Have you modded the Windows 8 interface? (Poll))

[biostud]

By modded I mean do you run Start8, Classic shell, etc.

If you don't run windows 8, you're not obliged to tell how much you hate the interface.

 

[smakme7757]

I actually didn't use any start replacement programs for the first 6 months or so. Then i used start8 at a friends house and fell in love with it right away.

Not having to change screens was the dealbreaker for me. I was never one to sit and complain, i just got used to Metro, but my user experience is MUCH better now that i have Start8.

Not because didn't give it time, i tried it for over half a year, but because the start menu is easier. Try finding the help files for software in the metro interface. Right clicking and selecting "All apps" is juts an unorganised mess.

 

[Snoop]

Windows 8 + Start8 = smooth sailing

Windows 8 no mods? Sadistic torture.

 

[Mem]

I don't miss the old style start button at all ,only start junkies need it ,lets face it 18 years of doing something the same way is hard for some users to change .

I did add restart and shut down etc to Win+X menu so you could say using standard Win+X with a few added programs,added Decor8 too for better looking Metro backgrounds and clock etc..
Last thing I added was OblyTile for better looking Metro tiles.

 

[fleshconsumed]

I'm using Windows 8 on my primary computer. By the end of the year I plan to install it on my HTPC and on my laptop. I am using classic shell on my Windows 8 PC and I'm planning to install it on all my future Win8 installations. The start menu makes my life just so much easier when I have to access control panel, or device manager, or shut down/restart my computer, or actually check what has been installed on my computer in a nice structured way. Yes, I'm aware I can get to most things from the combination of keyboard shortcuts and win+x menu, but there is great benefit to having most of the functionality in a single Start Menu instead of all over the place.

 

[MontyAC]

Yes, all 3 of my Win 8 machines have a third party start program.

 

[biostud]

I run start8 on all my computers.

 

[Cstefan]

I modded 8 by formatting it and putting 7 back. Works perfectly every time. Except my one touch screen, 8 is pretty pimp on that.

 

[Mem]

I modded 8 by formatting it and putting 7 back. Works perfectly every time. Except my one touch screen, 8 is pretty pimp on that.

If you want to improve and upgrade Win7,do another reformat and install Linux Mint .

 

[Chiropteran]

I mod within the framework of the base OS, but I don't install external programs. I have no use for metro apps for example, so I unpin all the BS garbage that is on the start screen by default, but I don't find it necessary to install Start8 or anything of the sort.

 

[Maximilian]

Yup start8 on the main PC and server, OS is unusable without it IMO.

 

[Arkaign]

I've actually had to revert the Win8 systems I have at the firm back to Win7, and put 7 on the units that shipped with 8. The people there truly loathe it with a deep and seething hatred, the same goes for Office 2013.

 

[KentState]

I need to update my signature, but I actually went back to Win7. Even though Start8 was nice, I had too many problems and annoyances to stick with Win8.

 

[Arkaign]

I need to update my signature, but I actually went back to Win7. Even though Start8 was nice, I had too many problems and annoyances to stick with Win8.

Yeah I have Win8 set to my secondary SSD raid setup, but I boot to it maybe once a month now. It's garbage honestly. I still think they will fix it next release. This first run was far too clumsy and ill conceived.

 

[corkyg]

Win 8 + Start8 works for me. I don't like to have an additional layer imposed between me and my apps. That for me is inefficient in that it requires additional clicks.

 

[jkauff]

Bought Win 8 last week on sale at Newegg and just installed to a spare SSD. Install stopped dead for no apparent reason, no matter what I tried. Finally figured out it didn't like having both the iGPU and dGPU enabled in BIOS, installed with no problems after that.

I got used to the new UI pretty quickly, but it's so badly designed I have no use for it. Whoever called it a mobile OS bolted onto a desktop OS was right on the money. Only decent app is Weather, and it got my location wrong.

Bought Start8 immediately, and all is well now. I boot directly to the desktop, and with Administrative Tools and Control Panel set up as menus, I'm all set for real work.

Am I using it as my primary OS? No. When I want to use it, I boot it from the BIOS. Turned off all the Fast Boot options that cause chkdsk to run every time I go back to Win 7, and now I can do a normal shutdown in Win 8 and automatically boot up Win 7. So far I don't see any appreciable performance gains in Win 8, but I haven't played around with DirectX 11.1 yet, so maybe that will make a difference playing videos (I'm not a gamer).

Can't say it was worth the money, but I'm a User Experience designer by trade and really needed to get familiar with it. Maybe when 8.1 comes out I'll switch over permanently, but not now.

 

[Aikouka]

Yes, I use StartIsBack, which has the same functionality as Start8 for a whopping $2 less.