Test Drive Windows 8

Computer Care: Taking Windows 8 for a test drive By Arthur Glazerglazer.tech@gmail.com UPDATED: September 8, 2012 1:00 a.m. It’s that time again; time to roll down your windows and roll up your sleeves. There’s a new operating system in town and it’s waiting for you to give it a test drive. Windows 8 is here and Microsoft is letting you take it for a spin for a few months. It will be for sale in late October, but you will have until the end of the year to try it for free. Before we kick the tires, pop the hood and discuss its merits, I first offer you two ways to install it to your computer without giving up the installation that you are currently using. Windows 8 Release Preview is available for download here. You will need to burn the file to a disc and then install it in either of two ways. You can set up a dual configuration so you have a choice of which version of Windows to boot into or you can create what is known as a virtual environment. I chose the latter and it was relatively easy. Whichever method you choose, you will need the key provided, so make a copy of that number. I found dozens of sites that walk you through setting up a dual boot configuration. Just Google “dual boot Windows 8” and choose one that is easy for you to understand. With a virtual environment, you will create Windows within Windows and it will be temporary. When you shut it down, you will return to business as usual with your existing version of Windows. For my test drive, I used Virtual Player. Go here where the process is explained thoroughly. Scroll to the bottom of that page for a link to the download and follow the instructions there. If you choose all the default options when offered any during the installation, the process should go very smoothly. There are no decisions to make other than the initial choice of 32- or 64-bit. I spent a half hour installing Virtual Player and another full hour getting Win 8 up and running. After running it through its paces and exploring the new features, I rebooted my system and it was gone. It could easily be called up again in a new virtual environment, should the desire to explore be ongoing. Win 8 doesn’t require a super processor with multiple cores or more RAM than most of us have on our computers today. It should install fine on any system that is no older than about five years. Speaking of new features, this new incarnation of an old operating system has many changes. To begin, its boot time has been drastically slashed and for the time in decades, there is no start button. It has been replaced with what Microsoft calls its Metro Screen. This new start feature incorporates various interactive tiles that will allow you to navigate your system more efficiently, so they claim. It looks like it will take some getting used to and may have a higher learning curve. These tiles allow quick views of incoming email, notify you of audio files being played and offer access to newly installed apps as well as websites you’ve visited. It seems there is the possibility of crowding there, although hopefully there is a way to tame the process. Personally, I liked the old start button. To gain access to anything you can also simply type the app or file in a search box. Like the way the Control Panel now operates, it will yield a list of anything similar to what you are looking for. A ribbon like the one we use in Office will now be incorporated into Windows Explorer, making it easier to complete repetitive tasks. Since this version of Windows is aimed at touch screen/tablet users, there are many features for that crowd. It can however, be used by anyone with a mouse and keyboard. It has a choice of virtual keyboards and offers handwriting recognition for those who use a scribe to compute. Microsoft’s Sky Drive is incorporated in Win 8. It is a virtual storage option. Rather than connect an external storage drive to your computer, you can upload your files to a secure place in Microsoft’s cloud for storage. A store not unlike what your smartphone has, will also be in the new Windows. It will be easier to get apps for your computer, but the offerings will be from the gang in Redmond only. A free antivirus is included in Win 8, but it will be as effective as any free utility. Its scope will be limited. You will be able to click on photos instead of typing a password — why, I’m not sure. I’m also not sure I will like Windows 8 and the confines of this column don’t allow for me to elaborate. I subscribe to the old saying that if it’s not broken, don’t fix it. I like Win 7 just fine and I don’t have a touch screen anyway. But it was a nice drive checking it out. Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly on the Business page and on gainesvilletimes.com.

A Windows Chronology

Computer Care: Looking back through Windows, and what lies ahead

	By Arthur Glazerglazer.tech@gmail.com

POSTED: February 17, 2012 11:59 p.m.

	It seems like I just recently upgraded my computer's operating system. Windows 7 came out in October of 2009, yet here we are with Microsoft announcing the release of its successor already, slated for the fourth quarter of this year. That's about the same amount of time between the releases of Windows 95 and 98 and of 98 and XP. So I guess we are due. Although XP is over a decade old, I along with millions of users still have it installed on a computer. As of eight months ago, 75 percent of businesses in the U.S. still used XP on their computers. With 450 million boxes of Windows 7 sold, it only recently exceeded overall use over XP. In January, XP was reported to still have a worldwide market share of almost 50 percent. I have XP Pro on my desktop and Win 7 on my laptop and am quite content with both installations. It's doubtful that I will jump on the Windows 8 bandwagon this winter. Back in the early '90s, home computing really took off. Windows came out a decade before, but until version 3.0 or really 3.1, did it go mainstream. It was the first graphical user interface or GUI (pronounced "gooey") for the PC. Simultaneously, Apple had the MacIntosh. Almost each new version of Windows brought novel innovations to the table. Windows 95 had Plug and Play, integrated Internet and showed us the Start Menu and Task Bar. Win 98 introduced us to the Universal Serial Bus, better known as USB. The Millennium Edition had but one use for me: I used the installation CD for a coaster. Aside from my beverage, all else on it was junk. I think Microsoft must have agreed, as it was gone as quickly as it appeared. XP had a refined GUI, an easy to use Network Wizard, Media Player and Movie Maker. It was the first Windows to have wireless networking support. The much-maligned Vista was next. They should have put a fork in it; it wasn't ready. Although high on security, it is slow on speed and is a clunky, overburdened operating system that manages memory poorly. Personally, I'd rather use XP. Its successor, Windows 7 is everything Vista tried to be and wasn't. It was like going from black and white to color; from four cylinders to eight. It is smart, secure and stable; it is quick, easy to control and has cloud capabilities. I enjoy Win 7 so much that I see no need to upgrade to 8 when it comes out. I'll wait until I get my next computer, which will have it pre-installed. Windows 8, or Metro, as they are calling it, will still function with a mouse and keyboard, but will also offer support for tablets and other touch screens. It will supposedly be offered in various incarnations, depending upon the way you will be using it, touch or otherwise. Picture your smartphone on steroids, 10 times the size for your next personal computer. But they don't stop there. Touch screens are used from 4-inch smartphones to 60-inch classroom/boardroom presentation screens. You may have already seen these large displays on network news shows. Aside for the business and home computer market, I believe we will see Microsoft give Android and Apple and run for the smart phone market with Windows 8 as well. Currently, cell phone use is dominated by Android, which is a Linux-based operating system for mobile devices or iOS if you have an iPhone. Windows has a small share as does Blackberry, and a few others. Almost 500 million smart phones were sold in 2011, so the market is rapidly growing with Microsoft and Android battling for placement in it. Android and Linux are forces to be recognized. You may not see Linux-based PCs when you go shopping, but they are around. The Department of Defense and the U.S. Navy, as well as many municipalities, schools and businesses use it. I tried Windows on my phone, but like Droid better. On my PC I prefer Windows over Linux. The new version of Windows is supposed to have enhancements other than those for touch screens. It should run more efficiently, using less memory. It will have a new user interface. The start menu will be gone, to be replaced with a tile-based grid of images including your applications and photos. To log on, you will click a series of points on an image, not unlike some smart phone logons we use already. Much of what we will need will be a la carte via a Microsoft website, Window Live, rather than clog the operating system with things that we may or may not use. Windows Live currently has a half billion accesses monthly. It sounds like Windows 8 has gone through a major overhaul, but until I find myself showing up at clients' homes with my touch screen tablet computer, I'll think I'll stay with Windows 7. Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly on the Business page and on gainesvilletimes.com.