kinuta Posted July 1, 2013 Report Share Posted July 1, 2013 A good friend recently bought a Toshiba laptop, and, being an even bigger PC dummy than myself asked for help downloading and installing Avast! He also asked if I'd bring one of my I.O. Data HDD and load some tv programmes onto his hard disk. Thinking this was a very simple task I arrived to find to my great dismay that his pc was running Windows 8. Avast! was no real problem but neither my Buffalo USB flash drive nor the external HDD would work. With Windows7, when I plug in either one a menu appears, which , when opened allows me to drag files to desktop. With Windows 8 none of this happened and I was clueless as to whether the problem was my not understanding how to perform such a simple task on Windows 8 or that the HDD is not compatible with Windows 8. I've tried to find a solution on line but have come up with nothing. Could any kind soul explain what the problem might be ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erwbol Posted July 1, 2013 Report Share Posted July 1, 2013 It seems Microsoft were the real dummies when it comes to Windows 8. I wish I could help you, but your friend has my sympathy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinuta Posted July 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2013 I now understand the cause of the problem, my external HDD is not compatible with Windows 8, only XP, Vista & 7. Very bad news for anyone with lots of files stored on HDD who switches to 8. It would mean either writing it off as unusable or buying new 8 compatible HDD and transfering all the data. My brief encounter with 8 just confirms all the tales of woe I'd heard about it's dreadful reputation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.A.W. Posted July 1, 2013 Report Share Posted July 1, 2013 (edited) I've also heard a few horror stories about Windows 8. I'm perfectly happy with Windows 7, and before that XP worked fine for me. Never used Vista. Edited July 1, 2013 by J.A.W. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted July 1, 2013 Report Share Posted July 1, 2013 I need to find a Win 8 machine and check one out. Sounds like Vista all over again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeBop Posted July 1, 2013 Report Share Posted July 1, 2013 I bought one of the first laptops loaded with Windows 8. Without a touch screen, the OS is is virtually unusable. So I'm now back to doing everything....on my phone. I did download 8.8 over the weekend, appehensively. I've heard it's better, but, once you upgrade, you can't go back without a complete OS uninstall/re-install. Brilliant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonnymax Posted July 1, 2013 Report Share Posted July 1, 2013 (edited) I now understand the cause of the problem, my external HDD is not compatible with Windows 8, only XP, Vista & 7. How did you come to the conclusion that the HDD is incompatible? Did you check with the HDD manufacturer? Did you use Disk Management in Windows 8 to locate the HDD? It might show up there, but not be assigned a letter. Also, when you run Avast!, you have the option of running a "removable volume scan". Does your HDD show up there? A Google search reveals problems similar to yours with every new OS. It appears that often the issues can be resolved by downloading updated software/drivers. Edited July 1, 2013 by sonnymax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinuta Posted July 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2013 I now understand the cause of the problem, my external HDD is not compatible with Windows 8, only XP, Vista & 7. How did you come to the conclusion that the HDD is incompatible? Did you check with the HDD manufacturer? Did you use Disk Management in Windows 8 to locate the HDD? It might show up there, but not be assigned a letter. Also, when you run Avast!, you have the option of running a "removable volume scan". Does your HDD show up there? A Google search reveals problems similar to yours with every new OS. It appears that often the issues can be resolved by downloading updated software/drivers. I checked with I.O. Data, the drives are noncompatible with Windows 8. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milestones Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 Anyone know anything about this half-assed thing being improved with Windows 8.1? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Garrett Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 (edited) Anyone know anything about this half-assed thing being improved with Windows 8.1? I've avoided Windows 8 so far as there's no compelling reason for me to "upgrade" my existing Windows 7 machine, and the only new computer I've bought since Win8's introduction has been a Chromebook that Staples had a too-good-to-resist deal on. That said, you'll probably find Gizmodo's take on Win 8.1 of interest: http://gizmodo.com/windows-8-1-review-little-changes-make-a-big-differenc-1446625571 Perhaps the most telling data, however, is the market share of the respective desktop operating systems: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:iHhkB4WNAO8J:www.netmarketshare.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us Edited January 9, 2014 by Dave Garrett Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry_L Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 (edited) Windows 8 does boot much faster, but the interface is annoying. It dumbs down a desktop/laptop computer to the level of a smartphone. It's a "one size fits all" strategy from Microsoft to simplify things on their end, I guess. (and also to make computers less intimidating to a generation raised on smartphones.) 8.1 adds a start button to the desktop, so you can shutdown with two clicks/taps instead of at least three. You can also boot to the desktop screen. Windows 8.1 Review: Little Changes Make a Big Difference Edited January 9, 2014 by Jerry_L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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