I thought I would start a Windows 8 thread since the release is this Friday.  Has anyone worked with the Beta version with Poser installed?  Is it stable?  I hear really bad things about it and it's very different than Windows 7.  It looks as though the OS is geared towards smartphones and the like.  Since the smartphone era, PC sales have gone down dramatically.  Microsoft is trying to keep from drowning.  What are you feelings about it?

I have and had no issues at all.  I have been testing 8 since June, we get early copies to test.

Sharen

Quote - I have and had no issues at all.  I have been testing 8 since June, we get early copies to test.

Sharen

Oh good deal then.  I was debating on getting it at all but since there is some hope I may purchase it after all :-)

From what I'm reading, there isn't much reason to upgrade on a desktop from win7 to win8 unless you have a touchscreen.

Amazon is even offering a $30 credit off the $69 price, and after considering it, we've passed on it for at least now.

I usually always upgrade to the next windows version, but I'm considering passing on this one for now, unless someone knows of any actual benefit of it over win7 64 bit?

I'm with you on that Gareee.  The price is attractive but the justification of an entirely revamped OS purely on PC, smartphone and tablet intergration will something for consideration.  I don't think there will be an overwhelming jump from iPhones and iPads to embrace this new system.  However, doing a render from your phone?  Hmmmmm.

I can see that happening a few years down the road as speed improves, but I haven't read any compellin gnew win8 features that benefit desktop owners.

Maybe compatibility with smartphones, but lets face it, people are either on android or iphones.

Maybe they should'a built android compatibility in from the start, like they did to support win xp and vista.. ;)

Quote - unless someone knows of any actual benefit of it over win7 64 bit?

it boots 10 seconds faster  :)

I bought a copy since I had got a discount on it after buying win7 for the new PC i'm putting together. I'm putting Win7 on the machine, but at least i can put 8 on it later when I decide to upgrade.

Yeah, I have no intentions whatsoever of giving up Windows 7 for 8....lol.

Laurie

I've got a cranky old laptop with Vista on it. I'll probably upgrade it to Win 8 because it can't be worse than what's there already. And if it does turn out to be worse, I won't care because it basically sits in the kitchen functioning as a recipe book/TV guide/random fact lookup machine. Maybe I'll grow to like it.

In tried win8 a few months ago The customer preview edition they called it.  I've since restored my Win7 not because I didn't like Win 8 but because it was going to time out anyway.  What I did notice is the startup time is better as mentioned above, but it also seemed to operate a lot crisper.  Poser 8,7 and 5 all worked without a glitch.  Carrara not a problem. DS 3 and 4 were fine, but I did have a problem with DA4.5 which turned out to be caused by me.  The biggest PLUS to me was the OS footprint Win 8 used less system resources at less than 10% compared to 15-19% for a Win 7 boot. This is on an i7 laptop with 8gb ram

If upgrading from Vista, I believe you'll have to reinstall all your apps. I think upgrading from 7 is the only path that retains your programs.

Windows 8 is Windows 7 with an overlay of apps that lay on top of it, if I had to describe it that is what it is, the overlay is mostly for touch screens, but you can use a mouse but that is basically what it is.

Hi

I've been using Windows 8 for almost a year.

I haven't had any issues at all. Poser runs great, as does every thing else I've tried.

I haven't logged back into Windows 7 in months.

On my computer it noticeably faster then in W7.

I have a new computer coming with W8 installed on it.

It should be here in a couple of weeks, I can't wait to try animating on it.

I ordered a new 27" monitor to go with it that has 144 hz refresh, it should really be smooth.

If you don't like the interface, use Classic Shell, it works great and it's free!

Mike

I'm not going to switch until forced, but I wonder if 8 has fixed the huge bugs of 7?

Specifically, 7 pretty much eliminated long filenames and multiple file handling. 

Example: In XP, I could load up 20 or 30 JPG files in PaintShop, or 20 or 30 text files in Kedit, for quick processing and comparison.   This worked perfectly no matter how long the filenames were. 

But in Win 7 I can generally load only 3 or 4 at a time, depending on the actual filenames.  Seems to be a 256-char limit on the total length of all filenames you're trying to load.

This is hugely inconvenient for both work and play.

Hi

I never noticed that, and since my Windows 8 computer was hit by lightning (the reason I have a new computer coming) I can't test it for you.

I do know that the search engine works better.

I had over 100 software programs installed and my computer would boot to the desktop in 45 seconds. 

Windows 7 with the same setup took several minutes.

Games really run great too and I haven't had any problems with driver issues or anything.

Mike

http://www.ghacks.net/2012/10/25/free-windows-8-to-windows-8-pro-upgrades-until-january-31-2013/

"Free Windows 8 to Windows 8 Pro upgrades until January 31, 2013"

GHacks is a trustyworthy site.. so ... upgrade!

I'm supposed to get a free copy for buying a new PC, but they have not sent me the info yet even though I registered. I will probably put it on my Vista Laptop that does nothing but sit there, I hate Vista so much. At least I can test it then. How much RAM does Win 8 require?

I am considering the upgrade from XP Pro 32 to Windows 8 Pro 64.
At $ 39 for the DL version or $ 69 for the DVD it's a deal compared to past upgrades.
But I still don't know if my 7 year old Dell can handle it.

The most issues I had was with gaming and W8.... few games that I enjoy gave me some issues so I am going to pass until I absolutely have to.

I just upgraded from Win7 Ultimate x64 to Win8 Pro x64 yesterday.

Having first backed up my Win7 system partition, I decided to install Win8 over Win7.

The Win8 Installer first checks your (Win7) system and prompts you to uninstall stuff that won't be compatible: I had 3 utilities to remove, nothing major.

Then the install process begins: it took over 2 hours for my system, but I have to say when I finally got to log in to my new OS, everything was where it should have been and everything worked. The upgrade didn't break anything. The only thing I had to do was to re-profile my monitors (this won't be an issue for most).

Windows 8 has shaved 2 minutes off my previously 5 minute startup time. Generally, everything seems to be quite brisk. It seems to make no difference to Poser (Pro 2012).

The 'Metro' bits aren't particularly intrusive; the biggest change is that the 'Start' button doesn't do what it used to, which took me about 5 minutes to get used to.

I'd find yourself a decent special offer and upgrade.

There are also start menu replacements that can bring back the start menu, some paid, some free. Classic Shell comes to mind (free). Gives back not only the start menu, but improves the now less-useful Window's explorer and can disable the Charms Bar, hot corners and the start screen. Gotta love the open source folks ;)

Laurie

I installed it this weekend. After initial frustrations of not being able to find anything where it was supposed to be, I got used to the new way of doing things. Now, a few days later, I actually like how it is being done now. The Start Screen is more like a gigantic Start button. You have to organize it to the way you want it to work, move, delete and add tiles the way you want it and the new UI starts to make sense. The metro (or "modern UI") apps are full screen when opened and are extremely fast in their UI. The tradtional apps open on the desktop = just the way you are used to and all have the traditional UI, 

It takes a day to get used to it, but after that it becomes intuitive and you don't miss the start button anymore

Quote - There are also start menu replacements that can bring back the start menu, some paid, some free. Classic Shell comes to mind (free). Gives back not only the start menu, but improves the now less-useful Window's explorer and can disable the Charms Bar, hot corners and the start screen. Gotta love the open source folks ;)

Laurie

nice, but you shouldnt have to download 3rd party apps in order to restore functionality that should have been a choice to begin with.

when installing windows 8 there should be a simple option whether to use metro, or the classic UI - with the ability to change your choice afterwards through the programs/windows features menu. this would have been trivial to implement, but it was left out deliberately.

M$ is FORCING the Metro UI down our throats and that is my main problem with it. had it been there as a choice id have been far more inclined to give it a try. but this is all part of M$'s Windows 8 Phone/Surface Tablet/PC marketing gambit and its absolute bullshit that customers should not stand for - even if they prefer the Metro UI.

Hi

I've been using Windows 8 for about a year.

I got used to the UI and got it organized but in the end I switched to Classic Shell it just works better for me.

I like having all my programs on the task bar or Rocket Dock.

The task bar has the things I want to see when I have a window open, Rocket Dock the stuff I don't.

The rest of my desktop is clean except for temporary things.

My computer boots directly to the desktop, an option in Classic Shell.

The Metro UI is more suitable for touch screen devices in my opinion.

I will add that using Classis Shell isn't a real commitment you can switch back and forth with a click.

 Mike

I've used Rainmeter forever it seems now ;).  But I always have kept the taskbar...I can't imagine doing without it. I'm sure rainmeter would still work, but I don't really wanna have to install more and more stuff just to make it do what I want either. I'll stick with 7 for now and they BETTER flipping support it for at least as long as they did XP.

Laurie

I've been using Windows8 for the last week, and I LOVE IT! It cost me £25.00 as an upgrade from '7' (from Microsoft) I decided that at that price it was worth sticking on my (hardly used) laptop, just to mess around with...after all the bad press I'd heard, I really didn't think I would like it but I have to say I've been very pleasantly surprised. 20 minutes messing with it and it's almost 2nd nature...very logical I think, and very 'slick' also really fast. I'm upgrading my work PC to W8 in a week or two...I'm just going to check on the Pixologic site for any compatabillity issues with ZBrush (from what I hear most people have had no issues with Poser Pro 2012, so were good there!) and a further check with e-on RE Vue10, and we're good to go, no worries!

I Haven't had issues with any software running on Windows 8, even some of my old games from the 90s work.

Poser runs great, as do all my Adobe software.

I had read that you cannot open more than 2 windows at a time on any one screen, and that support for multiple monitors (more than 2) is questionable.

Does anyone know if these things are true? If they are, they are a complete deal breaker. I have to be able to open four or five windows on my primary screen, or my workflow is slowed dramatically.

Can't open more than 2 windows? OMG...say it isn't so! Wow, instant deal breaker for me who at any given time has  PoserPro, Photoshop, jcpicker, Wings, Thunderbird and Firefox open. LOL. Are you sure you don't mean just apps?, which still, if you ask me, is rather ridiculous and an enormous step back in terms of computer progress and just seems moronic on a desktop ffs. If I wanted that I could just fire up Windows 3.1 and be done with it if I wanted to drive myself crazy. One would hope that since this OS can basically run on anything that there would be different schemes you can choose, such as on a desktop, a tablet, a phone, whatever. Without that, I just don't see much point in it: the desktop, no matter what MS may think, is NOT dead. Maybe it has a bad cold, or it's in late middle age, it's not dead. And until tablets can do what a desktop can do and run the programs a desktop can (and we aren't even in the ballpark yet), I think I'll thumb my nose at MS and tell them to get a clue ;).

Laurie

I have dual monitors, but between them they span almost 4 feet. If I have to use the other one all the time just for a couple of extra windows, my neck hurts.

Heh...then they can keep Windows 8 and I'll happily use Windows 7 until they see the error of their ways. If they don't, perhaps it's time to do Linux or FreeBSD, although the thought turns me ;). LOL.

I haven't used a desktop computer and used the programs I use all these years to take a huge step backward just so MS can dumb shit down for tablets. I think not ;). It may make sense in feasability for Microshaft, but it doesn't make logical sense that you can use one OS for a few completely different machines that are used for completely different purposes (and then go and design it for the LEAST common denominator in the bunch). When I can pick up my tablet to use Photoshop or Vue, then things may be different. But we're so far from that right now it's actually laughable. Something like Sketchbook for Android is NOT a replacement for Photoshop, no matter how you slice it and won't be for years to come. My tablets, for as much as I love them and for as versitile as they are, don't even come close to replacing my desktop, which is the big guns for the kind of stuff we do.

To add, I see this as nothing but an attempt to also snatch stuff off my desktop and put it on their "cloud" where I have no control over it whatsoever. It smells. LOL I don't have terabytes of storage space fer nothin' ;).

Laurie

One more thing: I think it also stinks that they can use WHATEVER you have in "their cloud" also as potential ad fodder to bombard you with. Maybe I'm a control freak - I don't know - but I DO know I don't want anyone but ME to have control over MY files, my creations, where being on the "cloud" (hate that term btw) can make everything I have potentially downloadable by anyone, including the people charged to "keep" it. It pisses me off no end. If this is their way of controlling things like piracy, I get it, but they better find another way and not keep my files hostage. I just ain't gonna go for that ;).

I do believe I've ended my rant, for now ;).

Laurie

Quote - No, I don't mean aps. I mean windows. Not as in programs being run. I mean windows being open and visible on the desktop. So that you can see what's happening in multiple programs at once, or have multiple explorer windows open and visible to enable dragging and dropping of files, or have multiple MS Word, Editpad, Notetab, and browser windows open and visible to make copying text from one to the other easier.

I have dual monitors, but between them they span almost 4 feet. If I have to use the other one all the time just for a couple of extra windows, my neck hurts.

The desktop environment is identical to Windows 7. So you open up and show as many apps as you want and this includes multiple monitors

I think the confusion is here that you cannot run more than 2 metro apps side by side.
You can even have the desktop (running a myriad of apps and windows) as one of those metro apps.

Hi

That's not true, you can open as many windows as in any other version of Windows.

And I don't see any difference in how it handles multiple monitors either Though l don't have more then 2 I'm sure it will do anything you could do in Windows 7.

I often have 3 or 4 windows open at the same time. and the automatic formatting for windows works the same as Windows 7.

The task bar does work a little different.

I will show you a row of small images of all the windows open by any one program when you point at it on the task bar and you can click on the one you want to expand.

Mike

Just to be clear, you can use Windows 8 in a way that virtually duplicates Windows 7, on my computer you would be hard pressed to see the difference.  I almost never go to the metro screen, I just work from the desktop as I did in Windows XP and 7.

But is is faster, with a lower overhead.

Attached Link: Lucy looks at Windows!

Here's something I did for another forum... LOL

This was done in Poser and in Windwos 8.

Mike

Okay, so windows 8 is exactly the same as window 7, except it has this big bloatware thing called "metro" that you can't get rid of?

I guess the reason to upgrade is.... when Win 7 is no longer supported?

I mean, I know everyone who has installed win 8 says it improves performance suddenly, but I bet if I did a clean install of win 7 I'd see a huge boost too.

Hi again.

The point is that you can get rid of the Metro UI and I wouldn't really call it bloatware unless you call the Windows 7 interface bloatware. 

It's just the interface.

You can run Windows 8 just like you ran Windows 7 or XP my computer boots to the desktop I never see the Metro UI unless I chose to go there and I don't connect to the Cloud.

It does improve performance, I had Windows 7 and Windows 8 both installed running the same software (including Poser and pretty much everything Adobe makes) and some games (total over 100 software applications) and even after almost a year of running them I saw a measurable performance increase using Windows 8.  

In fact I found working in Windows 7 frustrating because it felt slow after switching back from 8.

For one thing my computer boots to the desktop in under 40 seconds.

Widows 8 handles how it loads stuff at start up a lot differently.

Now I want to make clear that I'm not suggesting that everyone upgrade, but anyone buying a new computer should go with Windows 8.  I'm in the process of doing that right now.

Otherwise I'd only recommend it for geeks like me, or people who feel compelled to get the last iota of performance out of their computer, like gamers, that's me again.

There's certainly no real reason to upgrade a 5 year old computer with 4 gigs of ram  and a dual core processor except for the novelty of having the newest thing.

Mike

My desktop is a couple of years old and probably has a registry full of errors, but it boots in about a minute. I just don't ask it to load anything I don't need. However, since I only re-boot about once a month, this isn't really all that important.

Things that do annoy me about Windows 7:

The amount of time it takes for it to load explorer windows for large directories. Sometimes it's a crawl.

The fact that you cannot customize the start menu to include additional libraries.

The fact that you cannot choose how to sort the files in your Documents Library (in thumbnail view) while still keeping items sorted by folder.

The fact that there is no way to show the size of folders in the details.

The constant battle to figure out what processes are causing activity on the disc: it never seems to shut up for long.

The lack of native NEF, CRW, and PSD encoding for thumbnails.

Does Windows 8 deal with some of these issues?

If it does, I'll switch immediately.

I just want to know if I can install it and not lose everything I have on here. Some of the programs I have were downloaded and the .exe files are not on my machine. This includes Poser 9. In fact, MOST of my software was downloaded and I don't have backups with me. If I install 8 over 7, will I lose all of that?

I am on a Win7 Ultimate 32 bit system and I want 64. Installing Windows 8 seemed like a cheaper route to go versus trying to buy a 64 bit Windows 7 install.

But... it will all be for naught if I can't do it without wiping my harddrive out.

Can I install and keep everything where it is?

Can I install and keep everything where it is?

Yes you can. I upgraded both my 6 month old laptop and  1 year old desktop from Win 7 Home Premium to Win 8 Pro over the weekend and everything is where it was before.

Normally I wait at least a year to upgrade to a new OS, but with all the bizzare issues I've had with my CG programs under Win 7 I decided to go for it.  I spent about 10 minutes watching videos on Win 8 beforehand so I knew the basics about how to navigate etc. before the ugrade. That made the change completely painless.

I agree with Mike..You absolutely can run Windows 8 like Windows 7 or Xp.  The only time I ever see the Metro interface is at initial boot up or shut down. Otherwise I'm working exactly as I did before except for a big boost in performance.  My CG programs are all running much faster and I'm not getting the odd crashing and lagging behavior that has so far confounded Adobe ,Microsoft, Smith Micro, Maxon and DAZ.

I know time will tell but so far so good.  :-)

Just FYI:

Desktop is a Dell XPS Intel core i5  processor running at 2.8 GhZ with 12 GB RAM and an AMD Radeon HD 6450 graphics card.  Time to full boot is about 15 seconds vs 90 seconds  before upgrade. Runs Poser 9, DAZ Studio 4.5, Cinema 4D 10.5, Painter 12, AI CS6, PS CS6.

Laptop is a HP core i7 processor running at 2.20 Ghz with 8 GB RAM and Intel HD Graphics 300 (integrated). Time to full boot is about 10 seconds, vs a minute before upgrade. Battery life is also dramatically improved (showing at 8 hours instead of 2 1/2 before). Runs AI CS6, PS CS6, Painter 12

Hi

You Can't upgrade from 32 to 64 bit in any version of Windows as far as I know.

Going from 32 bit to 64 bit requires a clean install even if you are staying with Windows 7.

You can run both 32 and 64 bit Windows on the same computer at the same time in dual boot, (that's what I did on my old computer) but it won't let you replace one with the other, while retaining your settings and installed programs.

Mike

Quote - Hi

You Can't upgrade from 32 to 64 bit in any version of Windows as far as I know.

Going from 32 bit to 64 bit requires a clean install even if you are staying with Windows 7.

You can run both 32 and 64 bit Windows on the same computer at the same time in dual boot, (that's what I did on my old computer) but it won't let you replace one with the other, while retaining your settings and installed programs.

Mike

That's what I was afraid of. This laptop crashed on me some time ago. I had Windows 7 Premium Home Edition on here at the time, and it was 64 bit. When I attempted to restore it, the restore was corrupted and I had to get a new Windows disc. The only thing available was the 32 bit version of 7 Ultimate. It works OK, but not great, and I noticed a real difference in the graphics between the 32 and 64 bit versions. My graphics card is an Nvidia, but off the top of my head I don't remember which one, and I believe it was optimized for 64 bit.

I did create a backup and system image. I may get the full install and see if I can just use that to put Poser and Magix Movie Edit Pro back on there. The rest of the programs were free and I can just download them again.

I think I can actually go to Best Buy and get 8 installed and for a small fee they will transfer all that stuff for me at Geek Squad....

tip.

never. ever. ever. use geeksqaud. EVER. they are poison....

Hey rokket...if you're taking it to Geek Squad, better bring lube. It hurts less...

Laurie

Hi

I can tell you that there is a chance that if you can copy your whole Poser install some place that it will run when you copy it back to your hard drive.

If you have 2 partitions on your hard drive just copy it to the one that doesn't have Windows on it.

When I installed Windows 8 on my old computer I found that many of the programs I had installed in Windows 7 would run in Windows 8 64 bit without being reinstalled and Poser was one of them.

All I had to do was create an icon on my W8 desktop and they would start and run fine.

That was true for most of my games, and even Adobe Premiere.

It didn't work for Photoshop and other Adobe software though.

Mike

A chance? I'd need better confirmation than "a chance" if I was rokket. LOL

Laurie

@Laurie: You were right. I talked to them for a few mintues and gave up. Wasted my time.

@Mike: I have the disc at home, so I will just have to wait until I get there to reinstall it. I also found out that I have a download of Magix online and can reinstall that when I get the Windows 8 installed.

So everything is ok. Blender, Wings, GIMP and Meshlab were all free and according to the Upgrade Assistant, were all compatable with 8, so I should be able to get this done relatively painless afterall.

To Quote Hannibal Smith "I love it when a plan comes together".

I said this in another thread, but, I'll reiterate it here, just in case anyone reads this thread first:

I can upgrade to Win 8 Pro for £14.99 till the end of Feb. So far, only one thing is holding me back.

A guy on the DAZ forum said that, after he upgraded to Win 8, he ran PP2012 and it crashed when he loaded a DSON'ed Genesis figure and went to dial a pose. What do you suppose happened there!?

If anyone has any ideas I'll gladly pass them on. If the issue gets solved and I don't hear any more tales of woe from you guys then I'll happily upgrade.

CHEERS!