Windows 8 Will Remember Your Settings Across PCs

[Marcus Yam]

Get your awesome lock screen picture anywhere you go.

Windows 8 Will Remember Your Settings Across PCs : Read more

 

[Onus]

Businesses will NOT like this, unless they can create something on their secure domains that can do the same things for users on different PCs at work.

 

[killerclick]

If there is a way to completely disable and hide all elements of the Metro UI, will that be reflected over all computers I use?

 

[zanny]

[citation][nom]jtt283[/nom]Businesses will NOT like this, unless they can create something on their secure domains that can do the same things for users on different PCs at work.[/citation]

Let us be honest, it just means they won't use it.

I'll go against the tide here and say that anyone who will use the metro UI crap and all that will probably like this feature too. It makes "their" computer much less what they have in front of them and more their cloud storage and whatever they have online.

I'm just curious how you open a video on a system thats stored locally, log out, and log in across town on a friends pc and have that running still. Because I'm sure M$ isn't trying to copy everything you are doing to the cloud. So this feature is only for web apps, its basically firefox sync with the entire OS through windows live.

 

[proton9]

bs cloud sucks

 

[yumri]

um how would this work with for example server 2000 - server 2008 r2 domain controller role functionality as per how i read it in the Microsoft certification book the administrator of the domain sets up all the accounts and privileges of every one of them using what methods they deem to be appropriate for the business which they are administrating. but with windows 8 this seems to NOT be compatible with windows server up to windows sever 2008 r2 thus windows 8 will be a dud unless they can disable metro from even being available to the users who they are the admins over. otherwise business will just NOT BUY windows 8 due to lack of control over what the users can and cannot do on it with this i also doubt that a linux, unix, mac, etc. with middleware sever system will be able to administrate windows 8 any better then the windows servers out today. windows 8 so far just sounds like it is a dud for anyone who needs any real security on their machine even if they need a private and/or a public data center cloud that can be made with a little hardware change to their network to make the data center cloud without having to migrate to windows 8.
windows 8 was a good idea but it tried to hard for to many things and didnt get the major ones done right thus without a fix for disabling metro on a domain, a fix to disable it on a stand alone workstation for desktop/laptop users, and other modification to the OS and better support for the x86 multi-core CPU structure on x86 versions and better ARM structure for ARM CPUs, and a better BSOD with the location of the memory dump for the ones of us who want to look at that then it will not sell very well unless they take windows 7 off of the market.

 

[dragonsqrrl]

[citation][nom]Zanny[/nom]I'm just curious how you open a video on a system thats stored locally, log out, and log in across town on a friends pc and have that running still.[/citation]
It doesn't look like having access to all your files on any Windows PC you log onto is the point or purpose of this feature. It's to sync commonly used windows settings and themes, the purpose being to give you a more seamless user experience across multiple systems you use on a regular basis. And just like Metro itself, they're not forcing you to use it.

 

[ravewulf]

I wish they put in a setting to go back to the regular desktop/start menu. In the dev preview the new tile interface completely replaces the start menu. Every time you click the start button it takes you to the tiles.

The only way to get the normal desktop/start menu back permanently is through a registry hack that also disables the new explorer/file transfer dialogues/task manager too

 

[dragonsqrrl]

[citation][nom]ravewulf[/nom]I wish they put in a setting to go back to the regular desktop/start menu. In the dev preview the new tile interface completely replaces the start menu. Every time you click the start button it takes you to the tiles.The only way to get the normal desktop/start menu back permanently is through a registry hack that also disables the new explorer/file transfer dialogues/task manager too[/citation]
MS has stated publicly that the Metro UI will be optional in the final release (you can disable it entirely).

 

[ravewulf]

[citation][nom]dragonsqrrl[/nom]MS has stated publicly that the Metro UI will be optional in the final release (you can disable it entirely).[/citation]
Link please?

 

[cookoy]

Cool, same everywhere like the black Ford Model T. But i want some variety in life.

 

[Guest]

Seriously? Every Win8 article has some guy going "OMG I HATEZ WIN 8 CUZ METRO SUXZORS!!!" As said by Microsoft themselves A LONG LONG TIME AGO (and in the comments of all these articles), metro is OPTIONAL. This means theres an off button.

 

[mikeangs2004]

IE should have its own Sync feature w/o using Live Mesh, just like the other browsers.

 

[killerclick]

[citation][nom]dragonsqrrl[/nom]MS has stated publicly that the Metro UI will be optional in the final release (you can disable it entirely).[/citation]

How come they didn't include this option in the developer build? In fact they didn't say you'll be able to disable Metro UI entirely, only that you'll be able to go to the standard desktop interface which is not good enough if the Start Menu is gone.

 

[Sorrow_]

This is stupid, make it like they been since they started, just more features like the did with Visa to Windows 7.. This is so dumb I'll stay with Win 7 if its going to be like this.

 

[Guest]

Copied what Chrome OS does.

 

[omenator]

"Businesses will NOT like this, unless they can create something on their secure domains that can do the same things for users on different PCs at work." you mean like group policy and roaming user profiles?

 

[hitman23]

Windows 8 Will Remember Your Settings Across PCs - totally useless feature if you ask me..

 

[CaedenV]

As someone who uses multiple computers and has used win8 on 2 of them, I LOVE this feature! Personally I use my desktop, my netbook, my wife's computer, plus my work laptop and work desktop. Having just 2 logins (one personal, one work) across all these computers, and keeping consistent setting across all devices, would be WONDERFUL.
I set up win8 on my netbook and desktop, and this feature worked well. I set everything up on my netbook first (as it is my non mission critical machine), and later slapped in a spare drive for my desktop to try it on. When I logged in the first time the settings didnt transfer (later found out they were still downloading). After 2-3min I reset the computer after installing some software. When it came back it had my user pic, background pick, lock screen pic, transferred my login settings (Pin, password, touch password), and synced my little test folder for the new file syncing through skydrive. In theory the final version will also transfer all programs purchased on the marketplace, and some other things.
Obviously the down side is that if your liveID is compromised then it is just about the end of the world as the person could change your user password and lock you out of all of your computers at once. But practically speaking I doubt this would happen unless a specific person is targeted (or leaves their computer on in a room full of teenagers!)

All of that said, I think I am going to sit out on win8 (unless RC is amazingly good). I love win7, and as much as I like the general direction they are going with win8 (the detail and control over the system is amazing) I do not see an immediate reason to upgrade. Traditionally I have skipped every other version (with the exception of win2K to XP), and I think I will continue that trend. It is just too expensive to update the 5 home computers OS every 2-3 years, better to wait 5-6.

 

[bin1127]

uh... is my playboy desktop picture going to be copied as well?

 

[CaedenV]

[citation][nom]killerclick[/nom]How come they didn't include this option in the developer build? In fact they didn't say you'll be able to disable Metro UI entirely, only that you'll be able to go to the standard desktop interface which is not good enough if the Start Menu is gone.[/citation]
Um, because it is the dev build. It is intended for developers to begin designing programs arround the new metroUI. It is not (by any means) complete (not even an exit option in metro apps lol). There will be many thousands of changes before the final build release. Metro UI is easily bypassed with a simple registry tweak, and the final version will likely have a 'classic' option. If you watch the build conference the version they used in their examples have features not available in the dev version (like changing your metro background color, titling groupings, and the overall ram usage was smaller than the released version)[citation][nom]Sorrow_[/nom]This is stupid, make it like they been since they started, just more features like the did with Visa to Windows 7.. This is so dumb I'll stay with Win 7 if its going to be like this.[/citation]
There are quite a few great improvements to the traditional windows UI such as the new task manager (epic!), file transfers, and the ability to mount VOB and VHDs natively just to start with. The startUI/metroUI really isnt that bad. Not perfect, but I find it more useful than the start menu which was broke from win95 on. Besides, there are other reasons (like financial investment) that are much more valid to skipping a generation.
[citation][nom]omenator[/nom]"Businesses will NOT like this, unless they can create something on their secure domains that can do the same things for users on different PCs at work." you mean like group policy and roaming user profiles?[/citation]
Microsoft is always (except Vista) a Business First company. I am sure network admins will have full and complete control over everything as they always have. To think I could just log in with my personal information (and metroUI programs) on a work domain in the final version is a silly idea.

 

[CaedenV]

[citation][nom]Zanny[/nom]Let us be honest, it just means they won't use it.I'll go against the tide here and say that anyone who will use the metro UI crap and all that will probably like this feature too. It makes "their" computer much less what they have in front of them and more their cloud storage and whatever they have online.I'm just curious how you open a video on a system thats stored locally, log out, and log in across town on a friends pc and have that running still. Because I'm sure M$ isn't trying to copy everything you are doing to the cloud. So this feature is only for web apps, its basically firefox sync with the entire OS through windows live.[/citation]
You obviously have not used this at all. It transfer settings, synced folders, and (supposedly) metro apps across PCs. It does not transfer your user session, unsynced folders, or other programs/files from computer to computer. It does this through liveID, and it will only transfer settings you allow it to transfer. You could turn it off if you like. Or when setting up your user acct you can make a traditional userID instead of using your liveID.

When you jump from computer to computer it is a major blessing to know you dont need to change your password/backdrop/other settings on each and every computer. I really liked (though not sure I trust) the synced folders. This would be handy for music, or my current projects that I may want to work on elsewhere, and I dont have to think about updating all 3 of my computers. Change it once, and it is done across the board (after a download delay). Not for everyone, but I love it. I have been doing the same thing with firefox and chrome for about a year now, it is not that much different.

 

[alidan]

[citation][nom]CaedenV[/nom]Um, because it is the dev build. It is intended for developers to begin designing programs arround the new metroUI. It is not (by any means) complete (not even an exit option in metro apps lol). There will be many thousands of changes before the final build release. Metro UI is easily bypassed with a simple registry tweak, and the final version will likely have a 'classic' option. If you watch the build conference the version they used in their examples have features not available in the dev version (like changing your metro background color, titling groupings, and the overall ram usage was smaller than the released version)There are quite a few great improvements to the traditional windows UI such as the new task manager (epic!), file transfers, and the ability to mount VOB and VHDs natively just to start with. The startUI/metroUI really isnt that bad. Not perfect, but I find it more useful than the start menu which was broke from win95 on. Besides, there are other reasons (like financial investment) that are much more valid to skipping a generation.Microsoft is always (except Vista) a Business First company. I am sure network admins will have full and complete control over everything as they always have. To think I could just log in with my personal information (and metroUI programs) on a work domain in the final version is a silly idea.[/citation]

explain how the start menu was broke?
show us the new task manager
personally i dont like the native mounting, as i see it as bloat.

i am just hoping that win8 doesnt go the route of "if you dont use metro, well this and this wont work either..."

 

[mavroxur]

Hasn't this been around in roaming profiles since.... NT 4.0?

 

[lradunovic77]

This will only work if all computers have same apps installed which is not a case but only on corporate domain networks. In some instances even hardware will have to be same. This is FAIL. Next...