Windows 8 Consumer Preview Available 29th Feb

[Dave84]

Anyone know if there is a GPO/reg tweak to launch IE in desktop mode by default?

 

edit: nevermind i found it! Theres a GPO for it under Internet Explorer > Internet settings > Set how links are opened in Internet Explorer.

Edited March 2, 2012 by Dave84
found it

[Arthur]

There's a GPO for it under Internet Explorer > Internet settings > Set how links are opened in Internet Explorer.

Also under Internet Options...

 

http://i.imgur.com/CT6Qy.png

[PiqueABoo]

if Server 8 doesn't have a Start Menu either as a previous post said.

 

For Server GUI install I can confirm it doesn't. When you logon you get the Desktop and of course Server Manager with a few new bells & whistles and a dash of TPB (touch-pixel-bloat) , otherwise the UI is much the same as the client version - just without any Metro Apps on the Metro start menu. Some interesting new roles/features to explore .. or at least I think they're new! Data Deduplication for instance.

[Dave84]

Also under Internet Options...

 

Aye I didn't see that option

 

I tried promoting my server 8 VM to DC and realised they've removed the dcpromo command. Seems like everything needs to be done in server manager itself now.

Edited March 2, 2012 by Dave84

[PiqueABoo]

Seems like everything needs to be done in server manager itself now.

 

Or powershell Having done it via DOS command line for the last two Windows releases I struggled a bit with the GUI DC (new forest) making.. a lot of warnings to ignore that I didn't immediately know you could just ignore re. DNS when you've ticked the AD DNS etc.

 

Did previous Server Mangler have the Tools pull-down menu? Only that pretty much saves you from having to go near the Metro start menu. [Doesn't save me from thinking it's all a bit of a UI mess though]

 

At a glance quite a bit of Win8 CP group policy to play with and Preferences haven't vanished (well you never know).. there's even GPP for IE 10 & 11

 

Active Directory Administrative Center.. will that be Centre when we get proper English?

 

Powershell via a browser (PSWA)

 

Microsoft Online Backup Service (takes you to Connect beta page) in Windows Backup

Edited March 2, 2012 by PiqueABoo

[Chuckster]

Windows 8 is the new Vista, in my opinion. Server 8 is equally just as bad as the client version. You can't run DCPROMO from the run command and everything has to be achieved through Server Manager, even though relevant roles were enabled I could not even create a new forest/domain in my test environment.

 

MS should have taken a leaf out of Apple's book and created a two tier OS - an OS X-like OS for desktops and laptops (Windows 7 in this case) and iOS (Windows 8) purely for tablets.

 

Let's face it, in the working environment, Windows 8 is going to be a hindrance to end users that actually sit at a desk and type. I'm already looking forward to Windows 9.

[RabbieBurns]

Is anyone using windows 8 on a Dell Latitude ST tablet?

 

Its only an atom so Ive had to use the x86 version, but I think one of the drivers is causing it to crash and then get stuck in an endless bootloop.

 

Cant even boot to safe mode.

 

Ive used the win7 drivers off the dell website as Im guessing they are close enough, just not sure which one is borking the install.

 

It crashes with IRQ_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL or such

[AngryTechnician]

Is anyone using windows 8 on a Dell Latitude ST tablet?

I am. I installed without adding any drivers at first and then added them one by one. From memory I've only added the wired ethernet for the dock, the wireless driver, the nTrig driver, and the graphics driver. The first three were from the Dell website, but I got the graphics driver from the Intel website as it's a later version.

[RabbieBurns]

Thanks ill have another go tomorrow. Lost track of the emount of times ive reimaged this thing back to the fresh install. All the drivers went on to the Devel preview fine I cant figure out what is causing this to crash. It started crashing last night straight after a fresh install and jsut the wireless.. Ill try putting the wifi on last.. cheers for the video update.

[gshaw]

Installed it on my x100e over the weekend, writing a full blog post about it but main things I've noticed...

 

a) Metro feels like a Media Center-esque overlay on top of a standard Windows desktop, quite a jarring experience moving between the two

b) interface isn't consistent, on Metro you can move the tiles across by mousing to the edge of the screen or pressing Pg Up \ Down... in the Store or Wordpress app (both Metro native) this doesn't work and you have to drag scrollbars... frustrating much?!

c) you can't close Metro apps from the UI, no doubt this is meant to be as part of some simplified multitasking idea but incredibly annoying when an app has turned on a webcam and it's sitting there recording you the whole time! Luckily Alt+F4 closes the apps fully

d) most of the UI is rather unintuitive, was wondering how to get the options up in Metro apps e.g. IE and randomly right-clicked on a webpage... voila?

e) on IE Metro version why is the URL bar at the bottom?! Even Apple have it at the top, where it's been for... y'know... 15 odd years

e) Metro itself is subjective but without doubt I hate the primary colours \ monochrome icon look with a passion... there needs to be a theming engine for this surely

 

Not sure if Consumer Preview = Beta but if it does MS are in trouble as it feels like a UI experiment at the moment, no real cohesion there as it stands imo

[RabbieBurns]

Installed it on my x100e over the weekend, writing a full blog post about it but main things I've noticed...

 

c) you can't close Metro apps from the UI, no doubt this is meant to be as part of some simplified multitasking idea but incredibly annoying when an app has turned on a webcam and it's sitting there recording you the whole time! Luckily Alt+F4 closes the apps fully

e) Metro itself is subjective but without doubt I hate the primary colours \ monochrome icon look with a passion... there needs to be a theming engine for this surely

 

Not sure if Consumer Preview = Beta but if it does MS are in trouble as it feels like a UI experiment at the moment, no real cohesion there as it stands imo

 

drag the app from the top of the screen down to the bottom and it closes it. Works with mouse and touch.

 

You can change the theme in the settings somewhere to change the colours.

[gshaw]

drag the app from the top of the screen down to the bottom and it closes it. Works with mouse and touch.

 

You can change the theme in the settings somewhere to change the colours.

 

You can change the background colour (still have to use their nasty patterns though, why not an image?) and the tiles still seem to have a mind of their own, some are green, some are blue, some are purple others orange... it's an insult on the eyes

 

How is dragging an app around quicker than a close button? Might be for a tablet but more effort than required with a mouse. Also don't like having to swish the length of the screen to get to the UI elements in the "hot corners"... glad I'm not testing on my dual 22" screens as aiming at the corner of the primary screen would be a nightmare!

 

On a plus side it did pick up more drivers on the x100e than 7 does so there's a positive thing

 

Don't want to hate 8 but MS don't appear to have thought this one though...

Edited March 5, 2012 by gshaw

[gshaw]

Just had a brainwave having glanced sideways at our Q1 and Q1 Ultra while testing Ruckus... they're getting the Windows 8 treatment tomorrow

[enjay]

So, what's the general consensus - viable OS or another ME and Vista?

[Chuckster]

It's another ME/Vista in the making!

[jinnantonnixx]

I'd say more like ME withBob front-end.

 

http://www.pcworld.com/article/193006/the_bob_chronicles.html

 

Perhaps that's unfair.

 

They couldn't possibly release it as it stands. The disparate interfaces jar and jostle with each other and serve up an inconsistent and confusing experience.

Edited March 5, 2012 by jinnantonnixx

[MYK-IT]

Could just make the Metro UI as a (selectable) feature, restore the Start Menu (again if required) and everyone's happy..simples..

 

Or even a Sticky / Windows + Key option to toggle between the 2 (Desktop/Tablet) interfaces.

 

Not ruled it out totally, many people fear change but ultimately the OS should be seamless to the end-user as ultimately they just want to access the applications to do their job/work.

 

We installed Windows 8/Office 2010 on a test PC and got a couple of staff/pupils to try and run Office....(don't think there would be much of the lesson left the time it took to sus it out! )

Edited March 5, 2012 by MYK-IT

[gshaw]

It's brave from Microsoft but as it stands a bit foolish... would definitely work better as an option for desktop users aka Media Center style plugin.

 

I guess you can see Microsoft's quandry... leave it as an option and no-one will move to it or force the issue and take the criticism... it's a no-win situation trying to shoehorn it onto both devices with the same interface by the looks of things.

 

As a general theme I really don't get the design logic at the moment, first Unity then Windows 8... how does forcing you into a full-screen app launcher help concentration when trying to quickly open up a second app? As it stands 7 has it spot on with the indexed Start Menu... I'm in Word and quickly need Photoshop... takes 1 press of the Windows key and either (Photo...) + Enter or click the pinned item.

 

In Unity \ 8 it's the same process but with a huge fullscreen of apps shouting at me, by which time I'm distracted and the second app launch is no longer seamless... guess I'm the only one who sees it that way...

Edited March 5, 2012 by gshaw

[Arthur]

You can't close Metro apps from the UI / How is dragging an app around quicker than a close button?

You aren't meant to close Metro apps (regardless of whether you are using a desktop or tablet). They will get suspended and/or terminated automatically by the operating system.

 

The important thing to underscore is that even though there may be several suspended apps in the background taking up memory, there is no negative performance or battery life impact to your PC. In fact, you do not need to manage or close apps directly at all. This is a common approach being used across computing devices now and represents a modern view of operating system design (see for example, this blog post about iOS multitasking by Frasier Spears).

 

The benefit of being able to suspend apps is that you get really fast switching between them without negatively impacting the battery life or performance of your system. This is altogether different than traditional desktop apps, where we are all used to optimizing our workflow for those apps that take a long time to launch.

 

[...]

 

The system may remove an app from the suspended state and terminate the app if the system starts to run low on memory. Memory is a finite resource and we want the apps you are using most frequently to be ready for you instantly. If you have not used an app in a while and the operating system needs more memory, it terminates one of your suspended apps. This should happen relatively infrequently because the memory manager will take your suspended apps and save them to disk (which generally has more capacity than physical memory). When you switch back to these apps, they will be ready instantly. However, there will be cases where the system does have to terminate a suspended app. This typically occurs when there are multiple users logged into one PC, or when you are using a bunch of memory-intensive apps.

 

 

Also don't like having to swish the length of the screen to get to the UI elements in the "hot corners"... glad I'm not testing on my dual 22" screens as aiming at the corner of the primary screen would be a nightmare!

Increase your mouse pointer speed or use the Windows key!

 

As it stands 7 has it spot on with the indexed Start Menu... I'm in Word and quickly need Photoshop... takes 1 press of the Windows key and either (Photo...) + Enter or click the pinned item.

You do know you can still do this in Windows 8?

 

on IE Metro version why is the URL bar at the bottom?

Because the tab appears at the top and if you use the on-screen keyboard, the address bar will be right next to it (less distance to move your mouse or finger).

 

most of the UI is rather unintuitive, was wondering how to get the options up in Metro apps e.g. IE and randomly right-clicked on a webpage... voila?

[zag]

They couldn't possibly release it as it stands. The disparate interfaces jar and jostle with each other and serve up an inconsistent and confusing experience.

 

Exactly my thoughts as well.

 

I think we are going to avoid this OS.

 

No doubt in windows 9 the start menu will return and they will actually add some new features to that environment.

 

This looks like a botched migration release to me, exactly the same as office 2007, Windows me, Vista ect..

[Pottsey]

You aren't meant to close Metro apps (regardless of whether you are using a desktop or tablet). They will get suspended and/or terminated automatically by the operating system....

I find that makes it really hard to multitask and swap between what you want. Not only do apps/windows you want to swap back to get randomly turned off as you load new ones up. But the ones you no longer want get in the way of swapping to what you do want.

 

What if you do not want the app suspended but running in the background? How does that work.

[Rawns]

Can this not be installed onto a VM? I have a enviroment up and running and it won't install as I only have '0.1Gb' of RAM! :S

[gshaw]

Edit: install just finished on the Q1 but Metro apps won't run as screen resolution is lower than 1024x768... that's a massive chunk of netbooks and other similar sized devices Microsoft has ruled out... funny thing is Metro looks fine on it so what difference another 100 or so pixels would make is beyond me...

 

@Arthur

 

Tabs... having those at the top makes less sense than the URL bar which, as I say has been in the same place on every browser on every platform since the dawn of time... inconsistent with every other device out there which doesn't seem like a great idea tbh

 

Windows key... great if I want to open the (full screen) Start screen but not so clever for the charms, window switcher etc

 

Auto multitasking... as I used in my example, I open the webcam app... I close the webcam... device stays active even when I want it gone... very irritating

 

Pinned apps... so I either have to have a huge taskbar filled with pinned apps or on my desktop (which I can't see when apps are open) unless I want to have my entire screen taken up to launch use the Metro UI... riiiight. I don't want to break my concentration to the app I'm currently working on to launch another but with the Start screen it's a case of "type in Word, concentration... want another app... START SCREEN HELLO LOTS OF APPS... back to Word... what was I doing again?" This isn't just aimed at Microsoft, I hate Ubuntu's Unity equally (was enough to make me switch to Mint)

 

Lack of Start Menu also looks to have killed jump lists, which I find incredibly useful

 

And as far as the mouse gestures go the Windows 8 gestures appear to fly in the fact of all previous mouse-related feedback Microsoft gave about not needing to be too accurate with your movements and aiming clicks to get things done. Using 8 at the moment feels like I have to get the pointer in exactly the right place and do exactly the right movement to get things to happen... once this install finishes I'll see if it's better on a tablet (I suspect it is) but on a desktop it's just plain annoying. As for the suggestion of increasing the pointer speed... lol is all I can say

 

Just can't see how it's making my productivity better at the moment over 7 when used on anything other than a tablet... must try harder Microsoft...

Edited March 6, 2012 by gshaw

[ZeroHour]

You could kinda see this whole *full screen* approach coming with office. Office had backstage which was basically a full screen file properties dialogue and removal of some drop down menu items.

I hope someone does kinda stop the full screen approach going too nuts as I fear the day when I have to open 3 devices in full screen to change my mouse sensitivity...

Edited March 6, 2012 by ZeroHour

[gpe5732]

I've got it on a Dell Latitude ST tablet. I like it on that platform.

 

But God help us all putting this into our schools. I can't imagine needing to teach people a basically ENTIRELY new way of doing desktop computing. XP, Vista, 7, etc... all same basic principles. 8, completely different. Yes, there's a desktop and us techies can figure it out, but can you imagine a normal user with this? I just think it's going to be a disaster in those types of settings. For me personally, I think it's interesting and will be fun to learn and mess with. I just think for the desktop you should be in "Windows 7" mode basically and be able to go to the Metro side. I think on phones, tablets you should be in the Metro side with the option to go to the full desktop.

 

And don't strip features out of the full desktop.