Download Windows 8.1 Preview: Start button returns, boot to desktop, better search and more

[MrBungle]

The consoles came out November 2006 for the ps3 and November 2005 for the Xbox 360. The components put inside each console was higher than any normal consumer could have picked up for years and actually built (including the ridiculous price for just a Blu-ray player).

That's not true, PS3 and 360 were roughly as powerful as a mid-range PC at the time they launched... this was back when the leap from one generation to the next was 45%+ in performance gains... Had they been PCs they would have been mid-range the launch year, slow the year after, irrelevant the year after and by 2010 borderline useless. (the GPU in an XBox 360 is roughly as fast as a nVidia 7800GT)

Yes the companies obviously get the hardware for cheaper than a normal consumer would, but these machines still contain nice new components that while may not be an i7 or a fx 8350, but it's still a fancy processor with good video specs, wireless built in, Blu-ray drives. They may get close to even, but they certainly are not making profits from consoles, the money comes from game sales.

The CPU in the new consoles is horrible... yes it has 8 cores but we're talking about the pile driver architecture as featured in one of AMD's APUs. They are slow at 3-4GHz and the chip in the consoles is sub 2GHz. The single threaded performance of these systems is going to lie somewhere between pathetic and laughably bad.

 

[cliffordcooley]

Just right click on the Start icon to invoke the menu.

Shhh... you're gonna mess with everyone's complaining....

Doubtful! Icon or no icon, it still goes to the same damned dreadful menu. The inclusion of Start Button solves nothing. It's the most pathetic attempt at negotiating between menu bickering.

 

[lipe123]

Seriously If they want to make windows 8 better at all they just need to add two little checkboxes to the installer for windows 8 or the "first run setup" screen that reads"

[ ] Skip metro/tiles screen completely and boot to desktop with a real start menu.
---[ ] This is a desktop machine, completely remove the live tiles because this isn't a ****ing touch screen tablet!!!!!11111oneone

 

[Mugsy]

I feel like Ms is trying to force desktop users to use an OS designed for SmartPhones & Tablets.

"Locking/Unlocking" to use "Apps"? Touchscreen buttons? C'mon!

 

[coppersloane]

Or visit that Lumosity site to develop your IQ?

Just so we are clear, total disregard has nothing to do with operational IQ level. However since MS decided consumers shouldn't be burdened by making choices for themselves, one could argue this as a lack in consumer IQ. I'm just saying, don't know for sure. But since you brought up IQ, I thought I would give it mention.

P.S.
I'll be waiting for your next IQ BS statement!

You can counter every one of these posts with one of your convoluted, poorly-worded answers, but it won't change that there has been a major shift in level of competence among device users. I don't know what to blame it on. Do you? Or maybe you're just in denial that this is the case.

Maybe it's a combination of things, among them widespread Apple product use... a company that successfully dumbed everything down and stripped features so your 2-year-old can use it. When you automate things too much, or make things too simplistic, people become lazy over time, and they become less capable of adapting to change that does not emulate that simplicity.

As an adult, read those Little Golden Books for long enough and I can pretty much guarantee your ability to read and understand Dostoevsky will inevitably suffer.

 

[cliffordcooley]

Maybe it's a combination of things, among them widespread Apple product use... a company that successfully dumbed everything down and stripped features so your 2-year-old can use it. When you automate things too much, or make things too simplistic, people become lazy over time, and they become less capable of adapting to change that does not emulate that simplicity.

Thats your answer? You present a defense that only strengthens my defense.

You speak of Apple dumbing down their OS, while standing behind MS for doing the same damn thing. Talking about Apple's lack in diversity, only strengthens my case in desiring to have diversity with MS.

You are operating under the delusion that I am trying to take away your precious Start Screen. I don't give two rats asses whether you use the Start Screen. I do care about MS trying to forced us to use it. Especially when MS could have increased the diversity level, by allowing the consumer the option of choice between menus.

Do you want to stick your foot in your mouth again?

 

[stansfield]

Well, I downloaded 8.1, played around with it for a while and then reverted back to the previous version
with all the 3rd party changes and tweaks I had made to it! The new version does indeed have a start button but it takes you again to that lousy multi-coloured metro screen instead of the previously standard menu in w7. It appears 8.1 is designed to give even greater reliance on Microsoft who want to find out more about you and sell you more stuff!!!

 

[oldikes]

The consoles came out November 2006 for the ps3 and November 2005 for the Xbox 360. The components put inside each console was higher than any normal consumer could have picked up for years and actually built (including the ridiculous price for just a Blu-ray player).

Which is back to original argument, that is incorrect. The consoles consisted of hardware that was mid rangish at the time.

 

[Adam Leite]

Yes, the start button is back but it'd be better off not coming back, for it came empty. Just an adornment. Other features I can't find are Windows 7 backup and restore (present on Windows 8), boot to desktop (supposedly present on 8.1), ability to move the stupid apps so they do not take the whole screen (you can break the screen in 3, but apps do not cascade - only side-by-side, which is mostly useless); you still cannot find your programs in a list, only on that stupid Metro interface. Good new feature is the ability to search for apps if you use them.

 

[Arris]

Just right click on the Start icon to invoke the menu.

Shhh... you're gonna mess with everyone's complaining....

No difference from right clicking the bottom left corner of the desktop in 8.0, so the button is purely cosmetic and doesn't really bring back the start button+menu, assuming the menu options are the same in 8.1. I'm downloading the English(US) language package so I can install the preview on my laptop just now so will update once I've checked this out for myself.

EDIT: Seems that even if I set my language and keyboard to English(US) instead of (UK) I can't install the update. Downloading the ISO version now.

Hmm ISO is enterprise only. Had to change language, reboot and modify the registry to try the preview : http://www.trustedreviews.com/opinions/how-to-install-windows-8-1-preview-in-the-uk

 

[Guest]

Sorry for pointing this out, but this is an article about Windows 8.1 and not the gaming consoles, correct? There's probably somewhere else better suited for your little debate about whether the companies made or lost money and if the consoles were state of the art or not.

 

[Arris]

Seems all that's changed with regards to "Start button" is that now a little windows start button shows instead of the miniature version of the start screen. Right click menu is the same.

 

[tipstir]

Not going to happen for me with this version. I'll keep Windows 8 on netbook for testing. But for general usage I'll stick with Windows 7 32-bit and 64-bit. I working a Windows tablet restore project and ditched Windows 8 64-bit for Windows 7 64-bit and the issues I had with 8 are not present in 7. 8 was leaking memory. where 7 wasn't. Ads in tile area are shouldn't be there. MS should have never allowed that to happen. GUI to the Desktop UI with touch and type is still buggy. But in 7 not that issue. I use CTS pen on TS, but in 8 glitches and 7 no issues the keyboard is there. I've set it to do the same in 8 and it does work right.

 

[Arris]

Ok, all my games that worked in Windows 8 crash. Even running in compatibility mode doesn't work. Will try reinstalling some to see if that helps at all. I know it s a beta but wanted to give it a try anyway.

 

[Railman]

Dont worry you will be sorry. 1st rule of threads is that they seldom stay on thread.

 

[Guest]

Lol 10,000 programmers worked hard for a year to make one button lol

 

[VitalyT]

Ops, looks like they forgot to mention this awesome feature: Bing Ad integration into Windows 8.1 Search Results, and I wonder why...