Windows 8 on regular Laptop

I have a lot of stuff to write on lately, but this is something that I must start talking about. The Windows 8 experience.

Three days ago, was the last day to update to Windows 8 on low price, so I thought I should try it. Currently, I'm in a hotel with painfully slow internet and once a exe file started downloading before any credit card information given I was not so sure anymore to want this.

It goes like this: once you click, you will get an exe file that checks for compatibility between your computer, it's devices and the software you have installed. At the end, it will spit a big report, with everything that will work and will not work once the new OS is installed, and tells you to read this report carefully before buying. Steam was there, it said it was compatible, among with many programs: 66 were ok and 21 were not. The only software not in the compatibility list that I did cared about was Oracle Virtual Box. I think I can live without it.

Installing Windows 8

Once you bought it, it will tell you several times to keep the Windows serial number: you should keep it, but don't worry, you will not have to type that long combination. Since it's a upgrade, it will not require you any other media either, it will run quiet in a window, with constant rolling small dots telling you that the installation didn't crashed.

I selected "clean install" option, this will create a Windows.old folder in your C: drive, with all the contents from your previous Program files (both), Documents and Windows folder, so you can copy stuff from it after - I had lots of free hard disk before installation, so I'm not sure if this apply to everyone since nothing is explicitly said.

The installation runs fine, the computer restarts, and after some time you are good to go - the time the whole process takes depends on your internet connection, so don't do this in a crappy hotel like me, you will regret it. Once the computer is on, you will see the first bug... At least here I had a cable with internet connected to my computer - I could browse fine in IE10 - but it didn't detect the internet connection until I turn the Wifi on, so if you don't want to do phone activation, simple turn on the Wifi card and it will activate your Windows 8 for you.

Configuring and Drivers

Yeah, it is not over. It didn't download any actual driver for my computer, so I had to jump to my manufacturer website - currently I'm using a A530 LG Notebook. The Windows Update also detected my missing hardware, but it didn't download or installed anything until I opened it - just click ÿ key and type windows update, to be presented to the faster way to access anything you can name in your computer.

If you have a Touchpad Synaptics, download it's latest driver to have a great experience - take some time configuring it to match your expectations, for some reason the default scroll is inverted: two fingers up to go down, and two fingers down to go up, so deselect that option. This is the first great thing you will note: the whole interface is a lot friendlier to touchpad, which in a laptop is great news.

And don't forget the Nvidia Driver. Install it, configure it to always use your Nvidia board, and you are good to go! At least I use a tablet for mobility and my laptop is just my deployable computer to travel.

Software

So, let's run that essential compatibility list. I'm going to install Visual Studio 2010 later today and add to this list.

Steam

Great news. Your Sitting there in Windows.old, Program Files (x86), so just copy it to the real program files, and run the installation from web. You will have to reinstall pretty much all games, but it will be a looot faster and no redownloading need.

But BEFORE reinstalling anything do this: download and install Games For Windows Live in Windows 7 Compatibility Mode. If you don't, all your Capcom games won't work. Trust me on this.

So, yeah, Steam will work, exactly how you know it - some games I feel like they have improved speed. The only problem is that you will wish that Gabe could really embrace it, because not having a Metro Steam is almost sad. Some people are taking care of it now: http://netbooknetwork.net/2012/steam-windows-8-metro/.

And yeah, there is default game store from microsoft, that LOOKS like the Xbox one, but no, it's not the same, it's slow, it's bugged, don't bother trying.

Kindle

You can read all your books - you are probably not doing that, but you will often want to use your notes and highlighted paragraphs as reference in your Word documents - Endnote, Zotero a like... And there is nothing here to help you do that. Why not? I don't know - this would the most helpful thing to have in this app, but it is not there.

And the only thing I would like to read on computer is my journals and magazines - but they are not available, only in the kindle device AND Android app. So, unless you don't have a real life Kindle, this app is crap.

Anti Virus

Download your anti virus software, whatever it is. I use Avast, but you can use whatever you like. Don't go explore the internet without it.

Office 2013

So, if you have a Microsoft Office 2010 license, you can obtain a 2013 license for free - only one. The Brazilian offer is here: http://office.microsoft.com/pt-br/offer/. It is great, just lower the monitor bright while using so you  don't get tired while using - it should lower the bright automatically. It support SkyDrive - and now it is a real folder in your computer, finally! I just don't know how to encrypt it, so my critical stuff is still in my documents. I will skip Office for a moment because it's weekend and I could not really explorer it.

Encryption

Yeah, if you have Windows 8 Pro, you can encrypt any folder by right clicking on it, and selecting properties. You could do this in Windows 7 Pro, but all computer only came with Windows 7 home. Nice feature, now if someone doesn't know your password, they can't stuff your HD in their computer and read your personal documents. This is great and transparent - turn it on and forget it.

Windows key

Click in it to switch between what are you doing now, to what you were previously doing, while in Metro. In Desktop, it brings you back to Metro. In Metro, use Windows+D to go back to desktop. The switching is fast. Really fast. It grows in you like rolling screens in an Android phone.

Summing it up

I could go all day talking about, because I love it: play all your games, get Evernote, Netflix. The Microsoft email app is great. The message app is great - and you will wish it had Google Talk integrated in it. I just hate how Google is not offering apps there. The great thing is that I can keep my friends and games from Steam, with all my friends from Facebook while having a fast OS, that is still great to productivity: which to me is the greatest feature of Windows, it is my typing machine of choice.

Go ahead and try it. And tell people you want more Windows 8 Apps - there are just so few of them. But I also want only quality ones - not a cluttered appstore like the Google Play. Right now I'm waiting the VLC Metro to come out. In the future, maybe Google can help out the Chromium guys to release a Chrome Metro App.

But desktop is still here, it runs everything. Notepad++, 7zip, you name it, you can run it. But not Google apps - they are not here.