# Windows 8 Release to Manufacturer Build Leaks



## Zerosuit connor (Aug 5, 2012)

Windows 8 Enterprise has leaked to several torrent and file sharing sites just two days after it's release. While it was not known if it was legitimate several users have dubbed it "Real, working and looking great".
The copy is an English version, but according to the file-sharing sites it is non-booting, so users must create an installation media. Instructions for creating a DVD- or USB based installer were posted on some of the file sharing websites and can be found pretty much anywhere on the internet http://bit.ly/T9d1D4 

Leaks of upcoming windows upgrades are not uncommon. In between the hype of the Windows 7 launch three years ago, leaked copies appeared regularly,including the October 2008 leak of an "alpha" version. Microsoft had meant only for the developers to obtain a Windows 7 RC, which launched also went public about two weeks before Microsoft officially launched the preview.

Luckily Microsoft has avoided most of this in the run-up to the Windows 8 release. All retail copies were shipped to the Microsoft's OEM partners it needed to  be someone inside an OEM that started the leak . Some customers will be able to obtain a retail copy legitimately as early as August 16th when the Released to Manufacturer milestone begins and the Microsoft Developers Network and TechNet services obtain the same code to be installed on newly manufactured computers. Enterprises with Software Assurance licensing plans, (gives companies the right to run any version of a product) will be able to snatch up Windows 8 starting Aug 16th, as well as the members of the Microsoft Partner Network.

The retail and Anytime Upgrade launch is slated for October 26th release with 3 versions available; Windows 8, Windows 8 Pro, and the version already leaked, enterprise. The tablet update RT was sent to reluctant OEMS yesterday to, with mixed emotions all round.

At least Microsoft will get thousand of free bug testers. 



> Of course, Microsoft would encourage you not to download a copy for several reasons. One, they have no control over what's contained in the package, so it could be packed full of malware. Two, they'd much rather sell the operating system to you than have you get a copy for free. Microsoft declined to comment on this issue.



Source
Source


----------



## Ericthegreat (Aug 5, 2012)

Well.... It begins.

Don't know if i'd rather stick with 7 or not.


----------



## Luigi2012SM64DS (Aug 5, 2012)

I'll try it if it only take 5 gigs of space.


----------



## Janthran (Aug 5, 2012)

Windows 8 isn't all that anyway. I had it for a year, trust me.


----------



## raybattousai (Aug 5, 2012)

In all honesty its just Windows 7 with a tablet UI slapped over it. While I do think its a fantastic option for a tablet, its pretty much pointless for a desktop and is more of a hindrance than an upgrade


----------



## SixSenseEagle (Aug 5, 2012)

I know its not officaly done yet, but I can't even download this, I think this is really meant for a tablet touch screen phone, and plus look at the start menu for the window 8 it is not like windows 7 it has a touch screen interface, also there adding the start menu from win7, and everything, but this time it won't be the original start menu, the pic above will be, and the original win 7 start menu has change on win 8, but anyway this should have been release on tablet just look at it, they just should kept the win7 start menu and made into a more advance, and made called it win8 overall like they did it previous versions, but no... now people are gonna have to learn this window stuff again since it been upgraded, and plus it have been converted really into a... metro/tablet format .


----------



## The Milkman (Aug 5, 2012)

Since apparently running XP is a sin I suppose I will be getting this (I doubt my shit rig could handle it though >_>)


----------



## ouch123 (Aug 5, 2012)

I think I'll wait on upgrading. When I first got Vista, my system ran like garbage and it continued to do so until Windows 7 came out. Plus, I'm not so sure on the UI just yet. Not saying it's bad (since I haven't tried it) but I think I'd like to see it in action a bit more beyond the silly promos MS has for it.


----------



## Nebz (Aug 5, 2012)

I tried the Consumer Preview some time ago and in all honesty I don't really see a point in immediately upgrading from Win 7 to this. I'll probably set it up on one of my older HDD's and mess around with it for a bit until it grows on me. I want to be sure there are no repercussions before making the leap to this one....


----------



## Gahars (Aug 5, 2012)

Looks like this metro got a head start.


----------



## LightyKD (Aug 5, 2012)

No X86 release  I'll be waiting a bit longer. I'm currently using the Consumer Release Build on my "entertainment PC"


----------



## Crimson Ghoul (Aug 5, 2012)

I actually love windows 8. I think the only thing that bugs me about it is that I can't change the icons on the metro screen, so I end up with a tiny Chrome icon and a huge IE icon.


----------



## Kioku_Dreams (Aug 5, 2012)

raybattousai said:


> In all honesty its just Windows 7 with a tablet UI slapped over it. While I do think its a fantastic option for a tablet, its pretty much pointless for a desktop and is more of a hindrance than an upgrade




Besides the fact that it actually uses LESS resources, and actually makes your computer run a little less intensively? Not to mention it actually makes life EASIER for its users. Granted they have taken a route that should have not been traveled? I'm not seeing myself go back to Windows 7 any time soon. This is coming from an early adopter of the Windows 8 betas. I've put up with their bugs and their crap. There's still some there, but I'm enjoying this more than I did 7.


----------



## Centrix (Aug 5, 2012)

Mchief298 said:


> raybattousai said:
> 
> 
> > In all honesty its just Windows 7 with a tablet UI slapped over it. While I do think its a fantastic option for a tablet, its pretty much pointless for a desktop and is more of a hindrance than an upgrade
> ...



I agree with you big time, I went back to 7 today only to go back to 8 tomorrow...My emulators like Desmume run at near perfect speeds to were as on 7 it runs like crap! what gives? Windows 8 also keeps the desktop super clean and clutter free, with the press of the Windows button your taken to your shortcuts/apps in a matter of seconds!


----------



## mysticwaterfall (Aug 5, 2012)

I'm on the Windows 8 seems pointless side myself, but to be fair, I didn't try the preview. However, I would never trust a whole OS from a dl. That's way too open to potential problems and requires a lot more trust then I'm ever giving some random dl post.


----------



## KingVamp (Aug 5, 2012)

Centrix said:


> My emulators like Desmume run at near perfect speeds to were as on 7 it runs like crap! what gives?


Are you sure about that? Emulators work fine on my computer.


----------



## Centrix (Aug 5, 2012)

Yes I am running Desmume SVN r4352 and it use to run smooth and near perfect with the occasional skips in the audio which I fix easily, but windows 7 is like screw that mess, so I don't know what the problem is but I can't play Dragon Quest 9 on the Windows 7 using that emulator but I can on Windows 8 just fine using that emulator! Everything from program installs to uninstalls to running them everything is better, smoother and faster allot faster with Windows 8!


----------



## KingVamp (Aug 5, 2012)

Centrix said:


> Yes I am running Desmume SVN r4352 and it use to run smooth and near perfect with the occasional skips in the audio which I fix easily, but windows 7 is like screw that mess, so I don't know what the problem is but I can't play Dragon Quest 9 on the Windows 7 using that emulator but I can on Windows 8 just fine using that emulator! Everything from program installs to uninstalls to running them everything is better, smoother and faster allot faster with Windows 8!


That's strange. Maybe because I'm using NullDC 1.6.  I wish there was more game compatibility videos.
Only found this.  



Maybe you should make one. 

edit: I thought I read DEmul. Read too fast.


----------



## Zerosuit connor (Aug 5, 2012)

Windows 8 is optimized for touch displays but It still runs well on a PC.


----------



## Ericthegreat (Aug 5, 2012)

I have consumer preview on my brothers pc, for me I prefer windows 7 for now....


----------



## Rydian (Aug 5, 2012)

raybattousai said:


> In all honesty its just Windows 7 with a tablet UI slapped over it. While I do think its a fantastic option for a tablet, its pretty much pointless for a desktop and is more of a hindrance than an upgrade


Windows 8 won't be on tablets, though.  That's Windows RT, and it won't run Windows programs.

The mixups with AERO versus Metro availability and the fact that "Windows 8" is split into two OSes (desktop and tablet) means I'm taking most information I hear with a grain of salt, and I'm waiting for the actual release to even _look_ at it.

After having been through XP, Vista, and 7's launch and seeing all the absolute bullshit people spout and repeat, I've learned it's best to wait until actual release so concrete info can be gathered.


----------



## Kioku_Dreams (Aug 5, 2012)

KingVamp said:


> Centrix said:
> 
> 
> > Yes I am running Desmume SVN r4352 and it use to run smooth and near perfect with the occasional skips in the audio which I fix easily, but windows 7 is like screw that mess, so I don't know what the problem is but I can't play Dragon Quest 9 on the Windows 7 using that emulator but I can on Windows 8 just fine using that emulator! Everything from program installs to uninstalls to running them everything is better, smoother and faster allot faster with Windows 8!
> ...



Seems like compatibility problems, then again it is before the release preview. I game just fine on W8.


----------



## FAST6191 (Aug 5, 2012)

I would be a bit more interested in a leak of windows 8 server or whatever it will eventually be called (edit apparently it is just Windows server 2012) as I hear there are some big changes for the better and probably the only compelling reason to consider sticking with windows for most of my would be clients. As for windows 8... what has been seen far is not really for me although dropping down to a proper UI is doable (and probably all but mandatory for those wishing to "get stuff done") although it might be worth a look at this version.

Windows 8 running leaner than 7... a novel idea especially considering 7 was actually pretty good about most things for even a basic consumer PC, I am wondering how much of that might be driver and stock service related though vs a properly configured system (in the end even Vista could be punched into order).


----------



## aireca (Aug 5, 2012)

All that complains people have, has been already "fixed" with mods, even eliminate that ugly metro tablet style start, start directly to explorer, add a normal start button, etc... you can customize all win 8 with unnoficial patches off course, "normal" people will complain, as always...., but nothing really stops you from modding windows


----------



## Jamstruth (Aug 5, 2012)

aireca said:


> All that complains people have, has been already "fixed" with mods, even eliminate that ugly metro tablet style start, start directly to explorer, add a normal start button, etc... you can customize all win 8 with unnoficial patches off course, "normal" people will complain, as always...., but nothing really stops you from modding windows


I say we can still complain. The vanilla build is what will be installed in offices etc. For businesses I see no advantage to the touch interface. Its too simple for proper computing.
I know desktop is still available but what gets to me is the break in workflow going into the tablet UI gives. It makes it annoying to launch to simplest things on a desktop e.g. Control Panel.


----------



## aireca (Aug 5, 2012)

^ hahaha, i work into air conditioner world (mostly factorys) & i know places where there is still people working with windows 98 xD


----------



## Rydian (Aug 5, 2012)

FAST6191 said:


> Windows 8 running leaner than 7... a novel idea especially considering 7 was actually pretty good about most things for even a basic consumer PC, I am wondering how much of that might be driver and stock service related though vs a properly configured system (in the end even Vista could be punched into order).


What about dropping backwards compatibility and/or support for legacy hardware?


----------



## Deleted User (Aug 5, 2012)

im on win 8 dev preview and it sometimes just gives me a green screen when i turn it on (almost everytime) so im going back to win 7......


----------



## raulpica (Aug 5, 2012)

Going to try it as soon as a Win8 Pro RTM surfaces up. There are SO many contrasting opinions that I must try it for myself to decide.

EDIT: Windows-to-go intrigues me massively. Looks like I'll give the Enterprise version a spin too.


----------



## Smuff (Aug 5, 2012)

aireca said:


> ^ hahaha, i work into air conditioner world (mostly factorys) & i know places where there is still people working with windows 98 xD


Same here (the win98 bit that is, not the air con).
Very few people can be arsed to upgrade OS on a working laser installation - too much aggro. Our software would probably flip out if you tried to run it with anything higher than XP


----------



## Foxi4 (Aug 5, 2012)

raybattousai said:


> *In all honesty its just Windows 7 with a tablet UI slapped over it.* While I do think its a fantastic option for a tablet, its pretty much pointless for a desktop and is *more of a hindrance than an upgrade.*





> Windows 8‘s Metro interface may be controversial, but it looks like few PC users will complain about the new operating system’s performance. The PCWorld Labs put the Consumer Preview of Windows 8 through a battery of tests and found it generally faster--sometimes a lot faster--than Windows 7.
> 
> We tested using our WorldBench 7 tests, performed on the Labs' baseline system, which is built around a 3.3GHz Intel Core i5-2500K processor. That CPU is coupled with 8GB of DDR3 RAM clocked at 1333MHz, a 1TB 7200-rpm hard drive, and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 Ti graphics card. (...) We loaded the Consumer Preview of Windows 8 on the system, and compared our results with the numbers we already had for the same system running Windows 7.
> 
> Windows 8 ran through WorldBench 7, our comprehensive performance benchmark, 14 percent faster than Windows 7. Generally, any difference of 5 percent or more on WorldBench is noticeable (...) If you hate waiting for your PC to get going, you should like Windows 8. Our system started up at least 35 percent faster running Windows 8 than it did while running Windows 7. Under Windows 7, our average startup time was 56.2 seconds. Under Windows 8, that time dropped to 36.8 seconds (...)


Source



> We can draw some interesting conclusions from these benchmark results. The first and most obvious is that boot times have been cut down further, and Microsoft has managed to shave another second off the time it takes to start up the test system. Microsoft promised to slash boot times, and it seems that the promise has been delivered. (...) It usually takes AMD and NVIDIA some time to optimize and perfect their drivers for a new operating system, with drivers having to mature for several months before we see similar performance between the new operating system and the old one. This time around it seems that things have settled down quickly and that we're seeing performance that is on par with a mature operating system. (...) We're also seeing quite an improvement when it comes to audio and video transcoding. This is something I've come to expect from betas of Windows operating systems. It's an area that Microsoft seems to put effort into improving, and that trend continues with Windows 8.


Source

Looks like quite the upgrade to me.


----------



## shakirmoledina (Aug 5, 2012)

its fantastic W8. try it but i suggest the full version and not be hasty with leaked versions.

its faster, cleaner, much better looking (nice colors), more informative
i just feel the start menu is still very much needed


----------



## jalaneme (Aug 5, 2012)

People must be on drugs if they think windows 8 is better than 7 version 8 breaks a lot of pc games, why would you DOWNGRADE to a tablet ui? Its pointless, microsoft don't give us a choice and shove this horrible os down our throats, faster? Cleaner? Do you work for microsoft or something? How can a dumbed down os be faster when its useless for everything? If you are a casual user who just plays facebook games all day then windows 8 is for you as you don't need to do anything else, for serious pc related stuff windows 8 is useless.


----------



## Maz7006 (Aug 5, 2012)

As far as i can tell you can disable all the Metro stuff right ?


----------



## Damian666 (Aug 5, 2012)

agreed, windows 8 is gonna be the first windows version im not upgrading too, fugly as hell.

first they spend years perfecting a GUI, to throw it away in 1 go? those guys are on drugs man... xd


----------



## Foxi4 (Aug 5, 2012)

jalaneme said:


> People must be on drugs if they think windows 8 is better than 7 version 8 breaks a lot of pc games, why would you DOWNGRADE to a tablet ui? Its pointless, microsoft don't give us a choice and shove this horrible os down our throats, faster? Cleaner? Do you work for microsoft or something? How can a dumbed down os be faster when its useless for everything? If you are a casual user who just plays facebook games all day then windows 8 is for you as you don't need to do anything else, for serious pc related stuff windows 8 is useless.


How is it "dumbed-down" or in any way more limited then Windows 7 when it has all the functions Windows 7 has plus the MetroUI plus tidier boot routines plus slightly better overall performance? It doesn't "break games" - it just doesn't have proper drivers yet because, suprise, suprise, it's not out yet.

Either show some benchmarks that prove your little theory or shush because you're simply wrong, and it doesn't take "working for Microsoft" to realize that. By the way, nobody's shoving anything down your throat - you don't have to buy the OS.



Maz7006 said:


> As far as i can tell you can disable all the Metro stuff right ?


You can't. It's an integral part of the system now that will also recieve separate a'la "Gadgets" applications, shared between the Pro and the RT editions of the system.

I wouldn't mind having the Start Orb back where it was, but that can be fixed with Start8 and other programs like it. Overall, it's an upgrade and it's worth considering.


----------



## boombox (Aug 5, 2012)

Isn't 8 more tablet friendly rather than PC oriented? I think I'd rather stick to Windows 7, unless there's something incredibly new and amazing and I must have it! haha


----------



## Adr990 (Aug 5, 2012)

Seriously, people who post "Windows 8 is just Windows 7 with Metro Interface nothing special, just added support for touchscreens" or such things really need to learn and look up information about stuff like a new OS before complaining about it.

It has ready to use improved USB 3.0 drivers, also a way better usage of drivers and applications of Printers etc.
ISO mounting build in.
Another kind of File History
New kind of file moving and copying
hardware audio acceleration
Hyper-V

I probably have forgotten quite a few things, but these things impressed me most..

It's faster than previous Windows OS's.
And...  it has DirectX 11.1 (Allthough.. OpenGL beats DirectX at all sides)

---

And yes, you can disable Metro.

Windows 8 is gonna be installed on my new PC build anytime soon.
For only already the above reasons.


----------



## Rydian (Aug 5, 2012)

jalaneme said:


> People must be on drugs if they think windows 8 is better than 7 version 8 breaks a lot of pc games


Just because it works on Windows 7 doesn't mean it was coded correctly.  Look at all the games still being sold that don't even adhere to the user/admin rights system implemented _in Windows XP_.  Take decades of lazy coding and slap rootkit DRM on top of that, and you have some games that break with every windows version _because they're fucked up_.

Then, on the other hand, you have things that were coded correctly and continue to work years after release.  Take Diablo 2 for example.  It's 12 years old, but it runs even on Windows 8.


----------



## Foxi4 (Aug 5, 2012)

Adr990 said:


> And yes, you can disable Metro.


You cannot disable Metro - it was only possible in the closed Developer Preview via a registery key modification, but from Consumer Preview onwards the UI is an integral part of the system itself and cannot be removed or turned off. To my knowledge, Microsoft already adressed the issue by simply stating that "the world goes forward and so does Windows - farewell Start Menu, welcome Metro". You can re-implement the Start Menu by installing third-party applications, but you cannot disable Metro.



Damian666 said:


> first they spend years perfecting a GUI, to throw it away in 1 go? those guys are on drugs man... xd


I'm pretty sure that a couple years back people said the same thing about the Command Line and they somehow got used to the Desktop.


----------



## shakirmoledina (Aug 5, 2012)

actually the metro is as good as the start menu if not better ie. cleaner. the problem is that not all programs appear in the list like i cannot even add it to all apps... can I? i will need to check this again.

speed wise, i was using w7 on my desktop (32x) and it used to take upto sometimes 20 seconds to shut down. now it does so in 5.


----------



## FAST6191 (Aug 5, 2012)

raulpica said:


> Going to try it as soon as a Win8 Pro RTM surfaces up. There are SO many contrasting opinions that I must try it for myself to decide.
> 
> EDIT: Windows-to-go intrigues me massively. Looks like I'll give the Enterprise version a spin too.



Other than the domain, group policy and the usual stuff there as far as I see it is just EFS/bitlocker and to be frank I think I would rather go TrueCrypt if I had to head down that path.
Edit- misread your post As for windows to go I thought that was enterprise only (rather than just pro)? I like that MS are doing it but virtualbox has been pretty portable for a while now and there are other portable windows options. This said if it makes for a few less licensing headaches I am definitely up for it.

Re: industrial machinery I will go one further and point at things still in the 386/486 realm- got called a couple of times by panicked people when their CNC, testing machines and other similar machines that contribute seriously to their income fall over. Was kind of a pity to lose my dos machine I kept around but dosbox does very well these days and the likes of the arduino/teensy do well should I need something like a serial port. Shockingly my collection of 30 pin and 72 pin ram has not been depleted unlike my collection of DDR which even if I ignore upgrades gets drained quite often these days thanks to broken sticks of it.

"ISO mounting built in."
About time I guess (similar to their support of zip) but I am about as excited about that as I am about windows notepad: better than nothing but replaced the second real work has to be done and certainly not a true selling point. A new copying feature though..... if it can avoid lying to me about how long it will take I guess I can consider leaving teracopy.

On boot times... granted I still turn my computer completely off almost every day (got stung by a few power bills) but between whatever standby is called today and hibernate I am kind of reminded of the recent javascript speedup stuff that the various browsers got themselves into a competition over but at least that had some truly tangible benefit in the end.


If it carries on like this I might have to actually pay proper attention and maybe consider not going in for the skip every other windows OS if I am to continue using windows at all routine. I was considering an upgrade of 7 for a few clients still on XP but if 8 turns out like this it might be mint and 8 as a terminal server/RDP in the corner routine.

Jamstruth although I agree most offices could do with a bit of customisation MS have made it very clear it can be disabled via group policy and otherwise. MS went back on it?. I will have to see how http://classicshell.sourceforge.net/features.html plays out for windows8 as well.

I have probably said it before but interesting times we find ourselves in, I was almost considering having a bit of a snooze but it looks like that plan is out.#

Edit2
Re: Command line vs GUI. I would contend both of those have a very valid place in computing and losing either would be bad (which is probably why it has not been done so much).


----------



## Magsor (Aug 5, 2012)

I have been running windows 8 since dev preview.
I think Microsoft missed the boat on this one, and its gonna cost them. I think they should have included a linux environnement into the UI. We are in 2012 for god sake.
The Android wave is coming and if you want to stay afloat you have to give high end users some toys to work with.
Windows 8 is by no means for low end users (anymore). Metro UI is nice and all but all they did was make an improved Unity. I was sad they did not improved it further on on consumers preview.

Windows 8 is just... not exciting.


----------



## Pong20302000 (Aug 5, 2012)

raulpica said:


> Going to try it as soon as a Win8 Pro RTM surfaces up. There are SO many contrasting opinions that I must try it for myself to decide.
> 
> EDIT: Windows-to-go intrigues me massively. Looks like I'll give the Enterprise version a spin too.



Well heres a list of xurrent leaks

Windows 8 x64 Enterprise N version
Windows 8 x64 Enterprise
Windows 8 x86 Enterprise
Windows 8 x64 Professional
Windows 8 x86 Professional
Windows Server 2012


----------



## DjoeN (Aug 5, 2012)

I know 1 thing 

- I'll wait till i can install a legit version through my work on my pc 

On the other hand, instead of shouting out why it suxs over other OS's (Did MS ever roll out a perfect OS? (MS-Dos not counted  )) we better wait for a final release
and then see and shout about it?

Mostly it's always like this with MS _(i do hope this line gets broken with Windows 8)_

*Bad OS - Better OS*

- Windows 95/98 -> Windows 98SE
- Millenium -> XP
- Vista - Windows 7
- Windows 8 - ???


----------



## Adr990 (Aug 5, 2012)

"Perfect OS" ?

There is no such thing like that.
There are just main key differences between OS's.

Linux is free and open source and virus free and stuff
Windows is compatible with most software and easy and stuff
Mac is colorful and expensive and doesn't care for hot fixes and viruses and stuff


----------



## Shuny (Aug 5, 2012)

It's sad because if we could get rid of the Metro UI, Windows 8 would be a great OS :/


----------



## Damian666 (Aug 5, 2012)

Shuny said:


> It's sad because if we could get rid of the Metro UI, Windows 8 would be a great OS :/



totally agreed man


----------



## matthewn4444 (Aug 5, 2012)

Hate the Metro Ui, but Windows 8 is faster and feels faster than Windows 7, so I will have to guess used to the new UI.


----------



## jalaneme (Aug 5, 2012)

Rydian said:


> Just because it works on Windows 7 doesn't mean it was coded correctly.  Look at all the games still being sold that don't even adhere to the user/admin rights system implemented _in Windows XP_.  Take decades of lazy coding and slap rootkit DRM on top of that, and you have some games that break with every windows version _because they're fucked up_.
> 
> Then, on the other hand, you have things that were coded correctly and continue to work years after release.  Take Diablo 2 for example.  It's 12 years old, but it runs even on Windows 8.



well adding a even newer OS to the mix is not going to help matters is it? not all games from 10+ years ago will work on windows 8, and the same for windows 7 not a lot of games work for that and look how long that has been out for, like i said before upgrading to a even newer os is not going to make the situation any better, people seem to think because it's the latest it must be the best, that is just simply not the case all the time.


----------



## jalaneme (Aug 5, 2012)

Adr990 said:


> It has ready to use improved USB 3.0 drivers, also a way better usage of drivers and applications of Printers etc.
> ISO mounting build in.
> Another kind of File History
> New kind of file moving and copying
> ...



not a lot of people use usb 3.0 so why would anyone care about a feature that hardly anyone would use? iso mounting cane be done in windows 7, yes it's 3rd party but the feature is still there its not the end of the world, plus anything that microsoft integrate into the os they always mess up anyway, can anyone tell me who uses the feature to burn data to a dvd in windows explorer? no? didn't think so.


----------



## Jamstruth (Aug 5, 2012)

Foxi4 said:


> raybattousai said:
> 
> 
> > *In all honesty its just Windows 7 with a tablet UI slapped over it.* While I do think its a fantastic option for a tablet, its pretty much pointless for a desktop and is *more of a hindrance than an upgrade.*
> ...


He said hindrance. Not slower. Yes there have been upgrades behind the scenes but the Metro UI just breaks workflow completely.



Foxi4 said:


> jalaneme said:
> 
> 
> > People must be on drugs if they think windows 8 is better than 7 version 8 breaks a lot of pc games, why would you DOWNGRADE to a tablet ui? Its pointless, microsoft don't give us a choice and shove this horrible os down our throats, faster? Cleaner? Do you work for microsoft or something? How can a dumbed down os be faster when its useless for everything? If you are a casual user who just plays facebook games all day then windows 8 is for you as you don't need to do anything else, for serious pc related stuff windows 8 is useless.
> ...


Once again I think he's referring to how terribly it handles on a desktop. I've used it a bit and maybe you do get used to it after a fashion but I just can't get over the constant Metro switching I have to do to make the OS do what I want. Its possible for full screen start menus to work. I use one all the time in Gnome3 but I just dislike it in Windows 8. All the functions of Windows 7 are there but they seem vastly less accessible behind the tablet interface. The kernel and back end stuff have definitely been improved but unfortunately I see the interface (the main part of the computer I care about as a user) as a grave misstep.


----------



## Foxi4 (Aug 5, 2012)

Jamstruth said:


> *snip*


No, the first poster stated that it's just MetroUI slapped over Windows 7 when it's not - it contains numerous performance tweaks. The second poster stated that the system is dumbed-down and "breaks" a lot of applications, I explained that it's not dumbed-down, it's extended and games not always work because the system does not contain proper drivers yet - they will be updated before the final release. It was also insinuated that the system is slower when in fact it's faster, that and the system was called "useless unless you only use it for facebook games" when it's not, it just requires NVidia's, Intel's and AMD's etc. support in form of drivers.

Read the whole thing, not just the MetroUI rant. The system's better, if someone hates Metro, he or she is welcome to download a third-party Start Menu.


----------



## raulpica (Aug 5, 2012)

I'll just disable MetroUI altogheter an d that's it


----------



## Some1CP (Aug 6, 2012)

I actually disabled metro by replacing "explorer.exe" with the Windows 7 one.
It feels like an improved Windows 7

:V


----------



## Rydian (Aug 6, 2012)

jalaneme said:


> Rydian said:
> 
> 
> > Just because it works on Windows 7 doesn't mean it was coded correctly.  Look at all the games still being sold that don't even adhere to the user/admin rights system implemented _in Windows XP_.  Take decades of lazy coding and slap rootkit DRM on top of that, and you have some games that break with every windows version _because they're fucked up_.
> ...


My point is it's THE PROGRAMS that are at fault if they don't run on 8.  8 is backwards-compatible with programs written _correctly_ for 7.


----------



## YayMii (Aug 6, 2012)

Not installing this yet as I don't have a proper PC right now and there aren't actual Boot Camp drivers out yet.


d00dleFace said:


> I actually disabled metro by replacing "explorer.exe" with the Windows 7 one.
> It feels like an improved Windows 7
> 
> :V


That actually works? Does it break any of the new features (like ISO mounting)?


----------



## Bobbyloujo (Aug 6, 2012)

I wish I had a touch screen device to test this out with. I'm undecided on whether or not I like the UI... It's certainly nice for tablets though. There will finally be tablets that are useful!


----------



## loco365 (Aug 6, 2012)

I actually might consider upgrading to Windows 8. It runs better than Windows Vista or 7 on my ancient desktop computer.


----------



## Kioku_Dreams (Aug 6, 2012)

Ironically enough from what I said earlier.. I experienced some slight problems. Installed the RTM build. Everything went fine, until I decided to try itunes.  Keep getting error 7 which is due to an error with .net framework. I have 3.5 and 4 installed.. and it worked fine on the release preview.  If anyone else here installed it and has itunes working, PM me. So confused. 

Heh. Still enjoying it, though.


----------



## Damian666 (Aug 6, 2012)

d00dleFace said:


> I actually disabled metro by replacing "explorer.exe" with the Windows 7 one.
> It feels like an improved Windows 7
> 
> :V


lol wtf, does that work? xd *fires up his VM...*

no it doesnt...


----------



## raiderscrusade (Aug 6, 2012)

So this leak, is it a final version?

Also, will it run better than Windows 7 on old laptops? My laptop is a crappy Intel Core 2 Duo with 2 GB RAM, so if it runs better than Windows 7 I'm in!

One last thing, what are the system requirements for it? I have a tablet with an Intel Atom and 1 GB RAM, though the HDD is only 16 GB - therefore, if this requires less I'll probably chuck this onto the tablet, replacing the Consumer Preview.

Almost forgot! In the Consumer Preview there was a resolution requirement and my tablets resolution (1024x600) wasn't supported. Has this changed?


----------



## YayMii (Aug 6, 2012)

raiderscrusade said:


> So this leak, is it a final version?
> 
> Also, will it run better than Windows 7 on old laptops? My laptop is a crappy Intel Core 2 Duo with 2 GB RAM, so if it runs better than Windows 7 I'm in!
> 
> ...


It should run better than even Windows XP on most old computers, given that the CPU is at least 1GHz and 1GB RAM. And according to several sites the 32-bit version needs 16GB.
The resolution requirement is still there, but keep in mind the resolution is for Metro apps.


----------



## Nebz (Aug 6, 2012)

For anyone that's interested, there's a lack of WMP and some point after installation you'll be prompted for activation of your install. No Activator yet and I wouldn't expect one immediately.
I'll probably stay away until an Activator or a better install comes along.

I don't know if it was mentioned already... just figured I'd post this anyway.

I'd assume the System Requirements are still as followed from the previews:


*Processor:* 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster

*RAM:* 1 gigabyte (GB) (32-bit) or 2 GB (64-bit)

*Hard disk space:* 16 GB (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)

*Graphics card:* Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver

*Additional requirements to use certain features:*


To use touch, you need a tablet or a monitor that supports multitouch.

To access the Windows Store and to download and run apps, you need an active Internet connection and a screen resolution of at least 1024 x 768.

To snap apps, you need a screen resolution of at least 1366 x 768.

Internet access (ISP fees might apply)


----------



## Sicklyboy (Aug 6, 2012)

At some point I might grab this for my brother's netbook, and maybe even for my server depending on how I like it.  His netbook shipped with XP, I upgraded it to 7 and it runs terribly, so perhaps this will run better.  And on my server, any resources that aren't being used up by the OS are resources that can be used for my Minecraft server :3


----------



## kenjixx (Aug 6, 2012)

i got a p4 that as been put aside for awhile... might as well rise it up once again to test the power of windows 8


----------



## BORTZ (Aug 6, 2012)

I feel like it would work better on a tablet than a full blown desktop.


----------



## Some1CP (Aug 6, 2012)

YayMii said:


> Not installing this yet as I don't have a proper PC right now and there aren't actual Boot Camp drivers out yet.
> 
> 
> d00dleFace said:
> ...





Damian666 said:


> d00dleFace said:
> 
> 
> > I actually disabled metro by replacing "explorer.exe" with the Windows 7 one.
> ...



Yes it does.
Check this out:
http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/157302-windows-7-explorer-for-windows-8/


----------



## Damian666 (Aug 6, 2012)

aah, ofcourse, needs extra files, stupid me xd


----------



## HaniKazmi (Aug 6, 2012)

A few points if anyone cares:
The snap apps minimun resolution has been reduced (used to be 1366x768), although I'm not sure what the new minimum is.
WMP is included in the Pro leak.
All leaks can be armed for 30 days at a time, 999 times. While armed, the release works exactly like an activated version.
Metro can not be disabled through the OS settings, but there are several programs available to readd the start menu.


----------



## jonesman99 (Aug 7, 2012)

I'm sticking with Win7. This kind of setup works for the Xbox and Windows phone, but to have this on your desktop or laptop? I don't see it as a hindrance and I understand the drastic overhaul of the interface, I just don't a majority of Win7 users jumping ship permanently using this.


----------



## Zetta_x (Aug 7, 2012)

It should be able to support an improved file system.... that seems interesting


----------



## Deleted member 310901 (Aug 7, 2012)

.


----------



## raiderscrusade (Aug 7, 2012)

HaniKazmi said:


> A few points if anyone cares:
> *The snap apps minimun resolution has been reduced (used to be 1366x768), although I'm not sure what the new minimum is.*
> WMP is included in the Pro leak.
> All leaks can be armed for 30 days at a time, 999 times. While armed, the release works exactly like an activated version.
> Metro can not be disabled through the OS settings, but there are several programs available to readd the start menu.



Hopefully thats true because most netbooks, along with tablets, which have an Atom processor have resolutions of 1024x600, so given the current resolution requirements, metro apps would not work on them.


----------



## Damian666 (Aug 7, 2012)

keys for the activation have also been seen floating around...


----------



## Pong20302000 (Aug 7, 2012)

Woop got my Windows 8 Pro 64bit activated 

there is officially a method

also requires to install nothing, its all done by command prompt LOL
also alot more keys

and also a key that can be used to add Windows Media Center after intall

keys that have been leaked

EnterpriseNEval
CoreARM
EmbeddedIndustryA
EmbeddedE
CoreSingleLanguage
EmbeddedAutomotive
Professional
ServerStorageStandard
ServerStorageWorkgroup
ServerStandardEval
Starter
ServerSolution
Embedded
EmbeddedIndustryAEX
ServerDatacenterEval
EmbeddedIndustry
Core
Enterprise
EnterpriseEva
ServerHyperCore
ThinPC
ServerWinFoundation
ServerStandard
CoreN
ServerMultiPointStandard
ServerDatacenterCore
ServerWeb
EmbeddedIndustryE
ProfessionalN
StarterN
CoreCountrySpecific
ServerMultiPointPremium
ProfessionalWMC
ServerDatacenter
ServerStorageStandardEval
EmbeddedA
ServerStorageWorkgroupEval
EnterpriseN
ServerStandardCore
gvlkCoreARM
gvlkServerStandard
gvlkCoreN
gvlkServerMultiPointStandard
gvlkCoreSingleLanguage
gvlkServerDatacenterCore
gvlkProfessional
gvlkProfessionalN
gvlkCoreCountrySpecific
gvlkServerMultiPointPremium
gvlkProfessionalWMC
gvlkServerDatacenter
gvlkEnterpriseN
gvlkEnterprise
gvlkCore
gvlkServerStandardCore

all released by WZT


----------



## FireGrey (Aug 7, 2012)

Pong20302000 said:


> Woop got my Windows 8 Pro 64bit activated
> 
> there is officially a method
> 
> ...


I have Enterprise N activated 
I'm not very impressed with Windows 8, Minecraft keeps crashing and i got an error screen with a : ( face and fatal error, I would like to dub it:
The Sad Face Of Death


----------



## FireGrey (Aug 7, 2012)

d00dleFace said:


> I actually disabled metro by replacing "explorer.exe" with the Windows 7 one.
> It feels like an improved Windows 7
> 
> :V


Could that work the other way around?


----------



## Pong20302000 (Aug 7, 2012)

FireGrey said:


> The Sad Face Of Death



just read
the KMS server is down,
i assume it just got overloaded LOL
people think it might be Microsoft also tho that took it down

- ITS BACK UP!!


----------



## Arras (Aug 7, 2012)

FireGrey said:


> I have Enterprise N activated
> I'm not very impressed with Windows 8, Minecraft keeps crashing and i got an error screen with a : ( face and fatal error, I would like to dub it:
> The Sad Face Of Death


That Sad Face of Death is actually the new, revised BSoD. They finally got rid of the old scary one in favour of a more user-friendly error.


----------



## ThePowerOutage (Aug 7, 2012)

Pong20302000 said:


> FireGrey said:
> 
> 
> > The Sad Face Of Death
> ...


Not for me.
DLing the Hyper-V files, try activating that way.

First impressions are good though. 3rd party drivers don't work well yet (I can get metro apps to run by using built in drivers, but then Minecraft doesnt work ) but they will probably be fixed soon.
Metro takes a bit to get used to, but isn't all that bad. The store, though there isnt much in it yet looks promising.
I do want a Surface Tab now though.


----------



## Pong20302000 (Aug 7, 2012)

ThePowerOutage said:


> Pong20302000 said:
> 
> 
> > FireGrey said:
> ...



i dont think you read my post carefully enough
-_-


----------



## ChaosAngel (Aug 7, 2012)

I enjoyed Windows 8, and would probably switch to it completely if they just had compatible drivers for my laptop. The quick boot time and lightweight resources are incredibly enticing.


----------



## ThePowerOutage (Aug 7, 2012)

Pong20302000 said:


> ThePowerOutage said:
> 
> 
> > Pong20302000 said:
> ...


?
Anyway, the KMS server keeps one coming back on line then going offline again. Half tempted to make a .bat file to send the command every so often.
The VHD method was a waste of time. Im too much of a noob to deal with server stuff


----------



## Rydian (Aug 8, 2012)

Take note that the early RTM is done in order for hardware/software companies to start being able to product drivers and such for the OS, so of course there's almost nil right at RTM being pushed out...


----------



## Pleng (Aug 9, 2012)

jalaneme said:


> plus anything that microsoft integrate into the os they always mess up anyway, can anyone tell me who uses the feature to burn data to a dvd in windows explorer? no? didn't think so.



So you pick one flawed feature as an constructive example? Even then, I've used it from time to time, and most casual users I know use it all the time.

Certainly Windows ISO burner is fantastic. I never use anything else to burn ISOs to disk. Unfortunately it does feel a little like "too little, too late". I mean, who uses DVDs now anyway?


----------



## Wizerzak (Aug 9, 2012)

Sorry, kind of a noob at this stuff but what would I need in order to get this running? Do I need a separate partition? Will an external HDD work?


----------



## Kioku_Dreams (Aug 9, 2012)

Windows 8 Enterprise (Not sure which Version, it said Non-N) activated and running PERFECT. Using an AMD Radeon HD 6670 (Comp is mid to low in specs anyway) and the drivers are all installed. The only problem? iTunes doesn't work right, for now. I've had no problems with any other applications, and Minecraft works fine for me.


----------



## Pong20302000 (Aug 9, 2012)

Wizerzak said:


> Sorry, kind of a noob at this stuff but what would I need in order to get this running? Do I need a separate partition? Will an external HDD work?



someone posted the spec

its an official windows disk so once burned its like installing any other OS


----------



## Wizerzak (Aug 9, 2012)

Pong20302000 said:


> Wizerzak said:
> 
> 
> > Sorry, kind of a noob at this stuff but what would I need in order to get this running? Do I need a separate partition? Will an external HDD work?
> ...


Sorry, I worded it poorly, I knew my PC could run it. I mean, would I be able to use the external HDD from my Wii in some way?


----------



## Pong20302000 (Aug 9, 2012)

Wizerzak said:


> Pong20302000 said:
> 
> 
> > Wizerzak said:
> ...



you might be able to boot from USB but unsure, depends what you pc can boot from, id just burned to DVD, easyiest way


----------



## Wizerzak (Aug 9, 2012)

Pong20302000 said:


> Wizerzak said:
> 
> 
> > Pong20302000 said:
> ...


But what you burn to the DVD is just an installer isn't it? It can't run 'live' off the disk can it?

In which case would I be able to install it onto the HDD after burning to a DVD?


----------



## Pong20302000 (Aug 9, 2012)

Wizerzak said:


> Pong20302000 said:
> 
> 
> > Wizerzak said:
> ...



yeah the DVD is the installer then you can install to any HDD / USB (if supported by Motherboard)
obliviously if windows 7 is already loaded you can upgrade


----------



## Wizerzak (Aug 9, 2012)

Pong20302000 said:


> Wizerzak said:
> 
> 
> > Pong20302000 said:
> ...


Cool thanks, I can see where the confusion was now. Forgot to mention that I plan on keeping Win 7 for the time being, just wanted to give 8 a try.


----------



## Wizerzak (Aug 9, 2012)

OK, got it up and running thanks! I'm guessing the KMS server is down at the moment (unless I'm doing something wrong).

First impressions: Winds 8 is really nice, it's fast smooth and neat. However I'm not a massive fan of having no start menu, it may just be me but it seems as if the applications that you run from the new start menu (such as IE) run in a different 'area' (not on the desktop), and I can't even figure out how to close them. :L

Could someone recommend the best start menu / other changes hack? Thanks.


----------



## Pong20302000 (Aug 9, 2012)

Wizerzak said:


> OK, got it up and running thanks! I'm guessing the KMS server is down at the moment (unless I'm doing something wrong).
> 
> First impressions: Winds 8 is really nice, it's fast smooth and neat. However I'm not a massive fan of having no start menu, it may just be me but it seems as if the applications that you run from the new start menu (such as IE) run in a different 'area' (not on the desktop), and I can't even figure out how to close them. :L
> 
> Could someone recommend the best start menu / other changes hack? Thanks.



you change change bits once activated


----------



## mysticwaterfall (Aug 10, 2012)

So, the curiousity got the best of me and it seemed the consenus was that these were unmodified iso's. So I went ahead and installed Win 8 Pro to a vhd. Shame I missed out on the whole KMS thing, but I'm sure other things will pop up to activate.

Out of the box, I think Win8 is frustrating, since you seemingly don't know how to do anything you actually want to do in the begining. It would be perfect for somebody like my mom who just wants to turn her computer on and check email or what not and not worry about any of the stuff underneath.

However, once I played with it a bit, moved some things around,  started tweaking things, etc it did start to grow on me a bit. Overall, it does seem faster and more responsive then Win 7 is, and I can see how some of the new features may be more productive once they are gotten used to - even the new start menu. The only thing I really don't like is how Metro apps default to full screen and don't close unless you go out of your way to close them. I understand they are supposedly suspended like in Android, which  might make sense for some apps, but does something like "settings" really need to stay in the background forever?

So, bottom line for me is, I think Windows 8 actually has potential, which surprised me. Don't know if I'll switch to it full time or not yet, but right now its interesting.

@Wizerzak Start8 gives you the new start menu but has it appear in the same place as the old start menu. Vistart gives you a Vista/7 style start menu. As for closing metro apps, you can do Alt-F4 (some times) or press the Win-key then go to the upper left hand corner, find the app, right click on it and hit close. Or, you can use task manager to kill it (ctrl-shift-esc).


----------



## Bobbyloujo (Aug 10, 2012)

I installed it on my older Vista laptop. I'm actually very impressed. The laptop is a Toshiba Satellite A205-S5804, which is a total piece of crap, really. Vista hardly worked on it because of that memory leak with the updater. Even after I disabled the updater service the thing was still pretty slow when running Vista. So, I installed Windows 8 along with Vista on it. Windows 8 boots and shuts down incredibly quickly. It runs so much faster and smoother than Vista. It's actually a usable computer now. In fact, I'm using it to type this post right now.

As far as the new UI, I don't mind it. Actually, I find it very easy to use, even on a laptop with no touch screen. Switching apps is easy and you don't have to cycle through them one by one. If you throw your mouse into one of the left corners then move it up or down along the edge of the screen, you'll see a list of all the apps you have open. Click on the app to open it or right click on it to close it. I've had no problem finding things such as the Control Panel or Disk Management because of the search option. Throw your mouse into either of the right corners to open a menu with Search, Share, Start, Devices, and Settings. The Search feature works very similar the old search feature in the old start menu.

I can think of one complaint, though it's very trivial. Scrolling in the apps is not consistent. On the Start menu, you can push the curser against either edge of the screen to scroll left and right. That's all well and good, but, in other apps, that doesn't work. In some apps, I can scroll with the trackpad on my laptop. That's great, but I can't do that in the Start menu. Some apps, the trackpad won't even work. I must move my curser to the bottom of the screen and use the scroll bar. Any programmer should know that consistency is a good a thing.

As I was typing the last paragraph I thought of another thing. I can't figure out how to very two apps side by side. That was something that Microsoft showed in their demo that I kind of liked. When I try to drag in a second app from the side of the screen and hold it there, nothing happens. Also, if you move your curser to the top of the screen while using an app, you can grab the top of the screen and the app gets smaller and you can move it around but it doesn't appear to have any purpose.

Overall, I'm impressed. The Metro UI makes it easy to get to small apps for quick use and it's still easy to use full applications on the desktop. I've gotten use to using the corners of the screen to control the new UI and I actually find it very quick and easy. It'll be even better for tablets because it'll run faster and easier than Windows 7 and it'll be able to run full applications unlike iOS and Android. If I have the money to spend, I may consider getting a Surface tablet. They look pretty sweet


----------



## YayMii (Aug 11, 2012)

I decided to bite the bullet and install Windows 8 Pro on my MacBook Air, but I installed it with the BIOS installation instead of the EFI installation. And I found out you can't convert a BIOS Windows 8 into an EFI Windows 8 without reinstalling.
How much of a difference does it make?


----------

