Win8 excuse me, but how do I do normal stuff, this is Sh1t

Forums › Microsoft Windows › Win8 excuse me, but how do I do normal stuff, this is Sh1t

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#731331 12-Dec-2012 12:59

I installed win8 on my lounge pc --- but, it is not intuitive at all.

You can easily get stuck in screens, and I've no idea how to close the mail app. Or, resize the columns in the mail app so you can see the full subject line.

I'll not be upgrading my other machines to win8 -- it completely fails the cost/benefit test.

rossmnz

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#731349 12-Dec-2012 13:09

Clearly MS leaked with windows XP.

The force is strong with this one!

John2010

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#731404 12-Dec-2012 14:12

I agree with what Netspanner is saying.
I find Windows 8 much more efficient to work with than any previous version of Windows has been and has worked so on both old (ex XP era) machines and new.

From what I see, I think where many come to grief is they are used to updates to previous versions of Windows just being pretty much replicas of the earlier version they had, and they have never had to think about rearranging things and use their mind set to make best use of it. With Win 8 they just play around a bit, get confused by the Metro apps, and throw up their hands in horror, or try to make it look and work like earlier versions.

I have all my commonly used applications pinned on the Start page (look at Netspanner's pic for an example) after deleting all the stuff unwanted that appears their when Windows 8 is first installed. I regard that as the replacement for the old Start menu and having shortcuts on the desktop approach (I have only the Recycle Bin on the desktop).

A click of the Windows key cycles me back and forth between the Start page and the desktop, with the tiles on the Start page never, of course, get covered over with other open application windows as the old desktop shortcuts do. And none of the hassle such as in the Start Menu of previous versions of having to work through lists of applications and their associated tools, and other associated but hardly ever used hangers on to them - these, in Windows 8 I just leave in the All Apps page, completely out of the way, unpinned to the Start page, but ready for potential use.

So, if, for example, I am working in MSWord (with, say, MSOutlook, Internet Explorer, MSExcel windows already open on the desktop (there is no need to close them as they don't cover up any shortcuts or anything else up now) and want to start Photoshop, I just tap the Windows key, click the tile and it is there ready to use with me back on the desktop.

Things I found useful to do for myself, are on my Start page I have added tiles for "Shutdown" and "Reset", and redirected the Metro App tile for Internet Explorer to the desktop version (so it doesn't open full page, etc). I have a number of MSAccess applications which previously I ran from shortcuts aimed at MSAccess startup macros, I just stuck these shortcuts into the relevant Start Menu\Programs folder (C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs} which creates a tile ready for them - there is possibly an easier GUI led way for doing this, but I have not looked for such.

So, it takes some thinking about what one wants to do and then just set things up to suit. If you don't want to invest a bit of time doing that then stay with the old generations of Windows.

EDIT: replaced paragraphing which got lost an posting, and a few of the many typos

John2010

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#731408 12-Dec-2012 14:18

Gilco2: ...I like Windows 7 where I open the folder and at the bottom it showed how many files there were. Made it handy checking whether I synced my ebooks properly. Windows 8 I had to click on proerties to find out...

Too late for this to be of any help now, I guess, but in fact Windows 8 works exactly the same as Windows 7 for that - you just need, as one did in 7, to make sure "Show Status Bar" is checked in Explorer's options.

All your other difficulties seem to be old legacy related matters (which would be a surprise as I assume they worked in 7, so should they do so in 8) or else are local environment issues of your own. They are not faults in Windows 8.

netspanner

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#731409 12-Dec-2012 14:21

surfisup1000:
I installed win8 on my lounge pc --- but, it is not intuitive at all.

You can easily get stuck in screens, and I've no idea how to close the mail app. Or, resize the columns in the mail app so you can see the full subject line.

I'll not be upgrading my other machines to win8 -- it completely fails the cost/benefit test.

To close full screens click at the top of the screen hold the mouse button down and drag down (it took me a while to work that out) then it shrinks down and goes away

eXDee

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#731466 12-Dec-2012 15:56

Its not as bad as anyone seems to claim. Windows 8's improvements far outweigh the change from my start menu filling 1/5th of the screen to fullscreen.

Because that's pretty much the main difference. I have removed every metro based app. I have a collection of tiles in nice categories for what they are, shortcuts to control panel, my user folder etc all there. I hit the windows key and begin typing to launch programs quickly.

The task manager is excellent and is a well needed update from the old win95 era style task manager. The file copy dialogue is excellent. Hyper-V built in is a great start. The ribbon in windows explorer is great, theres now a bunch of actually useful and easy to access buttons to tasks that i actually wanted to do. Dual monitor support is a nice improvement.

Startup times are great, performance is great, battery time is improved. Plenty of nice new features tucked away. Try viewing windows reliability history, neat feature!

Seriously, the biggest issue people have with windows 8 is the metro interface and apps. So don't use them. Metro start is perfectly fine as a regular start menu, i find it far more functional than the previous one. Win + x or right clicking the bottom corner is a great addition too.

If you really have to rid yourself of all metro because you have a bee in your bonnet about it, use one of those start8/similar apps. But i'd suggest at least trying as i did the new interface and continue using your computer how you did before - that's what i'm doing.

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sidefx

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#731471 12-Dec-2012 16:18

@eXDee: How dare you apply rational thought and logic to this discussion! Please leave.

"I was born not knowing and have had only a little time to change that here and there." | Octopus Energy | Sharesies
- Richard Feynman

eXDee

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#731713 13-Dec-2012 01:05

sidefx: @eXDee: How dare you apply rational thought and logic to this discussion! Please leave.

Whoops, somehow submitted without end of my post, added the last sentence.

But really, windows 8 definitely has rough edges. And trying to force desktop users to single task with fullscreen apps is not going to go down well. But as mentioned, you really don't have to.
Even items like the charms bar i only use to sleep my PC. Theres a whole panel of settings in metro ive never touched, designed for a tablet, irrelevant to me.

martyyn

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#731839 13-Dec-2012 10:21

So many of the complaints I've seen people having (and some are in this thread) would be easily solved if you would just RTFM or had bothered to watch any of the 'learn Windows 8' video tutorials plastered all over the web.

It was clear this was going to be a very different OS from any previous version and five minutes on youtube meant I haven't had any of the problems other appear to have had. Have I found it frustrating at times ? Yes I have, but five mins on google and I've found out how to do what I wanted to do.

So is it the fault of Microsoft ? Or the human who wont read a manual ?

If you love windows 7 then stick with it. I've still got some XP machines at home because they 'just work' but I also like where W8 has gone now I've built a few for some customers and have had a play myself. So its only a matter of time before I upgrade my wife and kids laptops too.

Jaxson

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#731909 13-Dec-2012 11:21

The vibe does seem to be though that they've released a multi platform touch orientated OS, with which the vast majority of desktop users do not actually have touch capable hardware and end up doing all the touchy stuff with a mouse. Seems ironic too the the hotkeys are so powerful given they've technically been around forever and use an old fashioned keyboard and not a touch or gesture based approach.

Also on first impressions, the switch between traditional desktop and metro/touch/tiles etc seems harsh, like you've paid for this other world you just aren't going to use, and initially it appears as though your desktop world has been dumb downed. It's seems like split personality, and perhaps the transition is not as smooth as it could be, especially if your touchy friendly apps launch to desktop type environments anyway. That reads like some crap UI overlay to get to the same desktop application anyway.

I'm sure we'll all get used to it. I was in a world of frustration for a few days with the office ribbon tool-bar, but now really like it. (Once I learnt that some items are contextual, as in you'll never find the picture crop button unless you first click on the picture, otherwise it's.just.not.there!).

Thanks for the cool links posted back a bit here too by the way. Very good content. Cheers.

gzt

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#731993 13-Dec-2012 12:47

martyyn: So is it the fault of Microsoft ? Or the human who wont read a manual ?

I'm in the read the manual camp but the whole debacle is down to Microsoft producing a desktop operating system without the visual cues users have come to expect from Microsoft. Recent OSX desktops have a similar lack of visual cues and take a little while to get to grips with but you can get by with a minimum knowledge for a long time and you can still use it. iOS is separate and different from OSX for good reasons.

Windows 8 jumps the shark attempting to combine a desktop and tablet UI. In one way this amazing feat of shark jumping is impressive. But from a user perspective it is why the $*#& would I want to jump a shark?

Everyone at Microsoft must have known this was coming and discussed it to some extent, but when this guy decides strategy there is not much intelligent discussion beyond a certain point:

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netspanner

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#732007 13-Dec-2012 13:18

People are making a huge whine out of a few UI changes that are actually really creative and handy, I guess the same howls were heard from the diehard 3.1 users when Win 95 came out.

Its here, get used to it in 2 weeks you will have forgotten about the pain and feel sheepish over your complaints.

Maybe we need a windows 8 help thread?

Chainsaw

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#732008 13-Dec-2012 13:19

netspanner: You can move them, group them with names, delete them, all you can't do is change the text and color. beat that in W7,

So easy - I have nothing on my desktop except a photo of mine that i want to see all of. Beaten. No text or colour.

Chainsaw

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#732011 13-Dec-2012 13:22

martyyn: If you love windows 7 then stick with it.

If there's problems from the more computer-knowledgeable folk, then I dread my (not so knowledgeable) relations' next computer upgrade and they are forced into Windows 8, Windows 7 won't even be a choice.

Jaxson

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#732013 13-Dec-2012 13:27

gzt: when this guy decides strategy there is not much intelligent discussion beyond a certain point:

Damn!, Tom Cruise moment anyone?

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