Windows 8 Consumer Preview

Hello everyone!!! I have been testing the new Windows 8 Consumer Preview on one of my spare hard drives. So far, I am impressed and do like the way it works. Most everything set up quickly, works the way it does on Win7, and it has not crashed. I have EVERYTHING I had on Win7 installed on this machine and me likey!!!!!!


More to follow.... Feel free to ask questions.... Insults are expected!!!!

 

I ran the developer preview when it was launched. I'm not very fond of the new start menu, but otherwise its a solid OS. Haven't tried the new version yet. My desktop just crapped out on me, and i'm running my laptop (Sig:Angel) as a desktop replacement. I don't have the guts to play around with a new os when i have important stuff on the drives...

 

What is the deal on accelerated boot times?

 

There was already a thread posted on this...

MEH!

 

Dunno, but I'm using an SSD. Wouldn't notice a difference anyway.

 

Anyone running the review on a CF-30 MK1? any problems with drivers vs Win 7.....

 

The developer platform did not really allow for a lot of installation of the hardware and software I used. MS Streets would not load at all because you could not install .net framework 3.5.1. Consumer allows you to do that as well as everything else I had installed. It is different, more like an IPhone/Android, but so far, works really good.

 

This drive is a standard drive, not my SSD and it boots up real quick. Have not timed it but I would say as fast or faster than my SSD Hybrid.

 

Here is one of them
http://forum.notebookreview.com/panasonic/644163-cf-19-windows-8-install.html

 

Sorry..... Looked for anything on consumer but just found developer.

 

Congrats on Rugged Depot! Just bought my new caddy I am using for win8....

 

Meh, it worked fine with everything I tried. Only reason I went back to Seven was because developer preview confused my niece.

 

I installed it on a mac via parallels because I didn't want to experiment with a work-laptop and in a virtual machine you can copy/clone all you want.
Instaling it was fast en straightforward, but some drivers of the VM didn't want to work, especially the ethernet controller didn't work. Pitty.
But, I noticed boot times of XP is about 30 seconds, Win8 was around 10 seconds. That's a lot quicker.
So I've played around a bit and it looks nice and all, it is a step ahead of OS-X, but I won't install it very soon. Or not until there is an official boot DVD from Panasonic. I will be staying a lot on the regular desktop just like win7, so there is no real advantage for me to make it more playbook like. After all it's a workhorse for me and not a couch potato machine.
One thing I'm curious about is the touch-screen integration and how it works with win8 when it's not captive but resistive like the TB's.

 

It wouldn't install from disc on either of my 29 Mk.5's, said they didn't have the necessary 1GHz processor. Good start.
It installed on my 52 Mk.1 spare drive at the second attempt.
Maybe an hour isn't a fair trial but I just couldn't be @rsed messing with it any longer.
Media Center's flashy visuals rehashed. Bored with that.
As an average (not profoundly stupid but not an IT guru) consumer I'm baffled that MS would even let me see it at this stage.

 

I'm sticking with XP. Like IE, XP runs everything, so in my business it's a must have for desktops. That said...

Delivering fast boot times in Windows 8 - Building Windows 8 - Site Home - MSDN Blogs

I'd still need an XP VM though.

 

I loathe the interface but it boots up for me in 4 SECOnDS!!
4!!!!!

 

Define boot. BIOS takes average five seconds. That's nine sec minimum.

 

Put Windows 8 build 8250 on a CF-29 MK4 with 1.6 Ghz cpu & 1.5 GB RAM. My experience is: 1 minute 20 seconds to start up and for computer to actually be reactive when I click on an icon. (But I did put Win8 on an old 40 GB hard drive, probably a slow one at that. 4200 rpm?) The screen is very bright, but the function keys do not work to dim or brighten. In device manager, Sound, GPS, and "Video Controller" do not work. After connecting to the internet by ethernet, and updating Windows, WIFI, and Sierra WWAN modem DO work. Touchscreen did not work anyway, so I don't know if it would have worked in Windows 8. The install used up 9.6 GB of hard drive space.

Interface is garish and unfriendly. This will require a lot of tinkering to get used to it. It took me forever to find how to get to "All Programs" and to find out how to shut down. This thing has a huge learning curve to it. After the bugs are ironed out, it might be OK, but that has been true of every early Windows release, including even XP.

 

Define boot?
You new at this!?
Cant count the BIOS, 4 seconds from the instant the bios screen disappears to my login screen. 4 seconds... Crucial M4 256GB SSD.

 

On my 31 I skip the bios entry screen with the quick boot option. Saves a few seconds.

 

Try this little program...its free BootRacer - Download.com

 

Another observation: Windows 8 is pretty stripped down. Will not play DVDs, and no games!!! Oh my!!!

 

no... games... ahhhhhhhhhhhh!

I ran bootracer. It just seemed like it wanted to sell me stuff. Did I miss something?

 

It only asked me if I wanted to upgrade to pro once...that was about 5-6 months...never again. Have it on all my toughbooks that has a SSD in it.

 

Not that. It offered a "click here to make things better" and it was always a commercial link to some questionable site. Works as advertised though.

 

Well, I had completely forgotten the trick where you remove junk from around the touchscreen. I re-read an old post here that reminded me, so I cleaned around the edge of the screen, and wah-lah, the touchscreen now works, BUT, not in Windows 8!

 

Does.... You need to have a Microsoft Logon... ie *@MSN.Com, Hotmail.Com, etc..


When you logon using MS credentials, a new world awaits you!!!!!!

 

Wrong!! I have it up and running fine on the 19. Love the keyboard layout because it's almost identical to my Emissive. What are you running it on and do you have the consumer version, not the Developer? The Developer blew, could not even put .Net 3.5.1 on it to run MS Streets and trips. Consumer allows it all, and the gps works fine and actually seems more precise over my Win7 on this same 19.

 

Windows 8 Consumer Preview ISO images

 

What are you using for drivers?

 

Win 8 x64 works well on my CF-19.
Only have to repair tablet buttons
Auto rotation works fine.

Also, in Developer preview it was easier to scroll screen (start screen, browser etc.) by finger. Now it's classic. Maybe it's Fujitsu touchscreen driver.
Very fast OS and very energy efficient.

 

How did you go about this? I tried to re-install pani drivers and have not gotten the screen brightness nor the rotation to work. Everything else is fine. Thanks!!!!

 

Thanks for the tips, and suggestions!

I've checked with Windows Update, and went to device manager, and scanned for hardware changes to no avail. I'm going to try a clean re-install with the touchscreen turned on in the bios. Maybe it will work then. And I'm going to try using the hotmail login to get DVD player ability. I don't very often even use it, but would like it to work anyway.

EDIT: Did those who have all devices working load any special drivers, or just let Win8 find it's own drivers? And did sound work?

 

Well, I've re-installed Win8, but the same devices did not automagically configure themselves. I would not have thought that the old XP drivers would be compatible with Win8, but the sound driver and mouse (touchscreen) drivers did work!! At first they whined a little, but Windows automatically changed compatibility modes, and re-installed the drivers then they worked. GPS registry patch did not work. (May fool with that, or not.)

 

DVDs still don't work. Media Center tries real hard, but just doesn't have enough umph to do it.

 

It's possible to use Win 7 drivers from Panasonic FTP for Win 8.
Touchscreen drivers are there too or you can use latest drivers from Fujitsu.
kb, enter and rotation buttons don't work, but they are not critical
auto rotation works well, keyboard key is always on screen
brightness keys work

 

Right now I've got dual boot XP and Ubuntu but I've been wanting to load Win8 as well (I've got it on a non-touch screen lap top and it seems like it might be fun on a touch screen.) After trying different things for many days... I was almost able to load win8 CP on my Cf-29 - almost. I got the beta fish and after a bit I got a blue screen that said I could not load due to error code 0xc0000260.

Apparently that's because the CPU doesn't support PAE (not sure what that is)

I've heard some reports that the developer version will work when the consumer preview does not, so perhaps I'll try that...

CF-29ETP20KM

 

Physical Address Extension Google

 

someone played with the multitouch features of W8, on a CF-C1 (see the last half of the video)
Panasonic CF-C1 & Windows 8 Consumer Preview & Grantophone - YouTube

 

Fine, fine fine...

Y'all have made it too easy to continue resisting assimilation. *SIGH* I guess I need to know the enemy to fight it, anyhow.

*Starts download and rummages around for a empty HDD to grape... err, install it on*


mnem
*Mumble stillfiguringout7grumble*