Windows 8 - How was your experience?
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Windows 8 is a flop. In fact, it is such a flop that Microsoft will release another version of Windows later this year.
Microsoft prepares U-turn on Windows 8
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/330c8b8e-b66b-11e2-93ba-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2SayGMJRg
Support for Windows XP will stop some time next year. You won't get any more security patches and bug fixes.
Microsoft prepares U-turn on Windows 8
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/330c8b8e-b66b-11e2-93ba-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2SayGMJRg
Support for Windows XP will stop some time next year. You won't get any more security patches and bug fixes.
Windows XP is useful when i want to play old PC games.
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I think you can do it with Windows 7. For those really old DOS games, there's DOSBox.
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I am thinking of getting an iMac if my pc breakdown,,the reason is the screw up Win 8..dont want to use it,,and I cant get a Win 7 pc anymore,,,hate to use mac,,but its definitely better than win 8
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I am simultaneously using 3 PCs : one on XP, one on Vista, one on Windows 7.
Verdict : Windows 7 > XP > Vista.
I'll refuse to use Windows 8.
Verdict : Windows 7 > XP > Vista.
I'll refuse to use Windows 8.
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Opinion: Here's One Reason Why Windows 8 Sales Are Slow
Microsoft shouldn't have to deal with retail salesmen prejudice against Windows 8 at point-of-sale.
I think I know one of the reasons why Microsoft and partner ODMs are having a hard time pushing Windows 8 products: store clerks.
Here's why.
My wife and I were strolling through Walmart to retrieve a huge number of items listed on her seemingly unending scroll of must-haves. It's all in her head of course, so I have no idea when the end will arrive, or how long it will take. All I know is that when she eventually stops in the women's clothing department (and she will), I'm bailing out and heading to the electronics.
Eventually my plan of escape worked, and I darted into the electronics area and worked through the HDTVs, the console games (I'm currently hooked on the 3DS XL which is a very cool handheld), PC peripherals and whatnot. I stopped in the laptop isle to check out what HP, Dell and other ODMs are selling in America's largest retailer. This is where I discovered that Microsoft is essentially doomed.
Checking out the laptops were an older gentleman and his granddaughter. After talking to him for a bit, it sounded like her laptop was having driver issues and the repair tool in Windows 7 wasn't fixing the problem. He didn't know me and I didn't know him, so I merely told him what the likely solution would be and he in turn said he had a friend that fixes computers. Everyone does, it seems.
Despite his friend, the gentleman was in Walmart's laptop isle to buy his granddaughter a new model – he'll just take the other laptop once it's fixed. A Walmart salesman was also on standby next to the gentleman, offering a bit of non-technical information about what he perceived to be the best of the ODMs offering products. The little girl suddenly chimed in, saying that she wanted her desktop unchanged, and that she didn't want the blocky tiles of Windows 8, pointing to one of the models on display.
Now here's the Microsoft killer. "Yeah, Windows 8 is one of the worst versions I have ever seen," the Walmart salesman told the gentleman.
My jaw dropped. Seriously? You have a wall of Windows 8 gadgets and you're telling them it's the worst version ever? It's this type of dedication at the point-of-sale that could be hurting Windows 8 overall. Sure, there are a lot of current and potential customers who are annoyed with the whole redesign. It was too much and too quick in my opinion, but it's still a great, highly secure and highly stable platform.
When the gentleman finally decided on a laptop and the salesman went to retrieve the keys, I told him not to listen to the Walmart worker (putting it nicely), and relayed my experience with Windows 8. I also showed the granddaughter how to quickly switch to desktop mode. There's nothing to fear with the new design: you simply hit a tile and you're somewhat back to normal. Purchase and download the $5 Start8 app from Stardock, and your Start button and Start menu are back.
Of course, Walmart made a Windows 8 sale that day, so all was not lost. I can't say I helped with the sale, because we now live in a Windows 8 world – the grandfather was intent on buying a new laptop no matter what version of Windows it had. But I have to wonder how many sales have been lost because of ignorant store clerks turning people away with their opinions. You damn sure know car salesmen aren't going to steer you away from a car because they don't like the installed radio.
I know I've covered a lot of topics about Windows 8 market share and how some ODMs are "disappointed" and whatnot. But I've also tried to relay that Windows 8 is just a step above Windows 7 with an added overlay that bridges mobile with desktop. What I will never say is that it's the worst platform I have ever seen, because it's far, far from that. Windows 8 is misunderstood, I think, and that should change in the immediate future.
Microsoft shouldn't have to deal with retail salesmen prejudice against Windows 8 at point-of-sale.
I think I know one of the reasons why Microsoft and partner ODMs are having a hard time pushing Windows 8 products: store clerks.
Here's why.
My wife and I were strolling through Walmart to retrieve a huge number of items listed on her seemingly unending scroll of must-haves. It's all in her head of course, so I have no idea when the end will arrive, or how long it will take. All I know is that when she eventually stops in the women's clothing department (and she will), I'm bailing out and heading to the electronics.
Eventually my plan of escape worked, and I darted into the electronics area and worked through the HDTVs, the console games (I'm currently hooked on the 3DS XL which is a very cool handheld), PC peripherals and whatnot. I stopped in the laptop isle to check out what HP, Dell and other ODMs are selling in America's largest retailer. This is where I discovered that Microsoft is essentially doomed.
Checking out the laptops were an older gentleman and his granddaughter. After talking to him for a bit, it sounded like her laptop was having driver issues and the repair tool in Windows 7 wasn't fixing the problem. He didn't know me and I didn't know him, so I merely told him what the likely solution would be and he in turn said he had a friend that fixes computers. Everyone does, it seems.
Despite his friend, the gentleman was in Walmart's laptop isle to buy his granddaughter a new model – he'll just take the other laptop once it's fixed. A Walmart salesman was also on standby next to the gentleman, offering a bit of non-technical information about what he perceived to be the best of the ODMs offering products. The little girl suddenly chimed in, saying that she wanted her desktop unchanged, and that she didn't want the blocky tiles of Windows 8, pointing to one of the models on display.
Now here's the Microsoft killer. "Yeah, Windows 8 is one of the worst versions I have ever seen," the Walmart salesman told the gentleman.
My jaw dropped. Seriously? You have a wall of Windows 8 gadgets and you're telling them it's the worst version ever? It's this type of dedication at the point-of-sale that could be hurting Windows 8 overall. Sure, there are a lot of current and potential customers who are annoyed with the whole redesign. It was too much and too quick in my opinion, but it's still a great, highly secure and highly stable platform.
When the gentleman finally decided on a laptop and the salesman went to retrieve the keys, I told him not to listen to the Walmart worker (putting it nicely), and relayed my experience with Windows 8. I also showed the granddaughter how to quickly switch to desktop mode. There's nothing to fear with the new design: you simply hit a tile and you're somewhat back to normal. Purchase and download the $5 Start8 app from Stardock, and your Start button and Start menu are back.
Of course, Walmart made a Windows 8 sale that day, so all was not lost. I can't say I helped with the sale, because we now live in a Windows 8 world – the grandfather was intent on buying a new laptop no matter what version of Windows it had. But I have to wonder how many sales have been lost because of ignorant store clerks turning people away with their opinions. You damn sure know car salesmen aren't going to steer you away from a car because they don't like the installed radio.
I know I've covered a lot of topics about Windows 8 market share and how some ODMs are "disappointed" and whatnot. But I've also tried to relay that Windows 8 is just a step above Windows 7 with an added overlay that bridges mobile with desktop. What I will never say is that it's the worst platform I have ever seen, because it's far, far from that. Windows 8 is misunderstood, I think, and that should change in the immediate future.
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Hey there Tom's Hardware Community!
Are you having issues with Windows 8? Did you take the plunge into the Metro UI and need help? Are BSODs, downgrading, driver issues and performance problems getting the better of you in the latest version of Windows?
Well, fret no longer fellow Tomsian!
The Tom's Hardware Community has come to the rescue with a compendium of Windows 8 Tutorials to show you how to fix and tweak and remedy any ol' problem you might be having in Windows 8.
Check out our large and still-growing list of Tutorials on Windows 8 here on the forums:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-1660654/windows-tutorials.html
You can also add your own to our new Tutorials section at:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/forum-247.html
Or, if your Windows 8 question isn't covered already, let us know about it in the Windows 8 category and get yourself an answer post-haste! http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/forum-73.html
Visiting official representatives from Microsoft and dozens of Windows 8 experts are standing by to help you customize and configure your Windows 8 experience to your liking. I encourage everyone to take advantage of this opportunity to make a desired transition to the new OS as easy (and painless) as possible!
See you on the forums, friends!
Warm Regards,
Joe Pishgar
Community Manager, Tom's Hardware
Are you having issues with Windows 8? Did you take the plunge into the Metro UI and need help? Are BSODs, downgrading, driver issues and performance problems getting the better of you in the latest version of Windows?
Well, fret no longer fellow Tomsian!
The Tom's Hardware Community has come to the rescue with a compendium of Windows 8 Tutorials to show you how to fix and tweak and remedy any ol' problem you might be having in Windows 8.
Check out our large and still-growing list of Tutorials on Windows 8 here on the forums:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-1660654/windows-tutorials.html
You can also add your own to our new Tutorials section at:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/forum-247.html
Or, if your Windows 8 question isn't covered already, let us know about it in the Windows 8 category and get yourself an answer post-haste! http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/forum-73.html
Visiting official representatives from Microsoft and dozens of Windows 8 experts are standing by to help you customize and configure your Windows 8 experience to your liking. I encourage everyone to take advantage of this opportunity to make a desired transition to the new OS as easy (and painless) as possible!
See you on the forums, friends!
Warm Regards,
Joe Pishgar
Community Manager, Tom's Hardware
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Not this time. The upcoming versions of Windows are going to get worse... because Steve Ballmer is jealous of Apple's dominance in the consumer device market. He desperately wants a share of the tablet business, so he foolishly thought of leveraging Microsoft's desktop Windows onto touch devices.
That didn't work. Windows tablets and phones are not selling well at all. In fact, the hardware OEMs are blaming Windows 8 as the culprit for poor PC sales.
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My household had switched over to Mac's ever since we experienced years of frustration owning desktops & laptops that constantly fail over the many number of years. Our frustrations in laptops running windows breaking down & giving BSOD ( blue screen of death) just after warranty date, machines that we needed for work, pushed us over to MAC OS & MAC's.
For instance, we had a Dell laptop running windows ( never mind the version)...BSOD in 3 mths, went to Dell customer service, got a one to one exchange, 4 months later, some graphic issues between the hardware & OS due to drivers issues. Just after warranty, began to show signs & symptoms I think most of us are familiar with windows OS & the hardware. You cannot boot into the OS...laptop died.
That was it...we switched over to MACS, till this day, none of the Macbook pros, had shown any of the frustrations that we had with using windows OS on any machines..none has ever been back to customer service or need to call.
The only link I have now is one Acer laptop I bought running Windows 7 professional version 64 bit, which entitled me to upgrade to Windows 8 at $14.99 ( something like that).
Windows 8 is radical change , a bold change I must say, stability had improved, but like Microsoft, the OS is clunky, user unfriendly & has many features you won't want to use or bother..
For instance, we had a Dell laptop running windows ( never mind the version)...BSOD in 3 mths, went to Dell customer service, got a one to one exchange, 4 months later, some graphic issues between the hardware & OS due to drivers issues. Just after warranty, began to show signs & symptoms I think most of us are familiar with windows OS & the hardware. You cannot boot into the OS...laptop died.
That was it...we switched over to MACS, till this day, none of the Macbook pros, had shown any of the frustrations that we had with using windows OS on any machines..none has ever been back to customer service or need to call.
The only link I have now is one Acer laptop I bought running Windows 7 professional version 64 bit, which entitled me to upgrade to Windows 8 at $14.99 ( something like that).
Windows 8 is radical change , a bold change I must say, stability had improved, but like Microsoft, the OS is clunky, user unfriendly & has many features you won't want to use or bother..
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