Windows 8 forum: Does Windows 8 offer any improvements in usability or efficiency over 7?

I've used every version of Windows since 3.0. I was even on a line outside Egghead Software at midnight to by Win 95.

I installed 8 on one of my desktops a week ago.

It's a very attractive pain in the ass.

It makes important things harder to do, and harder to find.

I was planning to buy a 27-in touch-screen, and now I'm thinking of uninstalling 8 and staying with 7 and my present 27-inch monitor.

Win 8 seems like an updated Microsoft Bob.

Windows 8 is a much better operating system than Windows XP or Windows Vista and it is moderately better than Windows 7. If you are running an older PC with a Passmark score of at least 550 and you can upgrade the RAM to 2 Gigs minimum, the upgrade is a "no-brainer." The increase in speed will astound and the increase in functionality will please. Be sure to download the also free Windows Media Center add in.

Win 8 blurs the distinction between smart phone, tablet and PC operation. That is Microsoft's intention. Failing to make this change would be strategically like continuing to produce buggy whips while the world moves from horses to the automobile. If you bother to configure your ID you can get your Facebook notifications on the machine as well as e-mails from multiple accounts brought together in one place. If you don't like the new interface and refuse to learn it you can have something very close to the old interface.

At this writing, I have PC's in the house with XP, Vista, Windows 7 and one with Windows 8. Windows 8 is unquestionably the best operating system. There is a learning curve. It's not that steep and it's well worth the effort.

In my opinion, the world is going away from desktop and laptop computing and Windows 8 is a glimpse of the future. While I have been using Win 8 for a month now, I have a split opinion. I will address only your desktop question and not get into tablet functionality.

As a professional, you will be familiar with Windows keyboard shortcuts, or will need to be to move through easily. The Start button has been replaced with a Start Screen with the tiles. However, the start button can be added back and the Live tiles can be suppressed. I can use my desktop just like I did with Windows 7. However it does have a few quirks I have not figured out yet.

Only Win 8 has IE 10 and it is the default browser. Many web pages do not work with it yet so it is almost like using an iPad to watch Flash video--it tells you that it cannot find the page. IE9 is still there too from the desktop but I have yet to try and see if I can make it or firefox the default.

Personally, I think Win 8 boots up faster than Win 7 did but that may seem so since the Start screen comes up quickly, but if I go to the desktop, the desktop seems to still be booting up.

I would not use anything less than Pro version though because you lose functionality of Windows media center in the standard Windows 8.

I like the interface but as a person that takes pride in learning quickly, I had little problem learning. if you are responsible to teach others then it might prove slow going for a newbie.

I upgraded a brand new week-old Gateway SX series computer running an AMD A6 quad core chip. It came with Windows 7, but I upgraded to Windows 8 for the advertised $15. (No touch screen).

This computer belongs to my elementary-aged children and is used by them. (No touch screen)

My 9 year old was complaining about the new Start window at first because it was confusing toggling between the Start window and the desktop. The biggest change is that the window tiles no longer have the "x" in the top right corner to close them. (No touch screen)

After a week, he's not complaining anymore. (No touch screen)

Vestiges of Windows 7 still exist in the desktop tile window view, but everything begins in the start menu view with all the monochromatic blocks. (No touch screen).

Did I mention we don't have a touch screen? No worries. The keyboard and mouse still work fine. You access different windows by shoving the mouse's pointer into the corner of the screen and waiting for the new Windows 8 menus to pop up (top or bottom right corner). You can also close out open/running applications this way (top left corner plus some right clicking). Windows 8 works by moving the pointer into the corners!

YOU WILL NEED TO GET USED TO IT. But it took less than a week for my nine-year old.

Bonne Chance!

hi all,
i still think winxp is the smartest of all, although some programs lag or even lockup it can find most drivers for added devices who wants to buy a driver program that cost 39.00 or more to get updates for hardware or printers which requier diffrent ways to install. sometime don't work anyway. open and closing apps they use to ask if you want to save a file simple y/n. have fun with your new os.
ctw

Very fast bootup but also very confusing to use until you have messed with it a few times. I Highly recommend Windows 8 for dummies guide (free online) to tutor you thru the hardships. Nice feature is spell check/correct for ALL typing you do and the ability to go to conventional Win 7 style if needed. If you have favorite sites etc you access- Win 8 IS for you!!!

I installed Windows 8 to play with it on my media pc, and I will tell you, that while it has some cool features, it is not efficient on a desktop machine. It does boot faster, has great SSD support, and to me, the best feature is the type and find search - As long as you know whether something is an app, setting, or file, you can find it. Just start typing in Metro and go!

Other than that, it has kind of a schizophrenic feel to it. It kept Desktop for a familiar feel I suppose, but it's purpose is confusing in actual use. You have to use Metro as your menu guide / search, but a lot of programs take you back to desktop and leave you there, even after you close them. Hence, you have to go back to Metro to start all over. Also there are two versions of I.E. One is the standard version we all know, and the other is watered down to look like Metro. The URL box is at the bottom, with only 4 to 5 functions available. Most true Metro apps all are lacking on functionality, again to cater to mobile devices.

Microsoft now charges you for MCE ( free until the end of the year I believe ), but it is not enhanced over the older version, and actually has lost a couple of features. Another thing, is that Microsoft does not aid in certification of tuners anymore, which means they are trying to get rid of MCE eventually.

My advice is to stay with Windows 7 for a desktop, and Windows 8 for a mobile device. I think when it is all said and done, IT groups won't like Windows 8 much, due to the fact that it is not Desktop friendly

Have installed Win 8 on an HP610t all-in-one device similar to the ones we've deployed in our medical clinic's exam rooms and nursing stations and have the following productivity and usability observations:
Picture based logon is subtly turning out to be one of the biggest productivity enhancements aside from touch screens (which don't require Win8). Before Win8 logging in required stepping up the keyboard, doing the 3 fingered salute and then entering username and passwords ... or at least some type of wake-up activity and entering passwords. This would happen 30-100 times a day as our machines revert to screen saver in 5 minutes for security and confidentiality reasons. There was always this 5-10 second delay before one could resume working. With Win8 this has been dramatically reduced to a swipe and touch. Rarely does this process require more than 2-3 seconds before productive use of the application. Multiplied over the course of a day this is returning anywhere from 2-10 minutes of productivity. Doesn't sound like much but in a busy clinic that converts to being able to see one more patient or at the minimum that much less aggravation.
Metro customized to have the most used apps as tiles enables us to jump into the app as one is approaches the machine. This process enables the target application to be loading while one is maneuvering the chair or reaching out for the mouse. This is again something that's very small but over the course of the day has the effect of lowering the aggravation factor and gaining many little micro-productivity moments.
With Win7 on the same machines the touch screen was rarely used but with Apps now being written for Win8 (we use UpToDate a lot in our clinic) now we're finding ourselves poking, swiping and otherwise augmenting our interaction with the computer in ways we never did before. This feels so natural since we're also heavy users of iPads and iPhones. Now we often find ourselves starting one process with a keystroke or mouse movement and reaching up to the screen with the other hand to complete or take the next step. It funny how often those of us that use iMacs and MBPros as our personal machines poke at the screen only to be puzzled why it isn't working.
Am not sure whether this is part of Win8 or not but games like Break The Ball that leverage the built in web cam to let you interact in a MS Kinnect way have huge potential in medicine; guiding a patient through physical therapy maneuvers or increasing exercise monitoring for example.
So far we've been pleased and now can't wait for our organization to adopt Win8 across the enterprise ... oh wait! They're just now halfway through the migration from XP to Win7. Sigh!

Where did you get the idea that you don't need a/v products? Even if you have all of the latest and greatest Microsoft stuff, Microsoft a/v products are still not anywhere near what is needed in today's world. Apparently, you've heard some hype. Of course if you were in a large business environment, you don't get a lot of choice. You MUST have a/v (they check it on any personal device that connects to their network).

it does

Boot-up: Win 7 Home Premium 64-bit on SATA drive, no p/w/ almost 1 minute. Win 8 Pro 64-bit on SSD - Including entering my p/w - 10-13 seconds.

Drivers: Every single driver I needed was included in the DLC.

Installation: Having used every OS since Windows 3.11 for Workgroups, the easist and smoothest yet.

UI: Love the dynamic UI / Apps. I don't really need to go to my traditional desktop for those that I use most-often.

I challenge 'experts' to find the difference between this and Windows 7 besides the fact it's windows 7 source code ran through newer compilers, start replaced with a HTML-DOM tile system with COM extension, and the failed security mitigations..

I like most only upgraded to use the discount..

I have been a computer user in the personal world and technical business world since 1980. As of date I manage and run a local computer service. In recent days I have had two clients with new systems using Windows 8. So as to keep ahead I had upgraded a Windows7 machine to Windows 8. I have to say maybe I am old school and would much rather see a simpler more efficient OS than Windows 8 unless of course one is using a touchscreen system.
Like the old saying goes ..If it isn't broke done fix it.

My computer is only 12 months old, but I have upgraded to Windows 8 Pro and absolutely love it. I like many could not see me liking an operating system so different, and I have made Windows 8 look and feel like Windows 7 by installing Start8 by Stardock. When I switch on it loads directly to the desktop, and I have my old familiar Start button and menus back. You would not know you were running Windows 8 except there is no aero affect. So with Start8 no one can complain about it being so different to Windows 7.

It is much faster than Windows 7 and completely stable. From the moment I press the on button my desktop is loaded in less than 30 seconds and I have a fully operational desktop with wifi running. It takes about 10 seconds from the screen which shows which bios you are running and hardware installed. All my applications load quicker. I am a digital photographer, and use Photoshop Elements software, and I have been surprised how quickly this loads. Microsoft Outlook used to be slow loading now it is there instantly.

I do not have a touch-screen and am a mouse man.

I have had a look around the metro interface, which I can go to and from by pressing the windows key. I have actually enjoyed the look and feel of the news and sports apps. I have loaded some of the games from the app store, and have enjoyed playing solitaire.

So to summarise I know have a much quicker computer, which runs, looks and feels like Windows 7, but with the ability to use and experiment with the new metro interface and apps if you wish. Do not be put off Windows 8 by the Metro interface, because Microsoft have made so many changes under the bonnet. The Task Manager for example is far more informative and useful than that with Windows 7.

Do be put off Windows 8 by what other people say. Go out and get it whilst it is still relatively cheap. Don't foreget the price goes up at the end of Jan 2013. Also get Start8 by Stardock and you will love Windows 8.

said my scanner (Canon Lide 20) isn't compatible. It works in XP and the Canon site says it's supported in Windows 7. That's one reason to not upgrade, at least.

Kees