Windows 8 tip

The feedback I get from customers who have a computer with Windows 8 on it has been.... negative at best.


Test subject #543-2, tasked with turning off the computer.

So this tip isn't so much a VCDS tip, but more of, how to make Windows 8 suck less.... by bringing back the Start button that we know and love.

Classic Shell is a program that give you back the Start Button and makes using a Window 8 more like Window 7. I installed Classic Shell on my personal laptop and have been happy with it.

This is not an endorsement by Ross Tech for Classic Shell.

yes, Classic shell has been the first help I got.
also, to be able to use VCDS in the program folders, the file ownership must be set together with the file permission and the program shall be launched as root.
then it works...

ciao!

ClassicShell has a couple of downsides in my eyes, what I have been using on 8 and now for a while on 8.1 was StartIsBack(+) and I have been very happy with it. Even most at Ross-Tech are not happy with Windows 8.1 it's really not that bad and the "negative at best" feedback IMHO not justified. I've been using Windows 8/8.1 on production machines (desktops) for quite some time now and it has been rock solid - in fact being measurably faster than 7. The most common negative comments are coming from people who don't want to use it, not because it's necessarily bad but because it's new and they don't like new things or are too lazy to adapt.

As for VCDS in the programs folder, that is really not a good idea on either Windows Vista, 7, 8 or 8.1 - especially because you are defeating the purpose of the security measures Microsoft introduced by launching with Administrator privileges. If you don't want to install into a root folder go with the user folder (AppData/Local or AppData/Roaming shouldn't really be used even though some applications tend to do so) instead. In the long run we (Ross-Tech) should probably adapt VCDS to comply with these Windows requirements but the reality is, there is more important things on our todo-list...

Sebastian said:

The most common negative comments are coming from people who don't want to use it, not because it's necessarily bad but because it's new and they don't like new things or are too lazy to adapt.

Click to expand...

Or who have a philosophical problem with the fact that it's NOT USABLE on a real computer with traditional input devices unless you install some 3rd-party shell fixes?

-Uwe-

I am under the impression that, due to popular demand, the start menu will be brought back in an August update to Win 8. Am I misinformed?

I installed Startisback when I had a new Windows 8 64bit laptop last year. I hated no Start button which has been available on all Windows operating systems since Windows 95. I did change over to Classic Shell later on. The biggest problem with users to a new operating system is the software they have used for years doesn't work anymore. I tried Windows 8 for 6 months and I didn't like it, I even installed Windows 8.1 thinking this would get better but they didn't. I now have Windows 7 SP1 32bit and everything works as it should do.