Windows 8 Consumer Preview

[theDreamer]

This thread is not to talk about one OS versus another or to b1tch about how much you hate a company. I want this to be for people who are interested in the new OS, wanted to trial it before it goes live, and to ask questions and share.

Link to download: Download Windows 8 Consumer Preview
Link to download ISO: Windows 8 Consumer Preview ISO formats

I suggest using the ISO link as this will allow you to burn to a DVD or bootable USB device and install on anything. Please read:

System Requirements
Windows 8 Consumer Preview works great on the same hardware that powers Windows 7:

Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster

RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) (32-bit) or 2 GB (64-bit)

Hard disk space: 16 GB (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)

Graphics card: Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device or higher

To use touch, you need a tablet or monitor that supports multitouch

To access Windows Store and to download and run apps, you need an active Internet connection and a screen resolution of at least 1024 x 768

To snap apps, you need a screen resolution of at least 1366 x 768

These requirements are the same as Windows 7, so if you run 7 fine you should be good to test this, but if not then it might be time for an upgrade soon.

Now let the fun begin and start testing and asking questions.
Also, if you have an error or crash please supply what hardware/drivers you have to help solve any problems and submit it to Microsoft. This preview is to help them make the OS better before the final revision. Also, if you are happy or dislike something email them and supply suggestions as they do listen.

[6MT]

Here we go again with the "planned" obsolesence.

[Cmike2780]

Week 3 since upgrading to Windows 8 and so far it's been more of a headache than anything else. Here are a few problems that I ran across.

Windows Refresh: It's great if they actually explained in more detail what it actually does. It says it doesn't delete files for example, it deletes every single program you've ever installed. There is no way to undo this once its done because of course its not set to automatically create a restore point. You also don't get to select an option to preserve programs you might actually want to keep. Even device drivers are deleted. My internet wireless connection dropped to dial up speed and I just realized it might be a driver issue. I thought it was my network at first since this was installed around the time of the hurricane when the entire network was affected.


Multi-tasking: It's kind of terrible actually. Most of the time you're not exactly sure what programs are running. I have an older machine with an 4gig RAM limit. It wasn't a big deal before, but it seems like Windows 8 is a memory hog. I can't edit large RAW image files in Lightroom 4 without running out of memory. It wasn't a problem before since I always knew exactly what programs were still active.

Apps: Cool concept, but oversimplified or overcomplicated. Some apps are pretty terrible.

UI: Again, cool concept, but it's kind of annoying unless you have a touchscreen.

Multi-Monitor support: Better than Windows 7, but nothing special.

[phelan]

Microsoft is good every other release. Obviously since Win7 worked the best since XP, Windows 8 is bound to be crap.

Was not impressed by how gimmicky it is. I can appreciate how they streamline it to look like the XBox console, but really, I want a computer to be a computer, not my XBox.

[jcosta79]

Here is my opinion of Windows 8 after using it for a couple of weeks in a work environment (I have 8 Pro).

It is the best version of Windows, hands down. It's fast, loads in about 4 seconds, stable, and VERY user friendly.

Yes, it will take you about a week to get used to the new interface, but once you do, you will LOVE it. Everything from earlier versions of Windows is still there and the incredibly simple search function (you just start typing) found everything I was looking for.

The built in antivirus is VERY good and does not slow down the OS like 3rd party software does. It's called Defender, but it's nothing like the one from Windows 7. This is a complete anti-virus and it found 3 viruses on an external HD that my enterprise version of Symantec End Point Protection missed. The inclusion of UEFI support with Secure Boot (along with the built-in antivirus) help make it the most secure version of Windows ever.

Oh, and as much as it pains me to admit it, IE 10 actually looks good and works well.

Overall, Windows 8 Pro is EXCELLENT.

[theDreamer]

Jcosta79, since you are using it in a work environment what do you do for work?
I honestly will not roll out 8 yet just because what we do at our office I don't think will have that much benefit like 7 did.

[jcosta79]

Originally Posted by theDreamer

Jcosta79, since you are using it in a work environment what do you do for work?
I honestly will not roll out 8 yet just because what we do at our office I don't think will have that much benefit like 7 did.

I am a teacher. I need a Pro version of Windows to gain access to our domain. The only "real" benefits that I see of going to 8 is the built-in security and the speed of the thing. It really is "light".

Everything else is just preference/cool & different, etc...

[theDreamer]

Originally Posted by jcosta79

I am a teacher. I need a Pro version of Windows to gain access to our domain. The only "real" benefits that I see of going to 8 is the built-in security and the speed of the thing. It really is "light".

Everything else is just preference/cool & different, etc...

Yeah, being lighter and smoother is nice but not much of anything else benefits our office. Though I hate our AV software, but it is provided for free via our UK office so cannot complain that much.
My looking at 8 is probably going to be more towards our administration users who could benefit from certain features if they will use them.