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XP to WIN8 - What have I done? 1

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audiopro

audiopro

Programmer
Apr 1, 2004
3,165
GB
Just upgraded from XP to WIN8 and I am stunned.
I want to use my box as a computer not a glorified arcade game. What are the silly coloured buttons about? Who thought the 'Charms Bar' was a good idea and how am I supposed to verify my email address when I cannot receive POP emails. I can't go any further until I sort the email thing out and my ISP tells me that to set up IMAP email addresses, they expect me to pay them some extra sheckles for the privilege, that won't be happening I can assure you.

Am I to assume that smartphones and the like do not handle POP emails so we have had to fall in line with the Twittering technophobes who blight the world we live in. I am sure I will eventually get used to it but as I type this I can't even see the time on the task bar. This is NOT progress!

Keith
 
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Not sure what all the fuss is about.

Click on the Desktop Tile to go into the more normal looking windows interface rather than the Start Screen.

With that done, what mail client are you using for your email? The configuration of POP vs IMAP is a mail client issue not an Operating system problem.

I think you are confusing Windows 8's interface with it ability to do other things.

I've been using Widnows 8 for over a year now, and have no issues viewing my pop mail in one of the many email clients available.

Ohh, and my old Windows Phone could handle POP accounts just fine.



----------------------------------
Phil AKA Vacunita
----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

Web & Tech
 
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This is my standard guide to those new to Windows 8. Do with it whatever you wish.



Try using Windows 8 as near as possible to Windows 7 (or XP) by using the Desktop App and running it like Windows 7 Desktop minus the Start Menu and Button. You can even get third party programs that will make it look and feel like Windows 7 but I don't bother with, or recommend, such programs.



The easiest thing to do is to place commonly used programs shortcuts on the Desktop via creating Shortcuts to those programs.



You can practice with the Apps later as you gain confidence. Right-click on the App's Tile to see various options available beside running the App.




I use my Windows 8 the same way I used Windows 7 and other earlier operating systems, the Apps are something I play with when I'm bored. I install all my own programs that I want to run in Windows 8, things like Office, Win Zip, Games, and other common programs etc. and launch from shortcuts on the Desktop.




It will help you to see this .pdf document too.

Virtually Every Windows 8 Shortcut Available (well so far...).pdf




When in any App, the Windows Key + i will give you all the options available to the opened App. Close any App by dragging (the top of it) down to the bottom of the screen, or try Alt + F4.



Microsoft to reboot Windows 8 to address gripes
 
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Thanks for the info - I know I will have to get used to it because King Microsoft decrees it so.

Apps are something you do when you are bored - I am too busy to be bored.
Apps are fine for smart phone users on trains and in tunnels but I have not really got a use for them. One of the pre-loaded ones I noticed tells me the weather in Mumbai - what use is that?
The POP issue may well be a web client issue but when the operating system does not come with a client compatible with a popular method of working then it proves to me that the authors do not give a stuff about their desktop customers.
I realise that clicking on the desktop tile takes me to something resembling a useable desktop but why are the apps not behind the extra mouse click? When I say mouse, this system is clearly designed for touch screens rather than normal screens as all those actions of closing, moving screens and opening menus involves placing the mouse somewhere on the screen and waiting for magic things to appear, rather than just being able to drag items around.
I think I noticed the change more because up to now my XP system wasn't broken so didn't need fixing. Making the leap from XP to WIN8 has highlighted just how far away from a serious operating system this has become.
As for the fuss - if this line of development continues then it will be impossible to use it on a desktop machine anyway.
The only reason that MS can get away with this is their doesn't appear to be a viable alternative.

Keith
 
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The only reason that MS can get away with this is their doesn't appear to be a viable alternative...
Click to expand...
Linux?
MacOS
BSD?

Robert Wilensky:
We've all heard that a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters will eventually reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true.

 
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I am developing for mostly windows machines so I have to have a windows machine to test the software on. If I could convince my customers to move to Linux based systems, I would say adios to MS, in a heartbeat.

Keith
 
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I think you are being extremely critical of Windows 8. Going back to your email problem,. and Windows XP, you still needed a mail client to configure your Pop email in XP. What did you use Outlook Express? Outlook? Thunderbird? These are all things that are completely separate from the OS. Outlook Express came pre-installed in XP yes, but it wasn't part of the OS.

Did you ever move to Windows 7? Its very very robust, and Windows 8 takes most of the better parts of that, and makes them better. The Desktop in Windows 8 is essentially Windows 7 improved. Anything you could do in Xp you could do better and easier in Windows 7, and can do even better in Windows 8.

The only thing I see is you keep whining about the Metro screen and why things can be like an OS that came out over 10 years ago without even attempting to use the Desktop functionality. Which is meant for all these other tasks that don't involve Apps. And if Microsoft did not give a rats ass about their desktop customers they would not have bothered to include the Desktop Mode at all.

Also Linux (Ubuntu) evolution gave us the atrocity that is Unity Desktop. The immovable left bar, the glitchiness of of its hiding feature... its horrible, I'll take Windows 8 Desktop mode and the in my opinion quite superior Charm Bar to Unity any day. And I Like Linux, I work on it every day.

Oh and by the way, The Metro screen, not only contains the "colored" tiles, it also houses shortcuts for all of your other installed Applications there. Anything that requires launching in Desktop mode will do so. Anything that is a Metro App will launch there.

So if you decide to install anything at all that you used to have on your XP machine you'll see it also gets a tile there. And is quite usable in Desktop mode.

You haven't given a single credible reason why you dislike it so much other than saying its not what i'm used to and I don't understand it therefore I hate it.

If you can't keep an open mind and at least attempt to let us help you understand it, then there's no point in continuing this discussion.





----------------------------------
Phil AKA Vacunita
----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

Web & Tech
 
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There are alternatives to Windows 8. One is to freeze at Windows 7 until other opportunities mature further or your level of desperation increases.

Don't expect much from BSD except perhaps the Mac OS variant. Lots of application support, broad market share, and user acceptance.

Linux has been pretty hopeless on the desktop but some good things have happened with the Android variant, which is nearly ready for general use as a desktop OS now on x86/x64 systems without touchscreens. Lots of application support, broad market share, and user acceptance.

There is no need to kowtow to the people running Microsoft these days. Their agenda may not run parallel to your own needs, and at some point a divorce may be appropriate. It isn't a bad thing to leave a sinking ship before the deck is under water, just be sure you aren't stepping into the abyss.
 
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Sorry if I am being over critical of WIN8 but this is so frustrating, all I want is a machine which I can work with. I appreciate what you are saying about the whole interface and no doubt I will get used to it in time. I don't understand why the links to the apps could not just appear on the desktop as icons, pretty much like they used to. Yes an old idea from the Iron Age but a very efficient way of working.
Even on a touch screen the icons could be tapped.

I am sure that the whole package is far superior to XP but as for whining about the way things work, I cannot see that this new system works better than the old one it is just different, so what is the logic behind the change?

I really do need to get my email system working quickly. I used Outlook Express, as you correctly guessed, and realise it wasn't part of the operating system but was supplied with it as it is a very useful feature. All the websites for which I am responsible are set up for POP emails and there is no quick way to make these work with the machine I have just purchased.

If MS didn't bundle any mail client with the software, then everybody would be forced to track down a suitable package and pretty dammed quick. Why then is there not a provision for POP emails in the bundled packages then the customer would have a choice and be able get the box up and running with a minimum of fuss.

Keith
 
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The good news is, I have been able to set up all of my email addresses in Windows Live Mail. The instructions were of no use whatsoever, the help files just throw some crazy runtime error so I achieved the task by trial and error. Having some experience of setting emails up on other versions helps a lot, once you discover the menu activation gizzmo and select the accounts screen.

All is not completely well however as in their efforts to make the application mega gizzmotistic, all the emails do not end up in a single list, with the account information in a separate column as it is in an efficient office. Oh no, somebody has decided that instead of the aforementioned list to look through, I am going to be working much more efficiently with 39 separate inboxes. (That's how many accounts I need to monitor) It is as if they have decided to sort my emails for me rather than have me decide whether to archive each one to a folder or delete it.

The great news is that I can have the background colour set to any one of millions of colours. I suppose long winded working is a small price to pay for having so much choice.

Keith
 
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Like it or loathe it, I am stuck with it so I am trying my best to put on a brave face.

I eventually managed to get the WIN8('space invaders') machine to network with my wife's Vista box and one of my XP machines. The other XP machine will talk to everything apart from the Space Invaders. 20 years ago, networking was simple, not plug and play but anyone with a bit of intelligence could follow some simple instructions and all would soon be working. Nowadays, even the instructions don't work - what has the world become?

Before anyone accuses me of moaning or whining - please explain this little bit of confusion.

I am copying a directory of home movies from an XP machine to the Space Invaders machine. There are 30 movies, so I set it going and leave it to it as these things take time. Returning a few hours later, expecting the job to be done, I am met with this crazy error message.

Silly Error Message said:
You need permission to perform this action.
You require permission from the computer's administrator to make changes to this file.
Click to expand...

What change is it trying to make?

Keith
 
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Maybe one of your Movies has the "Deny" Permission set?

Are you copying "via Select All", or are you copying a whole Folder containing Movies? If the latter perhaps there are other files in the Folder such as Desktop.ini, or Indexes, that have Permission problems. Maybe there are some Hidden or System files involved?

It may be necessary to show Both Hidden and System Files in the Folder, and also to uncheck "Hide known file types" in Control Panel/ Folder Options/ View, to see all files you are copying or pasting.


Is any Security software prohibiting the transfer of files?

How to perform a clean boot to troubleshoot a problem in Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8


Disable UAC completely

Disabling User Account Control in Windows 8

Is disabling Vista's User Account Control wise?
 
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I am copying a group of files (.avi) from a single directory. Most of the files copied across no problem , it is just one file which refuses. Repeated attempts gives the same result. I will look into that deny thing but I have never encoumtered it before.

Networking machines together used to be so simple but for some reason WIN8 and XP just don't seem to get on.

Keith
 
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This networking is getting more and more confusing. It is now finding a computer on the network which is no longer connected (yes I have refreshed it). Now that is something that XP couldn't do.

I have looked into the installed apps a little more and most of them are simply links to commercial websites. The fact that they are launced from the Mickey Metro Screen disguises this fact as the menu is not visible (unless you choose to view via the desktop).
If I want to buy something, I am itelligent enough to find stuff via the search engines.

One more thing, - How do I delete the link to the STORE?
They do not allow it to be uninstalled, now that is naughty!

Keith
 
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I bought 2 WIN8 loaded boxes at the same time. I have been setting my daughter's box today and discovered that I have now got a virus - webcake - oh deep joy and plagues of fleas to the source!

The annoying thing is that the bundled McAffee warned me about it yet despite closing everything down straight away - I still got infected. Not a feather in the cap for McAffee and not a pleasant Windows 8 experience for us either.

Seeing as it is a new box, I will just start again but unlike back in the days when the computer shop gave you a disk and some manuals, I will have to go back to them for advice before I can do anything.



Keith
 
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This is only available for PRO versions as it uses Group Police to disable Windows Store.

How to Disable the Windows Store in Windows 8


Thjis article will show you how to do it for the other version of Windows 8 via the Registry.

How to disable the Windows Store in Windows 8




When surfing the Internet do so as a Standard user not as the Administrative user. This will cut down the risk of malware infection.



Most new machines come with a recovery partition allowing you to go back to the time of purchase, you will have to check your user guides (or the manufacturer's Web Site) for instructions. Choosing that path requires you to save all valuable data first.



These options are built-in to Windows 8 also.



How to restore, refresh, or reset your PC




How to create a custom refresh image in Windows 8


How to create a system image to refresh your Windows 8 PC
 
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Thanks for that.
I was running as a normal user when I got the malware.
How strange that if I run regedit, a prompt appears warning me that changes are about to be made to the registry but an out side .exe can bypass that safeguard.
I will have a look for a default setup - that would save me a lot of time and heartache.

Keith
 
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Something else not to like about it.
Turned my non malware infected machine on and it has decided to update itself. Didn't ask me if it was convenient, just went ahead and stopped me from using my machine for quite a time. What if I had turned my computer on to do something urgent, or do computers not get used for anything urgent these days?

Keith
 
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