Windows 8 and astro software

[baggywrinkle]

I am on a trip to Abu Dhabi and yesterday I bit the bullet and decided to replace my 5 year old and increasingly clunky old HP with a newer small edition that will be more portable.

However it runs Win8 and apart from getting used to yet another operationg system I am curious to know if any here have run Win8 with apps like Stellarium etc.

Often in my experiance MS use us as guineapigs to test their software......

[stargazerslivingroom]

I, too, have just bought a Win 8 machine. So far it has been fine with both Stellarium and C de C performing much better than on my previous (Win 7) machine, probably because of better graphics card. Eqascom downloaded fine and I have used EQMOD to control the mount successfully, but that was after a bit of a faff getting the correct driver for my Hitecastro USB/SER interface.

So far so good. I follwed some other advice on here and installed Classic Shell...It returns the Win 7 "feel" with a start button etc.

Steve

[swag72]

I may have to pick your brains on what you uploaded for W8. I have a terrible feeling my old XP obs computer is on the way out and I am frankly dreading having to put everything onto a new PC. Coupled with the fact that I had a sneak preview of W8 on my Dad's laptop. Oh my God, what a mess!! Couldn't find anything.

[Zakalwe]

Everything seems to work. EQMOD, CdC, Stellarium, PHD Nebulosity and so on. Hey, this is Microsoft, not Apple (new OS = old software won't work)

For those that can't learn new tricks ( ) the Start button  is back with the 8.1 update

[Zakalwe]

I may have to pick your brains on what you uploaded for W8. I have a terrible feeling my old XP obs computer is on the way out and I am frankly dreading having to put everything onto a new PC. Coupled with the fact that I had a sneak preview of W8 on my Dad's laptop. Oh my God, what a mess!! Couldn't find anything.

The Transfer Wizard works pretty well for moving stuff. It automates an awful lot of stuff.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows7/products/features/windows-easy-transfer

Win 8 is fine, and a heck of a lot more stable than XP. Way faster too. Just think of the tile interface as a Start menu with icons instead of writing. And if you can't find a program, then just go to the tile interface and start typing the program name. Way faster than scrolling through a huge Start menu.

XP is ancient. It was launched 12 years ago and it stopped being available for new release nearly 4 years ago.

[fondofchips]

Thanks Zakalwe for that Windows Easy Transfer tip. 

Windows 8 is faster & more stable than Windows 7, (and Windows 7 has a lot of updates to do after installation mine took 30 hours to install 174 updates).

Windows 8 is worth the extra cash.  V8.1 even better, have been running it for a few months now.

Only older hardware would need an older version of Windows.

[Zakalwe]

Only older hardware would need an older version of Windows.

Ive got Win 8 running sweet as a nut on a 5 year old Dell. It fair rips along.

It can be hard on the graphics card, but only if you enable all the bells and whistles.

[baggywrinkle]

A week on the learning curve and I have to say there are some very good new features to Win 8 but being a technopeasant I am still unconvinced on some stuff. It takes some getting used to.

My company now runs Win 7 on the work PC, Mrs Baggy has an Apple, so running Mac OS, my old HP was on Vista....so learning 4 operating systems.....