Getting kinda tired of Windows 8.1

D

DArtagnan

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I'm *this* close to going back to Windows 7, mostly due to minor annoyances - but I'm about to re-install (new SSD) and I might as well do it right.

The only tangible reason I really have to stick with W8.1 is DX11.2 - which I've yet to see utilised anywhere, really.

Can someone with Windows 8.1 give me a good reason not to go back to W7?
 
What is it that you doesn't like with it.

pibbur who is curious because he's ok with it (admittedly amended by several Stardock products so he never sees the Metro interface.)
 
What is it that you doesn't like with it.

pibbur who is curious because he's ok with it (admittedly amended by several Stardock products so he never sees the Metro interface.)

Well, the thing that's most annoying is that I can't seem to get Windows update to work properly. It refuses to finish updating no matter what the hell I do.

Beyond that, I hate the way you have to find your applications in that awful separate window.

I've also had some minor compatibility issues with some emulation stuff, but it's hard to know if it's W8 related.

There's more, but I can't immediately recall. Small things that keep popping up - which I don't remember seeing with W7.

There are things I DO like, but not a lot. I think the file transfer window is my single favorite feature :)
 
As Pibbur suggested the stardock applications ( or equivalent)are essential with win 8 IMO.

Start 8 will bypass metro and give you a traditional start menu, not just a start button but the actual start menu. I often forget that metro is even there and go months without seeing it.

Not sure about windows update, I set it to download automatically then forget about it. It has popped up periodically saying there are downloads to install so I assume it's working.

Stardock apps do cost money though but I believe classic shell does the same thing as start 8 for free. Might be worth a try.
 
I might check them out, but I tend to loathe third party stuff like that. I might use it if there's literally a 0% performance impact. Anything approaching 1% and it's not for me.

I'm obsessive like that.

I have no issue paying for something useful, though.
 
Any specific recommendations when it comes to Stardock integration?
 
You need "mods" to make Windows 8 functional?
 
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Do you understand the difference between non-functional and somewhat annoying?

Do you have something to contribute to the thread or not?

I just didn't know that Windows 8 was so annoying that everyone would suggest to install a 3rd party to make it "functional".

And it was a real question, I never bothered with Window 8.
 
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You mean you had a little fantasy where people are calling it non-functional? That's cool and all, but if you want to have a private fantasy - could you take it elsewhere?

This is a thread I created because I wanted some help to decide between Windows 8 and Windows 7.
 
Windows 8 is fully " functional", I used the stardock apps with windows 7 as well as the enhance windows.

Anyways, I use stardocks full suite of apps, my favorite must haves would be:

Start 8- boot directly to desktop and returns your start button and menu. Essentially gives you a windows 7 UI.

Fences 2- great for organizing icons or folders on you desktop. A must for someone as anal as me. I love the feature of being able to have multiple screens for icons, just flip through like on a phone. I know I said phone but don't let that scare you it works well on desktop. It allows me to have all my games and programs sorted by genre and then by most played to least. Also a simple double click will hide all icons and give you a clean desktop.

Stardock- gives you a Mac type dock at the bottom of your screen( or anywhere you want to put it.) to quickly launch programs. A little redundant with fences but I have more icons on my desktop than I would want in the dock and like I said I'm pretty anal about the organization of my desktop and pc. I cringe when I look at a regular desktop and see icons and folders all over. (*shudder*).

Window blinds, windows fx and other apps are purely cosmetic but have some cool feature such as jiggly or sliding windows. Not essential but add a little personalization to your desktop.

As far as which one to use I don't really think either has any major advantage so use which ever one you like.

It does sound like nvidia will be giving some good performance boosts to dx 11.2 and even more to dx 12 if window 8 supports it. They are supposed to release a new driver today with some significant improvements. If you have an nvidia card you may want to check it out.
 
I use Win7 and cannot live without Fences any more. Especially those kind of multiple desktops. Left-rightclick,drag: go to different desktop icon set... Not sure if it makes sense on Win8.
 
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Windows 8 is fully " functional", I used the stardock apps with windows 7 as well as the enhance windows.

Anyways, I use stardocks full suite of apps, my favorite must haves would be:

Start 8- boot directly to desktop and returns your start button and menu. Essentially gives you a windows 7 UI.

Fences 2- great for organizing icons or folders on you desktop. A must for someone as anal as me. I love the feature of being able to have multiple screens for icons, just flip through like on a phone. I know I said phone but don't let that scare you it works well on desktop. It allows me to have all my games and programs sorted by genre and then by most played to least. Also a simple double click will hide all icons and give you a clean desktop.

Stardock- gives you a Mac type dock at the bottom of your screen( or anywhere you want to put it.) to quickly launch programs. A little redundant with fences but I have more icons on my desktop than I would want in the dock and like I said I'm pretty anal about the organization of my desktop and pc. I cringe when I look at a regular desktop and see icons and folders all over. (*shudder*).

Window blinds, windows fx and other apps are purely cosmetic but have some cool feature such as jiggly or sliding windows. Not essential but add a little personalization to your desktop.

As far as which one to use I don't really think either has any major advantage so use which ever one you like.

It does sound like nvidia will be giving some good performance boosts to dx 11.2 and even more to dx 12 if window 8 supports it. They are supposed to release a new driver today with some significant improvements. If you have an nvidia card you may want to check it out.

Thank you for the detailed info…

I'll look into the Stardock stuff, though Classic Shell seems to do more or less what I need right now.

I always create a manual "Games" folder - and that's the only folder I have on my desktop, and I add my own shortcuts to it.

I don't have a need to organize icons or folders much - since I have this ability to memorize words as images and I recognise them instantly even in huge lists. This means I always access my files using "detailed" view in Windows - and I never need to search for anything - which is why I always disable indexing and things of that nature.

For instance, my ridiculously huge and messy "Downloads" folder on my archive drive has no order whatsoever - and it contains pretty much everything I've download during this install of Windows. I don't organize much of anything :)

I do use the Taskbar for frequently used applications, though.
 
I never use the desktop. I just use the program and document and etc folders auto menu cascading from the start menu in Win 7. It's fast and uncluttered. I seem to remember Windows 8 doesn't allow this, does it?
 
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Thank you for the detailed info…

I'll look into the Stardock stuff, though Classic Shell seems to do more or less what I need right now.

I always create a manual "Games" folder - and that's the only folder I have on my desktop, and I add my own shortcuts to it.

I don't have a need to organize icons or folders much - since I have this ability to memorize words as images and I recognise them instantly even in huge lists. This means I always access my files using "detailed" view in Windows - and I never need to search for anything - which is why I always disable indexing and things of that nature.

For instance, my ridiculously huge and messy "Downloads" folder on my archive drive has no order whatsoever - and it contains pretty much everything I've download during this install of Windows. I don't organize much of anything :)

I do use the Taskbar for frequently used applications, though.

Wish I could do that I spend entirely to much time organizing things until they are just right and then I freak if someone touches them. I built my wife and 2 kids their own pc's and bought them their own iPads just so they wouldn't use mine and god forbid move an icon or something.:lol:

My wife thinks I am a perfectionist and have OCD. I vehemently deny it but honestly she may have a point.
 
Wish I could do that I spend entirely to much time organizing things until they are just right and then I freak if someone touches them. I built my wife and 2 kids their own pc's and bought them their own iPads just so they wouldn't use mine and god forbid move an icon or something.:lol:

My wife thinks I am a perfectionist and have OCD. I vehemently deny it but honestly she may have a point.

I do have that tendency in other areas - and it's something I'm working on. I despise the thought of being a slave to an irrational compulsion to waste time - but it's a struggle sometimes :)
 
I use Win7 and cannot live without Fences any more. Especially those kind of multiple desktops. Left-rightclick,drag: go to different desktop icon set… Not sure if it makes sense on Win8.

It makes sense if you drop/hide Metro (for instance by using Start8).

pibbur who has windows 8 on his gaming laptop, only because that was the OS that came with it. And whose desktop preferences is very similar to the sakichop.
 
Although I don't see a half of this thread (ignorelist entry), the title is still visible and some posts.

Still not sure what is it about. First, the whole internet is full of experiences with Windows 8, and without installing it you should know what to expect. If that is not enough, there is a master document, a holy grail, why windows 8 is not what you want, here's just a short excerpt from:
http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/windows-blue-desktop-conspiracy.html

Functionality

Everything we use has a purpose. Human gadgets are a direct evolutionary extension of our basic and not-so-basic needs, be it food or entertainment. Hence, if something exists, it exists for a reason, or it stops existing. Sometimes, the shape and usage of tools is dictated by technology, but the functionality does not change. For example, killing people in medieval times was done using different tools than today, but the actual purpose of tools at hand remains.

Likewise here, humans need to interact with software in some way. There are many possible ways this can be done, including touch, voice, eye contact, and other sensory inputs. At the moment, the most prevalent technology is touch, having transformed from manuscript to typewriters to digital keyboards, with some usage of the mouse as a pointing device.

Keyboard

The keyboard seems like the most primitive of these tools, being very little different from the good ole typewriter, which hails back at least 150 years. However, there is a very basic, anatomical reason why we use keyboards, why letters are placed the certain why, and why keys are of a certain size. Which is why the advent of technology has not affected the typing functionality that much.

Some people are calling for the transformation of touch, from using a typing device like the keyboard and a pointing device like mouse, to a pure digital experience. In a way, this kind of makes sense, right. You replace one type of technology for another, while offering users the same functionality. The best example would be the wheel. It powered carts thousands of years ago and it still powers supercars like Bugatti Veyron. So the same logic should apply when you go from physical keyboard to touch, right? Well, not quite.

Humans have always written text from a sitting position, on horizontal surfaces. Before computers, the position of text was in line with the written manuscript. Typewriters separated the input and output, creating a revolutionary concept that we know as blind typing. It allowed us to have two dimensions to our alphabet experience, one where our hands remain horizontal, the other where our eyes could be positioned more naturally.

So we went from horizontal-horizontal to horizontal-vertical, and that was the big leap, which enhanced the experience. The proponents of modern touch only bullshit call for using vertical-vertical, or again, horizontal-horizontal. This is a dramatic change in how humans interact with text. Either way, it is a regression from a two-dimensional space into a one-dimensional form.

Therefore, whether we will have keyboards vs. touch is irrelevant. The only question is, will humans accept this regression? The answer is quite simple. They will not, because it goes again the need and purpose behind the technology. Indeed, if you look at this from a different angle - you will be more productive typing on a physical keyboard than a virtual device.

Mentioning mods and arguing over their neccessity is irrelevant. Mods are not Windows 8. You may say mods rock or mods suck and it still doesn't say anything about the OS.

One more thing I've probably mentioned. My company tested a few machines with win8 when it was released. The conclusion was that we don't want that crap it. Not now, not tomorrow, not ever.

There is no way win8 will become better than it is now. And it's crap.
If you don't like win8 and still didn't remove it and put win7 or winXP instead, my suggestion is to sell that machine and buy some old cheap PC with Windows ME on it. It meets your needs perfectly.
Oh, you'd put win XP or 7, but the problem is drivers? It is not.
www.slimdrivers.com
 
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