Windows 8 NB: Seemingly needed reminder!!

Drew

Banned
Joined
Mar 25, 2006
Location
Calgary
No Beta OS should be installed except, as follows:

1. On a spare machine
2. Virtually
3. As a dual-boot.

Never as an Upgrade or replacement to an existing, current, non-beta OS. Never on a production machine.
Nor, BTW, can one move from 1 Beta of an OS to the next or from Beta to RTM, etc... from Build to Build or stage to stage, except by clean installs.

Programs & software must be installed, after a fresh OS install.

Cheers,
Drew
 
Unfortunately many people who have no idea how to accomplish a dual boot setup or VM install or whatever, still try without taking any precautions. Installing a Beta or even new released OS should be in steps.

Step 1 - The first precaution MUST include a complete Image (or Clone) of the original OS before you start doing anything. Let me repeat, These precautions MUST START with making a complete Image (or clone) of the original OS before your start doing anything.

If you do not know how to make a complete Image, go back to step one and start over!

Step 2 - Make a Rescue Media/Boot disk with whatever Image app you use.

Step 3 - Test the Rescue Media/Boot disk you just made.

Step 4 - Proceed with the install at your own risk.


Do you get the drift here? Unless you know what you are doing, and know how to take the necessary precautions, expect to mess up your OS and have to reinstall from scratch!
 
Windows 8/CP is a test and evaluation version of a future OS, (Beta 1) which we assume will still be called Windows 8.
There may have to be several Beta versions before the final version is released for sale.

To run it on anything but a system as close to those that the OS will be released on is totally counter to Microsoft's intentions.

Some want to run it on an old PC with only 512 megs of ram and others want to run it in a 'box'. Wrongo in the Congo!
It was never designed to be run like that.

You don't evaluate a new OS by running it on an old lame system that can't possibly run the OS up to it's full potential.

Some people are running Win-8/CP as if it's going to be their life long OS. Sorry, Charlie, that ain't a gonna happen. It will go dead someday just like Win-8/DP is going dead.

If two OS's can see one another, they WILL interact, whether you realize it or not.
I erroneously left my Win-8 drive connected when I ran my XP drive and XP deleted all my restore points on Win-8. I needed one of those restore points the next day and they were all GONE.

It's for things like that, being the reason why I always install a new OS on its own hard drive and I try to make sure that no two drives are powered up at the same time. Works for me!

That's just one old tech's opinion. I hope I've not stepped on any toes.

Cheers Mates!
The Doctor :cool:
 
You are certainly NOT treading on toes. Discussion on operational methods, is the only way some problems would be resolved.
However
"To run it on anything but a system as close to those that the OS will be released on is totally counter to Microsoft's intentions. ", I must disagree with that. I would suggest that one of Microsfts reasons for their policy of releasing pre Betas to the public, is to gauge reaction throughout the spectrum, not only on superior, updated machinery. I test on several different machines, but my main "testbed" is quite modest, and gives a better indication of problems which can arise.
In the transition from XP to Vista, we were warned by Microsoft, of the interaction problems, with restore points in a dual boot situation. After discussion, I decided that for comparison, it was neccessary to continue to dual boot, using the same computer and the same hard disk. At that stage, I stopped the restore facility in my installed OSs, and started using Acronis imaging. (So far) it has not failed me. My experiments can be really trying, to any OS or program, and sometimes the only way to recover from total disaster, is to replace the last image - takes about ten minutes - and start over.
 
Correct, Dave. One of the main, primary design goals when building Windows8 was that it would run happily on an array of devices AND on not very robust or necessarily new hardware. Compatibility was a huge goal... not just reagrding hardware, software, drivers but, also, new and old, strong & weak gear.

Drew
 
Back
Top Bottom