Sport73 wrote:Anyone know if I can buy the Windows 8 Pro download and install it on my Macbook Pro VMWare that only has the Win8 Release Preview on it?
I have a license key for an old Windows XP install if needed, and I'm happy to do a clean install. Just not sure if I will be able to meet the licensing check since MS is so damn greedy about protecting the OS install.
Thanks,
From the MS website;
* Offer valid from October 26, 2012 until January 31, 2013 and is limited to five upgrade licenses per customer. To install Windows 8 Pro, customers must be running Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista, or Windows 7. Get the full details on our special offer.
Clicking "Download Pro" installs and runs the Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant, which lets you know if your PC can upgrade to Windows 8 Pro, provides you with a compatibility report, and then walks you through the steps to purchase, download, and install. Run the Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant to make sure your PC can upgrade to Windows 8 Pro before purchase—you can run it without purchasing. Upgrade Assistant will collect certain information about your potential upgrade experience. Learn more about privacy and the Upgrade Assistant.
Since the offer is for an "upgrade", I don't see why they would let consumers "upgrade" from a free release preview. Sounds like you could install Windows XP and then upgrade it though.
I snagged a copy for $39.99 and while it looks nice on the surface it creates more needless steps just trying to be different with the removal of the start button. It does boot quicker than Windows 7 and seems to take up less space by default. I had to create a bootable USB flash drive because Windows 8 refused to boot from my external DVD.
The Upgrade version does allow you to perform a clean install. I think i'll be sticking with W7.
Rodster wrote:I snagged a copy for $39.99 and while it looks nice on the surface it creates more needless steps just trying to be different with the removal of the start button. It does boot quicker than Windows 7 and seems to take up less space by default. I had to create a bootable USB flash drive because Windows 8 refused to boot from my external DVD.
The Upgrade version does allow you to perform a clean install. I think i'll be sticking with W7.
Naples39 wrote:I'm also now considering doing a clean install, if that's possible with the $40 upgrade version. What's the best way to do that?
Boot from the disk and select custom installation.
Disk? The $40 upgrade is downloaded through the upgrade assistant. I have no disk or image of Win8.
During the upgrade process it should have given you a couple of options. One was to perform an upgrade and the second choice was to create bootable media. When you choose the second option it begins to download the W8 ISO and you can burn it to a disk or USB Flash drive.
I'm not sure if you can order a disc from MS. In the past they usually charge $15 for the disc.
Naples39 wrote:Disk? The $40 upgrade is downloaded through the upgrade assistant. I have no disk or image of Win8.
During the upgrade process it should have given you a couple of options. One was to perform an upgrade and the second choice was to create bootable media. When you choose the second option it begins to download the W8 ISO and you can burn it to a disk or USB Flash drive.
I'm not sure if you can order a disc from MS. In the past they usually charge $15 for the disc.
Yeah, the upgrade by mail order disc is $70 and not available yet, if I remember correctly. I'll have to see if I can go back in and download the ISO. I didn't notice that option when upgrading...
As a Mac guy, I just purchased a Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga.
I'm turning my 15" mac into a photoshop/indesign computer and going to give this a whirl for a little bit.
I don't have it yet but after messing with it in the store, Windows 8 made it easier to do the things I do the most on the Mac, check email, read news, compose light word docs, and take notes. I don't care what you say about the iPad it really doesn't do any of these things well. It does them better with a keyboard and the right app but what I need a computer most for, Urban UI offered.
Seems all the disgust over Windows 8 is because for the last 30 years ever since the Macintosh we've been using the desktop/file structure. That changed slightly with apps but we still think in "windows" terms. After using the iPad for the last two years, I'm moving away from wanting to deal with "windows" system for things like email, news, weather and music. It seems that the way people have used Windows and dealt with all it's idiosyncrasy created an industry just for the idiosyncrasies of Windows but not really being productive — managing Windows was an industry upon itself.
After spending the good part of the weekend looking at Windows 8 videos, they have put a lot of hard work in this design. If this was Apple, everybody would be salivating over it. See Microsoft, 20 years of putting out bad products hurts you when you actually seem to put out good ones.
I might change my tune when the Yoga gets here but for the iPad/Mac crowd that are productivity users Windows seems a good option. I once thought you get get one or two perfect devices to serve all your needs but that's a fantasy these days. Today you need a phone, tablet and laptop if you live in a digital work environment. Problem is the tablet device, the iPad is a great consumption device but not that great to do any real work. Don't get me started on writing a simple "word" document.
I guess my computing habits differ than most. I hate file/folder structures but I use them. (It's terrible right before I go to print and my Mac has 10 folders open.) I've started to put most everything in the cloud because that's the business I'm in. For me, search is crucial and the spotlight feature took a stop back in Mountain Lion because of the way I label my files. I know what I'm looking for and what type of file it generally is and the new search feature of Urban UI fit me perfectly. I don't use tabs. I don't like add-ons on a browser. And the iPad app layout is okay if you have three of four app screens but start adding in folders and more than four screens of apps and it loses me. And I generally only use one screen not having multiple windows resized on the screen.
Can't believe I'm getting back into Windows but there you go.
So I am a UX Designer as my profession and I have to say that I really appreciate the direction Windows 8 took!
I have only messed with it briefly at a couple kiosks but I was intrigued and excited by it immediately. What some people must be seeing as cluttered I see as fun and refreshing.
I agree with JRod around how this new design enables ALL sorts of neat new hardware possibilities. This entire new concept of convertible tablet laptops or touchscreen desktops are an obvious evolutionary step.
As a Mac guy for the past 7 years...I am taking a good hard look at these new Windows machines.
Last edited by Spooky on Tue Nov 20, 2012 9:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
dbdynsty25 wrote:Just too bad they aren't selling.
Yeah sales have been disappointing for MS. I think part of it is due to the hardware. I installed W8 on a Dell laptop that came preloaded with W7, it's about 2 years old. And it's pretty bad that Intel is not making graphics drivers for their 4500MHD drivers. The other problem is the OS is really tailored for tablets and until Windows 8 PC's start flying off the shelves W8 is not going to sell by itself.
Funny how some Mac fans have taken a liking to W8.
My big fear of ever switching back to Windows is the constant headache of driver mismatches, anti-virus programs, and just overall weird errors/glitches that I have to go searching the web to find solutions for.
Has that gotten any better with age or with the new W8?
Spooky wrote:My big fear of ever switching back to Windows is the constant headache of driver mismatches, anti-virus programs, and just overall weird errors/glitches that I have to go searching the web to find solutions for.
Has that gotten any better with age or with the new W8?
W7 pretty much solved all of that stuff. And MS has their own anti-virus (Microsoft Security Essentials) that is fantastic, so it all works seamlessly with Windows Update. I can't remember the last time I had to look for some solution to an issue online (I suppose it was some registry tweaks for my SSD that I installed before that upgrade was more mainstream). It's all plug and play and there is hardly any interaction needed on the end-users end. Thank god, because I was sick of going to random friends houses to fix/repair/rebuild computers for free. But then again, I don't have any bartering points when I need someone to help me move or something like that. Oh well.
Windows 8 is still terrible. Change for changes sake. I use both Mac OSX and Windows 7 and both are fine for everyday computing. The only reason Windows changed their "look" is because they want to have something to sell new hardware with. Components have gone stagnant as far as massive speed increases, so people are hanging on to their aging PCs longer and buying supplemental tablets, thus ruining the PC market. By redesigning a touch interface, it makes people go "ooooohhhhh" when they see it and then all of these built in touch screens make them go "aaaaaahhhhh" and then they are intrigued at buying new hardware, even though they've been completely duped in thinking it's a better way of doing things. It's not, it's a farce and it's actually kind of annoying when seemingly smart people fall for it.
Spooky wrote:My big fear of ever switching back to Windows is the constant headache of driver mismatches, anti-virus programs, and just overall weird errors/glitches that I have to go searching the web to find solutions for.
Has that gotten any better with age or with the new W8?
W7 pretty much solved all of that stuff. And MS has their own anti-virus (Microsoft Security Essentials) that is fantastic, so it all works seamlessly with Windows Update. I can't remember the last time I had to look for some solution to an issue online (I suppose it was some registry tweaks for my SSD that I installed before that upgrade was more mainstream). It's all plug and play and there is hardly any interaction needed on the end-users end. Thank god, because I was sick of going to random friends houses to fix/repair/rebuild computers for free. But then again, I don't have any bartering points when I need someone to help me move or something like that. Oh well.
Windows 8 is still terrible. Change for changes sake. I use both Mac OSX and Windows 7 and both are fine for everyday computing. The only reason Windows changed their "look" is because they want to have something to sell new hardware with. Components have gone stagnant as far as massive speed increases, so people are hanging on to their aging PCs longer and buying supplemental tablets, thus ruining the PC market. By redesigning a touch interface, it makes people go "ooooohhhhh" when they see it and then all of these built in touch screens make them go "aaaaaahhhhh" and then they are intrigued at buying new hardware, even though they've been completely duped in thinking it's a better way of doing things. It's not, it's a farce and it's actually kind of annoying when seemingly smart people fall for it.
So I guess I'm one of those people (although I've never claimed to be smart) . Why is Windows 8 so terrible?
dbdynsty25 wrote:even though they've been completely duped in thinking it's a better way of doing things. It's not, it's a farce and it's actually kind of annoying when seemingly smart people fall for it.
I thought the same thing until I tried Windows 8 RT on an ASUS 600T. The OS came together on the Tablet and part of the reason why is because the main interface on a Tablet is the screen and most people who buy tablets usually don't buy keyboards or use a mouse. So the UI experience is in it's natural setting. So yeah I actually liked W8 RT.
Spooky wrote:Why is Windows 8 so terrible?
It's not that it's terrible, it's just for those that have used Windows in the past feel the better experience is still Windows 7. I find it takes me more steps to accomplish in Windows 8 what it does in Windows 7.
So I've been playing around with the Yoga since Tuesday.
First off let me say that I used only Mac products since 2006. I had an iMac computer and a Dell Laptop. In 2009 I went to a MacBook Pro 15" inch that's served me well since then. It's showing it's age as it's slowed down a bit and accumulated junk. I have an iPad as well.
I'm not entirely sold on the Yoga but Windows 8 right now destroys the iPad/MacBook problem I had before. I loved the simplicity of the iPad. I bought a keyboard to type emails with and tried to make it a main productivity device while using the MacBook pro for the Adobe suite. That was a no go. The iPad is a great consumption device but a terrible productivity device.
My MB pro was a work horse but I found too many distractions with it.
I'm more than pleased with windows 8. It has some issues but once I figured out what windows was trying to have me do, it all made sense. I know people are going to complain but right now I am more impresses and more productive on my Win8 machine than I was on my MB Pro. Sending out an email, searching, switching between apps are all pretty easy. Things could get simply but that may take work.
As far as a tablet goes. Windows 8 does productivity between than the iPad. Not just in the fact that you have real productivity apps but features like the dual screen or charm bar is an improved way to do something.
I'm happy with the purchase and happy with Windows 8. I use a match of Tablet and Laptop mode and it's a great device. I may consider getting a surface rt pro because of pen and the laptop may go because the surfrace pro with the smaller screen may be a better option.
Diablo25 wrote:I've had no problems at all with Windows 8. I've been very impressed with it.
Windows 8 is alright. I personally like Windows 7 more but it's not bad. The best thing going for Windows 8 are some of the tablet apps you can run on a PC. For me it has it's pluses and minuses whereas I thought Windows 7 was a solid OS.
Diablo25 wrote:I've had no problems at all with Windows 8. I've been very impressed with it.
Windows 8 is alright. I personally like Windows 7 more but it's not bad. The best thing going for Windows 8 are some of the tablet apps you can run on a PC. For me it has it's pluses and minuses whereas I thought Windows 7 was a solid OS.
I'm interested to see how well (or not so well) Windows Surface Pro goes over as compared to RT. I played around with the Surface RT the other day in Staples (yes I was in a Staples ) and really liked it. To each his own.
Diablo25 wrote:I've had no problems at all with Windows 8. I've been very impressed with it.
Windows 8 is alright. I personally like Windows 7 more but it's not bad. The best thing going for Windows 8 are some of the tablet apps you can run on a PC. For me it has it's pluses and minuses whereas I thought Windows 7 was a solid OS.
. Why is Windows 8 so terrible?
