And then I installed Windows 8 ...

Windows 8 – Upgrading to the Release Version

Intro

As a Microsoft Partner, I was able to download the release version of Windows 8 Pro. Partners are normally given access to new software a little earlier than Joe Public in order to be given time to familiarise themselves so as better to support their clients. Microsoft coined a great term for their using their own software as “Eating your own dog food”. And, no, it is not free!

Downloading

In the good old days Microsoft would DHL a DVD to the partners, but, with cost cutting together with a fast inexpensive Internet Service in most non South African countries, one is down ‘encouraged’ to download software rather than have it arrive on a DVD.  That works overseas, but I can assure you that it simply does not work on the piece of wet string, otherwise known as my 384Kb/s Broadband Internet Connection supplied by Telkom.

At best it takes 3.5 Days to arrive. At worst, it fails to download after 2.8 days.  Fortunately friend allowed me to use their much higher speed connection and it came down in 2 hours.  Of course it then took 27 hours to copy it to my site J.

Anyway, it eventually got here.

Installing

In preparation of this exercise, I had already run a full backup of my Windows 7 Ultimate machine, so I decided to take what many would consider to be the Cowboy approach, I decided to do an in place upgrade, as this would retain all the installed software and settings in the new version.  The risk to this approach is that one might have a long snag list to sort out after having converted, but if the snag list is empty, then it is a lot less trouble!

So I created a DVD and proceeded to run it. The very first thing required by the install is a valid key.  There is no 30 trial period. Having entered the key, I was given simple choices:

1. Wipe everything and do a clean install.
2. Retain my data and reinstall all my software.
3. Retain all data and software.

All things being equal, option 1 is the preferred method as there will not be any old bits of software lying around to cause instabilities. Equally, there is pretty much no risk of carrying any malware across from the old installation.

Option 2 is the next best option as it saves copying data back and forth and, as the data may include movies and music; this could be quite a large amount of data.

Option 3 is discouraged as it can result in a much more unstable and problematical end result.

So, with not a little trepidation, I chose option 3 and carried on with the installation. This proceeded to run for some 2.5 hours.  Rather than stare at a screen showing percentage of completion, I chose to watch some movies on TV. 

Running Win 8

When I eventually returned to the screen, I was invited to give the 3-finger salute and log in.  Which I proceeded to do.

Shock Horror! I found myself staring at the ugly Start Page.  It should prefaced with a health warning as the encounter could drive you to smoke and drink L.

So I hot fingered it to the Desktop screen where all my little icons welcomed me with smiling faces.  This was good. J

Suddenly I got a pop up informing that Explorer had been prematurely shut down by the C++ redistributable. This was not good L.  I managed to figure that it was due Visual Studio not liking its new environment so I remove and reinstalled it, which fixed that problem.

A couple of other programs were also unhappy and were restored to their previous state of euphoria with a reinstall. The most surprising being an accounting package which I first installed in April 2002. In Window 7 I ran it in XP mode, now I once again have it running as a normal app!  Not bad.

Pièce de résistance.

A friend pointed me to 

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/08/23/classic_shell_gives_windows_8_a_start_button/ 

and now a pretty good impression of the Windows 7 Start Button proudly resides at the bottom left of my Task Bar.  Happiness J.

The challenges I still need to address is my Kodak scanner the drivers of which are no more, but I am still hopeful of fixing them. The other is my Gadgets, without a calendar and clock in my face I have no idea as to when I am and whether I’m hot or cold.  But I believe that there are solutions to remedy this disgusting bit of sabotage.

So, I’m happy. As is my PC.  

Neither of us needs spend time on the ‘Metro’ Start Page and Windows 8 does seem a bit more responsive. 

Conclusion

My PC contains lots of stuff! I often install software in order to test it or to solve a client's problem. 

I equally often don't get around to cleaning up, so my PC has a lot of stuff running on it, probably much more than does yours.  

If my upgrade could run as smoothly as it did, then yours also should.

The IT World is Hotting up!

A Bunch of New Technology is On the Horizon

Microsoft will be releasing a bunch of Windows 8 devices:  The new Nokia Windows 8 Phone on September 2^nd followed by the new Windows 8 PC operating system and Surface Tablet on 26^th October.

Apple will be releasing their iPhone5 together with a mini iPad on 12^th September.

Google together with their newly acquired subsidiary Motorola, will be launching the Motorola Droid RAZR HD phone on September 5^th.

Way Forward?

If you are not a specific manufacturer’s fan boy, then this is going to get really confusing!

Each of the Big Three will now have an Operating System, a Smart Phone and a Tablet! This is the first time that these three players have had such a head-on product range.

The one player who has been left out is the ailing Research in Motion who make the Blackberry phones, although they do have a new operating system in the pipeline, scheduled for release in 2013.  This may be too little too late and we may see Blackberry disappear further into the mire before the update can have any effect.

Which way should you go?

In most cases it boils down to personal preferences, in some cases choice is dictated by corporate requirements and sometimes choice is dictated by the devices.

If one does not rate the similarity of use as important, then apart from corporates, anything can be a mix and match, but you will probably end up with a bag of licorice all-sorts, and, as always happens with licorice all-sorts, there will be one colour that you hate!!!

The best bet is to go with Tablet and PC from the same manufacturer.  So, iPad + iPhone, Windows 8 + Windows 8, or Android + Android.

Unless you are in the habit of doing a lot of data input on the phone, the choice is less stringent, although navigation may become a bit confusing when moving between devices.

In the case of non-Apple products, in addition to models, one has the further choice of manufacturer.

Apart from Microsoft, other companies will be releasing Windows 8 tablets and Windows 8 Smart phones.  Similarly there are many Android device manufacturers from which to choose.

While the iPad has been around forever, the Surface is a brand new animal and the demos look quite exciting, so I would be tempted in that direction.  It would also, maybe, convince me that Metro is cool J.

Oops, not allowed to call it Metro any more – it’s now called Windows 8. 
Oops^{2 –}  hot off the presses, apparently it’s Metro again!
I’m going just call it 0rtem.

Meantime while we’re all waiting, as a Microsoft Partner with early access, I’ll be downloading and installing the release version of Windows 8 over the next few days.

As my Chinese friends keep wishing me, I suspect I will be living in Interesting Times!