Will we get Gadgets back again?

[alan sh]

Alan,

Will be anxious to hear the results.

Drew

So, a complete brand new install, wiping out all partitions etc.

First thing: The installation did not recognise my video driver (on-board Intel one). Into "Device Drivers", right click on the driver found and click on get update - and it found the right one. So, still some work to be done there.

Second - HomeGroup still does not work to my Windows 7 PCs. It sees the "Master", but comes back with the same error as before (see other thread for details). However, conencting to \\server\share works OK.

So, onto the Gadgets. Now, it works. I can load them in. I have loaded in my CPU meter (not the standard one) and that works fine. However, my network meter doesn't see any interfaces so there is something fundamentally different underneath that will need fixing.

Next step is to see if the Vista Sidebar program works. This one sits there all the time and windows maximise to one side - so my gadgets are ALWAYS in view and never overlap with programs. Well, it seems to do OK.

So far - so good, apart from the network meter.

Alan

[Medico]

No, I did not mean wipe out all partitions. I meant a Clean install of Win 8 CP. I do not remember, was this a dual boot with Win 7 and Win 8 CP or just Win 8 CP on a test PC? I hate it when I can't remember something that simple, sorry. If it's a single partition on a test machine, then yes start from scratch, but if a dual boot, just Clean install Win 8 CP and see if that works for you.

[Drew1903]

Alan, Just a comment regarding what you say about Gadgets. You mention the Vista Gadget Sidebar. Yes, that did exist in Vista. However, in & since, Windows7 there is no longer a Gadgets Sidebar. The Gadgets in W7 & 8 are 'free-floating'... completely separate & independent of & from each other; each 1 can be placed wherever wanted, w/out them all being moved, handled or treated as a tied-together group. They can still be told to all show or not, no matter where any are positioned. Ironically, I still have mine stacked up on one side, anyway, LOL.

& yes, the CPU you get is pretty mickey-mouse. But, as you have discovered, going to Find More Gadgets offers one a wealth of others for lots of things.

Cheers,
Drew

[Drew1903]

Ted, I think Alan has it on a spare box, leaving him free to do whatever; so it's ok; pretty sure I know what you were thinking. @ least I think that's the case w/ Alan, if, I am remembering correctly.

Cheers,
Drew

[alan sh]

Drew - re .-2, I know about the Windows 7 free floating gadgets, but they either disappear if you don't have "always on top" or they overwrite parts of the underlying window if you do.

With the Vista version, the apparent screen size for apps is altered so the gadgets stay around but don't interfere with the apps. It seems to be a good compromise to me.

re -1, Yes, it's a spare box that I use for testing and playing. Now completely wiped and given over to Windows 8 (it was dual booting with Windows 2003 server, but I didn't need it).

Alan

[Medico]

Whewwww. I thought I had advised you to start from scratch on a dual boot with Win 7. Whewwww!!! You definitely sounded the type that would not do that been I was not sure when I thought about it for a few minutes. There are so many out there doing just that.

[Drew1903]

Alan,

What I do (but, certainly, that's just me), whether Vista w/ Sidebar or 7 or 8, is put the Gadgets vertically @ 1 side; then, make windows only as big as to leave Gadgets visible. On a 24" wide monitor, the arrangement seems to work quite nicely (for me). Sure something might cover or partially cover them, for a bit, but...
Screenshot.JPG

Cheers,
Drew

[alan sh]

Drew,

That looks nice, but I would forget and click the "full Screen" button. My way, I don't have to worry - the gadgets are just "there".
Like this:

[Drew1903]

Looks pretty much that we are saying the same thing, using basically the same approach, except happen to be on opposites sides which is 6 of 1, 1/2 dozen of the other. What u have is precisely how I have my Vista machine set. I have continued to use roughly to same arrangement w/ 7 & 8.

Drew

[handcuff36]

Ted, JoeP and Drew, hello.
For the benefit of anybody, here is my experience with W-8. I upgraded two machines to it and both run fine now. I will never pretend to be a "knowledgeable" user, not at all. This W-8 is a valuable OS and my purpose here is to validate this claim, if I got it to run, it must be good as this user is not ! Sure, I came up with many questions and this was to be expected but I do with it all that I did before on any previous MS OS, I pay my bills, check my bank and do all my photo fun on it. I just love the way that it can be made to use old apps like Acrobat 5 and Photoshop Pro 6; W-7 gave me a hard time with these, I had to find ways around, not on W-8 !
I do a bit of IT for about 10-15 machines for friends, I have learned from guys like you and I pass it on.

NB: I got Gadgets running here. JP.

[Medico]

Thank you for the endorsement JP. Win 8 CP does still have some small irritations. I suspect many of these will be fixed in the RP in late spring. You have proceeded in a calm and careful manner to learn how to install and then to install this OS and learn how to use this OS properly, and I commend you for it.

The biggest problem I have seen is that many people are downloading the OS and jumping in, upgrading a present OS that is already questionable (just not working quite right, or downright wrong) and expecting miracles, are not getting that miracle and now are faced with a PC with no functional OS, and no means of getting a functional OS. You know what, I guess I do not fell badly for those people any more. There have been warnings posted all over, including on the download sites themselves that this is a BETA OS. It is not a miracle cure!

I am glad you are enjoying your experience. I have yet to decide if I will ultimately purchase Win 8 this fall, but I will install Win 8 RP when it is released in late spring because I do want to see the improvements and the fixes, etc.

Enjoy your weekend!

Ted

[Drew1903]

JP,

Nice to see positive comments. Also, thanks, if, we are some help. Enjoy Windows8. Amazing how fun & appealing it becomes given a good open-minded attitude. Then, one can get impressed & excited. Learning & adapting to something slightly new & different doesn't have to be viewed as a bad or scary thing.

Cheers,
Drew

[wmfay1]

Have used all these strategies except Virtual Machine...
Why test two systems when testing one can be a full time job.
My early experience with Win 8 is that the new kids on the block have a lot to learn.
I don't care what Apple i- whatever use, I don't have a touch screen and my monitor is about 100 times larger than an i-pod, don't treat it like it is a postage stamp.
I am responding from Fedora 16 and there are so many errors, bugs and incompatibilities in the Fedora Live USB, it is useless.
Fedora 17 is due out soon and I 'just can't wait' to waste hundreds more of my time testing 'tentative ware'.
As for the new 'look' of win 7/8, I can't believe so many programmers wasted so many hours and so much hardware to make what is essentially a simple interface, so confusing and intricate to struggle with. A clearly defined edge 'bleeds' into a nondescript background and then jitters around while you have to chase it, or plops itself over the message it wants you to respond to and refuses to move so you can finish reading it...
Sorry 'annimation' may be helpful if finding something is a problem, but when we know what it is and where it is, animation wastes time and effort.
I could go on, but I hope you get the message.
Some things weren't broken.

[handcuff36]

Good morn, Alan.
You wrote : HomeGroup still does not work to my Windows 7 PCs

I had the same problem until a candle got lit, there is a need in a LAN to have some protection and this is done by having all machines PW protected, yes, it is a slight pain but once input, they were all accessible here. This with 2 W-8 and 2 W-7 and 2 XP machines here.

I do not presume that you did not know this. Humble me ! JP.

[alan sh]

What do you mean by Password protected? I thought Homegroups allowed different PCs (with different logon IDs) to share directories easily? I can do with conventional file sharing, but not Homegroups.

Alan