New computer windows 8?

Status
Not open for further replies.
C

coop3339

Senior Member
Location
NJ
Hi Everyone,

I need to upgrade my computer and I am worried about going to windows 8. I do a lot of CAD and 3D modeling and would like some more horse power. I worked on windows 8 a couple of times and hated it. Has anyone made the change and gotten used to it? or do you recommend trying to find what I want with windows 7?
 
I have Windows 8.1 - virtually the same as 8- and I have gotten used to it. It isn't that bad. You can also use the windows 7 interface if you feel more comfortable with it.
 
Hi Dennis,

Thank you for your response. Windows 8.1 has a windows 7 interface option? If so then I guess it doesn't really matter.

Thanks
 
Yep I can see the desktop as a Windows 8 or a Windows 7. I still am more comfortable with the 7 but the 8 has some nice features. For instance if you need to find something you just start to type on the desktop (nothing shows up on the desktop) but a search box appears shortly with the word you searched for.
 
You can switch between them with the windows key on the keyboard or the windows icon on the desktop in the bottom left taskbar area



Windows 7

ry%3D400



Windows 8

ry%3D400
 
If you can wait a few more months, Windows 10 will be out. I played around with that some during the testing stage and it seemed a lot more user friendly than 8.1. I was pretty much able to jump right in a find my way around which wasn't possible on my wife's 8.1 computer. They will also be offering a free upgrade from 7 and 8.1 to 10 for anyone who purchased within (I think...) the year prior to the new system's release.
 
Windows 7 mode may also be referred to as desktop mode.

Transformation between the two modes isn't as simple as one may want it to be - but you eventually learn what works for you. Running your older desktop applications isn't generally going to be a problem once you start the application it is the same application it always was, it is knowing how to navigate the system when doing other tasks that takes a little learning, or using new applications that came with windows 8. Some of those things even had some differences in older versions of windows and you just had to learn what was different in each operating system - especially if you used different machines with different systems frequently.

Most of the changes in the windows 8 main interface were changes intended for easier use with touch screen devices, if you still use a mouse or other pointer for most things the old desktop mode is more suitable IMO.
 
coop3339 said:
Hi Everyone,

I need to upgrade my computer and I am worried about going to windows 8. I do a lot of CAD and 3D modeling and would like some more horse power. I worked on windows 8 a couple of times and hated it. Has anyone made the change and gotten used to it? or do you recommend trying to find what I want with windows 7?
Click to expand...

I've used AutoCAD for >20 years. I still have an XP Celeron single core laptop which runs circles in 3D AutoCAD.

Often you can improve performance by adding more RAM, the price of which has come down significantly over the years.

Windows 8 sucks. I bought a Win8 laptop from Wal-Mart for a salesperson, took it home, spent 5 hours on a Saturday and never could find Internet Explorer or get it on the Internet. I wiped it and installed Win7. Microsoft changing our work machines to act as a kid's toy was about as smart as changing the formula for Coke. I do not buy kid's toys. I buy work machines.

I have Win7 x64 hacked to function like XP on most of my workstations today (I have about 15 pc's).

What version of windows are you using today?
 
mgookin said:
I've used AutoCAD for >20 years. I still have an XP Celeron single core laptop which runs circles in 3D AutoCAD.

Often you can improve performance by adding more RAM, the price of which has come down significantly over the years.

Windows 8 sucks. I bought a Win8 laptop from Wal-Mart for a salesperson, took it home, spent 5 hours on a Saturday and never could find Internet Explorer or get it on the Internet. I wiped it and installed Win7. Microsoft changing our work machines to act as a kid's toy was about as smart as changing the formula for Coke. I do not buy kid's toys. I buy work machines.

I have Win7 x64 hacked to function like XP on most of my workstations today (I have about 15 pc's).

What version of windows are you using today?
Click to expand...
I can understand not liking it - but is not hard at all to get on internet right out of the box - even people that know little about computers can do it, all you have to do is follow instructions that automatically come up first time you run the thing.

That has kind of been a general rule since about the time windows 2000/ME came out.
 
Windows 8.1 added means to get around the Metro Start screen...

Taskbar%20Properties.gif


And you'll want to add this Toolbar to your Taskbar...

C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

...and perhaps shrink it (Taskbar unlocked) to bare minimum. Click on the remaining double chevron expands a popup menu.

I prefer to hide my desktop icons and also auto-hide the Taskbar on the right side of screen. Then put a Desktop Toolbar on my Task bar with only the icons showing...

Taskbar.jpg
 
Smart $ said:
Windows 8.1 added means to get around the Metro Start screen...

Taskbar%20Properties.gif


And you'll want to add this Toolbar to your Taskbar...

C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

...and perhaps shrink it (Taskbar unlocked) to bare minimum. Click on the remaining double chevron expands a popup menu.

I prefer to hide my desktop icons and also auto-hide the Taskbar on the right side of screen. Then put a Desktop Toolbar on my Task bar with only the icons showing...

Taskbar.jpg
Click to expand...

I have used the desktop toolbar on the taskbar for a long time, maybe even when I still had a windows 98 system, I almost never open things from desktop just click on that toolbar and keep navigating through sub menus until you find where you want to go.
 
do you have to upgrade the OS right now? windows 10 will probably be RTM around june??? and it will be a FREE upgrade for current windows 7/8 users.

I have windows 8.1 on my tablet, and i love it for personal use, but i'd rather burn the office down than use it at work.
 
brantmacga said:
do you have to upgrade the OS right now? windows 10 will probably be RTM around june??? and it will be a FREE upgrade for current windows 7/8 users.

I have windows 8.1 on my tablet, and i love it for personal use, but i'd rather burn the office down than use it at work.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads up on Win10.

I agree 100% on your Win8 statement. It's not a tool to do work. It's a kids toy for little 8 year old girls to share butterfly photos with grandma just like modern phones.

I hope Microsoft realizes they need to get back to getting work done before they lose a very significant market share.
 
I wouldn't buy a windows 8 computer.
I went to Dell and got a win 7 laptop.
Dell still sells win 7.
 
win 8 runs most anything earlier versions run, just the top layer is different, but it can be tweaked or even mostly disabled.
 
mgookin said:
I've used AutoCAD for >20 years. I still have an XP Celeron single core laptop which runs circles in 3D AutoCAD.

I have Win7 x64 hacked to function like XP on most of my workstations today (I have about 15 pc's).

What version of windows are you using today?
Click to expand...

OSX 10.10.2 :p

i'm going to have to have a windows machine. there is
software for lighting commissioning that requires it.
i have an enterprise version of windows 7 to put on
a dedicated laptop for the purpose. when i'm done with
it, i'll bury it in the backyard, and sow salt over the hole.

i've reached the point, after starting with 4.01 and win3.0,
in 1991, that i consistently despise micro$loth. i've hacked
hardware and and software for over 20 years, until reaching
a point of complete disgust. i've never used windows 8, thank
god, or i'd probably be in the clocktower with a long rifle about
now. i spit out the kool aid about 3 years ago, and started drinking
apple juice instead. no regrets.

the only thing i run on osx that is problematic is microsoft
office for mac, and it's the biggest POS i've ever seen.
i'm uninstalling it. there are times when it won't even read
a native MS office document, but pages and numbers in
OSX open them fine.

and every so often, i'll have to reboot OSX, and when that happens,
there are trash folders left after i repair permissions, and they are
all from office365, which microsoft thoughtfully included with windows
for mac, and seems to hang the system every now and then.

screw microsoft.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top