win7-win8-server2012 on an 8 core pc

[chowa]

i have the chance of getting an 8 core amd fx8360 pc. which os is best for general work (office, adobe) and video (adobe, dvdfab, vegas)

 

[Fardringle]

Windows 7.

Win8 is horrible for general office work (and general home use, and pretty much everything except touch screen tablets).

Server 2012 is a server OS, not a desktop OS.

 

[dawks]

Windows 7.

Win8 is horrible for general office work (and general home use, and pretty much everything except touch screen tablets).

Server 2012 is a server OS, not a desktop OS.

This pretty much sums it up. Windows 7 is a Workstation OS.

Windows 8 is horrible.

Server 2012 is a server OS, not a desktop OS.

 

[JasonCoder]

Ok I'll take the bait. Win 8 isn't horrible, just like Vista wasn't as bad as people let on. It gets a bad rap in certain segments because it's not nailing the mark MS set out for. It's Win 7 with several system level improvements and a touch interface you'll never use if your goal is for a desktop.

 

[Snoop]

I have to agree with Jason, just get Windows 8, install start8 or classic shell and its all good. I havent seen anything metro on my windows 8 box in months using Start8. Its like its not there.

 

[Berryracer]

This pretty much sums it up. Windows 7 is a Workstation OS.

Windows 8 is horrible.

Server 2012 is a server OS, not a desktop OS.

QFT

Windows 8 = pile of crap
Windows Server 2012 = cannot be used in a desktop environment not all software will install fine especially an Antivirus
Windows 7 = The king for now
===========================================================
My experience with Windows 8:

Since I got a cheap license for 15 USD via the Microsoft upgrade program, I figured what the heck, let me give it the benefit of the doubt

Installation went fast and smooth

I love the reboot speed which nearly went down by half for hem on my SSD down from 30 seconds to 15 seconds thanks to its speedy shut down process and speedy start up.

That's it! That's about the only good thing I can say about Windows 8

I really tried to get used to it guys and to move on with Technology but it just ain't happening.

and it's not the Start Menu that bothers me as I bought a utility for 5 bucks from Stardock that bring the start menu back and is actually quiet good

Here are the quirks which made me go nuts:

- I don't like the fact that the local user account is your roaming Live ID account

- Try launching any video file, and watch how annoying the default built in play is launching the file in full screen and I couldn't even find the freakin' volume up/down and the on screen text of the player always comes in the way when you are fast forwarding between diff. parts of the movie. Plain rubbish! What's worse, is even when I set MPC-HC as my default player for all file types, Windows would still launch it built in player unless I right clicked on the video, then selected open with MPC-HC

- I absolutely hate the Skype that comes with Windows 8! Has anyone used this? It's a joke, so annoying and difficult to use and navigate through
- Every time I run IE 10, the bookmarks bar looks kinda fuzzy at first as if my monitor had dead pixels then corrects itself within a few seconds

- IE 10 is a joke! How can they put this browser in a final version of Windows? The thing wouldn't even pass for being an Alpha in my books. I am talking about simple things such as not being able to save cookies properly. Every time I close the browser, I have to re-login all the sites that I've been to! what the duck?

Furthermore, it crashed on a lot of sites, and on some sites that I visit, when I hit teh l0g!n button, noth!ng happ3n$

- Even when UAC is disabled, every time I want to copy or move a file, I have to answer a security question whether I am sure I want to continue! It takes me double the work to do anything now

- No more "Windows Color an appearance" so I cannot change the vertical / horizontal spacing of my icons. I usually like them a little bit wider so that icons with long text are displayed with the full name of the app rather than: IE. >> SUPERAntiSpyware will look like SUPERANT.... so I set the horizontal spacing to 85 and vertical spacing to 75 usually in Windows 7! Now this thing is gone I searched everywhere it's not there! Great! Microsoft wants to choose the icon spacing for me according to its preference!!

- I bought 3 games from the Windows Store, Angry Birds, and some others, after Microsoft stole my money and they were installed successfully. I couldn't for the life of me find them, they were not in the usual Games section in the start menu, that was empty with nothing, not even Solitaire in there, and I couldn't even add the games from the "Programs and Features" section as you would in Windows 7.

Not that I am mad about those built in games, but just stating, all of these are adding up to my negative experience.

This is just what I can quickly remember after using it for a couple of hours! I tried to make it seem like it's OK and it's good but it isn't!

Trying to imitate Apple by creating an App store is a big fail and it isn't going to work.

I pity any employee who will ever find a Windows 8 PC to work on! LOL

Windows 8 is the king of the Worst OS in the world! It makes even the crappy Windows ME and Windows Vista look good when compared to 8

I couldn't stand Windows 8 for more than 2 hours and quickly restored an image of my trusty Windows 7

 

[ViRGE]

Considering it's an AMD FX processor, wouldn't you want Win8 for its better scheduler, which knows how to handle AMD's core/module layout?

 

[Zxian]

<snip>

You really do like copy/pasting the same rant about Win8 every time, don't you?

Jason said it best. Win8 isn't as horrible as some people would have you believe. Most of the issues that berry mentions are pebkac.

I've got Win8 on my netbook. It works, it's functional, but there's nothing that drives me to upgrade my desktop from 7 to 8 like there was with Vista to 7.

 

[Berryracer]

You really do like copy/pasting the same rant about Win8 every time, don't you?

Jason said it best. Win8 isn't as horrible as some people would have you believe. Most of the issues that berry mentions are pebkac.

I've got Win8 on my netbook. It works, it's functional, but there's nothing that drives me to upgrade my desktop from 7 to 8 like there was with Vista to 7.

I wish I could say it in 2 or 3 words bro ()

 

[Zxian]

You can create a local user account without linking it to a live account.

Your copying files problem was an issue you had with copying files to and from protected folder locations on your system drive. That's a user error - not OS. Store files where they're meant to be stored. Microsoft has had documentation regarding applications writing to Protected folders since the XP days - it's just that with Vista onwards they started enforcing those policies, and software developers haven't caught up. Why do you think that Chrome installs itself to AppData and not Program Files?

Your issue with IE10 - I haven't had that issue at all. I've used IE10 on my netbook without any such issues. I've stayed logged into this forum, webmail, and other sites without issues. Again, something else is up.

Your need for desktop icon spacing would be moot if you just arranged things properly on your Start Screen.

Your "Start Menu" is a third party app, and yet you blame Microsoft when your apps don't appear in it? What's that logic? Did you ever try to use the default Start Screen? Press the Windows key and start typing. I've never had an issue finding anything installed using this method, even old programs that I had on my upgraded Windows7 install.

You spent 2 hours and felt like you properly understand the ins and outs of the operating system? I look forward to the day someone drops you into a stock Ubuntu install and asks you to find your way around. Even better, how about a simple Debian server install. Just out of curiosity - did you stick with your classic Start Menu when XP was released?


You like Win7 better - we get it. Your rants about Win8 are largely unwarranted just because it's "different and crappy" (to paraphase slightly) and your third party Start Menu program doesn't give you the same integrated functionality as the Win7 Start Menu.

 

[vbuggy]

Assuming you don't mind FHD (I kind of do as I'm used to WQHD upwards) I'd say buy a touchscreen like an Acer bmidz or a Viewsonic TD2340 and stick Windows 8 on it. Move with the times.

If you can't afford one, Windows 7.

It's not that Windows 8 is crappy, it's that it clearly is touch centric as well as giving you a full desktop experience (that is, admittedly, sometimes uncomfortably mashed together). People who don't have touch strangely seem not to be able to make the (simple to me) mental leap to say "this'll be great with touch" or even if they do, apparently they can't go and pick up a touch monitor to try it with.

 

[Arkaign]

Assuming you don't mind FHD (I kind of do as I'm used to WQHD upwards) I'd say buy a touchscreen like an Acer bmidz or a Viewsonic TD2340 and stick Windows 8 on it. Move with the times.

If you can't afford one, Windows 7.

It's not that Windows 8 is crappy, it's that it clearly is touch centric as well as giving you a full desktop experience (that is, admittedly, sometimes uncomfortably mashed together). People who don't have touch strangely seem not to be able to make the (simple to me) mental leap to say "this'll be great with touch" or even if they do, apparently they can't go and pick up a touch monitor to try it with.

I can see that for mobile devices, but for the desktop it makes almost zero sense. Sitting there pointing at your screen all day is ludicrous. A good example can be found in almost every single work environment in the world. I'm on a job site right now, and the two guys next to me on their desktops are sitting there running quickbooks and access all day. What would touchscreens do for them besides get dirty and be annoying, all while being a huge waste of money?

 

[colonelciller]

I have to agree with Jason, just get Windows 8, install start8 or classic shell and its all good. I havent seen anything metro on my windows 8 box in months using Start8. Its like its not there.

BAD move. OP uses Adobe Apps - Windows 8 support is buggy and in some cases nonexistent.

 

[vbuggy]

I can see that for mobile devices, but for the desktop it makes almost zero sense. Sitting there pointing at your screen all day is ludicrous. A good example can be found in almost every single work environment in the world. I'm on a job site right now, and the two guys next to me on their desktops are sitting there running quickbooks and access all day. What would touchscreens do for them besides get dirty and be annoying, all while being a huge waste of money?

No-one's saying you need touch for accounting as for the rest - touch is an additional element. It's not a replacement, but it can significantly enhance in some situations. I'm really pretty surprised so few are able to make the mental leap, if not a practical leap (as I've done) - maybe the tech world deserves it's thumb-sucking, easy to understand Applewares after all.

e.g. I'm using a Windows 7 PC to front-end this browsing session, but I'm remote controlling it from a W8 PC with touch. It's inelegant that way since gestures aren't transmitted (as they would be if I was RDPing/RemoteApping into a W8/WS2012 session), but I do still mix and match. And one swipe takes me to the W8 desktop where I have Office 2013 running quite nicely, again in a touch-mouse hybrid 'workflow' (if I was pretentious enough to use that word).