Windows 8... worth an upgrade from 7? - Page 13

I downloaded Window 8 a few nights ago and installed in on one of my machines. My first thought was that it is going to end up being mentioned along with ME and Vista.

That said, I now have a programs menu, so at least that part is getting better.

Having to go to the bottom left corner and right click to get systems programs to appear on a menu seems silly to me. How much trouble would it have been to just give people the option of a start menu or not? I know 8 is geared towards tablets and touch screen machines, but the vast majority of machine out there are just regular old computers.

I did a clean install from XP. I decided to go ahead and try to install all of my old programs to see which ones work. Surprisingly, most of them do. If I decide to use it, I will have to upgrade my NERO program. For some reason, NERO will not recognize my DVD burner. I have since installed a Blu-Ray burner. When I put the 8 backup back on, I will check it one more time (NERO). If it still doesn't work, I will uninstall it.

I am not too keen on the big blocky (sp?) Metro look. I am sure that if Microsoft would have just TOLD people that all they would have to do is click the block for their desktop, it would have gotten a little better reception.

Office XP runs fine on 8. At least it does on my machine. I also have three old DOS programs that work as they always did. In fact, I have installed 34 programs that I had on XP and all of them seem to be working except for NERO.

It starts up fast, but then of course it doesn't completely shut down unless you tell it to. XP and 7 start up fast as well if you just put them in standby mode.

I don't think Windows 8 would be a cost effective upgrade for businesses running Windows 7. I don't see anything that would make me want to upgrade from Windows 7 unless I had a lot of touch screen machines. I would definitely not want to try and run a touch screen machine as a desktop business computer day in and day out. That would get old really fast. The mouse is more effective in doing what people need to do than reaching up and tapping a screen a few hundred times a day.

If you can get 8 for the upgrade price of $14.95 and are curious about it, you should go for it. I checked it out for a couple of days and then put my XP back on. I will get back to 8 in a week or so to check NERO and my BR device.
Edited by Country_Boy - 12/2/12 at 11:32pm

I went from Win7 to Win8 pro for about a week, then went back to 7. I can honestly say I hate Windows 8. It is one of the single biggest "buyer's remorse" feelings I've had in a long time. I can see the attraction to Windows 8 for tablet users, but not mouse/keyboards. Everything seems backward and counter intuitive from the way it was in Win7. In fact, this will be the last Windows OS I buy, unless Microsoft does the smart thing and breaks the desktop OS and “metro” OS in to two separate operating systems.

The programs you use most often should be in the task bar, so you don't have to go to the Start page. I almost never go to the start page.

Microsoft once again managed to make older versions of WordPerfect incompatible with the new version of Windows. I wish they would cut that crap out.

You probably didn't give it enough time. I went from Vista to Win8 and was comfortable with it within a week. I even prefer it in many ways. Going to the bottom right part of the screen and then hitting search is a lot better way to find the obscure programs you seldom use, compared to the start menu. I don't miss the start menu at all.

I agree. People should be given a choice of a start screen that resembles what they are used to. Not everyone works on tablets or touchscreens. Put it back on and play with it for a while. Back it up and put 7 back on. That way, when you are feeling up to the task, you can give 8 another go. If nothing else, you will be learning something about it.


I have WordPerfect 8 that I put on my machine every now and then for one specific purpose. I think its one of the best versions they ever made. If it doesn't work with 8, I will just put it on one of the others.

I really do like a menu structure over a cluttered task bar. If I only used a few programs, it wouldn't be so bad. The thing is to give myself enough time to get used to the program itself instead of writing it off. That's why once I had it set up and messed around with it for a couple of days, I backed it up and put XP back on so I could continue business. Eight, for me, will be an ongoing project for a while.


You are right. If he didn't, he should have done like I did and backed it up so he could make another go at it later on.

He may never stay with 8, but it could be a learning experience like I am doing. Right now, I don't see any valid reason to change permanently from XP.

But, learning my way around 8 is something I have to do, just as with 7. When people bring their computers in to be worked on, I need to at least know how to turn them on and off. Knowing a few other things about their operating system doesn't hurt.

A buddy of mine just loves 8.
WELL you can get back to the looks of win7 by just doing something (like I was listening LOL) in the menu.
THEN all you have to do is go to dl something to give you a start button.

whoopie I have to jump thru hoops to have an OS without metro that should be an option when I purchase or install it.
Another enhancement like the ribbon that should be shoved up some marketing morons ass.

I'm not sure what WordPerfect 8 is. Something very old? I doubt that works with Vista or 7. WordPerfect X4 is what I had. I had to upgrade to X6. From memory I don't remember if X5 works.

I like keeping WP around because they have very simple tables that work inside a word processing document, and I can't convert them to Word and have the calculations still update. Doing the same thing with Word/Excel is much more complicated.

Word Perfect 8 is a 16 bit application released in 1997.


1997. Let that sink in. 1997.

If you want to move forward, sometimes you have to drop compatibility for older software.






1997.



One more time. 1997. It's no 2012(almost 2013) in case you weren't aware.

I didn't even think to try even older stuff. Microsoft probably doesn't test the older versions of WP to make sure it doesn't work.

Where's the love for WordStar (circa 1979)? It's the perfect fit for Win8's keyboard nav model.

I agree. Throw it in the bin. Its 2013 nearly, parts are cheap and essentially disposable there is no need to be stuck in 1997.

I am perfectly aware of what year it is. It is 2003.

There are times when you don't NEED to move forward. Standing still is an option if it gets the job done. Besides, 1997 was a good year.

WP-8 works fine for the one thing I need it for. One of these days I will take care of this with another program, but for now WP-8 is fine. I otherwise use M.S. Office, or Softmaker.

Softmaker is a great program and doesn't cost much of anything. A student can get it for $20. I haven't tried it on my Windows 8 setup, but I will when I put it (Win-8) back on this computer.

Hmmm. I didn't even try WP-8 on my Win-8 setup. I will have to do that. I DO have a few old DOS programs that run just fine on it. Windows asks if I want to run the program in compatibility mode, I say yes, and they seem to be running just fine.

I have a bunch of ancient programs in boxes. I might throw them onto Win-8 just to see if they work.

What's the use in playing with a computer if you can't have fun? Checking out Win-8 is fun. Aggravating, but fun.

I just installed Lotus Smartsuite on Win8 because I still use Lotus Wordpro. It fits my needs and does labels like a champ. I do use Word for better email and web integration, but Wordpro is my go to word processor. I haven't installed it on Win8, but I use Quattro Pro as my spreadsheet application. Works for me and I'm not bothered by people who impose a 6 month lifespan as a measure of value.

Absolutely! If it works for you, why waste money upgrading?

I use to use Quattro. Fine program.

I still have three versions of Lotus SmartSuite. I had forgotten about them. I will have to check them out on my Win-8 setup as well.

I have come to the conclusion that there are a lot more programs that will work on Win-8 than Microsoft would want to admit.

I own M.S. Office 7, but still use M.S. Office XP because of the ribbon in 7. I do so dislike that thing. I like my menu whether it is in an office program or an operating system.

I have purchased so many programs that I can't even remember them all. I didn't do it to upgrade, I did it to try them out and learn about them. To work on computers, you have to know the current programs. But, you don't have to use them.

The first thing I do after I install a new version of Windows (and get all the updates installed) is back it up. That way it doesn't matter what kind of mess I try to install, I can always get it back. Its a good way to learn.

I will be going back to Win-8 in a few days. It will be an adventure trying to get some of my old programs to work.
Edited by Country_Boy - 12/4/12 at 11:14am

I used W7 w/WMC for a few years with excellent results. Shark007 and Media Browser were the only add ons. Harmony remote/WHS data storage

I updated to W8 pro about a month ago (updated WHS to W8 too). You get used to the new layout after awhile. I have a wireless keyboard and mouse at my theater seat though, so I may be biased. The desktop is just like W7 to me though. Installed XBMC and Media Portal TV Server Plugin. It worked.....waiting about 8 seconds for the TV channel to change etc. Lots of options, but lots of bugs too. Harmony remote worked...clunky feel.

Found about free upgrade to MC Pack, so fresh installed 8 Pro w/WMC. The GOOD: Flawless install and setup. Remote/TV Tuner/EPG seemless, familiar and easy. Quick tuning and channel changing. Great TV PQ. (My setup is ASRock AM2+ 9850, ATI 6750, SSD, etc...irrelavent to me). Very quick interface. Shark007 same as W7.

The BAD: No Media Browser support. Found out after the fact when I tried to install it (Good explanation on Media Browser website). Movie interface (without Media Browser) for over 500 HD movies on remote server is a little slow and clunky. No plug in support for W8 MC at this time (yeah, I heard you can add the TV channel icons, but that doesn't interest me).

All in all, it quicker. It integrates with the other (5) W8 PCs in the house. For now, I use explorer to find and pull up my movie. I leave WMC open hoping it will finally fill the cache with the movie data, but this hasn't happened yet.

Is there a "Windows 8 Setup Guide" thread similiar to the W7 thread? I should probably search, huh?

I need to download the free Media Center. I forgot about that.

I decided to go ahead and put 8 back on tonight and peck around on it a bit.

I installed Classic Menu to check it out. Its decent. But with my own folders and shortcuts, I don't think it's really necessary.

I put a shortcut to the shutdown function in a folder as well (just for general purpose). I just find what I want and stick it in one of my folders.

I also attached a couple of toolbars to folders that I had made on my XP setup. I can pretty much see everything that I saw in XP now. The changes in Windows 7 were many, but weren't nearly as drastic as the changes in 8.

It would be nice if things opened up the way they always have. I don't see why the folks at M.S. think they have to change the way files and folders open. That really doesn't have anything to do with progress. Of course that's just the opinion or a computer guy who had to drive 20 miles to show a clerk something on her new computer that was in plain sight - to me. the only thing that drastic changes accomplish is confusion for people who are used to something else. And when the changes are just for cosmetic purposes, it is a waste of my time and that of the people I work with.

Anyway - It's looking a lot better now. Of course, it makes it easier to look at if you have a nice desktop picture on there as well.

Classic Start Menu

Most Used Program Bar

My Folders Bar

Open Folder


I have decided to just use ImgBurn instead of laying out a bunch of money for a new version of NERO. All I ever used NERO for was to burn discs and movies. ImgBurn does that just fine.

I am still looking for a good reason for anyone to upgrade from XP or Win-7. So far, I have not found one.

I still say that if the programs you are running on YOUR version of Windows are getting the job done, and you are happy with them, good for you. Keep using them until your bank or some place like that tells you that you have to upgrade.
Edited by Country_Boy - 12/4/12 at 9:44pm

I installed windows 8 on my wife's laptop.. i hated it to the core.
Its more work navigating around and closing/finding windows/tabs. Move your cursor to the extreme corners of the desktop to find stuff.. Drag each windows item to the bottom of the screen to close it.. it was a pain.
I think women will like it.

The only thing that looks good in windows 8 is the start page, that i can get using rainmeter on my win7

You close windows the same way you have since Win 3.1, you click the X in the upper right corner. That did not change in Win8.

He's talking about Metro apps. I'm surprised he found a metro app worth running.

Seriously, once you get to the desktop it is basically the same, but I'm getting to the point where I now consider Win8's GUI slightly superior. For example, it's easier to find "Event Viewer" or other little used programs in Win8 than Win7. For speed, Win8 wins hands down.

I'm having the opposite experience. I can get to anything in Win 7 with 2 clicks. That's completely impossible in Win8. It's 1 click from metro to desktop, then hover in a corner to get the charms bar, then click an icon, then do a text search. That's extremely slow and inefficient to me.

Oh, I misread it. The only metro apps I use are minesweeper (LOVE the game!!!) and Desktop.

I was talking about programs you don't use much. Particularly ones you may not remember where they are located. For programs you use everyday, they should be in the taskbar and would be one click with either Win7 or Win8.

For me Win7 & Win8 work the same way; hit the WIN key and start typing the name of the app you are looking for.

For an exercise in frustration try bringing up an administrator command prompt in win 8. Not an ordinary command prompt the administrator command prompt.

Short of using Winkey+X that is.
Compare that with Win 7

You do realize what you're asking is "Short of using the quickest way, what's the way to do something?" don't you?

But uh, there's a million ways. Start> type cmd > Press Control-Shift-Enter is another quick way, or you can right click on it and choose "Run as Administrator."
Edited by jhoff80 - 12/7/12 at 9:43am

I know, seriously. "If you ignore the shortcuts, Windows 8 makes it hard to get to something". O_o

if pressing Win+X is too hard, you can right click in the lower left hand corner to bring up the quick access menu which gives you access to lots of administrative system tools, the control panel, search, etc.

it really is to bad that when you install Win 8 a menu doesn't pop up that says:

"Welcome to Windows 8. How would you like to use your new OS?

Classic look / interface...and no metro EVER...press 1

"seamless" use of both classic and metro...press 2

tabletastic metro-only...press 3"



This would have pretty much solved every complaint ever logged against W8. I haven't used W8 yet, but I am HIGHLY skeptical and don't appreciate the "our way or the high way" ram it down our throat "option" in which it's been presented. I understand that tablets/phones are taking over the world and all....but that doesn't mean that a more traditional inferface shouldn't still be an option. They pretty much have it all in there...why not go that last step and make it possible to ONLY use the classic view? Doesn't make any sense to me.

You forgot

Option 4: DOS

Option 5: Windows 3.11


Basicly, people are just afraid of change. And they shouldnt hold back to satisfy that type of user. Because then we will be stuck in the old ways forever.

I was trying to do that exact same thing yesterday, and it was driving me nuts. I just could not get the command prompt to run as administrator. In 7, go to Start / All Programs / Accessories then right-click Command Prompt, select Run as Administrator. Easy. Not so in 8.

How about right click on the command prompt icon in metro, select run as admin.