Windows 8 Dev build

[V3]

My Win XP hdd failed, so I installed Win 8.1 to take it for a test drive. Last I used Win 8 was on a laptop and I didn't like it. Anyway Win 8.1 seems better because you can remove metro almost completely.

Is there a good media/picture viewer that doesn't launch the metro media viewer ? I have configured Win 8.1 so the Metro/Modern UI or whatever is called, is just a start screen now. And I have all my software either pin or shortcut on desktop. Hidden all the Metro apps from sight. A good, fast, stable and light media viewer is all I need now.

Also, I am coming from Win XP. Is there a way to turn off these auto windows snapping things ? I know they can be a convenience but most of the times I just don't want windows to snap.

Also the show desktop icon now is in the right bottom corner, is there a way to pin it so it becomes one of the icon in the task bar ? I hate having to hit the corner every times to show desktop.

I thought Windows XP was pretty ugly, but this Win 8.1, is worst. It looks messy and inconsistent. The x button is twice the size of the others now and its in red (on the theme I'm using), while other matches the colour of the bar. So any theme I can get to make Win 8.1 look good ?

So far in two weeks I have been using it, it crashed once, it actually give you a message that something went wrong and needs a reboot. It crashed on the modern UI side of things as I was closing multiple apps really fast. But so far its pretty stable. It feels more sluggish compare to XP though But seems more stable.

Well that's my rant on 8.1

 

[Grall]

Right-click an image and select "open with" or whatever it's called, and you get the choice to use the standard windows image viewer that came with win7 originally. Check the appropriate box to always use this viewer and you'll never see that metro shit viewer again (or at least until you need to reinstall and forget to go through this little procedure.) It's pretty OK, you can flip through images with the mouse thumb buttons and zoom with the scroll wheel.

 

[V3]

Yep, that did it, Thanks I got rid of Metro completely now, well accept for start screen which I hardly touch, but I hide all the metro apps anyway so I don't accidentally launch a Metro app. MS could have done this as a default or one of the options, but no, they just want to make your life difficult.

On more serious note, I don't have Virus/malware protection on Metro side of things, I heard you need to install them seperately from your desktop one, is that true ? Do I need to install them even if I don't use Metro except for launching desktop apps ?

 

[UniversalTruth]

I dropped the anti-viruses altogether since they take some hardware resources but otherwise the benefits are next to non-existent... and of course, being very careful where I web surf.. It is always in good web sites

 

[Blazkowicz]

Uh that's quite the bad idea, a good site might serve you a bad ad and you'll end up having malware without knowing it (unless some dumb stuff happens like windows update not working or the control panel's add/remove software not opening)

I like AVG, sadly they become cunts like the other AV vendor that offer a fake free version and try to blackmail you by making it expire - but on the windows installation I have around, it's an older free installation still working and still getting updates for life.

About Metro I never thought of that issue, risk seems low if you never use it and each "app" is contained into a sandbox, java-style (but of course a flaw in the system may allow malware to escape the sandbox)

 

[Grall]

I heard you need to install them seperately from your desktop one, is that true ?

You know, nothing would surprise me when it comes to the schizophrenic dual nature of windows8, but I really don't think so. Metro apps run as standard programs under the same kernel as standard x86/x64 executables AFAIK, certainly using the same file system as the rest of the computer, so they should be monitored and protected by your regular antivirus software.

...But I COULD be wrong here of course.

I dropped the anti-viruses altogether since they take some hardware resources but otherwise the benefits are next to non-existent... and of course, being very careful where I web surf.. It is always in good web sites

Extremely bad idea. Antivirus software takes up negligible system resources these days, you won't ever notice it running, really. Ok, maybe you would if you run norton AV, as it went progressively more and more shit for each new version last time I used it, so if the trend continued even modern multicore CPUs and SSDs might not be enough. ...But I assume they fixed things since.

"Only good websites" doesn't work. There are too many security flaws in OSes and browsers that would just be wide open for any exploit you're being served without protection. As mentioned, malware payloads can come with an ad banner - even an invisible one. Also, even if you run adblock your "safe site" could have been hacked to serve you malware - it's happened many times, and sometimes it goes undetected for quite a while.

I like AVG, sadly they become cunts like the other AV vendor that offer a fake free version and try to blackmail you by making it expire

Yeah, fuck them for trying to make a buck eh! TANSTAAFL, you know...?

but on the windows installation I have around, it's an older free installation still working and still getting updates for life.

Don't assume your older version will offer you full protection even with new definitions. The scanning engine itself might not be receiving updates, thus being unable to catch certain new threats.

 

[UniversalTruth]

Uh that's quite the bad idea, a good site might serve you a bad ad and you'll end up having malware without knowing it (unless some dumb stuff happens like windows update not working or the control panel's add/remove software not opening)

I like AVG, sadly they become cunts like the other AV vendor that offer a fake free version and try to blackmail you by making it expire - but on the windows installation I have around, it's an older free installation still working and still getting updates for life.

I used in the past Avast! Better than AVG, and even then it just stays there for enough time without actualy doing anything helpful- no warnings, no notifications, no anything! Then, why do I need this parasite software, and I got rid of it!

Afterwards, I can always check for malware, and I actually did it and the results were proving that I was right, and you guys seem to care too much. Are you scared or what?

Extremely bad idea. Antivirus software takes up negligible system resources these days, you won't ever notice it running, really. Ok, maybe you would if you run norton AV, as it went progressively more and more shit for each new version last time I used it, so if the trend continued even modern multicore CPUs and SSDs might not be enough. ...But I assume they fixed things since.

"Only good websites" doesn't work. There are too many security flaws in OSes and browsers that would just be wide open for any exploit you're being served without protection. As mentioned, malware payloads can come with an ad banner - even an invisible one. Also, even if you run adblock your "safe site" could have been hacked to serve you malware - it's happened many times, and sometimes it goes undetected for quite a while.

 

[Grall]

Considering what malware can do, YOU should be scared.

Being online without protection is stupid. When you get infected (note: not if), you will deserve it for being such a dumbass.

 

[UniversalTruth]

What?! I would be glad to hear what exactly, since I am not doing anything risky on my computers anyways!

And even then, there is the Windows Defender saying at the moment "No unwanted or harmful software detected. Your computer is running normally."

 

[Blazkowicz]

I used in the past Avast! Better than AVG, and even then it just stays there for enough time without actualy doing anything helpful- no warnings, no notifications, no anything! Then, why do I need this parasite software, and I got rid of it!

On the contrary an AV that stays the fuck out of your way until there's something serious is a good thing!

Yeah, fuck them for trying to make a buck eh! TANSTAAFL, you know...?

They had a deal that it was entirely freeware for personal use, and business had to pay. I tried to support them little guys by spreading the software around (lightweight AV, especially lightweight in terms of no nagging)

If I bitch so much it's because I remember another, legit, free antivirus (dunno which one) which had a wording similar to "pay us or you will get infected", with scary danger signs and red text etc.
Or people who get an AV preloaded on your OEM PC (I don't even need to cite names) and it does about the same (surprise! you thought you had an AV, not anymore). It's pretty much ransomware. And millions people say "whatever", go on using a disabled antivirus without sometimes clearly knowing about the situation.

 

[UniversalTruth]

I didn't say "You stupid dumbass, you deserve to be infected", did I?

Instead of being so mean, you can do something meaningful and helpful in order to change the sad society we live in...

It is in your best interest to change that!

And remember- 'Evil doesn't walk on trees, it walks on humans'!

 

[Grall]

I didn't say "You stupid dumbass, you deserve to be infected", did I?

I didn't say you deserve to be infected, but if you were to run your system without protection then you would be inviting infection, and inviting disasters is always stupid so people who do that deserve whatever misery comes to them, since they could easily have avoided it by acting more intelligently.

Fortunately, you say you have windows defender active, which is like, base-line protection. It's not the best, but from what I've read, not terrible either. I run with windows defender only myself. So you're safe! ...Or, as safe as any of us are of course.

 

[V3]

I dropped the anti-viruses altogether since they take some hardware resources but otherwise the benefits are next to non-existent... and of course, being very careful where I web surf.. It is always in good web sites

Hmm I got infected within 15 minutes of my Windows 8.1 installation. I was still searching and downloading drivers and stuff when I noticed I was already hijacked, I hadn't had a chance to install anti-virus yet. Windows has very poor security, it hasn't change much even on the latest release. You need up to date anti-virus.

 

[dZeus]

Hmm I got infected within 15 minutes of my Windows 8.1 installation. I was still searching and downloading drivers and stuff when I noticed I was already hijacked, I hadn't had a chance to install anti-virus yet. Windows has very poor security, it hasn't change much even on the latest release. You need up to date anti-virus.

When you say "searching and downloading drivers and stuff", are you saying that you installed anything outside of Windows Update? If so, no operating system is safe against intentionally installing bad stuff (OSI Layer 8; PEBKAC). Especially when it asks for elevated privileges, such as driver packages often do. Unsurprisingly, malware tries to impersonate driver packages!
If you're claiming that Windows 8.x got pwned without any user interaction, then I'd be highly surprised, as the built-in firewall should not allow connections to most services by default, not leaving much attack surface that can be exploited.

You don't _need_ real-time anti-virus protection, you just need common sense:
- Don't install driver packages unless they come directly from the site of the device manufacturer (or system OEM).
- Don't use browsers that are very vulnerable to security issues (which is anything that runs Oracle Java and Adobe plugins outside of a sandbox). In the end that means only Chrome/Chromium is safe, although the sandboxing of Flash comes at a performance hit, and I generally find Chrome to be rather bad on usability.
- Don't plug USB sticks into your computer that have been in other people's computers. It's like having unprotected sex with strangers.
- Don't install stuff from the internet, unless you are VERY sure it is something you need, and you have scanned it before executing it. Whenever you get a chance, download content that is non-executable over executable content (i.e. don't download videos/songs/text in .exe format, but always chose .mp4/mp3/.pdf instead.
- If you really need freeware apps from the web that are not open-source, make sure you don't install crapware that comes bundled with it during the install. Often, it requires you to uncheck setup defaults that try to look like they are essential (but they're not). Preferrably test applications in a Virtual Machine before deploying it into your production environment. VirtualBox is free and surprisingly easy to set up.
- Try to avoid Oracle Java and Adobe PDF/Flash in general whenever and wherever possible. There are plenty of PDF alternatives, which work relatively well. Personally, I use Sumatra PDF.
- Keep your windows installation and applications up to date with security patches. Secunia PSI is good for informing you of the presence of security updates for most of your programs. I don't like its built-in auto-update functionality, but you're free to try it.

 

[Grall]

Plugging your stick into any ole hole is safe, as long as you turn off autorun on plug-in event (should have been done automatically by some KB update to windows years ago after this vulnerability was first brought to attention, but you never know, so you might want to check manually.) ...Oh, and also not run random executables that you don't recognize, just to see what they do when started.

 

[Malo]

I use a Sophos UTM gateway for protection against common malware sites and hijacks with no AV on my main systems. The daughter's system has an AV as an extra layer of protection.

Sophos UTM 9 is free for home use btw.

 

[NRP]

Instead of being so mean, you can do something meaningful and helpful in order to change the sad society we live in...

LOL, I see you're new to Grall.

 

[Grall]

LOL, I see you're new to Grall.

I'm not being mean, it's tough love!

Internet security is IMPORTANT. If you get infected, chances are high you will become a zombie PC, either helping to spread the disease to others or participating in DDoS attacks. If you command a high-bandwidth internet connection, such as is being increasingly common these days, it could be extremely bad. DDoS attacks are starting to hit many gigabits per second of garbage, to the point of having noticeable impact on the performance and function of the main distribution trunks of the internet itself.

Criminals and dicks screwing with services and websites either for profit gain or just for kicks threaten the internet as a whole. It can only get worse from here on out, therefore... Look after your house. Lock it up tight, or you will unwittingly become one of the bad guys!

 

[V3]

When you say "searching and downloading drivers and stuff", are you saying that you installed anything outside of Windows Update?

This particular PC is very old, I think ten years old. I had to search for legacy drivers and stuff and pray it'll work under 8.1. I may have picked the virus that way, but it was trial and error with legacy drivers.

I have some newer PCs but they're on Linux. I meant to upgrade this PC a year or two ago but Windows 8 happen, I was like crap, I can't upgrade to this. So yeah I'm testing 8.1, hoping I'll upgrade to Haswell-E later this year with 8.1. If I don't like 8.1, I have to jump ship and buy a Mac Pro which comes with its own problems I suppose.

I still prefer Linux, but there are some software that are still Windows or Mac OS only. So I'm kinda screwed.

 

[dZeus]

This particular PC is very old, I think ten years old. I had to search for legacy drivers and stuff and pray it'll work under 8.1. I may have picked the virus that way, but it was trial and error with legacy drivers.

I have some newer PCs but they're on Linux. I meant to upgrade this PC a year or two ago but Windows 8 happen, I was like crap, I can't upgrade to this. So yeah I'm testing 8.1, hoping I'll upgrade to Haswell-E later this year with 8.1. If I don't like 8.1, I have to jump ship and buy a Mac Pro which comes with its own problems I suppose.

I still prefer Linux, but there are some software that are still Windows or Mac OS only. So I'm kinda screwed.

Just curious: Which 10 year old PC supports Windows 8.1?

I hope you realise the folly of blaming poor security on the OS when it's the user which installs malware with administrative privileges?