Anyone using Windows 8 ?

[teejay]

I had to get a new laptop for my new job ....came with Win 8 installed . Sure wish i could install XP like my desktop at home . I've used it for a month now and still find the navigating around a lot more awkward than Win XP . I miss Outlook email too .

Anyone else got this ?

T

[FiatFan]

I've had mine for almost 3 weeks now and I'm beginning to get the hang of it. I sprung for the while kit and caboodle. I even have the touch screen.

So far I've found that the touch screen is not all that great. Sometimes I use it, such as when I finish this post I will scroll the screen with my hand and hit the Submit button. Most of the time, however, I use a mouse. I have found that when I'm close to the screen it's easier to reach up and scroll rather than fumble for the mouse.

As far as Outlook, I quit using that when I quit working. Right now I'm using Thunderbird for an e-mail client. I have found a couple of things that have helped me with Win 8. First, I created a shortcut on my desktop to a folder called "Start Menu." It's located here: "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs". It's a little awkward but it will get you where you want to go. There are also free programs out there that will give you an old fashioned start menu. I just read about another work-around today. There's a way you can use Task Scheduler to boot directly to the desktop without having to go through the main screen. If you are interested, I will post the information.

The other thing i have found is that if you move the cursor to the lower left corner of the desktop and right click it will bring up a handy menu of system tools.

I had to buy mine because my in-laws are talking about getting a new computer and I wanted to have a little practice with it. They will be 87 in the spring so I need to be ahead of them.

Hope all this helps. Good luck.

Tom

[teejay]

Some of your suggestions will be helpful , thanks . It's like this thing was designed by a bunch of nerds who wanted to show off cool ideas with all the glitzy apps on the main screen ....except most are useless . The only comparison I could make is that if these guys were designing a new super-duper light switch for the bathroom , bright colors , space age design ....but put it in the trunk of the car or something .

I don't know if you use the lap top mouse ...I'm thinking of adding a conventional mouse . The current one is waayyy too sensitive and I click on to stuff I don't want all the time . I don't see any settings adjustments for this . For that matter there is no instruction book ....you can get the book on line , all 1600+ pages to scroll through .

I use Horde email ( whatever that is ) ...think I'll change it too , as it is difficult to navigate to and from attachments .

I'll keep plugging away .

T

[FiatFan]

For the laptop I use a wireless mouse. They generally have a switch on the bottom so you can shut it off when not in use.

Tom

[tomustang]

I couldn't get the uselessness of microsoft's smartphone OS, Don't see why they needed to make their phone OS into their PC's. They went backward becausr they wanted to compete with Apple, dumb move

Try to at least get to Windows 7

[torikoos]

yeah I cannot see the point of 8 either, seems like the wrong approach to me. It might work on a tablet, but people use a PC in a different way.
Even Apple , although some elements of iOS have integrated in to Mac OSX, it has moved very cautious. I don't really see the need either. We have so many peripherals that we can use to control our PC/Mac (mice, trackballs, keyboards etc etc) , we don't need 'touch' centric elements so much.
I agree, for a PC, move to Windows 7 , which is pretty decent.

Koos

[teejay]

The tablet analogy is a good one ....looks like a device designed to show off all the pretty apps that you can flip around ( I don't have the touch function ) just to impress everyone . I was so impressed I deleted the majority of the useless apps .

The suggestion to install Win 7 is something I've heard from others , as well . I think I'll ride this out for a while before I make changes although the cordless mouse is a must at this point .

T

[ezdays]

I have XP on my laptop, but rarely use it since we don't travel that often anymore, but it still can do everything I need it to. My desktop has Win7 and I'm happy with that as well. I've had just about every version of Windows from, believe it or not, version 2. They've trained us all on how our OS should act, each time putting things in different locations and changing the names of the same functions, and I don't know why they do that, maybe just to show they're in control. Now they want some of us that has been using their OS for some 25 years to forget about everything we've learned and go out and buy new hardware so we can have our desktops act like a smart phone or tablet. :o I just can't see taking my hands off the keyboard or mouse to reach over and push a touch screen. To start with, it's far enough away that I'd be bending and stretching to reach it. Maybe it's good exercise for the arms and back, but I'm comfortable doing it the way I do things right now. If I had to buy a new machine with Windows 8 on it, the first thing I'd do would be to install some of those free apps that give you the start menu back along with the old screen.

I've read reviews of the new Windows, some people love it, others hate it. I see people in the stores and restaurants with their touch devices waving their fingers to find different things, and I'm guessing that these are the same people that love the new Windows concept. I guess I'm just out of the loop technically speaking, but I don't need all of that stuff. So to answer your question, no, I'm not even planning on using Windows 8 without being forced to do so sometime in the future.

[tomustang]

I guess I'm just out of the loop technically speaking, but I don't need all of that stuff.

But it's less, it's like having a Mac no real freedom with a PC

[teejay]

Well , I've had this thing for almost 2 months ......like a chronically sore knee , it's something you get used to . Kind of .

I will admit , getting pictures off the camera, into the computer , and sorting them, is fast and easy , and the pic quality even seems to be better . I'm not sure how to resize them yet with anything internal .

What is difficult for me is navigating back and forth ...let me explain .

On my old XP , if I was reading a thread here on Big Blue , and it made me interested in Googling something , I would 1) minimize the thread , go to google in a new window and look something up . 2) or , move the Big Blue thread to the lower task bar and go to Google . In each case I could move back and forth easily from one bit of info to another . Right ?

Not on WIN 8 that I can see . There is no "minimize " and there is no task bar !
T

[FiatFan]

That, to me, is the biggest problem with Win 8. Any Win 8 application, including IE10, automatically runs in full screen. (Note: IE10 only runs in full screen when it is the default browser. If you set another browser, such as FireFox or Chrome, as your default IE10 will open from the desktop.) Win 8 wants to encourage keeping apps open in the background rather than closing one to start another. I disagree with their philosophy but I didn't write the software so I don't get a vote.

If you want to be able to use multiple windows of IE 10, you could always install another browser and set it as the default. Then when you open IE10, it will run from the desktop rather than the so-called UI (User Interface). Another option is to open a new tab. I didn't particularly care for tabs when they first appeared but use them extensively now.

Just my 2¢. Your mileage may vary. See dealer for details.


Tom

[teejay]

I can't imagine having to work at a job , using Win 8 , where multiple screens are necessary .

I'm facing another dilemma with my home computer . It's down and I can't see fixing it although I really like XP . I was thinking of going to a big screen laptop at home but don't even see Win 7 being installed any more ...everything seems to be Win 8 . Not sure what to do there so I'll mull it over for a while . I think the old desktop will be costly as it has the "dreaded blue screen death " problem IRQL-NOT-LESS-OR-EQUAL ....I think a hardware issue

T

[Tyson Rayles]

Terry you can buy a new computer and strip off Win8 and put XP/Win7 or whatever you want on it. My laptop is Win7 but I still run Win2000 on my desktop as it does everything I need and plays all the older games that I like. I imagine I will always have a puter with Win2000 on it no matter what else I have as well. BTW Win 2000 has never given me the blue screen of death nor does it crash. Of all the OS's (PC and Mac) that I have ever used it has been by far and away the most trouble free, nothing else even comes close.

[teejay]

Mike , my first computer had Win2k and my experiences weren't as good as yours . I was on the phone numerous times to the server people ....may well have been partly my fault due to my inexperience . In any case , another mrrer on Railroad Line Forum talked about XP and I made the switch .

I've looked into the possibility of uninstalling Win 8 and replacing with Win 7 and it does NOT appear to be very straight forward . I plan to do a lot of looking and asking before I buy anything .

T

[Tyson Rayles]

"I've looked into the possibility of uninstalling Win 8 and replacing with Win 7 and it does NOT appear to be very straight forward "


Man up T! Just rip that ol' Win 8 out of there and get on the new install !