Upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for only $39.99!

[commodorejohn]

It doesn't matter how they price it, you'd still complain.

Well yes, that was my point. The people who are unhappy about the direction Windows 8 is taking are not going to be swayed by price when they feel like their real concerns are being dismissed and ignored.

[Duce]

99% of the people commenting in threads about Windows 8 here have likely not even tried it.

Walk the walk, then talk the talk - for or against.

I've used it for months, I've earned my right to comment about it, lol.

[jorkany]

Ignoring the windows phone xbox tile desktop, from reports I have read windows 8 is more stable and much quicker in parts than even win 7

In every deal though there is a potential deal breaker. MS has found this out regarding Win 8.

[billt]

Some system sellers are offering a free coupon as well if you buy a Win7 system now. I saw a few of those promotions as I was recently shopping for a laptop.

And I observe the following pattern as far back as my experience with MS Windows goes:

98SE good
ME BAD
XP good
Vista BAD
7 good
8 ...

[djrikki]

I've used Windows 8, I am using it now on my NetBook, its very poor, a) metro-apps aren't supported, b) I get 'limited connection' displayed when I re-open it meaning I have to reboot all the time.
Unfortunately, the general populace are sheep, Windows 8 will be a success amongst the general populace and soon accepted.  Just look at the PR behind IE9, that song from the adverts went straight into the UK Top 10 (and probably elsewhere).  People are easily suckered.

[Ilwrath]

It's more likely they are making it cheap to attract customers that would pirate it, if it were more expensive.

I'm sure that's part of what Microsoft is hoping, as well...  But, my guess is regardless of what they price they use, it won't make a big inroads into the pirate market.  I don't think much of the pirated Windows demographic pirates because they can't afford Windows.  At least not in the North American markets where this price is being targeted.

I really think Microsoft wants to encourage the upgrade cycle as quickly as possible.  I'm sure they'd love to splash some big sales numbers and get stockholders excited.  Also, I'm sure they'd like to lower that % of users still on XP before they totally drop support of it.

As for Windows 8, itself...  I've used it quite a bit on a test machine.  I can't say I like that implementation of Metro very much.  It's pretty clumsy to have Metro AND a desktop.  Do one or the other, and do it right.  Two half-baked schemes grafted together doesn't make a whole.  However, at a price point that cheap... I might pick up a retail copy of it for said test box...  I can't say I've had any real problems with applications, stability, or performance.  It's W7 minus the messed up start orb, and plus a messed up tiles screen and wacky new preferences menus.  (shrug)

[commodorejohn]

I really think Microsoft wants to encourage the upgrade cycle as quickly as possible.  I'm sure they'd love to splash some big sales numbers and get stockholders excited.  Also, I'm sure they'd like to lower that % of users still on XP before they totally drop support of it.

If Microsoft wants to lower the percentage of XP users, all they have to do is keep the price accessible, cut the minimum requirements and bring back the XP GUI/Explorer. But they've been steadfastly refusing to do any of that for three versions now, so I don't think it's likely.

Hell, they did that, I'd switch. I don't give a damn what's going on under the hood, as long as I'm not forced to put up with pointless rearranging of interfaces that were already perfectly fine because some concept department needs something to justify their budget with.

[kedawa]

If I can do a clean install with this upgrade license, I may just bite.  I have dozens of XP Pro licenses.
I don't really like the Windows 8 interface at all, but neither do a lot of people, and if MS won't give us the shell that we want, someone else will.

[persia]

@commodorejohn

It is shocking that 40% of Windows users are using a ten year old OS with no support.

[commodorejohn]

It is shocking that 40% of Windows users are using a ten year old OS with no support.

It is a little unusual, but it's a very solid ten-year-old OS, and it doesn't have no support, yet. Again, if Microsoft would only quit screwing around with the UI, or at the very least allow users to fall back to all the old stuff (including the old Windows Explorer,) they'd probably get a lot of people to switch - they're just too stubborn to actually do that.

[jj]

It is a little unusual, but it's a very solid ten-year-old OS, and it doesn't have no support, yet. Again, if Microsoft would only quit screwing around with the UI, or at the very least allow users to fall back to all the old stuff (including the old Windows Explorer,) they'd probably get a lot of people to switch - they're just too stubborn to actually do that.

What is wrong with the GUI/UI of Win 7 ?  Not much different to Xp and what is different I find an improvement.

[commodorejohn]

There are a couple issues with Windows 7. First off, not everybody likes big thick borders with rounded corners and transparency and stuff. Yes, it's pretty, but I find that in normal circumstances, that just distracts and wastes screen space. (And not everybody is using 1600x1200 mega-screens, so a little space-waste adds up pretty quick.) That wouldn't be a problem if they'd included the "Windows Classic" skin from XP, but as far as I can tell there isn't a way to get 7 to drop the glitz.

The bigger problems, though, are in the mucking around with the way things work. The new Start menu is annoying (I like hierarchical drop-down/pop-up menus, thanks,) and you can't get the old one back without resorting to a third-party hack. Keyboard shortcuts have been removed from Explorer. You can't tell it not to treat HTML files and associated "_files" directories as a single file anymore (the first thing I turn off in any new 98-XP install.) You can't turn off auto-refresh/sort of open Explorer windows, which means I'd have to ditch a handy sorting trick that's served me perfectly fine since Windows 95. I could go on at length (and I have on another forum, so I'll just link to it, if you want an obsessive, exhaustive list.)

I know that fans of 7 will argue that this stuff is all an improvement, and I won't tell you that you're wrong for preferring it, but sometimes even objective, factual improvements just plain aren't worth the trade-off in familiarity. It's the same reason I don't use a Dvorak keyboard - maybe it would increase my typing throughput, but only after I'd spent who knows how long re-learning everything I already know on QWERTY, and it's just. not. worth. the. time.

[psxphill]

I've used Windows 8, I am using it now on my NetBook, its very poor, a) metro-apps aren't supported, b) I get 'limited connection' displayed when I re-open it meaning I have to reboot all the time.

a) if you have an intel graphics chip then set then save the following in a .reg file and execute it
 
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E968-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}\0000]
"Display1_DownScalingSupported"=dword:00000001
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E968-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}\0001]
"Display1_DownScalingSupported"=dword:00000001
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Video\{511F09E3-0635-4B11-B689-B08C00A0DF4E}\0000]
"Display1_DownScalingSupported"=dword:00000001
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Video\{511F09E3-0635-4B11-B689-B08C00A0DF4E}\0001]
"Display1_DownScalingSupported"=dword:00000001
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Intel\Display\igfxcui\igfxtray]
"ShowOptimalBalloon"=dword:00000000

Then you should be able to set the resolution to 1024x768
you won't be able to set the resolution to anything lower than 1024x768 with the standard resolution setting, so you'll need some way of switching back to your native res. Mine is an ASUS and there is software for switching the res using the keyboard which works fine.
 
It's very likely that you'll give up on metro and stick with your native res.
 
b) I never have anything suspend when closing the lid. Even on windows 7 I have problems suspending, plus I often leave things running and close the lid to protect it while carrying or shoving it under the sofa. I always have it set up as:
 
close lid: do nothing
power button: shutdown
sleep button: hibernate

[Thorham]

WHY on earth would anybody use Microsft Windows these days?

Perhaps because it lets them run the software (especially games) they want?

[k4lmp]

Well, I have Linux installed on my PC.  I put Win 7 back on it for awhile, but, it isn't as stable as Linux.  I run VirtualBox and several OS's on my PC, including XP, which is great.  Under Win 7, VirtualBox would crash all the time, cause my PC to not shut down properly, etc.  Under Linux, I can install any OS I want with VirtualBox, and it is rock solid.  I even run Linux on my PC at work, and run Win 7 under VirtualBox, so I can reliably use remote desktop.  After many years of Windows use, starting with 3.1 (and DOS before that), remote desktop is the ONLY thing Windows has over Linux.  Linux uses a type of VNC conversion, if my limited understanding is correct, for RDP.  This is slow as can be, at least in my experiences, but works flawlessy with Windows.  So, I run Linux for the stability, and Windows under VirtualBox, with the ethernet adapter bridged, so Windows has its own IP address.  Works great, and never crashes.  Just an opinion from a person with very limited knowledge.  

[Retro_71]

Windows 8 tried it and then uninstalled it the same day.
Win 8 = Vista.. there seems to be a pattern one crap OS followed by one good one, anyone remember Windows ME??

ME -- Xp (and no i didn't forget win 2000 which was a great OS but not for home users)
Vista -- 7
8 -- ?