# Windows 8 upgraders?



## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Windows 8 comes out on Friday. I have two new computers that I can upgrade for $15/each but I am not sure I am going to. What are others thinking?

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/22/technology/windows-staple-of-most-pcs-gets-a-major-makeover.html?hpw&_r=0


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

The Hubs mentioned yesterday that he got something from somewhere that offered the upgrade for an obscenely small amount of money -- at least, relative to what Windows OS usually costs. . . . .I'm considering it. . . .he was supposed to send me the link but he didn't so I'm not sure what vendor this was. . . . .MicroCenter, maybe.  There's one not too far from us and I'm thinking it was an 'in store' deal only.


----------



## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

If you've bought a Windows 7 computer recently, you can qualify for the $15 here:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/upgrade-offer

I am thinking I might put it on the Ultra-Book to see what's it's like, but hold off on the laptop.

L


----------



## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

I'm not planning on going to Windows 8 at all, at least for the present. I haven't seen any functional improvements that I need (or even that would be nice). Yet.  

I seem to have skipped every other iteration of the OS anyway, and I'm using Win 7 on my PC.

Mike


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Leslie said:


> If you've bought a Windows 7 computer recently, you can qualify for the $15 here:
> 
> http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/upgrade-offer
> 
> ...


Yeah.....my computers aren't that new. 

Sent from my Kindle Fire HD via tapatalk


----------



## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

As someone who configures Windows 7 to look like Windows XP, I have yet to see any reason to upgrade my desktop PC to Windows 8. If I were using something with a touch screen, it might make some sense, but otherwise I've not heard of any must-have features for me -- not that I've been following it real closely, mind you.


----------



## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

No interest here. 

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2


----------



## gdae23 (Apr 30, 2009)

After reading the NY Times article on the subway this morning, my first thought was it might finally be time for me to take the plunge and switch to Apple.

When my Windows XP PC died about a year ago, I got a Windows 7 laptop, which is doing fine. I never got around to getting a new desktop, at least partly because I found I could do so much just using my iPad. I'm not really in need of any update at the moment, but will go check out Windows 8 in the store soon, just out of sheer curiosity. I'm honestly not sure if I would like it or not. (I'll rely on all you possible early adopters to post reports and help me decide!


----------



## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Does anyone know, if I upgrade to Windows 8 and decide I don't like it, can I go back to Windows 7?

L


----------



## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

I've heard nothing but bad things about Windows 8... which sort of follows with how they do releases.  Every other release of Windows is horrid, and Windows 7 was actually pretty decent so it's time for another flop.  They seem to be trying to make a single operating System for tablets, phones, laptops, netbooks and desktops... the problem being, not all of these have touch screens and the design is very Touch Screeny.

I've also heard something about it being a more closed platform than previous Windows.  Think Apple... with a special store for apps, developers needing approval to even sell their software, etc.  There was also this thing called Metro that acted as a sort of front end to Windows which tons of people hated.  Microsoft renamed it, or just nixxed the name itself since Windows 8 seems to be the "new name", and I can only guess it was due to all the bad press.

I suggest people who are interested do a lot of reading and just steer clear of this one for a while until we see what happens.  The mere fact that they are offering all of these too good to be true deals is very telling.  I am betting on a flop... I just hope it doesn't run away a lot of third party peripheral developers like some analysts are predicting.


----------



## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

David Pogue will have his official review on Thursday in the New York Times.

L


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

well. . . . my husband got a second email from MicroCenter. . . .Win8 upgrade for about $40 bucks.  So we pre-ordered one -- can take the confirmation email and go pick it up on Friday. . . . .I have two systems it would work on and I'll probably try it on one or the other and will share my thoughts.  But, I warn you, I'm pretty easy going.  I'll be really surprised if I find anything that qualifies as either "dealbreaker" or " best thing ever in an OS".


----------



## HappyGuy (Nov 3, 2008)

I'm surprised no one has started this thread already. Anyway, so the new Windows operating system is out, Windows 8. Reviews are starting to come in; mostly seem favorable, so far. Guess no one has had a chance to get into it and really wring it out. 

So, just wondering, anyone gonna jump on the bandwagon? I'm using Vista 64, skipped Win7 completely; maybe I'll give it a try for $40.

Thoughts?


----------



## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

HappyGuy said:


> I'm surprised no one has started this thread already. Anyway, so the new Windows operating system is out, Windows 8. Reviews are starting to come in; mostly seem favorable, so far. Guess no one has had a chance to get into it and really wring it out.
> 
> So, just wondering, anyone gonna jump on the bandwagon? I'm using Vista 64, skipped Win7 completely; maybe I'll give it a try for $40.
> 
> Thoughts?


Actually, I did start a thread so I am going to merge them together.

L


----------



## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Here's a link to David Pogue's review from the Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/25/technology/personaltech/microsofts-windows-revamped-and-split-in-2.html


----------



## Jane917 (Dec 29, 2009)

Thanks for that link to the Pogue article, Leslie. It makes things as clear as mud. I am going to let Ann test-drive it for me.


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I was able to pick up my upgrade today. Obviously haven't had time to load it on anything. Have to look and see what the REAL memory requirements are, etc. and figure out which is the better machine to load it on. And make sure my NECESSARY programs will still run! 

HappyGuy, good luck finding an upgrade for $40. . . . the one I got was very time restricted. . . . . basically we go lucky. Most place the upgrade price is around $60 or $70. The surprising thing to me is that, in the past, MS didn't let people sell the packages for less than _their_list price.


----------



## Jane917 (Dec 29, 2009)

I just learned that if you don't have touch screen on your current computer, the touch aspect of Windows 8 will not be available to you. You will continue to use the mouse. The computers that are in the stores and have just been upgraded with Windows 8 cannot use the touch option. I prefer to click rather than touch, so it is not been a big issue for me.


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Jane917 said:


> I just learned that if you don't have touch screen on your current computer, the touch aspect of Windows 8 will not be available to you. You will continue to use the mouse. The computers that are in the stores and have just been upgraded with Windows 8 cannot use the touch option. I prefer to click rather than touch, so it is not been a big issue for me.


Well. . . yeah. . . .that seems to me like it would go without saying. My monitor doesn't have touch sensitivity and I didn't expect to be able to use that feature.

BUT. . . .many laptops do have screens with touch capabilities -- I'll have to check and see if mine does: that might weigh on the side of putting it on that one.

And, of course, they're selling more and more convertible type devices that can function as a tablet or have a keyboard attached and function as a more conventional system. The Windows 'Surface' which also went on sale today is one. . . . .


----------



## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

I have an offer to get the upgrade for $15. Susan has a computer with a touchscreen monitor but she'd probably kill me if she came to work on Monday and found I had upgraded her. LOL.

Sony has an interesting looking touchscreen/traditional computer gizmo called the Touch 20 (I think). Not that I am in the market for another computer!!

L


----------



## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

I gave up and switched to Linux. I like SolusOS a lot better I have to say


----------



## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

You can download Windows 8 from the Microsoft website for $40. There's also an "assistant" that will make sure your computer has all the requirements for it.

I'm just home from an evening out of town, but once I get settled, I'll probably download it to my desktop. It's a touchscreen, so I'm looking forward to giving it a try.


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I should run the assistant. . . . .the copy I got at Micro Center came on discs of course, which is nice if you have to re-install and don't have internet access. . . . . 

I am impressed at them keeping the price down, though. . . . .


----------



## Jane917 (Dec 29, 2009)

Leslie said:


> I have an offer to get the upgrade for $15. Susan has a computer with a touchscreen monitor but she'd probably kill me if she came to work on Monday and found I had upgraded her. LOL.
> 
> Sony has an interesting looking touchscreen/traditional computer gizmo called the Touch 20 (I think). Not that I am in the market for another computer!!
> 
> L


Is there an expiration date on the $15 upgrade offer?


----------



## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Jane917 said:


> Is there an expiration date on the $15 upgrade offer?


http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/upgrade-offer

They are not clear if there is an expiration but I think you'd be able to wait until Jan or Feb to do the upgrade, since the offer extends out that far. I got my promo code today but I am just going to hold on to it for the moment.

L


----------



## Jane917 (Dec 29, 2009)

Leslie, I think you can go back to Windows 7 after Windows 8 is installed by doing a system restore.  j


----------



## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

Ann in Arlington said:


> I should run the assistant. . . . .the copy I got at Micro Center came on discs of course, which is nice if you have to re-install and don't have internet access. . . . .
> 
> I am impressed at them keeping the price down, though. . . . .


Once you download it, it gives you the option to save it to a USB Drive or burn a DVD. That way you only need to download it the one time.


----------



## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

I saw it in Sam's Club today for $69.95. I'll probably get it for GS for Christmas if you guys give it a thumbs up.


----------



## HappyGuy (Nov 3, 2008)

Played around with it just a bit. I'm coming from Vista 64 on a non-touch system. Seems faster loading, but that may be just because after 4 years or so the start up process has been cleaned up. I'm using it on an HP laptop with external monitor. I had it wipe all of my programs and leave only the data files. One thing for sure, I'm going to be upgrading some of my programs that I've had since Win2000! 

First impression: seems OK. I can still have an old style windows like environment while getting used to the new environment. Need to work with the new start page enough to learn how to make it useful. But I can see that IF touch screens catch on in a major way this will lead the way.


----------



## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

I decided to take the plunge and upgrade on the new Ultrabook. It's so new it has hardly any programs or files on it so I am hoping for a smooth install. It is 14% complete now. I'll keep everyone posted.

L


----------



## Amy Corwin (Jan 3, 2011)

I upgraded from Windows 7 on my desktop. Took a few hours, but you don't have to sit there and watch it. It pulled over all my old programs and files, so there was no problem.

I was a little disappointed, though, to find that because I have two monitors, I ended up with what is basically Windows 7 with no start menu. That's because the new Metro interface only displays on the main monitor and as soon as I click on any of my installed programs (even the Office 2010 ones) it immediately flips to the old Windows 7 interface.

I've spent a couple of days laboriously flipping back to the Metro interface after I finish running whatever I'm running and then finally said, to heck with it. Now, I've just got Outlook open on my main monitor and whatever else running. My beefs are now that I've resigned myself to a Windows interface without all the wonderful gadgets I used to have like the weather and time, because I'd have to keep flipping back to the Metro interface to see those. And what's the point? Every time I click on an email to read it, it goes back to pure Windows sans Metro.

I see no speed increase and in fact have noticed sluggishness in opening programs, so all-in-all it's kind of a blah event. It didn't do any damage but it didn't exactly do anything for me, either. But at least if you upgrade now, it's cheap.


----------



## Jane917 (Dec 29, 2009)

Leslie said:


> I decided to take the plunge and upgrade on the new Ultrabook. It's so new it has hardly any programs or files on it so I am hoping for a smooth install. It is 14% complete now. I'll keep everyone posted.
> 
> L


How long did the update take? I am curious to get your opinion on the new upgrade.


----------



## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Jane917 said:


> How long did the update take? I am curious to get your opinion on the new upgrade.


It took hours and hours to download the 2GB Windows 8 file, but the actual installation was only about 40 minutes.

So far, I am having a "Meh" feeling about the whole thing. I don't think I am going to install Win8 on this laptop, however, because I have a feeling things could get royally messed up. The Ultrabook was 2 weeks old and was mostly empty except for Microsoft Office. Not too much to mess up there.

L


----------



## Amy Corwin (Jan 3, 2011)

I did an upgrade of a working system (Windows 7) with lots of stuff, just to give you a feel for the circumstances.

You have to divide it into two pieces:
1) Download time - varies depending on the speed of your connection
2) Actual upgrade.

The Actual Upgrade piece will vary depending upon what options you select, i.e. whether you upgrade or do a new install. I did the upgrade and it took almost two hours. The OS upgrade part took about 40 minutes, but then it had to upgrade my profile so that all my apps, etc, were still there and available. That part took another hour and a bit more. But as I said, I had a lot of stuff.

Most things "transferred" pretty well, but not only did I not get the speed boosts others talk about, I've had some issues going to web sites I've visited previously. Everything seems a bit slower. This may be because I elected to do an upgrade instead of a fresh install.

Generally, a fresh install is a better way to go. I just didn't want to do that this time around.


----------



## Jane917 (Dec 29, 2009)

If you already have Windows 7 installed on your computer, is a fresh install of Windows 8 possible, or are you limited to an upgrade? 

I have a new laptop arriving next week with Windows 7. I will have a coupon code to upgrade to Windows 8. I am tending to think I will stay with Windows 7 for a while. I want to get the transfer of files done from Windows 7 to Windows 7 so that I can tell if everything transferred OK. 

Leslie, have you found out yet whether you can switch back to Windows 7 if you don't like Windows 8?


----------



## Amy Corwin (Jan 3, 2011)

You might want to scan for instructions on the web - I won't add them here.
But you can do a fresh install in one of two ways:
1) Blow away whatever is on the system now and install Windows 8
2) Do a dual-boot configuration so you can boot in Windows 8 or in Windows 7, your choice at bootup

There's no "I want to go back" process. If you're not sure, you can do the dual boot and then you'll have to copy over stuff/install your programs into the new Windows 8 portion.

This is just my experience, but I find you are better to just go ahead and make the commitment to move forward. Dual-boot quickly becomes untenable for a lot of reasons, unless you store everything in the cloud and make it accessible to both OS. I also find that trying to do things "between" two OS has a higher probability of corruption and issues with data (the things you really care about, vs system files which are replaceable). If you bite the bullet and move forward, working out issues as you go, you generally have a much smoother experience.

However, that's just me. Your experience may vary.


----------



## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

I bought Windows 8 Pro yesterday ($39.99) and installed it on a separate partition. I don't think I'm going to keep it. The interface is really written for a touch-screen.

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/html/pbpage.Windows_8_Pro


----------



## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

I promised GS an upgrade to Windows 7 for Christmas. He's running XP now. Doesn't sound like 8 is going to work for him. Is there anyway I can still get 7?


----------



## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> I promised GS an upgrade to Windows 7 for Christmas. He's running XP now. Doesn't sound like 8 is going to work for him. Is there anyway I can still get 7?


Sure. It's still for sale at retailers and on line.

ETA: Some computers running XP cannot be upgraded to Windows 7. There's a tool called Windows Adviser (I think) that will check to see if the system will support 7.


----------



## *DrDLN* (dr.s.dhillon) (Jan 19, 2011)

I am using win 7. Will not bother to upgrade unless there is some significant improvement.


----------



## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Jeff said:


> Sure. It's still for sale at retailers and on line.
> 
> ETA: Some computers running XP cannot be upgraded to Windows 7. There's a tool called Windows Adviser (I think) that will check to see if the system will support 7.


Thanks, Jeff. I think that's a better upgrade for him. I'll check out Windows Adviser first.


----------



## HappyGuy (Nov 3, 2008)

I'm liking the Win8 more and more as I use it. I have the older-system look on my laptop screen and keep the new interface on my external monitor. I REALLY like being able to "pin to start" the apps and things I use most. I even have a button now for a book I'm reading in Kindle for PC.  I just wish the Start interface would come up automatically when I close an app, rather than having to go to the hot area in the upper right corner and re-select it.


----------



## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

I disliked Windows 8 so much that I partitioned my hard drive and installed Windows 7 on it. Maybe I'll boot into Windows 8 someday when I have hours and hours to waste learning how to use it.


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I have in mind to get caught up this weekend. . .meaning my household accounts mostly -- and do a data back up and then try Win8 on my main machine.  Depending on how I like it, I may then upgrade my laptop or, more likely, buy a new one that comes with it as my current laptop is going on 4 years old.  Yeah, it still works, but if I'm upgrading the OS, I figure I should upgrade the device, and it's had a bit of flakeyness lately. .  . .


----------



## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I haven't seen it in action on a desktop yet. I have played with the surface and I flove that thing. But I don't know how it translates to a non touch screen.


----------



## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Jeff said:


> I disliked Windows 8 so much that I partitioned my hard drive and installed Windows 7 on it. Maybe I'll boot into Windows 8 someday when I have hours and hours to waste learning how to use it.


The little bit I've used Win8 I'm finding it pretty simple but I've been so busy, it's only been a cursory review. I am looking forward to having some downtime to do more playing.

L


----------



## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

Leslie said:


> The little bit I've used Win8 I'm finding it pretty simple but I've been so busy, it's only been a cursory review. I am looking forward to having some downtime to do more playing.


Either you're a lot smarter than I am or you don't need to do the things that I need to do.

I also enormously dislike the fact that I must log in to Windows Live on the internet to use my computer. (Unless there's a workaround that I've missed.)


----------



## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

HappyGuy said:


> I'm liking the Win8 more and more as I use it. I have the older-system look on my laptop screen and keep the new interface on my external monitor. I REALLY like being able to "pin to start" the apps and things I use most. I even have a button now for a book I'm reading in Kindle for PC. I just wish the Start interface would come up automatically when I close an app, rather than having to go to the hot area in the upper right corner and re-select it.


Coming from Windows Vista, I have to think most anything would be a fresh breath of air. I thought the pinning to menus was something you could so since Windows XP? I'm always pinning stuff to my start menu, just right click and you can pin to the task bar or the task menu. Or is this something different on 8?


----------



## HappyGuy (Nov 3, 2008)

One odd thing I've noticed, I have to set my time zone to Pacific time! If I set it to eastern time, I'm three hours off. Haven't found a way to fix this yet. Win8 seems to be more stable, too. Since I can't find a shut down switch it's been running for about two weeks now. Actually, if I bring up Task Manager one of the options is shut down, but outside of that I haven't found a way out.


----------



## HappyGuy (Nov 3, 2008)

Scheherazade said:


> I'm always pinning stuff to my start menu, just right click and you can pin to the task bar or the task menu. Or is this something different on 8?


It's quite different. This is what they call the Start now:

http://s406.beta.photobucket.com/user/fearnot1776/library/For%20KBoards


----------



## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Ah okay, so it's like dragging apps to your launch screen on a phone.


----------



## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

Scheherazade said:


> Ah okay, so it's like dragging apps to your launch screen on a phone.


The interface is written for a touch-screen phone or portable device. I'd like it on a small device. It's clunky swiping a 30" monitor with a mouse cursor.


----------



## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Yeah, I'm not seeing touch screens replacing a mouse for precision on a computer for me any time soon.  On a laptop where it's either that or that horrible little touch pad, sure, but I'd take a desktop with keyboard and mouse over it any day.


----------

