Ray Marden wrote on Nov 1, 2012, 18:28:
I've been running Windows 8 since the official release day without a single issue. I never tried any of the beta versions, having only watched a few preview videos, and I got lazy - I just popped in the DVD and had it do an install over my existing Windows 7 keeping all Windows and personal files.

One hour later, I was running Windows 8 and haven't looked back. This was the single easiest install of any operating system that I have ever done. And it did not just give me a barren OS; it actually kept everything - all my documents, all my programs, I didn't have to reinstall a single game, I have all my bookmarks, it remembered my user and computer name, etc.
The writer of the "article" seems like a moron with an axe to grind.
Windows 8 is really pointless - it is basically Windows 7 with a neat, quirky start screen that plays like a massive Bing desktop or a massive representation of a cell phone's simplified interface. I will say it is actually fun to have something new to explore or play around with as part of a Windows OS, but it really does feel like something running atop Windows 7 instead of a brand new OS (which, I know, is the opposite of what it really is...) More than anything, I wish the Metro desktop did more - many things can only be done in the Windows 7 app (Metro will kick you back to it) or the Metro version is inferior to the Windows 7 app version (customization, ease of access, handling multiple windows, etc.)

All that aside, it was $40 for the physical product, it is working without any issues, seems to be slightly more responsive, and I was blown away by how simple the installation was. If you want the latest and greatest and want to have a little fun within Windows, give it a shot. You can readily work from whichever desktop you want.

But make no doubt - nobody needs this install. It is not a fully fledged OS. From a functional perspective, it acts like Windows 7 with a quirky GUI/splash screen that can readily be bypassed.

That aside, I am glad I spent the $40.00 to have even one moment of "fun" with the OS. I can't remember the last time I said that about Windows itself...

Noting that Windows 7 (app) is missing the Start button and transparencies,
Ray