^^ Well the only time I use it is when I am laying down in bed, and its rather clunky (to me) just for that. Its a fantastic laptop though I use my desktop most of the time and hardly ever use this thing unless I am in the bed. Thats the only reason I am willing to get rid of it. I'll also take $800 cash for it.

12/6/2013 7:11:54 PM

Actually this is the exact model here along with the extras. I thought the other one was.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009H2CL40/ref=s9_simh_gw_p147_d0_i2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0XB1AK1NBV7SJBY47E7V&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1630083502&pf_rd_i=507846

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834987100

An extended warranty from Service Net (purchased through Newegg) that protects from 12/2013 - 12/2014. I think I said it was a 2 year extended warranty on the other page, my bad.

Basically I did not know this laptop was still going for this price so I have to rethink its worth and offer a new asking price. If you can do 600 + the tablet I think that would be a more fair trade for me. Let me know what you think.

12/7/2013 11:27:33 AM

I can't personally just because of a budget, but if you really want to sell it, that model is very popular right now, and I'm sure someone would buy it quickly on Ebay.

12/7/2013 2:01:24 PM

so im not going to read this entire thread, but is there a guide for all the slick new touch gestures? I got an 8.1 tablet for testing and would like to be more proficient without a mouse

12/9/2013 10:17:42 AM

Did anyone manage to get a Dell Venue Pro today for $99?

12/9/2013 10:26:31 AM

^^http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/touch-swipe-tap-beyond

12/9/2013 2:03:18 PM

Quote :

"Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system is a flop. This chart from Statista, based on data from Net Applications, shows that Windows 8 was used by just 9.3% of the computing population. At this point in Windows 7's life, it was twice as high in terms of computing share. What's worse for Microsoft, notes Will Oremus at Slate, is that Windows 7 is still growing faster than Windows 8. It's not in this chart, but a recent report from Net Applications had Windows 8 market share growth of .05%, while Windows 7 grew .22%. "In other words, Windows 8 is actually falling farther behind its own four-year-old predecessor even today," says Oremus. This is really bad for Microsoft. Windows 8 was supposed to be the future of the company. It is deploying the look and feel of Windows 8 across the board - in Windows, in Windows Phone, and on Xbox. If users are rejecting it for computing, what does that mean for all the other platforms?"

http://www.businessinsider.in/An-Absolutely-Terrifying-Chart-For-Microsoft/articleshow/26814818.cms

12/9/2013 2:45:45 PM

I'll go with "lack of competition when Windows 7 was released" for $200, Bob.

12/9/2013 3:30:51 PM

Yeah seriously.

12/9/2013 3:33:05 PM

What's the new competition now, Android?

12/9/2013 4:55:31 PM

I took it more as Windows 7 took off because it was a much better OS than Vista and XP was dying out. Windows 8 is having a little more trouble because Windows 7 is already pretty established and wasn't a flop. Not to mention there's not a huge push to move to Windows 8 especially if you don't have a touch screen tablet or laptop. I certainly don't think it's a flop.

12/9/2013 4:58:48 PM

So people aren't buying Windows 8 because 7 is so good. I'll buy that. I know when I buy machines for people these days I seek out Windows 7. Business customers certainly don't have any reason to upgrade their infrastructure to 8, and that's a pretty huge number of computers.

12/9/2013 5:08:17 PM

Yeah that makes sense. My desktop and work computer I have no plans to move to Windows 8 just yet. I'm happy with 7 w/ Office 2013. I do however like Windows 8.1 on the Yoga 2 Pro I just got. It works well as a tablet UI.

[Edited on December 9, 2013 at 5:38 PM. Reason : s]

12/9/2013 5:11:21 PM

some competitors to windows 8:
android
google chrome os
apple (ios and osx)
windows 7

did I really need to list those out?

also, almost 1 in 10 users on windows 8 isn't really that bad. especially since they're now able to monetize on app purchases and service subscriptions as additional revenue streams which they weren't able to do as easily with previous versions of windows.

12/9/2013 6:04:33 PM

Quote :

"What's the new competition now, Android?"

ya know, now [2012-2013], as opposed to then [2009-2010], and outside of what I mentioned, it seems the big change is Windows 7, as noted above.

12/9/2013 6:30:38 PM

For someone to really think Windows 8 is a flop they must believe the first thing they hear and just run with it.

12/9/2013 7:28:40 PM

Anybody got a Dell Venue 8 Pro for sell?

12/9/2013 8:36:20 PM

^3

Android IS a new competitor. Some people (casual users, media consumers, kids, etc.) have moved to strictly mobile OS's because that is all they need. As far as new, I don't think any of these devices here http://www.androidphonesarena.com/2009-android-phones.php were competing with windows 7 back in '09.

Kthxbye

12/9/2013 11:32:52 PM

Dude. I identified Android as a new competitor to Windows in the post that started this entire conversation. Also here:

Quote :

"outside of what I mentioned"

It seems you have a habit of typing a bunch of shit that has already been discussed.

Also it's pretty stupid to do a nerdy victory lap with "Kthxbye" when you're making points that have already been made, but don't let me pee on your parade.

12/9/2013 11:45:12 PM

Points aren't made with question marks.

12/10/2013 8:07:03 AM

Quote :

"So people aren't buying Windows 8 because 7 is so good. I'll buy that. I know when I buy machines for people these days I seek out Windows 7. Business customers certainly don't have any reason to upgrade their infrastructure to 8, and that's a pretty huge number of computers."

this, but i would add that there wasn't a lot of exciting hardware options either when Win8 launched to encourage anyone to upgrade. and hardware in general lasts a lot longer now, you used to have to upgrade frequently for basic processes but now there is not so much need to upgrade as frequently.

in addition, and probably most importantly, this is poor statistics because they are not considering lag. it takes a long time for government or enterprise customers to upgrade OS and a lot of them are just now finally upgrading from XP to 7.

12/10/2013 9:08:37 AM

Any deals still out there on the Dell Venue 8 Pro. I want this tablet so bad, because I prefer the desktop experience on the tablet versus and completely app based/limited experience.

12/10/2013 10:59:49 AM

when I went to tigerdirect on capital it was $229. not sure they're still at the price, but it's worth a check.

12/10/2013 11:29:01 AM

They are back at the $230 price point (at least on line) at Tiger Direct.

12/11/2013 12:42:22 PM

$200 after MIR

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/search.asp?keywords=DELL+VENUE+PRO+8+Tablet+Total+Defense+Bundle

12/11/2013 12:45:09 PM

I think by trying to compete with android, and making the shitty metro UI they are A doing a worse job than android, and B alienating the customers that are still buying a full blown PC.

12/12/2013 8:17:44 AM

I, for one, welcome our new metro UI overlords

12/12/2013 9:03:17 AM

http://www.theverge.com/2013/12/12/5203934/windows-8-2-start-menu-concept

i really like this idea. not because i hated the start screen or because i needed the win95 style start menu (anybody who hunts and pecks through All Programs is a chump. search is all you need), but it seems like it's hugely more familiar for those making the mental transition from win95 to win8, while still modernizing that start experience and making use of the metro ui and highlighting metro apps



[Edited on December 12, 2013 at 2:10 PM. Reason : .]

12/12/2013 2:09:29 PM

yeah that could work as long as the search returns results similar to how it works in 7 today. the way it works on the metro start page is fucking awful cause its broken up into apps/settings/w/e and you have to navigate it with the mouse.

a list of results with category headers like in win7 is the best way to go.

12/13/2013 11:24:54 AM

i'd give a hybrid start menu a solid shot before installing classic shell again

forcing metro (especially on non-touch and work machines) is still fucking stupid

12/17/2013 10:39:04 AM

metro with a mouse on a work machine is awesome as soon as you get used to it, I love it.

12/17/2013 10:50:53 AM

i guess that's the rub...you have to waste time "getting used to" something that has no benefits (that i've seen or heard of) over my current workflow...so it's still a waste of time

obviously it depends on what you do and your willingness to dick around with a different workflow...i, for one, think it was working fine in windows 7, so changing for the sake of change isn't worth my time

if metro were so great, classic shell wouldn't be so popular, nor would there by a "hybrid start menu" concept because everyone would have adopted metro without a second thought

it's the original argument and we all know how it goes...you either love metro or don't...if the latter, you install classic shell and go about your day

12/17/2013 10:55:12 AM

as soon as I stopped using Start8 it didn't take me more than a day or two, no longer than it took to get used to Windows 7 from XP or XP from 95. Now I tell everyone to stop using classic shell or Start8, once you stop using it you will really enjoy Metro, but while you are still using it Win8 feels like a weird hybrid mashup and is less usable than just adopting Metro. Classic Shell and Start8 are popular because 1)Nerds and tech press tells eveyrone they "need it" because "Windows 8 sucks duh! Its Windows ME all over again!!!one" and 2)Win8 had some problems at launch that 8.1 has really improved

All of my common desktop apps are pinned to my desktop taskbar so for typical work stuff I don't ever even need to see Metro if I don't want to. I have my start page setup how I want to with quick launch items i use frequently first, then grouped by: Social, Music and Video, Photo Editing, Food and Recipes, Apps (this is a catch-all for infrequent things that I use frequently enough to pin but not very often). By pinning things to the taskbar and using the first part of the metro/start screen as a quick launch I can actually navigate to applications I use faster than I could with Windows 7 (or equally as fast in the case of applications that I pinned to the taskbar in Win7 also).

I really think the bitching is by people who just don't want to try it

[Edited on December 17, 2013 at 11:11 AM. Reason : .]

12/17/2013 11:07:21 AM

Installed 8.1 Pro on my desktop after my SSD died. I've been using 8.1 on my Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro and I enjoy Metro with the touch interface but I've disabled it on my desktop. While the search features are getting better I still prefer a launcher like Launchy. It's quicker and gets me to places one or two steps quicker.

A lot of improvements in RDP. Video is smoother (still not as smooth as a solution like Plex) but improved. Also scaling in RDP is much better. Remote apps are now scaled to the DPI of the client which is sweet when I'm going from 3800 by 1800 to a 1920 by 1080 host primary screen.

Other than that I never really used the start menu, icons, explorer, or any of that so my experience hasn't changed much.

1/24/2014 1:29:42 PM

My biggest gripe is that there isn't a setting that says "If I'm at the start menu and I click on the background (since it is now the same as my desktop background) drop me back to the normal desktop"

That'd be the best feature and really all that's lacking in my book.

1/24/2014 7:36:23 PM

Got an issue; I'm either not googling the right terminology or the issue isnt a big enough problem for others but here it goes. I've got W8.1 on my laptop and it ran great for the time we've had it. However, as part of my wife's laptop requirement for school she had to let their IT dept load the VPN software and other programs on her computer and I'm guessing they reconfigured a lot of the policies for more security from what I can tell. The issue is that now if she lets the computer lock or puts it to sleep/hibernate and I try to log in to my account (admin) there's no option like it used to be to switch to my account. The only option is for her to log in, then sign out. That will bring back all the accounts and gives the option to login at that point. Restarting only works sometimes as it seems to be a security conflict that every once in I can't even shut down or restart from the lock screen without performing a hard reboot. She forgets to sign out a lot and its just become a major PITA as I worry she may have open docs or programs that I'm closing out. Can anyone point me or tell me how to get around this?

1/25/2014 1:40:54 AM

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/sign-in-out-of-windows

1/25/2014 4:31:40 PM

I'd take your laptop back to the IT department and tell them to load your settings back the way they were. The whole point of a VPN is so that people can log in to a corporate network without having to worry about shit like that, and there is zero excuse for them to be changing system settings on YOUR computer.

1/26/2014 7:14:29 PM

quit using her work laptop as your personal laptop sounds like the right answer

1/26/2014 10:12:35 PM

anyone know how to get the touch screen keyboard to automatically pop up when you click inside text boxes? this shit is silly

1/26/2014 10:38:26 PM

are you on the desktop side? you have to manually open the keyboard on the desktop side. In metro apps it will show up automatically.

1/26/2014 11:25:16 PM

I probably need to install W8 on one of my machines to get more familiar with it, but I still look at it as the Vista to the XP that is W7

1/26/2014 11:41:31 PM

I ASSUMED, ie11 would be metro friendly. what a heap of shit

1/27/2014 11:33:46 AM

it is, it's so friendly it has an entire metro mode. so use that if you are using touch.

[Edited on January 27, 2014 at 11:43 AM. Reason : .]

1/27/2014 11:42:49 AM

Yeah IE 11 is way better than Chrome or Firefox on Windows 8.1. If you're using in Metro mode just use the Metro app. Works great.

1/27/2014 11:45:41 AM

Have a Sony Vaio laptop with Windows 8


for some reason, the laptop won't stay in sleep mode. Anybody heard of this?

I press teh sleep button, it does it's thing and shuts down/goes to sleep, but after a while it will wake up again. Kind of annoying especially if its not plugged in adn drains my battery.



any clues? tia

1/28/2014 12:00:54 PM

Noen, not sure if you're being a smartass or not but other than her actually signing out everytime I need to use our laptop that link is useless. The key point is that I used to be able to switch accounts at the lock screen and sign in while her session was locked, now I dont even have that option.

Omar, it was our personal laptop we bought beforehand, that UNC allowed her to use to meet the laptop requirement. She's a student, and the IT dept specifically said although they have to install VPN and her programs that I'd be able to use my laptop and account like normal.

Will see if it's something they can adjust.

[Edited on January 28, 2014 at 12:33 PM. Reason : .]

1/28/2014 12:28:42 PM

Oh another thing. Windows 8.1 task manager appears to misreport my CPU frequency. It says I'm idling around 2.94 with a max speed of 3.07 which is my stock max. My OC is 3.8ghz and CPUz correctly reports 3.8ghz but it's stuck on 3.8ghz. With Windows 7 it would correctly clock down to 1800ghz or so when idle. My bios also correctly reports 3.8ghz. I'm just wondering if Windows 8 is somehow incorrectly handling the processor. Going to look into BIOS/chipset updates.

1/28/2014 1:42:10 PM

^^Not being a smartass. It works the same way, as described in the link I posted.

It's possible that the group policy for the domain join on the VPN software disabled fast user switching. You can check that by looking through the locations mentioned in this article:
http://www.askvg.com/how-to-disable-switch-user-option-in-windows-vista-and-7/

(The policy and mechanism is the same in Win8/8.1). Note that if her laptop is domain enrolled for VPN, you may not actually be able to permanently change the settings (they will likely be reapplied whenever she connects via VPN, or reboots).

1/28/2014 3:17:54 PM

how does one launch the metro app? I go to the metro start screen and press IE and get the desktop version. win8.1 on a touch device

1/28/2014 3:32:58 PM