Windows 8

[netibiza]

Has anyone got this and can you tell me how easy it is to navigate? I am so used to xp for years that I found daughter's windows 7 so hard, and now OH is buying me a new laptop with windows 8 on it, I am dreading it

[beso]

I have read some reviews that suggested the Windows 8 interface was not well suited to either novice users or power users.

I have been dealing with an XP upgrade to Win 7 recently. You can get some things back if you know how.

The QuickStart toolbar is a good one to reestablish, saving a lot of clicks and picks required in a pinned shortcut.

I also found a program to edit the file associations in the context menus of Explorer too. The nerds at Redmond took away this feature but the free program from nirsoft,com does the job far better on it than than Windows ever did.

[bibblebub]

If you use a smartphone then it's no more complicated than that.

[netibiza]

Yes bibble I do use a smartphone, so I should (eventually) be able to use windows 8? Oh I hope so!

[bazwillrun]

Dont use the Metro interface and it practically looks and functions like most previous versions of windows.
If you want to use Metro then just turn it back on.
The Metro interface can be used with a mouse as well as with touch screens

And if you want to really customise it to suit then go here

http://www.stardock.com/

you can also get free apps that will do the same as most of the Stardock ones

For £25 its crazy not to get it, put it on a seperate partition and dual boot and then you can learn to use it in your own time.

INMO best version of Windows yet by a long stretch for home users

[netibiza]

bazwillrun, thanks but don't have a clue what you are talking about! I guess i'll learn.

[bibblebub]

It hasn't been called the Metro interface for months because Microsoft wanted to avoid copyright problems, and you can't readily turn off the apps screen (or start screen as a lot of people call it).

[bazwillrun]

"and you can't readily turn off the apps screen (or start screen as a lot of people call it). "

obviously operating systems specifically win 8
arent your hot point then

the majority of people still refer to the gui as Metro

[netibiza]

You lot are frightening me! and I don't even want the damn thing!!

[bibblebub]

i've been using W8 since Oct26 - how about you bazwillrun?

[dr b]

I got my daughter a laptop with windows 8 for xmas and have been using it for a few weeks till she gets here. Using it is very easy, especially if you mostly connect to the internet. the start screen has a number of icons (or apps) to click, one of which is Internet Explorer (which I only used to add download Firefox).

but if you hate the new look, one of the apps is labelled "desktop", which takes you right to the familiar Windows XP/7 screen. So there is really a very small adjustment needed compared to what you're used to. I would not worry.

[netibiza]

Will I be able to cope with it, I'm just a normal silver surfer, I download films to dvd, etc watch live tv, email etc??

[netibiza]

thank you dr b, that is encouraging and what i needed to hear!

[bazwillrun]

"i've been using W8 since Oct26 "

you always turn up late to the party ?

me , well apart from Dev Preview and SDK version around Oct 2011 and every release since until the 26th Oct this year, so no experience here

[bibblebub]

It's you who doesn't know that Microsoft dropped the term 'Metro' at the beginning of August http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-19108952 and whilst one could turn off that screen in the review version of W8 that capability is not available in the release version.

If you have the release version of W8 and can turn off the apps screen please tell me how you do it in Windows and not via a third party utility.

[bazwillrun]

"It's you who doesn't know that Microsoft dropped the term 'Metro' "

i'm well aware of the fact they did and like I said most people still call it the Metro

Zzzzzzzzz..........