I've been using the RTM version of Windows 8 on my work desktop PC for a few days now, and thought I'd share my experience as to what it's like to use Windows 8.
The Start menu. Look closely at the photo, because you may not see it for days
I've been familiar with Windows 8 for a while now. As you might expect, here at PC Advisor we snap up every version that is released and install it on as many devices as possible so as to get a feel for Microsoft's upcoming operating system. A Windows 8 tablet sits at my left hand as I type, and has done for several months. But there is a big difference between using an operating system and relying on it. So last Friday I decided to upgrade my work desktop to Windows 8, and stick with it come what may.
Here's what I've learnt from a few days of using Windows 8 as my primary platform.
For more on the changes in Windows 8 and how to use them visit Windows 8 Advisor. For detailed advice on installing Windows 8 Release Preview, read our article: How to install Windows 8.
1. Don't panic about the Modern UI
The erstwhile Metro Interface may not be quite the radical departure you were expecting. Put simply: you may never see it on your desktop PC. During my full day's 'work', today, I have used email, word-processor, web browser, spreadsheets, text document, photo editor and presentation tool. Some were Microsoft's own products, many weren't. And the only time I have seen the Modern UI was when I thought: 'I haven't seen the Metro UI today' and went to check it out. For fun.
The Start screen and all the apps which share its Modern UI, are beautiful to look at and great fun to use, but it is important to note that you don't have to have anything to do with them. And you can forget all those people who say Windows 8 is a touchscreen operating system. It is an OS designed to be used with a touchscreen, but that doesn't mean it won't work with mouse and keyboard input. In fact, it works in a similar way to Windows 7 - with some minor tweaks that you may find you like (see point number 3).
Windows 8: like Windows 7. A lot like it.
In a way it's an indictment of the upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 8. If you are upgrading a machine without a touchscreen and with a legacy of existing software already installed, you are almost inevitably going to find yourself in the Desktop environment, almost all of the time. You'll use Windows 8 in much the same way as you use Windows 7, Vista or XP, and the shiny new UI will come in to play only on occasion.
Microsoft needs to move people on to a touch-enabled OS with apps and with live data permanently tiles, because that is the way mobile computing is headed. And Microsoft really needs to catch up there. But it doesn't want to scare off existing Windows users and - from my first few days use - Windows 8 won't do that.
The low upgrade price of £25 reflects the fact that Microsoft hasn't made a really compelling case for Windows 7 users to move on. Users of new PCs and laptops with Windows 8 pre-installed will find some new features, but nothing too terrifying. And the Windows Store will give Microsoft the opportunity to build an app ecosystem, whilst the more radical aspects of Windows 8 will be experienced principally by users of tablets and Ultrabooks, and all points in between.
My suspicion is that Windows 8 is a bridging operating system, so that traditional desktop computer users are not left behind, but in an attempt to grab a large slice of the tablet and mobile computing worlds. Whether that makes it a genius play or a horribly hobbled compromise remains to be seen.
Lesser spotted Windows 8 Start screen
2. ...or the lack of the Start menu
If you are principally doing your computing in the Desktop part of Windows 8, the most radical change will be the lack of a Start menu. It is indisputably disconcerting at the outset. I never realised quite how often I reached for the comfort blanket of the Start menu in my computing day. But it didn't take me too long to get over my initial panic.
Within the desktop environment you can access the Start screen and all its options by mousing to the bottom left. Go to the top right of your screen and you will see the Settings icon. And, of course, the Charms bar - offering access to Search, Share, Devices, Start and Settings - requires only a mouse up to the top left.
Hit Windows+X and you get the Admin menu (pictured).
The lack of the Start menu makes things different, but not more difficult. And the new way of doing things ties in the Desktop with the rest of Windows 8. And that may be the point.
3. You should learn some shortcuts
Trust me, using Windows 8 makes a lot more sense when you start using the shortcuts. So much so, in fact, that my colleague Jim Martin listed a whole bunch in his unsurpassed Windows 8 review. I won't repeat them all here, but suffice to say that Windows+Q is a great way to search your system. Using it to search and then launch an application makes you forget that the Start menu ever existed. Simply by hitting that combination, typing 'Op' and hitting Return I can launch Opera. And I do. It's very convenient.
Similarly, Windows+I takes you direct to the Settings interface, Windows+X brings up the Admin menu, Windows+D opens or closes the Desktop... and on it goes. If you are new to Windows 8 and finding it a challenge, learn some shortcuts. It's a slightly different mindset to using Windows 7, Vista or XP, but it is a fun and efficient way to work.
4. It feels zippy
And Windows 8 works fast - or at least it seems to. Microsoft has made great play of the fact that Windows 8 has the same system requirements as Windows 7, and it's paid off. Windows 8 seems to have given our three-year-old PC a new lease of life. It's not an earth-shattering change, but everything feels slick and smooth, and fast. More importantly, there's been no instability and - so far - no incompatibility with software or hardware.
5. It looks great
This may seem an odd thing to say after my point about how rarely the Modern UI comes in to play, but it is relevant none the less. The prevailing wisdom is that the Desktop part of Windows 8 is just Windows 7 without the Start menu. It's not entirely true. The visual difference is subtle, but impressive. Gone is the showy transparency of Aero, to be replaced by a more sober, but stylish trim. Transitions are similar. The colour scheme seems to fit together better.
And don't just take my word for it - earlier today a Mac-loving, OS X-toting colleague leaned over, looked at my screen and said: 'Is that Windows 8? It looks great. Really professional.' Reader, at the time I was looking at a Word document, a spreadsheet and the PC Advisor website. This is high praise indeed from an Apple fan.
NEXT PAGE: five more things we've learnt from using Windows 8 >>
Comments
Matt Egan said: Bitter denial Wow Poetic I can assure you every point is genuine Windows 8 is a marginal improvement on Windows 7 and is priced as such Its also not quite the radical departure Microsoft would have us believe But Im not bitter Or in denial I just wrote a thing
Ross said: Ill be honest This review screams out bitter denial to me None of the points seem to be genuineIts either Its not THAT bad or Which makes it just as good as Windows 7No Screw off This is an improvement in only one sense Its more money Microsoft can charge in a desperate bid for flash over basic functionality
Matt Egan said: Well obviously I disagree And for the record Windows 8 does of course support multitasking Are you perhaps confusing Windows 8 Pro ie the x86 desktop and laptop software with Windows RT
Rafal said: This Win8 is total disaster for desktop computers There is no Multitasking people often changing tasks they forget what they need to do and as a result takes them more time to complete tasksWindows 8 for work on PC Total FailureTablets maybe it will work
Umberto Giacobbi said: I hated the start screen since the first time I see it on a tablet ok but on a desktop adds only complexityI happily use Bringback from Revel software since Windows 8 Preview the nice thing is that it has a true metro UI not a clone of Windows 7 start menuAnd I can shut down the system with two clickshttpwwwrevel-softwareitb
Agamemnon said: Start 8 and the currnet crop of hacks DONT WORK on the RTM
Agamemnon said: Qutie frankly Windows 8 is an exercise in pointlessness If you have a well configured Windows 7 system there is little point in the Im loathed to call it an upgrade crossgradeWindows 8 is yet another Microsoft attempt at selling consumers a one size doesnt quite fit anyone OS In the past MS have attempted to squeeze the Windows desktop into low-functionality media consumption devices such as touchpad type devices only to find that the interface is too dificult to manipulate Now they have taken a clumsy interfacedesigned for touch sensitive media consumption devices and attempted to expand it to make up for the features that they have crippled in the new OS And they think this is a good ideaThe Fisher Price styling of the no-longer metro UI has turned something functional into a toy I dont use my computer to simply consume media I use it to produce content and forwork Touch sensitive displays are impractical when you need a display thats at least 46 in size even more so when you need that display free of smudges so you can work with fine detail Hell were getting 84 displays in here in order to work with 4K video tell me again how touch sensitivity on a 84 display makes life easier Endlessly swiping from one corner to the next dammit Ill need a bigger office just so I have enough room to walk around Also if someone can please explain to me how exactly an on-screen keyboard represents a major functionality leap when it has to be used at an uncomfortable angle feel free to do so And to the simplefolks who say pin your applications to your taskbar since simple is all they seem to understand That becomes impractical when you rely on 30-40 or more applications that serve different but needed functions I can have a taskbar that serves its function as a taskbar or a start menu that does not look like a reject from an LSDinduced fisher price brain storming sessionThe simple facts are this Microsoft is bending over backwards to appease potential owners of one class of device and it is sacfricing functionality for all their other users in order to do it Too bad for them that 9999 of their users are desktop and laptop ownersAnd way to function on the wrong functionality too Facebook integration is really important when Im working not My ability to purchase music or videos from microsoft is important when Im working not The integration into X-Box live is really important when Im working not Im buying an Operating system not a shop front for Microsoft and its crappy media services Is there anything thats actually practical and beneficial to thisOS beyond it looks simple for simple people and has touch functionality
Matt Egan said: Yes they want your email address reasonable for a free program Id say Stardock is a legitimate software firm however so I suspect this may be a false positive Obviously it pays not to take risks
Rob said: Liked the idea of a start menu searched for Start8 and took me to the Stardock website httpwwwstardockcomproduc download needed to input me email address so they sent me a link is this a ploy to gain users email addressesDownloaded from emailed link and Norton flashed up in RED with this below DID NOT INSTALLhttpsecurityresponsesymant
Angel Colon said: I like the way metro looks but I do agree that it does look a little blandsimple Im sure their will be ways to customize it alot more in time
Angel Colon said: Understandable if its not your cup of tea aesthetically because if i didnt like the way it looked I would probably have a hard time wanting to use it too It really is alot faster for me over Windows 7 I installed a start menu button when i first installed Windows 8 to make it easier for me to use and within a couple of days ended up uninstalling it because i simply didnt need it anymore I think people going into it with optimism and a little patience will still find it to be familiar and refreshing
Cube1701 said: Thats how the search works in Windows 7 Just press the windows button youll still need to do this in Win 8 to go to the Metro homescreen start typing and hit enterI just personally really dislike having to use the full screen metro search by doing it that way Some options wouldnt hurt
Angel Colon said: Strange that after being shown how much fasterefficient it is to navigate people still come to the conclusion that it is the opposite My opinion is that for the most part people are stubborn and reluctant to change no matter how much easier it is to use and that is a shame How can simply typing not even the full name of an app or file then hitting enter not universally be seen as betterfaster is beyond me like i said that justsounds stubborn
Cube1701 said: Perhaps its just the way I use computers Im useless at explaining stuff to other computer users as I justdo it Im so used to the current shortcuts that its a shock to the system Its like trying to write with your other handIt also doesnt help that Im not a fan of the Metro interface style I just hate the look It looks fine on the Xbox 360 but Windows Phone on Windows 8 I just find it looks a bit too bland
Matt Egan said: You can also pin programs to the bottom of the Desktop should you wish to
Matt Egan said: Ha Clearly I disagree Strange that we could have such different experiences but it is all about opinion and its not me that Microsoft has to convince For the record the search page looks like Metro but it doesnt take you to the start menu I was going to put in a point about search being great I find it speedy and useful so again well have to agree to disagree
jack said: If your not happy with the start screen install start8 or classic shell to get your start menu back
tIoM said: Also using the Release Candidate I just pin my desktop programs to the start screen and launch them from there It really is the new start menu I like it alot now that Im used to it
himynameiswill said: Couldnt disagree anymore You need to use it for longer The Metro UI effectively IS the start menu now But saying that I still never use it Im on the desktop 90 of my time and I dabble in Metro UI because as Matt said its pretty looking and I like to see itYou complain about not pinning programs to the start menu and yet when you hit the Windows key you go to the Metro UI Why arent you pinning your most used programs at the front of that EXACTLY as was done in W7
Cube1701 said: From using the release candidate I have to say- The Metro UI is constantly in your face You cant simply not use it Search which is used a lot takes place in the Metro UI instead of within the star menu which was much more useful Which leads on to- The lack of start menu is a pain Everything that was there is now harder to do Plus pinning programs to the start menu something I did a lot as I didnt want too many on the taskbar simply does not exist any more Having programs on the start menu was much much more convenient than on the desktop as you didnt need to minimise everythingWindows 8 does not belong on any PC or laptop