Windows 8 -- nope. Ill take the Mac.

I just spent the entire weekend fighting with my daughter's Windows 8 laptop.
The microsoft account pretty much hijacked the entire computer. We got locked out of the MS account and it kept prompting us to enter a "Code" to unlock it. It wouldn't send us a code.
Tried to contact MS but Apparently, the only way Microsoft will talk with us, is through our MS account -- their site specifically says, "and if you can't access your account, you need to create a second MS account in order to talk to us."

We ended up just abandoning the entire MS Account and creating a new one, and of course, that locked her out of all the Apps on her laptop. She basically had to make new accounts for everything. All because Windows 8 acts just like those viruses that lock you out of your computer, till you give them your credit card number!!

She can't even use her computer without logging into the MS Account.

Despising Windows 8!

excellent start to the flame war!

not sure about 8, because I immediately updated to 8.1 from 8... There is a way to just use old school local accounts, not tied to MS account in any way. The only downside is that you can't download (even free) Apps on the Microsoft Store until you create/link an account, but you can run any of the Win7 and earlier "Desktop" apps.
(Unless you have Win 8 RT, in which case, sorry you're SOL because it has no Desktop mode)

counter-point: OS X Yosemite broke many things from Mavericks. I still run Mountain Lion on my main Mac though. I don't sync to iCloud either.

lol - yes, I use a Mac, and enjoy using it after years of preferring windows - My laptop has Win7. I just updated from Mountain Lion to Maverics. Not sure if I want Yosemite, but my system at work is updating to it this month.

My daughter, very clearly pointed out that there is no point her having the new laptop or hers (which she paid for herself) with the touch screen, if she can't use the Apps downloaded from the Store. That's where the power is or intent of the whole touch screen experience.

(also I must mention, - my error - she has 8.1 and not just 8 )(Though I'm not really seeing the difference, but I'm not the one using it, just the one who needs to trouble-shoot and keep the thing running.)

Good metro apps are few and far in between, and the ones that do exist are usually gimped versions. It looks like it would be great with the tablet mode for general browsing, but really, without either iOS or Android's app ecosystem, the usefulness of a touchscreen is severely diminished. I don't believe it has Wacom-level precision for pen input (like Surface), which in itself would make it a great note taking device.

I don't like W8/8.1 on my desktop either, and regret upgrading from W7. For whatever reason I can't get access to user accounts settings (which has for some unknown reason been incorporated into Metro unlike virtually all other settings) because it crashes/hangs whenever I try to open it. So now I'm stuck with entering a password on my account each time I restart when I have absolutely no need to have one.

I had a couple of virtualised apps (I had a version of MS Office in an .exe file that I could run from a flash drive) but that no longer works probably due to compatibility issues.

My laptop's internet settings for some reason no longer remember passwords and I have to type it in each time. Meanwhile I see no tangible benefits. It loads slightly faster, maybe? But with an SSD the difference is marginal. W7's side-snap was genuinely a good idea. Meanwhile, W8 doesn't offer anything like that.

Metro apps are mostly useless to me. I'm glad that they're going to allow them to run natively in the desktop environment in W10 instead of co-existing through a finnicky side-screen mode but unless they actually offer improved functionality or ease of use over desktop (unlikely), I don't see me using them there either.

Moving this video to spawnflagger's personal queue. It failed to receive enough votes to get sifted up to the front page within 2 days.

*beg

Sending this video to Beggar's Canyon to plea for a little attention - beg requested by original submitter spawnflagger.

MS has a free Fresh Paint App, that's pretty cool if you have a stylus. Haven't found any others worth endorsing...

MS just wanted consistency between the Desktop OS, tablets, and smartphones. Unfortunately they forgot that people use desktops for production, not consumption. Windows 10 sounds more like Windows 8.2, but who knows.

As far as password, you could try to set a PIN instead (it's fast to type 4 digits to unlock). Or in desktop mode, right-click on Computer and choose Manage. Local Users and Groups snap-in will let you change password, etc.

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag.(show it anyway)

Lenovo industrial design is fantastic - but yeah, shame about the operating system. I do use Windows 7 and 8 pretty regularly for my corporate day job, but mainly Dells.

*promote for the eternal flame war.

Promoting this video and sending it back into the queue for one more try; last queued - promote requested by dag.

When will Apple make touchscreen lappies?

*music

Adding video to channels (Music) - requested by ant.

Their selling point for W8 and attempt to compete with Apple's iPad was meant to be unity between desktop and tablet, but that was always a pipe dream. They put the cart before the horse by forcing Metro on people before there was any semblance of a mobile app base so it simply became a nuisance.

A mobile interface should have always been adapted into the standard Windows UI, rather than existing as a separate entity with separate complimentary versions of IE, media players. They seem be trying to bridge the two together in W10 but I think it's too little too late.

Realistically though tablets are largely about consumption, the issue was that this was forced on desktop. I mean sure, I've seen the Surface make a great note taking device (any large Wacom tablet would do this great), but beyond that? I mean the idea of doing anything beyond basic Word let alone Excel/Access work on a tablet is farcical.

Clicking manage literally does nothing, lol. But thanks. To be fair, I have modified W8.1 quite a lot (e.g. bringing back start menu) but I did the same with W7 and never had such problems.