[Klaustrophobia]

That's the OEM version though. Since I built this computer when Vista itself was still young, I'll probably need to build a new one sometime before 9 is released, and I'd like to be able to transfer whichever Windows I choose over. And I have been looking around and I haven't ever seen an OS go on sale, but it couldn't hurt to keep watching, I guess.

if you're buying and installing a copy for yourself, OEM is functionally equivalent to the full, non-upgrade version.  it just comes in a box that is white instead of shiny, and a bit of verbage you can disregard about how to supply it to your customer, you being the system builder.  oh, and it will ship with a dead hard drive or something when you order it.  a few reviews even said they got lucky and received a working one with it. 

[Scourge of Ages]

I thought OEM meant that once you install it, it's locked to your motherboard, and couldn't be installed on a different computer?

[Klaustrophobia]

i haven't tried installing it on a different computer.  but i DID have to RMA my motherboard a few months ago, and it gave me no problems, so i'm thinking no.  and i've always heard you can just do the phone activation and they'll clear it for you if the automated one gives you ****.

[Flaser]

I thought OEM meant that once you install it, it's locked to your motherboard, and couldn't be installed on a different computer?

The locked part is "supposed" to prevent you from Activating that copy with another motherboard. Emphasis on "supposed".

i haven't tried installing it on a different computer.  but i DID have to RMA my motherboard a few months ago, and it gave me no problems, so i'm thinking no.  and i've always heard you can just do the phone activation and they'll clear it for you if the automated one gives you ****.

If you say that you're replacing a faulty motherboard, they're supposed to do that.
Thing is, the whole debacle with OEM restrictions is more a legal one - more important if you're working with them in a company environment - than a technical one. Strictly speaking the reason one's not supposed to replace their motherboard is just because their license says so.

I just thought it prudent to point out what OEM actually is, as far as the license is concerned, instead what most users assumed it was. (See what I wrote about PUL).

[Klaustrophobia]

my line of thinking was if the OS actually detected that you changed out your hardware, it would have thrown something at me because it wouldn't know mine was a replacement part.  it would have just seen the hardware change.  i therefore concluded that it's just in the license agreement and we're on the honor system.

[Scourge of Ages]

“Host process for windows services stopped working and was closed” for the last time! **** you Vista, forever.

See you guys on the other side...

[jr2]

Windows 8 is a good OS. It is faster than 7 (and definitely faster than Vista!), while making a few good decisions in terms of rethinking the Windows UI. It also makes a few utterly incomprehensibly stupid missteps (such as making the UI a somewhat disjointed affair with some elements using the new style and some elements staying as they were in Vista/7), and the stupid STUPID decision to make Apps not all that useful in a desktop environment by requiring them to be fullscreen affairs.
Despite what the internet would have you believe, the start screen is not bad at all, it is as usable as the 7/Vista start menu was.

As a Windows 8 user, my recommendation is to upgrade to 7. 7 is almost as fast as 8, while being perfectly usable. Upgrading to 8 is only a good idea if you do not mind dealing with some of 8's idiosyncracies.

Just modify 8 to work like 7.  There are programs that put the start menu back, as well as ones that allow toggling apps between windowed and full-screen.  Google is your friend.

[The E]

Yes, there are. Personally, I would not use third-party programs that **** around with the window management, but that's just me.

[Mikes]

Yes, there are. Personally, I would not use third-party programs that **** around with the window management, but that's just me.

Yeah... there are a ton of window/desktop style programs for Windows 7 too...   few, if any, of them are 100% stable. Mostly stable yeah...  but as far as I am concerned every single crash is one too many.

Object Desktop I m looking at you.

[jr2]

You could always pay for one of the ones that offers a year of tech support, as well as business licenses, but the problem is that's not free...  Not really expensive though.  retroui.com looked promising and it was $10.  3.5 stars out if 5 on softonic, and they are ofc releasing updates regularly.  I might give that a try if the free versions are too unstable after a while.

[Mikes]

You could always pay for one of the ones that offers a year of tech support, as well as business licenses, but the problem is that's not free...  Not really expensive though.  retroui.com looked promising and it was $10.  3.5 stars out if 5 on softonic, and they are ofc releasing updates regularly.  I might give that a try if the free versions are too unstable after a while.

Well Object Desktop was 50 bucks and definitely not 100% stable either

Those programs usually do have at least some issues...  like crashing explorer every once in a blue moon.

At least that s my experience.

[Scourge of Ages]

WooooaaaaoooooaooOOhhh I am speaking to you from the other siiiiiiide...

The upgrade was a success! And pretty simple too. The biggest problem so far has been installing drivers for my network cards. 8 wasn't able to automatically install either the integrated ethernet card or the dodgy wifi card, so I had to do it manually. Getting the drivers onto the computer wasn't too hard with a laptop and thumb drive, but neither Gigabyte nor Trendnet have released Windows 8 drivers. So I had to find a way to install non-approved, unsigned drivers to even get onto the internet. Somehow it worked, I'm not really sure how. But it's done.

And I'm definitely installing an old-style start menu, so that I can easily access My Computer and the Control Panel at the very least.

[Zero Serenity]

My Vista drivers went in during my installation without a hitch.

[LHN91]

WooooaaaaoooooaooOOhhh I am speaking to you from the other siiiiiiide...

The upgrade was a success! And pretty simple too. The biggest problem so far has been installing drivers for my network cards. 8 wasn't able to automatically install either the integrated ethernet card or the dodgy wifi card, so I had to do it manually. Getting the drivers onto the computer wasn't too hard with a laptop and thumb drive, but neither Gigabyte nor Trendnet have released Windows 8 drivers. So I had to find a way to install non-approved, unsigned drivers to even get onto the internet. Somehow it worked, I'm not really sure how. But it's done.

And I'm definitely installing an old-style start menu, so that I can easily access My Computer and the Control Panel at the very least.

Go to the bottom left corner and right click. A menu will show up with both File Explorer and Control Panel, among other things.

[Grizzly]

WooooaaaaoooooaooOOhhh I am speaking to you from the other siiiiiiide...

The upgrade was a success! And pretty simple too. The biggest problem so far has been installing drivers for my network cards. 8 wasn't able to automatically install either the integrated ethernet card or the dodgy wifi card, so I had to do it manually. Getting the drivers onto the computer wasn't too hard with a laptop and thumb drive, but neither Gigabyte nor Trendnet have released Windows 8 drivers. So I had to find a way to install non-approved, unsigned drivers to even get onto the internet. Somehow it worked, I'm not really sure how. But it's done.

And I'm definitely installing an old-style start menu, so that I can easily access My Computer and the Control Panel at the very least.

Go to the bottom left corner and right click. A menu will show up with both File Explorer and Control Panel, among other things.

/hug.

[QuantumDelta]

Question for anyone who has made the jump, it seems like a silly one to me but I figure I should probably make sure.
If I upgraded with an old license key from another computer, leaving that one with the old (XP) OS, keeping the Win8 copy on my main box, would either have problems with activation/validation/updates?

[Zero Serenity]

It would violate your agreement.

[Polpolion]

My father bought my mother a laptop that came with Windows 8 for xmas, they needed to google "how to shut down windows 8 computer". Whatever internet browser they were using didn't support tabs, and it took about as long for them to muddle through the first-run setup stuff as it would for an entire W7 installation. My mother isn't a tech person anymore by any means, but lulz. Just lulz.

[Mikes]

The more I read, the more it appears to be a badly thought of mess (for desktop users): http://www.infoworld.com/d/microsoft-windows/10-must-have-features-windows-9-208079

Didn't much like it myself as I tried it out. I prefer a no nonsense approach to computing and Windows 8 keeps putting nonsense (i.e. uneccessary/uneconomical actions) into my way when I tried to just get some work done on my desktop PC.

This has nothing to do with relearning or just getting used to it either... on a desktop with a mouse, stuff just takes longer with Windows 8 on a click by click basis. From my (admittedly limited) experience with it anyways.


A shame kinda... as I do like the new (clean) style. If Metro (or whatever it is called now) was purely optional (for tablet users) and the desktop was fully functional without any of the metro switching nonsense or the crippled control panel, then I would propably love it.

[Scourge of Ages]

So yeah, after using it a few days, I've decided that Metro can basically die in a fire. Who decided it would be a good idea to have EVERYTHING be a fullscreen app?

No I don't want my e-mail to be a full 1650x1080; I like to be able to open multiple e-mail tabs (and regular tabs) at the same time without being stuck in any single one. No I don't want Skype to be the only thing I see when I'm making a call; I frequently need to look at other things while I'm talking, and I want to be able to mute or end a call from the taskbar without switching back over.

It seems like Metro is taking over for the kind of pathetic sidebar thing from Vista, except that instead of just hanging out on the side of the screen doing it's thing, it takes over the whole screen and won't let you do anything else. Technically, you can alt-tab back and forth, but Metro takes a good second or two longer than it should to pop up (it should take 0 seconds).

And it was indeed too hard to figure out just how to shut down the first time.

Otherwise, no real complaints.