Windows 8

The Verge has its Windows 8 review up
http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/23/3...

Chairman_Mao wrote:

The Verge has its Windows 8 review up
http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/23/3...

Final score?

Spoiler:

8.8

I just downloaded it from MS and am trying to install on a test machine for fun. First hurdle; it doesn't see the DVD drive. It installed from a DVD but after install it can't see the drive. This isn't a huge problem except well for day to day use.

I'm running it now. I like it.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

I'm running it now. I like it.

You feeling okay?

Curious. Through what sort of interface is the disc drive connected?

Kurrelgyre wrote:

Curious. Through what sort of interface is the disc drive connected?

Yeah, that is strange. Was it a clean install or an upgrade? Maybe there is an issue with IDE disc drives.

Windows 8 certainly doesn't seem to do as good of a job of finding drivers automatically through Windows Update as Windows 7, but that could be because we're before the proper GA.

Jayhawker wrote:
ClockworkHouse wrote:

I'm running it now. I like it.

You feeling okay?

Heh. It reminds me a lot of WP7, which you know I love, so I'm happy. I'm going to set it up on a partition on my MacBook and use it as my primary OS for awhile to see what I think of it in daily use.

I'm running it and hate it. I think Windows 7 should be the user experience, still. I think Metro UI + mouse isn't very good.

Ulairi wrote:

I'm running it and hate it. I think Windows 7 should be the user experience, still. I think Metro UI + mouse isn't very good.

Why did you even upgrade? Was there a motivation to leave Windows 7?

I've been running it for a few weeks as my primary OS on a MBP Retina. I like it and spend most of my time in the modern UI with occasional trips to the desktop for Office and Visual Studio.

What sort of things are you doing in the Modern UI?

ibdoomed wrote:
MannishBoy wrote:
ibdoomed wrote:
MannishBoy wrote:

I'm starting to think about splitting up my backup server (WHS v1) and mass storage. I could move all the data (movies, picks, data storage) into my main desktop on a couple of HDs in a Storage Pool, then just have a small backup server running WHS. Could even be WHS 2011 to get a couple of the new features.

I wonder how well running a virtual WHS install in a dedicated Win 8 machine would be just for those image backups? Just throw a lot of memory at it. Keep the data in Storage Pools, then run the WHS as a virtual machine?

That's probably too complicated for it's own good.

That sounds like driving on the train tracks to me... why not leave the storage in your server and just upgrade to whs2011? What features are you looking for? What about server 2012? Or just 7/8 sharing?

I don't want to move my mass storage to WHS 2011 due to the drive extender neutering. Over the life of my WHS, it's had drives upgraded as needed quite a few times (including last week), and I had one drive start to fail and be removed nearly seamlessly. But that's what Win 8 will give with Storage Spaces, that big drive pool with redundancy options.

So the other thing I want is the backups. Those have been life savers 3 or 4 times, which make it worth the price of the server. So a small server, or a VM that does just that would be OK if I could migrate data to Win 8 Storage Pools.

The fatal problem with what I was thinking about is that the VM would go down if the PC went down, and you'd have to migrate it somewhere else to restore. Which kind of defeats the purpose.

That was just a wild thought that doesn't make sense now that I think about it.

Cool.

I get so tired of dealing with tech BS at work that I keep it stupid simple at home and just use a san on the server.

I am essentially running two WHS's now. One is Svr2012 with Storage pools for the live data and the other is my WHSv1 that is doing my client backups. I haven't seen any updates on connecting W8 to WHSv1 and the wiki linked from MS hasn't worked any time I've tried to use it. After GA maybe they'll release a client update (or maybe they already have and I'm too lazy).

So, now I am backing up my live data from my 2012 box to my WHS box. Long live the Bordone Cloud.

I have been saved at least half a dozen times by the client backups.

I don't use Library's so the new file history feature is useless to me.

Eezy_Bordone wrote:

I am essentially running two WHS's now. One is Svr2012 with Storage pools for the live data and the other is my WHSv1 that is doing my client backups. I haven't seen any updates on connecting W8 to WHSv1 and the wiki linked from MS hasn't worked any time I've tried to use it. After GA maybe they'll release a client update (or maybe they already have and I'm too lazy).

So, now I am backing up my live data from my 2012 box to my WHS box. Long live the Bordone Cloud.

I have been saved at least half a dozen times by the client backups.

I don't use Library's so the new file history feature is useless to me.

I was reading Paul Thorrott's pieces about his decision on moving on to Server Essentials 2012. I just can't justify the cost of a $450 server license, but it sounds like it has the same backup tech as WHS has had.

I assume your Server 2012 version doesn't have that functionality to back up at all?

I still keep thinking about a technet license.

As for WHS v1 working with Win 8, I've seen several places that it works just fine. But I'm not really sure as I never got around to installing a Win 8 release on my old PC like I meant to. Only thing I could think of is the UEFI tie in that Win 8 has vs Win 7. That might cause a restore issue.

Kurrelgyre wrote:

What sort of things are you doing in the Modern UI?

Web browsing (IE10 with Lastpass), Mail for all my personal email, Skype (as of today), occasional messaging, a few games, Xbox Smartglass, Netflix, Kindle, ComiXology, and Skydrive. Some of these end up launching into Office 2013 apps, but it doesn't break the experience too much from my perspective.

This has been briefly discussed but at the risk of repeating - with Win8 Pro, most of the functionality of Media Center is included (I think). If I have an Xbox, a Surface RT, and a PC running Win8, I should be able to seamlessly share media files across all those devices within my network, right? I ask because I may end up adding a cheap netbook or tablet in my main music listening area, streamed from a Win8 machine on the network...

Can someone explain what has changed about Win8 with respect to Media Center + extenders?

Symbiotic wrote:

This has been briefly discussed but at the risk of repeating - with Win8 Pro, most of the functionality of Media Center is included (I think). If I have an Xbox, a Surface RT, and a PC running Win8, I should be able to seamlessly share media files across all those devices within my network, right? I ask because I may end up adding a cheap netbook or tablet in my main music listening area, streamed from a Win8 machine on the network...

Can someone explain what has changed about Win8 with respect to Media Center + extenders?

Media Center is not included in the install, but will be sold. They aren't even including the DVD codecs, I assume to save money on buying them for lots of installs that would never use them.

HOWEVER, at least initially, the "Feature Pack" that includes MC is free. Get it here.

I assume once you have that, Xboxes in extender mode will work.

I'm sticking to Win 7 for MC unless I hear they've fixed up a few of the annoying little bugs I've developed my own work arounds for.

tuffalobuffalo wrote:
Kurrelgyre wrote:

Curious. Through what sort of interface is the disc drive connected?

Yeah, that is strange. Was it a clean install or an upgrade? Maybe there is an issue with IDE disc drives.

No it was an SATA connection. It was an HP 500B MT desktop. I wonder if HP will have to put out certified drivers etc.

I am installing now on an HP dc5750. It has detected the CD/DVD after install.

TheGameguru wrote:
Ulairi wrote:

I'm running it and hate it. I think Windows 7 should be the user experience, still. I think Metro UI + mouse isn't very good.

Why did you even upgrade? Was there a motivation to leave Windows 7?

I downloaded the RC to see what it was like. I'll be going back to Windows 7.

Ulairi wrote:
TheGameguru wrote:
Ulairi wrote:

I'm running it and hate it. I think Windows 7 should be the user experience, still. I think Metro UI + mouse isn't very good.

Why did you even upgrade? Was there a motivation to leave Windows 7?

I downloaded the RC to see what it was like. I'll be going back to Windows 7.

Good. Everyone should. It's like a rear wheel drive supercar without any driver-assist, not everyone can handle it but everyone should try.

Ulairi wrote:
TheGameguru wrote:
Ulairi wrote:

I'm running it and hate it. I think Windows 7 should be the user experience, still. I think Metro UI + mouse isn't very good.

Why did you even upgrade? Was there a motivation to leave Windows 7?

I downloaded the RC to see what it was like. I'll be going back to Windows 7.

Did you try hitting ESC or the Windows key from Metro? It essentially dumps you right back into Windows 7.

I actually think my staff will come to like it. Mostly they want to click into the programs they need for work. Heck on staff PC I have most of the icons on their WinXP (yeah we are still on XP) desktop anyway so this is just like having really big icons.

The staff it will kill are those that have tons and tons of desktop icons. You know the type; ones with a desktop icon for each excel spreadsheet they use, etc.

farley3k wrote:

I actually think my staff will come to like it. Mostly they want to click into the programs they need for work. Heck on staff PC I have most of the icons on their WinXP (yeah we are still on XP) desktop anyway so this is just like having really big icons.

The staff it will kill are those that have tons and tons of desktop icons. You know the type; ones with a desktop icon for each excel spreadsheet they use, etc.

Actually I would think it would be just fine for those people, one hit of the "to desktop" button and they are right back home to heir horribly organized desktop

The staff it will kill are those that have tons and tons of desktop icons. You know the type; ones with a desktop icon for each excel spreadsheet they use, etc.

You mean practically everyone not computer saavy?

Bonus_Eruptus wrote:
Ulairi wrote:
TheGameguru wrote:
Ulairi wrote:

I'm running it and hate it. I think Windows 7 should be the user experience, still. I think Metro UI + mouse isn't very good.

Why did you even upgrade? Was there a motivation to leave Windows 7?

I downloaded the RC to see what it was like. I'll be going back to Windows 7.

Did you try hitting ESC or the Windows key from Metro? It essentially dumps you right back into Windows 7.

Yes. It's still annoying that the start menu is gone and I hate full screen apps.

Some of the behind the scenes stuff have me thinking about upgrading my main system at work and my work laptop...I can get the Stardock start menu addon if only to have it dump me right to the desktop on boot.

How often do people actually cold boot modern computers? I either leave mine on, or it goes to sleep.

So going to desktop on boot is maybe a once a month thing on my main always-on machine. Only when enough patches nag at me to reboot.

For the people who a really sad/angry/annoyed that the Start Menu is gone, I'm honestly curious to know what you miss about it that you can't just as easily do with either Windows+X or the built-in Search where you just type in the first few letters of what you're looking for and it shows up...?

MannishBoy wrote:

How often do people actually cold boot modern computers? I either leave mine on, or it goes to sleep.

So going to desktop on boot is maybe a once a month thing on my main always-on machine. Only when enough patches nag at me to reboot.

I power everything down these days...why waste anything with boots as fast as they are

Symbiotic wrote:

For the people who a really sad/angry/annoyed that the Start Menu is gone, I'm honestly curious to know what you miss about it that you can't just as easily do with either Windows+X or the built-in Search where you just type in the first few letters of what you're looking for and it shows up...?

Yeah I hardly use the start menu these days anyway...everything I use is pin'd to my task bar and/or starts automatically upon log in.