VPCZ Windows 8 Developer Preview Question

Thanks, ComputerCowboy. Downloading TrueSuite now.

I'm afraid I'm making heavy weather of the Metro UI - I'm not familiar with that kind of stuff - no iPod touch, no fancy phones, no tablets, etc. so this is new to me. I'm going to have to buckle down and learn how to use the UI - it is not intuitive for me. I don't even know the basic stuff - like how to close an app that you've opened, or how to get back to the main screen. I hope the help/tutorials etc. are decent.

 

hit the windows key to get back to the main metro screen, then click the desktop to go to the desktop. Or just do "Win+D" to go right to the desktop.

I like metro ok but it is all about the key commands for me.

check this page out Windows 8 Tip: Windows Key Shortcuts

 

Thanks, again. I owe you two reps.

 

Anyone else having problems running Skype?
I found this post, but no solution
Skype crash on Windows 8 Developer - Skype Support Network


Edit: solution for skype problem
http://www.filehippo.com/download_skype/
http://blogs.skype.com/garage/2011/09/skype_55_for_windows_update_su_release_notes.html

it seems that there is an update for skype, but you can't get it from skype.com, you have to get it from filehippo

 

Hello,

I took the plunge but am having issues with items.

Also, after installing Vaio Control Center, it is missing the performance (silent, balanced, performance) selection all together.

Installing the SmartWi™ Connection Utility for Wireless WAN, in order to select wifi, broadband, Bluetooth does not recognize wireless the switch.

Any one have a solid install and have answers to these issues?

Thanks in advance!

 

I have a solid install... but I haven't installed either of those. I will play with those and get back to you.

 

Thanks Cowboy!

So here's a real basic question for you seasoned Windows users. I have set these programs to run as administrator, but I get the annoying warning before launch. (Having to say yes) Is there a way to stop this for these two specific applications? (Without disabling UAC)

I fixed the Vaio control center and Smartfi issues by right clicking on the .exe's and setting them to run as administrator under in Win 7 compatibility mode.

Argh.. Another issue I had was finding a piece of software out there to run my Blu-Rays. Totalmedia Theatre 5 works.

And for the bios hack people, you must switch modes during restart. It will not switch from cold boot. I have to click restart, wait for it to start shutting down, and as soon as the screen goes dark, flip the switch.

There's a little more brain damage out of the way.

Almost set now!

 

Rip the Blu-rays with MakeMKV
Play them with MPC-HC

Here is a bit of some stuff I have been writing up about compatibility

 

Interesting. I suppose you've already tried disabling UAC and DSEO for signing drivers. Maybe Windows 8 is more difficult with unsigned drivers.

 

I haven't had any problem loading unsigned drivers, I just click use anyway and it does its thing.

 

Hmm.. IMO there are two levels to that:

1. Where the driver is originally signed, but the modded inf obviously isn't, hence the warning about the unsigned driver. Once this gets past the 'install anyway' prompt, there is no problem because the actual driver files being copied to the system are signed.

2. Where the actual driver is a beta (unsigned) version. Now the driver files are also unsigned (not just the modded inf). IMHO you need dseo for this, or press F8 during booting and select 'allow unsigned drivers'.

Interesting that your experiences suggest the opposite. You learn something new every day.

 

well I think option 2, I have the latest nVidia BETA drivers and they installed, I modded them.

I haven't had any problems. I haven't messed with UAC

Have you guys played with Hyper-V? it is awesome

 

Wow! That is the best thing I've heard about Windows 8 so far. I used hyper-v a lot in Windows Server 2008 and was missing it in non server computers. It gives you so much freedom, especially in networking.

Just to keep others in the loop (not you CC), Hyper-V on Windows 8 needs a SLAT capable processor (e.g. i3 or better). SLAT = Second Level Address Translation. This thread explains how to use coreinfo.exe from Sysinternals to check if your processor supports SLAT.
http://www.edtittel.com/win7view/be-prepared-for-windows-8-hyper-v-gotcha.html
The linked thread on that page is also interesting:
http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarg...secret-behind-slat-and-hyper-v-for-windows-8/

 

Hyper-V FTW
bye bye VPC '07

 

Those drivers are still signed! You can change the INF's as much as you want, but 'real unsigned' drivers won't install if you don't disable the driver checking thing. Real unsigned drivers have actual modded driver files (all files but the .inf things).

Is HyperV significantly better than things like Virtualbox in terms of performance and compatibility?

 

The real advantage of hyper-v is that it lets you do things on a massive scale. You can pool the hardware resources from several servers and create virtual machines that span several servers, seamlessly expanding or contracting to make optimum use of resources. You might not be able to take advantage of a lot of these features in a single physical computer environment, but the capability is there. Virtual machines communicate with each other and the host using 10Gbps virtual network adapters with server grade capabilities. Never tried the 3D graphics capabilities though - I played around with servers, not desktops/laptops. I'm busy with something else right now, but as soon as I'm free I'm going to dig into this stuff with gusto.

 

Can you please explain?

How is Hyper-V better than VT-x and VMware?

Edit: Oh, you meant Virtual PC 2007. I thought a Vaio Z VPC from 2007.

 

I had it installed for 2-3days..

all i can say is that the nvidia drivers from sony support site WILL NOT be too friendly with win8. After a couple of boots, it will crash the drivers and prevent you from even going into windows8.

I think i will have to wait.. till final release

in conclusion, I really wasnt able to adjust to the new 'metro ui' it's too different, and it be nice to have a shut down button in metro ui.

 

Ok, well then Windows 8 handles the signed/unsigned variation just fine. I haven't tried any truly unsigned drivers on Windows 8.

Hyper-V outperforms VirtualBox, I'm not sure I'd say it is more compatible than VirutalBox.

I haven't used VMWare. Hyper-V is just another Virtualization software, the main difference is that it is built in to Windows. It is capable of Virtualizing massive amounts of RAM and processors. Server Grade virtualization for your desktop. It is nice because I run VMs for work stuff and I don't have to use VPC 2007 anymore. VPC 2007 is limited and old. I like it better than Virtual Box also.

Shutdown is on the "charms/settings menu" or hit Win+I to see the shutdown button.

I know lots of key commands which helps a lot adjusting to Metro. I like a lot of the concepts of Metro, but it is not polished, this a pre-beta. I like enough of the stuff that 8 offers to stick with it anyway, even though some of the stuff is annoying.

Besides anything that doesn't run right I can just run with Hyper-V