I've been using Windows 8 on my Samsung slate, which runs rings around my desktop machine which is running a core 2 duo.

There are no plans to put any non-IT personnel on Windows 8 at work. So I am guinea pig for the new OS, lol... I will probably opt for Windows 8, before the big boss finds out forces me to stay on Windows 7. Possession is 9/10 of the law. My immediate boss is already quite interested in Windows server 2012.

The one feature of Windows 8 that most excites me, is PC refresh with an image. I was very impressed by that feature a few weeks ago on my Samsung slate. In my line of work, that feature can be very very useful. Windows has a nasty habit of needing to be reinstalled periodically to the original performance back. With PC refresh, Microsoft seems to address that issue. And developer machines need every last ounce of performance.

So within a few days or a few weeks, I'll give my report. I'll either be a static with joy or burying my head in the sand, lol...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Sony Vaio Duo 11
    CPU
    i7
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel 4000
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    11.6" touch screen w/ digitizer & Asus 27" external monitor
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    256 GB SSD
    Cooling
    Internal fan
    Keyboard
    Slider keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech T650 Touchpad & Microsoft Touch Mouse
My bet is xp machines are being chucked out or updated, and/or tablets might be used in conjunction with Windows 7.
If enterprises are still using XP, it's most likely because they are also dependent upon some older applications that don't work right on the newer machines. Some of these older apps may no longer be developed, so updates aren't forthcoming. Rather than put in the effort to replace the application, they just continue to use it and their Windows XP machines. I've seen it many times.
There is that, but isn't there Hyper-V 3.0 to work with? From what I know, that would work just as well since the guest OS doesn't need so much pass through, just run the OS and the program. But when it does come to file transfers...
 

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 will be upgrading an existing PC at work from XP. I also have the option of Windows 7 Pro or Windows 8, but not sure which edition of 8, probably Pro or Enterprise.
Unless you have an enterprise agreement with MS, or an MSDN agreement, you won't actually have the ability to run Enterprise.

The one feature of Windows 8 that most excites me, is PC refresh with an image. I was very impressed by that feature a few weeks ago on my Samsung slate. In my line of work, that feature can be very very useful. Windows has a nasty habit of needing to be reinstalled periodically to the original performance back. With PC refresh, Microsoft seems to address that issue. And developer machines need every last ounce of performance.
I don't think the "refresh" functionality is going to be as cool as you are expecting. This doesn't preserve your "desktop" applications, or file type associations. Read the following quote.

Taken from the following story;
Out of the box, Refresh will allow you to easily reset the operating system to its original state without deleting your Metro applications, personal files, user accounts, or the settings configured during initial setup. Also saved are network connections, BitLocker (and BitLocker To Go) encryption settings, and drive letter assignments. On the other hand, desktop applications will be removed, and firewall settings, file type associations, and display settings will be reset to defaults. According to Microsoft’s Building Windows 8 blog, the refresh function does not keep the above mentioned data by default because it is the software most likely to cause performance or stability issues.

I would stick with a tranditional imaging program if you need the ability to put your machine back truly the way that it was.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Built in July 2009
    CPU
    Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
    Memory
    8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Acer x233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX modular
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    ABS M1 Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    15/2 cable modem
    Other Info
    Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
My bet is xp machines are being chucked out or updated, and/or tablets might be used in conjunction with Windows 7.
If enterprises are still using XP, it's most likely because they are also dependent upon some older applications that don't work right on the newer machines. Some of these older apps may no longer be developed, so updates aren't forthcoming. Rather than put in the effort to replace the application, they just continue to use it and their Windows XP machines. I've seen it many times.
There is that, but isn't there Hyper-V 3.0 to work with? From what I know, that would work just as well since the guest OS doesn't need so much pass through, just run the OS and the program. But when it does come to file transfers...

Sure, but chances are if they are on an old Windows XP machine then
1). That machine is old and crappy and likely won't run Windows 8 well
2). They will need a new machine with a CPU that supports SLAT (2nd level adrdress translation) to use Client Hyper-V
3). They would need to now support the host PC as well as the Hyper-V machine with things like a) group policy b) IP addresses c) antivirus applications, )
4). They may not want to go through the effort to reinstall their old software onto a new VM running XP.
5). They likely haven't budgeted for new machines or such since they are still using XP.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Built in July 2009
    CPU
    Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
    Memory
    8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Acer x233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX modular
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    ABS M1 Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    15/2 cable modem
    Other Info
    Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
Unless you have an enterprise agreement with MS, or an MSDN agreement, you won't actually have the ability to run Enterprise.

I don't think the "refresh" functionality is going to be as cool as you are expecting. This doesn't preserve your "desktop" applications, or file type associations. Read the following quote.

Taken from the following story;

Out of the box, Refresh will allow you to easily reset the operating system to its original state without deleting your Metro applications, personal files, user accounts, or the settings configured during initial setup. Also saved are network connections, BitLocker (and BitLocker To Go) encryption settings, and drive letter assignments. On the other hand, desktop applications will be removed, and firewall settings, file type associations, and display settings will be reset to defaults. According to Microsoft’s Building Windows 8 blog, the refresh function does not keep the above mentioned data by default because it is the software most likely to cause performance or stability issues

I would stick with a tranditional imaging program if you need the ability to put your machine back truly the way that it was.

I am not saying that PC refresh gets you right back to where you were. I don't want to get it back in the state that it was before. I want to do the refresh to uncorrupt the OS. Also the above quote does not appear to be about PC refresh with imaging, but rather PC refresh without imaging. PC refresh with imaging did NOT restore 3 of my desktop apps. I get it.

What I am saying is that PC refresh is much easier then reinstalling the whole OS clean from the beginning. In my case, I was able to get the OS back up and running, within an hour or less, rather than what could've taken a day or more. Yes I did have to reinstall three programs. Yes I did have to reinitialize some settings again.

You see, if I had a true image restore, then I would been in the same mess I was in the first place, with some corrupted settings in the OS.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Sony Vaio Duo 11
    CPU
    i7
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel 4000
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    11.6" touch screen w/ digitizer & Asus 27" external monitor
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    256 GB SSD
    Cooling
    Internal fan
    Keyboard
    Slider keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech T650 Touchpad & Microsoft Touch Mouse
You see, if I had a true image restore, then I would been in the same mess I was in the first place, with some corrupted settings in the OS.
Not necessarily. I take an image right after OS install, Windows Update, drivers and activation. Then I add it to the domain and a majority of the applications that I know that I will always use. Then I image again. So, right there I have a plain vanilla image and an image with apps.

I always keep those 2 images on hand. And about once every month or 2, I take an image of my drive and keep that for awhile. Thus, when I have a problem, I can either go back to my latest image, or my earliest image. Takes me about 5-10 minutes to lay an image down via eSATA to my machines. Like you said, must faster than reinstalling, running updates and loading all of my software.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Built in July 2009
    CPU
    Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
    Memory
    8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Acer x233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX modular
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    ABS M1 Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    15/2 cable modem
    Other Info
    Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
Our management came down and said last week that we aren't moving anybody to Windows 8 as we aren't licensed for it and we aren't going to pay for it as it doesn't provide enough benefits to cover the costs.

So what are you going to do if users want a Surface tablet (and obviously can justify one for their work)? Will you downgrade all new PC's you buy? What about non-surface tablet/transformers? You going to force people to use Windows 7 on them?
 

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
In the event they wanted a surface tablet, obviously the cost of the operating system would be included with the new system. However, I don't see anybody making a solid business case for an RT tablet. We are a software company and we have web apps that run on Flash. We've bought and tried about every popular tablet (ipad, Galaxy Tab, Galaxy Nexus, Chinese knockoffs), and the general consensus is that the devices are garbage for any real use. The 2 Nexus 7 tablets are actually back in the box and collecting dust in the drawer as nobody has a particular need for them.

Same thing would be true of any new laptop purchased that came with Windows 8 pre-installed on it. If they were an IT person or savvy computer person and wanted to stay on Windows 8, we would likely leave them on it. However, for most other employees, we wouldn't want to deal with the training ramifications and the issues of any software imcompatibilities, and thus we would exercise downgrade rights to run Windows 7 instead. We've already seen issues within Microsoft Dynamics and IE10..which requires us to run IE in compatibility mode for our CRM to work properly.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Built in July 2009
    CPU
    Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
    Memory
    8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Acer x233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX modular
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    ABS M1 Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    15/2 cable modem
    Other Info
    Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
Agreed

You see, if I had a true image restore, then I would been in the same mess I was in the first place, with some corrupted settings in the OS.
Not necessarily. I take an image right after OS install, Windows Update, drivers and activation. Then I add it to the domain and a majority of the applications that I know that I will always use. Then I image again. So, right there I have a plain vanilla image and an image with apps.

Agreed.
I also create a "blank" backup HDD image.
Also, you could create an image before installing any new programs/updates.

Macrium images my HDD partitions at ~3 GB/minute.
With "smart imaging" on, it only images the used sectors.

On my PC, it takes ~7 minutes to create an image and about the same time to restore one. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 (64 bit), Linux Mint 18.3 MATE (64 bit)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    n/a
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II x6 1055T, 2.8 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASRock 880GMH-LE/USB3
    Memory
    8GB DDR3 1333 G-Skill Ares F3-1333C9D-8GAO (4GB x 2)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD6450
    Sound Card
    Realtek?
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung S23B350
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Western Digital 1.5 TB (SATA), Western Digital 2 TB (SATA), Western Digital 3 TB (SATA)
    Case
    Tower
    Mouse
    Wired Optical
    Other Info
    Linux Mint 16 MATE (64 bit) replaced with Linux Mint 17 MATE (64 bit) - 2014-05-17
    Linux Mint 14 MATE (64 bit) replaced with Linux Mint 16 MATE (64 bit) - 2013-11-13
    Ubuntu 10.04 (64 bit) replaced with Linux Mint 14 MATE (64 bit) - 2013-01-14
    RAM & Graphics Card Upgraded - 2013-01-13
    Monitor Upgraded - 2012-04-20
    System Upgraded - 2011-05-21, 2010-07-14
    HDD Upgraded - 2010-08-11, 2011-08-24,
Back
Top