Windows Windows 7 or Windows 8 - New Build

I may have to reinstall onto my Asus U31JG notebook again.

The trouble I found before was that the laptop has the Asus Super Hybrid Engine which doesn't seem to work on W8 - that means that the GT415M GPU is always active which reduces battery life

 

Where you able to run the setup of the drivers? I mean is that your problem? Or the drivers doesn't work at all? You probably have to wait for Windows 8 official release for ASUS to release their Windows 8 drivers.

If that doesn't work, then perhaps my own software can help in real world battery life:
http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=238513
It sure helps on my laptop.

 

it all seems to install (from memory as it was a few weeks ago I installed) - but the button on the laptop to switch mode doesn't seem to work.

In fact - sod it - I am gonna do a reinstall now!

 

I agree. A virtual environment is a poor way to test an OS. You don't see how performed the OS is, the experience isn't the best, and you can't sit down and actually USE the OS for your daily task to really juge. If I recall correctly, people putting Win7 on their virtual environment didn't really enjoy this OS... the only reason why got Windows 7, is because XP didn't work well on their new system. Once they installed and used Windows 7, this is when they were impressed.

To me using an OS in a virtual environment, to "check it out", is just tyhe same as looking at screen shots. You don't have a real feel for it. You need to install your programs, and use it daily for AT LEAST a month or two, before judging. Windows 8 has a much bigger learning curve compared to previous versions of Windows. It's like jumping from Windows 3.1 to 95. And if I recall correctly, people were not a fan of Windows 95 either because it was so different (more so, than the usually set of software bugs and the high hardware power requirements).

 

Well to give you an idea of installation speed - since my last post exactly an hour ago - I have backed my 128GB SSD up using Acronis, run SecureErase using PartedMagic, and run the Windows 8 install.

Not bad!

Now to see what the issue with the Super Hybrid Engine was...

 

Actually when I ran it through vmware one of the first things I noticed was how snappy it was. It was quite suprising. I have to assume that when its run directly on metal it will be the same or faster.

 

Been playing around with w8 again on my notebook - the issue of the Super Hybrid Engine doesn't seem so bad, although I can constantly hear the fan, when with 7 the laptop is mostly silent - not a deal breaker.

I have installed my usual apps:
Chrome
Office - I went for 2013 Preview
Kindle
Zinio - magazine reader

I dunno though - I still can't "get" it. It definitely looks like a good tablet OS, and I think that is my issue with it. The Metro apps - like Wikipedia, News, Sports etc - have the feel like you want to swipe across using your hand, but you have to click and drag or use the arrow keys. They do look nice though in full screen view etc - a bit like Google Currents on my Android devices.

I wonder if trackpad drivers will allow you to use gestures to swipe (it might already be available).

Other than that, I can't find anything that I like over Windows 7. Startup / shutdown speeds may be faster - I can't say, but with an SSD they are fast enough.

I think I will restore my Windows 7 backup for the time being. I will backup this install before doing so, just in case someone persuades me later to use 8...

 

I suppose this is where Microsoft's new mice will come in, as I suppose they will support those gestures out of the box.

 

Sounds like your GPU is going at full performance, consuming more battery. My software, if you have a look, allows you to force the GPU at minimum speed, and when game, have it clocked at normal default (or OC on all or select (as you wish) games). In the case of my laptop (Dell Latitude E6400), I gain 1 hour of battery life (it does have fancy GPU switch system like yours)

You can side scroll or scroll vertically to move left and right if you have a mouse. For your trackpad, you can use it's scrolling features. Obviously you need to install your trackpad drivers, if uou haven't already to make that feature, among others, work.

If your trackpad initially support it, then yes.

-> File History
-> Lighter and more responsive (consumes less power)
-> slight increase in gaming performance (difficult to say.. drivers area bit too early)
-> live notification of apps without running them (news, e-mail, facebook, etc.. and anything any developer wants to show)
-> XBox Music (unlimited music download and streaming) 10$/month (or 99$ per year).. that's the price in Canada.. I don't know where you live
-> Auto-switch between wireless and wired Ethernet
-> Auto-switch between paying wireless connect (if you have it) to wireless or wired as you plug or get to a supported location (ie: get to a coffee shop, which will switch your.. let's say 3G or 4G wireless internet to the coffee shop wireless)
-> Account settings synced between computers
-> Windows to Go
-> Hyper-V
-> Faster boot time
-> Full UEFI support, meaning even faster boots than above.
-> Storage Space for easy RAID setup
-> Fewer restart on updates
-> New Task Manager
-> Reset Windows installation
-> Unified and improved sensor support (ambient light sensor is what is most seen in laptops)
-> PowerShell 3.0
-> Much improved Windows Upgrade system
-> Improved BSOD's
-> Multi-language support
-> Much improve multi-monitor support
-> Native USB 3.0 support
-> Can load ISO's file.
and a few more things that will most likely not interest you (eg Family security, etc..)

 

I agree they are all new features - although a lot of those are no benefit to me personally:

-> File History - Do you mean for file restore?

-> Lighter and more responsive (consumes less power) - I get about 5 hours on my laptop as it is - and then I plug it in when using it at home

-> live notification of apps without running them (news, e-mail, facebook, etc.. and anything any developer wants to show) - this is nice - but only when viewing the home screen. My main PC has a 27" screen - so I can have several windows open with different info in each window - so kinda similar - kinda

-> XBox Music (unlimited music download and streaming) 10$/month (or 99$ per year).. that's the price in Canada.. I don't know where you live - I use Deezer Premium as part of my Orange mobile contract, it costs me an extra £5 over my contract

-> Auto-switch between wireless and wired Ethernet - doesn't 7 do this?

-> Auto-switch between paying wireless connect (if you have it) to wireless or wired as you plug or get to a supported location (ie: get to a coffee shop, which will switch your.. let's say 3G or 4G wireless internet to the coffee shop wireless) - more of a tablet benefit?

-> Account settings synced between computers - this I like

-> New Task Manager - this I like, along with the new file copying details section

-> Reset Windows installation - Are you able to use this like the old XP SteadyState? I used that for a training centre, so that when someone finished on the PC, it automatically reset it back to the configuration we had specified - however this was dropped in Win 7.

-> Can load ISO's file. - a nice benefit, but I use Slysoft's Virtual Clone Drive
and a few more things that will most likely not interest you (eg Family security, etc..)

It definitely has some benefits - and I might just try checking for newer trackpad drivers for the swiping - but it's not enough to sway me from Windows 7. If the speed increases were much better (and they are currently noticeable, although a fresh install of 7 may seem quicker too) they aren't drastically.

Don't get me wrong, I am not dead against it like a lot of people who just slate it straight away.

It's just not enough - yet - to sway me away from Windows 7. I would like to try out a Windows 8 tablet when I can, or a Windows 8 phone.

 

Synaptics info for Windows 8: http://www.synaptics.com/solutions/technology/windows8

 

That's because your cellphone network provider have competition. Here in Canada, the CRTC (regulator of all communication) sees competition as a very bad thing. Right now, XBox Music (aka: Zune Pas) is the only music streaming service available, that has a more than a handful of albums.

Nope. If you are on wireless, and plug an Ethernet cable.. you will still be on wireless until you manually disconnect.

Oh another new feature is the new file collision system, which is much less annoying than on Windows 7, and actually helpful if it can. (override a picture, for example, will show you the picture, highlight in bold what's different in the file information (date, size, etc).
Also, file transfers can be paused/resumed, and all file transfer windows are merged, to avoid hunting down a specific one.

Laptops have this. Mostly business class laptop, has a slot for an SIM card. All you need is to have had to customize the laptop at order to have the internal cellphone card in (usually 100$ Canadian in the case of Dell).

Hmm not really. It's more "My Windows screwed up, I don't want to fetch the disk because I don't have it, or is slow, and I don't want to prepare a USB drive for it... A click of a button in Windows, will format and re-install Windows inside." OEMs can include their drivers (and sadly their bloatware), but it will make fixing computer that require a Windows re-install, much easier. Go to the Control Panel, click on the option at the appropriate location, and voila.. Windows is re-installing. No disk to ask, No disk to fetch, No activation needed, No "I can't find the product key, or the sticker of the product key of Windows came off". So basically, Windows has an image of itself, which it can restore without the need of disks. I don't know, yet, how to make our own.


Windows 8 PRO upgrade will be 40$ U.S/Canadian. So it's real cheap. I see your view. and I agree with you... it's not that much of an upgrade. I was just underlining the new features. For me, I have Windows 8 for free from school, so I don't care. Else I might be like you right now. Maybe get the 40$ upgrade for my laptop.. as my laptop seam to gain a lot from Windows 8 over Win7.

 

Goodbytes, is your windows 8 off msdn? Is that the full version and not the evaluation version?

 

The 90 day evaluation version is exactly the same as the MSDN full version.

 

My license is from MSDNAA. It's Windows 8 Pro 64-bit - final release (RTM).
It is the full version, NOT an evaluation.

 

Apart from its the enterprise version, rather than the pro. Also, Id rather not have the trial on

 

mine is also the windows 8 pro 64-bit RTM but from partner website

 

Its downloading now, might get an ssd for a fresh install

 

The version I trialled was also from TechNet - so was the RTM version.

 

it loads quite quickly on hdd, would love to see how quick it is on ssd