[LAPTOP] Wifey's got a new laptop and it runs Windows 8! Yikes!!!!

[charles052]

I've been dreading Windows 8 ever since I saw this laptop deal for Black Friday:

https://www.officedepot.com/a/produc...ptop-Computer/

I'm a fan of HP and showed it to my wife and she said "Go ahead and get it."

After hearing such horror stories and worst case scenarios with UEFI and 8, I really didn't care to get it. I half-heartedly tried to talk my wife out of it, saying that her old laptop is just fine and even has a new SSD. But she still wanted it. It came in early last week. I postponed working on it for a day or so and finally grit my teeth and cracked open the box and started.

First impression was "What a mess!" as I looked upon the start screen. There was no way my wife would go for it. But thankfully, I found the desktop and from there, started to work things out. I found the Windows 8 key, now hidden inside the BIOS instead of being on a sticker underneath the laptop like it used to be using Belarc Advisor. I then printed it out. From there, I just said "Screw it!" I took out the old mechanical hard drive and put in her SSD from her old laptop and then promptly booted it up. Of course, it wouldn't boot to a Windows 7 SSD, this I knew already. I went into the BIOS, found the boot order, changed it to the DVD drive, put in my copy of Windows 8 I downloaded from Piratebay, since I couldn't get a regular copy from Microsoft, and did a fresh install, getting rid of all the bloatware that came with the new laptop.

From there everything when pretty peachy. Since the serial was in the BIOS there was no need to enter it in throughout or after the installation. It was automatically activated which I thought was pretty cool. I actually like that. After installing all the drivers I put in my favorite anti-virus security suite and then installed Classic Shell, which bypasses the awful start screen and makes the OS go direct to the desktop. It also installed the "Start" button Microsoft excluded in 8 which users like me would sorely miss.

All in all, I'd say 8 is a pretty darn good OS from a user's POV. It seems to be fast and works great so far. Of course, my wife only plays online games and such so the requirements aren't too high to begin with.

And she loves it! That right there made messing with 8 all worth it. It plays the games perfectly and she is amazed by how fast it is.

Still, I really, really, really wish she'd use Kubuntu instead. Kubuntu is so much cooler. *sigh*

[SteveRiley]

Now try upgrading that sucker to Windows 8.1.

[charles052]

Now try upgrading that sucker to Windows 8.1.

Already did, actually. It was available from the store, which is a nightmare of a program that literally hurt my eyes. Upgrade went smoothly as far as I can tell except that it broke my Classic Shell install and I had to repair it.

Windows store: Bad!

Synaptic Package Manager: Good!

[SteveRiley]

literally hurt my eyes

So will Office 2013:

[charles052]

The biggest problem I had with Windows 8 is that I couldn't just go ahead and install 8.1 from the get go. I had to 1st install 8 and then update it. I looked it up and it seemed as if there wasn't a way to just install 8.1 with a OEM key. Which is a bit of a hassle. Sure, it wasn't all that hard, but I sure don't enjoy jumping through hoops.

I wish Microsoft would've made this a bit easier than what it was but that's just the way Microsoft works and one big reason why I enjoy Kubuntu. If I want Kubuntu 13.10, I don't have to 1st install 13.04. I can just get the distro I want from the get-go.

What can I say. Linux has spoiled me.

[charles052]

So will Office 2013:

OWWWEEEE!!!!

That... was... just... MEAN!!!!

[SteveRiley]

The 8.1 deployment has been a fiasco. Microsoft is trying to make it seem like a service pack, when in fact it's a completely new operating system. However, it won't install via any of the normal methods people have become accustomed to. I can get the bits directly through my TechNet subscription, but that's a luxury few people have (and eventually no one will).

[woodsmoke]

Office 2013

They dropped the ribbon! ;0

fine by me I detested it from the get go....

lets see....nothing but icons on the "ribbon" ...so as to be politically correct "universal".... but the icons have ummmm text ...

I just love it! :0

wooddetesttheribbonsmoke

[GreyGeek]

....put in my copy of Windows 8 I downloaded from Piratebay,....

With an admission like that in a public forum I wouldn't be surprised if you received a letter from a BSA lawyer demanding treble damages, fines and and legal costs. But, since you aren't a company with a big bank account maybe they'll ignore your transgressions.

[SteveRiley]

They dropped the ribbon!

The ribbon is still present -- just in a different form. Note the more prominent menu bar, in which EACH ITEM IS UPPER CASE (!). Choosing one of these causes the corresponding ribbon to display beneath the menu bar. In the screenshot, you see the ribbon for HOME. Ribbons have smaller icons now.

You may be thinking, "Wait, Steve, in that screenshot, the FILE menu is highlighted blue. Aren't we looking at the FILE ribbon?" No. You see the HOME menu, as indicated by two clues: the word is blue (not black) and there's a very light outline of a tab. The dark blue FILE item -- and, similarly, the dark blue ALL CAPS STATUS BAR (!!) is part of Office 2013's colorized theming.

Word is dark blue:



Excel is green:



PowerPoint is red:



Outlook is medium blue:



Access is dark red:



OneNote is purple:



Publisher is dark green:

[woodsmoke]

LOL

Thanks muchly for pointing out my error, and actually, I think it will be of great help to others.

So they are trying to have their cake and eat it to! lol

woodsmoke

[charles052]

With an admission like that in a public forum I wouldn't be surprised if you received a letter from a BSA lawyer demanding treble damages, fines and and legal costs. But, since you aren't a company with a big bank account maybe they'll ignore your transgressions.

Well, I tried to get it from Microsoft 1st. After all, they have the Windows Vista and 7 OSes available for download, but I couldn't. You need to have a retail key in order to download it and mine was OEM.

Which is another thing that bugs me about Microsoft and computer manufacturers not including an installation cd of the OS the computer comes with. That I had to get the ISO from a torrent site rather than Microsoft's irritates me to no end. Things happen, hard drives fail, viruses wipe out data, corrupted systems, there a many reasons why one would need an installation cd.

Of course, HP included backup software so that you can back up your system to either a flash drive or 6 dvds, but that includes all the bloatware that comes along with it, and I'm not a fan of bloatware. I prefer my own method of restoring my computer to functionality.

Also, I found out the Microsoft doesn't have any of the Office suites available for download either with the exception of 2013. Someone from another board tried to get Office 2010 from their site since they lost the cd but not the serial but, of course, couldn't. So they ended up trying to get it from another site and got it along with a very nice virus to go with it.

Now, maybe I'm a overreacting or I expect too much, but as long as Microsoft is providing support for a product, I think they should provide the installation file of the program as well. After all, people change computers, have drives go bad, lose or damage cds, etc... any number of things could happen. And hosting the file itself wouldn't cost Microsoft anything extra as far as I know, so what's the big deal? I personally think that what they want is for you to buy their new 2013 Office suite should anything happen to your old one (serial or not) and that's why they don't offer the installation on their site. I believe it just another way for Microsoft to get more money out of people.

In any case, the ISO I downloaded was a non-cracked copy with no activators or anything with it. Just the real deal Windows 8, which is what I wanted. And I don't have a single pirated copy of Windows running at all. I have 5 computers right now, 2 running Kubuntu, 1 running Vista (trying to sell this one right now), 1 with 7, and 1 with 8. All OEM and all legal.

[woodsmoke]

Charles, you and I are very similar in many ways.

The following is intended for people NEW TO LINUX or those considering dropping Microsith or Apple.

My Vista machine has a nag message that it is not a legal copy.

However, it IS a legal copy it is just that Microsith decided that it will ONLY sell ONE OS to ONE physical device.

(The hard drive failed so I tried to install again) ....I WANTED to do the right thing, I do NOT mind paying for stuff.

I spent HOURS on the Microsith support site trying to "prove" that my copy was "legal". They did not care one way or the other, it was just that they figured that after enough hassel I would "give" and just buy an "upgrade".

In other words, although I "own" the OS on the cd, Microshaft says that I do not "own" it .....they own it, and I am renting it or leasing it or bleeding money or something.

i don't own the physical cd, I don't own the liscence, I don't own anything, I just lease, or rent or something.

Now, one "could" argue that the argument by Microsith is that of "leasing a car".

However, the counter argument is that one can have "lease to purchase", and one then does, truely own the car.

This whole thing is bogus and the courts AND GOVERNMENT(s) ..... INCLUDING the present U.S. administration and congress... just let them get away with it.

and they do not care.

they WILL care if and when enough people move to another OS because of their predatory practices.

Just like Apple trying to do exactly the same thing.

arrrrrgh

woodsmoke

[richb]

Not only the current administration but every past one as well.

[charles052]

Not only the current administration but every past one as well.

That's why I hate them all!

Why couldn't we have just elected Ron Paul? Even if he done nothing but sit on his thumbs his entire term, it'd still been better than our other 2 choices.

To Woodsmoke: Thankfully, the OS is tied to the BIOS so that you never have to worry about activating it again after a reinstall.... or so I hope. I wonder what would happen if I ever had to replace the MB?

But I know exactly what you're talking about. It's kinda like how Sony has the rights to make Spider-man movies, but they don't actually "own" Spider-man.