Windows 8 release preview has been launched today

I decided to wait for a proper release candidate so was pretty pleased to see it had been released, I installed it into a VM, clicked around for ten minutes and uninstalled it again.
Seriously, what the hell were Microsoft thinking?

Posting from Windows 8 now - WOW is all I can say. Wow how can the project managers really expect the consumer base to pick this up?! It's an utter utter abomination!!

Taking IE for example, if you launch it via Metro it is a different browser and remains in the "open apps" part within Metro. If you are on the desktop and launch it the original IE opens and it doesn't appear on the Metro open apps page. Seriously? I have enough time trying to educate end-users how to use normal windows - this will be an utter utter nightmare as it is so dis-jointed!!!

I like the changes to the core OS without the Metro rubbish. The faster bootup and cloud stuff with apps would be a winner. Leave the Windows 7 interface alone but give it a Windows 8 theme and leave out Metro start menu and Windows 8 would be a winner in my books.

With Metro slapped so hap-hazardly over the top, this is going to fail hard. Surely MS know this but are just going full steam ahead anyway for some reason? I thought Unity and Gnome 3 under Linux were bad compared to Gnome 2, but jesus they are looking like a much better tablet/OS implementation now!!

MS have possibly made the biggest mistake of their OS career so far which could cost them dearly in the fight against Apple now that Apple OS and Macs in general are becoming more popular. Once Windows 8 becomes the only version of Windows that is available on new PCs/Laptops this could drive users away to Mac as the Mac will give them a more familiar desktop. I am a die-hard Windows user, have used Linux and tried Mac OSX a few times but Windows 8 is putting me right off staying with MS if this is the route they are taking

Abomination is an understatement. I really tried my best to "get used to it" and keep an open mind but this pos really tests your patience. It's trully awful, annoying and needs a "classic" option desperately.

It's a real shame as the OS is solid underneath, I installed it on an old e5200 dual core and was running great, boot was fast (even on an ancient 80gb hard drive) and felt nice and snappy.

I'm back on 7 now and will be for the foreseeable future.

I'm just an observer when it comes to Win8 (can't stand Metro on a non-touch interface) but I'm a bit of a financial anorak and I was fascinated to see the folk on the CNBC financial channel praising Win8 to the Moon the other day. There wasn't a bad word from anyone, and usually there's at least an attempt at some kind of balancing viewpoint.

I find myself wondering if this was propaganda, or if those of us who find Metro awful for desktop use are out of touch (quite literally). My gut instinct says no, and CNBC seem very Mac oriented anyway, but it's going to be very interesting to see what the first period's sales figures are like.

Caged said:

A mash up of a desktop OS and a tablet OS, does badly at both of them.

At least Windows 7 is supported for a while to come.

Click to expand...

+Office 2010 looks=Jack of All Trades is a master at none.

iakhtar said:

Abomination is an understatement. I really tried my best to "get used to it" and keep an open mind but this pos really tests your patience. It's trully awful, annoying and needs a "classic" option desperately.

It's a real shame as the OS is solid underneath, I installed it on an old e5200 dual core and was running great, boot was fast (even on an ancient 80gb hard drive) and felt nice and snappy.

I'm back on 7 now and will be for the foreseeable future.

Click to expand...

Yeah the OS underneath is great. A few new neat features, it works faster and looks cleaner. If it wasnt for Metro I would be thinking woah, they can improve windows 7! But they have hashed together a monster!

Ive managed to figure out Linux unity, Gnome 3 and OSX and have used each for many weeks. I wasn't a fan of them so went back to windows 7. Windows 8 though is just so un-user friendly and all over the place it beggars belief! The guy in the office who never has a bad thing to say about Windows and hates everything mac/Linux was raging when he tried it just trying to configure wireless settings haha. Not sure how the average end-user is meant to move away from the traditional desktop.

You can also get it from here:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows-8/release-preview

The upgrade assistant has said "The touchscreen on this PC wasn't designed for Windows 8" during the compatibility check. I'm using a Build Slate. Very amusing!

Download on it's way.

I'm going to give this a try on another hard drive later and see if I can get my flight sims and addons to work (FSX and X-Plane 9). Has anyone tried any of the popular games on Win 8 yet? If so, how do they run?

Use Flashget or a download manager as their servers seem to be taking a battering.

Is it fully functional or buggy as ****?

Awful as an desktop OS, sticking with W7.

The previous one took a few minutes to install this one is really taking it's time.

The Release Preview now works with UK based MS Accounts

Seems ok once you get back to the proper desktop

Ok couldn't be doing without the start menu so I've installed start8 again to give me the button I want not some hidden thing.

Uninstalled all the junk add on applications in metro, Tried to clean the metro screen up a little, No where near as organised as I can get it on previous Windows. Just missing aero now everything looks flat & not very nice compared to the last build :/

Are there any significant interface changes from the previous preview? I'm not exactly on a fast connection and I was left rather disappointed by the last one...

Well I'm quite impressed. Stuck it on an oldish laptop and the thing is FAST. Admittedly, it's a brand new install but still.

Although I feel totally computer illerate once again. I can't even work how you switch the computer off from the Metro menu. And all the things they do with swooshing screens about left, right and centre? Well you can forget that.

will all my steam games run the same or faster than with windows 7? I have pretty much everything so need a stable gaming OS. Is this for me?

Mattey1 said:

Ok couldn't be doing without the start menu so I've installed start8 again to give me the button I want not some hidden thing.

Uninstalled all the junk add on applications in metro, Tried to clean the metro screen up a little, No where near as organised as I can get it on previous Windows. Just missing aero now everything looks flat & not very nice compared to the last build :/

Click to expand...

What build are you running? Aero is still in the Release Preview, but is slated to be dropped from the final release.

Also I think I read somewhere that MS are making changes to prevent the "fixes" to allow start button/menus - but I guess that will just be a temporary inconvenience until another way is found