Windows Windows 8 Marmite thread... Because you either love it or hate it

I can only remember a few things - shows how much I've been keeping track.

Start Button - half of me still prefers the old one
The right click menu on Tiles instead of the ribbon - boooo
Power/search button on the Start screen
Apps have a close button
Apps on the desktop/show on task bar - is this a thing? Or am i getting mixed up with Stardock stuff?
Folders in This PC - also booo
Start Screen backgrounds.
Disable charms - again is this a thing or Stardock?
Boot to desktop.

I think that's all I can remember

 

If I didn't type to find programs on the start menu I'm pretty sure I'd hate 8.1. The tiles thing is a big cluster cuss of nonsense.

 

I started using search to find things in W8, before that I was using the Start Menu or Desktop. For me the Start Screen is similar to me hitting show Desktop and clicking a shortcut. Though I still have shortcuts on my Desktop.....

 

It is what counts as an app that confuses me. I wouldn't mind it so otherwise:

 

Was going to say anything that doesnt run on the desktop, but I can see Adobe reader there. Not sure if that's the desktop one or not.

 

An 'app' in this case is anything from the store and anything plonked on the start menu without its own folder.

Basically anything that would've ended up here in previous versions [excuse crappy freehand box drawing]:

 

Seeing as I mainly type, it isn't too bad. The thing about the old start menu is it is nice and compact, as a list, so if I do decide to scroll, my eyes only need traverse a small space.

That's my only complaint really.

 

so maybe this is the right place to ask?

I have a windows 8 key, which i'd installed and upgraded to 8.1. now i have a new board, cpu, ssd, gpu and need to re-install.

i tried doing a straight forward install of win8 pro using my key, which was accepted during the install. however once done windows wont activate, connect to the store, or check for updates. Anyone know where i may have gone wrong? i mean i figured i may have to phone to re-activate but i can't do anything at all. the network connection is working fine otherwise. Any clues?

 

Your key is for an upgrade version of Windows. Not to worry however.
Since Windows 7, Microsoft has implement a trick to allow power users to perform a clean install with an upgrade license.

All you need to do is change a registry value to indicate that a previous version of Windows was detected, and execute a command in the command prompt to refresh the activation system.

So here are the steps:
1- Open regedit, and go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Setup/OOBE/
2- Change the value of: MediaBootInstall, from a 1 to a 0.
3- Open the Command Prompt as true admin, and type and hit Enter: slmgr /rearm
4- Wait for a message to popup that it was a success, and now try activating Windows.

Enjoy

 

Cheers Goodbytes, I'll give that a try.

in the end i rebooted into my old 8.1 install, got everything updated and it's working fine though i'd still like a clean install.

It houldn't be an upgrade key though, it was bought retail with an ssd and i did a clean install just after 8.1 was released (it was cheap), so i'd have thought it would just be a normal key.

 

Greetings!

 

The most worrying thing about that is NetMarketShare calculate their numbers based on site visitors, so that's 16.94% of people who go online with an insecure OS.

 

Well can you blame XP for being insecure? Everybody keeps picking on it.

 

just coming back to this, can i do this with a clean install of 8.1, then activate with my 8 license, or do i need to do an install of 8, then activate, then upgrade? I'll put the 8.1 installed on a usb stick if it'll save me the time doing the upgrade.

 

For whatever reason, Microsoft in their wisdom made it impossible to install 8.1 fresh with an 8 key. You can use one of the generic install keys to get 8.1 done, then add your correct 8 key to activate. No need to fuss around with install 8, then go through the upgrade procedure.

 

If your product is for Windows 8.0, it will only work for 8.0.
Microsoft changed the keys with 8.1 (as they always do with new Windows with SP updates on them: example: Windows 7 SP1 disk)

 

You can install 8.1 and activate it with an 8 key, you may have to activate over the phone but it will activate...

You have to mess around with the ISO first though, as whilst it'll activate with the 8 key, it won't install. But there's way of getting it to install without asking for a key [it still asks, but after it's installed].


TL-DR : It's doable, because I've done it... but it's a bit of a pain...

 

ugh, so i went the 'proper' way, installed 8, activated, spent three hours coaxing it through 171 windows updates, then running the update to windows 8.1 screwed something up and it won't boot or repair. why it isn't more straight forward than this i have no clue.

 

Greetings!

download 8.1 with 8 key
https://www.google.pt/?gws_rd=ssl#q=download+8.1+with+8+key

 

wow, i didn't think to use google

a lot of those instructions say the same thing, and it's no longer true as the 8.1 downloader now asks you for a key while it used to be tricked by running the one for 8 first. i've tried it several times and can't get it to work and i can't find any alternative solutions.

edit: used an unofficially downloaded iso, installed, ran slmgr to input my key, activated online first time. whole thing end to end was less than half an hour, no thanks to MS. still have 91 windows updates to work though :/