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Windows 8 Consumer Preview ISO images


DennisD

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http://windows.micro...S/windows-8/iso

 

Windows 8 Consumer Preview ISO files (.iso) are provided as an alternative to using Windows 8 Consumer Preview Setup. If you are on a PC running Windows and want to install the consumer preview on another partition, another PC, or a virtual machine, we recommend you download Windows 8 Consumer Preview Setup and use the built-in tools for converting an ISO image into installation media, such as a DVD or USB bootable flash drive. You can find additional information, including a list of supported upgrades, in the FAQ.

 

A guide to the install process for anyone giving it a whirl ...

 

http://arstechnica.c...isual-guide.ars

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Windows 8 Consumer Preview is like an ugly Vista.

 

Even the most simple task requires switching between the 'desktop' and 'Metro' interfaces. The experience is not seamless at all; it just convinced me that Metro is only skin deep (and what an ugly skin it is! Big blocks of color to not constitute an "interface")

 

The removal of the start menu is annoying; as I previously had shortcuts to my most-used folders pinned there. With it gone; I'm constantly ending up in Metro interface when I don't want to be. I'm sure this would be easy enough to get used to.

 

I miss the old desktop search, accessible from the start menu. The new "Start Screen Search" only lists apps, which means you need to navigate through the search categories with the arrow keys before being able to locate a file. Windows 7 ordered search results by relevancy, Windows 8 seems to place them in the most frustrating order - simply to screw with your head.

 

The only redeeming feature of Windows 8 is the speed. It feels much more responsive than Win7. Win8 boots faster from a traditional SATA (moving-part) hard drive than Win7 can boot from an upmarket SSD (solid-state drive)

 

Windows 8 it also much less "naggy" than Windows 7. It doesn't tell you to install an antivirus, nor do you have to confirm delete actions before they occur. In this sense, if Microsoft would give the option of entirely disabling the Metro interface (without loosing the "metro-in-desktop" niceties using a registry hack) it would almost be worth the upgrade.

I'm Shane.

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ADVICE FOR USING CCleaner'S REGISTRY INTEGRITY SECTION

DON'T JUST CLEAN EVERYTHING THAT'S CHECKED OFF.

Do your Registry Cleaning in small bits (at the very least Check-mark by Check-mark)

ALWAYS BACKUP THE ENTRY, YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU'LL BREAK IF YOU DON'T.

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Manual way: http://www.geek.com/...ows-8-20110914/

 

now only if windows would add an option to disable it :unsure:

 

That worked in the Developer Preview. The registry key doesn't exist in the Consumer Preview.

 

I've been running it on my laptop on a spare harddrive. I like certain things, such as the new Task Manager, the new file transfer interface, and even don't mind the Ribbon in Windows Explorer. However, with a mouse and keyboard, the metro stuff doesn't come naturally. A touch based laptop or tablet will work awesome from what I've seen, but it's going to take the hardware to make it awesome.

 

 

Sorry I've been gone for so long - school/life has been hectic.

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I've been running this as a new install on a spare hard drive today, but I could not get sound out through the headphone output on the front of my desktop. Speakers yes, but no headphones.

 

After going through every nook and cranny in the settings, the headphone setting is just inactive. I even thought it may not be working, but on getting back to my XP drive, it's working fine.

 

Any ideas would be appreciated.

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Hazel & others, should I vbox 8? I fear I'll hate it can I default to desktop instead of metrolaunch

 

ADVICE FOR USING CCleaner'S REGISTRY INTEGRITY SECTION

DON'T JUST CLEAN EVERYTHING THAT'S CHECKED OFF.

Do your Registry Cleaning in small bits (at the very least Check-mark by Check-mark)

ALWAYS BACKUP THE ENTRY, YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU'LL BREAK IF YOU DON'T.

Support at https://support.ccleaner.com/s/?language=en_US

Pro users file a PRIORITY SUPPORT via email support@ccleaner.com

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Nergal I just right-clicked on those big metro squares and took up the offer to make them smaller :)

 

Using VB for Win 8 I can have the desktop as above and the start (metro) area. You'll get used to it after a play.

 

Dennis is installing it to the hard drive.

 

Take your pick and dive in :lol:

 

Support contact

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I've installed it first time to my old hard drive, choosing to keep all programs, which will obviously "upgrade" your OS.

 

Took forever, and failed.

 

Then installed it to a partition on the same drive, and that was quick and worked fine.

 

Then lastly, knowing that it worked OK, installed to an empty partition on my new System drive.

 

This was done by booting with the CD (you can run it from within your current OS), and then following the prompts which take you through choosing keyboard language (US English or nothing), inserting the activation code, selecting "Install", and choosing new installation or keep current programs etc,,

 

If you choose "New Install" (words to that effect), you then get an option window asking where you want to install it, and a list of available drives and/or partitions.

 

I was relieved to see that choice appear the first time I did it. :)

 

That's more or less the order of things, and outlined for those thinking about having a whirl with Win8. It's your choice as to whether you install over your current OS or not, but my advice, don't if you have the option to do a new install to another drive or partition.

 

Once installed as a dual boot system, the Win8 logo loads first as you boot, but does take you to a choice of Operating Systems page.

 

And I've fixed the headphone issue.

 

Anyone want to know how? (hazel?) :)

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I have to say that for a state of the art OS, that's a really crap image of a fish.

 

They must have used Tux Paint.

 

I agree.

 

Maybe, however, this is something great that we are missing out on. The complexity of simplistic seeming artwork. A regular Picasso, or something! Masterpiece! Bravo?

 

Hahaha! :P

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@corona

 

That is my Win 8 desktop don't forget.

 

It's the new Microsoft Security Essentials in Windows 8, they called it Win Defender again... cunning eh? It comes built into Win8 so you have antivirus from the get go, you have to update it of course.

 

@Super Fast

 

The 'pitfalls' are just knowing how to begin when you get it up on your screen for the first time. Read up via google first for tips and hints, there are quite a few threads out there. There are also a few forums dedicated to Win 8.

 

Don't give up at the first hurdle and say this is c**p, just keep trying. Think of it as 2 places, your desktop and your start desktop.

I started by making the metro squares small and right-click deleting some I knew I really didn't need. Don't forget the desktop square is your desktop (if it helps in your head)

 

 

By the way a nice shortcut on Win 8 is holding the windows key down and pressing X

 

Support contact

https://support.ccleaner.com/s/contact-form?language=en_US&form=general

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Unlike my usual style, I'm gonna make this as brief as possible.

 

My system drive has 3 partitions, XP operating system C:, data partition E:, and Win8 F:

 

Last night while booting into Win8 it kept telling me I needed to repair my E: partition. I know my partition was 100% OK, as I'd used it both in Win8 and back in XP, and it had only recently been loaded on to this couple of weeks old, new Western Digital internal drive.

 

Cancelled that, and removed it from Win8's "things needing attention" type message.

 

A couple of reboots later, I got a "repairing E: partition" message as Win8 loaded. No choice offered this time.

 

Short version, doing this screwed up my E: data partition, and subsequent attempts to repair this and to remove Win8 ended up with the E: and the F: being merged into one huge partition of "Unallocated Space".

 

Took all night to repair this .. short version ... found and restored the Win8 F: partition, but couldn't do that with the still "unformatted" E: partition. Had to scan that for files with a partition manager, and thankfully got 16,840 files back, which I returned to the now formatted E: partition.

 

I also found hundreds of OS files on that data partition which could only have come from Win8 when it was screwing it up.

 

I had an Image of that drive but it was a few weeks old and missing a lot of movie, music, and eBook files, so the Image was a last resort.

 

Another long story short.

 

Win8 introduced it's own dual boot routine into the boot process, leaving, and not touching, the normal XP operating system choice screen. The one with a choice of XP or the Recovery Console.

 

After removing Win8 and getting my 3 partitions back to normal, that other boot screen was still there (this time just white text on black screen), and still gave the choice of "Older Operating System" to boot into, and then a couple of seconds later, the normal XP choice screen appeared.

 

Trying to get rid of that extra boot screen, trying various thing like replacing the boot.ini and other relevant system files made no difference. It was written into somewhere I couldn't find, and should have been deleted when I used "EasyBCD" from the "remove win8 dual boot" at this website.

 

http://www.howtogeek...ual-boot-setup/

 

Ended up screwing up my system drive, knowing of course that I had an Image of it to restore if needed, and it was needed.

 

So if you've dual booted Win8 with your own operating system, be careful how you remove both the Win8 install, and the Win8 dual boot screen.

 

I'm pretty good usually at doing this stuff, and have some good software to rustle up, but Win8's own dual boot screen, and it's damned "repairing E: partiton" surprise most definitely taxed my abilities last night, and until 5.00am this morning.

 

Forewarned is forearmed they say, so I hope my experience is avoided by anyone else dual booting Win8.

 

 

EDIT: That was the short version. :lol:

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