Author Topic: Microsoft thread  (Read 61253 times)

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Offline The Chief

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Re: Microsoft thread
« Reply #750: January 30, 2013, 10:59:48 AM »
People exaggerate about how "bad" 8 is almost as badly as PC exaggerates how amazing everything is.  I don't care for the removal of Aero Glass and I don't find the start screen particularly useful, but I barely use the start menu either so it's not exactly an enormous change.  8 has solid under-the-hood improvements.

That said, I still maintain that they should have made metro an "uninstallable" feature ala Media Center and kept the code for the regular start menu.  There are some fantastic 3rd party Start Menu options out there but unfortunately they're all payware.

From a PR perspective, 8 is Vista all over again.  People have made up their minds about 8 based on very limited usage and hearsay, and nothing is going to change their minds.

Offline imref

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Re: Microsoft thread
« Reply #751: January 30, 2013, 03:45:07 PM »
Microsoft is getting ready to ship the surface pro, featuring an already full storage drive.  The 64 GB edition comes with 23 GB of free space, the 128 GB model gives you 83 GB free.  Microsoft apps and recovery partition eat up 41 GB of space.

Offline Terpfan76

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Re: Microsoft thread
« Reply #752: February 01, 2013, 09:05:59 AM »
Upgraded my Samsung Slate to Windows 8 and so far, I'm not impressed. I'm somewhat used to it already due to having a Windows Phone, but geesh... It's a bit of a pain in the ass so far. Mostly though due to being so much different than what I'm used to, that and the fact that it took about a day and a half to figure out how to pair up my Bluetooth keyboard to the tablet. Had to resync it.

Offline Terpfan76

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Re: Microsoft thread
« Reply #753: February 01, 2013, 10:04:11 AM »
Wife installed Windows 8 on her work XP PC and now can't get Outlook or Office to work. Any help??

Offline PC

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Re: Microsoft thread
« Reply #754: February 02, 2013, 02:16:56 PM »
Wife installed Windows 8 on her work XP PC and now can't get Outlook or Office to work. Any help??

Which Office version?

Offline Terpfan76

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Re: Microsoft thread
« Reply #755: February 03, 2013, 01:25:56 AM »
Not sure. She had her agency's PC specialist in and fix it. Had to install a ton of updates. She's not a fan at all so far. It is very confusing but I'm starting to get the hang of it. Great on our tablet though.

Offline PC

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Re: Microsoft thread
« Reply #756: April 18, 2013, 02:35:52 PM »
Microsoft's Windows 8 Plan B(lue): Bring back the Start button, boot to desktop

http://www.zdnet.com/microsofts-windows-8-plan-blue-bring-back-the-start-button-boot-to-desktop-7000014075/

Offline Kevrock

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Re: Microsoft thread
« Reply #757: April 18, 2013, 02:51:09 PM »
Office 365 is pretty great as a small business solution.

Offline Nathan

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Re: Microsoft thread
« Reply #758: April 18, 2013, 04:15:09 PM »
Microsoft's Windows 8 Plan B(lue): Bring back the Start button, boot to desktop

http://www.zdnet.com/microsofts-windows-8-plan-blue-bring-back-the-start-button-boot-to-desktop-7000014075/

Then I may pony up the money to upgrade my desktop to 8.

Offline PC

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Re: Microsoft thread
« Reply #759: May 07, 2013, 01:05:01 PM »
Windows 8 hits 100 million sales, tweaks for mini-tablets in works

(Reuters) - Microsoft Corp has sold 100 million Windows 8 licenses in the six months since launch, roughly in line with the previous version, but wants to combat sputtering interest in its flagship software with a substantial update to make it easier to use, and compatible with smaller tablets.

Windows 8 is the first Microsoft operating system primarily designed for touch commands, but it has failed to capture consumers' imaginations or make a dent in a tablet market dominated by Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics.

"Is it perfect? No. Are there things we need to change? Absolutely. We are being very real about what needs to change and changing it as thoughtfully and quickly as we can", said Tami Reller, co-head of Microsoft's Windows unit at the company's Redmond, Washington headquarters last week, where she announced the latest Windows sales figure, a number made public on Monday.

Microsoft will be rolling out an update to Windows 8, provisionally code-named 'Windows Blue', by the end of this year, Reller said. Details of the update will be released in the next few weeks.

Although Microsoft has sold 100 million Windows 8 licenses since launch on October 26, matching Windows 7 sales three years previously, it looks unlikely that the new system will see progressively rising demand, as Windows 7 did, hitting 240 million sales in its first year.

Microsoft's last Windows 8 sales update was in early January, when it broke 60 million, suggesting only around 40 million license sales in the last four months, well below Windows 7's average sales rate.

Windows 7 was helped by the fact that it replaced the generally unpopular Windows Vista, whereas Windows 8 has confused many potential customers with its new-look 'tile'-based start screen and the omission of the traditional 'start' button.

"The learning curve is real, and we need to address it," said Reller. "We're not sitting back and saying, they will get used to it."

Reller did not say whether the 'Blue' update would restore the start button, but she said Microsoft would pay more attention to helping customers adapt.

"We've considered a lot of different scenarios to help traditional PC users move forward as well as making usability that much better on all devices," she said.

TOUCH LAPTOPS

Consumer alienation, and the lack of affordable touch-laptops that can make full use of Windows 8, has held back computer sales, according to industry tracker IDC. PC sales had their sharpest drop on record in the first three months of this year, plummeting 14 percent.

Reller hopes that new machines from firms including Lenovo, ASUS and Hewlett-Packard will change that this year.

"We know customers like touch laptops, but they are also price sensitive," she said. "Our partners (hardware makers) have to bet on volume, so that they get price breaks, and get that moving into the (retail) channel."

Microsoft is also tweaking Windows 8 to make it compatible with smaller seven and eight inch tablets, which would allow hardware makers to compete in the fastest-growing segment of the tablet market against Apple's iPad mini, Samsung's Galaxy Tab, Google Inc's Nexus 7 and Amazon.com Inc's Kindle Fire.

Reller declined to comment on whether Microsoft would make a smaller version of its own Surface tablet.

Microsoft has not made much of an impression in the tablet market so far, notching only 900,000 Surface sales in the first quarter, according to IDC, compared with 19.5 million iPad sales and 8.8 million Samsung tablet sales.

Overall, Reller hopes the 'Blue' update and a slew of attractive touch-laptops will fire up interest in Windows machines in all forms.

"I believe that touch will be mainstream in consumer laptops," said Reller. "I think we'll be pleased with the progress we've made by 'back to school' and by holiday (year end), we'll be at this tipping point where we will say, 'Now I see it'."

Microsoft shares closed at $33.75 on the Nasdaq, after hitting their highest level since January 2008 earlier in the session, as the S&P 500 reached an all-time high.

Offline HalfSmokes

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Re: Microsoft thread
« Reply #760: May 07, 2013, 01:25:43 PM »
Quote
"The learning curve is real, and we need to address it," said Reller. "We're not sitting back and saying, they will get used to it."

Reller did not say whether the 'Blue' update would restore the start button, but she said Microsoft would pay more attention to helping customers adapt.

I think other companies have that covered

http://support.apple.com/kb/VI207?viewlocale=en_US

Offline JMW IV

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Re: Microsoft thread
« Reply #761: May 08, 2013, 12:34:03 AM »
I honestly really like Windows 8.

I don't make as much use of the Metro Menu as I could, but that's because most of my main apps (Raptr, Games, Skype) are desktop programs.

but it's actually pretty cool to me.

I'd love to get a Windows 8 Phone, but I can't afford it.

Offline Terpfan76

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Re: Microsoft thread
« Reply #762: May 09, 2013, 01:06:29 AM »
Alright, don't know where to put this, but here we go. I'm trying to burn an audio disc via iTunes on my tablet with a external DVD burner. The model is a sony drx-s7ou-r which has been discontinued. My issue is that the "include CD text" option is now greyed out. Any idea what the problem is? I'm using Windows 8 and have the current version of iTunes.

Offline Terpfan76

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Re: Microsoft thread
« Reply #763: May 09, 2013, 01:12:17 AM »
I honestly really like Windows 8.

I don't make as much use of the Metro Menu as I could, but that's because most of my main apps (Raptr, Games, Skype) are desktop programs.

but it's actually pretty cool to me.

I'd love to get a Windows 8 Phone, but I can't afford it.


I have the Nokia Lumia 820 and I like it a lot. Paid $50 for it when I renewed my contract.

Offline PC

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Re: Microsoft thread
« Reply #764: May 21, 2013, 05:33:50 PM »

Offline The Chief

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Re: Microsoft thread
« Reply #765: May 22, 2013, 03:34:33 PM »
So tell me why I should bother upgrading from my 360 S in a hundred words or less.

Offline Minty Fresh

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Re: Microsoft thread
« Reply #766: May 22, 2013, 03:36:20 PM »
So tell me why I should bother upgrading from my 360 S in a hundred words or less.

Because all the cool kids are doing it. 

First time's free...

Parents won't even know...

etc.

Unless I see a legitimate reason, I won't bother either.  I love my 360 and plan on sticking with it.

Offline Nathan

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Re: Microsoft thread
« Reply #767: May 22, 2013, 04:07:28 PM »
So tell me why I should bother upgrading from my 360 S in a hundred words or less.

You shouldn't.

Offline PC

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Re: Microsoft thread
« Reply #768: May 22, 2013, 08:24:41 PM »
So tell me why I should bother upgrading from my 360 S in a hundred words or less.

Microsoft really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, needs the money.

Offline UMDNats

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Re: Microsoft thread
« Reply #769: May 22, 2013, 09:50:02 PM »
So tell me why I should bother upgrading from my 360 S in a hundred words or less.

so you can skype with your friends while you seamlessly switch back and forth between watching cat videos and playing halo while sharing pictures via one button to all your facebook friends

Offline Nathan

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Re: Microsoft thread
« Reply #770: May 22, 2013, 09:55:06 PM »
What I mentioned to Chief the other day about it:

Quote
also an upgraded version of kinect that can even detect your heartbeat so it knows how out of shape you are when you're flailing your arms about like a moran to play a game

Offline PC

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Re: Microsoft thread
« Reply #771: June 26, 2013, 12:29:19 PM »
The Most Perfect Operating System in the World has gotten even more perfect...at least in preview form.   :mg:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/preview

Offline Nathan

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Re: Microsoft thread
« Reply #772: June 26, 2013, 01:00:12 PM »
Is it still a god damned tablet interface for PC?

Offline The Chief

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Re: Microsoft thread
« Reply #773: June 26, 2013, 02:17:49 PM »
I actually don't mind Windows 8...  there is enough under-hood improvement that I can overlook the quirks, which will hopefully be ironed out anyway.  Even some of the metro stuff is starting to grow on me.

The Most Perfect Operating System in the World has gotten even more perfect...at least in preview form.   :mg:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/preview

Thanks for the link.

Offline Nathan

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Re: Microsoft thread
« Reply #774: June 26, 2013, 03:39:26 PM »
It's not worth it for me to upgrade I feel, but I'll probably be forced into it when I do my next PC build.  Hopefully they bring back my start menu!!! :devil: