Win8.1  ...........Really???? :( Got my start menu back thank christ! Bar Win8.1 being a big bag of sh...... I am liking my new bit of gadgetry very much! I can now play ETS2 with all GFX turned up to max and its fast and smooth :D 

 

ps. I have some £100 cashback to claim online in 21 days time off Currys to remember as well, fingers crossed!

 

 

Just use something like Classic shell if you want to resort back to a Win 7 look and feel but with the extras under the hood

I bought an Ultrabook through Currys last year. Got my £100 cashback no probs.

 

What model/spec have you got then?

 

Phil

If it's got a touch screen then you might find a use for the metro screen otherwise yeah it's a bit of a mess. Which is shame because under the covers Win8 is pretty solid.

Yes I like windows 8. It's rock solid and fast... I just don't bother using metro at all now and have it defaulted to the desktop too.

 

I also uninstalled all the metro apps I don't want/need and use the desktop versions... it just seems to work better for me that way.

 

Phil

If using Windows 8 make sure you don't link it with your Hotmail account - Heard horror stories of people doing this.

Oh?

I lost this thread, sorry. 

 

 

Just use something like Classic shell if you want to resort back to a Win 7 look and feel but with the extras under the hood

Yea I didn't even open the box until I was sure I could do that, I have my start menu back. Someone else I know with Win8 told me "it doesn't matter you don't need it and don't miss it at all"..... Sent him a screenshot of my start menu and the reply was "TELL ME HOW!!!!"  Also removed the pre installed trial of 'McAfee Anti Virus' immediately for my own mix of stuff I like. 

 

I bought an Ultrabook through Currys last year. Got my £100 cashback no probs.

 

What model/spec have you got then?

 

Phil

Good to hear the cashback should work then cheers. I would have loved a new ultra book but I am still too found of having an optical drive (I have an ultra book knocking about somewhere here too, which I used on the road. 17.3" is also another major thing with this one for me as for the last 4 or 5 years I have been using laptops only after my last gaming rig was damaged when moving   and then not having the space for one any more. 

 

Got this one http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/hp-envy-17-j184na-17-3-laptop-silver-10019167-pdt.html

 

If it's got a touch screen then you might find a use for the metro screen otherwise yeah it's a bit of a mess. Which is shame because under the covers Win8 is pretty solid.

No touch screen, can't stand finger prints on a laptop and as this one is to be used as my main PC as such, would be an OCD nightmare! That metro stuff I saw when it first loaded up and that was the last time I have seen it

 

Yes I like windows 8. It's rock solid and fast... I just don't bother using metro at all now and have it defaulted to the desktop too.

 

I also uninstalled all the metro apps I don't want/need and use the desktop versions... it just seems to work better for me that way.

 

Phil

I might have a look at uninstalling it all as it's totally redundant on me! 

 

If using Windows 8 make sure you don't link it with your Hotmail account - Heard horror stories of people doing this.

Yea what is the score with that?? Initial boot it obviously went through the boring stuff but it required me with no other options to sign into my Microsoft account and asked for email and password, only other option was to create an account (this was 2nd item to come up on boot first was establishing a connection which I had done. There was at the MSN sign in bit no option to skip or go back to kill connection in a hope to skip it. The terms and conditions crap on Win8.1 is absolutely horrid more so than I would have expected inc full file access to entire machine! Took a while to customise it to turn off all that sort of stuff. It's lists of options are a total joke some select if you do some select if you don't all mixed into each other to catch people out after the first several being the same...... 

 

That aside I can now do what I wanted which is play ETS2 at 1080p and all GFX settings maxed out and run a 108-p 60fps screen capture program, vuze streaming 1080p to my Minix Neo X7 and have 200million tabs open in chrome all at same time!  :clap:

 

Also no longer need to use the wee 5ghz wifi dongle I had on my other laptop to make the most of my fibre 

 

hyper threading OMFG ! video editing is so much easier now!!! 

 

Just had my awaited 'would you like to extend your HP Car Pack' email..... I have been an HP person for a good decade with laptops and never really had any issues. A laptop I got in 2007 I purchased 3 year additional making it 4 years and in 2011 used it as the specific model had a common issue with extractor fan and had it collected repaired and returned in only 4 days and it went from me in England - Poland and then Germany and delivered back to my parents house in NI and I grabbed another laptop to do me over which is the one I am only upgrading from now. So I have 3 perfectly serviceable HP laptops.... 

 

Last time it was a no brainier £39 for the in total 4 year deal and it was well worth it. Now my option is to extend it by 2 years making 3 in total for the same level of service for £79.......   I can justify it to myself as the £100 cash back thing but I am incredibly tight at the same time. Still better than the CurrysPCWorld scam of the century offer.

Nice spec!

 

Bet that fair flys along.

 

My ultrabook also uses a hybrid drive setup so you get the best of both worlds.

 

I think I used my gmail account to sign in when setting up mine.

 

My other half also just got a new win 8 machine. It's a little Asus tablet/labtop hybrid. Very impressive how when we signed in it pulled through all the settings and apps from his Microsoft Surface RT.

 

Phil

Got my phone tied to a new Outlook.com account. Works fine on phone and PC.

Lets me used Outlook.com like an old POP3 if I want.

 

MS has kindof 'got' the privacy idea. It's actually been going to court to block US access to non-US citizens data.

 

Obviously it's a business choice, but privacy protection sells these days.

 

I feel odd saying it but I'd rather MS had my data than Google. I really don't trust Google.

Edited 1 September, 201411 yr by Aspman

Got my phone tied to a new Outlook.com account. Works fine on phone and PC.

Lets me used Outlook.com like an old POP3 if I want.

 

MS has kindof 'got' the privacy idea. It's actually been going to court to block US access to non-US citizens data.

 

Obviously it's a business choice, but privacy protection sells these days.

 

I feel odd saying it but I'd rather MS had my data than Google. I really don't trust Google.

I bet a few years back you would never have thought you would have said that.

I bet a few years back you would never have thought you would have said that.

 

No.

I've never been a dedicated MS basher but they definitely lost their way for a while.

Just surprised to see how for they've jumped onto the privacy bandwagon in a short while. I think they see business in the demise of Blackberry. Would no be surprised at all to see MS pick up the IP when BB finally goes.

If using Windows 8 make sure you don't link it with your Hotmail account - Heard horror stories of people doing this.

 

Please elaborate on this.  I have my desktop, laptop, surface and phone all linked on one hotmail account.