The Official Windows 8 User Thread

[Mem]

I have start 8 installled also and its the only way win8 is useable for me.

Win8 has sort of hidden shortcut if you don't use Start8,right click in bottom left hand corner(where start button should be) and it gives you a menu list of items like Control Panel etc..however not everybody knows about it and its not as good as Start8.

Microsoft should of gave desktop users an option to use start button like on Vista/Win7 etc...

 

[Makaveli]

Win8 has sort of hidden shortcut if you don't use Start8,right click in bottom left hand corner(where start button should be) and it gives you a menu list of items like Control Panel etc..however not everybody knows about it and its not as good as Start8.

Microsoft should of gave desktop users an option to use start button like on Vista/Win7 etc...

Agreed also.

I have most of the shortcuts printed out on a note stuck to the wall until I get use to them.

I however still spend most of my time in Win7!

 

[wpcoe]

There is an live tile clock now.

From where do you download it and/or install it?

 

[Rhonda the Sly]

From where do you download it and/or install it?

The Time Tile, Clock Tile, and Grand Central apps all have a live tile clock, according to their descriptions. There might be more.

 

[cboath]

Agreed also.

I have most of the shortcuts printed out on a note stuck to the wall until I get use to them.

I however still spend most of my time in Win7!

I'm guessing the reason is that if they gave you a start button people would enable it and never even give the start screen a chance. It'd be 'it's different? screw that'. I've seen it happen time and again.

The only thing that right click option in the lower left corner doesn't give you is the all programs list. Everything else (more actually) is there.

A lot of people would gave similar responses to the start button and start menu when 95 was released. "Where's my program manager?", "Why did they take that out?", "This is useless without the program manager". I heard them all in different places (people, offices, computer stores, work, school, etc).

 

[Dominato3r]

Anyone get a chance to look at the ads for Windows 8? They seem to have been pulled down.

 

[Cerb]

A lot of people would gave similar responses to the start button and start menu when 95 was released. "Where's my program manager?", "Why did they take that out?", "This is useless without the program manager". I heard them all in different places (people, offices, computer stores, work, school, etc).

Program Manager was in C:\Windows, and later C:\Windows\System32. It was removed as a default ASAP, but it lived in the OS through Windows XP.

 

[olds]

Not liking the tiles and can't run them anyway. I use a 50" plasma TV for a monitor and if I don't resize the desktop to 1242X690, it cuts the corners of the desktop off. I click on a tile and get a message that the app won't run at that resolution. I installed Start8 and use a normal desktop. (Time for a modern TV...)

Not comfortable not being able to right click and scan a file. So I disabled Defender and installed AVG.

I also installed a Samsung 830 when I installed 8. Do like the boot times. Less than 20 seconds to my desktop.

 

[happysmiles]

anyone tried the big update that MS just released? reading the comments it's meant to improve performance and battery life yet a lot of people are saying it's made it slower for em

 

[cboath]

Not liking the tiles and can't run them anyway. I use a 50" plasma TV for a monitor and if I don't resize the desktop to 1242X690, it cuts the corners of the desktop off. I click on a tile and get a message that the app won't run at that resolution. I installed Start8 and use a normal desktop. (Time for a modern TV...)

Not comfortable not being able to right click and scan a file. So I disabled Defender and installed AVG.

I also installed a Samsung 830 when I installed 8. Do like the boot times. Less than 20 seconds to my desktop.

I have/had that problem with my Viewsonic monitor (VM2435X I think). To get it working i spent hours online to find a registry hack that changed 2 lines of hex code in the nvidia driver entries. The problem was only on Nvidia cards. That solved the problem of lost corners in Windows. This goes back to XP, too, as i recall. I have a reg file in my documents folder i have to run every time I update my video driver.

You'll need a standard resolution for running apps because it does scaling to fit different resolutions. There's also a minimum of 1368x768 or whatever that resolution is to run split screen in 8.

You might try a different video card (if possible) to see if the issue persists and/or see if there's an updated driver for your TV.

 

[Juddog]

Wow I can't believe how stubborn Microsoft is being with Windows 8 and the start button.

I downloaded the OS via my MSDN license and tried to use it for a week and just lost patience with it. Some of the features are great but others just make me rage. I don't understand why they couldn't just leave the start button in there as an option, for instance. It makes little sense to me that you have to download a separate utility just to gain back something that they took away.

I wish I could just get the windows 7 UI with the extra features from windows 8 as a different version or something. Windows 7 64-bit seems like the pinnacle of MS OS's to me; I have a feeling that it's going to be around for a long time. My company is still using XP with a sprinkle of windows 7, and on that same note I'll bet they'll still be using Windows 7 in 2022.

 

[jsedlak]

My thoughts so far: Even if you choose to [largely] ignore the "start screen" in Windows 8, it still functions MUCH better than the Start Menu in Windows 7. You can fit more software links on the screen than in the menu, and the search is much faster.

 

[dlock13]

My thoughts so far: Even if you choose to [largely] ignore the "start screen" in Windows 8, it still functions MUCH better than the Start Menu in Windows 7. You can fit more software links on the screen than in the menu, and the search is much faster.

I think it's a much better implementation than the start menu. I love the fact that they're just the links to the programs instead of several thousand folders clogging up my start menu then under that maybe 2 more folders and in each of these folders are 1-3 different files. I think this is a much cleaner (yet can definitely become messy) interface. Also, it's just more useful. I realize this is still a pretty tablet-centric UI, but the fact is they made it functional and clean.

Also, to whoever posted earlier about the keyboard shortcuts, can you possibly link me or post them so I can print them out as well? I just realized I'm definitely not using enough shortcuts with 8 because I don't know them, and I definitely think they can be extremely helpful.

Thanks!

 

[cboath]

Wow I can't believe how stubborn Microsoft is being with Windows 8 and the start button.

I downloaded the OS via my MSDN license and tried to use it for a week and just lost patience with it. Some of the features are great but others just make me rage. I don't understand why they couldn't just leave the start button in there as an option, for instance. It makes little sense to me that you have to download a separate utility just to gain back something that they took away.

I wish I could just get the windows 7 UI with the extra features from windows 8 as a different version or something. Windows 7 64-bit seems like the pinnacle of MS OS's to me; I have a feeling that it's going to be around for a long time. My company is still using XP with a sprinkle of windows 7, and on that same note I'll bet they'll still be using Windows 7 in 2022.

What exactly makes you rage? This is what bothers me - people post like this and never state the actual problem.

And what exactly do you need in the start button? Most of it is in the right click in the lower left corner, the rest is all programs which is the start screen.

 

[wpcoe]

I may be mistaken but I think they added a small dash " - " character in the lower right hand corner of the start screen that appears when you move the mouse, and then disappears after a small delay?

I downloaded the Windows Updates for 64-bit Windows 8, and didn't notice that dash character until after installing the updates.

[edited to add:] Forgot to say that clicking on the dash character brings up the Charms on the right side of the screen, which might help mouse users hit a larger target than just a pixel or two in the very corner?. I assume the dash is also a hint for untrained Win8 users to click there for some help.

 

[olds]

What exactly makes you rage? This is what bothers me - people post like this and never state the actual problem.

And what exactly do you need in the start button? Most of it is in the right click in the lower left corner, the rest is all programs which is the start screen.

I can't use the tiles because of my resolution. So I need the start menu.

 

[Tencntraze]

I can't use the tiles because of my resolution. So I need the start menu.

Ditto for me. Have a 30" monitor and trying to use the tiles is extremely frustrating. Have no idea why I'm forced to have a full-screen tile layout (which I've strongly disliked since first seeing Windows Phone) just to do simple tasks. It's much faster, and less distracting, the way it was implemented in Windows 7, where you just press Start and begin typing, then press enter; the full screen is annoying. Shutting down/restarting isn't intuitive either.

I realize that some people hate change just because it's different, but I went a couple weeks using Windows 8 as my daily driver and it just continually frustrated me to the point of needing to revert to Windows 7. I've always loved staying on the cusp of new technology, and always jumped on new versions of Windows, but this is the first time that I couldn't keep going with it.

 

[dagamer34]

Not liking the tiles and can't run them anyway. I use a 50" plasma TV for a monitor and if I don't resize the desktop to 1242X690, it cuts the corners of the desktop off. I click on a tile and get a message that the app won't run at that resolution. I installed Start8 and use a normal desktop. (Time for a modern TV...)

Not comfortable not being able to right click and scan a file. So I disabled Defender and installed AVG.

I also installed a Samsung 830 when I installed 8. Do like the boot times. Less than 20 seconds to my desktop.

Your TV has overscan turned on, which cuts off corners of all content. Turn it off and you won't need funky resolutions.

Why TV manufacturers HDTVs with that feature turned on is beyond me, it only made sense in the CRT days where the tube wouldn't be able to display corners accurately.

 

[happysmiles]

Ditto for me. Have a 30" monitor and trying to use the tiles is extremely frustrating. Have no idea why I'm forced to have a full-screen tile layout (which I've strongly disliked since first seeing Windows Phone) just to do simple tasks. It's much faster, and less distracting, the way it was implemented in Windows 7, where you just press Start and begin typing, then press enter; the full screen is annoying. Shutting down/restarting isn't intuitive either.

I realize that some people hate change just because it's different, but I went a couple weeks using Windows 8 as my daily driver and it just continually frustrated me to the point of needing to revert to Windows 7. I've always loved staying on the cusp of new technology, and always jumped on new versions of Windows, but this is the first time that I couldn't keep going with it.

Reasonable explanation is reasonable!

Samsung have shown a start-menu program on their win 8 laptops so I have no doubt that the transition won't be as painful in the future.

I don't really like the Metro apps, I'd be happy if I could update Win 7 with all the goodies of Win 8 desktop mode.

Oh wells!

 

[jsedlak]

Ditto for me. Have a 30" monitor and trying to use the tiles is extremely frustrating. Have no idea why I'm forced to have a full-screen tile layout (which I've strongly disliked since first seeing Windows Phone) just to do simple tasks.

What about the 30" monitor makes the tiles frustrating? Are they too big? To small?

It's much faster, and less distracting, the way it was implemented in Windows 7, where you just press Start and begin typing, then press enter; the full screen is annoying. Shutting down/restarting isn't intuitive either.

This still works... and the search is faster.

I realize that some people hate change just because it's different, but I went a couple weeks using Windows 8 as my daily driver and it just continually frustrated me to the point of needing to revert to Windows 7. I've always loved staying on the cusp of new technology, and always jumped on new versions of Windows, but this is the first time that I couldn't keep going with it.

Learn the commands... Win+C, Win+Z.

 

[cboath]

You could always make your own shortcuts and stick them wherever you want.

shutdown /s - shutdown the computer

shutdown /r - restart

There's an article (i think on How to Geek) showing you how to add them to the right click menu on the lower left corner of the screen.

Learning to use the charms bar to shutdown/restart isn't hard either and is the same amount of clicks as doing via the start menu was. Bottom right corner, charms, power, shutdown vs bottom left corner, start, logoff options, restart/shutdown

 

[blurredvision]

There's an article (i think on How to Geek) showing you how to add them to the right click menu on the lower left corner of the screen.

http://www.howtogeek.com/113187/how-to-add-items-to-the-new-winx-menu-in-windows-8/

 

[olds]

Anyone know where I can edit the text in "Quick Launch"? I want to delete the text entirely or shorten it to a period.
Running Start8

Answer:

This is for Windows 7, but it might work in 8.

Right click Taskbar, unlock it. Right click Quick Launch, check / uncheck Show Text to enable / disable icon names, check / uncheck Show Title to enable / disable Quick Launch title.

 

[piasabird]

The only time I shutdown windows is for an update. The object is not to have to shutdown your computer. How about some code for a more complex shutdown with a list like a popup?

Like
-shutdown
-logoff
-switch users
-Whatever?

Oh I have me lucky Charms? What kind of gay freak thought up that term? No self respecting man would ever use a term like me lucky charms . . . . . I refuse to use such a term.

 

[happysmiles]

The only time I shutdown windows is for an update. The object is not to have to shutdown your computer. How about some code for a more complex shutdown with a list like a popup?

Like
-shutdown
-logoff
-switch users
-Whatever?

Oh I have me lucky Charms? What kind of gay freak thought up that term? No self respecting man would ever use a term like me lucky charms . . . . . I refuse to use such a term.

nothing wrong with gay men.