PoleCat

I would not say this is a lack of concern. Rather it is putting things in proper perspective. I am not afraid that MS will ever have absolute control over my PC because they simply will not. To suggest otherwise does sound a bit alarmist to me and obviously to a few others. There is always a backlash of fear and loathing each time MS releases a new OS. Out

OMG absolute control huh? That is hair on fire nuts. :pilotfly: It would be interesting to count how many people even care. Out

Yes this method works very well. I used it a lot on Windows 7. I am unsure if there is any simpler method of doing the same thing under 8. I have moved from 2 x 128GB SSD in Raid 0 to 2 x 256GB SSD in Raid 0 so I have much less need to redirect anything to my HDD array. I will do some poking around to see what I can find. Out

Iobit http://www.iobit.com/download.html has a free beta app for enabling the metro interface on Windows 7 and one for enabling the traditional start menu on Windows 8. If you prefer non beta there is always Classic shell for enabling the same on Windows 8 http://classicshell.sourceforge.net/. I also prefer and use Classic shell under Windows 8. Makes the transition a bit easier. Side note: Windows 8 can natively mount ISO images to a virtual drive. No need for a 3rd party app for this. Works well. Out

Yes I do agree here. As a rule I don't like upgrades from one OS to another. At the least it is untidy and at worst it can be sloppy. Clean install is always best. Out

I certainly understand your perspective and respect your intelligence. Didn't mean to imply otherwise. I get right in there and test. My advantage in this business is getting to know the products I sell and support intimately well before my customers first experience them. This gives me a sense of urgency to install, test, and problem solve under any new OS well ahead of and then into RTM.. What I post about Windows 8 is my experience in this endeavor through multiple installs on multiple hardware platforms, all manner of driver and software installation and the very little trouble I have had with it in comparison to previous Operating Systems. And yes I loved Windows 7. The strongest endorsement I can give Windows 8 is my complete and total willingness to leave Windows 7 behind for it. Even though the unfamiliarity of its Metro screen and charms bar at first turned me off I am glad I kept with it as I came to really like this new OS. I believe that it will be well recieved. Out

I am not taking your posts as an attack on my character. Ok , perhaps I should have said the "rest" of the story and not the "whole" story. Whether Windows 8 is worth it is a matter of opinion yes. Weather it is an improvement over Windows 7 is not. That is all I am trying to say. A bit more in depth on file management (old but relevant and informational) http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2011/08/23/improving-our-file-management-basics-copy-move-rename-and-delete.aspx Out

The ivibe rotor modeling is not yet complete for the KA-50. It is in the works AFAIK. I would never recommend a shaker over the ivibe. Out

And these results show that all in all Windows 8 is better, surprise! Most of this data was readily available to the public months ago during the beta phase of Windows 8 in the form of other reviews and other benchmarks. I assumed you knew this already. Also as far as these benchmarks go, do you believe there are no others that will show you different results? How about two months from now? The numbers are a snapshot in time and are always good but using the product tells the whole story. In a word Windows 8 is better than Windows 7. It would likely fail if it wasn't and it won't. Hardware and software companies have just started to develop Windows 8 drivers and software so readers of these comparisons need to take this into account.Over time you can expect Windows 8 performance to widen the margins where it is better and close the gap where it does not quite line up. Windows 7 on the other hand while an excellent product is now the previous MS OS...........;) Out

Yes I know it is an OS. It is also not an earth shattering approach to actually use it and see. It is what most IT professionals and enthusiasts do. Restoring your old Windows 7 installation is fairly simple if you want to try it. Yes it does boot faster and yes file copies are improved. These things are self evident once you use it. Out

Over think things much? ;) It is simply better and more feature rich. Factually speaking if you take windows 7 improve it, you have.....Windows 8. There are perceptible differences in speed and performance as well as many improved features as I have already mentioned. It is not just about noticing no, but it is about better, faster start up, faster shut down, better file copies, improved multimedia performance and more GUI options among other things. Besides this my opinions are rendered only after having installed and used Windows 8 on 5 PC's and 2 laptops for several months after having used Windows 7 on all of these machines. I build sell and support PC's for a living so I don't think my findings are illusory. I know performance improvements when I see them. You will see them as well...perhaps later after you determine which of those iPhones feels faster to you.:P Out

I understand the logic of waiting for a service pack. But as far as I can see so far with Windows 8, it is out of the box perceptibly faster, smoother and noticeably better than Windows 7 in start up, shut down and file copy among other things. This is nothing like Windows Vista..... Out

Couldn't agree more Viper. Once people get past the initial cold feet I think they will embrace this new OS. It really is very good. Out

Windows 8 certainly Installs, boots up and shuts down faster then Windows 7. File copies are also much better. I used the Windows 7 USB download tool from Microsoft to convert the Windows 8 ISO to bootable USB easily. This new OS is quite cool. Note: New version of classic shell released today with a number of improvements. Out

I have been using Windows 8 for a few months now. DCS works fine under Windows 8 (I would say even a tad smoother for me)as do all other games I have tried. I suggest after installation that you download and install classic shell (It's free). It will give you the complete look, feel and similar functionality to Windows 7, start menu, booting to the desktop. Metro screen and charms bar are still accessible as well but only if you want to access them. You can live on the desktop if that is your desire. The only way that you will know you are running Windows 8 is that you will get better file copies, integrated antivirus/antimalware and access to the new GUI if you want to use it. You can swim, the water is just fine. Out

How many threads you got going on the same questions..? At this rate by the time you are satisfied with all your selections the answers to what is best are apt to change once again. No matter what you get it will not likely be better then what is to come but that is always true. Search for the best value for the dollar. That is the best approach in general. Intel over AMD? Yes. Good luck! Out

I would go Intel not AMD. For a mobo I would use Asus as first choice and Gigabyte a distant second. I would not use a WD green HD. Go with a WD black it is well worth the extra money. SSD is awesome, PSU looks good, cooler is nice (I have one as well) but a good air cooler instead might save you some money there. Look at Antec cases if you can, the 300 is a nice mid tower with good airflow while not breaking the bank. Memory brand looks good, also check out Gskill if available. It is relatively inexpensive but high quality memory. Make sure your memory is configured for dual channel. 2x4GB or 2x8GB or even 2x16GB. You only have a single module listed there. Get the best video card you can afford. Enjoy your new system! Out

Great idea! It is in fact already out there and working in an existing product. Basically the concept you are outlining is ivibe's main concept. Data driven from the sim not from sound. It was created in answer to the lameness of "audio only" driven subwoofer systems. Of course Ivibe has a seat cushion with 6 industrial strength FFB transducers, zoned positional based FFB and pretty much all the features described in the original post. It already supports DCS titles, FC2 and many other racing and flight sim titles. www.ivibe.com. Glad that BK finally has a solution that offers something besides audio driven shaking. Out

IMHO the TM WH is the best, all things considered. Second to that I would fall back on my Cougars. All of them work fine in Windows 7/Windows 8. I think you are really at the point where you have all the information needed to make an informed decision. In other words, you don't need to use your PHD to make this decision. Weigh your options and if you can, put your hands on all of them and I am sure the answer will come swiftly as to which is right for you. What ever your decision is in the end I only have one more thing to add.....Enjoy your new HOTAS and keep the blue side up! Out

Yes, who knows about the potential evil that takes place behind ED's closed doors. They are plotting and planning always and in all ways. Beware of ED's closed doors. This could be some sort of huge ED Poll conspiracy. ;) Out

The specific problems found in the seagate momentus XT Hybrid 500GB drives were at the firmware level. Although many new firmware releases were provided since the problems were first reported, to the best of my knowledge the stuttering and sudden temporary system slowdown issues with these drives when used for gaming has never been solved. Out

Hi Cowboy, Very nice system. I am sure you will love it. I would like to let you know that the recommendation that the Hybrid would be as good as an SSD was incorrect. I have used both. I believe you will find stuttering to be a problem using the hybrids for gaming. This is their problem. Obviously beyond this just 4GB of SSD (or even 8GB is not going to come close to giving you SSD level performance. The OS will boot faster and installations and app starts will be accelerated to some small degree (mostly loads for frequently used apps). At any rate if you find like I did that the Hybrids are less then perfect for gaming you can always purchase and install an SSD later. In any case very awesome system specs. Best of luck and have fun! Out

Thanks for these. Brilliant! Out

It is not a hack, this is a feature of the OS. It simply enables the installation of unsigned drivers. Works absolutely fine. Out

Assuming Windows 7 x64...... Try re-seating your memory first. Make sure bios lists memory amount correctly. System specs, memory type and model and number of modules? Out