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Neutronbeam
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Download Windows 8 Release Preview HERE

Thu May 31, 2012 2:31 pm

"the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die." -- Senator Ted Kennedy, 1980 Democratic National Convention speech
 
maxxcool
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Re: Download Windows 8 Release Preview HERE

Thu May 31, 2012 2:40 pm

How does this differ form the preview from early this year ?
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Steel
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Re: Download Windows 8 Release Preview HERE

Thu May 31, 2012 2:45 pm

maxxcool wrote:
How does this differ form the preview from early this year ?


This is probably the biggest change.
 
drfish
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Re: Download Windows 8 Release Preview HERE

Thu May 31, 2012 2:50 pm

Looking forward to installing it on the Iconia Tab W500 we have at work... 2.2GB to go...
 
Omniman
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Re: Download Windows 8 Release Preview HERE

Thu May 31, 2012 3:03 pm

I'm willing to give it a try again now that my test laptop's display is fixed.
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UberGerbil
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Re: Download Windows 8 Release Preview HERE

Thu May 31, 2012 3:09 pm

ISO images are here (demand appears to be high ATM, as download speeds are as bad as I've ever seen from MS)
 
geekl33tgamer
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Re: Download Windows 8 Release Preview HERE

Thu May 31, 2012 3:24 pm

Works very well.

Refused a native install onto my spare HDD (Said my CPU is not X64 compliant). Special.

Refused to install into VirtualBox. Crashes every time at "Getting files ready for installation: (4%)" section. Also special.

Moving on... :x
(Someone let us know what it's like)
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UberGerbil
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Re: Download Windows 8 Release Preview HERE

Thu May 31, 2012 3:29 pm

Were you using the ISO to install into Virtualbox?
 
geekl33tgamer
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Re: Download Windows 8 Release Preview HERE

Thu May 31, 2012 3:31 pm

Yeah, it doesn't seem to be playing nicely. :-(

Edit: VirtualBox Version - 4.1.16 R78094
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Madman
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Re: Download Windows 8 Release Preview HERE

Thu May 31, 2012 3:42 pm

Ok, since I have to erase the stupid 12.04 with Unity in favor of Mint, I might as well try to install W8 as the 3rd OS.

Moreover, with all the stuff I have seen so far, I doubt W8 can surprise me in a more negative way than it has done already.
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Steel
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Re: Download Windows 8 Release Preview HERE

Thu May 31, 2012 4:14 pm

For the server folks, the Windows Server 2012 release candidate is out too.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-US/eval ... 70538.aspx
 
Omniman
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Re: Download Windows 8 Release Preview HERE

Thu May 31, 2012 4:18 pm

7 Hours left on the download :(
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Madman
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Re: Download Windows 8 Release Preview HERE

Thu May 31, 2012 4:29 pm

Omniman wrote:
7 Hours left on the download :(

Downloading at 300KB/sec-1.6MB/sec, download stopped for a minute, but pause/unpause in FF fixed that.
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Omniman
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Re: Download Windows 8 Release Preview HERE

Thu May 31, 2012 4:34 pm

Madman wrote:
Omniman wrote:
7 Hours left on the download :(

Downloading at 300KB/sec-1.6MB/sec, download stopped for a minute, but pause/unpause in FF fixed that.


I paused it and unpaused it. Then I just figured I would try and download it in IE instead of Chrome. 20 minute download now :D
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Madman
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Re: Download Windows 8 Release Preview HERE

Thu May 31, 2012 6:00 pm

Burning the DVD, backing up data...
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Re: Download Windows 8 Release Preview HERE

Thu May 31, 2012 9:10 pm

Put a perfectly working spare empty HDD in my primary PC, booted from the burned x64 image, tried to start installation - the installation on that spare empty HDD refused to start, no matter what I've tried, with some generic BS message about Win8 unable to start installation on that particular HDD with some (absolutely useless) error code. Just out of curiosity I put a Win7 disk and tried the fresh install on the same drive - everything went perfectly. So much for yet another stream of empty promises from MS about "Our focus is on continuing to maintain a quality level higher than Windows 7 in all the measures we focus on" :roll:

Edit: just found a lot of other people are having installation issues with this release, especially related to Win8 detecting some CPUs (even the most recent ones) as "incompatible"...
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danny e.
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Re: Download Windows 8 Release Preview HERE

Thu May 31, 2012 10:25 pm

Steel wrote:
For the server folks, the Windows Server 2012 release candidate is out too.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-US/eval ... 70538.aspx

wow. metro on windows server. wow.
unless they clean up how metro works that's a tough sell.

I just don't get it. I'm convinced that the fact that all these decisions were made by people in love with apple proves that it's a conspiracy to sink Microsoft.
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Madman
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Re: Download Windows 8 Release Preview HERE

Thu May 31, 2012 11:58 pm

Ok, I did the install...

The desktop is still there, with all the Windows 7 like interfaces, control panels, settings, appearances, etc. The default flattish theme is actually pretty nice for the eyes as well. Although the frames are a bit too thick for my liking.

The installation also found all hardware, no drivers were necessary, and the system is snappy.

I installed W8 alongside W7, the installation went smooth, and I like the stylized OS selection menu. Gray themes are also non-intrusive and easy on eyes.

The setup is the first one that's done right (ok, VLC was first). Setup asks if you want to allow to connect/download/update/share/etc./etc. and you can turn everything to off, which installs clean and safe system. No more hunting through 100 menus. A definite bonus after "share everything by default" mentality in nowadays software.

You can also skip entering the email address, and therefore opt out of the "cloud" crap. Very nice!

The only downside is the homegroup, this is the only thing that's on by default, as it was in Win7.

And IE10 is again integrated pretty deep into the system. I had no problems using it do what it was always meant to do, that is, to open IE to download Firefox.

The main task IE had to do worked smoothly. And after going to control panel, default programs, I managed to set VLC and FF as default programs for everything. I also found "uninstall IE10" under Windows components in control panel, which, after BIG warning, removed the offender from menus.

Now file explorer. The interface is neat, because there is no interface. Ok, there is the ribbon, but it is actually a piece of bloat that could have been removed. But it's hidden by default! I really don't see why I would EVER want to open it. The interface is very compact with ribbon minimized, and all options are available through context menu. And ribbon, when opened, is a huge cludge of garbage, if it had uninstall option, that would be the first thing I would do.

I opened the ribbon, and found that you can select "show hidden file"/"show extensions" there, but the old settings dialog is still available, which is nice. Those stupid icons in corners are also bad. They show rare options which are easier to access through context menus, and those icons explain nothing. It's not a friggin tablet, we have the right mouse button 8)

Task manager, once switched to advanced mode, is awesome.

Now the not so cool parts.

I hate Metro start menu, and the "smart bars" that float up. They float up hell knows when and why, very counter intuitive, and are HUGE even on the smallish laptop screen, and are nightmare to use compared to control panel, or desktop alternatives. I hate to think how this looks on larger screens. Reminds me of HUGE FRIGGIN IPHONE, a device which was always lacking control and features compared to full blown desktop OS. I don't see myself EVER touching the metro features while doing productivity work, or for whatever else.

Also, ELEPHANT size icons are impossible to view. They are too huge, cover too much space, and look very similar, they just don't work on screen larger than 3", period.

The metro apps are also bad. They are huge, with ELEPHANT size everything, and don't have the close button. Also right/left clicking does hell knows what. Luckily Alt+F4 kills them right and propper. Other options seem to throw them in the background or something. Hopefully it will be easy to uninstall them once and for all, and desktop alternatives will be kept in the OS. Metro - pretty showcase in conferences on 18 feet screens, unusable nightmare in the day to day work.

The good news is that "Start key"->start typing works for pretty much everything. Type "con..." and control panel is there.

The start menu entries that are automatically upconverted to Metro also look bad.

Scrolling in Metro screen stinks, my suspicions were right, desktop PC is a **** tablet. It's too good for such tasks.

So, Win8 desktop is actually Win7 on steroids, which I very much like. But the Metro is really bad, luckily it's bearable once you switch to regular desktop, and it seems you can live leaving Metro in a sandbox you only touch with a 5 feet pole when absolutely pressed.

What I need for usable system, is to pin all programs I use to taskbar, and add a launcher that calls "shutdown -s"/"shutdown -r" to desktop somewhere.
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codedivine
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Re: Download Windows 8 Release Preview HERE

Fri Jun 01, 2012 12:48 am

drfish wrote:
Looking forward to installing it on the Iconia Tab W500 we have at work... 2.2GB to go...


Thats interesting. Let us know how that goes.
 
Madman
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Re: Download Windows 8 Release Preview HERE

Fri Jun 01, 2012 6:47 pm

First smiley BSOD today. No info during BSOD aside from the cause string. After reboot question to send report came up with details that displayed where DMP files are and other stuff. Overall it was clean.

Couldn't install Adobe Flash, problem with ActiveX, so FireFox is flashless.

Tried more of the Metro stuff. Overall there is nothing revolutionary that is not available through browser + F10. The downside is that Metro is very much horizontal, and horizontal scroll-bars suck beyond imagination. It's a constant feeling that you're fighting the system, I don't like that. But the way news are presented is interesting and quite OK. Then again, don't be fooled, it's a web page inside full screen browser window, nothing revolutionary, just a new web design.

Someone mentioned that Metro does what it's requested. Well, yes, it does, but the constant flashing is very annoying, IMHO. You can press start, type first letters and enter, but it's constantly flickering over the whole screen. I really don't like that. Fast Win+R fights the problem for things like notepad, cmd, regedit, gpedit.msc, services.msc and so on. Doesn't work for applications, but then again, they can be pinned to task bar.

I wish there was a way to boot straight to desktop with launching your default apps automatically. Because right now Window boots to Metro, and I have to click something.

I can click on Firefox, which switches to desktop, then starts the application, then press start, type IDE, enter, Metro switches to desktop, starts launching, press start, Thund, enter, Metro switches to desktop, and so on for 3 more apps.

Or I can click to switch to desktop and then launch pinned applications one by one, which avoids nightmarish Metro flashing.

Both workflows are weird, first because it's bass ackwards, the second because I don't need Metro at all, I could as well boot straight to desktop.

Found a way to shut down without going all the length through Metro. Alt+tab to desktop, Alt+F4. All other options are time consuming.

Overall, I still think that touch and mouse don't mix, at all. But there are places where Windows 8 seems a lot more polished than Windows 7. Not the Metro scenarios.
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Omniman
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Re: Download Windows 8 Release Preview HERE

Mon Jun 04, 2012 9:09 am

I finally managed to get it installed on my testing laptop an old Lenovo 3000 N100. I ran into one issue with a 100GB HD that after the x32 install it booted up and got snagged at the "Windows is checking and repairing your hard drive". It was stuck at 0% for about an hour. I powered it off and tossed in a spare 750GB drive. Installed much faster and no issues at all. It's quite peppy on the old machine with 2GB of ram. However, I was surprised that windows didn't have a generic sound driver for it. When I did a 7 installed a few months back it had the generic sound and worked. Not really a big issue because I knew it just needed a Soundmax driver. Also, having a screen resolution under 1366x768 makes it so I have to scroll to navigate metro.

As far as the OS goes I don't know what it is but I'm enjoying it better then the last preview release. I'm still getting used to IE10 when launched on the metro screen. When you search for something in the URL field and the page loads the URL field below completely disappears. Does anyone know how you get it back to navigate to another page?

I really like the new "heat map" task manager where it highlights with coloration the heavily taxing programs. All in all I think I will purchase it to continue to learn off of it for my job. I'm sure I will have someone who bought a Windows 8 machine come up to me completely confused on how it works. I don't want to embarrass myself by not being able to show them.
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monts
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Re: Download Windows 8 Release Preview HERE

Mon Jun 04, 2012 11:53 pm

Got a old machine lying around so i've decided to chuck win8 on it to have a look. currently downloading the iso as i type. will be interested in how it goes and looks.
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Madman
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Re: Download Windows 8 Release Preview HERE

Mon Jun 11, 2012 11:38 am

So what do you people think about the new OS?

I really tried to give Win 8 a shot, and I'm still torn. A lot of good with a lot of fugly... Right now I'm back to Windows 7 & Mint. But When I'm in Win7, I do notice some things I like abut Win8.

The desktop interface in Win8 seems a lot cleaner.
The wait screen looks real classy
Boot times/resume from sleep/hybrid sleep times are amazing, with a caveat...
Slim explorer interface if ribbon is minimized
Seems that the performance is improved
Out of the box drivers
Very good control over privacy settings if you want to opt out of all the cloud crapware
If you only want top open FF, then pressing the big square icon on metro screen is ok, but ONLY if one app is all you need

The bad
Desktop is ruined and Metro is for teens, not for someone who earns money by doing productivity work
Boot times are taking a nosedive as soon as you boot to different OSes, OS menu IS Win8, another selection is full reboot, and next Win8 boot gets a LOT longer
Metro apps are super bad on anything bigger than 7" screen
Multitasking in Metro is absent
Charms are a huge annoyance
Shutdown is PITA unless you remember Alt+F4 on desktop brings up Win2000 menu
Ribbon interface. Makes you wanna puke if you accidentally open it
Pressing Start key is a constant flashing, so this is now a "don't press" button for me, luckily you can still pin apps

The snappiness and new look really makes me feel that it's a polished product, but Metro and missing start menu breaks a deal for me it seems...
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Chrispy_
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Re: Download Windows 8 Release Preview HERE

Mon Jun 11, 2012 1:36 pm

I had to give windows 8 a critical eye since I'm currently running a Win7 environment with blackberry/iphone/android hooked up for email and Android/iPads floating around as email/presentation tools.

As always some things are good:

  • Task Manager
  • Low hardware requirements
  • Slick, minimalist transition screens
  • ISO support
  • Revamped Windows Update
  • File-copy progress
  • Explorer 'up' button at last
But the bad things are irritating beyond rational reason. My complaints range from the trivial to the show-stoppers:

  • You don't close Metro Apps, you just suspend them, so that ALT+TAB becomes a chaotic mess.
  • You can pan with the screen edges in the metro menu, but not in any of the apps
  • Tiles for Microsoft applications like Weather and Internet explorer don't show anything (they're just big dumb icons, without jump lists or previews
  • Everything non-metro is lumped under "desktop" with winkey+tab. For now, that hurts multitasking something chronic.
  • Winkey+tab is essential since ALT+TAB is ruined by programs you can't close. (Alt+F4 works, as does killing the process but it's hardly encouraged by Microsoft since they removed the 'close' button)
  • Metro feels 100% like an advertising service. The Pictures/Video stores focus on ads for stuff you can buy, not stuff you have already bought
  • Counter-intuitive Charms search functions for things like the Store and Music - they don't search all content like W7 used to, they're the bastardised app(lication)-specific menu bars that were much better when tailored to each app(lication).
  • Are there really only 100 Metro apps in each category? Where is page 2, why can't I browse - or is searching MANDATORY now?
  • No start button with an "all programs" list. If it's not a Metro app, and it didn't create a desktop shortcut, you HAVE to search for it. There's no list of installed programs outside of the control panel
  • Still no .mkv support. HOW HARD CAN IT BE?
  • Where are my virtual desktops? Android and IOS have had these since forever, and they'd work really well on the desktop (as they do on Linux)
  • Shutdown/Restart - So well hidden. Why?
  • Explorer Ribbon, the very definition of needless feature-creep. At least give us the option to customise the interface so we can disable all the crappy features we don't ever want to see again.
  • Charms. Only working correctly for Microsoft applications, therefore useless for everything else and yet mandatory for Microsoft stuff. DO NOT WANT.
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Captain Ned
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Re: Download Windows 8 Release Preview HERE

Mon Jun 11, 2012 1:48 pm

Chrispy_ wrote:
[*]Still no .mkv support. HOW HARD CAN IT BE?

Since it falls under the LGPL license, don't ever expect Microsoft to implement it.
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drfish
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Re: Download Windows 8 Release Preview HERE

Mon Jun 18, 2012 1:52 pm

I don't have a big list like some of you are posting but I have been using it on the Iconia Tab W500 I mentioned above and I have to say it is growing on me. :)

I'm still not sure about its use on the desktop but I can say I'm "ready" for it to be my tablet OS of choice.

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