Win8 Compatibility

[PoleCat]

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

Edited November 1, 2012 by PoleCat

[EtherealN]

Hey that reminds me, PoleCat, one thing that might actually sell me outright: "arbitrary" mounting of directories. Is that in? I'm running SSD now, and while it's a 512GB one, that's still a bit starved. It would be awesome if it was possible to have folders on other drives mount seamlessly into whatever C: location I want, similar to how most UNIX systems work.

 

Win7 has this function in a limited sense, through allowing you to "move" some specific folders like SavedGames and Documents etcetera, and having that capaibility not only for the "select few" could potentially be enough to sell Win8 to me.

[cichlidfan]

Well, I am going to give it a shot today. I have an unused SSD and a 3Ghz Core2Quad/8GB/GTX470 machine that I can install it on.

[ALDEGA]

I upgraded on launch day. I don't care for the metro UI but there are plenty of improvements on the desktop side. I haven't touched Windows 7 since upgrading.

Great bargain at 30€.

[ALDEGA]

£25? It seems oddly cheap for Microsoft! Suspiciously so....

I guess they aim to make money from metro apps (you can only install them from the Microsoft Store, unless you use Windows 8 Enterprise).

[Cedaway]

I guess they aim to make money from metro apps (you can only install them from the Microsoft Store, unless you use Windows 8 Enterprise).

 

Some market 'specialists' stated that this good price was a way to encourage customers to buy W8. They foresees moderate - bad sells because 50%+ of windows users are under W7, which is commonly seen as a very good OS.

 

MS had two choices:

- Delay the release of W8 and definitly lose the tablet and smartphones market or

- Release W8 (+ W8 RT) and try to be competitive on PC's, Tablet and Smartphones.

 

They encourage people to migrate from XP-Vista-W7 to W8 because there is a chance the customer would then like to buy a 'surface' tablet and/or a W8 phone. The goal is to create an 'ecosystem' like Apple did with their Mac+Istuffs.

A good way to ensure 'fidelity' of the customers.

Aaaannnd, ALDEGA, you're right: MS tries to copy the business model of Apple/Istore to (again) ensure the (lockup) fidelity of the customers...

Edited November 1, 2012 by Cedaway

[ALDEGA]

It would be awesome if it was possible to have folders on other drives mount seamlessly into whatever C: location I want, similar to how most UNIX systems work.

This has been possible for a long time in NTFS --> mklink.exe /D C:\SymbolicLink D:\TargetDirectory

 

mklink.exe, which is available in Vista and newer, can create NTFS symbolic links and NTFS junction points. Windows 2000 and XP had linkd.exe for creating NTFS junction points only.

 

Source: Symoblic links and Junction points in NTFS

[HiJack]

.. It would be awesome if it was possible to have folders on other drives mount seamlessly into whatever C: location I want, similar to how most UNIX systems work.

Don't you read all my posts EtherealN? I made a guide on how to do this on this forum years ago!

 

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=66557

 

Jack

Edited November 1, 2012 by HiJack

[PoleCat]

This has been possible for a long time in NTFS --> mklink.exe /D C:\SymbolicLink D:\TargetDirectory

 

mklink.exe, which is available in Vista and newer, can create NTFS symbolic links and NTFS junction points. Windows 2000 and XP had linkd.exe for creating NTFS junction points only.

 

Source: Symoblic links and Junction points in NTFS

 

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

Edited November 1, 2012 by PoleCat

[cichlidfan]

Well, I don't hate it yet. Having a touch screen connected is at least interesting. ;)