Windows 8, take a deep breath

[aeromed202]

I'm still grumbling from W7, IMHO a bit too much force feeding of things I was told I needed or wanted, but didn't. Now I don't envy MS's position of wanting to provide better stuff, while understanding the entrenchment of past versions (they're rich, they'll be OK). We get to understanding how a software works and get comfy with it, build our activities around it, then see down the next turn we will have to decide if we want to do it all over again or pass up and be left behind, so to speak. Maybe I just haven't used W7 enough to reach that comfort level, or I'm a grumpy curmudgeon (local 55). However, for W8 they appear to be trying to catch up with the times nodding to social activities, myriad apps, and tablet-style functionality, bundling some of their own versions neatly with touch-screen technology, cleverly implying we would need to buy the new hardware too to take 'full advantage' of what they're building. Maybe this means they'll leave the basics, Word, Excel, other related interfaces alone for a while, focusing on the gab-around stuff. One story 'hints' at an October release. I wonder if I can skip over W7 entirely? We'll see. Anybody got more poop on this?

Offered up on my ole XP Home.

[fsafranek]

I'll see how long I can continue to plod along with XP. No doubt I couldn't even get Win8 installed without a long string of "No Compatible Driver Found for [insert everything installed] Hardware." messages.

[Astoroth]

I'm with you, Frank. I'm quite comfy with my XP, and don't plan on changing until I have to.

[glh]

I use Windows XP Pro on all my desktops to run FSX, CFS2 and Rise of Flight (when I get it installed). I do my e-mail, taxes, correspondence, surfing, etc. with that OS. I see no need to change as long as it does what I want and my nature is not to be up on the latest thing. However, I am sure that my tastes do not reflect others.

Anyone contemplating Windows 8 when it comes:

1.) Wait about 6-12 months until the first service pack will come out. You KNOW that's going to happen.

2.) I have never heard of anyone who upgraded their old Windows OS to the latest Windows OS and did not almost pull their hair out trying to get it to work. IMO, if you buy Windows 8, get it already installed and running. If you wait a year or so, the installed price on a computer will likely have dropped. :mixedsmi:

[crashaz]

I should get a look at the beta next month thru my MSDN. Will have some more thoughts then. Looking forward to also installing on my ARM-based ASUS tablet to see how it goes.

[OBIO]

I made the switch from Win XP to Win 7 64-bit without a problem...a couple of the utilities I use for tweaking planes won't work under 7, but I have my old XP laptop for those....but everything else works without a problem. And Win 7 64-bit is NICE....it takes full advantage of the 6gig of DDR3 ram in my system and will I can go higher still (my MOBO will support up to 24gig). I have no plans to moving to Win 8 anytime soon....I just made the move to Win 7 10 months ago.

OBIO

[Kiwikat]

XP is being left behind in the dust where it belongs.

Even businesses are making the switch to 7. Indeed 7 is likely going to be the new 'XP'- the OS that sticks around for 10 years. W7 64 bit is so solid I have no desire to switch in the near future.


2.) I have never heard of anyone who upgraded their old Windows OS to the latest Windows OS and did not almost pull their hair out trying to get it to work. IMO, if you buy Windows 8, get it already installed and running. If you wait a year or so, the installed price on a computer will likely have dropped.

You obviously haven't been around W7 then. It works perfect. The key is not to "upgrade". Back up your data (which you should be doing anyways!) and do a full install. Also, why get it already installed and running? OEM is almost always cheaper. Ultimately, unless it is a laptop, you should be BUILDING your computer anyways, not buying one.

[OBIO]

I agree with Kiwikat....build your system, don't buy a pre-built system. Last February, I ordered the parts to build my first new system. Total cost was just over $1000...if I had gone to a store and bought a pre-built box with the specs and components that make up my new system, it would have cost me at least twice that much and would have been loaded with a ton of bloat-ware crap. I had never built a new system from scratch before, but I had done repairs and upgrades to other systems....so I had the required know how to build the system from scratch. It's really easy! Trust me....if more people knew how easy it is to put a system together from parts, a lot of puter stores would see their shelves littered with over-priced systems that no one will buy.

The only problem I have with my new system is finding a new USB keyboard with a cord long enough to reach the USB ports on the back of the tower. I have bought 3 new USB keyboards and all three had cords that were too short to reach...unless I wanted to run the cord across the top of my desk....which I really don't have any inclination to do. The tower I built my new system in is HUGE and the USB ports are way up on the back and the general USB keyboard just doesn't have a cord long enough to reach...so I am stuck with this worn out keyboard that has the old style PS2 plug (or what ever it's called) but a nice long cord.

OBIO

[aeromed202]

Yeah, XP is for the dust heap for sure. MS will see to that because they've set a date for end of support and play us like a harp too. Anyway, I'm trying to get a new copy of XP Pro before it disappears, it's still a good system but W7 has it's advantages, they just take some persistence to learn them.

[Willy]

Unless I get a new comp, there's no sense in changing OSs from XP here. I had a hard enough time when I upgraded this comp from 98SE to XP.

[demorier]

I'm guessing M$ is not far of defending a challenge from Google, for at least some software.

[hey_moe]

I downloaded W8 a while back and I think it needs some major improvement..lol. It is stable but it is more set up like a gaming interface desktop . If ya wanna play with it you can dl a beta ver. of it. It does have a ex. date.

[rhumbaflappy]

The only problem I have with my new system is finding a new USB keyboard with a cord long enough to reach the USB ports on the back of the tower. I have bought 3 new USB keyboards and all three had cords that were too short to reach...unless I wanted to run the cord across the top of my desk....which I really don't have any inclination to do. The tower I built my new system in is HUGE and the USB ports are way up on the back and the general USB keyboard just doesn't have a cord long enough to reach...so I am stuck with this worn out keyboard that has the old style PS2 plug (or what ever it's called) but a nice long cord.


Walmart should have a USB extension cable for around $10. Duct tape the connection to ensure it stays put.

Dick

[TeaSea]

What I'm enjoying about this thread is that there is are real Sunni vs. Shia fight going on.

In the end, the OS just runs the system. Some OS are designed to run certain hardware/software configurations, newer OS's run newer hardware/software configurations.

All will operate a little differently.

We are currently moving to Win 7 at my headquarters. We know that there are certain differences in how the OS treats some software that is important to us, so we're running our live testing on certain users who provide feedback on what is working, what needs to be adjusted, and what is working and is different (something more specific than "this sucks"). Overall the consensus is that Win 7 is a much improved OS which takes advantage of our improved hardware, runs our more high end software more efficiently, and provides a better security posture. That being said, there is some software we know we are going to have to abandon, and there are some procedures that need to be modified.

Obviously most of us do not have the luxury of doing this at the house, so the advice to wait a bit is absolutely valid for most of us users....for others, it's exciting to be on the cutting (bleeding) edge and the rest of us should encourage that (so that we don't have to do the bleeding).

If you're on an older hardware platform, do not have a requirement for some of the enhanced features of Win 7, and do not want to take chances with your previous software investments....then by all means stay on XP...it's a fine platform and MS is extending it's support for it. If you're experiencing slower boots, having issues with security, and bottom line your system is struggling....I would certainly consider making the change. Especially if your system isn't that old.

If you're on VISTA, make the upgrade now.

[deKoven]

I agree with Kiwikat....build your system, ....snippage...

The only problem I have with my new system is finding a new USB keyboard with a cord long enough to reach the USB ports on the back of the tower. I have bought 3 new USB keyboards and all three had cords that were too short to reach...unless I wanted to run the cord across the top of my desk....which I really don't have any inclination to do. The tower I built my new system in is HUGE and the USB ports are way up on the back and the general USB keyboard just doesn't have a cord long enough to reach...so I am stuck with this worn out keyboard that has the old style PS2 plug (or what ever it's called) but a nice long cord.

OBIO

Fer gossakes, go down to the local store and get an extension cable for the USB port. Comes in at least 3 lengths; 6 ft, 10 ft and 25 ft if I remember correctly. I have the 6 footers for keyboard, mouse and printer (which is actual a li'l bit diff but is readily available for my printer, Deskjet 6100 model.)


:applause:

[aeromed202]

It guess it really comes down to an enjoyment issue like you sort of implied. Those being the enjoyment of grappling with the new or instead savoring something familiar. I'm sure I'll be on 7 within a year cause my hardware is so old too. This old laptop struggles with 1G RAM and everyone says there is no more support or parts out there to fix anything on it anymore anyway but I know I've gotten my moneys worth from it. Can't often say that about a computer.

[Moses03]

<TBODY>
I'm with XP and like it but will probably move on later this year or next year with a new computer.


From the MS site:

"Important notice for users of Windows XP with Service Pack 3 (SP3): The support for this product ends April 8, 2014. To ensure that you will receive all important security updates for Windows you need to upgrade to a later version such as Windows 7.

For more information, see Support is ending for some versions of Windows (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/help/end-support-windows-xp-sp2-windows-vista-without-service-packs)."

</TBODY>

[aeromed202]

More coming out on this. Looks like the early reports were accurate; heavily if not completely App/Touch screen based. Charms, Metro Start, gestures, Snap, Semantic Zoom, get ready to have to learn a new vocab too. I think (hope) there will, for a long time to come, be a need for hardware like keyboards and monitors. I mean there's no way countless companies can operate if people have to be leaning in to touch screens all the time, pretty un-hygienic too. We use Toughbooks at work and they get daily, if not hourly cleaning. As MS seems to be marketing to those that like to update the world on their every move or do lots of personal business on the go, I think it's going to be a huge hit. But if passing the torch from key-and-mouse systems to this is what they hope to do, I don't see things going famously. The end of one article summed it up pretty fairly, and it rather sums up all new launches of this magnitude. You'll either love it, or hate it.

[rpjkw]

I'm happily using XP on my desktop, but Susan's laptop has Win 7. I've grown to rather like it, but I hate using a laptop. In the process of a major upgrade and I will make the switch to Win 7 64 Home.

Bob

[modelr]

I agree with Kiwikat....build your system, don't buy a pre-built system. Last February, I ordered the parts to build my first new system. Total cost was just over $1000...if I had gone to a store and bought a pre-built box with the specs and components that make up my new system, it would have cost me at least twice that much and would have been loaded with a ton of bloat-ware crap. I had never built a new system from scratch before, but I had done repairs and upgrades to other systems....so I had the required know how to build the system from scratch. It's really easy! Trust me....if more people knew how easy it is to put a system together from parts, a lot of puter stores would see their shelves littered with over-priced systems that no one will buy.

The only problem I have with my new system is finding a new USB keyboard with a cord long enough to reach the USB ports on the back of the tower. I have bought 3 new USB keyboards and all three had cords that were too short to reach...unless I wanted to run the cord across the top of my desk....which I really don't have any inclination to do. The tower I built my new system in is HUGE and the USB ports are way up on the back and the general USB keyboard just doesn't have a cord long enough to reach...so I am stuck with this worn out keyboard that has the old style PS2 plug (or what ever it's called) but a nice long cord.

OBIO

I agree, building your own system is very easy. And you get what YOU want. Much less expensive. I'm going to be upgrading my system very soon. My old XP system was having so many problems that I didn't even know were happening... Installed Win 7 64bit on it, and all the problems disappeared. Still have XP on an older backup machine, but it hasn't been turned on in a couple years.


OBIO... Go get a wireless mouse and keyboard set, man. Get rid of all those wires!! A pack of rechargeable AA cells and a charger will keep you in hogs heaven for ever. My keyboard batteries last about 3-4 months between charges, and the mouse averages 2 weeks. 6-8 batteries is all you need. I keep my wired mouse and keyboard in the closet for rare backup use, mostly when something goes goofy in the BIOS. (Only happened once, still haven't figured that one out.) Wireless usually has no problem accessing BIOS.

[GypsyBaron]

I added Win7 X64 in a dual-boot config with my existing XP Pro x32 a few months back. I do all my FSX flying on the
Win7 boot now but still use the Xp boot for some development stuff, all my email and financial stuff and downloads.

My Win7 deaktop looks pretty much like my Xp desktop, which looks alot like my Win95SE desktop, which evolved
from my Win95 desktop. In otherwords, I do not WANT, nor do I NEED and of the fancy, smancy gimicks that the
kid programmers of today seem intent to foist upon us! I want functionality, first and foremost. Not "pretty
pictures". Thus, Win8 holds absolutely nothing which interests me.

Paul