I've had my new laptop for about two hours now, and I know a lot of you are curious about Windows 8. These are my initial reactions:

First of all, since Windows is a Microsoft product, they are requiring you to sign in using your Hotmail, MSN, or Windows Live e-mail account. [Google started this trend when they required everyone using an Android phone to use a GMail e-mail account.] After you set it up, when you turn on your computer in the future and it boots up, you will need to enter your e-mail password to unlock Windows so you can use the computer.

When Windows 8 starts up, your desktop looks different than we are used to, so at first I freaked out. Instead of the small icons that we are used to, there are large tiles. (I soon learned that we can opt to have each tile large or half the size.) We can also move them around and situate them where we want them. Many of tiles are "animated" -- temperature, latest news, and so forth. When you click open some of the tiles, they open to full-screen displays. One of the default tiles is your Microsoft e-mail.

Essentially, the tiles are designed to be "social media" friendly. Facebook, Twitter, and Windows Live instant Messenger feature prominently in this new desktop display. Since I was logged in using my Hotmail account, my Windows Live Messenger automatically opened as well. In one glance, then, I was seeing all of my social media sites working at once, all on my desktop.

As I made my away around, I discovered that I was being led to a second desktop -- the old style one that we are all familiar with. Once there, nearly everything familiar -- it was the way it was with Windows Vista and Windows 7: There were My Documents, My Pictures, and so forth. I have to admit to breathing a sigh of relief to see my old familiar desktop and Windows appearing the way I was used to.

It was then that I realized that Windows 8 is really the same as the previous versions of Windows -- all they really did was to add a layer on top of everything to make Windows more social media friendly (and more like smart phones). So basically we now have two desktops instead of just one -- the old style and a new style.

I quickly learned to make shortcuts to the old style desktop. However, it occurred to me that I might be rushing to use the old style desktop only because it is familiar to me. Being the liberal that I am, I shouldn't be afraid of change! So I want to explore the new style and give it a fair chance.

As you may have heard, one major change is that there isn't a "Start" button on Windows 8. I couldn't figure out how to shut the computer down -- and I couldn't find any "Help" text or ways to ask questions. Somehow I stumbled into some program which had its own help files, and by moving "up" the tree, I was able to get into other help files. Not having Help easily accessible is a huge disadvantage to Windows 8.

Anyway, it turns out that shutting down the computer is not so difficult -- once you know how to do it. In previous Windows versions, you go to the lower left corner and click "Start". In Window 8, you go to the far opposite corner -- you move your mouse to the upper right corner. When you do that, four icons suddenly appear. The last one is a "Settings" icon. You click it, then click "Power".

Finally, I don't like the default background image. Ever since I first got Vista, I loved the Aurora At Night background image. I found it online and was able to download it for Windows 8.



http://vistawallpapers.wordpress.com/20 ... -at-night/

Thanks so much for posting this info because I am getting ready to take my pc in for repair and the repairman told me that he can put everything back the way it was when I first purchased this pc for only $40.00 and get it running faster also but he can also install Windows 8 and get this pc running faster for $140.00. After reading your post I think I will just tell him to get it back like it was in the beginning.

My next PC is going to be Ubuntu

Forget Windoze.

One nice thing about using Firefox is that I was able to transfer all my bookmarks from one computer to the other. And not just my bookmarks, but my stored user names and passwords as well.

http://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/res ... -move-them

LOL SciFi. Learning a new OS is stressful and confusing. I recommend that you Google any questions that you have instead of looking in a help file. Many times the tech gurus know shortcuts and such. Windows help files are written by Windows tech staff........

I love Firefox.

Since we are considering buying a new computer, I'm hoping that we can find a good deal on one what has Windows 7, lol. Sooz seems to really like it.

After using my new desktop computer for a week, I don't really care for the start screen. I deleted most of the tiles and just have those I need for the programs I use. But I spend most of my time on the desktop screen anyway. Gotta say, I still prefer Ubuntu to Windoze 8.

Finally figured out how to make my recovery discs, after a few fits and starts so at least that's taken care of. I don't like how Firefox is in Windoze - some of my add-ons don't work the same as they do in Ubuntu and a couple don't seem to working at all.

I also have to remember to do the occasional malware and spybot scans which I never had to worry about with Ubuntu.

The only upside of Win8 is I can play my games again - I have been downloading games like there is no tomorrow. I'm doing a little research to see how I can set up a dual boot with either Ubuntu or Mint and then just boot into Windoze when I want to play games and use the other os for everything else.

Oh and I didn't need to sign up with an MSN/Hotmail account - I don't have any of those. I think I used my Google or Yahoo account to sign up.

If you buy a new computer that has Windows 7, Microsoft is offering free upgrades to Windows 8.

I wonder why....
Could it be that nobody wants to pay for that "upgrade"?
I've seen full OEM versions for 69.99 on sale.
I've also seen the instructions for downloading a free copy and legally circumventing Microsoft's activation system by emailing Microsoft and have them send you the code. They left a huge backdoor open for everyone with a server.
Just a hint: the dead line for getting a free copy of Windows Media Center for anyone running Win 8 runs out at the end of this year. Then MS will charge for it since it's not part of the Win 8 operating system anymore like in other versions.

i can't wait until all operating systems are open source and free.

Good luck with that, mac.

No, that's not the reason. The reason is that retailers would complain that they can't sell their new computers that have an older OS installed. So Windows always offer free upgrades to their newer platform to retailers that still have computers with the older OS.

i will probably get that sooner than a government that is openly non-interventionist.

YIKES!

Microsoft should stick to it's core market - computers that do work and X-Box. They keep trying to be all things to all people and end up falling flat on their face.

Is that any different than Google? Google was a search engine. Now they run home videos, store our documents online, have an e-mail service, provide Internet images, have a news summary page, provide software for cell phones, map city streets, and pilot driverless automobiles!

Is Google an O/S?

I was just about to say that.

If you consider "android" an OS, then Google is the leading purveyor in at least cell wireless technology ~

Sooz

Google's Android is.

The point of the comparison is that both Microsoft and Google are companies that do a lot of technological things, that include making operating systems, but also much more.