glad to hear - i just bought it for the sake of it.... for £25 you cant really go wrong, at some point down the line it might just get used... dispite me hating when i tried it during the beta stage on a virtual machine....
theres hope yet
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Today Is The Last Day For $40 Windows 8
- Thread starter HardOCP News
- Start date
glad to hear - i just bought it for the sake of it.... for £25 you cant really go wrong, at some point down the line it might just get used... dispite me hating when i tried it during the beta stage on a virtual machine....
theres hope yet
coldtortilla
Weaksauce
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confirmed
Rattle
2[H]4U
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question on intel usb 3.0, I ran the update thingy that shows whats compatible and whats not. Intel usb 3.0 driver came up, My board is Maximus 5 Gene and I noticed there's no intel usb 3.0 driver on asus website for the board like there is for w7. Is it working by default with a w8 driver or what are you guys doing? About to install w8 for first time.
RedStarSQD
Limp Gawd
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it was 15$ for those people who bought a new system close to windows 8 launch. 40$ for any computer to upgrade. cheaper than the win 7 upgrade from vista offer. Why the sour grapes over cost increase? you can still buy it now for 40$ and install it anytime after. but you will have to pay 10$ for the media add on if you don't activate it by today. It is not a price hike.. as this was a sale lol 
as for those who need a start button to feel better... really? lol
as for those who need a start button to feel better... really? lolRedStarSQD
Limp Gawd
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RedStarSQD
Limp Gawd
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it is tied to the machine (motherboard) as it is an upgrade. so when you do switch it out ..you may just have to phone them up and say had to replace motherboard.
seamonkey79
n00b
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Well, they suckered me into buying it, now my laptop is harder to use and doesn't have the nice smooth Aero interface... but I'm going to make it work, by George, I paid $15 for it!
RedStarSQD
Limp Gawd
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the improved task manager makes it worth that 15$ alone
heatlesssun
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Actually all but the transparency parts of Aero and Flip 3D (which I think most considered pretty useless like myself) are still in Windows 8. There are ways to restore most of the transparency I believe with tools like these: http://winaero.com/ . To me the most important parts of Aero are the windowing management functions like Aero Snap and those still there.
x2
(and ribbon for that matter
god, what i wouldn't give to get rid of the ribbon, after years of use I still cant get use to it. I would really like a classic windows 98/2000 style shell
heatlesssun
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I've upgraded a couple of family members' laptops from Vista to 8 and both were quite happy. I demoed Windows 8 to them and went over the basics of the Start Screen, hot corners and Live Tiles and they didn't mind the changes at all. Both machines performed much better after the upgrade as I expected and that made them very happy.
Gee ya think?
. Trouble is they didn't bother to put any apps in the app store anyone gives a crap about, but annoyed 99% of desktop users that installed Window 8 by forcing them on a tablet interface - all downsides and no upside.The benefits of ZFS's Storage Pools are lost on operating systems that still use the obsolete drive letter system. Let me know when you are able to mount /Windows and /Program Files on different partitions within a single namespace (that means they can't have different drive letters).
Because using Xen means you aren't running a full-blown operating system complete with GUI and other useless accouterments as your dom0 (Parent partition). In addition, desktop users rarely have a need for a Type 1 hypervisor and server people aren't going to use a desktop version of Windows on a server. Most desktop users who use virtualization are also going to want seamless windows like what was in XP Mode or VMWare Unity (Virtual PC) so, in that sense, Windows 8 is a regression.
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When it comes to SMB, it's the industry standard for network shares and file sharing. Apple's AFP isn't very cross-platform friendly, and NFS has had wonky Windows support for years, requiring very specific OS versions to work. It's not open source, true, but it works, and works well for the environment it was designed for. The latest iteration works even better, finally bring speeds on par with NFS, and thanks to the new multichannel function, well above and beyond. There's nothing like doubling your network file transfer speed just by adding another NIC.
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NFS is the standard (Also, 2). SMB2/3 are proprietary Microsoft protocols with poor documentation. The fact that Windows has poor NFS support is a flaw in Windows and not the protocol itself.
In addition, parts of the new GUI are damned nice. Take this for example:
Or this:
Too many people have hopped on the Windows 8 hate bandwagon. It's like the anti-Apple guys. I really don't get it.
I guess nice is subjective. Personally, I think it looks gaudy and like something straight out of the Windows 3.1 days. There is no contrast and the white is killing me. I also can't stand having everything flat.
In addition, I much prefer what I already have :
Mine integrates with LM_Sensors which means that it is possible to customize what it displays including things like CPU Temperature and Fan Speed on hardware that allows monitoring such things.
DeathPrincess
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Oh noes! Hopefully I wont miss out!
ThreeDee
[H]F Junkie
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on my main comp, tv comp ..4 year old's computer, and a F@H comp out in the garage ..got 3 of them for the $14.99 .. paid $39.99 for one .. wouldn't of bought any if I had to pay $100 or more for one copy of the OS though. I think Microsoft should stick with the Henry Ford model .. sell large volumes for low price ..
TeeJayHoward
Limpness Supreme
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Your argument neither supports nor discourages use of Storage Spaces. I do agree that it's not as nice as ZFS, but it's the nicest a Windows user has ever had, and a worthy upgrade from the lack of options included in Windows 7.
I have no idea what you're talking about. As an end user, I frequently find uses for small virtual machines. I get calls from a friend of mine that's trying to learn linux weekly. I've got an Ubuntu VM that I keep up to date so I can walk him through things. I've got an XP VM for supporting my dad. I've got a Solaris and Oracle Linux VM for my own learning needs. For my uses, HyperV is wonderful. And I get to run all of this on my desktop, the same one I use for gaming. I have no idea what seamless windows are. Is it some reference to mouse capture/clipboard sharing? HyperV has that.
You have successfully proven that NFS has a standard, but not that it is THE standard. If you walk into an enterprise environment, almost ANY enterprise environment, you will find a file server that uses the SMB protocol. Since it is likely the widest used protocol, I would say that it is the standard. It has to adhere to strict standards, as well, as defined by Microsoft. The sanctioning body is not the IETF, but that does not make it any less valid. For reference, the following is the definition I use when calling something "standard":
I'm a big big fan of Linux, but I must say, the desktop still looks antiquated. It suffers from a lack of uniformity, and the overall UI design looks much like it did in the 90s. I'm not saying Windows 8 is the right way to do things, as I feel there's a great deal of wasted screen estate, but I do consider it superior to modern Linux desktops. Apple's done the best job of the big three with their UI, in my opinion.I guess nice is subjective. Personally, I think it looks gaudy and like something straight out of the Windows 3.1 days. There is no contrast and the white is killing me. I also can't stand having everything flat.
In addition, I much prefer what I already have :
Mine integrates with LM_Sensors which means that it is possible to customize what it displays including things like CPU Temperature and Fan Speed on hardware that allows monitoring such things.
Aah, to have the dream OS:
The power and customizability of Linux
The UI of Apple
The application compatibility of Microsoft
We're gradually working towards it. PowerShell is approaching terminal levels of power. Apple is getting more customizable. And as much as I just ragged on KDE, Linux's UI is becoming far more user friendly. As long as this progression towards merging the tablet OS with the desktop OS halts, the future seems quite bright!
heatlesssun
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Gee ya think?
The idea that Modern UI was meant to replace the desktop makes little sense from technical and logistical perspectives. From the technical view a basic understanding of the Windows RT reveals that the Windows RT API simply wasn't designed to provide traditional desktop or server functionality. WinRT was designed with touch, power and resource constraints as its principal concerns, thus making it possible to build much more mobile devices that can run Windows. On the logistical side, just think of millions of existing Windows desktop apps. It would take many years and tons of resources to rewrite these things assuming that there weren't technical issues that prevented the rewrite in the first place.
As for the tablet UI being "forced" with no upside, that all depends on what kinds of devices, input methods and apps that are being used. Traditional mouse driven desktops and laptops with keyboards and mice don't gain as much benefit as say would a convertible or hybrid device. However if one can adapt to the new UI the same desktop applications that people have used forever work just as always but now Windows has the ability to also run on much more mobile devices and with apps designed for mobility.
After 16 months of using Windows 8 on a number of different devices and input methods, everything I did with Windows 7 is still there on the desktop but the ability to go mobile and use tablets and touch has been greatly improved.
TeeJayHoward
Limpness Supreme
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Maybe I'm misunderstanding... You can do thin provisioning on Windows 7? If so, that's kinda freakin' awesome. Didn't know that.
USB 3.0 is natively supported in Windows 8. No driver needed.
GoldenTiger
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Actually, usability is UP with a full screen for the start menu, as you don't have to look at a small corner of your screen. Of course, most people just press the windows key and start typing, just like in Windows 7, so it's the EXACT same usage. Keep up the hyperbolic lying though!
TeeJayHoward
Limpness Supreme
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Attempt the following: Change the lock screen picture. Use an online guide to show you how. You'll see quickly how irritating it is to have to tab between Metro and the Desktop.
Desktop: Let's see. I hit start, go to settings...
Metro: Start, Settings...
Desktop: Hit Change PC Settings...
Metro: Where the heck is "Change PC Settings"?
Desktop: Oh, it's in the bottom-right, because screw UI uniformity.
Metro: Change PC Settings
Your Alt-Tab keys get one heck of a workout. There is no reason that the start menu replacement needs to take up the whole screen. And if you stick with the Metro UI instead of using the Desktop for anything, heaven help you if you want to play an MP3, talk to someone on IM, and browse the web at the same time.
Metro needs work. I'm amazed it made it past the usability groups.
Matthew Kane
Supreme [H]ardness
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Thought it was $15 not long ago?
I'm not discouraging there use, I'm simply saying the biggest benefit with ZFS on desktops is that you can put all of your "main" directories (bin, etc, usr and so on) on separate partitions without having to worry about fixed allocations. Putting things in separate partitions allows you to do things like mount tmp as noexec for security and it also allows you to easily segment your data from the operating system's data (e.g. just wipe everything except the /usr/home partition).
Seamless windows means that the programs that you run in your VM are integrated into your host desktop. That way, you aren't stuck using everything inside an RDP session. See : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iixjkVIY8BE
For everything you've just stated, a Type 2 Hypervisor would be just fine.
I'll make sure to look for SMB Shares the next time I visit the (all UNIX) colocation facility my servers are in.
Honestly, I prefer function over form. My desktop is probably not the best representation if you are looking for "bling", I would suggest looking here.
I have a love-hate relationship with PowerShell. It is a start in that at least there is an actual shell interface but it is ridiculously long-winded and unintuitive. For example, if I want to sort a directory by file size, in *nix, I do ls -lSh. In Powershell, it is Get-ChildItem <Path> | Sort-Object length. ls stands for list; what is a ChildItem and what does it have to do with listing files?
I also really hate not having sudo.
That was a completely different deal for folks that bought a qualifying new Windows 7 based PC recently. I believe around June 2012 and onward, those folks could upgrade to Win 8 for $15. The deal this is talking about is for existing Windows XP, Vista, and Win 7 (that had Win 7 prior to June whether through a new PC or retail/upgrade). For those existing users you can get Win 8 upgrade download for $39.99. Also wanted to mention that a lot of sites are saying that the price goes up to $199 after today which isn't necessarily true. Coming up, students will have a new deal for I believe $69.99 for the upgrade. But why would anyone care about the $199 version when you can just get the builder's license version (the "new OEM" license) for under $70 anyway?
GoldenTiger
Fully [H]
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I figured it out inside of a couple of seconds when I tried for the first time, having read or seen nothing of the UI before. It is plenty intuitive and quite nice looking overall.
TeeJayHoward
Limpness Supreme
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Aah, that's nifty! It's like Parallels for the Mac. Learned something new today! Allow me to reciprocate:
runas [{/profile | /noprofile}] [/env] [{/netonly | /savecred}] [/smartcard] [/showtrustlevels] [/trustlevel] /user:<UserAccountName> "<ProgramName> <PathToProgramFile>"
Cyberbeing
Gawd
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- Nov 22, 2007
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- 570
I caved in and bought it for $14.99, partially so the WMC key didn't go to waste, partially so I could rule out any differences to Windows Sever 2012 when troubleshoot bug reports with my software.
Total nightmare installing this for triple booting [Windows 7 / Windows Server 2012 / Windows 8] with four MBR Primary Partitions (including System Reserved Boot) from the same SSD.
All in all, this was all very questionably worth the effort, even for $14.99. If this had happened to a normal end-user, they'd probably be totally screwed and have no clue how to recover it like I did.
I wouldn't be surprised if this only had a chance of occurring when installing as triple boot as I did, but who knows. Anybody doing a similar install has been warned.
If there is one thing I've learned, it's to never use one of these special reduced-size Microsoft ESD Windows Upgrade installers ever again, and to always back-up my BCD before installing any future Microsoft OS.
Next time I'll just grab a MSDN image and install from that (i.e. my Server 2012 install was painless from the DreamSpark/MSDN image), modifying the activation to work with my key if necessary. Or better yet, just install via Hyper-V.
Total nightmare installing this for triple booting [Windows 7 / Windows Server 2012 / Windows 8] with four MBR Primary Partitions (including System Reserved Boot) from the same SSD.
- Re-sized Partitions to free up 30GB for Win8 on the SSD.
- Purchased through Windows8-UpgradeAssistant
- Created USB Key
- Reboot -> Began Install
- Unable to install to MBR since my Motherboard booted the USB key as UEFI
- Set CSM in BIOS to Legacy Only
- Reboot -> Began Install
- First Required Reboot
- Win8 had corrupted my Boot file (BCD missing required information error) making my computer completely unbootable.
- Booted back into the USB key installer -> Repair my Computer
- Command Prompt -> bcdedit
- Windows 8 had created multiple bogus BCD entries (none of which could boot Win8) and had deleted the bootmgr entry...
- Luckily my Win7 and Server2012 entries were still in tact, so I just set the Win7 entry back as Default with bcdedit.
- Booted into Win7 only to discovered my BCD while sort of working, was still semi-corrupt since the bootmgr was completely missing
- Luckily I had installed EasyBCD the day before and had a backup of my BCD pre-Win8 install
- What should have been simple wasn't, and I had to have EasyBCD reset and repair/re-create the boot files since it couldn't write entries correctly to the semi-corrupt BCD
- At that point I restored my BCD backup with EasyBCD, and added a new entry for Win8
- Reboot -> Finally I had a multi-boot menu with Win7/Win8/Sever2012 and I can finally boot into Win8 the twice a year I may actually need to...
All in all, this was all very questionably worth the effort, even for $14.99. If this had happened to a normal end-user, they'd probably be totally screwed and have no clue how to recover it like I did.
I wouldn't be surprised if this only had a chance of occurring when installing as triple boot as I did, but who knows. Anybody doing a similar install has been warned.
- Spent couple hours setting things up properly (fixing the Win8 Metro/Modern UI so primarily Desktop use was practical + tweak Desktop UI and System settings + Disable Hibernate to free 16GB of space + Windows Updates + Driver Updates + Installing Basic Software & Runtimes + Troubleshooting/Fixing Event Viewer Errors)
- Done
If there is one thing I've learned, it's to never use one of these special reduced-size Microsoft ESD Windows Upgrade installers ever again, and to always back-up my BCD before installing any future Microsoft OS.
Next time I'll just grab a MSDN image and install from that (i.e. my Server 2012 install was painless from the DreamSpark/MSDN image), modifying the activation to work with my key if necessary. Or better yet, just install via Hyper-V.
SkribbelKat
Supreme [H]ardness
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Maybe there will be less news about it after the pricing change and fewer discussions about the same old stuff.
heatlesssun
Extremely [H]
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What you're describing doesn't seem to map the simple way to do it. Yes, there is a desktop Control Panel and Modern UI PC Settings app but they are pretty well divided between legacy options being in the Control Panel as always the new options for the Modern UI PC Settings. In the scenario you described, using a mouse only you would point the mouse in left bottom hot corner, then click on "Settings" and then click on "Change PC Settings" and then the Modern "PC Settings" app starts and you would change the lock screen from the first set of options on the left, "Personalize".
As for playing an MP3, browsing the web and using IM simultaneously using only Metro apps is rocket science or difficult. Start the web browser, start the IM app, put the IM in snap view on the left or right, start MP3 player and then go back to the web browser. I don't think it's really any harder than doing the same thing with desktop apps but it is different. However, if you want to do these things with desktop apps, then just do them with desktop apps. You could even snap a Metro IM client and then put the desktop into the main view and then run the web browser and MP3 from the desktop. And all of this can be done with a mouse and keyboard or via touch though using Modern UI apps with touch is easier.
Part of the problem with Windows 8 is the fact that it is both a desktop and tablet OS all of the time on all devices. Windows 8 does need improvement but it seems that people will often describe scenarios like you just did that just aren't the easy way to go about it.
M
mls1995
Guest
In addition, I much prefer what I already have :
Mine integrates with LM_Sensors which means that it is possible to customize what it displays including things like CPU Temperature and Fan Speed on hardware that allows monitoring such things.
I'm going to admit it, I have no idea what you are running here. Can anyone tell me? That looks really nice.
wra18th
[H]F Junkie
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Linux!
Rattle
2[H]4U
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I thought there was huge issues with the stock driver performance wise?