My first experience with Windows 8 - HELP PLEASE.

DayDreamer

DayDreamer

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I bought a Samsung 15.6" screen Win 7 laptop a couple of months ago and had problems with colour cast on the screen so assumed there was a fault and returned it to Amazon. So this past week thought I would try buying again from the CoOp as my wife had some vouchers, as well as a staff discount, and big mistake bought another Samsung but with the 17.3" screen and Win 7.

I couldn't believe it as the screen again had a blue cast which was impossible to tune out as every time it was restarted it reverted back to the blue cast screen. So explained to the CoOp who were very good and delivered a Toshiba and took away the Samsung. The Toshiba screen is absolutely fine straight from the box BUT :eek: it is Windows 8 and I am in real disbelief of how silly I find this latest operating system.

Over the years I have been through Windows 95/98/XP/Vista and 7 when helping friends with their sets ups but 8 is just plain daft unless I am missing a point.

Will I get used to it?

Is there any free downloads that can add back a start menu on the desktop screen?

The mail system is silly and will not let me add my lineone.net email address. So looks like I will have to use a third party programme but which?

Can anyone help reassure me it will get easier for me to assimilate? And offer any tips?
 
Try ctrl-x that bring the win 7 type start up options.
 
Press the windows button and start typing to get to the program you want.

As for the mail client, MS have always done a free stripped down one, I also think there is one called thunderbird I think?
 
Having nothing on the desktop is the way macs do it too. I hate it. I always put at least a drive icon on there so you have an anchor point to find anything. No idea how you do it in windows 8. I"d assume there is a control panel type thingy somewhere with options for explorer to have icons somewhere or have a start menu somewhere.

Found this with tips and tricks: http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/11/windows-8-basics-tips-tricks-and-cures/



Thunderbird and Eudora are both decent email clients.
 
Thunderbird for mail, Firefox or Chrome for a browser - contemplate dumping Windoze altogether (perhaps try Linux Mint in a dual-boot setup) - which is fast, safe, intuitive and just gets out of the way and lets you get on with computing
 
Looks like there are a seriously large number of people who will never move to windows 8.

I no longer use word or excell, (Use Apache Open Office 3) and have not moved from Vista business.
Microsoft are fast losing my custom.

I will put off upgrading my desktop computer until I either move to Linux or Apple.
However one programme I use does require Windows at the moment.
 
Yes. It does seem silly to buy a new OS and then have to hack it back to the old style interface. I've held off upgrading here - although I probably will buy at least one copy at £25 to enable me to upgrade one of the Win 7 machines here.
 
Thank you all for helping me and I will work my way through the suggestions in a minute. I must say I feel a bit of a wotsit as I normally embrace all new technology but ----- this time.

I will report back :clap:
 
It's not "you" - Ubuntui did something similar a while back and the newest versions have the appalling "unity" interface, which is to be frank unusable, and totally unintuitive - as usual Windoze follows suit.......
 
eddyc said:
Dont want to hijack the thread but i was just wondering if photoshop/lightroom require windows or can they be run off linux based systems
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Windows/Mac (although MacOS is a *nix) only - unless you want to try wine.

http://www.darktable.org/ is supposedly very good though (not sure how quickly raw file support for new cameras makes it in - my camera isn't listed for instance)

Windows/Mac are far better provided for applications wise than Linux - IMHO, once you start having to run emulators and/or installing VMs to get programs to run, you are at the tail wagging the dog stage - just use a well supported environment (again IMHO)...
 
Organnyx said:
It's not "you" - Ubuntui did something similar a while back and the newest versions have the appalling "unity" interface, which is to be frank unusable, and totally unintuitive - as usual Windoze follows suit.......
Click to expand...
I think everyone is copying Apple here - and the iPad interface doesn't work well on a non-touch sensitive screen IMHO.
 
Amp34 said:
As for the mail client, MS have always done a free stripped down one, I also think there is one called thunderbird I think?
Click to expand...

I used to use this years ago so will probably go back to it - thanks :thumbs:
 
"Windows/Mac are far better provided for applications wise than Linux " - herrumph! - Linux Mint has 36,448 FREE packages available as of this morning (all just a couple of clicks away in Mint) - there's The Gimp, Dark Table, Raw Therapee and Digikam for a start.....
If you really must run Windoze programmes there's Wine, or go for a dual boot system...
 
Organnyx said:
"Windows/Mac are far better provided for applications wise than Linux " - herrumph! - Linux Mint has 36,448 FREE packages available as of this morning (all just a couple of clicks away in Mint) - there's The Gimp, Dark Table, Raw Therapee and Digikam for a start.....
If you really must run Windoze programmes there's Wine, or go for a dual boot system...
Click to expand...

As you are so persuasive I WILL read up about t he options you outline :clap:
 
About 6 years ago I had an aged Dell laptop running Windoze that had reached the stage that it took forever and a day to boot up, and ran through mud, so I tried a dual-boot with Ubuntu - the poor old thing was transformed - it booted up fast, crashes didn't happen, and there was none of this worrying about viruses and the like - it meant I got another 18 months out of it.
My tip is to dip a toe in the water gently (dual boot, so you haven't burnt any bridges), and accept that it's like going to a foreign country at first - don't look for the old windows programmes, they won't be there, but try the linux alternatives - Libre Office instead of Word, Gimp and Digikam instead of Photoshop ,Qbittorrent instead of Vuze, Amarok instead of Winamp, Brasero instead of Nero etc etc etc. I started with Ubuntu which works well, and is the main "engine" of Mint, but sadly of late seems to have lost it's way with the awful Unity desktop - Mint is far better! Best of luck!
ps the easy way is to download the full version of Mint, burn it onto a DVD, then reboot the computer (making sure you've put "boot from cd" at the top of the boot list), - it'll load Mint, and let you play with it without installing (it runs pretty slowly in this mode), there's an "install mint" link on the desktop, when you're ready, click the link, then just follow the onscreen prompts - it'll partition the drive for you, and install it alongside your present Windoze install, then whenever you boot up you have the choice of either system - when it's properly installed you'll find Mint goes like a dingbat in comparison
 
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Organnyx said:
"Windows/Mac are far better provided for applications wise than Linux " - herrumph! - Linux Mint has 36,448 FREE packages available as of this morning (all just a couple of clicks away in Mint) - there's The Gimp, Dark Table, Raw Therapee and Digikam for a start.....
If you really must run Windoze programmes there's Wine, or go for a dual boot system...
Click to expand...
Ahahahahah... You could probably add a 0 to that for free apps for PCs, but that isn't my point.

With Linux, you are generally down to community supported programs which are generally lower featured than paid for solutions. The ones you point out just prove that - none have the featureset that LightRoom has.

Wine: yes, if you want a lottery as to which programs run today then great idea! As to dual boot - WTF that really is a case of the tail wagging the dog. The only time my machines are actually rebooted is to update software.....

BTW: I run more *nix machines here than Windows ones and my day job involves project managing Linux kernel software stacks to production, so I do have some relevant background here ;). I still run Windows on my main machine as I find "it just works" and has been a far better user experience than I've found with the different *nix installs I've tried (and I've tried a few in my time ;)).
 
After being totally obsessed by this issue for most of the day I am making good progress. Annoying to have to learn a new email app but I have and am now using Thunderbird.

Managed to shrink, and reduce, the number of icons on the start page. Also seem to be getting places by instinct and not having to work out where the 'effing' thing is tucked.

Blood pressure dropping by the hour now :clap:
 
Thunderbird is good....
 
I've got a Samsung Series 7 11.6" Slate which has been upgraded to Windows 8 - it's not much better on a touchscreen device :thumbsdown:
 
Change is bad. LOL

Interested in people's views in 6 months
 
Dale_d3100 said:
Change is bad. LOL

Interested in people's views in 6 months
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I've been using Win8 since the open beta. Have to say that the first 10 mins was a shock, but you soon learn how to use it and get around the lack of a start menu. As soon as the £25 offer was open I ordered and installed on my laptop, and I'm happy with my decision.

But I'm also of the opinion that windows has needed a big change for some time. This is a big change, people don't like change.
 
Change is good and it is great. I am hoping blue next year will allow metro to work on more than 1 monitor at a time
 
I've been using it for a month or so on my desktop (which is used fairly infrequently) and I'm still.... I think I like the design but spend most of the time in desktop view, which is basically the same as W7 so...
 
I looked into windows 8 as I'm picking up a custom build Next week and was interested in using it - no chance it's awful - I can't stand the layout at all

I've decided to go with windows 7 ultimate
 
neil_g said:
in my opinion MS are in danger of becoming like apple and sticking 2 fingers up at business.
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Have you seen server 2012?

They haven't stuck 2 fingers up, we use all our software still.

I think this is the same as the protest against the office ribbon
 
One of the reasons I haven't changed is I can't see any benefit to me. All I can see is downsides.
 
neil_g said:
Nope.

How many users do you have?

I was pro the office ribbon.
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Luckily only 8 :D

Odd thing for us is group policy isn't applying on the new windows 8 machine. I think it is a wsus issue.
 
Dale_d3100 said:
Luckily only 8 :D

Odd thing for us is group policy isn't applying on the new windows 8 machine. I think it is a wsus issue.
Click to expand...

Nice, teaching 250 odd users the new interface just aint gonna happen. Nor will other business.

Presumably there are W8 adm files applied on the ad? Or is server 2012 compatible out the box?
 
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Currently on 2008, moving over to 2012 in feb.
 
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