Windows 8 Consumer Preview Thread

Initial thoughts - nobody in the corporate environment is going to take the Metro interface.
The Ribbon in Office was an easy sell - go and sit down with it for an hour and I dare you to come back and tell me it isn't a better interface. Only 1% of people dared!

Metro on the other hand, I cannot see this being a sell at all. I'm assuming that there is/will be some way of disabling Metro more or less entirely and having a more familiar interface (Haven't had chance to explore that option yet)?

Metro great for the tablet, not for the desktop.
 
some handy keyboard shortcuts stolen from here...

Windows Key → [Search Term] → Enter will allow you to launch an application very quickly. Pressing the Windows key launches the Start Screen, but immediately typing a search term for an application and pressing Enter will launch the application you desire very quickly

Windows Key + F will bring up the Metro interface to search for files. Selecting a file will open a Metro app first, but if there is no Metro app to open the file it will choose a Desktop app instead

Windows Key + W allows you to search for settings in a similar way to files. A lot of the time the selections will open the Control Panel

Esc (when on the Start Screen) or Windows Key + D immediately ditches the Start Screen for the Desktop

Windows Key + E opens Windows Explorer in case you need to browse files and either don't have it pinned to the taskbar or don't want to search for it

Windows Key + C shows the Charm Bar, which can be hard to get to display with a mouse (especially with multiple monitors)

Windows Key + I shows the information pane that usually only appears once you mouse to the Charm Bar and click Settings. This panel has handy buttons to control volume, networks and power

Windows Key + P shows multi-display options

Windows Key + H brings up sharing options for the application you are using

Windows Key + X shows a context menu filled with links to Windows related settings, such as Command Prompt, Event Viewer, Task Manager, Programs & Features, and more

Windows Key + . chucks the program you're using into either one of Windows 8's multi-tasking sidebars

Windows Key + [1-9] activates one of the programs pinned to your taskbar, with the number you enter corresponding to the location on the taskbar

Windows Key + Tab displays the new Windows 8 Metro multi-tasking sidebar
Click to expand...
 
I've gone back to windows 7, too many problems

proxifier doesnt work.
quake live doesnt work
firefox keeps crashing.
unable to tweak registry to get never combine, hide labels option.
Takes longer to get in to windows, due to OS choice screen and annoying double step login process with silly screen move feature.

It appears that win 8 is just as rough on harddrives as windows 7. I could hear it indexing my harddrives when it realy shouldn't be doing anything. Activity on randoms hds at random times.

positives, my windows 7 esi maya 44 soundcard drivers worked. Audio and video works. Explorer has been improved, task manager improved.

The metro screen is pointless, all the new apps suck, the media player ones all require libraries and indexing and they want you to have an online account so that they have access to all your videos and mp3s?
 
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now that i've removed all metro apps/redundant shortcuts from my start screen, i'm much happier. no problems with any of my usual apps or games so far (apart from having to re-validate my portal2 games cache - it did crash on the first launch)

groen said:
they want you to have an online account so that they have access to all your videos and mp3s?
Click to expand...

tinfoil hats at the ready. :eek:
 
I am not sure if I like it, sure it looks great. I love the metro style on my Xbox and on my HCT Windows 7 phone but for my PC I am not so sure. Maybe I need to give it some more time but I am not sure I want to. I normally always go with my gut instinct so I think ill be going back to windows 7 at some point today. No doubt there will be various versions of Windows 8??? So I am guessing the price structure will be similar to that of the previous editions of Windows? Either way ill probably hold on to Windows 7 for as long as I possibly can. Better the devil you know and all that. I understand this is by no means the finished product but the fundamentals are there and I am afraid its these that are putting me off. Maybe ill just wait until its finished and have another poke around.
 
You can make a local account but basically can't use any of the apps with it..


Right clicking on the start preview finds some hidden things

oWVBxC.png
 
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One thing that is really starting to annoy me is when people send me links to view web pages it doesn't matter if Chrome is my default browser it still insists on using IE which I hate the look of & refuse to use.

[EDIT]
Ok figured it out already

Control panel > Internet Options > Programs tab > Set programs > set your default programs

No more intrusive IE :D
 
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Murray said:
You can make a local account but basically can't use any of the apps with it..


Right clicking on the start preview finds some hidden things

oWVBxC.png
Click to expand...

I joined my Win8 laptop to a domain, and logged on wit the domain administrator account and had no access to the apps on that either (with the same message about a local admin account..)
 
As soon as you have installed it, don't forget to check for Windows updates, as apparently there are some already, which are almost essential if you are using a tablet.

One thing I am not clear about though is emails... can a POP3 account be set up, and if so where?

Presumably MS Office 2010 will run OK, so I suppose there is always the option of using Outlook?
 
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