Windows 8 Consumer Preview Thread

After removing the blocks 8 ssd from my pc, the same day i installed blocks 8. It left this ugly blue broken boot menu that forced me to press f9 every time i started up my pc in order to boot windows 7. I googled and found this software called easybcd that allows you to edit and fix the mbr in windows. I tried doing this in windows 7 and removed the windows 8 option and fixed the mbr and reinstall windows 7 boot. But you probably guessed it by now it has broken my boot sequence and i am unable to get in to windows 7. It won't even allow me go in to safe mode or anything else, it demands a recovery cd.

Thought id let people know that try and remove the OS. What a waste of my time, like i don't have better things to do than try and fix my windows 7 mbr.

short story, blocks 8 broke my windows 7 mbr.
 
ChileanLlama said:
There's a significant different between Metro Apps and Metro Start Screen.

I'm not even trying to defend anything, asking a genuine question, as clearly a lot of debate seems to stem from how people use Windows, which is no doubt a factor in how people feel towards the new OS.

I agree Metro Apps are worthless at present on a server. Never said otherwise or even made reference to them, but the Metro Start Screen is just a full screen Start Menu, where you can pin what you like to it, group items etc. It's not as though you can interact with anything else with the traditional start menu, so looks aside, how is it significantly different?
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Basically because hitting Start on Windows 7 gives you a prompt (i.e. a run box) where by I can enter a multitude of things.

I use it to gain $ access to drives, compmgmt.msc, diskmgmt.msc, dsa.msc, dhcp.msc, inetmgr.msc, etc.

All with one hit of the start button and typing the command. I know there are ways around it - but if I hit start on Windows 8 I just flip between Metro and a semi-functional Desktop. To get the full list of apps I have to mess around in Metro before I can actually use them.

If people have to release hacks (such as the start menu hack) for it to be more functional then I can't see the point of using it. I use the Windows key all of the time and for it to flip back and forth is really annoying.

It's like a Windows user being given Linux or OSx to use for the first time it's that un-functional for me. I know every version prior to v8 inside out but Windows 8 is so hard to use and unfunctional compared to every other version.

It's going to be interesting with what they do on release and the sales numbers they get on actual PC's rather than phones, etc.



M.
 
You could always press windows key and R which i think still brings up RUN prompt.

Can anyone offer any advice on fixing my annoying boot problem if A: I don't have a dvd or cd drive and B: I don't have windows cd or windows usb?

Is it even possible ? I am at work though, so i could make boot usbs and other things like that from my work pc. Know any free boot cds (for usbs) with windows 7 fix boot support ?
 
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willhub said:
As much as I'm liking the Metro start menu, it's just a gimmick and it's wearing off.
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I am not as much a fan as many on Metro but I dislike the unmodifiable tiles that get placed when one installs a program. Broadly, I think it looks ugly and full screen apps, while fine on a tablet are just silly on a 24" wide screen. I think Metro is not so much a gimmick as a way to persuade us to buy Windows tablets. as such, i suspect it will be a failure.

It is odd that Apple can create two operating systems - one for desktop and one for tablets - and it is apparently Apple that is targeted with Windows 8. it almost make one wonder if a move to Apple might be a good idea!
 
groen said:
After removing the blocks 8 ssd from my pc, the same day i installed blocks 8. It left this ugly blue broken boot menu that forced me to press f9 every time i started up my pc in order to boot windows 7. I googled and found this software called easybcd that allows you to edit and fix the mbr in windows. I tried doing this in windows 7 and removed the windows 8 option and fixed the mbr and reinstall windows 7 boot. But you probably guessed it by now it has broken my boot sequence and i am unable to get in to windows 7. It won't even allow me go in to safe mode or anything else, it demands a recovery cd.

Thought id let people know that try and remove the OS. What a waste of my time, like i don't have better things to do than try and fix my windows 7 mbr.

short story, blocks 8 broke my windows 7 mbr.
Click to expand...

It broke my windows 7, which is why I'm using 8.
 
prescott28 said:
I am not as much a fan as many on Metro but I dislike the unmodifiable tiles that get placed when one installs a program. Broadly, I think it looks ugly and full screen apps, while fine on a tablet are just silly on a 24" wide screen. I think Metro is not so much a gimmick as a way to persuade us to buy Windows tablets. as such, i suspect it will be a failure.

It is odd that Apple can create two operating systems - one for desktop and one for tablets - and it is apparently Apple that is targeted with Windows 8. it almost make one wonder if a move to Apple might be a good idea!
Click to expand...

Yeah that annoys me, you install a program and you've got an ugly tile with a tiny icon on it and some text and no option to change the image or why it can't just have a large image by default I don't know.

The use of Metro for searching, opening apps is much slower so in a way productivity seems potentially reduced with Metro.
 
Ok apologies if this has come up before but I'm gonna ask in case I'm not seeing the wood for the trees.

In Win8 when I'm doing a search for FILES (not apps or settings), there is no context menu for what you want to do with the search results. You basically just have the option to open it. In Win7 I could just winkey+search terms and then right-click open file location. This was handy for file management e.g. moving files to USB sticks etc. without having to know exactly where the original was on disk.

They really need to add this functionality back otherwise they've just completely nerfed the search for me. Or am I missing something? I know I can run a search through Explorer but it's not quite the same.
 
m4cc45 said:
Basically because hitting Start on Windows 7 gives you a prompt (i.e. a run box) where by I can enter a multitude of things.

I use it to gain $ access to drives, compmgmt.msc, diskmgmt.msc, dsa.msc, dhcp.msc, inetmgr.msc, etc.

All with one hit of the start button and typing the command. I know there are ways around it - but if I hit start on Windows 8 I just flip between Metro and a semi-functional Desktop. To get the full list of apps I have to mess around in Metro before I can actually use them.

If people have to release hacks (such as the start menu hack) for it to be more functional then I can't see the point of using it. I use the Windows key all of the time and for it to flip back and forth is really annoying.

It's like a Windows user being given Linux or OSx to use for the first time it's that un-functional for me. I know every version prior to v8 inside out but Windows 8 is so hard to use and unfunctional compared to every other version.

It's going to be interesting with what they do on release and the sales numbers they get on actual PC's rather than phones, etc.



M.
Click to expand...

Hi M,

START/WINKEY+R = the RUN prompt, as before or you can also pin the RUN command to the Metro Start Screen itself (I think it was a Start Menu Option on Windows 7 and not shown by default).

It's also on the WIN+X or Right Click Bottom Left Menu (which also contains some of the other items you use). I'm also thinking there must be a way to configure/customise this, but not having much success so far.

So you can pretty much replicate what you have on older versions, with a new option as well. Then it comes down to whether you like or disklike the metro full screen.
 
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theheyes said:
Ok apologies if this has come up before but I'm gonna ask in case I'm not seeing the wood for the trees.

In Win8 when I'm doing a search for FILES (not apps or settings), there is no context menu for what you want to do with the search results. You basically just have the option to open it. In Win7 I could just winkey+search terms and then right-click open file location. This was handy for file management e.g. moving files to USB sticks etc. without having to know exactly where the original was on disk.

They really need to add this functionality back otherwise they've just completely nerfed the search for me. Or am I missing something? I know I can run a search through Explorer but it's not quite the same.
Click to expand...

That is disappointing. Not something I use very much, but if there is a way to do it - it's not straightforward.
 
prescott28 said:
I rather think you are trying defend the undefenable. it is obviously the case that Metro apps are not going to be much use on a server. You are showing how to get round Metro, which is indeed possible, but the real answer is that Metro should not be included with a server OS - unless anyone knows a business where the IT department sits about using apps such a Metro apps on the actual servers.
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Limited imagination. Theres nothing stopping app developers from making powerful server specific metro apps. This isn't a cut down OS like iOS or Android that cant do much. Another thing server admins can do is remotely connect to servers using a tablet, and manage the servers from there using the touch UI. Servers rooms can be massive and carrying a tablet around on the go could really help.
 
ChileanLlama said:
That is disappointing. Not something I use very much, but if there is a way to do it - it's not straightforward.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's pretty annoying. I like Win8 but I think there is some way to go on the desktop - and that's understandable. The problem is Microsoft are close to being a bit pig headed about the "consumer preview" and not giving us an easy way to provide feedback. I've tried going via the msdn site to submit the suggestion but gave up, I might try again tomorrow.

Yet the app previews that are clearly there to populate the start screen have their own feedback button(!)
 
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