Windows 8 Beta (Consumer Preview) now available to download for x86 and x64

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#590018 3-Mar-2012 21:19

Couple of well written articles by Paul Thurrott. One explains the missing 'start' button and the second explains the 'metro' and 'desktop' mix.

http://www.winsupersite.com/article/windows8/windows-8-consumer-preview-metro-desktop-dont-mix-142375

http://www.winsupersite.com/article/windows8/true-story-missing-start-button-142338

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#590021 3-Mar-2012 21:37

I think from the blog post I see what I consider to be the problem:

"But with regards to this design, there are a number of issues to consider. The most basic is that Microsoft is trying to do something new and different, and to solve a new computing usage case that, frankly, didn't exist just a few years ago. And while Microsoft will obviously try to make the Metro environment as usable as possible on traditional desktop PCs with big screens, the primary focus here is on highly mobile devices, like tablets, and the ways in which users expect to use these machines."

They need to separate Metro from desktop Windows unless it has a touchscreen, even more evidence that Metro on the desktop should be an OPTION rather than the default. Whilst there are more mobile devices than desktops in the world, I would suggest that INCOME from devices (Work done for money) would be MUCH higher in the desktop (and Laptop) market. When was the last time you saw a million dollar sales presentation that was MADE on a mobile phone or IPAD (as opposed to presented via one). Sounds to me that MS has decided it's not as interested in the Desktop OS as it is in the mobile market.

Dratsab

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#590023 3-Mar-2012 21:52

networkn:

if you need BootVHD guidance I can whip up a quick blog post

I'd be keen to see a blog post on this.

Google "Hanselman Windows 8" and you'll find a couple of really good blogs which detail how to set up Windows 8 as a VHD. The most useful one is the "Developer Preview" blog as this is the one which'll walk you through exactly what you need to do.

Apologies for telling you to go to Google - I would have posted links but his website appears to be down at the moment (or at least I can't get to it) but you'll be able to get to cached versions of the blogs via the search results.

It's actually an amazingly simple process. Once finished, I went into msconfig and set W7 as the default OS so the machine didn't boot to W8 all the time. Especially important on my HTPC as WMC is somwhat broken in W8...

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#590036 3-Mar-2012 22:15

Dratsab: Especially important on my HTPC as WMC is somwhat broken in W8...

what is broken for you in MC under 8? so far my only problem has been not having it take full focus on system startup.

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#590043 3-Mar-2012 22:27

Dratsab:
networkn:

if you need BootVHD guidance I can whip up a quick blog post

I'd be keen to see a blog post on this.

Google "Hanselman Windows 8" and you'll find a couple of really good blogs which detail how to set up Windows 8 as a VHD. The most useful one is the "Developer Preview" blog as this is the one which'll walk you through exactly what you need to do.

Apologies for telling you to go to Google - I would have posted links but his website appears to be down at the moment (or at least I can't get to it) but you'll be able to get to cached versions of the blogs via the search results.

It's actually an amazingly simple process. Once finished, I went into msconfig and set W7 as the default OS so the machine didn't boot to W8 all the time. Especially important on my HTPC as WMC is somwhat broken in W8...

he has a new post for the consumer preview:
http://www.hanselman.com/blog/HowToGuideToInstallingAndBootingWindows8ConsumerPreviewOffAVHDVirtualHardDisk.aspx of if you cant get there, googles cache link here.

i have four OS's booting off of VHDs on my laptop. main win7, alt win7, win2k8r2 for virtualisation and win8

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networkn

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#590047 3-Mar-2012 22:50

Oh so this isn't a virtual, it actually boots your ACTUAL PC.. That's nifty.

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#590051 3-Mar-2012 23:02

Yeah direct access to your hardware, no virtualisation software overhead penalty or hypervisor, the only thing being virtualised is the disk into a vhd

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#590094 4-Mar-2012 09:03

There is now a tool/hack available to bring back the classic start menu. Personally I am going to stick with metro.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/restore-the-start-menu-and-disable-metro-ui-in-windows-8/18767

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#590116 4-Mar-2012 10:13

billgates: There is now a tool/hack available to bring back the classic start menu. Personally I am going to stick with metro.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/restore-the-start-menu-and-disable-metro-ui-in-windows-8/18767

YAY!

BTW you seem really into W8, are you MS associated in some way? Are you known by your moniker in other forums?

One other thing, is that having the "non start, start bar" the way they do in Metro means you accidentally open it when you are trying to open IE. I have done that a number of times already and it's very frustrating! Not sure if anyone else noticed it?

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#590119 4-Mar-2012 10:29

Gaming.

If you are a PC gamer, where will you end up with compatibility, and gaming performance?

Same as Win 7?

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#590123 4-Mar-2012 10:33

Some of the reviews say you can't hit the windows key and start typing the way you can in W7, but it works for me with metro enabled, probably the only thing that kept me persisting with it. After 2 hours of use, I still don't like it unfortunately. I will get used to it, but I won't be migrating to it any time soon.

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#590124 4-Mar-2012 10:33

Win X is excellent though. I want to try and hack something together for Win7 for that!

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#590136 4-Mar-2012 11:47

networkn: Some of the reviews say you can't hit the windows key and start typing the way you can in W7, but it works for me with metro enabled, probably the only thing that kept me persisting with it. After 2 hours of use, I still don't like it unfortunately. I will get used to it, but I won't be migrating to it any time soon.

honestly it gets better, I've been using Metro for a few months now and I hate going back to the old start menu now

The Metro start provides way more information than the old Start Menu ever did

Disclaimer: yes I am biased

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#590147 4-Mar-2012 12:34

The problem I have with the Metro UI is that allot of the apps I use don't have short cuts to the desk top (they are self contained) or don't put one there when installed. So if I were to go Win 8 the classic start is a must. I can see allot opf corps not upgrading because if this issue of no classic start menu. I do like the ribbon in the file explorer..

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#590150 4-Mar-2012 12:40

nathan: honestly it gets better, I've been using Metro for a few months now and I hate going back to the old start menu now

The Metro start provides way more information than the old Start Menu ever did

Disclaimer: yes I am biased

Nathan, I think the problem is people feel that this change is being rammed down their throats. I don't want summary info on the start menu that takes up my entire 24" screen. I want to have my windows arranged how I like them across my screens so I can see the info I want. I don't want this dumbed down, full-screen user experience.

The new start menu seems to be very polarizing, people seem to either love it or really hate it.

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