Windows 8: An even-numbered version [modnote: read the OP or get banned]

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The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Serious Hardware / Software Crap > Windows 8: An even-numbered version [modnote: read the OP or get banned]

Factor Mystic: Mar 19, 2006; Baby's First Post-Apocalyptic Fiction

Modnote: This thread is for good, useful posts about Windows 8. Do not post your impressions or trip reports unless they add value (such as how you worked around an issue others will likely encounter). Complaining about Windows 8 or Microsoft should go in YOSPOS, if you MUST (you will be made fun of mercilessly). Anything related to Windows RT or Windows Phone 8 goes in the Inspect Your Gadgets forum. If you make a useless post in this thread bad things will happen to your forums account.

Windows 8 is the latest version of the Windows operating system. It reached General Availability (GA) on October 26, 2012 and is now available for installation.

General info & product editions - this post
Pricing & upgrading - second post
Getting around Windows 8 - third post
Windows RT, Microsoft Surface, and Windows tablets thread in IYG
Windows 8 Apps thread in IYG

The Windows 8 Start screen

Windows 8 Editions - See below for more on pricing & upgrading
Windows 8 is available for consumers in two editions:

Windows 8 - the standard edition (roughly corresponds with Windows 7 Home Premium)
Windows 8 Pro - the professional edition (roughly corresponds with Windows 7 Professional)

There is also Windows 8 Enterprise available for volume licensing, and through MSDN and Technet. It is similar to Windows 8 Pro but following the enterprise upgrade track from previous versions. The Windows Media Center add-on is not available for this edition.

Comparison Chart of Windows 8 edition features on Wikipedia

Notable edition-locked features

Regular desktop & Windows 7 desktop applications - All (Limited on Windows RT -- see below)
Remote desktop client - All editions
Remote desktop host - Pro, Enterprise
Storage spaces - All (except Windows RT)
Domain join - Pro, Enterprise
Group policy - Pro, Enterprise
Windows Media Center - Pro only, via extra add-in (see below)
Hyper-V - Pro, Enterprise (64-bit versions only with SLAT capable CPU)

More info:
Windows 8 edition comparison
Windows 8 editions on Wikipedia

Windows 8 upgradability from Windows 7 - See below for more on upgrading

What about Windows RT?
Windows RT is a separate, reduced edition of Windows that is only available pre-installed on ARM tablets or convertibles, such as the Microsoft Surface. It is not available separately and does not have the capability to run regular desktop applications from Windows 7 or prior, with select pre-installed exceptions (namely, Microsoft Office). There is a separate thread in Inspect Your Gadgets for Windows RT & tablets.

What about WinRT?
WinRT (Windows Runtime) is a new application platform for windows, which powers the start screen environment and a new set of full screen, touch-oriented apps. WinRT-based apps run on both Windows RT devices such as Microsoft Surface, as well as normal editions of Windows 8 on laptops and desktops. Apps based on the WinRT platform are officially called "Windows Store apps" but are also referred to as "Metro apps", which was the name for the new start screen environment during Windows 8's development.

Windows Store
The Windows Store is a new digital distribution platform built in to Windows 8 and is the only way to install Windows Store ("Metro") apps. It is available via the start screen from the Store icon. The store is tied to your Microsoft Account, which you will need to sign in to in order to download & install apps. Installed apps show up on the start screen

Microsoft Account
In addition to a regular local user account, Windows 8 makes it possible to sign in with a Microsoft account. This is the same account as Xbox Live, Windows Live ID, Windows Phone account, Hotmail, and Outlook.com email (it's had many names in the past). If you don't have one, or you don't want to reuse xxMyFirstEmail99xx@hotmail.com for your Windows identity, the installation process will prompt you to create a new account. By signing in to Windows 8 with a Microsoft account, PC settings and Windows Store apps can sync between devices. Many Windows Store apps, especially the first-party ones like Mail, Calendar, Skydrive, and Xbox Music take advantage of this account to automatically sign you in.

If you want to keep your same Xbox Live account but not use the crappy Hotmail account you registered it with, you can rename your Hotmail account.

Rename your Hotmail account - Thanks Karthe!

Karthe posted:

Log into Outlook.com using your Hotmail account. Once you're in, click the Gear icon in the upper right, select More mail settings, then click on Rename your email address under Managing your account. Then, enter your desired e-mail address and click Save.

From that point on, your entire Microsoft account will be associated with that new e-mail address. Whenever you need to enter your Live ID, you'll enter your new address. Your old @hotmail.com address will still be around, but only as an alias - you'll still receive e-mail to that address, and can send e-mail from it, but it will no longer work to log you into anything Live related. You won't lose any of your existing e-mail, though! And if you qualified for the 25GB Skydrive upgrade, you'll be happy to know that you'll retain that too.

And your Xbox Live account will remain untouched. In fact the next time you turn on your 360 it'll update to show your new @outlook.com address under Account.

I did this last week and can confirm that I lost nothing by renaming it and ditching my old @hotmail.com address for a shiny new @outlook.com.

Karthe posted:

[ Your ] old @hotmail.com account will still be around, just as an alias. An alias (in Outlook parlance) is a second (or third or fourth or fifth) e-mail address that is attached to one's Outlook account. He'll still receive e-mail sent to that address, and he can still send e-mail from it. The only reason he'd need to notify anyone of the change of e-mail is if he wanted to get rid of the @hotmail.com alias completely; otherwise it's completely transparent to everyone else.

Factor Mystic fucked around with this message at Nov 3, 2012 around 01:55

# ? Oct 31, 2012 00:45

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? May 19, 2013 16:44

Factor Mystic: Mar 19, 2006; Baby's First Post-Apocalyptic Fiction

Windows 8 Pricing
Purchase here (PayPal accepted!) - Full terms & conditions

Windows 8 Pro is available from Microsoft for $39.99 USD until January 31, 2013. This is an upgrade license for PC's already running Windows 7, Vista, or XP SP3. It is only eligible to upgrade a single machine (one license - one machine) but can be purchased separately for additional machines.

This copy is downloaded as described below, but there's also a retail DVD available for $69.99

Windows Upgrade Offer - FAQ.
If you purchased a Windows 7 PC after June 2, 2012 (and before January 31, 2013) you're eligible for a $14.99 upgrade to Windows 8 Pro. More information about this promotion is available at http://www.windowsupgradeoffer.com. Some goons have reported that there's not any formal verification of your purchase and that it's possible to get approval even if you haven't purchased a computer lately, but YMMV.

Upgrading to Windows 8
If you participate in the above promotion, you will need to download an Upgrade Assistant, though which It is possible to save an ISO and do the install later, or have it run immediately. "Clean" installs which preserve nothing from your current install are possible with this upgrade. The Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool from Microsoft also works for Windows 8 and can be used to burn the ISO file to a DVD or USB stick (requires about 5GB capacity USB stick).

The Upgrade Assistant will also run a report of what installed software is incompatible, which is useful to know even if you want to do a full clean install.

Windows 8 upgradability from Windows 7

Upgrading from Windows 8 to Windows 8 Pro
If you purchase a PC with Windows 8 and want to move to Pro, the Windows 8 Pro Pack will be available for $69.99 at some point in the future according to this page.

Windows 8 Media Center Pack
Windows Media Center has been removed from the default installation of Windows 8 and is now only available via the "Windows 8 Media Center Pack". Microsoft is providing this for free until January 31, 2013. Instructions and email form here. Generally speaking unless you have a hardware TV tuner, you're not missing much from Windows Media Center.

Non-upgrade installs
If you want to install Windows 8 without having a prior version already installed to upgrade from, you'll need a OEM (aka, stand alone "System Builder") copy. Currently this is available from retailers such as Newegg priced at $99.99 for Windows 8 and $139.99 for Windows 8 Pro.

It is reportedly possible to run the Upgrade Assistant on a machine with Windows installed already, then use that ISO and key to install on a separate machine without a prior installation. At least be aware that this runs against the EULA license agreement you surely read & agreed to when you ran the installer.

Software Compatibility - Programs known to not work in Windows 8

Turning on FXAA globally (either via graphics driver or with FXAA injector programs) can cause the Start screen and/or Start tiles and/or Metro apps to black our weirdly.
TBD�

Factor Mystic fucked around with this message at Jan 12, 2013 around 02:36

# ? Oct 31, 2012 00:45

Factor Mystic: Mar 19, 2006; Baby's First Post-Apocalyptic Fiction

Start Screen
The start menu is gone in Windows 8, replaced with a the start screen. The start screen consists of Live Tiles, an interface concept borrowed from Windows Phone. Windows Store ("Metro") applications to show dynamic content via Live Tiles. Applications can be rearranged, resized, and uninstalled directly from the start screen (right click/swipe down on the tile).

Start screen applications can be grouped by drag & drop, and groups can be renamed by zooming out ("-" button in lower right / pinch gesture / Ctrl + -) then selecting a group (right click/vertical swipe on the group).

Charms
You can activate the Charms bar with Win + C. The Charms bar is the menu that slides in from the right side, with quick access to Search, Share, Start, Devices, and Settings. Start takes you to the start screen. The rest are context-sensitive to the current app you have open. For example, if you're in the Windows Store app, the search charm will search the store. If you're in the OneNote app, it'll search your notebooks, etc.

Recently used apps
You can cycle recently opened apps with Win + Tab. Holding that key combo will show open apps in a vertical list on the left side. The "last" app in the back stack will always be at the top. So you can mouse to the upper left and continue clicking to cycle backwards.

App bar
Windows Store ("Metro") apps typically have application-specific commands in a bottom bar interface. This is available with Win + Z, right clicking in the app, or swiping up from the bottom.

Shortcut keys
List of shortcut keys
Highlights:

Win + start typing return to start screen and search apps
Win + X administrative shortcuts
Win + Print Screen saves a screenshot to Libraries > Pictures > Screenshots
Win + C open charms bar
Win + I settings charm
Win + W settings search
Win + Q search charm
Win + Tab cycle through metro apps

Multitasking
The new Windows Store ("Metro") apps support of a form of multitasking where one app can be snapped to the side of the screen while another app (or the classic Windows desktop) can fill the remaining area. Drag down from the top of the screen and pull the app to the left or right to snap it (Win + . to cycle snap position). Aero Snap from Windows 7 also works for regular desktop apps as before.

You can only have the start screen/Window 8 app up on one monitor at a time (can be swapped by drag/drop or Win + PgUp/PgDn).

Stuff that has come up in the thread

This metro app doesn't have search/settings/share options!!! Charms are contextual to the metro app you're in . See above.
How do I get multiple Google calendars in the Calendar app?

WebDog posted:
Found out a way to allow multiple Google calenders in the Calender app.
You have to run this through Chrome to work.

Download User Agent Switcher from the Chrome Webstore
Deactivate Javascript in Settings (Show advanced settings, Content settings)
Select iPad or iPhone
Go to http://m.google.com/sync
Click your Windows Mail device
In the URL change supportMultipleCalendars=false to supportMultipleCalendars=true
Submit URL (Press Enter)
Tick off calenders
Save
Reload your Google Account to your Windows Calendar app.
How to get rid of that sent from Windows Live signature mail uses?

Kazy posted:
It's in the Account options. You have to turn it off for ever account, though I'm glad it has a per-account signature option.
Windows wakes up from sleep every morning at 3AM

Karthe posted:
Windows 8 is set up to perform "system maintenance" (update applications, update Windows, defrag, etc...) at 3am by default and will wake up your computer to do so. If you go into System Settings you'll find an option to change the time maintenance is performed and a toggle that will control whether or not your PC will come out of sleep at that time to do so.
Windows wakes up from sleep, and it's not System Maintenance, and Media Center is installed. Follow these directions to turn off the Media Center Update task
Is there a way to make it start up in the "classic", Windows 7ish interface?
Various third party start menu replacements offer this functionality

Lum posted:
StartIsBack hooks into actual Windows 7 start menu code that Microsoft left inside explorer.exe in order to support jump lists. It also has an option to remove everything but Metro apps from Metro turning it into basically a replacement for sidebar gadgets. You get little touches like the app you've just installed automatically appearing in the recent programs area which is lacking in Start8.

The author claims that this start menu code is unlikely to be removed in a future service pack as it is needed for Jump Lists, though he does admit to using undocumented function calls so it's not 100% guaranteed.

Start8 is an attempt to recreate the Win7 start menu, it's pretty decent though doesn't feel quite as smooth as StartIsBack, you also get a brief flash of Metro after logging in which Start8 does not have.

Start8 also has a thing to open the full Metro UI in the bottom left of the screen in place of the start menu, letting you have the full Metro experience without the jarring switch between the two modes of operation that the default Metro setup has. This may appeal to those of you who want to take small steps into Metro-land.

I've not tried Classic Shell, but my understanding is that it recreates the Windows XP start menu, so if this is your preferred start menu, you want this one.

There's also a free replacement called ViStart, originally written for XP users wanting to emulate Vista. It's lovely and contains adware that must be manually removed. Don't bother with it.
Is there a means to allow automatic updates of Windows Defender types updates (that don't require a reboot) while also preventing the automatic rebooting process if whatever update requires it?

YES. Copy/paste the following text to a script file named update-mse.vbs and put it somewhere handy, like your user folder (c:\users\<username>). Then set up a scheduled task to run it automatically in the background.
code:
```
Dim WshShell
Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
WshShell.Run "cmd /c ""C:\Program Files\Windows Defender\MpCmdRun.exe"" -SignatureUpdate", 0, true
```
1) Open the Task Scheduler (Win + W, search for "Schedule tasks")
2) Create a new task (Action menu -> Create Task)
3) Put in something sensible for the task name, like "MSE Auto Update"
4) "Triggers" tab, "New..." button, "Begin the task" -> "At log on", Check "Repeat task every", and change "for a duration of" to "Indefinitely". Make sure "Enabled" is checked and hit "OK"
5) "Actions" tab, "New..." button, "Action" -> "Start a program", "Program/script" box should have wscript.exe. "Add arguments" should have "C:\Users\<You>\update-mse.vbs", and hit "OK"
6) Hit "OK" to save the task.
7) Make sure it's working: Click into "Task Scheduler Library" and find the task you just made. Right click, "Run". Nothing should appear to happen. After a few seconds, hit F5 to refresh. Your task should say "Ready" in the status column and "The operation completed successfully" over in the "Last Run Result" column. If not, post about it and someone will help you.

Factor Mystic fucked around with this message at Feb 1, 2013 around 02:10

# ? Oct 31, 2012 00:45

mediaphage: Mar 22, 2007

For what it's worth, if anyone is still running the the RTM code that was leaked, you really should upgrade to the Win8 Pro code that's available. It makes a big difference with regard to how well apps function.

You don't need to use the ISO/USB tool, either - if you mount the ISO or extract the Windows files inside, you can just run the setup file from within Windows to install the software. It works fine.

Also, my favorite not talked about tool is the ability to right-click where the Start button used to be in Desktop mode. Tons of shortcuts and things are listed there.

Finally, I think the sticky in this forum warning people away from installing Windows 8 is ridiculous. The idea that an AMD 4 series GPU can't run the OS is likewise foolish.

# ? Oct 31, 2012 01:30

babies havin rabies: Feb 24, 2006

May be worth mentioning in the OP's Edition Locked Features section that Hyper-V comes included in Pro and Enterprise.

# ? Oct 31, 2012 01:42

Aatrek: Jul 19, 2004; my god

we're adrift in the heavens

Want to be a cool cat and make your own Start screen tiles?

Use OblyTile to generate your own custom graphic shortcuts!

You can make your own square images, or you can start with this giant pack of tile graphics.

Some SA icons:

Aatrek fucked around with this message at Oct 31, 2012 around 02:03

# ? Oct 31, 2012 02:00

Dominoes: Sep 20, 2007; Fuckin' rat tails

Has can I use Google Voice calling and voice/video chat from within Gmail in Metro Chrome? I receive a message asking to install the plugin, with no result when I try. They work in the Desktop version.

# ? Oct 31, 2012 02:07

Alereon: Feb 6, 2004; For me but LEFTHANDED

mediaphage posted:

Finally, I think the sticky in this forum warning people away from installing Windows 8 is ridiculous. The idea that an AMD 4 series GPU can't run the OS is likewise foolish.

The purpose of the sticky is to remind people that Windows 8 and the associated drivers are new and immature. It's always been idiotic to install new versions of Windows on obsolete machines, and the goal of the hardware list is to give people some quick warnings that their computers are too old to expect a good experience on. Radeon HD 4000-series and lower cards shifted to legacy status in May, they will never be supported in Windows 8. Sure a system will RUN using the Microsoft drivers, but I wouldn't call that a usable system.

If you actually read the post, you'll see that nowhere do I discourage people from playing around with Windows8 or seeing how well it will run on their machine, I discourage them from installing it as their primary OS with an expectation that they will have a trouble-free experience, especially on old machines.

# ? Oct 31, 2012 02:13

redeyes: Sep 14, 2002; I LOVE THE WHITE STRIPES!

Windows 8 Backups!

Windows 8 does backups differently than 7 although it does include the 7 backup utility. You really want to use new hotness which is Windows 8 image based 'refresh'. The idea behind this is get your system how you like it, ie, load all your Desktop apps, settings, Metro apps, etc. Now download this utility:

http://recimg.com/

This utility will make a 'base' system image located in the root of the C: drive which includes everything except your files. Your files are supposed to be backed up using the File History utility. This utility will backup your data folders (Libaries) to a 2nd hard drive, USB stick, or Network drive. It also runs periodically and only updates new/changed files.

If you decide your system is broken, you can run 'Refresh' within the new Settings interface under General and it will restore the image you made with RECIMG without effecting your files.

For reference the manual way to do this without RECIMG is:

code:

1. Go to the start screen.

2. Right click any place to see All Apps.

3. Right click on the Command Prompt.

4. Click the Run As Administrator option.

mkdir C:\RefreshImage
recimg -CreateImage C:\RefreshImage

And here is a bit more information
http://helpdeskgeek.com/how-to/crea...8-backup-image/

Cheers.

redeyes fucked around with this message at Oct 31, 2012 around 02:33

# ? Oct 31, 2012 02:28

Rev. Bleech_: Oct 19, 2004

so uh, how the hell do I delete windows.old anyway

# ? Oct 31, 2012 02:28

redeyes: Sep 14, 2002; I LOVE THE WHITE STRIPES!

Alereon posted:

The purpose of the sticky is to remind people that Windows 8 and the associated drivers are new and immature. It's always been idiotic to install new versions of Windows on obsolete machines, and the goal of the hardware list is to give people some quick warnings that their computers are too old to expect a good experience on. Radeon HD 4000-series and lower cards shifted to legacy status in May, they will never be supported in Windows 8. Sure a system will RUN using the Microsoft drivers, but I wouldn't call that a usable system.

If you actually read the post, you'll see that nowhere do I discourage people from playing around with Windows8 or seeing how well it will run on their machine, I discourage them from installing it as their primary OS with an expectation that they will have a trouble-free experience, especially on old machines.

The Radeon HD2000-4000 series is not only supported but AMD just came out with a native driver including the Catalyst Control Panel. I run one myself and it works fast and perfect.

Link to said driver: http://support.amd.com/us/kbarticle...legacywin8.aspx

[edit] Ah yes I see this driver is WDM 1.1 not 1.2 which would have the new Windows 8 enhancements. Fair enough.

redeyes fucked around with this message at Oct 31, 2012 around 05:20

# ? Oct 31, 2012 02:30

cstine: Apr 15, 2004; What's in the box?!?

Rev. Bleech_ posted:

so uh, how the hell do I delete windows.old anyway

Run the disk cleanup wizard, hit the show system files button, select the prior windows checkbox, then hit ok.

# ? Oct 31, 2012 02:32

Alereon: Feb 6, 2004; For me but LEFTHANDED

redeyes posted:

The Radeon HD4000 series is not only supported but AMD just came out with a native driver including the Catalyst Control Panel. I run one myself and it works fast and perfect.

AMD publishes an unsupported, not-WHQL-signed version of the Catalyst Legacy 12.6 driver that installs on Windows 8. This is the same driver that ships with Windows 8 (plus the bundled AMD apps) and it will never be updated. One of the points of that thread is to help people who want their computer to work avoid getting stuck without driver updates. If you know what a modded driver is and how to find and install one, that sticky thread is not aimed at you.

Upon reread however, I do agree that I'm a bit too strong in my recommendation against Windows 8 at the stop of the sticky. I will reword, my intended message is that right now Windows 8 should be the domain of people who are intentionally choosing to b early adopters.

# ? Oct 31, 2012 02:53

Matlock: Sep 12, 2004; Childs Play Charity 2011 Total: $1755

Something I've noticed so far: some internet security suites tend to block the Metro IE totally and leave the desktop IE alone. I've seen it happen on Norton IS and Kaspersky IS (2013 editions, both). Turning off the firewall and letting Windows manage it resolves the problem immediately.

Moreover, looking through the store while running Norton Removal Tool makes NRT hang and stop process.

Pardon my ignorance, but does MetroUI stop desktop processes when in use normally?

# ? Oct 31, 2012 04:13

keyframe: Sep 15, 2007; GINYU FORCE RULES

I realized I can pin my libraries from the explorer to the start page. Does anyone know if its possible to create custom tiles for that with Obitile?

# ? Oct 31, 2012 04:29

Civil: Apr 21, 2003; Do you see this? This means "Have a nice day".

So if I want to replicate this type of gadget functionality in Win8, are there snappable apps that show this kind of information? I miss gadgets.

e: oops, there's my IP, don't hack me.

Only registered members can see post attachments!

# ? Oct 31, 2012 04:39

FuzzySlippers: Feb 6, 2009

In case this isn't obvious for anyone else, installing hyper-v will disable other virtualization software (or at least Virtual Box). It's possible that disabling the service might allow you to start up other VM software, but merely stopping all running VMs definitely doesn't work. I assume it has something to do with exclusive access to hardware virt features.

Hyper-v works pretty well as a replacement for Virtual Box though. Looks like support for it is built into many linux distros so you can have it installed and running pretty fast. I assume MS OS installs are even better.

# ? Oct 31, 2012 05:28

AlphaDog: Sep 27, 2004; Destroyer of Hardware

Civil posted:

So if I want to replicate this type of gadget functionality in Win8, are there snappable apps that show this kind of information? I miss gadgets.

e: oops, there's my IP, don't hack me.

Does Rainmeter still work in Windows 8? That solved the hell out of my problems with trying to get decent system info widgets in Windows 7.

# ? Oct 31, 2012 05:34

WebDog: Jun 14, 2006

Found out a way to allow multiple Google calenders in the Calender app.
You have to run this through Chrome to work.

Download User Agent Switcher from the Chrome Webstore
Deactivate Javascript in Settings (Show advanced settings, Content settings)
Select iPad or iPhone
Go to http://m.google.com/sync
Click your Windows Mail device
In the URL change supportMultipleCalendars=false to supportMultipleCalendars=true
Submit URL (Press Enter)
Tick off calenders
Save
Reload your Google Account to your Windows Calendar app.

WebDog fucked around with this message at Oct 31, 2012 around 05:57

# ? Oct 31, 2012 05:52

keyframe: Sep 15, 2007; GINYU FORCE RULES

AlphaDog posted:

Does Rainmeter still work in Windows 8? That solved the hell out of my problems with trying to get decent system info widgets in Windows 7.

Yea it does.

# ? Oct 31, 2012 06:21

Baron Bifford: May 24, 2006

Can I configure Win8 so that it immediately goes to the Desktop on startup and not this silly Metro screen?

# ? Oct 31, 2012 07:26

dissss: Nov 10, 2007

Is there anything that can be done (possibly video card configuration) to improve the font rendering in metro and IE10?

Either way it might be worth adding to the OP as its definitely one of the first things you'll notice coming from a Windows 7 system

# ? Oct 31, 2012 07:51

oTHi: Feb 28, 2011; This post is brought to you by Molten Boron.
Nobody doesn't like Molten Boron!.

Baron Bifford posted:

Can I configure Win8 so that it immediately goes to the Desktop on startup and not this silly Metro screen?

The only way to do this AFAIK is to install a third-party utility like Start8.

# ? Oct 31, 2012 09:10

TheJoker138: Jan 1, 2008; The Clown Prince
Of Crime

Using OblyTile, is there a way to make new tiles from apps downloaded from the MS Store? For instance if I wanted to make a Wikipedia app tile using the Wikipedia app from the store, but with a custom tile, is there a way to do that? It really bugs me that there's no way to turn off the names of the apps on stuff you get from the store, and this would solve that problem for most of that stuff.

E: And as a side, secondary question, has there been any word on if Facebook and Twitter apps are coming?

# ? Oct 31, 2012 10:54

ufarn: May 30, 2009

TheJoker138 posted:

Using OblyTile, is there a way to make new tiles from apps downloaded from the MS Store? For instance if I wanted to make a Wikipedia app tile using the Wikipedia app from the store, but with a custom tile, is there a way to do that? It really bugs me that there's no way to turn off the names of the apps on stuff you get from the store, and this would solve that problem for most of that stuff.

E: And as a side, secondary question, has there been any word on if Facebook and Twitter apps are coming?

Twitter app coming in "a few months". Facebook says no plans to do an app.

# ? Oct 31, 2012 10:59

Aatrek: Jul 19, 2004; my god

we're adrift in the heavens

keyframe posted:

I realized I can pin my libraries from the explorer to the start page. Does anyone know if its possible to create custom tiles for that with Obitile?

I guess you'd link it to C:\Users\YOURNAME\Documents (or Music, or Photos, or Videos).

# ? Oct 31, 2012 11:10

Laslow: Jul 18, 2007

dissss posted:

Is there anything that can be done (possibly video card configuration) to improve the font rendering in metro and IE10?

Either way it might be worth adding to the OP as its definitely one of the first things you'll notice coming from a Windows 7 system

http://classicshell.sourceforge.net/

Classic Shell can do it, and unlike Start8 it's free. If you want to avoid metro, and run Windows 8 as if it were Windows 7 with the under the hood advancements of 8, then this is an essential download.

# ? Oct 31, 2012 12:46

whaam: Mar 18, 2008

If I install chrome and launch it as the default browser from metro, I get the "metroized" chrome, so for instance if I go to SA forums, then go back to start screen, I can click the shortcut for chrome and it launches the same window.

If I try to create a fresh chrome tile with Obytile clicking that tile just launches a new chrome window on the desktop, regardless of wether I already have chrome running. Anyone know how to get an obytile with a custom icon to work the same way the default chrome tile works?

# ? Oct 31, 2012 13:21

D. Ebdrup: Mar 13, 2009

Civil posted:

So if I want to replicate this type of gadget functionality in Win8, are there snappable apps that show this kind of information? I miss gadgets.

You want gadgets? 8gadgetpack has you covered, buddy. I use them too, and while the new task manager is much better, it's still nice to have gadgets.
Speaking of the new task manager, you should check it out. It offers cpu speed monitoring (if your cpu up- or down-clocks dynamically), per-app disk utilization monitoring (something previously only semi-available in the resource monitor in Windows 7), and per-app network utilization monitoring along with many other neat things.

D. Ebdrup fucked around with this message at Oct 31, 2012 around 13:46

# ? Oct 31, 2012 13:27

hope and vaseline: Feb 13, 2001; On this never ending road to Calvary

Is there any way to make the taskbar fully opaque? I tried a fix that changes the theme pointer to lite version of aero, but it adds some ugly black borders to some window buttons.

# ? Oct 31, 2012 14:27

The Deadly Hume: May 26, 2004; I want some of that pepper steak!

Another heads up - not sure if this was covered in the preview threads, but this was my one hurdle upgrading from Windows 7, and I figured others may have had the same issue.

If you're like me and you moved your user profile folder to another drive (since I wanted to get that off my smallish SSD which I use as the system drive) and used Regedit to so, what I found when upgrading from Win 7 to 8 is that the upgrade process will only offer "Nothing" at the "Choose what to keep" if the user profile directory isn't "C:\Users". Which will obviously be a big pain in the rear end if you want to keep your old poo poo.

Quit out of the upgrade installation, and before you start the upgrade process again, fire up Regedit, find
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>SOFTWARE>Microsoft>Windows NT>Current Version>ProfileList

Once you're there, change the ProfilesDirectory attribute back to "C:\Users" from whatever you had it before - making a note of where you had that so you can set it back after the install.

Proceed with the upgrade installation - this time the "Choose what to keep" step will have options other than "Nothing".

Once you've gotten Windows 8 set up and have it sidling up to you like your best friend, go back into Regedit (searching for "regedit" still works) and set it to whatever it was before, sign out and back in again and you should have your old desktop poo poo and whatnot back (although it sorted my icons back to the top left, but that's not so bad).

# ? Oct 31, 2012 15:00

keyframe: Sep 15, 2007; GINYU FORCE RULES

hope and vaseline posted:

Is there any way to make the taskbar fully opaque? I tried a fix that changes the theme pointer to lite version of aero, but it adds some ugly black borders to some window buttons.

start8 has an option to do that

# ? Oct 31, 2012 16:20

UncleGuito: May 8, 2005; www.ipadbackdrops.com daily wallpaper updates deserving of your iPad

Alereon posted:

AMD publishes an unsupported, not-WHQL-signed version of the Catalyst Legacy 12.6 driver that installs on Windows 8. This is the same driver that ships with Windows 8 (plus the bundled AMD apps) and it will never be updated. One of the points of that thread is to help people who want their computer to work avoid getting stuck without driver updates. If you know what a modded driver is and how to find and install one, that sticky thread is not aimed at you.

Upon reread however, I do agree that I'm a bit too strong in my recommendation against Windows 8 at the stop of the sticky. I will reword, my intended message is that right now Windows 8 should be the domain of people who are intentionally choosing to b early adopters.

So is there any benefit to installing this Catalyst pack on a HD4000 series card?

# ? Oct 31, 2012 16:40

Riso: Oct 11, 2008

You get the control panel I guess?

# ? Oct 31, 2012 16:53

duTrieux.: Oct 9, 2003; ^{~i liek 2 poste~}

dissss posted:

Is there anything that can be done (possibly video card configuration) to improve the font rendering in metro and IE10?

Either way it might be worth adding to the OP as its definitely one of the first things you'll notice coming from a Windows 7 system

Not to my knowledge, no.

Microsoft is actually pretty proud of the font rendering.

# ? Oct 31, 2012 17:37

Werthog 95: Nov 21, 2006; Where do you want to post today?

Any other Windows 8 devs might be interested in the Build Conference. It's live right now, plus all previous sessions are posted. Fun for playing "count how many times they almost say Metro."

# ? Oct 31, 2012 17:53

redeyes: Sep 14, 2002; I LOVE THE WHITE STRIPES!

UncleGuito posted:

So is there any benefit to installing this Catalyst pack on a HD4000 series card?

You get all the Catalyst controls such as Overscan correction, Video color correction, and noise reduction. So sure, why not.

# ? Oct 31, 2012 17:54

Karthe: Jun 6, 2007; the Mac you say?

duTrieux. posted:

Not to my knowledge, no.

Microsoft is actually pretty proud of the font rendering.

I don't know if it'll help on the Metro side of things, but you can still run the ClearType Text Tuner from the Desktop. Search for "cleartype" and it should come up. Or is the problem not related to ClearType?

# ? Oct 31, 2012 18:04

keykey: Mar 28, 2003

Is there any way to use the game center through a different e-mail address than what you login windows with? When I created my login, I use my current e-mail address, but my xbox live account goes to an old hotmail address I created well over 10 years ago and I'd like to be able to link them both to use xbox glass without having to create another user account specifically for live games on my tablet.

# ? Oct 31, 2012 18:19

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# ? May 19, 2013 16:44

Cream_Filling: Sep 11, 2005; More generally, I worry that the whole 'animal rights' viewpoint is sort of decadent or even dangerous since it can serve to reduce the value of human life when it tries to elevate the value of animal lives.

Karthe posted:

I don't know if it'll help on the Metro side of things, but you can still run the ClearType Text Tuner from the Desktop. Search for "cleartype" and it should come up. Or is the problem not related to ClearType?

The ClearType text tuner only effects most (but not all) of desktop mode. Metro and some metro-look desktop dialogues (and I believe WinRT desktop apps, not sure on this) uses a totally different font rendering scheme. The ClearType brand used to stand only for the colored subpixel-based font rendering system, but has since been applied to other stuff like other parts of the font rendering system and, later, Cleartype HD screen on the Surface (which ironically doesn't use cleartype subpixel rendering for most of its interface).

I agree that this is a big difference people will notice since the new renderer isn't as heavily hinted or otherwise optimized for on-screen viewing.

# ? Oct 31, 2012 18:22

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The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Serious Hardware / Software Crap > Windows 8: An even-numbered version [modnote: read the OP or get banned]