microslop wimdows 8

[Vanraw]

Figure I would put a rant here since it might impact stock value. My wife wanted a desk top replacement laptop. She is a graphic designer in training so we bought a pretty beefed up laptop with nvidia graphics and i7 3 gig quad core with 16 gig ram. And windows 8...

She is not a computer head, but an artist. So I set it up last night and while the new desktop / charm concept is cool for a touch screen, I'm not liking it with a mouse / touch pad. Also, this may be a lenova issue, but there is no way in hell my wife could have gotten this thing up and running on her own. Microslop still has not learned what apple has been trying to teach them for the last decade. These is no reason why this should not have come out of the box and been functional right out of the box. But it wasn't.....

[strife]

Sounds like a lenova thing. Getting W8 up and running is stupid simple...

[grizzle]

Sounds like a lenova thing. Getting W8 up and running is stupid simple...

I have to agree.

The tiles on the Start Screen are all easily usable apps (like smartphone apps, or iPad apps), and the regular desktop is used just like it always has, for design tools and other programs, minus the Start Button.

It's that lack of Start Button, and re-learning how to do some things using the tiles on the Start Screen (and how to engage the tiles using mouse+keyboard instead of touch), and the charms on the right side, that is a steep learning curve. It will take a few days to adjust, to be sure, and there will be some frustrations, but once you get the hang of it, it works pretty well.

A few tips:
- On the Start Screen, whichever tile is placed in the very top left can be accessed by just hitting the Enter key. I place my Desktop tile there, so when Windows first boots up, or any other time I'm on the Start Screen, and want to quickly get back to the Desktop, I just hit enter.
- Learn the Windows key shortcuts. I know, I know - the Windows key has been on our keyboards for ages and never really done squat. Well, now it's actually useful.
- Win+Q bring up search on the Start Screen. When searching, make sure you select the right category, such as Apps, Files, or even Store (which is what you use to search for Apps in the Windows Apps Store).
- On a non-touch device, I pretty much live on the Desktop, and I need my program shortcuts. It's not as easy as before, but when on Start Screen, right-click on a tile (those that get created for actual programs, not Apps), from the bottom of the screen select Open Location of Application (this will take you back to Desktop and open Explorer windows where the program's executable is), right-click your program's .exe and select Create Shortcut. Bam. Now short-cut on desktop that you can pin to taskbar (or, if like me and still create a custom Quickbar, drag it there).
- When in doubt, first try the charms on the right hand side. That's where the new power button is (to reboot or shutdown), that's the easy way to get to Control Panel, to change User Settings, etc.


I'm not saying it's all intuitive, and there are some things that even I dislike. But, really, some of this requires some unlearning of old Windows ways of doing things, and re-learning the new way of getting it done.

[strife]

hit the windows key to go to the metro tiles and then just type the name of the program you want and it comes up like magic. There is definitely a little bit of a learning curve at first... but after the initial learning curve, it's just faster win7 with some nice features

[grizzle]

Here are some other WinKey shortcuts:

Winkey: toggles between Start Menu and last app
Winkey + D: opens Desktop
Winkey + C: opens "Charms" bar
Winkey + E: opens file explorer
Winkey + F: searches for files
Winkey + I: opens the Settings charm (to shut down your computer, for example)
Winkey + Z: opens "app bar" (the menu user interface that is normally hidden when interacting with a Windows 8 app)
Winkey + X: opens the "power user" menu (which includes programs and features, power options, event viewer, system, device manager, disk management, computer management, command prompt, task manager, control panel, file explorer, search, run)

Move mouse to upper left corner to see last app, continue to swipe down to get full list of open apps.

Move mouse to upper right corner and swipe down a little to get Charms.

To close Metro Apps, move mouse to top of screen until it turns into a hand. Then click and hold, dragging the window down all the way, until it gets small and grays out, then just let go of the mouse button and it closes.

[Jakensama]

And after this relearning bullshit do we actually come away with something more efficient, or are we all supposed to relearn so they can flail around and fail in the tablet wars?

[strife]

dunno, I haven't used it much on a tablet...

I didn't think there was much if anything wrong with Win 7. And win 8 is a faster version of it, so on the desktop I'm happy. I can see the metro being useful on a tablet... in my limited experience with the ipad(which is my only real tablet experience), it was annoying to fuck with... of course I mostly fucked with the music and their music player was terrible.

[grizzle]

Last weekend I finally decided to reinstall Win8 on my home workhorse desktop to test out performance. I spoke to some people at work who were very adamant that there were definitely performance gains to be had in Win8 (beyond just the boot times), so I wanted to run the system through some typical use tests just to see. The initial install was an upgrade to a long existing Win7 install. I ran into a number of performance issues, lag, whatnot. My Adobe products weren't looking good (or better), and crashed/hung a few times. Wasn't thrilled with the results.

But, as I was about to put Win7 back on, I decided I'd try once more with a full re-pave and clean install of Win8. That seemed to have done the trick. I don't know what legacy software/drivers/whatever I had on Win7 that was causing issues, but I haven't experienced any problems at all with the clean install, and have seen very noticeable performance gains in Premiere Pro, After Effects, rendering, Photoshop, etc. The whole system seems much snappier than Win7. Even gaming feels smoother. And now that my Microsoft Account is integrated between phone, laptop, and desktop, all my settings are instantly synced, but what's really awesome is that SkyDrive+OneNote have become my new best friends for day to day life productivity. For example, I can create a living Grocery list, store it on SkyDrive, and then access it to read or add to from phone in grocery store, from home looking through fridge, while at work and I think of something. Another example: on a Sunday night, instead of emailing my work address with a To Do list for the upcoming week of things that I need to track, I just throw it into OneNote on SkyDrive, and just keep it ongoing - add new tasks as I think of them, remove those that I complete, add in pertinent info from email/web, pictures, whatever is needed. Little things, I know, but it certainly makes life easier.

My biggest gripes about Win8 from using it at work over the past months is lack of start button. I am still against it being removed, but now that I've got it on home computer, I'm forcing myself to use the WinKey shortcuts and Start Screen, instead of hack programs like Start8 (which I was using at work) in order to get used to it all. Definitely a relearning/mental remapping going on. But it does get better, and more natural.

[Grieve]

Microslop still has not learned what apple has been trying to teach them for the last decade.

Praise for Apple from Maul - I might have to put that in my sig...

I agree, though. This board is full of pretty technical folks, but all the feedback I've seen is that regular folks are befuddled by W8. I think MS is at risk of this being another Vista, despite it being technically much superior.

The Surface is also shaping up to a failure - a poll showed that just 4% of tablet buyers are considering buying it:

http://bgr.com/2012/12/13/tablet-poll-mi...t-surface/

And this article talks about all the ways they screwed it up (mainly price and not including the touch cover):

http://bgr.com/2012/12/11/microsoft-surf...-analysis/

Finally Goldman Sacs released a report yesterday saying that Microsoft's "market share of "total consumer compute" has fallen from 93 percent in 2000 to an expected 20 percent in 2012 due to smartphones and, more recently, tablets", and that they "would have to sell roughly 5 Windows Phones or roughly two Windows 8 RT tablets to offset the loss of one traditional Windows PC sale."

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-575588...man-sachs/

I think MS may now be a short. Alternatively I'm considering buying a few hundred shares and writing covered calls every month. The stock has done absolutely nothing in the last ten years:

https://www.google.com/finance?chdnp=1&c...JaPj0QGNWw

[Vanraw]

Microslop still has not learned what apple has been trying to teach them for the last decade.

Praise for Apple from Maul - I might have to put that in my sig...

Well you know I'm not a microslop fan either.

Sounds like a lenova thing. Getting W8 up and running is stupid simple...

Some of the issues were related to the touchpad and bloatware. It was stupid easy for me. But wife would / was frustrated. Point is it should not be the case.

For instance. My wife is a manual reader..... she will pick up the manual and read it from cover to cover. She does this with every thing, even new cars which gives me endless opportunity to goad her. The lenova came with no user paper user manual. Presumable to save the 32 cents per laptop. There was a PDF user manual on the desk top. She double clicks it and IP pops a bloatware window to buy a non adobe PDF reader. She says no, window goes away back to desk top. Click user manual, rinse and repeat. Silly shit like that.

Also since w8 is a new interface, that is significant differances from XP vista or w7, you would think windows would have a soft tutor my wife could go through to learn testers and charms and such. Nope.

Just silly stuff that should be no brainers. This deployment to a person like my wife is the kind d of thing that would push people to apple. And there is no reason for it.

[Grieve]

Sounds like a great opportunity for Apple to resurrect the "I'm a PC, I'm a Mac" commercials and rub in the issues...

[Zirak]

All the stuff I have heard about Win8 makes it sound like a nightmare to me. There was nothing wrong with the Windows UI - why in God's name would you change the user experience? Why piss off your user base like that? I don't want a tablet OS on my desktop. I am not looking forward to having to wrangle with this whenever I decide to get my next PC.

[Slamz]

The lenova came with no user paper user manual. Presumable to save the 32 cents per laptop. There was a PDF user manual on the desk top. She double clicks it and IP pops a bloatware window to buy a non adobe PDF reader. She says no, window goes away back to desk top. Click user manual, rinse and repeat. Silly shit like that.

Yeah I think that's a Lenovo issue more than a Windows 8 issue.

It is the one downside of the way Android and Windows work with regards to allowing other people to modify their stuff. You might have some different experiences on an HTC Android phone than you would on a Samsung Android phone. A Dell with Windows 8 surely has some differences to a Lenovo with Windows 8. Each manufacturer takes their own little spin on things.


But I think in the long run it still works out for the best. It seems to me that long time Apple users eventually tend to ask "Why can't I [do this thing that's doable on Windows/Android]?" Apple's control gives everyone a clean and concise startup experience but also limits the possibilities.

Windows and Android both open a world of possibilities at the expense of a more "diverse" (not always good) new user experience.

[strife]

Some of the issues were related to the touchpad and bloatware. It was stupid easy for me. But wife would / was frustrated. Point is it should not be the case.

both which have nothing to do with W8.

For instance. My wife is a manual reader..... she will pick up the manual and read it from cover to cover. She does this with every thing, even new cars which gives me endless opportunity to goad her. The lenova came with no user paper user manual. Presumable to save the 32 cents per laptop. There was a PDF user manual on the desk top. She double clicks it and IP pops a bloatware window to buy a non adobe PDF reader. She says no, window goes away back to desk top. Click user manual, rinse and repeat. Silly shit like that.

Sounds like lenovo thing. W8 comes with a built in Adobe reader which is actually kind of annoying, because it opens the PDF's in metro by default which takes you out of the desktop.

Also since w8 is a new interface, that is significant differances from XP vista or w7, you would think windows would have a soft tutor my wife could go through to learn testers and charms and such. Nope.

Download the Windows 8 cheat keys and tips app.

[Vanraw]

All the stuff I have heard about Win8 makes it sound like a nightmare to me. There was nothing wrong with the Windows UI - why in God's name would you change the user experience? Why piss off your user base like that? I don't want a tablet OS on my desktop. I am not looking forward to having to wrangle with this whenever I decide to get my next PC.

I will say that it feels right if it was a tablet or touch screen. But hers is a laptop with a touch pad. I find myself wanted to touch the screen and drag stuff around... I think thanks microscope focus. If they don't react to the touched tablet f
Look and feel they might as well roll up the red carpet.


I did find a updated touch pad driver that allowed configuration changes like disabling gesters that has made my wife unhappy camper. One of the gestures was:draging your finger from left edge towards the center would have the effect of an alt tab, switch to another open application. The effect was moving the mouse, and the screen would flash and pop to another app. No warning just boom. Stupid.

Also Geneva has loaded this thing with bloatware. and the loaded mcafee which in my opinion Simon of the worse viruses you can get.......

Same ole same ole i guess. From a big pc maker. wife is happier today now that I teamed the touched.

[grizzle]

My wife is a manual reader..... she will pick up the manual and read it from cover to cover. She does this with every thing, even new cars which gives me endless opportunity to goad her. The lenova came with no user paper user manual. Presumable to save the 32 cents per laptop. There was a PDF user manual on the desk top. She double clicks it and IP pops a bloatware window to buy a non adobe PDF reader. She says no, window goes away back to desk top. Click user manual, rinse and repeat. Silly shit like that.

Hate to say it, but we live in a digital world. Rarely do any products these days come with full, usable, detailed, paper manuals - instead, there usually exists robust sets of tutorials and How-To's on the net.

Did your wife go to the Microsoft website? This was extremely easy to find:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/get-started">http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/wind ... et-started</a><!-- m -->

A whole host of tutorials and details about the OS.

The majority of problems you're running into sounds like Lenovo-specific problems. Whenever I buy a new Lenovo laptop, the first thing I do is flatten the drive and do a clean reinstall of the OS. Lenovo and these other companies put far too much bloatware on the machines, and an immediate clean install is the only way to combat that.