The Windows 8 thread.

[alex666]

Installed Hardbrake, LilbreOffice 3.3, Firefox, and CPUID Hardware Monitor, plus VLC onto W8. Got a warning message for LibreOffice, and it wanted to install java. I am not sure exactly what happened there, but the suite runs just fine and extremely fast. I always disliked that suite because the programs were so slow to open up, but not now, they open instantly. I actually worked on a document that I had created in Word 2007 and had on the storage drive in my system, and it was fine. I re-opened it in Word later from my W7 OS drive, and other than some formatting problems around a table, no problems.

Interesting, when you install a program like handbrake, on the Metro interface, you get multiple icons, one for the program, one for uninstalling it, and other assorted icons depending on the program. Weird. Cannot make folders on the metro interface. Also, when you open any of the programs, W8 shifts from the metro interface to the w7-like background. It's just like you are in window 7 again, except that you cannot get to any programs via the start tab. Very strange.

I'll run this little blog of sorts for a few more days, as I play with this puppy. I don't know if anyone is all that interested, but given the original post, I figured what the hell, I'd pass on what I'm learning. It has been fun. It will be interesting to see how W8 evolves from its current form. I'm surprised at how stable it is already.

marty

[alex666]

AArgh! Cannot boot hdd, get a "bootlog missing" something very close to that. I'll have to try it off the old raptor to which I cloned it yesterday. Interesting that with the 1TB caviar, sometimes the system shut down when I tried to boot from it. Might be the drive. I'll see how it does on the raptor. The problem is that W8 takes up about half the 69 available gigs on the hdd.

marty

[3dfxrain]

I don't want the first screen at boot that looks like nature wallpaper to move out the way, just want login screen, with password, like Windows 7.

[no2guncntrl]

There is a member over at a truck forum I visit who loaded
it. He has some screen shots.

http://www.s10forum.com/forum/f179/windows-8-a-477965/

And there's this from the link above.

http://www.addictivetips.com/tag/windows-8/

Some might find this interesting regarding the shut down.

http://www.addictivetips.com/windows...own-windows-8/

[alex666]

Got mine back up and running. I think it was my Thermaltake external dock that was causing problems.

Good links above. Yeah, there are multiple ways to shut this down. I usually log out and then use those traditional controls. If I simply push my power button, I get the Metro screen back.

Very interesting. When in metro, moving my mouse wheel causes the screen to slide back and forth.

[no2guncntrl]

Is that mouse deal the AERO SHAKE ? I read about the ribbon deal. It's like the ribbon in windows live 2011
mail. Good to know how to min, but it seems one has to jump through hoops to do it..

[alex666]

Is that mouse deal the AERO SHAKE ? I read about the ribbon deal. It's like the ribbon in windows live 2011
mail. Good to know how to min, but it seems one has to jump through hoops to do it..

No, it just works, no settings requires. I do use a MS intelligent mouse or whatever, a blue tooth, but I have installed no drivers on this W8 install. I haven't installed drivers for anything. That brings up an interesting point, I have no malware software of any kind installed other that what apparently is built in with W8. So I am getting no warnings about the death of my child if I don't install AV software immediately, stuff like that from MS.

I should add, I'm working at home today using my W7 OS with MS Office installed, and I disconnect the drive with the W8 on it. Anyway, I periodically take breaks and plug in the W8 drive, and I gotta tell ya that W8 sometimes boots up in a matter of 5 or 6 seconds. Really fast. And it's immediately usable. I was on-line in probably 25 seconds. Note that I have this running on a 1TB Black Caviar, no solid state drive.

marty

[3dfxrain]

Metro UI somewhat insults me and is offensive that tablet things could be on my desktop GUI. Rather have tablet OS for a tablet. Desktop OS for desktop computer, separately. I am/have been rather arrogant about my PC things.

[alex666]

There must be something in W8 such that when you shut down your hdd, the kernel resides in the hdd cache. I know I'm not explaining this very well, but I had the hdd (a Caviar, not an SS hdd) with this OS completed disconnected and shut down. I just plugged it in and powered it up and as soon as you get the opening Developer's Preview message, it goes black and within 5" I was on the opening screen, I hit Enter and I was in the login screen, I logged in, I was on the Metro screen, and I immediately clicked on Firefox and was on-line within seconds. Fast, fast, fast. I've never had an OS of any kind do this beofe unless I put it in like sleep mode or whatever that mode is where it wakes up instantly. That's what this is like. Remarkable. Now the Caviar drive I'm using is a fairly recent make by WD, with 64mg of cache.

In other words, this is the fastest cold boot I've ever seen.

Is anyone else getting this same very fast boot on a mechanical drive?

[3dfxrain]

I've only had it on a secondary computer with an SSD. It's a very fast boot time. I like it. :] Though the desktop wallpaper blocking my way slows access to the desktop. :[ I moved it. Should get rid of it, totally.

[no2guncntrl]

I guess I'm not doing something right. I'm downloading the smaller of
the files for 64, but it is going to take 14 hrs ?

[alex666]

I guess I'm not doing something right. I'm downloading the smaller of
the files for 64, but it is going to take 14 hrs ?

It shouldn't, unless suddenly there is huge demand for it. I downloaded mine on Friday afternoon from a MS site that I found via The Tech Report. IT just took a few minutes. Mine was the 64-bit without the developer tools, 3.something gigs.

[no2guncntrl]

Oh boy.. I'm loading the 2nd file with the iso and my main rig is stating
14. I know my DSL is not very fast, but it seems like a pretty long time
to me. Almost like compressing a huge drive. >

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/br229516

[alex666]

Oh boy.. I'm loading the 2nd file with the iso and my main rig is stating
14. I know my DSL is not very fast, but it seems like a pretty long time
to me. Almost like compressing a huge drive. >

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/br229516

That's the same link I downloaded from, so I clicked on the download again, and geez, it is very slow now. It was much faster on Friday. Must be a demand issue.

I'm off to work.

Again, I can't believe how fast this thing starts. Give MS credit for finally building a fast-starting OS.

[Frank1946]

Well I got it up and running, but Internet Explorer won't start (using Firefox now) and anytime I try to run a diagnostic program I get "Scripted Diagnostics Native Host has stopped working". I also installed the tweak that lets me toggle to the Classic Start Menu from the Metro thing. Now I have to figure out how to go straight to the log in screen and bypass that ridiculous scenery screen.