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Win8 CP - Interesting findings

win8 windows 8 consumer preview

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#26 Tripredacus

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Posted 07 March 2012 - 03:44 PM

When using a two-monitor setup, you can now have a single wide wallpaper span across them.
Posted Image
More info here: http://windowsteambl...r-and-more.aspx


How is this new? I was doing this on Win Xp and Windows 7 already.

#27 ericgl

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Posted 07 March 2012 - 03:59 PM

How is this new? I was doing this on Win Xp and Windows 7 already.


There are 3rd party apps that can do that (UltraMon, for example). But now it's part of Windows, and that's new.

#28 MedEvil

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Posted 07 March 2012 - 04:45 PM

:confused1: I'm pretty sure that XP could, out of the box, extend the screen across two monitors.

:cheers:
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#29 paraglider

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Posted 08 March 2012 - 02:22 AM

Works fine for me. I have a mbr disk with 2 primary partitions and one extended. I use boot-us to switch between the 2 primary partitions - one has win7 x64 and the other has win 8 x64.

#30 0scar

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Posted 08 March 2012 - 02:51 PM

To replace the missing Show the Desktop create a shortcut with this:
C:Windowsexplorer.exe shell:::{3080F90D-D7AD-11D9-BD98-0000947B0257}
Change the icon if you want and pin to Task Bar.

Also, to boot into the desktop after Metro, paste the same shortcut in:
C:Users[user]AppDataRoamingMicrosoftWindowsStart MenuProgramsStartup

BTW, for Wmplayer still is taboo to support movies subtitles (srt, sub)
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#31 sbaeder

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Posted 08 March 2012 - 10:08 PM

3. Create a shortcut on the Desktop for ShutDown, and another one for Restart.

99% there...Just "Pin to START' (and to the task bar as well). You can even move it to the old start menu foders first if you want!

Scott

#32 ericgl

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Posted 09 March 2012 - 12:52 PM

Windows 8 CP - The complete list of keyboard shortcuts:
http://windowsteambl...00_5756566F.png

#33 steve6375

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Posted 09 March 2012 - 02:52 PM

How do I logoff in Win8?

#34 ericgl

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Posted 09 March 2012 - 03:56 PM

Click/Touch your name in the upper-right corner, and select Log-Off.

#35 steve6375

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Posted 09 March 2012 - 04:12 PM

Silly Me! I looked at the shutdown/sleep/restart menu!
BTW - Konboot does not work, the Win8 bootmgr detects that something is wrong and tries to 'repair' the OS. Even if you try to boot to Win7 it still tries to 'repair' itself.

#36 ericgl

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Posted 10 March 2012 - 05:58 AM

Konboot developers are probably working on a new version...

#37 misty

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Posted 10 March 2012 - 07:35 AM

I'm currently writing this on an android and haven't got access to my PC to test this, however right-clicking where the old start menu used to be displays a hidden menu. See here for more details - www.winsupersite.com/article/windows8/windows-8-tip-edit-power-user-tasks-menu-142525. The article mentions where the shortcuts displayed in this menu can be found. The author mentions not being able to add custom shortcuts - perhaps he's not tried hard enough! I plan to try adding shortcuts (possibly via pe, or maybe using accessgain) when I get home in a couple of days.

#38 TheHive

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Posted 10 March 2012 - 08:04 AM

I like this posters article. Comes from the site misty linked to.
Windows 8 Consumer Preview: Does This Even Make Sense?
http://www.winsupers...ew-sense-142496

#39 sambul61

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Posted 10 March 2012 - 03:54 PM

I like the article too. :) It kind of points to the fact that MS is aging, and there might be monetary and leadership benefits for certain employee groups in pursuing how next Win release will look and feel. But I can't agree with his statement: "for the vast majority of consumers... the tablet-based Metro UI will be the primary user experience and that it has the added benefit of the occasional desktop use." I don't know if this hybrid is going to survive - it wоn't change for sure - but he's missing the fact that web is so huge now only because millions amend its content daily, and all of them are also consumers in other aspects. Look also at Netbook trend - it reflects the need for a large consumer group - students - to create (not consume) own content daily. So, I donno how the world can be reliably divided on 2 user groups with distinctive habits. In fact, people he probably thinks of as typical consumers (say a middle age housewife) might not go for a Tablet to save cash (unless to buy it for younger kids), as a regular PC would still be "must have" item at home. :rolleyes:

#40 MedEvil

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Posted 10 March 2012 - 04:22 PM

Nope, don't agree with the guy.

The reason that Win95 and it's new desktop were such a huge hit, weren't that it was new. But that it was fater to use. Less clicks less mouse movement, all important information constantly in view.

Ever since that time, every GUI 'improvement' was just a marketing improvement, different for the sole purpose of being different, but never more efficient.

Just imagine you're putting a new radio in your car.
The first week you'll probably have to look down to operate it. After that, you can operate it blind.
Now imagine the buttons and knobs would constantly rearrange themselfs to become more useful. You would need to look down for the rest of your life, to operate the radio.

Want an even more improved radio? How about one, where you have to type in the name of the button or knob that you wan to use? Or one where you have to scroll though all available buttons, seeing them only through a 'keyhole'?

Do i want a better GUI? Sure, but one that's truly easier and faster to use, not just one with those stupid marketing improvements.

:cheers:

#41 sambul61

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Posted 10 March 2012 - 05:35 PM

Agree. This hybrid looks to me as MS attempt to accomplish a few overlapping goals:

- improve corporate resources efficiency by maintaining a single multipurpose OS
- tap into portable apps revenue via MS Apps Store with min investment
- tap into Tablet sales via making them daily user experience through Windows.

Won't be surprised to see MS Tablets coming soon in various incarnations - that would be another Win8 CP interesting finding. :)

#42 sbaeder

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Posted 10 March 2012 - 07:32 PM

Just imagine you're putting a new radio in your car.
The first week you'll probably have to look down to operate it. After that, you can operate it blind.
Now imagine the buttons and knobs would constantly rearrange themselfs to become more useful. You would need to look down for the rest of your life, to operate the radio.

While I agree with the statement, it doesn't really apply...

Want an even more improved radio? How about one, where you have to type in the name of the button or knob that you wan to use? Or one where you have to scroll though all available buttons, seeing them only through a 'keyhole'?

Even on a radio, you PROGRAM the station buttons so that they are where you want them! Same thing with the start screen (they don't move around on you) or the taskbar, where you can PIN all the things you want to use on a regular basis!...Just like the stations you listen to all the time!

Yes, the size of the button can get a bit larger if you have multiple windows of that application open, but unless you change the defaults, they pretty much stay in the order and place you put them in.

And for the CP, MS is giving tables to a lot of the press and others - for example, check out Tekzilla (the old ZDNetTV folks like Patrick Norton)...http://revision3.com...view#rev3Player shows them using it on a tablet, and in a later episode, they show more about this Samsung slate http://www.samsung.c.../XE700T1A-A03US NOT CHEAP!, but over time, that will also change as both Intel and AMD make x86 table hardware to compete with Arm.

Anyway, we surely live in "Interesting times"...

#43 Wonko the Sane

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Posted 10 March 2012 - 07:54 PM

Even on a radio, you PROGRAM the station buttons so that they are where you want them!

Or you use a simple rotating knob.
For NO apparent reason :w00t:
http://reboot.pro/9915/

Next thing will be Windows 8 Coffe Machine Edition, with two buttons (Sugar/No Sugar) and a popup slider (how much sugar IF Sugar was selected). :frusty:

:cheers:
Wonko

#44 ericgl

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Posted 10 March 2012 - 08:08 PM

Guys,
Please stay on topic. Post only things regarding Win8 CP that are new / different / interesting.

#45 MedEvil

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Posted 10 March 2012 - 08:22 PM

While I agree with the statement, it doesn't really apply...

Even on a radio, you PROGRAM the station buttons so that they are where you want them! Same thing with the start screen (they don't move around on you) or the taskbar, where you can PIN all the things you want to use on a regular basis!...Just like the stations you listen to all the time!

With the moving around, i was refering to the the personal menu option introduced in XP. Not the Quicklaunchbar.

Yes, the size of the button can get a bit larger if you have multiple windows of that application open, but unless you change the defaults, they pretty much stay in the order and place you put them in.

I don't know how others use their PC, but i run all my applications always in full screen and even though MDI interfaces have removed a lot of clutter from my Taskbar, there are still around 20 apps open at any time on average.

but over time, that will also change as both Intel and AMD make x86 table hardware to compete with Arm.

That will never happen. x86 processor couldn't even compete against Motorola processors. They don't stand the chance of a snowball in hell against ARM processors.

Still remeber the late 80ies, when the first computers with RISC CPU became available. The computing power on those things was so impressive, that everyone expected, that this was the end of CISC CPUs.
But then everyone and his dog jumped on the PC train and that was it, for RISC architecture.
Only with the rise of portable devices, the more powerful, yet less power hungry RISC CPUs made their comeback.

Hope they don't repeat that mistake and go this time with the better technology.

:cheers:

#46 MedEvil

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Posted 10 March 2012 - 08:28 PM

Next thing will be Windows 8 Coffe Machine Edition, with two buttons (Sugar/No Sugar) and a popup slider (how much sugar IF Sugar was selected). :frusty:

Don't forget, it will be a very sleek OS with just under 100GB of disk space required. ;)

:cheers:

#47 ericgl

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Posted 11 March 2012 - 12:06 AM

The Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) for Win8 replaces the Windows AIK for Win7.
The ADK can be installed on WinVista, Win7, Server 2008 or Win8 .
It requires .NET Framework 4 to be installed.

If you need it, get it from here: http://www.microsoft...ang=en&id=28997

#48 sambul61

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Posted 11 March 2012 - 01:50 AM

Hi ericgl,

I support your request to stay on topic. :) Keep in mind though, ADK is not a part of Win8 CP, already has a separate thread on this forum, and does not replace WAIK for Win7. In fact, WAIK 3.5 supporting Win8 replaces WAIK 3 applicable to Win7. The primary purpose of ADK is sending feedback telemetrics and testing a range of performance & deployment tools (which WAIK 3.5 components are part of at the moment) while working towards Win8 RTM.

Thanks for collection of interesting findings on Win8 CP. :thumbsup:

#49 ericgl

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Posted 11 March 2012 - 09:55 AM

Interesting and exhaustive article on Win8 CP has been posted by the AnandTech team.

They mention the command-line utility RECIMG.exe, which helps users create their own Refresh image.
I've just tested it, and it works great. I have customized my Win8 CP, installed drivers and apps, created shortcuts - and they are all inside the new image.
So if I ever need to Refresh my installation, all my customizations will already be there, and I won't have to do everything from scratch.

P.S. - creating the new Refresh image (INSTALL.WIM) took about 30min on my 2.5" HDD. The file weighs about 5.68GB.

#50 sambul61

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Posted 11 March 2012 - 05:30 PM

Would be nice to figure out here, what the Refresh Image can be used for. :dubbio:

What I wonder from that article about:

"Where things start to fall apart is in Metro apps—basic ones like Mail and Photos work fine, but things that are even modestly graphically demanding are going to choke on these old DirectX 9-class graphics chips. Even plain old Solitaire suffered from input lag and poor performance on these GPUs."

Hope someone will share analytics why Metro Apps require at the moment more powerful GPUs - it should be the other way around based on a Tablet concept.

Comments to that article show no understanding that lack of selection btw Desktop and Metro is caused by tight MS timeline for RTM and need for telemetrics and feedback, as Metro apps and GUI need a lot more dev work. This choice will certainly be in RTM, at least for Pro and Enterprise versions. :)





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