The Official Windows 8 User Thread

[theevilsharpie]

Might be an issue with the vm video drivers probably?

I installed the VMware tools. The desktop video is working properly and my WEI scores for graphics is 8.1. Even if my video drives weren't working properly, I would simply expect it to be slow or perhaps lacking some acceleration features, not wrecking up the layout of the page.

 

[hclarkjr]

seems like the built in drivers work great for crossifire, ran a benchmark and got basicly the same score with the default drivers from MS http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?p=33835967#post33835967

 

[hclarkjr]

i must say that 8 is faster than 7. was doubtful of that going in but it is. starts up and shuts down faster too.

 

[hhhd1]

I (finally!) found the control panel, both within Metro and the desktop. The desktop's control panel hasn't changed much, but the Metro control panel is obviously new.

Certain actions bounce between control panels. Although this is somewhat annoying, I wouldn't mind it so much if the Metro control panel worked properly. I went to create a new user account, and was greeted with this:

{removed image}

Great QA there, MS.

I got a crap load of errors like this myself on different resolutions,
viewing video on the side, changing volume, trying to shutdown.

probably need to wait for the first few rounds of updates and drivers.

 

[ViRGE]

I installed the VMware tools. The desktop video is working properly and my WEI scores for graphics is 8.1. Even if my video drives weren't working properly, I would simply expect it to be slow or perhaps lacking some acceleration features, not wrecking up the layout of the page.

It's a known issue with the VMWare video drivers. Some of the functions Metro uses aren't implemented well by the current drivers.

 

[theevilsharpie]

Fair enough, although it's curious why only the control panel exhibits that behavior.

 

[StinkyPinky]

I (finally!) found the control panel, both within Metro and the desktop. The desktop's control panel hasn't changed much, but the Metro control panel is obviously new.

Certain actions bounce between control panels. Although this is somewhat annoying, I wouldn't mind it so much if the Metro control panel worked properly. I went to create a new user account, and was greeted with this:

Great QA there, MS.

Pro Tip: In the desktop, right click where the old start button used to be and you will get all the admin power options in a menu.

 

[MajorMullet]

So "metro" IE 10 and desktop IE 10 are completely different? I logged in to the Anandtech forums on the desktop version. Later I opened the site in metro IE and I wasn't logged in. Refreshed, clicked a couple of forum links, still wasn't logged in. If that's the way it's supposed to work it's pretty annoying that you have to log in to things twice.

Also, I pinned an app to the start screen but the icon didn't come through. Does anyone know of a way to change program icons there?

One another annoyance I've encountered so far is with viewing pictures. I opened a picture via windows explorer and it launched a full screen metro photo viewer app. I hit left and right on my keyboard but it didn't seem I could go through my pictures that way. Once I was there I couldn't figure out how to get back to where I was on the desktop. Hitting windows key to return to start then clicking the desktop icon worked but that's a huge pita every time I want to view a picture.

 

[theevilsharpie]

Pro Tip: In the desktop, right click where the old start button used to be and you will get all the admin power options in a menu.

Thanks :thumbsup:

 

[theevilsharpie]

This is less a ding against Windows 8 and more a complaint about Windows in general, but installing software is a pain in the ass. I have to remember what software I need, Google for it, download it from each web site or put in the disc, and then manually install it. Even though I don't have that much software to install, it still took about half an hour, and that's NOT including the time spent actually downloading. I'm not sure what the situation is with MacOS X, but every other modern OS I've used has had some type of software repository where you can easily find the software in one place, download/install it in one swoop, and have the software manager ensure that it's kept up to date.

I'm assuming that this will get better on Windows as the Store matures, but it pales in comparison to something like the Ubuntu Software Center or Google Play.

 

[hclarkjr]

ATI drivers are out
http://sites.amd.com/us/game/downloads/Pages/radeon_win7-64.aspx
http://sites.amd.com/us/game/downloads/Pages/radeon_win7-32.aspx

AMD Catalyst™ Software Suite Version 12.8 Release Notes

• Back

Last Updated

8/15/2012
Article Number

GPU-171
This article provides information on the latest posting of AMD’s software suite, AMD Catalyst™12.8. This particular software suite updates the AMD display driver and the AMD Catalyst™ Control Center and the AMD Vision Engine Control Center. This unified driver has been updated and is designed to provide enhanced performance and reliability. Package Content
The AMD Catalyst software suite 12.8 contains the following:

• AMD display driver version 8.982
• HydraVision™ for Windows Vista® and Windows® 7
• Southbridge/IXP Driver
• AMD Catalyst Control Center version 8.982/AMD Vision Engine Control Center version 8.982.

Caution !

• The AMD Catalyst Control Center/AMD Vision Engine Control Center requires that the Microsoft® .NET Framework SP1 be installed for Windows XP and Windows Vista. Without .NET SP1 installed, the AMD Catalyst Control Center/AMD Vision Engine Control Center will not launch properly and the user will see an error message.

Notes.

• When installing the AMD Catalyst driver for Windows operating system, the user must be logged on as Administrator or have Administrator rights to complete the installation of the AMD Catalyst driver.
• The Catalyst driver requires Windows 7 Service Pack 1 to be installed.
• These release notes provide information on the AMD display driver only. For information on the ATI Multimedia Center™, HydraVision, HydraVision Basic Edition, Remote Wonder™, or the Southbridge/IXP driver, please refer to their respective release notes found at: http://support.amd.com/.
• AMD Eyefinity technology is designed to give gamers access to high display resolutions. As pixel count grows, the graphics “horsepower” required to drive the displays at a reasonable frame rate can increase dramatically. Depending on the game and system configuration, users may notice texture corruption and reduced frame rates when running games in multi-monitor Eyefinity modes.
• Windows Driver Model (WDM) drivers are no longer bundled in the AMD Catalyst software suite. The WDM drivers install bundle can be downloaded independently through the AMD website.

Feature Highlights of the AMD Catalyst 12.8: Windows 8 support


AMD’s first logo certified driver for Windows 8 production featuring support for the DirectX® 11.1 and the new WDDM 1.2 driver model:

• Target-Independent Rasterization (TIR): TIR is a new rendering path that enables superior anti-aliasing in Direct3D driver applications.
• Native Stereo 3D Support: Windows 8 natively supports stereoscopic 3D gaming and videos via compatible applications.
• Unified Video API: Video playback has been integrated into the DirectX 11 API, enabling simultaneous video and gaming content. Transcoding performance may also be improved for supporting applications.
• Optimized screen rotation for rotation aware devices.
• Improved sleep/resume performance.
• Optimized GPU power consumption.
• Support for AMD features
  • AMD Eyefinity
  • OpenCL™
  • OpenGL
  • UVD
  • AMD Dual Graphics / AMD CrossFire™ Technology
  • AMD Overdrive
  • AMD Catalyst Control Center / Vision Engine Control Center

RESOLVED ISSUES
This section provides information on resolved known issues in this release of the AMD Catalyst 12.8 software suite.
Resolved Issues for the Windows 7 Operating System

• Over/underscan settings are correctly restored on system reboot
• SolidWorks: Graphical corruption is no longer experienced
• Crysis Warhead: No longer crashes when launched in DirectX 10 mode
• System no longer hangs when resuming from sleep mode
• Audio is no longer disabled if the connected HDTV Is switched off/on
• Enabling dual graphics mode with a HD 7000 series product no longer displays green video playback
• Call of Duty- Black Ops : No longer hangs when loading a mission in DirectX 9 mode with Crossfire enabled
• Shogun 2: Flickering text is no longer experienced
• Star Wars – The Old Republic: In game cinematics no longer experience flicker when using the arrow keys
• Dirt Showdown: 8-Ball track no longer hangs with AMD Crossfire functionality enabled
• Max Payne 3: A black screen is no longer observed when launching game in DirectX 11 mode with AMD Crossfire functionality enabled
• Max Payne 3: Applying in game settings no longer causes the game to crash

Resolved Issues for the Windows 8 Operating System (These issues were found in the Catalyst driver for the Windows 8 Preview)

• Video playback using the Metro video player no longer shows green corruption
• Deus Ex - Human Revolution: Graphics corruption is no longer experienced during in game cinematics with AMD Crossfire functionality enabled
• Battlefield 3: game no longer crashes when AMD Crossfire functionality is enabled
• Need for Speed – The Run: game no longer crashes to the desktop
• Blocky video corruption no longer seen when using VLC
• System no longer hangs when using PowerDVD
• Green video corruption is no longer seen when using various video players

Resolved Issues for the Windows XP Operating System

• QQ Dancer: A black screen is no longer randomly experienced

KNOWN ISSUES

The following section provides a summary of open issues that may be experienced with the AMD Catalyst 12.8 software suite.
Known issues under the Windows 7 operating system

• Max Payne 3: Lights may flicker when run in Direct X 11 mode in a triple AMD Crossfire configuration
• F1 2011: Vehicle textures may flicker when graphics profile is set to low
• Enemy Territory Quake Wars: Poor performance may be experienced with AMD Crossfire technology enabled
• Rage: Poor performance may be experienced with AMD Crossfire technology enabled

Known issues under the Windows 8 operating system

• Blocky corruption may be experienced when playing back Flash video content
• De-interlacing settings may not be applied to interlaced content when using MPC-HC and PowerDVD
• Civilization V: game may crash when run in DirectX 9 mode
• Total War – Shogun 2: game may experience random crashes
• Rage: game may experience random crashes

Known issues under the Windows XP operating system

• Diablo 3/Starcraft 2/World of Warcraft: Performance may be affected when run in windowed mode

Installing the AMD Catalyst Software Driver
For further information and general help on software driver installation, game issues, and more, visit AMD Customer Care.
Installation information can be found at: How to Install Your AMD Product.
AMD ISSUE REPORTING FORM
This driver release incorporates suggestions received through the AMD Issue Reporting Form. To provide us with your feedback, visit the AMD Issue Reporting Form.

http://support.amd.com/us/kbarticles...easeNotes.aspx

 

[Dominato3r]

This is less a ding against Windows 8 and more a complaint about Windows in general, but installing software is a pain in the ass. I have to remember what software I need, Google for it, download it from each web site or put in the disc, and then manually install it. Even though I don't have that much software to install, it still took about half an hour, and that's NOT including the time spent actually downloading. I'm not sure what the situation is with MacOS X, but every other modern OS I've used has had some type of software repository where you can easily find the software in one place, download/install it in one swoop, and have the software manager ensure that it's kept up to date.

I'm assuming that this will get better on Windows as the Store matures, but it pales in comparison to something like the Ubuntu Software Center or Google Play.

That's the job of the windows store, and its selection is limited but it should get better over time.

People just getting the OS should keep Windows key + I in mind, its very nice shortcut to remember.

 

[hclarkjr]

only thing i have not been able to figure out is there is program i want to start with windows but windows will not let it start with it. i have tried permissions by right clicking on the EXE for the program but no luck, yet.

 

[happysmiles]

getting those drivers NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[_Rick_]

A few questions:
Do we have driver independent monitor rotation? How well do windows span across multiple monitors? With Windows 7 some windows would refuse to span beyond the width of one screen.

How much NFS support is in the different versions? Is AD still required for non-anonymous NFS? (Asked this on the blog post regarding NFS on Win8, but the question apparently never showed up).
Ever since SFU for XP became obsolete local user name mapping has disappeared. As NFSv4 is now supposedly supported by Win8, I'd like to know if anyone had a look at that yet.

Also: Is there anything Windows 8 does better than Windows 7 yet? Currently I see no compelling reason to upgrade.

 

[theevilsharpie]

Also: Is there anything Windows 8 does better than Windows 7 yet? Currently I see no compelling reason to upgrade.

As long as you don't have to bounce to Metro, Windows 8 has some noticeable speed improvements over Windows 8. Applications launch quickly, bouncing between Windows happens quickly, and moving through different levels of Windows applications happens quickly. Windows interface speed seems to be following a parabolic path (with Vista being the low point), and is definitely on the upswing. In fact, I'd go so far as to put the interface responsiveness in Windows 8 (the desktop, anyway) on par with Windows 2000.

The task manager has been revamped for the better.

Windows Explorer has been revamped. I'm not sure if it's for the better yet.

The taskbar can now span multiple monitors without using third party software. From what I understand, you're supposed to be able to set individual wallpapers for each monitor, but I haven't figured out how to do that yet.

Although this falls into the "speed improvements" category, PowerShell has received a substantial speed increase in its loading time. In Windows 7 and prior, PowerShell could take several seconds to initialize. In Windows 8, it comes up as fast as the old command prompt. I'm not sure if this is due to improvements in PowerShell 3.0 (which will likely benefit older OS's) or something inherent to Windows 8.

Otherwise, I haven't noticed many changes other than Metro and the new theme. I normally try out new operating systems for two weeks to get a feel for how they perform in day-to-day use, but I'm probably going to set Windows 8 aside for a bit. There aren't enough Metro apps available to give it a fair shake yet, and the desktop is nearly identical to Windows 7 in function.

 

[dguy6789]

Tip: While in the desktop right click in the bottom left hand corner to get a menu that has all kinds of super useful things in it including the control panel.

 

[blurredvision]

Got the ISO from my company's MSDN last night and did a fresh install on my 5-year old HP laptop that originally came with Vista (has been running Windows 7 since release with no issues). Used a W8Pro key. I can verify that W8 works just like W7 in that you only need the regular ISO, the features will be installed based on what key you enter.

The install wasn't particularly quick or eventful, comparable to W7 on this laptop (slower RPM hdd). W8 picked up most of my hardware, I was pleased that it got my wireless going from the get-go. It did not load my video card, which is a nVidia Go 7150M. I first went to nvidia.com and did the java test for it to just point me directly to the driver, but it said that I needed to download the driver from the manufacturer website. I went to the HP website and downloaded the most recent driver, which was for Vista 64-bit from 2007.

Installed that driver, rebooted and logged in. As soon as I moved my mouse, all the tiles on metro immediately disappeared. I was able to WIN+D to get to the desktop, but going back to metro showed all the tiles were still gone. Restarted and same thing, I can see the tiles after logging in but as soon as I move my mouse, they disappear. I finally went back to nvidia.com and downloaded the 7150M driver manually, installed it, and that fixed my issue. It would appear that metro is very finicky with video card drivers.

Other than that, it runs pretty good. Everything was kind of choppy for about 10 minutes after getting that last video driver installed, but it suddenly cleared up and everything was good to go. It almost felt like it was still configuring itself in the background but letting you go ahead and use the OS.

This laptop is mainly used by my wife, so it will be interesting to have her try it out for the first time tonight. So far, I think W8 is fine. I know a lot of people complain about it, but I'm giving it a fair shake. I think the transition between metro and desktop is OK. I'm not sure if Microsoft is planning on selling native desktop apps in their store (I think they are), it will be nice if they do this.

 

[slugg]

I may have missed something... but how do I close metro apps?

 

[dguy6789]

Mouse to the top left corner than move it down to expand and show all running apps. Right click on them and click close. To my knowledge these actually consume zero real resources unless they are in the foreground anyway.

 

[Namtaru]

click near the top and drag down

WAY easier than just clicking a little x! [/sarcasm]

 

[blurredvision]

click near the top and drag down

WAY easier than just clicking a little x! [/sarcasm]

This. Move your cursor to the top of the screen anywhere and it will turn into a little hand. Click-and-hold, drag down to the bottom and the app will fully close and not run in the background.

I know you were trying to be sarcastic, but I can close a metro app with a mouse quicker than going up to the X to click. Not that it matters either way, but figured I'd point that out.

 

[Dominato3r]

Mouse to the top left corner than move it down to expand and show all running apps. Right click on them and click close. To my knowledge these actually consume zero real resources unless they are in the foreground anyway.

Correct, it works similar to what you would find on a smart phone

 

[Trader05]

If they integrate gestures on multitouch trackpads via a driver update or OS update, i'd probably use the newer UI more. The two finger scroll on my T420s works pretty good while using the new start menu. I've been just using regular desktop mode at the moment.

 

[kn51]

Long time lurker, first time poster.

To be honest my "day job" revolves more around the potential of Server 2012. I'm more interested in clustering, Hyper-V, iSCSI improvements, etc. Thus in a corporate environment I tend to lag a year or two on rolling desktop stuff out.

But a real release of an OS always gets me going...as in home use and trying stuff out.

Looking forward to contribute whatever I can. Going to grab the RTM tonight and have my son try it out. Curious how the upgrade would go on my own system. I know it has been discussed to death, but need to find a replacement for the start button. Leaning towards ViStart.