Win 8.1 Preview?

[Kenny Cargill]

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows-8/preview-download
Is this a fully working version of Win 8 and will it stop working after a
while?
Assuming I install it on a separate partition will it dual boot easily with
Win 7 and will it be easy to get rid of if I don't like it?
Any other likely problems?

Kenny Cargill

 

[BobbyM]

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows-8/preview-download
Is this a fully working version of Win 8 and will it stop working after
a while?
Assuming I install it on a separate partition will it dual boot easily
with Win 7 and will it be easy to get rid of if I don't like it?
Any other likely problems?

Kenny Cargill

This doesn't answer all of your questions, but here's a little info that
was linked on the page mentioned above:

Important

If you decide that you want to install Windows 8.1 Preview using the
ISO, you won't be able to uninstall it. If you decide to go back to your
previous operating system, you'll need to reinstall it using the
recovery or installation media that came with your PC, which is
typically DVD media. If you're running Windows 8 and you don't have
recovery media, you might be able to create a USB recovery drive. If
you're running Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP and you don’t
have recovery media, you might be able to create it from a recovery
partition on your PC using software provided by your PC manufacturer.
Check the support section of your PC manufacturer’s website for more
information. After you install Windows 8.1 Preview, you won’t be able to
use the recovery partition on your PC to go back to your previous
version of Windows.

 

[Paul]

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows-8/preview-download
Is this a fully working version of Win 8 and will it stop working after
a while?
Assuming I install it on a separate partition will it dual boot easily
with Win 7 and will it be easy to get rid of if I don't like it?
Any other likely problems?

Kenny Cargill

Yes, it's fully working. And it's a preview of Windows 8.1.

I have my copy stored on a separate disk drive, and
boot control is via selecting a disk from the BIOS.

I would not consider installing that on an existing
disk drive, next to the current OS. While it would
likely co-exist nicely with another BCD based OS, why
take a chance ?

The license is good until Jan.15. They always make you
go to some other web site, to figure out what the
expiry date is.

The actual Windows 8.1, will become available in October
or so.

Paul

 

[SC Tom]

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows-8/preview-download
Is this a fully working version of Win 8 and will it stop working after a
while?
Assuming I install it on a separate partition will it dual boot easily
with Win 7 and will it be easy to get rid of if I don't like it?
Any other likely problems?

Kenny Cargill

To follow up on Bobby's reply, "Windows 8.1 Preview is prerelease software
that may be substantially modified before it's commercially released.
Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, with respect to the
information provided here. Some product features and functionality may
require additional hardware or software. "

What I did was clone my current Win8 drive, then install Win8.1 on that
drive, removing the cloned drive for safety's sake. After installing Win8.1,
I messed around with it for a while (a couple of days), found it to be
little different from Win8, and pulled that drive and put my original back
in. I had to catch up on a couple of days worth of emails (which I had
already read), but other than that I was right back where I started. I still
have the Win8.1 drive on the shelf, so if I hear of any major updates to it,
I can always put it back in and play with it again. Takes all of three
minutes to swap them out on my laptop.

It WILL stop working in January, but the full release is slated for release
in October, so I would think you'd be able to assess its usability by then.

 

[Ken1943]

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows-8/preview-download
Is this a fully working version of Win 8 and will it stop working after a
while?
Assuming I install it on a separate partition will it dual boot easily with
Win 7 and will it be easy to get rid of if I don't like it?
Any other likely problems?

Kenny Cargill

Why would anyone install a OS beta is beyond me. Program beta's are bad
enough, but at least they can be uninstalled without screwing the OS,
maybe.


KenW

 

[Kenny Cargill]

Thanks for the replies, I'm happy with Win7 but curious about Win 8. Thought
about trying it out but may just leave well enough alone.

Kenny

"Ken1943" wrote in message

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows-8/preview-download
Is this a fully working version of Win 8 and will it stop working after a
while?
Assuming I install it on a separate partition will it dual boot easily with
Win 7 and will it be easy to get rid of if I don't like it?
Any other likely problems?

Kenny Cargill

Why would anyone install a OS beta is beyond me. Program beta's are bad
enough, but at least they can be uninstalled without screwing the OS,
maybe.


KenW

 

[Ken1943]

I won't upgrade. I figure by 2020, I will be dead or won't give a crap
about computers !!!!!

Thanks for the replies, I'm happy with Win7 but curious about Win 8. Thought
about trying it out but may just leave well enough alone.

Kenny

"Ken1943" wrote in message



Why would anyone install a OS beta is beyond me. Program beta's are bad
enough, but at least they can be uninstalled without screwing the OS,
maybe.


KenW

KenW

 

[Paul]

Thanks for the replies, I'm happy with Win7 but curious about Win 8.
Thought about trying it out but may just leave well enough alone.

Kenny

Sure, you can try it.

I've tried about four or five different preview OSes here.

I recommend a separate disk (with normal OS disc disconnected),
simply as a safety precaution, so you can then ignore all the
warnings Microsoft put on that demo. If you install over top
of the existing OS, you're in big trouble.

*******

Contrary to the opinions here, the Preview is going to be
dead similar to the RTM version. They can't really afford
to make changes to the Preview, because it has to be
rushed into testing for delivery to OEMs. Instead, the
plan would be, when a user installs their shiny RTM
Win 8.1 disc, a whacking great 1GB download from Windows
Update, will "catch up" the OS with the needed patches.
So it won't really be "patch clean" on installation.
It'll be way behind by then.

That's how you rush software out the door. All that matters
to the developers, is that the Windows Update logic is working,
before they make discs Linux does stuff like this too,
a big download while the installer is running, to patch
stuff they missed.

Pity the Win 8.1 users on dial-up though, as they'll be
in for a rude shock when the downloading starts.

I expect all the bugs in Win 8.1 Preview, to all still be
there, at least at first. But the first Windows Update
run should fix that.

Paul

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

Why would anyone install a OS beta is beyond me. Program beta's are bad
enough, but at least they can be uninstalled without screwing the OS,
maybe.

KenW

Where's your sense of adventure?

If I had a sense of adventure, I guess I'd do like some others in this
thread have suggested, and use a clone drive.

 

[Ken1943]

If I had a sense of adventure, I guess I'd do like some others in this
thread have suggested, and use a clone drive.

I lost my sense of adventure 20 years ago except taking a new car to 100+
mph. I could do that but don't want to buy another ssd at this point. Win
7 still has a few more miles left.


KenW

 

[Bob Henson]

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows-8/preview-download
Is this a fully working version of Win 8 and will it stop working after a
while?
Assuming I install it on a separate partition will it dual boot easily with
Win 7 and will it be easy to get rid of if I don't like it?
Any other likely problems?

Kenny Cargill

Why not install VirtualBox from Oracle (free) and then you can test any O/S
you like in complete safety? My Windows 7 desktop has Windows 8.1 running,
along with Linux Mint and Debian and I can even run them simultaneously if
I ration the memory carefully. It's well worth trying Windows 8.1 so you
learn to appreciate how good Windows 7 is :^)

 

[Darklight]

I won't upgrade. I figure by 2020, I will be dead or won't give a crap
about computers !!!!!



KenW

So what's wrong wirh win8 or 8.1? And please don't talk about the metro
interface There's nothing wrong with it.

 

[Wolf K]

So what's wrong with win8 or 8.1? And please don't talk about the metro
interface There's nothing wrong with it.

a) The "apps" go to full screen, and AFAIK there's no way to create a
window. No work-around for this.

b) There is no intuitive (ie, using past experience with Win computers)
way to exit the app. You have to be taught what to do. No work-around
for this.

c) Mousing to the right edge will bring up the settings bar. There's no
point to that; pointless responses are irritating. No work-around for this.

d) W8 continues the messed up Control Panel. Workaround: Classic Shell
or similar.

e) Dumb notifications that "There is an app for that" whenever I plug in
a USB device or the camera, etc. Workaround: none, except to ignore it.

f) unwanted "offers" of stuff I don't want when I ran a *.wmv video.
IMO, no one should have right to send anything to my machine that I
haven't asked for. It's a kind of theft, because it uses resources that
_I_ own for their purposes. Workaround: associate *.wmv with another
program.

g) And sorry, there is something wrong with the Metro interface: it
abandons the GUI that Win users have become used to. Worse, it offers
almost no cues for performing desired actions. I couldn't be bothered to
relearn my work habits, which is why I welcomed the workaround: Classic
Shell.

FWIW, I've investigated MS's new Surface tablet with the i5 chip. Plus:
its basic design is almost exactly what I want: a tablet that can be
easily converted to a desktop by attaching clickable/wired/wireless
keyboard, etc. Minus: It runs W8. I suspect that Classic Shell could be
installed on it. If so , I'll start saving my pennies. Missing: phone
and GPS capability, but I can live with that if I have to.

HTH

 

[Robin Bignall]

a) The "apps" go to full screen, and AFAIK there's no way to create a
window. No work-around for this.

b) There is no intuitive (ie, using past experience with Win computers)
way to exit the app. You have to be taught what to do. No work-around
for this.

c) Mousing to the right edge will bring up the settings bar. There's no
point to that; pointless responses are irritating. No work-around for this.

d) W8 continues the messed up Control Panel. Workaround: Classic Shell
or similar.

e) Dumb notifications that "There is an app for that" whenever I plug in
a USB device or the camera, etc. Workaround: none, except to ignore it.

f) unwanted "offers" of stuff I don't want when I ran a *.wmv video.
IMO, no one should have right to send anything to my machine that I
haven't asked for. It's a kind of theft, because it uses resources that
_I_ own for their purposes. Workaround: associate *.wmv with another
program.

g) And sorry, there is something wrong with the Metro interface: it
abandons the GUI that Win users have become used to. Worse, it offers
almost no cues for performing desired actions. I couldn't be bothered to
relearn my work habits, which is why I welcomed the workaround: Classic
Shell.

FWIW, I've investigated MS's new Surface tablet with the i5 chip. Plus:
its basic design is almost exactly what I want: a tablet that can be
easily converted to a desktop by attaching clickable/wired/wireless
keyboard, etc. Minus: It runs W8. I suspect that Classic Shell could be
installed on it. If so , I'll start saving my pennies. Missing: phone
and GPS capability, but I can live with that if I have to.

An interesting post. Those of you who ran W7 and then upgraded to W8,
do you have any feel for whether W8 is a better performer than W7? I
know it's an open-ended question depending on what you do, but some of
you must have a feel for relative performance.

 

[SC Tom]

An interesting post. Those of you who ran W7 and then upgraded to W8,
do you have any feel for whether W8 is a better performer than W7? I
know it's an open-ended question depending on what you do, but some of
you must have a feel for relative performance.

I am running Win7 HP 32-bit on my desktop, and have been since it was
released. I haven't had the urge to upgrade it yet, although there are Win8
drivers for my hardware if I ever decide to do so.
But I bought a laptop last summer that had Win7 HP 64-bit on it, and when
Win8 was released, I bought the $14 upgrade and installed it. I've been
running it ever since, along with StartIsBack to make it look like Win7
(never could get used to the Modern UI).
I run both PCs side-by-side and see no discernable difference in performance
or anything else, other than with Fast Start enabled, the Win8 laptop is up
and running first (still have to wait for my cable modem to finish booting
before being able to go online or check email). Granted, there are hardware
differences between the the two PCs, but nothing sticks out that makes Win8
a definitive winner over Win7. I'll probably stick with Win7 until I'm
forced to update. Maybe Win9 or Win10 will be worth the upgrade

 

[Wolf K]

news:[email protected]...

[snip my post]

I am running Win7 HP 32-bit on my desktop, and have been since it was
released. I haven't had the urge to upgrade it yet, although there are
Win8 drivers for my hardware if I ever decide to do so.
But I bought a laptop last summer that had Win7 HP 64-bit on it, and
when Win8 was released, I bought the $14 upgrade and installed it. I've
been running it ever since, along with StartIsBack to make it look like
Win7 (never could get used to the Modern UI).
I run both PCs side-by-side and see no discernable difference in
performance or anything else, other than with Fast Start enabled, the
Win8 laptop is up and running first (still have to wait for my cable
modem to finish booting before being able to go online or check email).
Granted, there are hardware differences between the the two PCs, but
nothing sticks out that makes Win8 a definitive winner over Win7. I'll
probably stick with Win7 until I'm forced to update. Maybe Win9 or Win10
will be worth the upgrade

Good summary of my experience, too. This computer came with Win8, it was
my son's. Works just fine, and you get used to the minor annoyances.

Have a good one,

 

[Darklight]

news:[email protected]...

[snip my post]

I am running Win7 HP 32-bit on my desktop, and have been since it was
released. I haven't had the urge to upgrade it yet, although there are
Win8 drivers for my hardware if I ever decide to do so.
But I bought a laptop last summer that had Win7 HP 64-bit on it, and
when Win8 was released, I bought the $14 upgrade and installed it. I've
been running it ever since, along with StartIsBack to make it look like
Win7 (never could get used to the Modern UI).
I run both PCs side-by-side and see no discernable difference in
performance or anything else, other than with Fast Start enabled, the
Win8 laptop is up and running first (still have to wait for my cable
modem to finish booting before being able to go online or check email).
Granted, there are hardware differences between the the two PCs, but
nothing sticks out that makes Win8 a definitive winner over Win7. I'll
probably stick with Win7 until I'm forced to update. Maybe Win9 or Win10
will be worth the upgrade

Good summary of my experience, too. This computer came with Win8, it was
my son's. Works just fine, and you get used to the minor annoyances.

Have a good one,

Finaly some people with constructive comments!

 

[Darklight]

news:[email protected]...

[snip my post]

An interesting post. Those of you who ran W7 and then upgraded to W8,
do you have any feel for whether W8 is a better performer than W7? I
know it's an open-ended question depending on what you do, but some of
you must have a feel for relative performance.


I am running Win7 HP 32-bit on my desktop, and have been since it was
released. I haven't had the urge to upgrade it yet, although there are
Win8 drivers for my hardware if I ever decide to do so.
But I bought a laptop last summer that had Win7 HP 64-bit on it, and
when Win8 was released, I bought the $14 upgrade and installed it. I've
been running it ever since, along with StartIsBack to make it look like
Win7 (never could get used to the Modern UI).
I run both PCs side-by-side and see no discernable difference in
performance or anything else, other than with Fast Start enabled, the
Win8 laptop is up and running first (still have to wait for my cable
modem to finish booting before being able to go online or check email).
Granted, there are hardware differences between the the two PCs, but
nothing sticks out that makes Win8 a definitive winner over Win7. I'll
probably stick with Win7 until I'm forced to update. Maybe Win9 or Win10
will be worth the upgrade

Good summary of my experience, too. This computer came with Win8, it was
my son's. Works just fine, and you get used to the minor annoyances.

Have a good one,

Finaly some people with constructive comments!

After eadnig what was written i done this:

 

[Robin Bignall]

I am running Win7 HP 32-bit on my desktop, and have been since it was
released. I haven't had the urge to upgrade it yet, although there are Win8
drivers for my hardware if I ever decide to do so.
But I bought a laptop last summer that had Win7 HP 64-bit on it, and when
Win8 was released, I bought the $14 upgrade and installed it. I've been
running it ever since, along with StartIsBack to make it look like Win7
(never could get used to the Modern UI).
I run both PCs side-by-side and see no discernable difference in performance
or anything else, other than with Fast Start enabled, the Win8 laptop isup
and running first (still have to wait for my cable modem to finish booting
before being able to go online or check email). Granted, there are hardware
differences between the the two PCs, but nothing sticks out that makes Win8
a definitive winner over Win7. I'll probably stick with Win7 until I'm
forced to update. Maybe Win9 or Win10 will be worth the upgrade

I'm very grateful. A super post.