Tips for Windows 8 users!

What?

Win 8's strength is what it lacks?

 

So things like Aero glass, DVD playback, and gadgets are basic OS functionality? When Vista added these things people called it bloat...

 

VLC sucks. K-Lite Codec Pack with MPC-HC is far better.

 

In what way? I must say that I've been using VLC for a long time & I couldn't imagine not using it.

 

I had no idea people still use/need codec packs on Windows. I usually install MPC-HC on other people's PCs and they never complained about not being able to see something.

 

VLC still has problems with many video files, mainly in the form of artifacts. It's been buggy for as long as I can remember.

Codec Packs make sure you get the best possible quality. MPC-HC + K-Lite + MadVR renderer = best possible quality.

 

You're free to disagree. But, those aren't my words. They are on the conclusion of the linked article.

 

Luckily it runs OK for me. I always like to have alternative options though.

 

I agree stapp,I also am guilty of some bad words for windows 8 but now that I have a New rocket fast laptop and installed the classic shell I love it.Plus I stiil have the option of pulling up the tiles if I choose to. So far everything is running perfectly.No errors,no crash dumps or BSOD and all my third party apps are running well. The hardest thing was finding the shut down with metro other then that I found my way around just like any other OS.

 

I know but you highlighted them in red, so it seemed that you shared the same opinion.

The strength in 8 is the multitouch experience. With a mouse is horrible; with a good big touchpad or a touch screen is great.

ps.(for everyone) If you cannot afford a touchpad but have an android device install and test a touchpad emulator in your android (they start to spawn like mushrooms; free and paid) and you'll come to actually enjoy your upgraded system.

Panagiotis

 

I'm running Win8 on 3yr old hardware that should be running Win7 basic. Mouse is the only option and experience is anything but horrible. But damn more usable/faster and more fun to use than with intended Win7

 

Different people, different tastes.
For me win8 and mouse is well... horrible (unless one wants to do exercises with their right hand and the mouse).

Panagiotis

 

There are many guides on the web about how to optimize the new Start Screen for the non-touchscreen input.

As this thread is about tips for Windows 8 users, I'm going to share some of them too:

http://winsupersite.com/article/windows8/windows-8-tip-customize-start-screen-144230

http://www.chris123nt.com/optimize-windows-8-for-desktop-use/

http://www.howtogeek.com/126034/6-ways-to-customize-the-windows-8-start-screen/

http://content.dell.com/us/en/busin...8-start-screen-tutorial-kbm-10-9-12.aspx.aspx

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/start-screen#1TC=t1

 

Yes sir indeed and the next time I decide to knock it before trying it I will stick my sneaker in my mouth and try it first.Also my track pad on windows 8 is every bit as good as my MacBook.

 

Funny how that works!

Add stuff in and they're accused of "bloat" and "oppression"; take stuff out and they're accused of crippling the OS.

I don't understand the objection. All this is saying is that every version of Windows removes stuff. Wikipedia has a good list.

Rather, one of Windows' strengths is in the amount of apps available, and so the article author contends that the things removed from Windows 8 are a non-issue due to availability of apps.

 

I'll take your word for it.

 

The problem is time passes for everything (machines too). When Vista first came out, it was heavy for many of the machines out there. Part of the weight was due to graphic cards (especially integrated ones), not being able to run aero easily. Part was that back then, mainstream RAM was still low and Vista was chewing up a lot just to run. So people were looking for things to "cut down" in order to compensate. But we are 6 years later now, aren't we. Machines have evolved. Look at all the other OSes out there in their desktop interface. Do you see any other with so barren graphics as Windows 8? Of course, aero, by MS herself, back then was "modern", now it's "dated and cheezy", although it basically uses it for the desktop, albeit toned down. Just shows you that MS will tell anything, according to what suits her.



I don't think there was ever a mainstream complaint about dvd playback being present. If anything, people were always complaining that WMP couldn't open several formats without 3rd party codecs, which often caused havocs in users' machines. Removing the existing ones, i don't think is "progress", just because support was always lacking. If anything WMP is a crippled media player. I use it as default media player and does very good job, but lacks some basic abilities, that all other players have had for years and i am not talking about fancy options. Resume playback from last time is the most simple. You don't need to make it confusing with 100 options like KMplayer and the likes. If it depended on me, since they didn't want to put an upgraded WMP in Win8, i wouldn't remove dvd playback. I would ADD BLU-RAY native playback.

The complaint in Vista, was that some people didn't like the positioning of the sidebar or even the existence because of resource eating. In 7 (along with optimization of resource usage) this was completely solved, while leaving the choice open, to those who wanted to have gadgets.

 

Machines from big OEMs with DVD or Blu-Ray Readers come with the software to play these dics by default. Native playback on WMP would just add to the overall cost of Windows for no reasonable reason.

They explained this very well here: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/...ck-and-windows-media-center-in-windows-8.aspx

 

I find it comforting that MS blogs explain how all made in Redmond is good for the customer (and OEMs). I may print all their blog and read it until i convince myself that aero is dated and cheezy (i am sure a blog article explains the truth of it).

 

It's horrible because you, like many other people, are for some reason convinced you have to use Metro. Here's a tip: Don't use it if you don't want to.
I'd hardly call a Windows 7 with better performance "horrible."

 

Funny thing about aesthetics is that everyone has different tastes.

I'm a sucker for a pretty interface; I installed WindowBlinds shortly after migrating to XP, and sought out skins with transparency exclusively as soon as WB started supporting it. So I was very happy with Windows 7 and Aero. Funny thing, though, is that I found myself getting used to, and even liking the Windows 8 theme very quickly. I've seen (and hated) ugly flat interfaces starting with Mac Minis and through to the WindowsBlinds skins available now, but the Windows 8 theme is much better. I even found myself trying to find IconPackager themes that fit in (without much luck so far).

I renewed my Object Desktop license the same day as installing Windows 8 because I anticipated hating the new theme and the Start screen. I decided that I needed to know how to get around Windows 8 as-is before customizing it, and lo and behold I no longer want to customize it beyond the built-in functionality and Decor8.

The new theme blends in with the metro interface, making the aesthetics more consistent. It's also more consistent with web interfaces, and web integration is another big push for Windows 8 (and technology in general); web developers will be able to create metro apps, for a start, and more and more apps are being migrated to, or integrated with hosted/cloud solutions.

All that aside, though: disliking the default theme is a pretty weak argument for Windows 8 being a bad OS overall.

There have been a lot of lawsuits against Microsoft for including software that third-party vendors offer.

Lacking one codec is another weak argument, as is bugs in other developers' software (i.e., codecs). Install their media pack, another media player (including the DVD player software that comes with drives), or another codec (installing DVD player software also installs a codec). Just like we did before Vista.

Really, are you using Windows without any third-party software? You don't know that you'd add Blu-Ray, because you don't know about all of the issues that MS faces. MS can never make everyone happy, and one wrong move leads to litigation, even today.

If WMP is crippled, here's why:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_litigation#Anti-trust

And now they'll be able to make such things with web technologies, making it even easier, more consistent, and more extensible.

 

I will agree with you that aesthetics is a matter of taste. I only answered you, why in Vista aero was bad. Of course i disagree on the Win8 interface (be it the desktop one or the dual), being nicer than aero, but i won't insist on it anymore.

It may be a weak argument for you, but i am afraid it will cause weak sales.

Don't waste your time with mixing generic lawsuit card on the codec support issue. Read the blog above. No lawsuit was ever made against MS for codec support...

I answered to your opinion that dvd playback is "bloat". It is not bloat, it's about MS saving money for herself. In an ideal world, you would tell me "Instead of doing what we were doing before Vista, MS goes one step forward, with complete codec support out of the box. We re not in XP era any more". BUT, i bet if in Win9 MS would ever do that, this would be the first argument of all supporters. Since now it's not the case, it's not big deal. If MS wanted, she could come up with all proprietary decoders, but that's another story...

When the figure sales of MS settle down, you can ask this question to the people "don't you use any third party software"? By that logic of course, Windows should provide the same applications it did in Win98. But you 'd be surprised about what makes people upgrade their OS. They WANT more integrated applications. Have you heard the phrase "Win8 is just Win7 with Metro"? Did you ask yourself why? Your answer is "don't you use 3rd party applications"? Well, you, as well as MS, are in for a surprise.

You are kidding me... This is why they can't make a "resume playback" option? English isn't my native language, but i am not that moron. And i know about the "N" versions of MS too. This (same as with codecs), has nothing to do about lawsuits or preventing competition. If the "lawsuit" danger was "universal", as you try to present it, Windows would come with no application. Or let me put it in an even more "european" way. Would anything stop legally to MS, to have WMP 13 with all bells and whistles, downloadable for their website like they did with MSE for Win7? Did AV companies sue MS? Did Acronis sue MS for backup software? Did Norton sue MS for the "system restore"?

 

I used VLC for playing files from explorer right up until J River v18 a month or so ago (which now opens as fast as VLC, at least on my system). My experience was that the artifacts primarily resulted from VLC playing through corrupted parts of files where other players/codecs would skip past those parts; just different ways of handling errors.

And I find better quality of J River, which uses Red October in addition to MadVR and a host of other things. It's also one of, if not the best for audio -- especially if you have the patience to tweak the settings to suit your files (J River is made to suit enthusiasts and audiophiles, among others).

 

The implications are larger. It's about MS saving money for the entire PC ecosystem including the users and OEMs. I know this sounds like marketing, but truth sometimes is like this.