Hewlett Packard Promotes Windows 7 On New PCs

[Steve the Pocket]

I wonder how HP pulled that off; Microsoft stopped selling OEM copies of Windows 7 months ago. Surely they didn't threaten them like Dell did back when Vista came out. (For those not in the know: Dell got pissed off that Microsoft had cut them off from Windows XP only six months into Vista's lifespan, because about half their existing models weren't powerful enough to run Vista and would have to be discontinued. So they said "If you don't let us keep buying copies of XP to put on our computers, we're going to do away with Windows altogether and jump ship to Linux." Which is completely laughable and would have been career suicide if they'd done it, but Microsoft were too stupid to call their bluff and gave in.)

I like the Win8 start screen, much nicer then the small cluttered start menu that's been around for so long. Microsoft are changing how things are done and they should stick with it.

I don't know who said it, but some once said something along the lines of "Those who aren't willing to move from the start menu are stuck in the XP days"

I'm OK with a full-screen replacement for the Start menu, and even with it being what comes up when you first boot up instead of the desktop, but Windows 8 suffers from an identity crisis. The Metro look clashes too much with the otherwise Windows 7-y desktop interface, and the way the two interact makes it feel like the desktop is an app you launch from within a tablet OS. Which is clearly what they intended.

 

[goldenheart323]

HP actually lost a sale from me because they only offered Windows 8. I was wanting to a new desktop, but all they offered was 8.

All the people who defend 8 seem to say "It's no so bad after you change it or move things around to how you like it". However, that simply translates to "W8 is not so bad after you fix it," which is a laughable defense.

I have 8 on my laptop I got only because it was so cheap on a Black Friday sale. I figured I could put up with 8 for as big of a discount I was getting. I really hate 8 for all the reasons stated more. I've been putting up with it for over a year now, so don't tell me I haven't given it a chance.

-The apps are nothing more than pathetically stripped down versions of the real programs used on the desktop side, yet somehow seem to take longer to open, and often have ads integrated into them as well.
-Apps only have 3 possible window sizes: 1/3rd of the screen, 2/3rds of the screen, or full screen.
-An app or desktop in 1/3rd of the screen is nearly useless it's so small and narrow.
-The music and video apps have no volume control, and you can't have music videos in the same playlist as mp3's because it the "music" player; not the "video" player, (& vice-versa).
-The pdf viewer has no option to print.
-If you don't want to bother with an update for an app, W8 won't let you use the app at all.
-When there's an update for W8, the default setting is for W8 to download it and give you a warning that it's going to shutdown and install them. You have 15 minutes to finish up whatever you're doing and save. I was not given any option to delay it any longer than 15 minutes. Would be disastrous if that were to happen during a timed online test for class or during an important business meeting. (But it's ok because I can change the settings to only check for updates when I tell it to. Right?)
-Instead of a nice, compact Start menu, we get 3 pages of everything that would be on the start menu, grouped into categories so all the programs are no longer alphabetized, but in all these different groups, sprawled out with all the subfolders listed as well. Talk about clutter!

And why do ebay and netflix need apps??? Does MS think we've gotten too stupid to use shortcuts or web browsers???

I could go on, but I won't.

 

[Nimcha]

People just can't handle change can they... Aside from the missing start button Windows 8 is pretty much exactly the same as 7...

 

[Th37thTrump3t]

I have to say I hope they get Win9 out relatively early.

They are reportedly going for an April 2015 release.

Source: http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/11/5298798/windows-9-release-date-april-2015-rumor

This is just a rumor though.

 

[Yopaz]

I kinda chuckle everytime I read a comment by someone that uses the "PCs are bigger smartphones" OS that is Win8 cuz they all pretty much say "it's not that bad" or "it's not awful". I can't remember reading a single one that said "it's good".

What I always hear is that Win 8 is good IF your device uses a touchscreen. Otherwise it's better internals but a complete clusterfcuk trying to use any other input device.

It's pretty sweet if you're using touch screen, but there are still advantages with Windows 7 over 8 for some people. I rarely use the start menu or the start screen so it doesn't matter one way or the other for the most part, but I do prefer the start menu if I am to enter the control panel (which I often do).

So I'd say it's OK, good if you're using a laptop with a touch screen and I would guess it's actually pretty awesome if you're on a tablet.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

I had been using my old Core2Quad, 4GB DDR2, GTX285 PC for four-five years and had been waiting for Haswell/GTX7xx before buying an upgrade. Despite both being available in mid-late Spring, I waited till my sister returned from the USA with a few parts in her suitcase before building my new top-end gaming PC. I had upgraded the old machine from XP to Win7 at the same time as changing to an SSD and it was a rock solid, quick install.

After putting the new machine together, I was left with a choice of a 3-4 year old OS, or a 0-1 year old Win8. After much umming and erring and research online on discussions about the subject, I went with Windows 8. Start8 from Stardock brings back the start menu, disables all the hot corner/gesture bollocks and changes the Windows key behaviour to bring up the returned Start menu instead of the metro screen. As such, I never see any of the touchscreen/apps nonsense and instead have a Windows 7 experience, except with DX11.1 and faster performance. Out of the box, Win8 outperforms Win7 by approximately 10-15% on the same hardware, due I expect to the removal of Aero and other things. While I do miss the lovely transparencies, and the desktop widgets to some degree, I must say apart from the solid, flat colours which aren't to my taste, I do like it.

The new task manager has some useful features, the performance really is great and everything I have tried to run on it works fine. There's one annoying problem I cannot fix but in spite of that I'm happy with it. In fairness, anyone using Win7 has no real reason to upgrade...there's simply no benefit. But on a new build, there's no real reason not to use Win8. Just install Start8 to fix the main issues with running it on a desktop and all will be well

 

[somethingorother003]

I really don't see why people hate Windows 8. I use it in a traditional desktop computer, and it works fine. You don't have to use the Metro interface and can easily hide it. And it boots much faster than Windows 7, so there's that.

Haters gonna hate, I guess.

Technically Windows 8 only boots faster because it's hibernating, not directly turning off. I'm no tech expert, but I'd assume that there are some problems with doing something, memory leaks or whatever. (Though restarting Windows 8 gives the same result).


Anyways, Windows 8 is great if you have a touchscreen. If you don't, well, this [http://www.classicshell.net/] and just ignore Metro.

Although why Microsoft hasn't just given everybody their start bar back is beyond me. 90% of the legitimate criticism would disappear overnight.

 

[mjc0961]

I have Windows 8.1 and used 8.0 before that and find that a lot of the bitching people have done is just plain wrong. I've seen people saying "Oh Windows 8 sucks because you can't do ______" and most of the time, what they're saying is a flat out lie.

Windows 7 and Windows 8 are both really great, though. I'll never go back to Windows 7, but if you want to stick with it, have fun. Just don't go ranting and raving about forums about how Windows 8 sucks if you've never used it.

And a protip for anyone who does try Windows 8: Put your mouse in either the top or bottom left corners of the screen and click. Enjoy having your desktop back, even though it never actually left.

 

[AWAR]

Yeah people can't handle change.. if it's change for the worse.

 

[psych77]

There are some things I think they could do better, though. They really need to find a better place for the Search/Run text box, it's a critical part of starting various programs easily and was better where I could reach it in one click, instead of moving the mouse to the top corner and waiting patiently for the appropriate menu to saunter over for the OPTION to click it.

I guess you didn't realise that you don't need to do that - you just start typing and it populates the search field, you don't need to select Search first.

I quite like Win8.1. Instead of a small-type list of every application installed I have large tiles of the applications I use most often (I also stuck some on my taskbar, as I would in Win7) and then type for anything else I need instead of looking through a list as I would in Win7.

 

[DJ_Bunce]

The main issue with Windows 8 is that it is idiot-proof to a fault. If you try to do anything clever, technical or particularly intensive, it shits itself. Stick to 7 if you want your computer to stay user-friendly.

 

[Killclaw Kilrathi]

There are some things I think they could do better, though. They really need to find a better place for the Search/Run text box, it's a critical part of starting various programs easily and was better where I could reach it in one click, instead of moving the mouse to the top corner and waiting patiently for the appropriate menu to saunter over for the OPTION to click it.

I guess you didn't realise that you don't need to do that - you just start typing and it populates the search field, you don't need to select Search first.

I... er... hmmm.

Looks like I'm forced to retract my previous criticism, that feature is once again considerably better than the Win7 version.

See, this is the thing about Windows 8, especially 8.1. Most of the criticisms don't have anything to do with actual operating system flaws, just peoples perceptions of them. Once you're over the learning curve you see why Microsoft did it this way, everything just sort of works.

 

[Lightknight]

Smart move. Most people buying a new machine try to get Win7 when given a chance. This should help them sell more units since the OS is a non-trivial expense in pc purchasing.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

This is a good move by HP. There's no reason to have a tablet interface on a desktop machine, or even a laptop. I hope this makes HP a boat load of cash and Microsoft learns a lesson.

 

[tangoprime]

People just can't handle change can they... Aside from the missing start button Windows 8 is pretty much exactly the same as 7...

Except, y'know, all of what the previous commenter said:

HP actually lost a sale from me because they only offered Windows 8. I was wanting to a new desktop, but all they offered was 8.

All the people who defend 8 seem to say "It's no so bad after you change it or move things around to how you like it". However, that simply translates to "W8 is not so bad after you fix it," which is a laughable defense.

I have 8 on my laptop I got only because it was so cheap on a Black Friday sale. I figured I could put up with 8 for as big of a discount I was getting. I really hate 8 for all the reasons stated more. I've been putting up with it for over a year now, so don't tell me I haven't given it a chance.

-The apps are nothing more than pathetically stripped down versions of the real programs used on the desktop side, yet somehow seem to take longer to open, and often have ads integrated into them as well.
-Apps only have 3 possible window sizes: 1/3rd of the screen, 2/3rds of the screen, or full screen.
-An app or desktop in 1/3rd of the screen is nearly useless it's so small and narrow.
-The music and video apps have no volume control, and you can't have music videos in the same playlist as mp3's because it the "music" player; not the "video" player, (& vice-versa).
-The pdf viewer has no option to print.
-If you don't want to bother with an update for an app, W8 won't let you use the app at all.
-When there's an update for W8, the default setting is for W8 to download it and give you a warning that it's going to shutdown and install them. You have 15 minutes to finish up whatever you're doing and save. I was not given any option to delay it any longer than 15 minutes. Would be disastrous if that were to happen during a timed online test for class or during an important business meeting. (But it's ok because I can change the settings to only check for updates when I tell it to. Right?)
-Instead of a nice, compact Start menu, we get 3 pages of everything that would be on the start menu, grouped into categories so all the programs are no longer alphabetized, but in all these different groups, sprawled out with all the subfolders listed as well. Talk about clutter!

And why do ebay and netflix need apps??? Does MS think we've gotten too stupid to use shortcuts or web browsers???

I could go on, but I won't.

^ Agree with this on all counts. Look... we all know this is a mobile OS that they pushed onto desktop users because they sorely needed a mobile OS and figured they'd kill 2 birds with 1 stone. It's horrific, alright? I'm a campus IT admin, and our district has been visiting other districts who've made the leap to get in bed with google, and we're looking more in favor of making the plunge and just going Chrome OS and chrome books rather than implementing Win8 district wide. On my campus, all our new purchases for the last couple years have been either refurb'ed systems running Win7 or OSX 10.8-9 machines.

 

[porous_shield]

I recently got a laptop with Win 8 on it because there was no option for Win 7 and I figured it can't be that bad and I was mostly right. Right out of the box I hated Win 8 with a passion. Trying to browse the internet I kept activating the gestures, hot corners, or charms and it was extremely annoying. Another thing I hated about it was after installing something I had trouble finding the program again and Win 8 liked to add icons for everything to the metro screen making it a cluttered mess.

The annoyances finally became too much and I Start8 and all those problems went away. My Win 8 now looks and acts just like Win 7 and I never have to see the Metro screen unless I want to. I wish they'd just give everyone an option to enable all that touchscreen metro nonsense rather than trying to force it down my throat.

I haven't gotten the 8.1 update yet though since 8 is working fine for me and I have no desire to screw up my mouse control or mess with my sli any more than I already have.

 

[Nimcha]

People just can't handle change can they... Aside from the missing start button Windows 8 is pretty much exactly the same as 7...

Except, y'know, all of what the previous commenter said:

HP actually lost a sale from me because they only offered Windows 8. I was wanting to a new desktop, but all they offered was 8.

All the people who defend 8 seem to say "It's no so bad after you change it or move things around to how you like it". However, that simply translates to "W8 is not so bad after you fix it," which is a laughable defense.

I have 8 on my laptop I got only because it was so cheap on a Black Friday sale. I figured I could put up with 8 for as big of a discount I was getting. I really hate 8 for all the reasons stated more. I've been putting up with it for over a year now, so don't tell me I haven't given it a chance.

-The apps are nothing more than pathetically stripped down versions of the real programs used on the desktop side, yet somehow seem to take longer to open, and often have ads integrated into them as well.
-Apps only have 3 possible window sizes: 1/3rd of the screen, 2/3rds of the screen, or full screen.
-An app or desktop in 1/3rd of the screen is nearly useless it's so small and narrow.
-The music and video apps have no volume control, and you can't have music videos in the same playlist as mp3's because it the "music" player; not the "video" player, (& vice-versa).
-The pdf viewer has no option to print.
-If you don't want to bother with an update for an app, W8 won't let you use the app at all.
-When there's an update for W8, the default setting is for W8 to download it and give you a warning that it's going to shutdown and install them. You have 15 minutes to finish up whatever you're doing and save. I was not given any option to delay it any longer than 15 minutes. Would be disastrous if that were to happen during a timed online test for class or during an important business meeting. (But it's ok because I can change the settings to only check for updates when I tell it to. Right?)
-Instead of a nice, compact Start menu, we get 3 pages of everything that would be on the start menu, grouped into categories so all the programs are no longer alphabetized, but in all these different groups, sprawled out with all the subfolders listed as well. Talk about clutter!

And why do ebay and netflix need apps??? Does MS think we've gotten too stupid to use shortcuts or web browsers???

I could go on, but I won't.

^ Agree with this on all counts. Look... we all know this is a mobile OS that they pushed onto desktop users because they sorely needed a mobile OS and figured they'd kill 2 birds with 1 stone. It's horrific, alright? I'm a campus IT admin, and our district has been visiting other districts who've made the leap to get in bed with google, and we're looking more in favor of making the plunge and just going Chrome OS and chrome books rather than implementing Win8 district wide. On my campus, all our new purchases for the last couple years have been either refurb'ed systems running Win7 or OSX 10.8-9 machines.

I don't get that critique. Why use apps at all? All normal programs still work. There really is no reason to use the metro interface or the apps if you don't want to.

I can see why you wouldn't upgrade if you have W7 but to purposely downgrade seems extremely silly and petty.

 

[RicoADF]

I really don't see why people hate Windows 8. I use it in a traditional desktop computer, and it works fine. You don't have to use the Metro interface and can easily hide it. And it boots much faster than Windows 7, so there's that.

Haters gonna hate, I guess.

I've been having issue with compatibility, some games which worked on Win 7 take a dump on 8. 8.1 got worse until I reinstalled the graphics drivers, so that may have been the issue. I still prefer 7 by far, but 8.1 atleast makes it usable and on my hybrid device I can see where they were coming from. Just think they were stupid for not giving options, a simple place where you can select metro or traditional start menu would have solved most of the issues with the interface people have. We like the start menu, so to remove it caused annoyance. When the UI gets in the way of quick and easy usage it's doing something wrong.

Simply put they should have phased the new interface in as an option, most would have given it a try and if they liked it they'd have used it. Forcing people is what causes them to reject it outright.

 

[goldenheart323]

I just installed the 8.1 patch. What a let down. MS said they put the start button back. Horray! I'll finally be able to see all my programs in a nice, compact, convenient, alphabetized list! NOT!!! All MS did was put an icon for the Start Button in the bottom left corner.
Before, I had to move my mouse to the bottom left corner & click to get to the Start screen on the app side.
Now, I have to move my mouse to the bottom left corner (where the Start icon is,) & click to get to the Start screen on the app side. How lame is that? They really think all our complaining is because they removed a little graphic in the corner??? Seriously???!!!

Also, the Start screen doesn't show all my programs. It never did. It only shows the ones pinned to the Start screen. I have to click on the arrow at the bottom of that screen to go to the "Apps by name" screen. THAT'S where all my programs are. All of them plus all the contents of the subfolders sprawled out across 3 whole pages.

There are some things I think they could do better, though. They really need to find a better place for the Search/Run text box, it's a critical part of starting various programs easily and was better where I could reach it in one click, instead of moving the mouse to the top corner and waiting patiently for the appropriate menu to saunter over for the OPTION to click it.

I guess you didn't realise that you don't need to do that - you just start typing and it populates the search field, you don't need to select Search first.

I... er... hmmm.

Looks like I'm forced to retract my previous criticism, that feature is once again considerably better than the Win7 version.
...

Actually, your previous criticism is still partly correct. You can only use that shortcut if you're on the app side. If you're on the desktop side, you still have to do the steps you listed.

...
I don't get that critique. Why use apps at all? All normal programs still work. There really is no reason to use the metro interface or the apps if you don't want to.

I can see why you wouldn't upgrade if you have W7 but to purposely downgrade seems extremely silly and petty.

Why use those stripped down apps at all? because they are the default way to open files. The full version of Windows Media player is available on the desktop side, but you have to change the settings or manually tell Windows8 to use it instead of the gimped app. It's yet another annoyance where the user has to manually make a change in the settings to make it more functional.

 

[FieryTrainwreck]

I thought the whole point of turning windows into a smart phone was to get people to impulse buy shitty apps on their computer just like they do on their androids?