Microsoft Offers Windows 8 Pro for $39.99

[Pong20302000]

I already tried Windows 8, and I didn't like it, especially because of the cell phone-like interface. Is there a way to change it back to the more familiar interface (you know, with the Start button)?

you couldnt of tryied it for long

windows 8 has a start button and also the desktop

the metro at the start is for just the ability to surf the net or play the games you have already installed from moments after you power on

to get to the desktop or install more feature or browse files you just go to the bottom left and go to desktop

the idea is that the desktop is more installing and broswing files

but you can use the metro to launch a web browser and surf instant
or play a game instant

Wait, so it has one? How come it didn't come with my test copy?

all versions had it




just saw this for people in UK

 

[FluffyLunamoth]

I already tried Windows 8, and I didn't like it, especially because of the cell phone-like interface. Is there a way to change it back to the more familiar interface (you know, with the Start button)?

you couldnt of tryied it for long

windows 8 has a start button and also the desktop

the metro at the start is for just the ability to surf the net or play the games you have already installed from moments after you power on

to get to the desktop or install more feature or browse files you just go to the bottom left and go to desktop

the idea is that the desktop is more installing and broswing files

but you can use the metro to launch a web browser and surf instant
or play a game instant

Wait, so it has one? How come it didn't come with my test copy?

It has it, but Metro apps don't work on it, nor is it the default program. I remember there were a lot of things that bugged the shit out of me in the first developer preview. Metro is just not for PCs. It's for phones and tablets, that's it. Or things that don't have all-time access to a mouse and keyboard.

 

[Wizerzak]

Re less than legit methods and messages, lack of service packs and such... I admit less than legit 7 is harder to keep on top of than XP (and certainly earlier versions of windows) primarily as you have to actually do something. This makes it a pain if you have to do it for others but harder is by no means actually difficult and if you are just doing it for yourself and can not get it done then I would hold you have no business installing/maintaining windows.

Huh? If I understood correctly, you're saying that Windows 7 is a pain to pirate.
I literally downloaded 1 .iso file (about 4GB worth) plus a nifty little keygen or whatever it is.
Burnt the .iso to a disk, put it in, install, run the keygen and activated Windows.
That was it. No extra steps, no notifications, no viruses and I've received every Windows update since I installed it.

This was fairly recently mind you, so when you did it it might have been different.
(Windows 7 Ultimate x64bit btw)

 

[Pong20302000]

Re less than legit methods and messages, lack of service packs and such... I admit less than legit 7 is harder to keep on top of than XP (and certainly earlier versions of windows) primarily as you have to actually do something. This makes it a pain if you have to do it for others but harder is by no means actually difficult and if you are just doing it for yourself and can not get it done then I would hold you have no business installing/maintaining windows.

Huh? If I understood correctly, you're saying that Windows 7 is a pain to pirate.
I literally downloaded 1 .iso file (about 4GB worth) plus a nifty little keygen or whatever it is.
Burnt the .iso to a disk, put it in, install, run the keygen and activated Windows.
That was it. No extra steps, no notifications, no viruses and I've received every Windows update since I installed it.

This was fairly recently mind you, so when you did it it might have been different.
(Windows 7 Ultimate x64bit btw)

i used a method similar to use for some older machines to test if they could do windows 7
not long after it was out
ive never had any issues with updates or service packs

 

[M[u]ddy]

Re less than legit methods and messages, lack of service packs and such... I admit less than legit 7 is harder to keep on top of than XP (and certainly earlier versions of windows) primarily as you have to actually do something. This makes it a pain if you have to do it for others but harder is by no means actually difficult and if you are just doing it for yourself and can not get it done then I would hold you have no business installing/maintaining windows.

Huh? If I understood correctly, you're saying that Windows 7 is a pain to pirate.
I literally downloaded 1 .iso file (about 4GB worth) plus a nifty little keygen or whatever it is.
Burnt the .iso to a disk, put it in, install, run the keygen and activated Windows.
That was it. No extra steps, no notifications, no viruses and I've received every Windows update since I installed it.

This was fairly recently mind you, so when you did it it might have been different.
(Windows 7 Ultimate x64bit btw)

What the "keygen" does is, it installs a mini OS that starts before Windows. This mini OS spoofs a OEM bios. Windows Vista and 7 are automatically activated, when they find a OEM bios.
That is also why you cannot install Linux anymore, when you use a OEM license for Windows 8. This way those loaders will not work on Windows 8 anymore. This shouldn't be a problem for legitimate users though, because the kind of person that buys a OEM PC usually isn't the kind of person, that installs multiple OSes on their PCs.

 

[Wizerzak]

Re less than legit methods and messages, lack of service packs and such... I admit less than legit 7 is harder to keep on top of than XP (and certainly earlier versions of windows) primarily as you have to actually do something. This makes it a pain if you have to do it for others but harder is by no means actually difficult and if you are just doing it for yourself and can not get it done then I would hold you have no business installing/maintaining windows.

Huh? If I understood correctly, you're saying that Windows 7 is a pain to pirate.
I literally downloaded 1 .iso file (about 4GB worth) plus a nifty little keygen or whatever it is.
Burnt the .iso to a disk, put it in, install, run the keygen and activated Windows.
That was it. No extra steps, no notifications, no viruses and I've received every Windows update since I installed it.

This was fairly recently mind you, so when you did it it might have been different.
(Windows 7 Ultimate x64bit btw)

What the "keygen" does is, it installs a mini OS that starts before Windows. This mini OS spoofs a OEM bios. Windows Vista and 7 are automatically activated, when they find a OEM bios.
That is also why you cannot install Linux anymore, when you use a OEM license for Windows 8. This way those loaders will not work on Windows 8 anymore. This shouldn't be a problem for legitimate users though, because the kind of person that buys a OEM PC usually isn't the kind of person, that installs multiple OSes on their PCs.

Ah yes, OEM sounds familiar now. Thanks for the info

 

[FAST6191]

I agree that phrasing was not ideal.

Compared to XP and 2000 I would argue windows 7 is slightly more annoying to work around the WGA stuff (although everything I tend to deal with these days either had 7 from the factory, is on XP still, has been changed to linux of some form or if an otherwise good client asks the odd mac as well). As with everything the corporate version is probably the easiest route (just remember default install does not put the standard selection of games on).
The cracked versions I have seen that I would rate* work OK for a while but will tend to slip back in leaving you to have to "rearm" every so often (granted this is usually silent) and even less often reinstall (which might well take a reboot) which I agree is not difficult for someone that is halfway comfortable with computers or does not panic and can follow instructions but compared to dodgy XP where things have been running and getting updates for years without incident (and any incidents can be solved trivially) it is harder.

*this is probably where we might differ and some of the lesser methods (both now and looking back at some of the earlier stuff) and again I am looking at things from a were I to deploy an entire domain/PC other than my own tomorrow perspective and only get called back for regular sysadmin stuff. This is in favour of MS as well as my having a dodgy copy probably only benefits them in the long run but a whole office setup not so much and I believe they have said similar things in the past vis a vis China.

Once those are in place service packs and updates should not be an issue.

 

[Joe88]

I will get free pro keys anyway from msdnaa so it really doesnt effect

That in association with the Dream Spark program? If so sweet, I'm registered buy sadly can't get activated until my 18th birthday in March of next year.

yea, I have a DreamSpark Premium account, my college gives it to all computer science/information systems majors

 

[iFish]

Nice to see Microsoft taking a note from Apple.

 

[Jamstruth]

For once... I agree with iFish. $40 for a bunch of Windows 8 Pro upgrades its not a bad way to go about it. If the UK has a similar good deal I might snap it up if I need Windows 8, big emphasis on that "might" though. I did not like the pre-releases they had. The constant Metro switching to launch desktop programs annoyed the hell out of me. No matter how many times people say I can change it with extra programs the fact remains that stock is hell on earth if you want to use non-metro applications a lot.

 

[iFish]

For once... I agree with iFish. $40 for a bunch of Windows 8 Pro upgrades its not a bad way to go about it. If the UK has a similar good deal I might snap it up if I need Windows 8, big emphasis on that "might" though. I did not like the pre-releases they had. The constant Metro switching to launch desktop programs annoyed the hell out of me. No matter how many times people say I can change it with extra programs the fact remains that stock is hell on earth if you want to use non-metro applications a lot.

I'd like to point out you said "for once I agree with iFish" on the podcast last weekend. So it isn't for once anymore. :3

 

[Foxi4]

People fail to understand that Metro is no longer just a UI - it's a separate platform with separate, architecture-independent environment for applications shared by the RT and Pro versions of the system. As of today, there is no way of making it disappear and turn on classic mode with the orb, but there are already third-party applications that replace it with an identical orb.

Everything goes forward, we'll see where Metro takes us. I will reserve my judgement for later, however so-far I enjoyed using the preview version, although I do admit that it's heavily touch-oriented.