Windows 8 First Impressions

Hey bombers, Windows 8 launches today and was interested in your guys' first impressions on the latest Microsoft OS.

I actually like what I've seen of it. I'm going to upgrade at some point, but I'm not sure if I should do a clean install (I'd like to), but I'm not sure how to save all of this data and steam games and stuff... I'll look into it.

I've been using it for about a month. It works. The workflow I use is pretty much the same. I only needed to learn a couple of commands that make life easier not having a touch screen. Since the interface relies on some touch stuff. But other than that I have a 3 second boot time. Which is worth it for the work it took to understand the new windows. (Roughly a day) Also, to note this was a fresh install. I really like the Windows Start stuff even though it is slightly buggy and there are some usability issues I've had with it. The most important thing about the new windows is the task manager got updated to something that doesn't suck. It is way more detailed and descriptive. You don't really have to google processes anymore to understand what they are.

I should also mention. I'm not a social media guy so I haven't messed with any of the sharing features or any of the built in social crap.

Finally, It seems that most things are within a maximum of 3 clicks away based on how it is designed. Which with windows 7 seemed roughly the same. I also really like playing solitaire on the right side of the screen and having the desktop on the same screen. It is really cool for some reason.

Oh and for some reason the dual screen stuff is really cool. Not sure if they have showed that stuff off in video but having the table interface on my tv and the desktop on my monitor is quite nifty. Furthermore, windows 8 provides an all in one antivirus firewall spyware solution and some other interesting thing that is escaping me now.

Ive been using it since dev preview (even though im no dev). Pretty good for fast app launching. universal search is pretty cool (Win+Q). And also xbox achievements too. I will eventually get a windows 8 tablet cant decided to get Surface RT or Pro. Got it for $15 cause i bought a laptop a few months ago.

Upgraded last night. If you have the cash, there is no reason not to upgrade it seems. It's Windows 7 with a new skin (that you can change) and it runs faster.

I've been using it for months. It's a snappier, smarter Windows 7, and cheap as hell. If you don't delve into explorer or use Task Manager often, and you don't have a place in your life for what is essentially rainmeter, it's not a needed upgrade, but nor is it the evil thing many seem to want to make it out to be.

Also, the multi-monitor stuff is great. Arguably my favorite new feature.

I'll be getting it here soon because of the whole $40 thing.

Only got my OEM disc about two hours ago, so the only thing I can say is that the installation process was quick and frustration-free. Was up and running in less than half an hour.

My current impression is that fucker takes fer'looong to Download...

So do you guys like the metro interface or did you disable it?

Only hiccup was installing the latest *beta* drivers from Nvidia which left me with an infinite loop of driver crashes/restarts before I could even log into the OS. Temporarily using integrated graphics and downgrading the drivers to the latest stable is just fine.

I like it. A lot more than I thought I would, and a lot more than I did from the early goings of the developer preview. I recognize it as a necessarily clunky mash-up of the old OS Microsoft is stuck supporting and the new one they're working on to keep up with the times, but since I like the Metro style UI so much I'm willing to put up with it so that this transition can actually happen. It'll work a lot better when all apps support it. A Mero style integration of Steam would really make my day. Too bad Gabe is so hostile to the marketplace.

ooo sounds like some good reviews so far. i am still using xp, need a new computer. people should post some pictures of it.

I've been using the consumer preview for a few weeks now. If nothing else, that fucker boots quicker than pretty much any other desktop OS I've ever seen.

Anyway, I can't seem to get some games to work with it. It's not a big deal at the moment because I've got a whole lot on my hands and most things work just fine, but Crysis Warhead simply doesn't want to start, Bastion stops working as soon as it starts, and GFWL games don't work either (surprise on that last one). In addition to that, D3DOverrider doesn't seem to want to work for me and every time I install a new game, I have to go into its DirectX folder, find a dll or two, and copy it to the root folder of that game. I must stress that once a game is running, I have no issues. No crashes, no odd slowdown, nothing to hamper the game once it's running, and generally making it run isn't an issue either once I've quickly snagged those .dll's.

And yes, I've tried reinstalling drivers, installing DirectX, all of that fancy stuff, and none of it solves the .dll issue, but that one doesn't bother me as much as the ones that simply don't work for other reasons.

Beyond those few games that don't work, everything else seems great. It's quick, it's snappy, it's pretty intuitive. That Start screen or whatever you want to call it is handy for keeping your desktop clear and it's nice to have things completely separate from my desktop. I wish there was an easier way to close Apps - they don't take up much but I like to keep anything I'm not using off. As for my problems with a handful of games, I'll find a fix and/or wait for them to get fixed somehow, I've got so many other things I need to play that Batman, Bastion, and Crysis Warhead can wait.

I love it. Everything about it is equal or better than Windows 7, except from some minor annoyances I was able to overcome pretty quickly. I still don't know how I finally managed to pin the desktop version of Chrome to the Start screen without it disappearing after a while.

PS: Jetpack Joyride completely free with Live Achievements. Mine-fucking-sweeper with Live Achievements.

I used it, and no. As a gamer it does absolutely nothing for me. Since I don't use a touchscreen it does absolutely nothing for me. The thing boots quick, but my current gaming rig boots in under 12 seconds...so...yeah. Windows 8 will be the side OS. A new Windows will come out within 2-3 years, with Windows 7 still being dominant except in the tablet space.

@believer258 said:

I've been using the consumer preview for a few weeks now. If nothing else, that fucker boots quicker than pretty much any other desktop OS I've ever seen.

Anyway, I can't seem to get some games to work with it. It's not a big deal at the moment because I've got a whole lot on my hands and most things work just fine, but Crysis Warhead simply doesn't want to start, Bastion stops working as soon as it starts, and GFWL games don't work either (surprise on that last one). In addition to that, D3DOverrider doesn't seem to want to work for me and every time I install a new game, I have to go into its DirectX folder, find a dll or two, and copy it to the root folder of that game. I must stress that once a game is running, I have no issues. No crashes, no odd slowdown, nothing to hamper the game once it's running, and generally making it run isn't an issue either once I've quickly snagged those .dll's.

And yes, I've tried reinstalling drivers, installing DirectX, all of that fancy stuff, and none of it solves the .dll issue, but that one doesn't bother me as much as the ones that simply don't work for other reasons.

Beyond those few games that don't work, everything else seems great. It's quick, it's snappy, it's pretty intuitive. That Start screen or whatever you want to call it is handy for keeping your desktop clear and it's nice to have things completely separate from my desktop. I wish there was an easier way to close Apps - they don't take up much but I like to keep anything I'm not using off. As for my problems with a handful of games, I'll find a fix and/or wait for them to get fixed somehow, I've got so many other things I need to play that Batman, Bastion, and Crysis Warhead can wait.

How about the first Crysis game? I've been going through that and I would be sad if I had to wait for proper patches to come out for everything to be fine again.

@Colourful_Hippie said:

@believer258 said:

I've been using the consumer preview for a few weeks now. If nothing else, that fucker boots quicker than pretty much any other desktop OS I've ever seen.

Anyway, I can't seem to get some games to work with it. It's not a big deal at the moment because I've got a whole lot on my hands and most things work just fine, but Crysis Warhead simply doesn't want to start, Bastion stops working as soon as it starts, and GFWL games don't work either (surprise on that last one). In addition to that, D3DOverrider doesn't seem to want to work for me and every time I install a new game, I have to go into its DirectX folder, find a dll or two, and copy it to the root folder of that game. I must stress that once a game is running, I have no issues. No crashes, no odd slowdown, nothing to hamper the game once it's running, and generally making it run isn't an issue either once I've quickly snagged those .dll's.

And yes, I've tried reinstalling drivers, installing DirectX, all of that fancy stuff, and none of it solves the .dll issue, but that one doesn't bother me as much as the ones that simply don't work for other reasons.

Beyond those few games that don't work, everything else seems great. It's quick, it's snappy, it's pretty intuitive. That Start screen or whatever you want to call it is handy for keeping your desktop clear and it's nice to have things completely separate from my desktop. I wish there was an easier way to close Apps - they don't take up much but I like to keep anything I'm not using off. As for my problems with a handful of games, I'll find a fix and/or wait for them to get fixed somehow, I've got so many other things I need to play that Batman, Bastion, and Crysis Warhead can wait.

How about the first Crysis game? I've been going through that and I would be sad if I had to wait for proper patches to come out for everything to be fine again.

I don't have it installed. I need to lay off the downloading and start finishing what I've already got installed.

@emem: As far as I know there is no official way to disable it. Regardless, it only takes one click to get to the desktop, then I don't see it for days.

It is windows 7 with slightly faster boot times and a tablet interface. There are a few other things but it is all aimed at tablets and touch products, or dual monitors. Yes you can make changes to said interface. Also live achievements... yeah, going to try real hard to care about that. I will likely fail though.

Personally it isn't worth the money to me. It would only shave 3-5 seconds off my boot times I am already getting (hardly a big deal), I despise the tablet interface, have no touch monitor, and don't dual monitor. So other than boot times it does absolutely nothing I care about. If you are on XP or something still (why?) sure go ahead and upgrade. If you love tablet interface or have a touch monitor, sure go ahead and upgrade. But if you have 7, are satisfied with it, and don't have any of the things you would need to take advantage of the "perks" I don't really see any pressing reason to switch.

Highly recommend Start 8 - restores customisable traditional start menu

The UI does look great for tablets, especially the split pane system (though I kind of wish it was even more flexible). I already picked up an iPad, a Nexus 7, an Ubuntu laptop and an Ubuntu desktop this year, so unfortunately I don't have the tech budget or time to use another personal electronics device. I only use Windows on my desktop for games these days anyway, so I'm going to wait for an obvious gaming benefit before I commit.

I'll be picking up a copy to virtualize at work so I can at least test the new browser capabilities and keep tabs on what the state of the store looks like.

Copying files over a network can now be paused and restarted, and it's much faster. (Just copied 500gb ish to my NAS, and it's very noticeable)

New task manager is great, the built-in hypervisor is pretty cool (I use vmware or virtualbox on my workstation but on my laptop I hardly ever run more than one VM so it does the job)

It's basically a slightly better (considerably better in some areas), faster and lighter upgrade for almost free, so I'm in the process of doing all my computers running windows right now.

Don't see any reason not to.

@rickyyo said:

Oh and for some reason the dual screen stuff is really cool. Not sure if they have showed that stuff off in video but having the table interface on my tv and the desktop on my monitor is quite nifty. Furthermore, windows 8 provides an all in one antivirus firewall spyware solution and some other interesting thing that is escaping me now.

To me, if this was best in class, it would justify the price tag a little more.... so to speak. This is something Microsoft have failed to deliver on. Bringing a package that does it all and to a very high standard. Keeping it simple for the consumer

The

I am download it right now, got it free from school. I hope the download gives me the option to install to USB so I can do a clean install on my primary. If not I think ill re install Win7 and then upgrade that to 8, my computer needs a good purge from all the crap I have installed on it over the years.

EDIT: Good news everybody, The install does allow you to create a .iso file. I though it wouldn't because the website said it was Windows 8 Upgrade.

It's hard to learn all of the New changes, and I am not going to lie, I used about 3 minutes to figure out how to restart the machine. After a bit of testing and going through installations & drivers it felt a bit better, but I think it will take some time for me to adapt properly. As far as the design, performance & overall responsiveness of the operatingsystem I think it's great. The startup takes 8 Seconds for me to boot, and the Dashboard & start menu feels dynamic. And it's fantastic to have Internet Explorer work properly With Giant Bomb. Finally I can see my experience bar, the log-in key animation et cetera. And for some reason when writing this I get corrected for any typing mistakes, though it shows red underline on almost everything because it's not set to English. It's also worth mentioning that some programs & applications are not compatible, or if they are it's most likely done through an update.

I wanted to upgrade because it was part of a deal With my PC purchase, but I personally like having things updated, and a New operatingsystem usually means better Security too. Through time & updates I think this will do just fine. If I would describe my first impression it would be: "Baby steps, you will fall, but there will always be someone there to help you up."

I'm very interested, I ran the Application Compatibility test, it started to take me through the upgrade process but it got to a step where it asked me what I wanted to keep and the only option was "Nothing" I'm unclear as to whether it's going to wipe my entire account or what. If I only need to relink my Steam account on my E: drive with the new Windows 8 install on my C: I don't really care but if that's going to be a big pain in the butt, if it doesn't automatically link back up with Steam, I don't know...

I just bought an OEM disk of Windows 7 a few months ago. Does that qualify me for some promotional thing or is it just for buying a whole new PC?

@crusader8463 said:

I just bought an OEM disk of Windows 7 a few months ago. Does that qualify me for some promotional thing or is it just for buying a whole new PC?

Try this http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/upgrade-offer

I finally installed everything and I do like it so far. I noticed that all my drivers are installed and such on this clean install. Still need to download GPU drivers but is there any reason to install the Intel chipset drivers. I don't know exactly what they do, but I remember Tested.com Will Smith saying you should install them after a clean install. I don't know if I should since everything is working out fine in the Device Manager.

Upgrading once I've transferred everything important to an external hard drive when I get back. After 2 years of Windows 7 and no clean install, it's getting a bit slow.

Eh, Windows 7's more than fine for my gaming needs and it's on an SSD so it boots plenty quick enough as it is. If I'm doing non-game related stuff I'll continue to use Ubuntu.

I personally upgraded for the App Store. I have an iPad and have gotten very used to having individual apps for the things I regularly do. A lot of reviews have taken points off for not having a huge app library which is a legitimate concern but Windows 8 is going to sell hundreds of millions of copies. Developers would be leaving money on the table if they didn't develop programs for the Windows Marketplace, especially considering that the code base is also shared with Windows Phone 8 making it even easier to sell your app to multiple markets.

Also, I don't really enjoy playing games on my iPad. I'd prefer some of these simple games that the iPad offers to be on my PC. Infinity Blade Dungeons on Windows 8? Here's my money, which by the way, Microsoft already has access to through my live account....sneaky bastards!

Edited out comment about trials, was sure I saw them earlier.

nah, it's windows 7 for me for at least another 2 years or so, no reason at all to "upgrade" since I'm running a PC not a fucking tablet.

I will say this as a word of advice: you cannot do a clean install using the upgrade code. You have to literally have a previous version of windows to overwrite, not just to buy it. Otherwise I really like all the features and my boot times are really fast. Keep in mind this is an upgrade from Vista for me so I love it. Haven't even got into the multi monitor stuff which is an everyday thing for me. For those upgrading but wanting it to just be a clean install, use the disk manager to erase old windows files which are unable to be deleted directly without convoluted permission changes.

@zebwinz said:

I personally upgraded for the App Store. I have an iPad and have gotten very used to having individual apps for the things I regularly do. A lot of reviews have taken points off for not having a huge app library which is a legitimate concern but Windows 8 is going to sell hundreds of millions of copies. Developers would be leaving money on the table if they didn't develop programs for the Windows Marketplace, especially considering that the code base is also shared with Windows Phone 8 making it even easier to sell your app to multiple markets. I also like the ability to have trials for apps and games. You don't have to search for a separate lite version...you just click try. 98% of the games (not an actual statistic) have had trial versions, which frankly, every PC game should have. Note to Valve - I would buy way more games on PC is you required trial versions of all games on the Steam store. Also, I don't really enjoy playing games on my iPad. I'd prefer some of these simple games that the iPad offers to be on my PC. Infinity Blade Dungeons on Windows 8? Here's my money, which by the way, Microsoft already has access to through my live account....sneaky bastards!

Why are you comparing the App Store of an iPad to that of a desktop or laptop machine? If you want apps you can Google around for them on a real computer, why on earth you didn't just do that before seems a bit strange to me. You make it sound like you can't get access to additional applications without the Windows 8 App Store which is crazy and false. I don't know why you upgraded for that, yeah it will theoretically be easier to find apps because of the store (once it gets populated, so prepare for a long wait), I guarantee you'll be missing out on a lot of great applications that don't end up on the store. (I believe there's a fee to get on there, or maybe I'm wrong)

As for the games not having demos thing, well I don't know why you are looking at Valve, why should a PC developer who happen to run a digital distribution store force developers into having demos? A lot of PS3 and 360 games don't have demos until long after release.

The code isn't shared between Windows Phone either because you are using Windows 8, not Windows RT. x86 apps will still only run on x86 hardware. You're not going to see the exact Windows version of Chrome run on a phone with WP8. (or replace Chrome with something that's on the app store) Windows RT apps should be able to function on both phones with WP8 and tablets using RT, likely in the same way iPad and iPhone apps work, you buy one and it installs the appropriate version depending on the device.

People are getting confused between Windows RT (ARM - tablets) and Windows 8 (x86 - desktops, laptops, Surface Pro) already. You can't download Chrome for Windows and use it on RT, just like how you can't use the Windows RT version of Office on a PC running Windows 8. You need the appropriate versions, that's why Windows RT is going to suck for a while on the app front. Android still isn't great regarding apps for tablets, I do wonder if Windows RT will fare any better, Windows Phone is still way behind on app support.

Is it truly faster? I am surprised by this. My rule is to wait for the first service pack on all Windows releases... but I am always a sucker for faster operating systems...

@Sooty:

http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/20/windows-phone-8-and-windows-8-share-lots-of-code-nt-kernel/

I didn't mean to imply that programs were cross compatible, only that porting an app would be much easier because of shared code.

I didn't only purchase Windows 8 because of the app store- 30 posts ahead of me already mentioned a lot of other positive reasons that I agree with, but the App Store is the place where it has the most potential. I love live tiles and how they show new information without ever launching an app, or having to open a browser and go to a web page. I like having a clean, simple app like the one for eBay or the Giant Bomb app. It's quick and easy - two things important to me because I don't often have time to sit in front of the computer.

I don't enjoy most touch based control schemes so having similar, cheap games available on the PC with mouse/controller support, seems nice to me. So faster boot times, built in anti-virus, quick and easy access to information when I need it, and simple, fun games tied into my existing gamertag/friends - which is all in addition to the things I can already do on a PC - seems like a no-brainer for 40 bucks.

I did edit out the demo version part of my previous comment, I could've swore those were there in the Consumer Preview but I mustve been thinking about my Windows Phone. Probably a separate discussion but I think trials would really help in game sales on PC. One of the chief reasons that pirates say they steal games is because they wanted to try them out (not sure if I believe that reason is true). Yes most Xbox games don't have demos but ALL Xbox Live Arcade Games do. I own too many Arcade games to count at this point because I've downloaded the demo, enjoyed the game and then bought it. I brought up Steam because to me, mostly console but would like to play more PC guy, I can never tell if the smaller indie games on the service are any good. Steam can put a game on sale at a huge discount, pushing it to number one on their top sellers. That gives me no indication of the quality and even though I listen to several gaming podcasts (of which there are less and less all the time), it always seems that game journos have a caveat about an indie game's quality. "So and so Game is really great and inventive but......", you know, comments like that. Give me a timed trial, something that doesn't involve needing half the development team to spend weeks of time creating a vertical slice, and let me judge whether its worth my time and money.

I thought the Windows Marketplace would have these trials, but I guess I was daydreaming. Oh well, Adventure mode in Minesweeper is pretty damn fun, especially for free (Ads only seem to play during the daily challenges, not Adventure mode like was mentioned on the Bombcast.)

In case I don't like Windows 8, is there a way to downgrade back to Windows 7? That's my biggest concern to jumping boats (well, aside from a bunch of software being borked).

@wilsouk said:

Highly recommend Start 8 - restores customisable traditional start menu

Start8 costs money. Just get Classic Shell. google classic shell windows 7 skin. It has cascading menus, but at least you aren't paying for something that was in Win7.

@BaconGames said:

I will say this as a word of advice: you cannot do a clean install using the upgrade code. You have to literally have a previous version of windows to overwrite, not just to buy it. Otherwise I really like all the features and my boot times are really fast. Keep in mind this is an upgrade from Vista for me so I love it. Haven't even got into the multi monitor stuff which is an everyday thing for me. For those upgrading but wanting it to just be a clean install, use the disk manager to erase old windows files which are unable to be deleted directly without convoluted permission changes.

Wrong. Buy the upgrade edition via the upgrade advisor, and it asks you if you wanna burn it to usb. Do so, boot from it, and install however/whereever you want.

I won't be downloading or otherwise buying Windows 8 until Service Pack 1 comes out.

Can't boot from CD's in a lot of cases in UEFI Bios on which is most current windows 8 machines.

But restore is built into the OS instead of outside manufacturer stuff.

Cant transfer files from a hard drive with win 8 installed using win 7, which is bull.

and sad face of death is very annoying.

But other than that. its probably really good on arm machines. But x86 is not good. no idea how i feel about the whole ui. expect for shutting down is a bitch.

@Riotisonfire said:

Can't boot from CD's in a lot of cases in UEFI Bios on which is most current windows 8 machines.

But restore is built into the OS instead of outside manufacturer stuff.

Cant transfer files from a hard drive with win 8 installed using win 7, which is bull.

and sad face of death is very annoying.

But other than that. its probably really good on arm machines. But x86 is not good. no idea how i feel about the whole ui. expect for shutting down is a bitch.

The RTM didn't have a sad face. They added that just for the final release, damn it -_-.

@BaconGames said:

I will say this as a word of advice: you cannot do a clean install using the upgrade code. You have to literally have a previous version of windows to overwrite, not just to buy it. Otherwise I really like all the features and my boot times are really fast. Keep in mind this is an upgrade from Vista for me so I love it. Haven't even got into the multi monitor stuff which is an everyday thing for me.

For those upgrading but wanting it to just be a clean install, use the disk manager to erase old windows files which are unable to be deleted directly without convoluted permission changes.

I had Windows 7 and I got the Upgrade installation & key online and I could choose to install it from a medium (Disk or USB). I chose burn to a disk option in the Windows 8 launcher I got, and it created an .iso on a readable disk. I booted the disk before the Windows startup & I went through a custom installation where I deleted all my drives for a clean installation. I am not sure why you say you can't do this, unless it's completely different With Vista, though I don't think it should be.

@Riotisonfire said:

expect for shutting down is a bitch.

1. Create a New Shortcut in your desktop.

2. In the Target line, put: C:\Windows\System32\shutdown.exe -s -t 00

3. Change the icon and ename the shortcut to whatever you want. I chose "Shutdown" for obvious reasons.

4. Put the shortcut somewhere safe (i.e. some folder you know you won't move it, for example, C:\Program Files). You can set it to hidden after pinning it to the Start screen.

5. Profit. Now you have a 1-click shutdown button on your Start screen.

I like what I've seen so far. The desktop screen has gradually becoming more and more pointless, with most people not even using it to keep shortcuts or folders anymore and instead just using a dock or the taskbar for everything, so having the new start screen with quick access to all your apps is much better, even if it's ideally suited to tablets or at least touch screen monitors. As someone who transfers a lot of files through the network too, the improved features there are massively helpful.

If you're already running Windows 7, there's little reason to really upgrade. But the design is definitely a step forward and the accessible price makes it hard to say no to.

I'm loving it so far.. got a free game off the Windows app store too, Judge Dredd Vs Zombies.. fun little game for sure.

I chose to create a USB flash drive image, which also totally booted fine and I ran a clean install over the SSD I had 7 installed to. Not sure why there would be a problem. "Upgrade" versions of Windows have not-so-secretly been able to run as full installs since as far back as I can remember.

@JoeyRavn said:

@Riotisonfire said:

expect for shutting down is a bitch.

1. Create a New Shortcut in your desktop.

2. In the Target line, put: C:\Windows\System32\shutdown.exe -s -t 00

3. Change the icon and ename the shortcut to whatever you want. I chose "Shutdown" for obvious reasons.

4. Put the shortcut somewhere safe (i.e. some folder you know you won't move it, for example, C:\Program Files). You can set it to hidden after pinning it to the Start screen.

5. Profit. Now you have a 1-click shutdown button on your Start screen.

Another alternative is to just press alt + f4 on the desktop to bring up the traditional shut down menu.

For those who have it, how is the performance compared to Windows 7? I have a windows 7 64-bit laptop with a quad-core, 8 GB of ram, and an SSD and am wondering if I would see a significant performance boost by upgrading. I'm not a huge fan of the metro UI but it would be worth the money to me to get the performance boost and the tighter security.

It decreased the boot time of my three year old laptop so much you might think it's running on an SSD, other than that I saw no reason to install it on my desktop. I can certainly see myself adopting it in the future but meh for now.