Good or Bad Win 8

[Dick7Access]

I have a chance to buy a new HP lap top @ a very good price. Anybody on the forum have any really bad experience with win 8 and is 8.1 any better.
upgrade to 8.1 is $30 more, is the upgrade worth $30?















win 8















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[Brianwarnock]

I think that the upgrade is free frm Microsoft.
I haven't taken it yet as I have only just got my new laptop with Win 8 and have been too ill to do much, but as yet I don't like it but am glad I got a touch screen as I haven't been able to work out how to view multiple web links using the touchpad but very easy with the touch screen.
The demise of my XP desktop also means the end of Access for me as I don't need it at home, and looking at 2013 Excel I think the learning curve would kill me, why do Microsoft take a good product and negate tears of experience by turning it upside down, I had to Google to find out how to open the VBA editor.

Brian

Ps I'm typing this on my iPad, 'nough said

 

[Brianwarnock]

So Dick what did you decide as nobody seemed to be able to help you.

Brian

 

[Dick7Access]

Out side the forum I have talked to two people that have had problems with win 8.
I don't understand why big Bill takes a success like xp or even 7 and have to screw it up.
I am going to wait.

 

[Rabbie]

Just had to replace my laptop. The new one came with windows 8.1 which is less irritating than W8 because you can make it look like traditional Windows. The first day I found it very irritating and had to use Google numerous times to do the simplest things. Finally got it to do the things I wanted and was even able to load my tried and tested Office 2003. Being retired I can't justify spending good money on updating programs that are sufficient for what I need.

 

[Minkey]

I recently got a new laptop with Win 8 and immediately installed http://classicshell.net it is a hugely customisable 'skin' for Win 8 so now I have a Win 7 look and feel OS and you can bypass that horrid metro screen. Oh and of course it's 100% free

Win 8.1 is an update worth it if you have any issues as it has bug fixes etc. but it is 3GB iirc haven’t updated yet as I'm currently on mobile internet and you don't have to pay for it as with all Microsoft updates they are free so the upgrade is not worth $30 (sounds like they want you to pay to use their internet time to install it!). Classicshell also works in Win 8.1 ;-)

Overall I'm happy with it (now it looks and works like Win 7) no major issues so far but here's even better news, if you need a new laptop and defiantly don't want Win 8 you can 'downgrade' for free to Win 7 (though iirc it's only the pro /oem versions you can do this with). You'll need a valid Win 7 license key and install disk/ iso but you can use your 'old' one from your previous machine providing it's compatible with your version of Win 8.

If you happy to have a go at this then you can get Win 7 back (check the process and versions you have very carefully before going ahead) but I would seriously recommend the classicshell option as you don't have to change anything major and you'll get the benefits of both Win 8 and Win 7 and you won't run into any new compatibility/ driver issues.

As with all Microsoft OS versions I always do research first before committing, download and try beta versions etc. and rarely get a v1 version as it were but had little choice this time and was ready to downgrade to Win 7 but decided to stick with it and overall it's totally fine (with classicshell that is ).

 

[Lightwave]

I've got Win 8.1 on a laptop running Office 2003 and the only issue that I can see coming up at some point is that my copy of the Office 2003 said something about requiring authentication to operate and that there were a limited number of installations with each installation disk..

Clearly MS just want to force users into buying new product which is a bit against the ethos of the digital age - ie immortality of software perfect duplication with 100% accuracy. You don't knock down St Paul's because its old. You knock it down because it doesn't do the job.

Office 2003 on i7 with 8g of ram and 1TB disk is sweet

8.1 itself is fine by me I have no issues with it - especially as it runs legacy software great. Don't use the Metro screen at all - I have a surface table as well and metro works well on that.

 

[alain.roger]

except the random freezing at the boot without any solution, i have no issue with win8.1

 

[Dick7Access]

This a very old thread. started 11/13 16 months later I had to buy a machine with 8.1, I don't like 8.1. I talked with a supposedly geek who said he did beta 10 and when it hits pubic that I will like it better than 8.1 and the update will be free. He said they are working on 13. Can that be true? Anybody here agree or disagree that have done beta, and is the 13 bit true?

 

[Minkey]

I don't like 8.1.

Neither do I and I've used all versions of Windows so what don't you like about it? As I mentioned you can make it look and feel just like Windows 7 (which I do like) which imo is much better particularly for a desktop/laptop.

I talked with a supposedly geek who said he did beta 10 and when it hits pubic that I will like it better than 8.1

If it's the interface then I guess so it look like it will be a 'merger' of Win 8 and Win 7 especially for desktops with a 'normal' start bar but still with tiles as per Win 8 but be like Win 8 for mobile.

and the update will be free.

Correct for the first year from release.

He said they are working on 13. Can that be true? Anybody here agree or disagree that have done beta, and is the 13 bit true?

I suspect your geek is an MSDN (Microsoft Developer) and if so has access to new versions of software even earlier than beta but I really don't think he means Windows 13 he probably means the 13th version of Windows which can be argued is Windows 11 (or maybe even Windows 10 depends how you class a new version) so maybe they are but I doubt it will around any time soon.

 

[Dick7Access]

Neither do I and I've used all versions of Windows so what don't you like about it? As I mentioned you can make it look and feel just like Windows 7 (which I do like) which imo is much better particularly for a desktop/laptop.

I am tempted to use the win 7 interface as so many have suggested, but Iv have found that if I skip some learning curves that when I am finally forces to convert to a new program win, access etc. is is much harder, so I try to learn a little bit each time. The one thing that really bugs me right now is the so call buddy bar (or whatever it's called) on the right. I have disabled it a couple of times, but it comes back. Ever time I try and scroll a page while on a web site that stupid bar pops up, so I have to go back click on the page and then go back to the scroll button. On top of that there is nothing on that bar that I have a need for.