What I don't like about Windows 8

1.  The double lock screen
To me, it is just plain silly two have two lock screens, one for a pretty picture of a flower with appointments and one to type in your password.  The flower and password screens should be combined into one showing appointments, email count, and the password too.

2.  The start menu and desktop are very disjointed.  It is all very jumpy.  I have a Windows Phone 7 and I love the device.  It flows smoothly between the start menu and applications.  The start menu on Windows Phone 7 makes sense because the phone primarily a communication and socialization device.  The desktop PC is for work; managing documents, creating code, doing research, managing photos and videos.  I think Microsoft has the idea that the desktop is the same as the phone.  It is not.  Going from the new start menu to the desktop is like coming out of the dark movie theater into a bright afternoon day.  Shockingly bad.

4.  Does not work with a Microsoft Mouse. 
I have a wireless Microsoft Mouse.  While it works, it hangs up some of the time.  It works fine under Windows 7.

5.  Modifying the pointer speed in the control panel does nothing.
I have a new Dell Core I7 Laptop and the accupoint is as slow as molasses.  Windows 8 is nearly unusable.

6.  It does not remember my browser preference.
The first program that I installed was Firefox.  When I click on a link in my email it still goes to IE.

7.  There is no red X.
Microsoft has made it nearly impossible to close an application that runs from the start menu.  You have to go to the left hand side, find the application, then right click then click close.  A far cry from the single click of an X.  Bring the red X close button back.

8.  It is nearly impossible to find out how to shut down the PC
For years, Microsoft has trained us to click the Start menu to shut down.  Now they have completely lost their minds and have buried the shut down under the settings menu.  Nothing  says Shut Down like Settings.  Really?

9.  Windows 8 didn't recognize an SSD drive. 
I was shocked at this really.  My older laptop with Windows 7 was able to recognize an SSD drive.

10.  Unless you have used a previous version of Windows you are sunk.
Control Panel cannot be found unless you actually type it into the start menu.  I have been using Control Panel for years but is not actually one of the options on the new start menu.   While the Control Panel may be found on the desktop side bar, it is not intuitive.  You basically have two areas of settings.  The settings in the new start menu and the control panel settings on the desktop.  Really they should be one.  If I am running on the desktop, I want to see all the settings.

I skipped running Vista at home because of similar issues:
* Microsoft simply renamed or buried things so badly it was nearly impossible to find. 
* Hardware incompatibilities

It looks like I will be waiting for Windows 9 until these issues are fixed. 

I will write a post on the positive things later.  I will give Windows 8 one positive thing out of the gate; Windows 8, boots up much faster.  It is nearly as fast as an Amiga 2000 in boot up speed.

Frequently Asked Questions for Windows 8

Yesterday I bought a hard drive at MicroCenter (a Seagate Momentus XT) and swapped out the hard drive in my laptop and installed Windows 8.  Here are some of the gotchas I encountered:

How do I restart in Windows 8?
Move your mouse to the upper right hand corner.  When the pop up menu appears, click settings, then click power, then click restart.

How do I shutdown in Windows 8?
Move your mouse to the upper right hand corner.  When the pop up menu appears, click settings, then click power, then click Shutdown.  By default the power button will put the computer into sleep.  To change this, go to the new start menu, type in "Power Options" and change the power button to shut down.  Then press the power button.

How do I get my desktop start bar back on Windows 8?
Don't bother with any of the reg edits on you tube, they don't work.  You will need to install a third party tool.  This is the only one that works that is not in beta:  http://classicshell.sourceforge.net/ 

How do I change the pointer or mouse speed or acceleration in Windows 8?
Believe it or not the settings in the new start menu really doesn't do much in Windows 8.  In the new start menu in Windows 8, type in Control Panel.  Click the Hardware and Sound Link and then mouse.

How do I find the programs that I have installed in Windows 8?
In the new start menu, start typing and search for your program name.

How do I switch programs in Windows 8?
The normal Alt-Tab switching is available if you have a keyboard.  Alternatively, go to the upper left hand corner with your mouse then go to the tiny tabs on the left.  Click on the program you which to switch to.

How do I close a program in Windows 8?
Go to the upper left hand corner with your mouse then go to the tiny tabs on the left. Right click on the program you wish to close and select close.

How do I get to my desktop in Windows 8?
Click the desktop icon.

How do I get back to the new start menu in Windows 8 when I am on the desktop?
Press the windows key.

If you like this FAQ please tweet and Facebook it to your friends.  If you have any more questions about Windows 8, comment to this post.