So the final verdict: to windows 8 or not to windows 8, that is the question

13-01-2013 02:32PM

sentient_6 wrote: »

I'm having problems with firefox too. Something to do with the cache being corrupt apparenty. I have to constantly delete the cache once it reaches anything over about 70mb, because images stop loading properly, in boards for instance the menu up top will stop working with everything cramped to the top left & drop downs like 'my forums' not working. A google reveales loads of people having the same problem.

There's a thread in Site Development where some users with Chrome and Firefox on Windows 8 are experiencing problems with the sticky menu. I'm just surprised that I'm not having this problem.

sentient_6 · 13-01-2013 02:35PM

Karsini wrote: »

There's a thread in Site Development where some users with Chrome and Firefox on Windows 8 are experiencing problems with the sticky menu. I'm just surprised that I'm not having this problem.

Oh right. Well its definately not a boards problem. Its a firefox/windows 8 problem. Other sites won't load right either, especially image heavy ones.

Papa_Bear · 13-01-2013 04:45PM

sentient_6 wrote: »

I'm having problems with firefox too. Something to do with the cache being corrupt apparenty. I have to constantly delete the cache once it reaches anything over about 70mb, because images stop loading properly, in boards for instance the menu up top will stop working with everything cramped to the top left & drop downs like 'my forums' not working. A google reveales loads of people having the same problem.

This is also happenning to me except it seems to resolve itself after a while and then happens again a day or so later.

Karsini, I don't think my version of Win8 is Pro. I've looked in System properties but it doesn't say. It has a Samsung stamp on it as its OEM so I suspect its standard edition. How would I know for sure and if it isn't Pro can one still buy Win7 and how much does it cost?

Papa_Bear · 13-01-2013 09:02PM

Right I've had it with this win8 crap.

Recovery has just obliterated my external hard drive. All my music and video files work stuff etc gone in the blink of an eye.

Recovery said it needed 8G of space to backup with recovery partition included. I had 2 drives labelled e anf f with space available. It also said all data would be deleted so I shrunk the f drive by 9G and formated the new g drive. After closing disk management i ran recovery to backup the system and backup partition.

Then in no time at all I discovered to my horror that recovery had formatted the entire disk even though I had selected the new g drive as the destination for backup. Just as if windows just suddenly decided eh no I don't want 9G i think i'll have the whole disk instead thanks.

I don't suppose it's possible to unformat a disk given it was a quick format?

Zascar · 13-01-2013 09:21PM

Oh god, sorry to hear that, something similar happened to me a while ago. I used http://findandmount.com to fix it. A quick format just deletes the MBR so this can rebuild it.
Let us know how you get on

Papa_Bear · 13-01-2013 11:34PM

Zascar wrote: »

Oh god, sorry to hear that, something similar happened to me a while ago. I used http://findandmount.com to fix it. A quick format just deletes the MBR so this can rebuild it.
Let us know how you get on

Thanks for that Zascar, I'll give it a go but I think it might be too late as the bloody recovery created a new 30G partition and put the system backup on it. So I imagine any 'undelete' software will see old files with bits missing all over the place.

Overheal · 14-01-2013 12:06AM

Papa_Bear wrote: »

Thanks for that Zascar, I'll give it a go but I think it might be too late as the bloody recovery created a new 30G partition and put the system backup on it. So I imagine any 'undelete' software will see old files with bits missing all over the place.

It does specifically ask for a USB flash drive. Using a Hard Drive while I could see the logic in it, was not a designed target. It was always going to try and format whatever device you pointed it at.

You had no other backup of your music? Drives can fail at any time, for a number of reasons, including your backups. I don't dick with photos and music, they're in at least 3 different physical drives at any given point, and I'm still running the risk that they're all located in the same room, should a fire occur (which is why I bought the network backup drive, since in a fire/disaster I can yank that and pretty much have an image from all my PCs).

Papa_Bear · 14-01-2013 12:49AM

I see; well I must have missed that one. I do have another drive with most of the music on it but it is a long time since I synced them so alot of stuff is missing.

The find and mount program that Zascar mentioned has managed to find my old f drive and assign a drive letter but explorer is taking an eternity to copy the files - still only at 4% so I can't see it completing trouble-free.

However if I get my videos and ssome odds and ends back I can live with that.

Thanks for your support

Overheal · 14-01-2013 01:28PM

good luck

14-01-2013 04:36PM

sentient_6 wrote: »

Oh right. Well its definately not a boards problem. Its a firefox/windows 8 problem. Other sites won't load right either, especially image heavy ones.

Do you have a touch screen device? That seems to be the conclusion they're coming to on the Site Development thread.

Overheal · 15-01-2013 05:53AM

The site proper is not really up to touch-friendly status on windows 8 devices, I navigate it with a mouse-equivalent stylus. Scrolling threads is comfortable, but most buttons behave poorly when tapped and the navigation menus are set up for mouse-hover, not tap-and-expand

fenris · 15-01-2013 02:20PM

It is not just boards, the same issue exists with many other sites that display correctly when viewed under win7 but w8 seem to cause a problem, the problem is also not confined to Firefox it also exists on Chrome on w8.

The common factor is w8

15-01-2013 02:24PM

fenris wrote: »

It is not just boards, the same issue exists with many other sites that display correctly when viewed under win7 but w8 seem to cause a problem, the problem is also not confined to Firefox it also exists on Chrome on w8.

The common factor is w8

But do you have a touch screen? I'm trying to work out if that's the common factor.

fenris · 15-01-2013 02:43PM

Nope just a normal laptop (17" Samsung Series 5)

Most sites are okay for a while then get corrupted, but once the problem is encountered the site appears corrupt until the laptop is rebooted.

There are no errors reported the website just appears shagged.

Intermittent drops of the internet connection (wired) when every other device connected has no problem accessing the net, again no problem or error is reported.

To me it points to processes/subsystems failing silently intermittently and restarting sometimes not successfully. The lack of event or error messages is very shoddy.

18-01-2013 11:36PM

Just a note if someone is having a similar issue.

I noticed that after installing Windows 8 on my desktop I couldn't use Wake on LAN when the machine was off. I use this so I can keep the machine switched off, yet power it on remotely and connect via RDP; saves power and all that.

Turns out that it's due to the fast boot feature. Disabling it brought WOL back. Since I'm using SSDs it doesn't make much of a difference anyway.

T-Bird · 19-01-2013 03:18AM

sentient_6 wrote: »

I'm having problems with firefox too. Something to do with the cache being corrupt apparenty. I have to constantly delete the cache once it reaches anything over about 70mb, because images stop loading properly, in boards for instance the menu up top will stop working with everything cramped to the top left & drop downs like 'my forums' not working. A google reveales loads of people having the same problem.

Try Pale Moon Its got the same features as Firefox, but does not update as much.

It seems more stable than Firefox in W8.

Gbear · 19-01-2013 02:37PM

I'm not sure is it just me but has anyone else noticed that the end task function in task manager in W8 doesn't seem to function as well as it did in 7?

sentient_6 · 20-01-2013 05:04PM

thundermuppet wrote: »

Try Pale Moon Its got the same features as Firefox, but does not update as much.

It seems more stable than Firefox in W8.

I....i......i'm using internet explorer at the moment now! :eek:

& whats even worse is its not that bad. I miss speed dial though, i used it heavily in firefox. I'll look at pale moon now.

Update: yes! Thanks for the suggestion, it's working perfect. Being able to import everything from firefox was very handy.

Zascar · 20-01-2013 05:58PM

What I really like about Win 8 is the little touches that have made it more user friendly just doing normal stuff. Copying files you can see the more advanced file transfer details. Plug in a usb or another device and see a much better menu now.

I like the way delete now does not need a confirmation any more before it sends to the recycle bin etc, few other little touches that seems Windows does not baby you as much any more. Annoys me though that when you rename multiple files it calls then "File (2).jpg" etc - not web friendly they should use dashes instead.

20-01-2013 06:12PM

Zascar wrote: »

What I really like about Win 8 is the little touches that have made it more user friendly just doing normal stuff. Copying files you can see the more advanced file transfer details. Plug in a usb or another device and see a much better menu now.

I like the way delete now does not need a confirmation any more before it sends to the recycle bin etc, few other little touches that seems Windows does not baby you as much any more. Annoys me though that when you rename multiple files it calls then "File (2).jpg" etc - not web friendly they should use dashes instead.

I actually don't like that at all. I think it could be quite dangerous. It was one of the first settings I changed.

In fact, I just think Windows 8 is tolerable. I'm using it on my desktop and while I can tolerate it, I don't prefer it. I'd say XP will always be my favourite from a UI perspective.

Zascar · 20-01-2013 07:42PM

Does anyone know how to make Windows Explorer open on a specific drive or directory?

20-01-2013 07:44PM

Zascar wrote: »

Does anyone know how to make Windows Explorer open on a specific drive or directory?

You can make a shortcut. For example.

explorer.exe /n,/e,C:\

DUBLIN_person · 20-01-2013 08:56PM

So I decided to take the Plunge today and install windows 8 on my Laptop which was previously Running windows 7. I decided to do it because I thought I would regret it if it went up on January 31st. I have to say so far I have been pleasantly surprised, sure it takes a bit of getting used to but it seems fast and I quite like the whole ease of use.

I think I will have to use it for a few more days before I can make my Final verdict though.

Dan_Solo · 20-01-2013 09:52PM

Wiped the HD on an old Dell and put on W8. Over a few weeks I did the registry thing to skip the lock screen, installed application to disable the charms which I didn't like, and even got the hang of the Metro screen.
Anyway, eventually a WLAN driver crapped out and no Youtube or download would complete properly, so I canned it and went back to W7. (tiny7 actually in that Dell's case). My conclusion is that the only thing W8 has on W7 is a faster document/app search. I've no other real use for it.

Squeaky the Squirrel · 22-01-2013 12:28AM

Aero for W8

kearneybobs · 22-01-2013 09:53PM

Think I might have to do the upgrade myself. Only installed Win7 for the first time a few months ago. Love it and just bought the upgrade for £14.99. Think I'll back up everything tonight and then install it tomorrow. How reliable have people found the upgrade assistant? Have you had much compatibility/driver issues that weren't outlines in the upgrade assistant etc?
Any recommendations?

Lemon_grass · 23-01-2013 09:55AM

Just reading through the thread, is the general consensus that you don't need a touchscreen for windows 8?

I'm currently using a 4 year old 13" MacBook, but need more screen real estate for writing my thesis, so want a laptop with a bigger screen, but bigger MacBooks are out of my price range. There is a hefty premium attached onto 15" Windows 8 touchscreens, so was hoping to get away with a reasonably nifty laptop for circa €800.

Only worry is that I'd get a shiny new laptop then instantly regret not pushing the boat out and getting a touchscreen. I'm fairly used to using keyboard shortcuts from my Mac days, so learning a few more wouldn't really put me off, as some are suggesting learning these make Windows 8 very intuitive.

cookie1977 · 23-01-2013 09:57AM

Lemon_grass wrote: »

Just reading through the thread, is the general consensus that you don't need a touchscreen for windows 8?

I'm currently using a 4 year old 13" MacBook, but need more screen real estate for writing my thesis, so want a laptop with a bigger screen, but bigger MacBooks are out of my price range. There is a hefty premium attached onto 15" Windows 8 touchscreens, so was hoping to get away with a reasonably nifty laptop for circa €800.

Only worry is that I'd get a shiny new laptop then instantly regret not pushing the boat out and getting a touchscreen. I'm fairly used to using keyboard shortcuts from my Mac days, so learning a few more wouldn't really put me off, as some are suggesting learning these make Windows 8 very intuitive.

I think users will differ on this but I dont have a touchscreen and find windows 8 has improved my productivity.

Overheal · 27-01-2013 05:34AM

oddly, in the last few days I've ended up catching myself using the keyboard less and less frequently. I suppose its a case of my work habit but I just got tired of pulling up the calc through start and put it on the taskbar, and I almost did the same thing with Word about 2 seconds ago until I realized what was happening.

I think this is more a problem of me using my touch devices more this week than my desktop. My brain is having trouble adjusting between keyboard and touch input; I keep looking for things to tap.

timetogo · 29-01-2013 11:22AM

cookie1977 wrote: »

I think users will differ on this but I dont have a touchscreen and find windows 8 has improved my productivity.

I don't have a touchscreen either. Apart from the speed increase in the OS I find it to be pretty similar to Windows 7.

I've played with touchscreen PCs in the shops and it seems pretty slick but having 8 on a non touchscreen PC is no problem. With that said though I use ZERO metro apps.

So the final verdict: to windows 8 or not to windows 8, that is the question

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