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Windows 8.1: Five Hopeful Signs
Information Week ^ | 05/19/2013 | Michael Endler

Posted on 05/19/2013 12:58:39 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

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To: dinodino

Let me direct you back to the land of 99.99999999999% of computer users who could not care less about the insignificant to their lives differences between kernels.


41 posted on 05/19/2013 3:14:17 PM PDT by VanDeKoik
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To: All
I have a new laptop with Windows 8 and can not be more frustrated.

No matter what I do it will not remember user IDs or passwords for web site. I have selected what should be selected and still - nothing. It asked if I wanted to remember passwords for a few sites but never did.

Viewing photos is a PIA, watching movie clips is a PIA and trying to shut down the damn thing - PIA.

Listing items on ebay is a disaster when you try to upload photos. Each time you select a photo you are brought back to some location other than where your photos are located. So, if I am selecting photos from a file named ‘ ebay ‘ in the pictures library I have to dig through everything to get back to the file for each photo I upload.

Downloaded Chrome, which partially fixed a few problems.

Really, whomever came up with this can take a long walk off a short dock. I can not stand this damned thing.

42 posted on 05/19/2013 3:15:59 PM PDT by warsaw44
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To: VanDeKoik

“Yet 100,000,000 of a billion is “bad”?”

I’d say so, assuming MSFT is in business to make a profit by reselling products to its customers. Compare the development cost to the net profit. As such, I would call it a lemon.

“Why is it assumed that the full complement of Windows machine are EXPECTED to be running 8?”

I would expect at least 10% to upgrade to a new, worthwhile product. Perhaps they saw no value to the upgrade. Or perhaps they were turned off by the McDonald’s Cash Register Interface approach. Who knows why. We only know they said, “no”. Maybe MSFT can salvage they development cost in the fix they are going to give away for free to victims.


43 posted on 05/19/2013 3:24:04 PM PDT by aMorePerfectUnion (Gone rogue, gone Galt, gone international, gone independent. Gone.)
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To: JCBreckenridge

He just made me laugh. Reminds me of a kid trying to talk like an adult. LOL


44 posted on 05/19/2013 3:33:50 PM PDT by Kirkwood (Zombie Hunter)
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To: Baynative

Baynative,

We have Win 8 on two 4 month old HP desktops.

Can’t get email? What does that mean? We both use Microsoft Outlook and Hotmail for emails. Never have had a problem with either one. If sounds like you have not set up your incoming and outgoing email POP settings.

Won’t stay on page? What does that even mean? The only time our PCs move to a different page is when we execute a command.

Times itself out? If you mean that the PC goes “dark” as a result of power savings settings, why not just simply change the settings so it stays on longer, or it never goes “dark”. Plus, when it does go dark for lack of use, all you have to do is move the mouse.

Brings frustration to every small function? We both have found Win 8 easy to learn and work with. If you want the Win XP or 7 Start page, all you have to do is click on the bottom left icon, AKA Charm, and you have a page that can be set up to look like the former start page with all of your commonly used program icons at the bottom of the page.


45 posted on 05/19/2013 4:40:01 PM PDT by CdMGuy
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To: SeekAndFind

I learned to love windows 8.

Takes 60 seconds to install “classic shell”.

Instantly solved all my usability problems.

Gave me the same old windows 7 interface!

http://www.classicshell.net/


46 posted on 05/19/2013 5:08:34 PM PDT by Mount Athos (A Giant luxury mega-mansion for Gore, a Government Green EcoShack made of poo for you)
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To: VanDeKoik

...and allow me to direct you back to the land of people who just want their software/hardware ecosystem to work. A friend whom I converted to Mac came over today and, out of the blue, commented how much easier his life was now that he wasn’t spending time each week maintaining Windows. No joke.


47 posted on 05/19/2013 6:47:17 PM PDT by dinodino
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To: Terry L Smith

Not quite right, with a little work, I got Win 8 working and acting pretty much the same as Win 7. Not a ringing endorsement for Win 8 I will grant you but not quite as bad as what you are describing.


48 posted on 05/19/2013 7:12:24 PM PDT by dangerdoc (see post #6)
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To: Mr. K

Windows 8 would not install on my PC running Windows 7.

Or to be more precise.

It took two hours and installed itself.
Then proclaimed “I cannot run on this hardware”
Then took two more hours to erase itself.
Then claimed my Windows 7 was not authorized version.
Then it took several more hours to run an ‘authenticator’.
Then it claimed my registry was corrupt and would not run at all.

I think they deliberately trashed my hard drive.


49 posted on 05/19/2013 7:22:12 PM PDT by Pikachu_Dad (Impeach Sen Quinn)
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To: Mount Athos

http://www.classicshell.net/

I used a similar product called Start8 that mimics the Windows 7 interface in many ways.

http://www.stardock.com/products/start8/

It basically restores the start menu with its functions.

There are still some quirks in Windows 8 that I need to deal with - when I use the touchpad on my laptop, I sometimes inadvertently bring out the overlay of some other useless menu along the right side of the screen.

Frankly, if this laptop had been available with 7, I’d have gotten it that way. The touch screen is a nice novelty, but it isn’t anywhere near a necessary feature, and having the interface unilaterally changed to gain that feature was a bad trade.


50 posted on 05/19/2013 7:40:28 PM PDT by meyer (When people fear the government, you have Tyranny)
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To: meyer

I’ve never seen the problem you talked about with classic shell. And it’s free


51 posted on 05/19/2013 7:42:42 PM PDT by Mount Athos (A Giant luxury mega-mansion for Gore, a Government Green EcoShack made of poo for you)
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To: JCBreckenridge; All

Thank you. I am [hiding my face a little] a Vista SP2 fan.

I think Vista (64) SP2 is inappropriately maligned for sure. I stuck with XP and XP64 for a while, updated later to Vista 64, later updated to cutting edge hardware with the same Vista. (I have/use multiple computers of multiple hardware types and OSs, including MS, Apple, and multiple Linux/Unix variants.)

I still prefer the way XP works, not “dumbed down” so much like later MS OSes, but Vista, when properly configured, has much of the same “drivable” feel as XP. Win 7 and Win 8 do not. (I still use them and know them, however.)

On modern hardware Vista SP2 runs very well. Almost all of the rare “blue screens” I have had with it were HARDWARE related, not due to Vista. It is a great OS. I think a lot of the early problems were related to older hardware and early mistakes that were fixed by SP2.

If Vista had the enhanced security features of the “bleeding edge” systems I would never update.

I can tolerate Win 7 and like the better hardware support and security it has, but Win 8 will need this new 8.1 update before I will happily use it commonly in production.

You who “stuck” on XP, who soon will be forced to switch because of XP vulnerabilities arising when MS support for XP stops, really missed an opportunity when you did not move to Vista SP2 when it was easy to do. I hope you can find a legitimate copy, but you may be stuck with jumping all the way to Win 7 or even the very different feeling Win 8. Maybe Win 8.1 will soften the change a little.


52 posted on 05/19/2013 8:06:52 PM PDT by Weirdad (Orthodox Americanism: It's what's good for the world! (Not communofascism!))
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To: SeekAndFind

A crusty old guy I know that sells old cars cheap, does auto mechanics, etc. fessed up that he’s been a Windows Beta tester since Windows 3.1.

He RAVES about the new W8 OS. He hated it on his laptop, but on a tablet he claims it’s the best OS Windows has ever produced.


53 posted on 05/19/2013 8:15:04 PM PDT by Big Giant Head
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To: Weirdad

I had vista from September of 2007 and just upgraded for Christmas this year. So over 5 years for the supposedly ‘worthless’ Vista for me.


54 posted on 05/19/2013 9:13:28 PM PDT by JCBreckenridge (Texas is a state of mind - Steinbeck)
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To: Weirdad

The only trouble I ever had with Vista is a BSOD from a dying harddrive back in 2011. That’s it. So in 4 years I only had trouble for about 6 months with that one harddrive.


55 posted on 05/19/2013 9:15:28 PM PDT by JCBreckenridge (Texas is a state of mind - Steinbeck)
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To: SeekAndFind

I am running Windows 8 on my new laptop. I’ve had no problems to speak of. The computer boots up quickly and once I click on the “desktop panel” it works much like Win 7 does. I also rely more on the mouse than the touchscreen.


56 posted on 05/19/2013 9:24:59 PM PDT by windsorknot
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To: Gay State Conservative
I'm very happy with 7 on both my laptop and desktop. I foresee being happy with it for many years to come.I

This is obviously for those with money to burn on things they really don't needed....Whatever spins their spokes.

57 posted on 05/19/2013 9:35:49 PM PDT by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: CdMGuy
You are obviously better than this than we are and the techs we've paid for help are. Even the customer service at our internet provider can't figure out why this crap bucket of a program can't let our email come through.

I glad you're happy with it, though.

58 posted on 05/19/2013 10:15:28 PM PDT by Baynative (Lord, keep one hand on my shoulder and the other over my mouth.)
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To: Lurkina.n.Learnin

Oh I see... I guess I missed the obvios “start”-”F” key combination


59 posted on 05/20/2013 5:34:36 AM PDT by Mr. K (There are lies, damned lies, statistics, and democrat talking points.)
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To: SeekAndFind
Plus, to gain market share, Windows 8.1 doesn't need to be great. It just needs to be good enough.

"Is that what we're going for now? 'Okay?' We used to go for 'pretty good.'"

60 posted on 05/20/2013 5:44:02 AM PDT by Future Snake Eater (CrossFit.com)
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