You could use Start8
http://www.stardock.com/products/start8/

10/16/2012 5:40:25 PM

start8 costs money now because they realize everyones gonna need a working start menu. all the non-microsoft oems are bundling their own start menu replacements with their win8 machines too.

what a disaster.

10/18/2012 9:52:26 AM

Start8 costs money because why would they give it away when they can make money of off luddites

10/18/2012 10:03:07 AM

https://www.pokki.com/windows-8-start-menu
http://classicshell.sourceforge.net/
http://lee-soft.com/vistart/windows-8-start-menu.html
etc.

10/18/2012 10:08:05 AM

obvs. a better idea would be to set up a Scheduled Task to activate the Desktop at user-login, using a JScript file if necessary

10/18/2012 12:24:27 PM

When are they going to make Bing better? It still sucks. I'm 0-5 3 times in a row.

10/18/2012 12:44:29 PM

^ why did you post that here?

10/18/2012 4:30:00 PM

The Bing thread was old. Wonder if anyone else did the test thing. On the note of Windows 8 I kind of want a Lumia 920. Also I wish there was a Microsoft Store near Charlotte.

10/18/2012 4:31:33 PM

I will say Bing is better than it was.

All (or close to it) of the problems I noticed in the link below have been resolved.

message_topic.aspx?topic=567455&page=4#13531362

10/18/2012 4:44:05 PM

Ok... I'm getting a new laptop with the option to upgrade to Windows 8 from Windows 7 for free (after rebate)

Should I? It is not a touch-screen if that makes a difference.

I'm mainly using it for light home office use and watching netflix/hulu on tv.

10/19/2012 12:39:17 AM

Yes, you should. Win8 is faster and more secure. UI aside, if its a free upgrade you should take advantage of it. If you don't like the new UI and start screen, don't use it.

10/19/2012 1:56:38 AM

I took the challenge and could tell right away which set of results was from Bing and which was from Google; still, Bing actually won out for one set of results, but the scorecard had problems showing up.

BTW, is it safe to do an upgrade installation of Win8 if I have a 2-year-old Win7 laptop with a bunch of programs on it, or should I just wait until I upgrade my PC? Is it likely that all of the programs that are compatible with Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit will also be compatible with Windows 8 64-bit?

10/19/2012 6:11:13 AM

Upgrade installation? F that noise. Just do a clean install.

10/19/2012 11:18:23 AM

Windows 8 vs. Windows RT

What Windows RT Can’t Do
http://gizmodo.com/5952934/what-windows-rt-cant-do

I saw a few stories on Reddit about people calling Microsoft stores and the employees not knowing the difference between 8 and RT

10/19/2012 12:42:58 PM

You can upgrade it, but like ^^ said clean install is always the better way to go. And yes all of your apps should work just fine

10/19/2012 1:23:54 PM

You can upgrade it, but like ^^ said clean install is always the better way to go. And yes all of your apps should work just fine

10/19/2012 1:23:54 PM

You can upgrade it, but like ^^ said clean install is always the better way to go. And yes all of your apps should work just fine

10/19/2012 8:59:46 PM

http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2012/10/19/early-look-at-windows-8-baffles-consumers/

I can go along with most of this. I use my computer for two things in this order 1) Work 2) Web Browsing.

I use it for absolutely nothing else....not really interested in anything that is going to slow me down working, and the web browsing experience should not really change that much, so I dunno about this new OS.

10/20/2012 12:59:37 AM

Quote :

"F that noise. Just do a clean install."

F that, not gonna go through the trouble until my rig's on its last legs.

10/20/2012 1:00:12 AM

i "ordered" win8 for both my wife's laptop and my own for $15/each using the link above

since i don't have to pay for it yet and don't have to redeem the purchase until february 2013, i can decide later if i actually want it

10/20/2012 5:34:26 PM

if anybody is still having trouble learning how to use Windows 8, here's a good walkthrough

10/21/2012 3:50:49 PM

I have it signed up for one computer, have not tried registering from the others, probably should while enrollment is still open. Still have not figured out how it decides if you qualify or not.

10/21/2012 4:01:40 PM

I've like classicshell so far. Once I installed that, I haven't gone back to the metro screen for anything.

Then I wondered why I bothered leaving Win7 in the first place.






Seriously, Win 8 is pointless unless you have a touch interface. Otherwise Win7 is perfect.

10/22/2012 1:53:13 PM

I prefer the $4.99 Start8 personally. Running it on my desktop, Classic Shell on my laptop. Both do the trick, but Start8 (like pretty much everything StarDock mackes) is super fucking refined and beautiful.

10/22/2012 6:00:27 PM

If I'm going to pay MS at least 30 dollars to lose a feature that I will later spend $5 on to get back, why would I give MS my money to begin with?

10/22/2012 6:50:54 PM

The new task manager/services hybrid is fucking awesome. Almost worth the $40 itself. And I like the metro interface since I still use Start+typing to navigate instead of the mouse.

10/22/2012 8:24:02 PM

^you can do the exact same thing in windows 7 too (re: start button and start typing).

^^because there's a lot more to win8 than the start menu that is worth the 40 bucks

10/23/2012 12:36:54 AM

^ Like what?

Faster start up? I seldom restart and I don't mind the extra 2 seconds on my SSD.

Less resources? This is appealing on my netbook. For everything else, I have more than enough power that the differences I've found are negligible at best.

New Task Manager. If Windows is stable, and my shit doesn't crash, I never need to open it. And it's not a big "if," either. Mac and Linux can do it, MS should strive for it too.

So what is it that Windows 8 has that Windows 7 has that is worth the upgrade?

Metro? No.
Metro apps? Fuck no.
New desktop UI? Nope.
New Task Manager? Not really.

Now, I'm not saying that Windows 8 doesn't have new features. It does. I'm not saying that some of them aren't improvements. There are (the task manager is an improvement. The revised Explorer Ribbon UI is an improvement). But the improvements aren't worth the cost, and they're not worth what I will lose from upgrading either.

^^ What are you doing in the task manager that would cause you to think it is worth $40?

And you can navigate from the search in Windows 7 too. I've been doing it since Vista. Win Key+typing. You're automatically in the start menu's search bar, and the results you get from that search vs. Windows 8 search is pretty much identical.

[Edited on October 23, 2012 at 1:27 AM. Reason : .]

10/23/2012 1:25:09 AM

You're right, no reason for you to upgrade. Thanks for participating in this thread, I guess we'll see you in the Windows 9 thread. Bye!

10/23/2012 7:08:24 AM

People should only participate in threads about products they like and if they agree with you.

10/23/2012 7:48:56 AM

I don't really understand why you upgraded to Win7, sounds like Vista had what you need

10/23/2012 9:04:02 AM

so...i'm gonna buy new hardware and use all of the features of the new OS. you people can dick around all you want with trying to run your old PC's on a new OS and not really embrace all of the new features, i'll be here in 2012. there's a reason your computer came with a sticker that said "designed for Windows ___". It wasn't designed for Windows 8.

and if you don't like metro apps, don't buy windows 8. keep your windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7, or whatever else you're using. no reason to sound like a whiny little bitch about it though. it's not like microsoft has a gun to your head and is forcing you to buy anything. hell, switch to apple/linux/whatever. nobody gives a shit.

10/23/2012 9:34:16 AM

Windows 8 + touchscreen ultrabook with pen is what I'm doing. Sexy as hell.

10/23/2012 9:48:48 AM

Quote :

"there's a reason your computer came with a sticker that said "designed for Windows ___". "

The Marketing department has a requirement to ship the computer with a sticker listing the most recent Windows version because Microsoft pays them mucho dinero to do so?

10/23/2012 9:49:29 AM

Ubuntu shits on windows.

10/23/2012 10:24:25 AM

^totally!

^^conspiracy theorists, unite!

10/23/2012 10:27:35 AM

^ ha, that's not a conspiracy.

That's the well-known factual explanation.

10/23/2012 10:31:37 AM

I have windows 7 on a windows xp pc.

10/23/2012 10:40:46 AM

i'm sure they had windows 7 in mind when they made your PC, or they had your PC in mind when they made windows 7.

[Edited on October 23, 2012 at 10:45 AM. Reason : ]

10/23/2012 10:44:41 AM

Yes I'm sure they had windows 7 in mind when they made my 2004 thinkpad.

10/23/2012 10:46:39 AM

So... back to the idea that the sticker is largely meaningless.

10/23/2012 10:47:09 AM

false, there's a guaranteed compatibility that comes with the sticker.

[Edited on October 23, 2012 at 10:52 AM. Reason : drivers, anyone?]

10/23/2012 10:50:14 AM

Drivers? You mean those things that hardware manufacturers come out with to ensure their stuff isn't designed for only one OS?

10/23/2012 11:02:04 AM

of course! every manufacturer makes sure they future-proof their drivers. i concede.

10/23/2012 11:14:29 AM

Ha, I didn't mean to imply that the sticker was meaningless. They have to meet certain criteria to be able to put those on the computer. I was just saying its presence is more due to Marketing reasons. Don't depend on stickers to tell you what works best on a computer

10/23/2012 11:20:54 AM

I don't, but if you're a novice consumer, it's a simple point of reference.

thank you CapnObvious!

10/23/2012 11:23:51 AM

Scored an 8.8 on the Verge, which is a really good score for them.

10/23/2012 2:36:08 PM

^most helpful review I've read so far:
http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/23/3537710/windows-8-review

10/23/2012 2:51:14 PM

Quote :

"I don't really understand why you upgraded to Win7, sounds like Vista had what you need"

Well, for one thing I got 2 CD Keys through MSDN AA from when I was a student through the MAE department, then another 2 through the IE department. Then every subsequently new Windows PC that I bought came with Windows 7, except for the PC I built which I just used one of my CD keys.

I mean, I've got no problem paying for an OS, but it's got to bring something worthwhile. I've bought every version of Mac OS X since Tiger, as each one brought worthwhile usability features and speed improvements.

There's a reason why Dell has already stated they will offer Windows 7 alongside Windows 8, much like they did after the backlash from consumers over Vista when they offered a factory installed downgrade to XP Pro. As did other manufacturers.

10/23/2012 6:49:17 PM

Quote :

"So what is it that Windows 8 has that Windows 7 has that is worth the upgrade?"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Features_new_to_Windows_8

The shit I use on a daily basis that makes it worth the upgrade (and honestly even the full retail price) for me:

The massively improved multi-mon support. Taskbar support (extended taskbar and dedicated taskbar modes), pinning, wallpaper span, open-to-screen.

The improved window management support (cascade, stacked, SxS for any number of windows)

Windows Explorer: native mounting for ISO and VHD images. conflict management for file copying. file copy progress dialogs (Yay for PAUSE!)

Native USB3 support for massively improved transfer and data speeds

File History - Actual, configurable, journaled incremental file backup that happens in realtime. No more fiddling with volume shadow copy or windows backup scheduling. It just works.

UEFI boot management - way easier to multi-boot, recovery and system reset options are awesome.

hyper-v: Having a native hypervisor built in to windows is worth the upgrade all by itself. hyper-v works flawlessly, and I use it everyday to native boot from VHD between my multiple Win8 installs (keeping my dev VM isolated).

10/24/2012 4:08:16 AM