5 Things I Love About Windows 8
Microsoft demoed the Windows 8 operating system publicly for the first time yesterday on the Build Conference.
While that presentation was concentrating on developing applications and compatible hardware for the operating system, end users were able to get a good sneak peek of things to come as well.
Especially so considering that Microsoft made available a preview version of the operating system for everyone right after the show (see Windows 8 Download).
I have downloaded and installed Windows 8 on my Acer laptop which is powered by an Intel U500 1.4 GHz cpu and four Gigabytes of RAM.
In this article I'm going to concentrate on five aspects or things of Windows 8 that I really like. In another article later today, I will write about five things that I do not like.
Lower Memory Footprint
Microsoft has reduced the memory footprint of the operating system significantly. The developer preview of Windows 8 as it was released yesterday sits at about 281 Megabyte and 29 processes after start and idle. Windows 7 on the other hand today with service pack 1 installed sits at 404 Megabytes and 32 processes. Older and under-powered hardware like my Acer laptop benefit the most from this. ARM systems will benefit from this as well considerably.
Faster Boot Times
I tested the boot time on my laptop after installing Windows 8 and have to say that it is speedy. I would not say it is super fast, but definitely faster than the time it takes to boot for my Windows 7 desktop cpu that is powered by one of the fastest SSD drives on the market.
I'm certain that Windows 8 on that desktop cpu would almost feel like instant on, and that it would probably take longer for the BIOS to post than for the operating system to load.
Windows Explorer
I do not use the ribbon interface at all, and I have to thank Microsoft for giving me the option to minimize the ribbon and use the Quick Access Bar instead. I have not really found a way to customize that bar on the other hand. There seem to be six functions available only: New Folder, Properties, Rename, Undo, Redo, Delete.
The new file copy dialog is excellent. It can be used to see realtime data and to pause and resume copy jobs.
Refreshing, Resetting Windows 8
Microsoft has integrated a refresh and reset option into Windows 8. Refresh basically restores the PC's settings without touching the user's files, personalizations and apps that have been installed from Windows Store.
Reset on the other hand has been designed to remove all personalizations from the PC. This basically returns the operating system to the state right after installation. All personalizations and files will be removed.
Refresh and Reset are part of the Windows Control Panel. They can be used by loading the full Control Panel on the Windows desktop and selecting Review your computer's status under System and Security.
Windows Live Cloud
Windows 8 users can create local account or use a Windows Live account to log into the operating system. If they use their Live account they benefit from synchronization features, for instance by having access to all their metro-style apps on all PCs that they log in. The operating system will synchronize personalization features so that the desktop looks the same on every PC the user logs in.
I have to admit that I played around with the operating system for about an hour until now. This basically means that there may be more features lurking around that I have not discovered yet. Plus, the developer preview does not contain all the features of the final Windows 8 version.
Have you had a chance to play around with Windows 8? If so, what is your impression?
What mental age of reader are you targeting with the first sentence? 10?
Why not write an article on how to *avoid* upgrading from W10 to W11. Analogous to those like me who avoided upgrading from 7 to 10 for as long as possible.
If your paymaster Microsoft permits it, of course.
5. Rufus
6. Ventoy
PS. I hate reading these “SEO optimized” articles.
I used Rufus to create an installer for a 6th gen intel i5 that had MBR. It upgraded using Setup. No issues except for Win 11 always prompting me to replace my local account. Still using Win 10 Pro on all my other PCs to avoid the bullying.
bit pointless to upgrade for the sake of upgrading as you never know when you’ll get locked out because ms might suddenly not provide updates to unsupported systems.
ps…. time travelling?
written. Jan 15, 2023
Updated • Jan 13, 2023
This happens when you schedule a post in WordPress and update it before setting the publication date.
Anyone willing to downgrade to this awful OS must like inflicting themselves with harm.
I have become convinced now that anybody who has no qualms with using Windows 11/10 must fit into one of the following brackets:
1) Too young to remember a time before W10 and W11 (doesn’t know better)
2) Wants to play the latest games on their PC above anything else (or deeply needs some software which already dropped W7 support)
3) Doesn’t know too much about how computers work, worried that they’d be absolutely lost and in trouble without the “”latest security””
4) Microsoft apologist that tries to justify that the latest “features” and “changes” are actually a good thing, that improve Windows
5) Uses their computer to do a bare minimum of like 3 different things, browse web, check emails, etc, so really doesn’t fuss
Obviously that doesn’t cover everyone, there’s also the category that:
6) Actually liked W7 more than 10, and held out as long as possible before switching, begrudgingly uses 10 now
Have I missed any group off this list?
You have missed in this group just about any professional user that uses business software like CAD programs or ERP Programs which are 99% of all professional users from this list.
Linux doesn’t help anyone who is not a linux kid and apple is just a fancy facebook machine.
Microsoft has removed KB5029351 update
only from windows update though
KB5029351 is still available from the ms update catalog site
1. This update is labaled as PREVIEW if it causes issues to unintelligent people, then they shouldn’t have allowed Preview updates ot install.
2. I have installed it in a 11 years old computer, and no problems at all.
3. Making a big drama over a bluescreen for an updated labeled as preview is ridiculous.
This is probably another BS internet drama where people ran programs and scripts that modified the registry until they broke Windows, just for removing stuff that they weren’t even using just for the sake of it.
Maybe people should stop playing geeks and actually either use Windows 10 or Windows 11, but don’t try to modify things just for the sake of it.
Sometimes removing or stopping things (like defender is a perfect example) only need intelligence, not scripts or 3rd party programs that might mess with windows.
Windows 11 was a pointless release, it was just created because some of the Windows team wanted to boost sales with some sort of new and improved Windows 10. Instead, Microsoft cannot support one version well let alone two.
Windows 11 is the worst ugly shame by Microsoft ever. They should release with every new W11 version a complete free version of Starallback inside just to make this sh** OS functionally again.
motherboard maker MSI has recently released a statement regarding the “unsupported processor” blue screen error for their boards using Intel 600/700 series chipsets & to avoid the KB5029351 Win11 update:
https://www.msi.com/news/detail/MSI-On–UNSUPPORTED-PROCESSOR–Error-Message-of-Windows-11-Update-KB5029351-Preview-142215
check out the following recent articles:
Neowin – Microsoft puts little blame on its Windows update after UNSUPPORTED PROCESSOR BSOD bug:
https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-puts-little-blame-on-its-windows-update-after-unsupported-processor-bsod-bug/
BleepingComputer – Microsoft blames ‘unsupported processor’ blue screens on OEM vendors:
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-blames-unsupported-processor-blue-screens-on-oem-vendors/
While there may be changes or updates to the Windows 10 Store for Business and Education in the future, it is premature to conclude that it will be discontinued based solely on rumors.
My advice, I left win 15 years ago. Now I’m a happy linux user (linuxmint) but there is Centos, Fedora, Ubuntu depending on your needs.
motherboard maker MSI has recently released new BIOS/firmware updates for their Intel 600 & 700 series motherboards to fix the “UNSUPPORTED_PROCESSOR” problem (Sept. 6):
https://www.msi.com/news/detail/Updated-BIOS-fixes-Error-Message–UNSUPPORTED-PROCESSOR–caused-BSOD-on-MSI-s-Intel-700-and-600-Series-Motherboards-142277
I try to disable the Diagnostics Tracking Service (Connected Devices Platform User Services) but it wont let me disable it, any help will be greatly appreciated.
Tank you for your help