Windows 8 and FS9 & FSX

[Boeing Skunk Works]

I have installed the consumer preview of Windows 8 on a Toshiba laptop. It seems to run great. I don't care much for the Metro screen, but the desktop is still there to use as well.

I attempted to load up FS9 on this laptop for a test flight but there were major graphical problems. Dual cockpit screens, nothing working in VC or regular cockpit, etc. I downloaded the latest drivers for this laptop and tried both Vista and Win7 drivers with no luck. This is the 32 bit version of Win8. Also comes in 64 bit flavor too.

Has anyone given Win8 a test flight with either FS9 or FSX yet? If this released edition proves as stable and user friendly as XP I may migrate all of my FS systems to Win8.

[greatersatan]

I'm a bit worried about Win 8,  had all kinds of issues with Win 7 64bit and finding graphics drivers that worked right in FSX

[Boeing Skunk Works]

I guess this laptop probably won't have anything FS related installed. I don't seem to be able to get around the corrupted video issue. Little to no information on the MS website. I've looked around a few other places, but I haven't found anything.

Tough to find anyone trying both Win8 and a version of FS together. I did find out that FS2002 is not compatible. FS9 isn't looking too promising, but I'll wait for the Win8 RC before I write it off completely.

XP Pro may be hanging on for a good while longer in my hangar.

[DEDHead]

Up until this morning, I had been running Win8 Consumer Preview x64 since it came out. Installed clean with full FSX install (FSX+Accel, ORBX PNW, AU SP4, PMDG 737NGX, iFly 737NG, FSDT, FlyTampa, REX2, UT2...etc).  Running on a i7 920@4ghz, 6gb RAM, GTX 570 (296.17 drivers), SSD with a 26" 1920x1200 resolution monitor. 

I can report that for the most part everything ran just as well as Win7 x64 on the same hardware.  There were few places where it seemed fps was a little stunted and stutters crept in that I didn't remember in Win7 but it could have just been a difference in secenry load as I had added more ORBX scenery since going to Win8. All of my complex aircraft, scenery and utilities all installed and ran without any hiccups.

Above, I said "up until this morning", well that is because at 3:49am, Win8 thought it would be a good idea to auto install an update (which I swear I had disabled auto...)...aparently didn't go to well as when I logged on this morning I was greeted with an empty Start screen...NO TILES...NO Metro apps.  The traditional Explorer desktop was still there and everything ran but nothing would bring back the Metro Start screen.  So I debated as to whether do a Win8 reset, a restore of Thursday's backup (I use Windows Home Server for daily backups) or a re-install of Win7.  I chose to go back to Win7 for one reason, I work mostly from home as a software architect and RDP to my primary work laptop for all of my development work.  The RDP client in Win8 will NOT enable use of AERO against Win7 (laptop runs Win7) so using my laptop was a step backward as I got very used to the Aero preview windows that became a hard habit to lose.  So until they re-enable Aero to Win7 I decided to go back to Win7 and now am in the process of re-installing all of my software.

Don

[Boeing Skunk Works]

Thanks for the info Don. I'm presently locked into FS9 until (if ever) the FSX version of 727 Greatest Airliners is released for FSX. I haven't checked up on it lately and Paul Goldman doesn't seem to be in too much of a hurry to realease the 727 for FSX. As I understand it, most of the code had to be re-written for FSX. Paul did not want to just port-over a half-assed version of the best 727 on the market.

It's good you found out about Win8 before you had anything critical tied up on it. That's what CP's are about and the RC that will follow. I'm still rather up in the air about it. I skipped both Vista and Win7, so Win8 is a totally new OS for me coming from a fleet of XP Pro networked computers.

Not too totally convinced about that Metro desktop business. Fine for a phone or tablet I guess, but rather clumsy for a desktop or laptop still using a keyboard and mouse (or trackball). It looks really good though.