Windows 8?

[Matilda]

It's time to upgrade both home and office computers from XP to Windows 7 or 8. I was hoping I could buy the Windows 7 Premium Upgrade package, but Microsoft have recalled Windows 7, and looks like I'll have to go to Windows 8. I know I can't just upgrade from the old XP, but have to start again - can somebody tell me just what is involved? I do have everything backed up daily on an online backup service, but I've never tried to access it yet. But it does mean that all my documents are saved out there in cyberspace, which I guess might be helpful.

I'd be grateful for any advice, especially as I've heard some negative things about Windows 8, and the technical aspects of computers are a mystery to me anyway.

[Systematic Chaos]

1. You will probably be much more comfortable going to Windows 7 at this point.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986

Just $100 for a one-system license from Microsoft. That's about what it cost when my wife and I bought it to install on the Windows side of our iMacs.

People are saying that the User Interface for Win 8 is designed for heavy use by touch tablets instead of mice, unless you take the time to revert a lot of features back to their 98SE/2000/ME/XP/Vista/7 common sort of Windows desktop.

[FredisDead]

2. Download and run

the Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/upgrade-to-windows-8

You can then download a copy of Windows 8 for $40.00, or get a copy sent to you for $70.00.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/buy?ocid=GA8_O_WOL_DIS_ShopHP_FPP_Light

Check out this forum for more Info.
http://www.neowin.net/forum/forum/242-windows-discussion-support/

[Matilda]

3. Thanks, both of you.

From what I've heard, I would prefer Windows 7, and apparently I might be able to still pick it up from a few specialist shops here. Otherwise, I can always try downloading it from the U.S.

I have heard that Windows 8 is good for large business operations, but not for people like me - small business and personal use.

I think I'll try to get Windows 7. I feel more comfortable with that.

[TreasonousBastard]

4. You will-- I've stil got XP on this one, but 7...

on the laptop and 7 is a very worthwhile upgrade.

[FredisDead]

5. I suggest you download

the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor to be sure that your computer will run Windows 7.

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=20

[A Little Weird]

16. I haven't tried it

But I heard the opposite, that windows 8 was pretty good for personal use but was a productivity killer for business/office use.
I have windows 7 so hopefully it will last for awhile.

[hobbit709]

6. MS hasn't recalled anything. 7 is still available all over the place

Depending on what you are doing on the computer, you could look into one of the Linux distros. Hell, as far as that goes, if what you are using the computers for is working fine on XP, then keep using it.
I have a friend that has an old Compaq laptop with Windows 95 on it-it does what she wants and it's still working.
Just keep backing up your data-that is more important than what OS you are using.

[Matilda]

8. In Australia, Microsoft has withdrawn Windows 7 from all major outlets.

The full package is still available in many computer stores, but the upgrade version, which I wanted, was nowhere to be found. I managed to get a copy, at a good price, from an online store.

I'm just waiting for it to be delivered, and armed with full instructions from Microsoft, I'll download it this week. I just feel, from what I've read, that Windows 7 is a better proposition for a small business like mine.

[BlueJazz]

7. I think 8 is the future and I'm surprised how advanced it really is.

Wasn't sure at first, because of the steep learning curve, but am now very pleased at the system and 40 bucks for windows 8 AND windows pro pack is a great deal.

...and Yes, I'm a Microsoft tech but would say the same if I were not certified.

[AgingAmerican]

9. Windows 8 is a toy operating system

Huge mistake by Microsoft. Good luck getting colleges and businesses to switch to a Tab OS for PCs.

At my work the consensus is that MS blew it. We installed it on a machine for people to use if they wish. Most people gave up after 10 minutes saying, 'you gotta be kidding me'. The machine sits idle. Same happened with Vista.

[BlueJazz]

10. I thought the same thing after ten minutes but after a friend showed me what it CAN...

...do, I changed my mind...but your mileage may vary.

I prefer Linux and the other MS stuff like XP, 7, but 8 is intriging me as I learn it.

I can understand someone in an office not wanting to mess with it though....
8 reminds me of the first time I sat down at a keyboard. (Now what the fuck do I do ??)

[AgingAmerican]

11. And thats what will kill it, the learning curve

Home users dont want to start over. I work in a College IT dept. We are just now shifting from XP to win 7. We will be skipping over win 8, unless the instructors start demanding it. I prefer Linux and win too. I think ms is trying to rip off android and ipad os, not smart for desktop IMHO.

[BlueJazz]

12. Yep...what you say is true. Funny thing, most people who just Email and write a few documents..

...could live happily with 95 or 98. (of course, I suppose you'd have to have an ancient printer also)

[SleeplessinSoCal]

32. What are the actual benefits to the tile apps? Seems like ads and games mostly.

I'm struggling with it in the wee hours as I type. I may return the laptop tomorrow and go back to 7. I just don't see the advantage, and it's a lot of work if you don't get the tablet or touch screen. I also went through endless hours of trying to upgrade a modem, and wound up back with new wires on the old one. It's been quite an evening.

[Go Vols]

13. I

put together a computer on the HP site for my mother yesterday and got Win7 on it although they were pushing 8.

[uriel1972]

14. If you do get Win8

You could pick up Stardock Start8 http://www.stardock.com/products/start8/ It puts a start menu back on your desktop and can boot you straight to desktop, bypassing the metro/modern/win8 interface or whatever they call, I can't keep up.

[frylock]

15. i'm posting this from a 5 year laptop running windows 8..

and I have to say that once you get past the layout, this OS is really no different then Windows 7. I just built this thing, so it's pretty minimalist right now, but I'm running Kaspersky and Office 2013, and it's smoking fast. I didn't have to go to the Lenovo site to download a single driver; windows detected everything and all hardware is functioning as normal.

Lenovo T61
Core 2 Duo T7500 @ 2.20GHz
2GB RAM
NVIDIA Quadro with 128MB onboard

[Matilda]

17. Finally decided to order Windows 7.

I had to order it from an Australian online site - although they were advertising it, after I'd placed the order and paid for it, they told me I'd have to wait for it to come from the U.S., because of Microsoft withdrawing Windows 7 in Australia.

I'm paying Australian prices - we pay double what you pay in the States, but U.S. sites block us from ordering direct from them, so this is the only way.

I just also bought a laptop, so I can work from home as well, and it has Windows 7 already loaded. I guess they'll keep selling those until they run out, and then it will all be 8.

It does remind me of the Vista saga - I stuck with XP all these years because of the bad things I heard about Vista, but it just doesn't work properly with some sites any longer, and it's time to update.

[RomneyLies]

19. We can still get Windows 7 in the US

$179 for Windows 7 Ultimate at newegg.com

[bvar22]

18. Stayed with XP for a long time....

..but recently upgraded to Win 7 on my wife's computer, a homebuilt Gamer Hot Rod from 2005.
(An ASUS A8N-Sli board with an overclocked AMD chip, a blazing hot graphics card, and all the ram that could be stuffed inside)

I hated Win7 at first, and kept XP on my computer, while my wife learned Win7.
I really didn't like 7, bad mouthed it all the time, but that was mostly because of my familiarity & comfort with XP
and frustration with trying to find and access the Fine Tuning system tools in Win7.

(I held on to WIN98SE forever for the same reasons. Completely skipping ME and other versions until finally surrendering to XP,
mostly for the game/video/peripheral drivers)

Win 7 and XP didn't play well together on our small household LAN,
so installed Win 7 on the other box.
Solved that problem.

The more I used Win 7 and the more familiar I became with the interface, the less I hated it.

Recently started editing HD Video, and needed more storage and horsepower,
so bought a new Dell Quad Core that came with Win 7 installed, and a free upgrade to Win 8Pro when released.
We downloaded the WIN 8Pro upgrade last week.

Short story,
no problems.
Win 8 is cool and works well with Quad Core horsepower and lots of ram.
Lots of buzzers & bells, prettier than Win 7.
Connected to the WiFi peripherals seamlessly and trouble free.
More difficult to get to the nuts and bolts if you wish to adjust the carburetor yourself.

I like Win8 better than Win7, but I really didn't spend much time with Win7.
I don't use it for much besides running MSWord, Excel, CorelPhoto, CorelVideo, and Firefox,
and it does THAT acceptably well.
I don't even use the PC for games anymore, having migrated to XBOX last year.

I no longer bitch & moan about Win 7/Win 8.
They are just the current OS, and seem to be getting the job done OK.

[jrandom421]

20. Been Using Win 8 since the Developer Preview

It's gotten to the point where Win 7 feels clunky and out of date to me. I'm running the Enterprise version, and it really rocks on a laptop! The coolest two thing about it are: 1) Automounting of ISO files. I click on an ISO file and it loads into a virtual DVD drive. Way cool! 2) The absolute coolest thing is Client Hyper-V! Say goodbye to VMWare Workstation! Have at least 20 virtual machines, some in their own network, others running different operating systems. With Dynamic Memory, all running comfortably in just 16 Gb of RAM, with only a little noticible slowdown.

Also, my new Surface is way cooler than an iPad Mini, as well!

[SleeplessinSoCal]

21. My concern is that I need to see the start menu to remember what is on it.

The salesman said I just need to type "control" to get to control panel. But there are other things on that menu that I'll forget the name of cause my memory is going.

[jrandom421]

22. Just right click on the start screen

And select "All Apps". That shows all the applications installed

[SleeplessinSoCal]

23. I'm getting the impression Windows 8 is mimicking the smarphone.

Makes me nervous, but I may have no option.

Thanks for the reply!

[jrandom421]

24. I can still remember

all the wailing, crying, gnashing of teeth and outright screaming when Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 introduced the Start Button. It took me a couple of days to learn how to work with it. Fast forward to thiis past April, it took me a couple of days to work with the Start Screen and all the cool gestures with a touch screen.

Maybe it's just me, but if you aren't willing or able to learn a new way of doing things, and it can be learned in a couple of days, maybe you should rethink your computer use.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

25. You're right somewhat

Most folks do the same things year after year with their computers like email and MS-Word. Win8 makes a tablet more usable and similar to a smart phone. Gestures are primarily useful with tablets and smart phones because of the interface limitations. Even a standard notebook could benefit from gesture use. For a desktop (and lots of folks use their notebooks like a desktop) gestures are a solution without a problem.

Just my 2 cents.

[jrandom421]

26. Actually

My wife LOVES her 27 inch touch screen. She says it's made her life and her work with the computer that much easier and sensible to her. Now she LOVES Windows 8 and wonders how she managed to make do with only a keyboard, mouse and graphic tablet before with Windows XP.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

27. I say to each his/her own

If Win8 works for you, spectacular!

[Warpy]

28. Make sure you've got hardware that will support 7, especially

I understand 8 was designed to be less of a resource hog, so you might get out of it more cheaply with that OS.

Just be braced for a lot of complaints, no matter which upgrade you do, it's going to be like you've moved everybody's food dish for the first couple of months.

Personally, I wish MS had simply expanded on XP. I think it's the best OS they ever put out. 7 is nice, but it requires a huge amount of RAM or it tends to feel slow and mushy.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

29. I bit and it's biting back

Bought an Asus laptop for $600 at Best Buy with Win 8. So far I'm keeping up, but do not like it at this point. Seems burdensome for no good reason other than for gamers.

Now I need to get a better speaker system. The laptop is what I wanted in terms of price, but my cheaper HP laptop had far superior sound.

Anybody know if speakers will make a big difference, or should I return for another laptop?

[Warpy]

30. Speakers make a HUGE difference.

I bit the big bullet and bought some Altec speakers with a subwoofer 15 years ago, just as streaming radio was starting to come out (with dropouts every 3 seconds on dialup). It was like going from a tinny Blaupunkt speaker in an old VW Beetle and walking into an audiophile's house to hear the same music.

They don't make mine any more, but there are others out there with good sound. The top of the subwoofer is a good place to park a modem or router if space is tight.

The sound doesn't fill a room, but it's fantastic when you're sitting right there. I guess headsets would also work but they get gooey and uncomfortable in hot weather and I live in the desert.

A decent 3 piece computer speaker system is a good investment if you do a lot of listening while you rant on DU.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

31. I'm sort of stuck with several quasi-good sound systems

Nothing that puts me where I was a year ago though. The system I can plug into is faulty, and I just ordered this SonaWave for $30. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16875990165

My biggest complaint though is missing so much from my previous laptop with Windows 7, in terms of media, vs. getting Windows 8, which seems geared to gaming. I'm not a gamer. I don't think Windows 8 has any value at all unless you are a gamer. From what I can tell, you get the same apps that your phone has, or you can bookmark in a browser, but with many more ads. Youtube videos are nearly hidden by countless ads.

Now, maybe the Asus laptop I bought "new" was actually "used" and "abused". I'm wondering. I really don't like having to sign-up for so many Microsoft apps. It's totally messing with my accounts.