# Is Windows 8 Rubbish On Laptops?



## taytoman (25 Mar 2013)

I need to by a new laptop, but see that almost all laptops in currys/ DID etc are windows 8. At first glance, it looks completely unintuitive, and seems aimed at touchscreen tablets & smartphones. I'm seeing a lot of rubbish reviews about it saying its the new windows vista. Any thoughts on this?


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## Janet (25 Mar 2013)

Yep, it's rubbish.  I've slowly gotten used to it (got a pressie of a laptop with it pre-installed for christmas) but still hate it.  Every once it a while I'll be moving the mouse pad and all of a sudden I'll have swooped away to somewhere else.  And figuring out where to find the setting so that when I pressed the off button it actually switched off and didn't just go to sleep took a few days, too. 

There are 'cute' ads on youtube where people in shops are asking for information and the guy says "I'll get my colleague" and then a small kid, maybe five or six years old comes out to do a demonstration.  Yes, very cute but I know that kids can work these things, what I want is someone _my_ age who can manage it.  Feel myself becoming more and more luddite as the years go by but that's somewhat off topic.

There's a good review on youtube called something "windows 8, it's nearly not terrible" - can't search for links where I am now, sorry.  Search for it and take a look.  I learned one or two things from that review that I had not been able to figure out for myself so it was handy.


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## Woodie (25 Mar 2013)

Problem with Windows 8 is it is trying to fix the problem that Microsoft was late to the party with a viable tablet OS.  Sure Windows was on tablets ages ago but a hack of existing windows.  Now with windows RT and 8 you would have expected that to be fixed but no; RT and Windows 8 Start  has nice features which are sometimes better or equal to iOS but windows features sneak in and it is not at all intuitive at times.   When it comes to Windows desktop part of Pro, you'd think that learning the lesson of Vista (failure) and Windows 7 (huge success) there seems to be a whole lot of unnecessary changes, unnecessary learning curves without much if any gain in productivity.  
I have a colleague who jumped Xp to Windows 8, got the book was determined to prove everyone wrong.  Last week he gave up and installed Windows 7! Seems to me if you want a tablet Apple and Google do the job better at the moment. If you want a desktop Os then Windows 7 has to be the choice for business.  
Generally it is much like any technology it is revision 1 and just like Windows 3, Apple 1, Lisa, Vista, and so on it will be 8.5 before it gets sorted.  
Good effort but hugely annoying if you are used to Windows 7.


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## dub_nerd (25 Mar 2013)

Is there not a way to turn the tablet-style interface back into something a bit more like Windows 7? How many times are Microsoft going to inflict this sort of cr*p on us? I will NEVER by choice move to an MS operating system that has not had several years to bed down. I stuck with XP, which was a fine stable OS from SP2 on, right up until last year when I skipped Vista and went to Windows 7. Have to say I really like Windows 7 and will not be moving except under extreme duress.


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## Woodie (25 Mar 2013)

dub_nerd said:


> Is there not a way to turn the tablet-style interface back into something a bit more like Windows 7? How many times are Microsoft going to inflict this sort of cr*p on us? I will NEVER by choice move to an MS operating system that has not had several years to bed down. I stuck with XP, which was a fine stable OS from SP2 on, right up until last year when I skipped Vista and went to Windows 7. Have to say I really like Windows 7 and will not be moving except under extreme duress.



Essentially what you are saying is correct and I agree.  A lot of Windows 8 is a new interface which can be hacked to look more like Windows 7, there is already a existing Windows 7 style Start menu available from Third Parties.   My reasoning now is why bother unless you have to, wait for the proper release.


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## RichInSpirit (25 Mar 2013)

I'm still Windows XP.


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## pudds (25 Mar 2013)

RichInSpirit said:


> I'm still Windows XP.



same here its *X*tremely *P*leasant to use


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## vandriver (25 Mar 2013)

My wife just got a Win8 laptop,and coming from W7,I would say it is dreadful.


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## jpd (25 Mar 2013)

It's easy enough to make it behave like W7 or Vista or XP


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## Dearg Doom (26 Mar 2013)

To get Windows 8 a look and feel more akin to Windows 7 try Classic Shell () - it makes the transition much easier.


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## taytoman (26 Mar 2013)

OK
If you install "classic shell", does it effectively turn it into a windows 7 start up screen?


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## AlbacoreA (26 Mar 2013)

Underneath the Metro interface you can run Windows 8 just like Windows 7. 

You just need to install something like Classic Shell to hide the Metro interface. So yes.


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## AlbacoreA (26 Mar 2013)

For me they've added no interface improvements over XP (that I need) in Vista, 7 or 8. The only reason to install 7 or 8, is that they supports the latest hardware better, (I find 8 quicker then 7) and security is better. 

That said I've had one steam game that doesn't work in w8 for me. Otherwise everything has worked. There nothing in it I need though. I only got it because it was cheaper than getting Windows 7 on the machine. 

I think the Metro interface is dead in the water though. I expect they'll drop it. Or radically change it. I think they hoped they'd use it to create an app store like environment for windows. Well they haven't.


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## Dearg Doom (27 Mar 2013)

taytoman said:


> OK
> If you install "classic shell", does it effectively turn it into a windows 7 start up screen?



Not identical in every way but as near as makes no odds for most users. There is also plenty of configuration options to tune it to how you like it.


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## Bonaparte (27 Mar 2013)

Dearg Doom said:


> Not identical in every way but as near as makes no odds for most users. There is also plenty of configuration options to tune it to how you like it.



Will I have to reinstall after updates?


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## Dearg Doom (27 Mar 2013)

Bonaparte said:


> Will I have to reinstall after updates?


No.


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## Woodie (28 Mar 2013)

Windows Blue is due in the summer as a major upgrade to Windows 8.  The Start Screen as opposed to the Start Menu is still the only option.  MS are sticking to their guns.


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