Do you use Windows 8 and if yes how do you compare it with Windows 7?

Question

When Windows 8 came out it didn't sell as well as Microsoft expected it to and I didn't like the look of it. I've never actually used it though as I think Windows 7 64-bit is good enough for my needs. I have a high end system and wondered if there would be any advantage to changing over and if so would I be able to change the look of it so that its similar to windows 7? I don't use any touch-screen devices so what would the advantages be of upgrading?

Answer 1

If you already have a system running Windows 7, especially if you have a high-end computer, I don't recommend upgrading to Windows 8, simply because the cost doesn't justify the changes. If you come from Vista or XP, I'd say take Win8 over Win7.



I've been using Windows 7 since it came out and tried Windows 8 halfway 2013 to see why people hated it so much.

My first impressions were ... WHY does everybody hate this??? It already started with the installation. With 7 I installed the OS, then all the separate drivers, then did all the windows updates, all the software, and it took me the better part of a working day to get everything up and running. Windows 8 cut that time to 2/3 of the time.

The after everything was properly installed (on an old computer), I noticed that the startup times were very impressive. I was up and running while Windows 7 still hadn't shown me a login screen...



Win8 looks and feels a little bit different, but hey, Win7 looks and feels a little different from XP as well. After a couple days of using it, you don't look at it anymore and you just care about how it performs. Besides Vista and ME, all Windows versions are natural upgrades and always perform a little better than the previous versions. The major downside I would say, is that Microsoft tried to force people to use touch screens and using the metro mode. I've been using Win8 for over a year now and I can honestly say, I don't use the metro mode and it doesn't bother me. I've got the choice, it's there. I can attach a touch screen... nice, but I don't want it and I don't miss it. Most naysayers are always focussing on those two things but they're easily avoidable.



With regards to the start screen, just as with Win7, I just tap my windows-key and type what I need. The nice thing about Windows 8.1, is that if a program is not installed, it will still give you links to sites where you can get the software (so it's not restricted to a local search for software, files, etc).



Oh... I almost forgot this one too. When you install Windows 8/8.1, it will ask you to log in with a Live account so you can sync your files online. To skip this, you can simply enter false information and when it returns an error on login, you can select to create a local account. I have really cursed Microsoft for doing this, but hey, once you're up and running with a local account, it's all pretty similar to working with Win7. Just a little bit faster since the newer OS is a little friendlier with resources.



But again, leave the choice for your next computer. Windows 7 is a decent OS, it's not worth the money for an upgrade.

Answer 2

I would hold off in your case. There is a rumor going around that Windows 9, or whatever the official name ends up as, could be free to Windows 7, Vista, and XP users. So hang on for now.



One thing people who have never used 8 says is that the OS is meant for touchscreen. Yes, they added touch-friendly features but it works just fine with a keyboard and mouse.



Anywho, the biggest problem is that Microsoft knew the OS had user interface problems, based on their user testing, and released it before it was mature enough. On top of that, they expected users to adapt to the new interface without any training on the new behaviors. You can imagine how that would confuse a ton of people. The advertisements for the OS didn’t help much as they highlight the start screen. People were under the impression that was the entire OS. The start screen replaces the start menu and everything else is the same as 7. There is a desktop, taskbar, etc.



The start screen is actually pretty handy. Think of it as a desktop for your programs. Pop it up by hitting the Windows key then click the program you want. I personally don’t like to keep programs icons on my desktop. That space is for documents, like on a real desk, I know I’m strange. Anywho, the start menu can only show 20 items before you are forced to scroll and I have nearly 40 items pinned to my start screen and access all of them without scrolling. You really have to experience it to appreciate how much time it saves not having to scroll up and down the start menu all programs list anymore.



Now there are actual improvements to the OS. It’s faster than 7 on start up. 8 uses less resources than 7 while still running on the same hardware as Vista. The File Explorer has been improved with a ribbon interface. Oh, and if you do multiple move/copy operations they all stack in a single dialog window instead of each spawning its own. On top of that you can choose to pause and resume operations so you finally have control over what has priority. I would upgrade for that alone.



Anywho, Windows 8 takes some getting used to but I think the improvements are well worth it.

Answer 3

Windows 8 is fine, it got a bad reputation for the UI, but the system components are fine. But would I recommend changing over?



Not especially.

Answer 4

Hi,

my solution is this: the main OS is 64-bit Windows 7 Ultimate + VMware (which has 3 OSs, xp w7 and w8). haha.