Topic 'Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like!' in forum 'Canadian Chat' - dslreports.com http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27782945 en Sat, 18 May 2013 05:29:48 EDT Sat, 18 May 2013 05:29:48 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27788957 said by Wolfie00:

We had an Office 97 Upgrade CD kicking around at work back in the day that we used on any computer we wanted to put Office on, and I don't recall that it required a key. It would probably have been a corporate version and that might be the difference.

The funny part was that as an "upgrade", it was designed not to install unless it found existing MS Office files somewhere -- it would look in the installed programs folder, and if it didn't find any it would ask you where to look for verification that you already had Office. The correct answer was, "try looking in the CD drive." :D

1112-1111111

...Ah Microsoft, what happenned....FYI that's the Office 97 CD Key above :). Worked on any CD, was a Retail copy we had at our work...in fact I think I still have the physical CD around somewhere....

Same key worked with Windows NT and 95...memories....]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27788957 Tue, 04 Dec 2012 22:21:43 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27788185
The funny part was that as an "upgrade", it was designed not to install unless it found existing MS Office files somewhere -- it would look in the installed programs folder, and if it didn't find any it would ask you where to look for verification that you already had Office. The correct answer was, "try looking in the CD drive." :D]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27788185 Tue, 04 Dec 2012 17:50:21 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27788132 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27788132 Tue, 04 Dec 2012 17:36:42 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27788129 said by Last Parade:

You said you "need" a backlash against BYOD. Please explain why you require that.

LOL my English is as bad as yours. I sometimes have a weird form of word dyslexia where I write a word that doesn't belong anywhere in what I'm writing and 'need' should have been 'seen' and prefaced with 'I've', as in I've been seeing a backlash lately, against BYOD.

Or the other path with companies like Cisco putting out emails concerning the necessity to lock down employee owned devices connecting to the network. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27788129 Tue, 04 Dec 2012 17:35:24 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27788099 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27788099 Tue, 04 Dec 2012 17:25:02 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27788041 said by urbanriot:

said by Last Parade:

said by Gone:

Bring Your Own Device

not that part

Standard documents used in larger corporations for things like emergency procedures, storage procedures, 'what to do when this button lights up' procedures, production reports, injury reports, 'things are okay' reports, etc. The copious amounts of paperwork to either read or write when you find yourself in a large manufacturing plant.

You said you "need" a backlash against BYOD. Please explain why you require that.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27788041 Tue, 04 Dec 2012 17:05:29 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27788038 said by FaxCap:

I had a cyber friend who worked at the MS Redmond, Wash
mothership. He told me MS had no serial number system on Office for
years so people would take copies home from work.

I've never really had a problem with MS software/operating systems
but I have always hated the way they do business. A bit to slimy for
my liking.

FaxCap

Office 2000 was the first one (I think) to require the input of a CD key. The key was printed on the back of the jewel case, much like the keys for Windows 95 and 98, and could be used an unlimited number of times without verification.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27788038 Tue, 04 Dec 2012 17:03:53 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27787380 said by urbanriot:

There's also speculation that the recent widespread piracy of Windows 8 using the MCE activation trick was based on information 'leaked' by Microsoft to push the 'warez community' onto their new OS since they felt it would influence the legal market.

I heard about this recently and was surprised that it could be done.
I am in the process of buying new Dell laptop 15R with windows 8 by end of month. I am happy with Windows 7 and not sure should go for W8.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27787380 Tue, 04 Dec 2012 13:59:56 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27786500 mothership. He told me MS had no serial number system on Office for
years so people would take copies home from work.

I've never really had a problem with MS software/operating systems
but I have always hated the way they do business. A bit to slimy for
my liking.

FaxCap]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27786500 Tue, 04 Dec 2012 10:04:55 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27786323 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27786323 Tue, 04 Dec 2012 09:17:10 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27786314 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27786314 Tue, 04 Dec 2012 09:14:25 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27786263 --
Keep It Safe, Stupid!
Yes, I CanChat. Can You?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27786263 Tue, 04 Dec 2012 08:56:41 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27786219 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27786219 Tue, 04 Dec 2012 08:43:48 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27785835 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27785835 Tue, 04 Dec 2012 00:37:45 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27785643 said by Last Parade:

said by Gone:

Bring Your Own Device

not that part

Standard documents used in larger corporations for things like emergency procedures, storage procedures, 'what to do when this button lights up' procedures, production reports, injury reports, 'things are okay' reports, etc. The copious amounts of paperwork to either read or write when you find yourself in a large manufacturing plant. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27785643 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 22:59:48 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27785618 said by Dones:

Windows 8 isn't that bad either so win for me.

I have Win 8 Pro upgrade on my laptop. It is easy to learn; faster than Win 7; and after a couple days I felt right at home using Win 8.

Here are some tips & tricks:
»gizmodo.com/5955139/windows-8-su···karounds
--
A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the public treasury.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27785618 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 22:47:50 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27785259 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27785259 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 20:36:06 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27785177 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27785177 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 20:10:21 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27785127 said by Gone:

Bring Your Own Device

not that part]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27785127 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 19:54:21 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27785117 said by Gone:

Not only that, but Dell had a shitload of Vostro and Latitudes that used the same audio codec with XP downgrade rights, you could have just downloaded the audio driver for them and it would have worked on your Studio.

Trust me, this was a very specific case... Yes audio in general worked, but the microphone didn't... there was an entire blog dedicated to this, but it is now defunct...
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]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27785117 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 19:48:16 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27785110 Bring Your Own Device]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27785110 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 19:44:25 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27785064 said by urbanriot:

I've also need a backlash against BYOD

English pls]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27785064 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 19:28:01 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27785046 said by HiVolt:

Problem is that it wasn't the common realtek audio, it was some weird "IDT Audio" that is not commonly used....

... that's because IDT Audio is IDT Audio, not Realtek audio. :D HD Audio was a pain in the ass back in the XP days. You typically needed to install an HD Audio driver for Windows XP, and then the actual codec driver for the manufacturer of the codec. Still, I've gotten that exact setup working with IDT Audio drivers more times than I can count. Not only that, but Dell had a shitload of Vostro and Latitudes that used the same audio codec with XP downgrade rights, you could have just downloaded the audio driver for them and it would have worked on your Studio.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27785046 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 19:22:36 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27785016
Going back to XP all the audio drivers that would work, would screw up the onboard microphone, so it was useless for video conferencing...

It took some people getting together in a forum to hack a working driver for it...

Problem is that it wasn't the common realtek audio, it was some weird "IDT Audio" that is not commonly used....
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]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27785016 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 19:14:17 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784997
The only real difference between Visa and Windows 7 video drivers are WDDM 1.0 support in Vista and 1.1 support in Windows 7. To the end user, that means nothing. You can still use Ethernet, Sound and other non-video peripheral drivers from as far back as Windows 2000 on 32-bit versions of Windows 7.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784997 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 19:07:56 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784990
This was especially a pisser when Vista came out, and everyone hated it so much they were changing back to XP...

But with self built pc's this isnt a problem.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784990 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 19:05:19 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784985
I had the reverse problem on an old laptop -- older hardware, newer OS -- which you would think would be a no-brainer since the hardware was very recent. It dates back to the Vista days but I got it with XP, and later upgraded to 7. Win 7 did not have native support for the video chipset which had only been discontinued less than a year before, and couldn't run advanced video features like Aero. Luckily, after doing a bunch of research I was able to find a particular version of a Vista driver that worked perfectly with Win 7 (none of the others did) but AMD had no interest whatsoever in providing a proper supported driver for it.
--
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts."
― Daniel Patrick Moynihan]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784985 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 19:02:10 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784907 said by Wolfie00:

I missed the window of opportunity to order a new system with Win 7 but fortunately I have several spare Win 7 Pro licenses and the only concern is appropriate driver support for the new hardware. If there is a problem installing 7 on a new system, it's going right back.

I don't think there will be driver issues for Win7 for many years to come...
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]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784907 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 18:41:45 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784893
FaxCap]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784893 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 18:37:03 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784791 said by Gone:

Microsoft's bread and butter is the corporate world, and for that reason the desktop isn't going anywhere

Yea, I shake my head every time I see one of these articles or some of the posts in various areas of this forum, clearly written by teenagers who haven't participated professionally in 'the real world'. This whole mobile convergence idea, get back to me in 5 years and tell me how well it allowed people to work with large spreadsheets and type up documents.

The only 'cutting edge' attempt I've seen at using a mobile device is a company trying to migrate their MSDS and SOP documentation to iPads... but then they found document conversation software was shit so they gave up and they're re-evaluating it this month, to see if they can use Windows RT w/Excel. It's still not a desktop replacement, it's an enhancement to the way things are done now.

I've also seen a backlash against BYOD at two large multinationals, to the point where mobile phones are banned, so I'm not entirely sure this convergence will happen to the point some young folks would like. From what I've seen, BYOD = Facebook at work to navigate corporate firewalls. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784791 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 18:06:15 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784685 said by Guspaz:

It's possible, but the market has not yet indicated that convergence of desktops and tablets is what it actually wants. There has been a lot of resistance to Win8, leading to slow sales, and even then some of those sales are people who use primarily desktop apps (or even use something like Start8).

That's kind of it. I like having my smartphone for portable internet, my 13" laptop for travel, and my desktop for home. I really don't like small screens except for the portability factor.

The only reason I'd use a smartphone/tablet for internet, is because I didn't have immediate access to something else. My over all preference is still to use a pc with mouse/keyboard/full sized screen for most things.

I guess what's changed is the gaps between pc upgrades. I used to buy a new one every 3 years and the gap between my last two were nearly 5 years. I imagine I'm not the only once. People are still using PC's/laptops but technology is getting to the point where upgrades aren't need as often. Since Microsoft pushes their new OS on the newest hardware it affects their bottom line.

I'm in no rush to upgrade to an OS that needs me to pay $5 to make it operate more like the OS I already have. MS seems to have put all their eggs in the tablet basket, but I'm not sure that will pay off. If I were them I would of hedge the bet and made the metro/desktop interfaces a choice so they could win on both accounts.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784685 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 17:37:04 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784677 said by digitalfutur:

The Start Menu will not be included in a future service pack because the desktop is eventually going away altogether, making a Start Menu unnecessary.

Microsoft's bread and butter is the corporate world, and for that reason the desktop isn't going anywhere until Microsoft can figure out a way to window Modern UI applications so that multiple programs/windows can be used simultaneously without having to switch between multiple full-screen sessions or fart around with limited workspace in the second.

Keep in mind, it was and still is called Windows for a reason.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784677 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 17:36:33 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784640
Surface Pro seems to be suffering, because most people aren't sure why they would want it instead of a similarly priced ultrabook. Surface RT is a decent product, but sales have sucked, and it doesn't really compete with desktops/laptops so much as it competes with the iPad.
--
Developer: Tomato/MLPPP, Linux/MLPPP, etc »fixppp.org]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784640 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 17:24:49 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784604
There may however, be a version of the Start Menu in the modern UI where all apps will eventually be launched from.

While desktops will continue have a place in the market, its heydey is over. The future is convergence and mobile/convertible.

»www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2412734,00.asp
--
Logic requires one to deal with decisions that one's ego will not permit.
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing - Edmund Burke.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784604 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 17:15:43 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784506 said by Thane_Bitter:

Not sure it disabling it is a good idea; it seems that some of the functions (configuration, settings, etc) are split between the old system and the new one. It is like they just gave up when they started to code it and left bits here and there - neither is completely whole or functional. Overall I found Sever 2012 to be much more user friendly and logical to operate.

It would be nice if they did, however MS seems to be avoiding issuing service packs, there is more money in "refreshing it" as a new product.

Start8 allows you to leave your right Windows key bound to the "Metro" start screen, or CTRL-Start. Either one lets you still get into Metro in a pinch.
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Developer: Tomato/MLPPP, Linux/MLPPP, etc »fixppp.org]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784506 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 16:47:48 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784495 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784495 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 16:45:08 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784450 said by alexpb1:

If you get a program to disable that metro start menu, I find Windows 8 to be excellent. To make a good OS and then go and ruin it by forcing everyone to use that stupid metro UI is mind boggling.

I wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft includes the start menu option in the future in a service pack update or something. Too many people dislike the change.

Not sure it disabling it is a good idea; it seems that some of the functions (configuration, settings, etc) are split between the old system and the new one. It is like they just gave up when they started to code it and left bits here and there - neither is completely whole or functional. Overall I found Sever 2012 to be much more user friendly and logical to operate.

It would be nice if they did, however MS seems to be avoiding issuing service packs, there is more money in "refreshing it" as a new product.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784450 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 16:33:02 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784336
I wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft includes the start menu option in the future in a service pack update or something. Too many people dislike the change.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784336 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 16:01:20 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784304 said by TOPDAWG:

So anyone using 8 with the Start8 is the OS really much faster then 7? someone give me a key to 8 so I don't mind spending 5 bucks on Start8.

Yes it is faster, albeit I've run into some weird quirks with stuttering audio and video. Not sure if it's driver related, but I've also read about some input latency issues that people were bitching about during the previews.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784304 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 15:54:08 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784296 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784296 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 15:51:09 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784293
BTW, for those who try Start8 and miss the classic Windows 7 start menu image, Start8 ships with a few extra images that aren't built-in. If you click "browse" for the image, you can pick from the extra images. There are a few that replicate the Win7 look.
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Developer: Tomato/MLPPP, Linux/MLPPP, etc »fixppp.org]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784293 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 15:50:56 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784284 might have looked like than anything else I've seen.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784284 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 15:48:13 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784271 said by urbanriot:

!? :uhh: ... yes it does. ClassicShell has waaay more options than Start8 has and one of them is 'skip metro' and 'disable active areas'.

Well, they're not mentioned on the ClassicShell website on either the "Features" page or "FAQ" page, so it's not an unreasonable assumption to make.

I only found it when I dug into the changelog.
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Developer: Tomato/MLPPP, Linux/MLPPP, etc »fixppp.org]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784271 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 15:43:58 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784225 said by Guspaz:

ClassicShell being free is definitely a bonus in its favour, but it doesn't seem to have options to boot-to-desktop or disable hotspots in Win8. IMO those are useful things to.

!? :uhh: ... yes it does. ClassicShell has waaay more options than Start8 has and one of them is 'skip metro' and 'disable active areas'. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784225 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 15:32:06 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784213
In fact there are some features in ClassicShell that I'm interested in other than the start menu, so it may be worth combining the two; Start8 for the start menu and metro/hotspot things, and ClassicShell for stuff like the explorer status bars (if they work in Win8).

I really miss in Win8 the ability to tell the resolution of an image from Explorer. I can't figure out how to get that info short of the file's properties dialog, which is tedious if you have a bunch of files to check.
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Developer: Tomato/MLPPP, Linux/MLPPP, etc »fixppp.org]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784213 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 15:29:39 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784158 said by Thane_Bitter:

Actually no I don't, never had it, you are among the minority though I don't think there was much of a difference between it and Windows 7.

I love XP...but I'll take vista...Still have an XP machine rockin it...it does my output to a TV when I'm doing stuff like Netflix and rogers on demand when I watched Blue Jays games...other than that it has no purpose, but it works, and works well for whats under the hood, 2gb ram, aging Core2DuoE6600...from like 2008...it does what I need it to do, so I'll keep it running...]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784158 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 15:17:12 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784120 said by Guspaz:

All I can say is that Start8 allows you to replicate the Windows 7 start menu *EXACTLY*

Wow, it's tough to argue with you, that using 'exactly' with stars in capital letters is a bit of a stretch as there are nuanced differences... but it's pretty damned close to original! Impressively so.

I just threw it on to evaluate how much better it is than the last time I used it and it actually works now for me. I'd say it's closer to Windows 7 start menu than Classic Shell... but since Classic Shell is free and does the same thing it's a tough call. I do prefer how classic shell has a separate menu for 'programs' and 'metro apps' whereas Start8 it's a submenu but that's a quibbling difference.

So basically it comes down to Classic Shell if you want a good, free solution or Start8 if you want to pay a few bucks for exactly the same looking menu you had in Windows 7. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27784120 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 15:08:48 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27783843
I can't comment much on ClassicShell. All I can say is that Start8 allows you to replicate the Windows 7 start menu *EXACTLY*, and most of the bugs have been fixed by v1.03a or the latest beta (v1.09). It also allows you to boot to the desktop, and disable all the Win8 hotpoints. With Start8, you can pretend Metro doesn't exist 99% of the time. The only time I have to go into Metro is for the few settings that were moved from regular control panels to the Metro settings.

Start8 for $5 is an extremely good value considering how much it improves the usability of Windows 8.
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Developer: Tomato/MLPPP, Linux/MLPPP, etc »fixppp.org]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27783843 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 14:19:47 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27783806 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27783806 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 14:12:20 EDT Re: [Rant] New Laptop with Win8 - do not like! http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27783795 said by Gone:

That's why Start8 is worth even penny of the $5 it costs (that is, if you want to be legitimate, anyway. There's ways around that ;)).

Yeah, I'll save the $5 and stay with Windows 7... :D

I just hope MS comes to their senses and will enable an option or something to disable that metro crap for someone who just wants to use the desktop as it was intended.
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]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-Rant-New-Laptop-with-Win8-do-not-like-27783795 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 14:10:22 EDT