Windows 8.1 Preview( video) CBT Nuggets

[NOOB_TECH]

This is a nice little preview of Windows 8.1, it lasts about 7 minutes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hB37nJ8XWkk

 

[ThanatosOfOne]

So they did almost nothing. Great. My end users will still hate this as well.

Personally I have been using 8 as my main workstation OS for months and while I am OK with it...It leaves a bit to be desired as far as usability is concerned for me.

 

[AndyM]

If he would have right clicked on the new Windows "Start" button, he could have added another hour and a half of commentary and video. Obviously, he just looked at it and said "Oh, it's the same, and they didn't put anything in that I wanted."

Andy

 

[TechLady]

No wonder Steve is leaving. What a fail.

 

[TechLady]

If he would have right clicked on the new Windows "Start" button, he could have added another hour and a half of commentary...

How many home users are going to think to do that? Close to zero. Almost none of my customers even know right-clicking exists. Still a giant fail.

 

[gunslinger]

Wow, Total garbage. The adition of the "start button" was a huge middle finger to every Windows user. Maybe with "the balmdog" steve ballmer gone Microsoft is on the right track.

 

[Knightsman]

I think the biggest issue was swapping back and forth from the desktop to the tiles. This is great. When I first got my palm treo, I had to learn where everything was, how to shut it down, go to certain apps, change settings. I did the same thing when I got a Mac, had to learn all about how it operates....and again with my android phone.
People who don't own windows PCs.....complain just because they can.
Microsoft is moving in the right direction on where computing will be in 5-15 years, everything will be touch screen. From your fridge, to your coffee table. I would agree, maybe they are a little early, but its not like they are going away. What tiles does is it removes the frustrations of having to click on a start menu, and then text. Anyone who does a lot of remote support with a tablet knows what I'm talking about. Its horrible.

Nobody likes change, mostly everyone I've talked to about it, with a touch screen, loves it. Now that they added an easier way to switch between the desktop and tiles, its the icing on the cake.

 

[gunslinger]

Nobody likes change, mostly everyone I've talked to about it, with a touch screen, loves it. Now that they added an easier way to switch between the desktop and tiles, its the icing on the cake.

Its not so much the change thats not liked. (although to do someting a certain way for 25 years and then switch is a bit off putting). Its more a matter of Microsoft coming up with a solution to a non-existent problem. Win 7 worked perfectly. If Microsoft wanted a tablet OS they should have just made one. (see iOS vs OSX) But no, what they did was try to convert a desktop OS to a tablet OS and ended up with an abomination thats not worth a damn for either.

 

[mason]

if you read up 8.1 will have alot of new features and fixes but i think everyone really wants the start menu back to normal. Its windows it should have a start menu.

I run windows 8 pro on my computer in my office and i dont have a problem with it i have been using 8.1 for about 2 weeks and it seems fine but it is 100% missing that start menu - People have not been moaning about the start button! they want the start menu back.

I understand the classic shell is there but standard users dont have a clue about things like that.

Windows 9 Will have it back i bet!

 

[Krynn72]

Its not so much the change thats not liked. (although to do someting a certain way for 25 years and then switch is a bit off putting). Its more a matter of Microsoft coming up with a solution to a non-existent problem. Win 7 worked perfectly. If Microsoft wanted a tablet OS they should have just made one. (see iOS vs OSX) But no, what they did was try to convert a desktop OS to a tablet OS and ended up with an abomination thats not worth a damn for either.

I really dont see whats so bad about the current "start menu." I use it on my desktop at home and it is fine. In fact, I dare-say I like the new menu better than the old. No more clicking start then all programs, and scrolling to the one you want. Just open the new metro UI and there's everything you want in an organization that you set up yourself. A lot more apps on one screen in easy to see icons, seems a lot better than the scrolling list view with apps inside folders. For anything I use often, I just pin it to the task bar, just like I did did in all previous windows versions. The Win-X menu is my favorite thing ever too.

As far as using the OS is concerned, I'd rather use 8 than 7. But working on the system can be very annoying. I really don't like the way UEFI works and it can be a pain to work with, and I really, really hate that they got rid of booting to safemode via F8. Not even win-x makes up for it.

 

[gunslinger]

I guess I have been fortunate to not have to work on it very much. Every Win 8 machine that has come through the door the customer has wanted Win 7 installed. I think that in itself says something. Not since Vista have I seen so many people wanting to return to the previous OS.

 

[Krynn72]

I would say "don't knock it 'till you try it" but you seem set in your ways

My mom uses it and loves it, and if you knew my mom you'd know that that's a significant endorsement haha.

 

[gunslinger]

I would say "don't knock it 'till you try it" but you seem set in your ways

My mom uses it and loves it, and if you knew my mom you'd know that that's a significant endorsement haha.

Oh I have certainly tried it. I was playing around with Windows 8 long before it was public. I make myself use it so I can at least know my way around it a bit.

 

[nlinecomputers]

I really dont see whats so bad about the current "start menu." I use it on my desktop at home and it is fine. In fact, I dare-say I like the new menu better than the old. No more clicking start then all programs, and scrolling to the one you want. Just open the new metro UI and there's everything you want in an organization that you set up yourself. A lot more apps on one screen in easy to see icons, seems a lot better than the scrolling list view with apps inside folders. For anything I use often, I just pin it to the task bar, just like I did did in all previous windows versions. The Win-X menu is my favorite thing ever too.

As far as using the OS is concerned, I'd rather use 8 than 7. But working on the system can be very annoying. I really don't like the way UEFI works and it can be a pain to work with, and I really, really hate that they got rid of booting to safemode via F8. Not even win-x makes up for it.

With all due respect. I can open programs much faster from the Start Menu then that start screen. I have over 200 programs installed on my daily driver machine. Do you know how much scrolling that would require on a Windows 8 start screen? How the frak is that more efficient? How is stopping work and reaching a touch screen more efficient? Windows 8.1 makes minor improvements with this but it is still too much scrolling on a desktop machine. Sorry but I will never run an OS that has this fraking UI disaster and if forced to I will install Startisback and get the functionality that I desire.

 

[Martyn]

I would say "don't knock it 'till you try it" but you seem set in your ways

My mom uses it and loves it, and if you knew my mom you'd know that that's a significant endorsement haha.

I think you're 1st paragraph is disrespectful to a good member on here. Your 2nd statement pretty much says it all, if you are a Iimited user you won't see it it for what it is. I have have one user in about 18 now that has liked it and he was a very limited user. People have had to try and use it mainly because their old XP computers are end of life. Anyone that has used any version of windows really since day 1 have been able to get a new computer and use it out of the box. Familiarity is there, Control Panel, Start etc are there on every version I can remember.

 

[tf76]

I would say "don't knock it 'till you try it" but you seem set in your ways

My mom uses it and loves it, and if you knew my mom you'd know that that's a significant endorsement haha.

1. Windows 8 is not user friendly and the majority of users will stick with Windows 7.

2. Read number 1 again.


Regards,

 

[acscva]

A couple of videos I found on youtube that I give to my customers when they get a new Windows 8 PC.

The 4 minute version.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wi8NpwiEuzc

The 25 minute version with much more detail.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BSmmSU-UZU

I have used windows 8 for a few months and I even learned some things when watching these videos. Highly recommend everyone watching both of them!

I think the biggest issue with Windows 8 is that it is different than what you are used to and that is why people complain. Most people hate change!

 

[Krynn72]

With all due respect. I can open programs much faster from the Start Menu then that start screen. I have over 200 programs installed on my daily driver machine. Do you know how much scrolling that would require on a Windows 8 start screen? How the frak is that more efficient? How is stopping work and reaching a touch screen more efficient? Windows 8.1 makes minor improvements with this but it is still too much scrolling on a desktop machine. Sorry but I will never run an OS that has this fraking UI disaster and if forced to I will install Startisback and get the functionality that I desire.

Well. on a 1080p screen you can have 288 small tiles when 8.1 is released, so at that point there will be zero scrolling. But an advanced user should probably be familiarized with the search function, in which case on both win7 and win8 the start menu is irrelevant.

I think you're 1st paragraph is disrespectful to a good member on here. Your 2nd statement pretty much says it all, if you are a Iimited user you won't see it it for what it is. I have have one user in about 18 now that has liked it and he was a very limited user. People have had to try and use it mainly because their old XP computers are end of life. Anyone that has used any version of windows really since day 1 have been able to get a new computer and use it out of the box. Familiarity is there, Control Panel, Start etc are there on every version I can remember.

I wasn't intending to disrespect or offend Gunslinger, merely poking fun at the statement he made in the post directly preceding me. Didn't mean for it to be taken seriously, but I suppose emoticons are not foolproof in transmitting tone. Hope I didn't offend.

As for your other statement, I am not a limited user, and I know other advanced users who also like it. I am not saying its for everyone, there will always be certain people who things are not better for in a big change like this, and my previous post was simply an opinion piece, hence all the "I like it" "my favorite thing" "I'd rather" and so on.

Personally, from my purely anecdotal experience, people dislike it primarily due to the reason acscva mentions. Its change, and people don't like change. I don't think that's a valid reason to hate on something as hard as windows 8 is getting hated on. Especially when there's so much more to hate it for than the stuff people usually bring up.

 

[nlinecomputers]

I'm not opposed to change if it provides me benefit. The Windows 7 start menu is far superior to the Windows Xp one and I welcomed the changes it brought. I used Vista when most people avoided it.

Search is great and I use it often but it doesn't help if you don't recall the name of the program. A start menu that you can organize is easier to use. I put my programs in categories so that I can find and use them. Daily use programs are pinned to my taskbar. Windows 8.1 does offer some customization but it still isn't as useful as a true start menu and the desktop. Having the start screen pop up is jarring everytime it appears. I find it distracting and it slows down my use of the machine. I'm never going to get use to it. And considering the horrible market reaction to Windows 8 I'm not the only one that feels that way.

After all it did cost the CEO of Microsoft his job.

 

[gunslinger]

I'm not opposed to change if it provides me benefit. The Windows 7 start menu is far superior to the Windows Xp one and I welcomed the changes it brought. I used Vista when most people avoided it.

Search is great and I use it often but it doesn't help if you don't recall the name of the program. A start menu that you can organize is easier to use. I put my programs in categories so that I can find and use them. Daily use programs are pinned to my taskbar. Windows 8.1 does offer some customization but it still isn't as useful as a true start menu and the desktop. Having the start screen pop up is jarring everytime it appears. I find it distracting and it slows down my use of the machine. I'm never going to get use to it. And considering the horrible market reaction to Windows 8 I'm not the only one that feels that way.

After all it did cost the CEO of Microsoft his job.

This exactly.