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Win8 upgrade experience
I am just about finished updrading to Win8 on my machine. Yes updrading!
I started with a Win8 VUP version (don't ask me, it was a gift - thanks - you know who you are) :)
The plan was to create install media from the download, create a VHD and boot Win8 from there.
After creating burning the media to disc, I started the install. Hmmmm, not the "normal" setup I was used to, better cancel and check EightForums tutorial sections.
Aha! That's what I was expecting, but not seeing. Turns out that the Win8 VUP is an ESD-ISO and the tutorial explained the steps necessary - even better.... it explained how to merge 8.1 (I think).
I thought about following the instructions, but decided to backup my data, create a system image and just install Win8 - see what it does. Would it give me the chance to install on the VHD and dual boot?
Nope, it updraded Win7. I cleaned up the c:\ drive and optimized it (defrag), then I ran Windows Update until the offers were exhausted. Another round of optimizing and a few hours of playing with Win8.
I actually liked Win8 - go figure! There were so many discussions about the new GUI that made it sound terrible, I was curious. Turns out that all the hoopla about the start menu was overblown much the way news exaggerates a storm. "hurricane threatens thousands of people on isolated island" and when the storm passes without causality? "thousands of islanders narrowly escape disaster from killer hurricane"
Windows booted up to the Start menu (errrr start screen) and I could hit the Desktop icon or the WinKey to see the desktop. No big deal really. The tiles bugged me until I figured out hot to resize them and arrange them to my person preferences. Of course, when I was on the Desktop, my mouse kept going to the lower left hand corner out of habit. Learning the four corners in Win8 took a while - habits....
The thing I disliked most is Internet Explorer launched from the Start Screen / menu. The UI was designed for the tablet mindset, you have to use the < and > to switch "tabs". I personally don't like that user input method, it drives me nuts on the tablet I got back in Feb....
The thing I disliked second most are ribbons everywhere. I never liked them in apps until I learned how to use the Quick Access bar to hold the icons I used most. Still playing with a new system, I began personalizing my apps with Quick Access Bars. Then I decided to work on making the taskbar on the desktop another way to increase the ease of use during the transition.
At this point, Win8 is set up on my machine, Start has all the apps I regularly use nicely arranged, the ribbons have been minimized and "replaced" with Quick Access Bars, my taskbar on the Desktop is functional and still tidy. I've uninstalled the apps that I will probably never use (news and weather I get every morning, I don't know or care to discover what reading list might be...).
One thing really bugged me was using Disk Cleanup just before applying Win8.1 - the Windows Cleanup component seemed to hang, so I killed it after 2 hours of no progress bar movement. Restarting the machine went into Configuring Windows update - about another two hours and I forced it down. I started the machine back up and tried Disk Cleanup again - went to bed and it was done 8 hours later.
I suspect that .Net was causing Disk Cleanup to appear hung. That always takes a long time to configure under normal circumstances.
The disk is optimized, now it's time to get and apply 8.1. This took a while, more than I expected. Apparently Win8.1 is not really an update, but more of an upgrade to a new version. When all was said and done there were two folders on my c: drive (BT~1..... and windows.old) and Win8.1 was installed.
I logged in (oops signed in) and saw that there are definite improvements in the GUI. First, windows determined that my machine would benefit from the Desktop GUI. This made Win8.1 more it's predecessors (Desktop, click start - not Start click desktop). I pressed the Winkey and nothing happened (I really liked that feature too!). It seemed easier to find settings and there I discovered an option to use the WinKey to switch between Desktop and Start. Sheesh.... I thought I had this puppy all setup the way I wanted it. But..... Win8.1 did one other thing - all of my customizations were GONE!
Since I had to personalize the machine again (and learn the 8.1 way) I also cleaned up and optimized the system drive (poor thing never worked so hard in such a short time)
I missed not having games installed so I could take a break while the machine was doing something else. I decided to find out what the Windows Store had to offer - another disappointment for me. All I wanted were the cheap standard games - all I found were nice graphics versions. C'est la vie!
The thing that bugged me was that I had to give them some form of ID to get the games, either my MS account or my local login password. Really? I can't just download the free game? You know that my personal information is worth $900 don't you, so they're not really free games or apps are they. The way of the future I guess.
There were some frustrating times during the updrade and some disappointments in where things are headed with the Store model (not only MS, but MS and Google) and some outright anger about having to personalize my machine twice.
All in all, I think Win8 is gr8
The Desktop is familiar, the Start screen just needs to be accepted, and there are some nice new features. When I told my friend that I had taken the plunge, he came up with a good analogy.
Windows replaced Dos, but you could still access Dos.
Now the newer GUI replaced Windows, but Windows and Dos and still accessible from the Start Screen
I should have just followed the tutorial
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