Topic: Windows 8 Pre-Beta ready for download

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Time to undust the testing machines again:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/br229516

[RossRoy]

I installed it the other day .. I'm too sure about it. Much too "touch" oriented. The Metro UI is not exactly intuitive to use with a mouse .. and I couldn't find an easy way to turn it off and make the usual desktop the default (I didn't look too hard to be honest) ..

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

The Metro UI is not exactly intuitive to use with a mouse

Enable "Mouse Gestures", it helps, but I need to get used to it a bit more.
It works extremely well on a "TouchPad".

.. and I couldn't find an easy way to turn it off and make the usual desktop the default (I didn't look too hard to be honest) ..

I know it's in there somewhere. I'll let you know when I find it.

[Halo2]

I installed it the other day .. I'm too sure about it. Much too "touch" oriented. The Metro UI is not exactly intuitive to use with a mouse .. and I couldn't find an easy way to turn it off and make the usual desktop the default (I didn't look too hard to be honest) ..

Try this:

To get back the old start menu, open regedit, goto

HKEYCURRENTUSER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer

change value of RPEnabled from "1" to "0"

close regedit, you get your old start menu......the catch is, no more metro UI because you just disabled it. To get back the Metro UI, change the value back to "1"

[Blair]

I installed it the other day .. I'm too sure about it.

That's what I've said about Vista and Win7 as well. Even with big changes I transitioned from every OS to the next with few frustrations (and I began with the earliest home-based PC systems that were command-line based rather than GUI.) But then Win7 came out and removed the standard-style for the file tree system that had been around for two decades and everything changed for me. There are things with XP that used to take me 2 clicks that now with Win7 take 4 or others that took 3 clicks that now take 5 along with menus and options that are difficult to tweak out unlike the simplicity of doing so in XP. The only thing that saves me are a few program mods that aren't all that effective in the long run either.

If Microsoft wasn't so powerful due to so many that depend on them for their reputation and market share, there are some significant changes that they would have allowed to at least remain optional for a lot longer. I personally think Win8 is a step (more like a speed walk) in the wrong direction, but eventually it will take over.