Is it just me, or does Windows 8 suck?

[MTGuru]

My worry is what to do with my netbook once XP is no longer supported after the April update.

Except for security updates, is there any reason your XP netbook shouldn't keep humming along? I ran an NT4 machine loooong past its expiration date. In fact, it's idling beside me right now. Just keep your OS archive and a netbook image handy, practice safe computing, and you'll be fine for a while. Until the day when some new app or update you simply must have no longer works ...

[fearfaoin]

I ran an NT4 machine loooong past its expiration date.

The Microsoft Gestapo are on their way right now to forcibly update it.

[kkrell]

Until the day when some new app or update you simply must have no longer works ...

I am already using a license of Goldmine 5.7 contact manager (on XP) where it insists "Please note that your computer's system date is erroneously set to 2/26/2014", do I wish to correct it? Let's see what happens if I try to install it on Win 8.1 Pro 64-bit. I suspect my license of Quickbooks 2003 isn't going to be too pleased, either. I think that Adobe has provided a method of my continuing to use my Creative Suite (CS2) license on Win8, though.

[BigDavy]

hi kkrell

If you have the 2003 pro edition, the windows compatibilty center says it is compatible.


David

[highland-piper]

My worry is what to do with my netbook once XP is no longer supported after the April update. That is what I take when I travel.

If you /only/ use it when you travel and it doesn't /ever/ interface with your other computers you could keep using it because it won't matter when the next serious XP vulnerability is discovered, turning it to a zombie and spreading binary filth across the electronic universe.

But you can upgrade it to 7. You can buy OEM 7 from Amazon for $150. I've just installed it on an older Dell laptop and a 10 year old desktop (long story there). Just run the compatibility checker and it will tell you if there are any driver issues. With our desktop the chipset wasn't supported so the on board video wouldn't run any 16:9 monitor resolution.

[kkrell]

hi kkrell

If you have the 2003 pro edition, the windows compatibilty center says it is compatible.


David

Nope, standard edition of QuickBooks. I have simple needs.

[an seanduine]

I'm not sure how nerdish you want to get, but. . .particularly for older Windoze applications, you can winebottle them (run them under WINE)
on a Linux box. The older the application, the more readily it will run under emulation. I'm still running a couple of dedicated DOS apps under Dosemu.

Bob

[Wanderer]

I don't have an issue with the Metro interface...because I never use it.

I have my windows 8 to go straight to the desktop, same as my previous versions of windows. When i need to find something, I do what I've done for several versions: hit the windows button and type the first few letters of the program I'm looking for. This functionality works the same in Win8, so I'm golden.

I can pin programs to the taskbar at the bottom, mimicking the function of the old QuickBar, and I have it set up with all of my most-used programs, same as in XP, 7, etc.

I'm an old-school computer geek, and use windows hotkeys for just about everything: alt-f4 still shuts down windows, for instance. Those hotkeys haven't changed. I prefer not to have to have my hand stray over to my mouse, if I can avoid it, because it usually just slows me down.

My windows 8 machine boots up super-fast, and is pretty stable, and runs all the software that I ported over from my legacy system, so I have no real complaints. I suppose that if I was forced to scroll around that god-awful Metro screen looking for stuff, I'd be ready to tear my hair out. But I don't, so I just treat it as a feature that I don't care for, and don't have to deal with.

I have a couple of really old pieces of software that don't work in Windows 8 (nor windows 7)..For the rare times I use those, I use the free personal VMWare player to boot a virtual XP desktop, and run them from there.

[highland-piper]

I don't have an issue with the Metro interface...because I never use it.

I have my windows 8 to go straight to the desktop,

Try this: hit f1 to bring up help from desktop. Search for how to change a user password and follow the instructions. At some point, you will necessarily go to metro, because the control panels are all metro. At that point, the help screen you have been following will go away, and there will still be a number of steps.

You say that windows 8 running desktop is fast and stable, but so is 7, and it doesn't have the annoyance of having to necessarily perform some tasks in a different user interface. ("necessarily" assuming you're going to occasionally need to change settings. The less frequently you need to, the more annoying it probably becomes).

[kkrell]

Try this: hit f1 to bring up help from desktop. Search for how to change a user password and follow the instructions. At some point, you will necessarily go to metro, because the control panels are all metro. At that point, the help screen you have been following will go away, and there will still be a number of steps.

I have Windows 8.1, and boot to the desktop. I have no problem opening help, keeping it open, and using the control panel without ever seeing Metro. I can also access the Control panel directly from the Windows+X key, or even from the File Explorer. Everything does still tend to take more keystrokes or mouse movement over XP. The additional security (permissions, ownership, network shares, etc.) is a PITA, though.

[highland-piper]

Try this: hit f1 to bring up help from desktop. Search for how to change a user password and follow the instructions. At some point, you will necessarily go to metro, because the control panels are all metro. At that point, the help screen you have been following will go away, and there will still be a number of steps.

I have Windows 8.1, and boot to the desktop. I have no problem opening help, keeping it open, and using the control panel without ever seeing Metro. I can also access the Control panel directly from the Windows+X key, or even from the File Explorer. Everything does still tend to take more keystrokes or mouse movement over XP. The additional security (permissions, ownership, network shares, etc.) is a PITA, though.

Did you try to follow the instructions? It's hard to do, and that was kind of the point I was getting at. Have they changed things sufficiently in 8.1 that what did not work in 8.0 now works?

[Wanderer]

I don't have an issue with the Metro interface...because I never use it.

I have my windows 8 to go straight to the desktop,

Try this: hit f1 to bring up help from desktop. Search for how to change a user password and follow the instructions. At some point, you will necessarily go to metro, because the control panels are all metro. At that point, the help screen you have been following will go away, and there will still be a number of steps.

You say that windows 8 running desktop is fast and stable, but so is 7, and it doesn't have the annoyance of having to necessarily perform some tasks in a different user interface. ("necessarily" assuming you're going to occasionally need to change settings. The less frequently you need to, the more annoying it probably becomes).

I haven't hit f1 in windows in a loooooooong time

I can also access the Control panel directly from the Windows+X key, or even from the File Explorer.

Yup, or you can hit the windows button and type "control..." and it pops up in the program search. Either way, straight to control panel->users where you can easily change the password. No metro required to get there.

[hans]

How does Alt-Tab work in Win 8.1 if you are in desktop mode? I read somewhere that Win 8 does not allow application swapping (switching windows) using Alt-Tab (only swapping Apps), and all Desktop applications are bundled as one (i.e. you can Alt-Tab to the desktop, but not from one application running as normal desktop Window to another). Is that so with 8.1, or did I get this all wrong?

I never used Win 8 and use Win 7. But even with upgrading tom 7 I decided to use Classic Shell to keep me happy, and made changes to Windows Explorer so I can see my stuff easier.

[highland-piper]

Yup, or you can hit the windows button and type "control..." and it pops up in the program search. Either way, straight to control panel->users where you can easily change the password. No metro required to get there.

Unless they changed it, the panel is metro.

[kkrell]

Yup, or you can hit the windows button and type "control..." and it pops up in the program search. Either way, straight to control panel->users where you can easily change the password. No metro required to get there.

Unless they changed it, the panel is metro.

On my system, Control Panel is just another window, some similarity to the one in XP, and my other desktop windows (firefox, help, NextPVR, etc.) are also open, and I can certainly switch among them. The Control Panel has a different appearance, but it isn't a Metro tile.