WINDOWS 8 THEMES

wow, Windows Moe hahaha. I'm not sure really since I have never use themes, although there should be a program for themes on windows 8... maybe, but have you tried to look for it?

author=Mr_Detective

Windows Moe hahaha. ANIME RULEZ !

Also, what you guys think about it ? Is Windows 8 a good Operating System ?

I have one good thing to say about it. It's fast. That's about it.

Windows 8 appears to be a move on Microsoft's part to unify all of their platforms, from tablets, to phones, to desktops and laptops. While a neat idea in theory, I have a couple of issues with it.

1 - A desktop computer is not a phone or a tablet, it is a desktop computer. I want an interface designed for a mouse and keyboard. Leave these touchscreen interfaces to the touchscreen devices.

2 - This is an obvious push to bottleneck the software market to pass through the Gates of Microsoft. Windows 8 has it's own "app store", and in order for software to work within Windows 8's "Metro" interface, it has to go through some kind of Microsoft certification process thingy. This is potentially bad news for a platform that's traditionally been considered rather open for development.

author=Mr_Detective
When I try to install custom themes, none of them seem to work.

I meant, the sounds worked and the pictures did show up, but that is it. If I want to make the background in My Computer looks like this, what do I need to do ?

i use Windows 7, but what i know and this <link> might b able to help u. :))
i had a lot of the same problems as u getting themes to work in Windows 7.


i wanna ask u though is what the unzipped theme folder u want to apply looks like. (a screenshot would be nice too)
U will also prolly need to download a theme patcher, like in the link above. And an icon-changing program as well as start-orb changer, if they do not come w/ the theme.
Btw, make sure the "Windows Theme File" is directly placed in C:// > WINDOWS > RESOURCES > THEMES, and that it has a corresponding folder in > THEMES with the explorer folder, start orb folder, shell folder, and any other folders that came w/ the compressed theme.


Themes kinda seem to operate similarly between the older versions of Windows, so im guessing it should b similar enough w/ Windows 8.

author=KingArthur
And while we're busy regulating what software can run on what OS, let's also regulate what OS can run on what hardware with UEFI Secure Boot, which results in most modern computers equipped with UEFI refusing to boot anything besides Windows 8 as mandated by Microsoft, because Windows 8 is the only choice consumers will ever need! Nobody cares about Windows 7, Windows Vista, Window XP, and all the 2127642786 Linux distros after all!

Eew, really? I didn't know this was a thing. This is pure evil.

author=8bitbeard

author=KingArthur
And while we're busy regulating what software can run on what OS, let's also regulate what OS can run on what hardware with UEFI Secure Boot, which results in most modern computers equipped with UEFI refusing to boot anything besides Windows 8 as mandated by Microsoft, because Windows 8 is the only choice consumers will ever need! Nobody cares about Windows 7, Windows Vista, Window XP, and all the 2127642786 Linux distros after all!

Eew, really? I didn't know this was a thing. This is pure evil.

To be fair, we can disable UEFI Secure Boot depending on the computer or motherboard. Only systems that run Windows RT are required to have UEFI Secure Boot activated and the option to turn it off disabled as mandated by Microsoft; more common systems certified to run x86 versions of Windows 8 are only required to have UEFI Secure Boot active, the option to allow disabling of it is left up to the discretion of the computer/motherboard manufacturers.

author=CyberDagger
How do I find out of my computer has UEFI? I'm gonna need to install a Linux distro for uni work in the near future, and I'd hate to be screwed out of my fun/work dualboot.

You can probably find out by going into your BIOS/EFI and looking around, if that fails you can always check your motherboard's spec sheet. EFI/UEFI is basically a modern successor to the venerable BIOS we've always used, so it's bound to be mentioned prominently somewhere.

I also know that some Linux distros have actually paid Microsoft to acquire a UEFI Secure Boot key. Fedora paid Microsoft $99 USD for a key as far as I know. Others like Ubuntu are also persuing similar avenues if I recall correctly.

Seriously though, if an OS needs to pay Microsoft to be allowed permision to run on everyday hardware there is a clear ethical problem here. UEFI Secure Boot is a great idea in principal, it's designed to keep malware like rootkits from running at boot, but in reality it's just being used as another avenue to regulate the users and monopolize the market (unless you pay $$$).

I'm still using Windows XP because I'm wary of compatibility issues with later OS. But from what I saw of Windows 8, I'd actually consider it (much versus Windows 7 which seemed like a flop), since it sorta is a shapeshift OS from what I saw.

Well, that is, if Rpg Maker is compatible with it, that is.

Ranking of Windows operating systems, based on modern-day usability, compatibility, and reliability:
Windows 7
Windows XP
Windows 2000
Windows Vista
Windows 8
Windows NT
Windows 98 SE
Windows 98
Windows ME
Windows 95
Windows 3.1

"LockeZ, would you seriously use Windows 2000 over Windows 8?"
"Uh, yeah. Windows 2000 is just Windows XP without Compatibility Mode. Which means it isn't as good at running games that are designed for Windows 95, but it can run any modern software. And it uses all the same drivers as WinXP, the same way Vista and Win7 share drivers. It hasn't been supported by Microsoft in almost a decade, but if you go to Best Buy and buy a new video card, it will work in Win2000 and not in Win8."

A year from now this won't be true, though. Windows 8 will have driver support, so it'll move up to rank #3. It still will be a useless and disgusting and evil operating system for them to have made, offering no new features for users while allowing Microsoft to start charging money for every single program you download. But my ranking doesn't include evilness. And while the world would be better without it, the fact that they invented a new type of application which is worse in every way than normal applications but only runs on Windows 8 will mean that eventually there will be a lot of applications that only run on Windows 8, so you'll be forced to upgrade.

author=KingArthur
General consensus is to the contrary actually, Windows 7 has proven to be a rock-solid operating system in reliability, usability (though with some minor problems, mostly related to 7's audio subsystem), and compatibility; Microsoft even gives users of Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate a free VM copy of Windows XP Professional SP3 to run in something like VirtualBox so you can still run software that absolutely refuses to run on Windows 7.

Windows 8 on the other hand, I've heard some compatibility issues with it, though I am guessing this is mostly due to how the operating system is still new and updated software (if relevant) and drivers might not be available in abundance yet.

Maybe you're confusing Windows 7 with Windows Vista? Vista is considered by many to indeed be a flop for a variety of reasons, but Windows 7 is almost as well received as Windows XP is now; Windows 7 even holds the #1 spot in OS market share now, with Windows XP following close behind at #2.

I dunno what I'm confusing. All I know was I worked at Hospice as a tech assistant (basically, as a glorified reformat/installation guy), and the one Windows 7 I ran into I couldn't even find the Add/Remove Programs, and I tried to run one process, while opening a window and it froze (well, we we're always fixing these computers, so I'm not terribly sure this wasn't just the fact it was a sucky old computer freeze rather than an OS freeze). In any case, instant hate of Windows 7. On the other hand, I liked Windows 8, although the first thing I'd do is shut off the App Store layout, and download programs straight from internet. Can't stand Apps.

author=bulmabriefs144
I dunno what I'm confusing. All I know was I worked at Hospice as a tech assistant (basically, as a glorified reformat/installation guy), and the one Windows 7 I ran into I couldn't even find the Add/Remove Programs, and I tried to run one process, while opening a window and it froze (well, we we're always fixing these computers, so I'm not terribly sure this wasn't just the fact it was a sucky old computer freeze rather than an OS freeze). In any case, instant hate of Windows 7. On the other hand, I liked Windows 8, although the first thing I'd do is shut off the App Store layout, and download programs straight from internet. Can't stand Apps.

"Add/Remove Programs" in Windows 7 is called "Programs and Features". Yeah it's an unintuitive rename, I was mindgamed by that too at first, but that's how it is. On the positive side though, functionality remains pretty much the same. As for the the freezing, I'm willing to bet that was either crappy hardware or a bad installation of Windows, but who knows what the underlying cause was.

Good luck going anywhere without the Windows Store if you're planning on using Metro to any extent though; Metro will only run software purchased/downloaded from the Windows Store, absolutely no sideloading allowed unless you're an enterprise customer. inb4 iOS Apple App Store. (ノ゜Д゜)ノ ⌒┻━┻

The only alternative to Windows that I can think of off-hand is some flavor of Linux or BSD with Wine installed, but I bet you'll have compatibility issues galore if you go that route.

I would really suggest you give Windows 7 another try, I've had no big problems with it besides minor quirks with its audio subsystem. Windows 7 also has native support for stuff like IPv6, which will prove essential in the coming years. Price wise, Newegg has a retail copy of Windows 7 Professional for $280 USD, which isn't that bloody expensive, and an OEM copy of Windows 7 Home Premium going for $100 USD if you prefer going the cheaper route, among other options.

As for which edition (Home Premium, Professional, or Ultimate) to get, I wouldn't suggest anything below Professional if you're a power user or enthusiast. I personally run a retail copy of Windows 7 Ultimate, since I want everything, but that's just me. (￣▽￣)ノ