In reply to a post by janitor:

Thanks all, I wasn't sure if you could save the install files as a iso, or if you could re download it if you had to reinstall. Have saved it to a flash drive for future reinstalls.

they could have made that better, want to make a ISO, yes please, so it goes and make a ISO and then the software just ends, it don't give you another choice to continue with installing. I ran the software again after I made the ISO, sadly the update did not work and I had to start with a clean slate.

i also think that the only reason so many people have decided to upgrade is because of the price, if it was the same price as windows 7 was, then it would struggle.

I suspect that you are correct, but it is only the download version that is cheaper than Windows 7 was (which wasn't an option with 7). Just goes to show how much manufacturing, packaging, and distribution must cost. Exactly the same thing happened with OS X once they moved to the Internet for software distribution.

still playing with it on a VM and test rig.

'start is back' is great makes the OS useable. Start menu is back and boots to desktop by default. Also disables (optionally) the silly move mouse to corner stuff. thankfully quick launch can also be kept on. The problem is the app isnt going to be free, the dev is going to profit of microsoft removing the function. Alternative apps dont properly restore the desktop. Also the app will work great at making the start screen less cluttered, it has an option to make it only show metro apps, so start menu for desktop apps and start screen for metro apps. Also it makes the windows key show start menu not start screen. (adds another shortcut combo for start screen).

IE10 is a decent upgrade to IE9 with enhanced protected mode (read it up if not sure what it is) and its fixed a scrolling performance regression in IE9.

Classicshell on to fix other UI regressions. Although not all regressions are fixeable, also that there doesnt seem to be a way to get AERO style themes back in place so the OS still looks like windows 95 from nearly 20 years ago.

DWM cannot be disabled, which for some might be important as it chews up graphics video memory, gamers find it useful to turn off before launching a game.

The final issue I need to resolve as well although windows 8 is supposedbly faster and lighter, on both my test rig and VM it boots and shuts down slower, and uses up more ram on a fresh boot.

Since I am starting to work through the useability issues I have brought 2 upgrade licenses and also got technet install iso's as well.

The technet iso's are superior to the ones windows upgrade advisor downloads as they still in wim format and also they allow a clean install to activate without registry hacking even with a upgrade key.

A warning tho, if reinstalling windows and not using the built in reinstall option (people wanting to secure erase between reinstalls eg. would reinstall of media) then a phone call to MS is needed to reactivate even on exact same hardware. This has tightened up over how win7 retail activation worked.

Edited by Chrysalis (Wed 07-Nov-12 15:15:59)

In reply to a post by AEP:

I suspect that you are correct, but it is only the download version that is cheaper than Windows 7 was (which wasn't an option with 7). Just goes to show how much manufacturing, packaging, and distribution must cost. Exactly the same thing happened with OS X once they moved to the Internet for software distribution.

If you want a disk back up it will cost you a extra £12 and I bet they put a few quid on top of that for a profit.

Duplicating and packaging is not that expensive, certainly not for a large company like MS and would add very little onto the price of the software.
I know someone who gets CDs pressed for his music and even in the small amounts he sells it is not that expensive.

The most expensive part is the master, once that is made the rest is easy. Sure online is cheaper, but not by much.

I think the reason why the upgrade is cheap is because Microsoft is worried that it will not take off, so do a BBC type thing* and offer the software cheap so people will buy it and install it on their PC and then there is no going back. We are the easy target, Joe pubic, the normal home user, the problem for Microsoft is trying to get large corporations to switch and a lot of them have just switched to windows 7.

i only got windows 8 because someone else paid for it, but I still got a few days until i need to decide if I am going to keep it. how people downloaded it and decided it is not for them and got a refund?

I doubt we will ever know.

If I decide to keep windows 8, then I might just keep it in storage for while and see what happens when they bring out the first service pack, but if people think that Ms will give windows 8 a start menu and allow people to boot direct to desktop then they should think again. MS will not do that, after all they are hoping that we will spend money in their store and buy apps which we don't really need.

If you don't like the modern UI, then third party software is the only way to go or go back to windows 7/XP





* as for my statement about the BBC, I meant then they started to flood the market with Freeview boxes with no slot, to make it more difficult for a subscription service to replace the licence. they knew what they was doing.

Although it's off-topic, I don't understand your comment about FreeView boxes. You need a licence wheter it's got a slot or not, whatever you watch. You need a licence to watch any FreeView box.

In reply to a post by AEP:

Although it's off-topic, I don't understand your comment about FreeView boxes. You need a licence wheter it's got a slot or not, whatever you watch. You need a licence to watch any FreeView box.

The BBc made sure that all new Freeview boxes did not have a card slot, that way there was no way for the government to bring in any subscription service as it would have made it expensive and difficult. No card slot, no subscription, so the TV licence was safe.