Windows 8=great!

Not only do I love Windows 8 on my main desktop but also my XBMC boxes. I wasn't sure if it was someone here who posted it because I can't find it, but I came across a great guide to disable having to log in and to make XBMC the default UI instead of Exlorer.exe. Basically, my machines now boot in like 4 seconds right into XBMC. If it didn't come from here and anyone wants the instructions, I'll post them.

Is it the same method as used for Windows 7, where you change the Shell registry key, in the WInlogon folder?

I'm interested in the instructions also!

(2012-08-28 20:51)patseguin Wrote:  Not only do I love Windows 8 on my main desktop but also my XBMC boxes. I wasn't sure if it was someone here who posted it because I can't find it, but I came across a great guide to disable having to log in and to make XBMC the default UI instead of Exlorer.exe. Basically, my machines now boot in like 4 seconds right into XBMC. If it didn't come from here and anyone wants the instructions, I'll post them.

Although i havn't tried it myself and i also don't know if ithere is support for windows 8, XBMC Launcher seems to be a too that could be used.

Anyway, there is a guide in the wiki, but i don't know if it is the same instructions for Win8:
HOW-TO:Make Windows boot directly to XBMC (as a shell)

I'll post the one I used when I get home. It's a bit different than the instructions for Win7.

Here you all go:

http://cybernetnews.com/xbmc-run-boot-xb...windows-8/

I'm not sure whether I want a totally appliance-like xbmc. Following on from the guide that patseguin posted the link to, I had a look at the wiki page that KRKA01 linked to. I found the following instructions:

1.Log in as administrator.
2.Open the start menu, and type in the search box: mmc <ENTER>.
3.Choose File -> Add/Remove Snap-in....
4.Select Group Policy Object Editor and hit Add.
5.In the wizard that pops up, hit Browse..., go to tab Users, select your user account (the one that you set up to log on automatically in step 1) and hit OK.
6.Make sure that the checkbox in the wizard is Unchecked, and hit Finish.
7.Hit OK in the Add/Remove Snap-ins window.
8.In the User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> System folder, open Custom User Interface.
9.Select Enabled and enter the full path (including XBMC.exe and any switches that you may use) in the Interface file name textbox.

The difference is that you can make xbmc the shell for just one account (instead of all of them) and leave explorer as the shell for the other accounts. So I've set up a standard account named xbmc with xbmc.exe as the 'Custom User Interface' and I haven't set up a password for it. This means that when someone in the house boots up the computer they see an xbmc account. It's just one click with the remote (err... hopefully- need a remote to test that part) or 'Enter' on the keyboard to get into xbmc. I don't think one button-press is too much to ask. It means that the other accounts are accessible for admin or anything else that needs to be done.

The user can reboot the machine from xbmc if they want to do something else. A logoff option from xbmc would be nice, but overall I think this just might work for me.

Edit: this was all tested on Windows 7 Ultimate. Not all editions of Windows may come with the group policy editor.

pardon my ignorance but what exactly is great about windows 8? I am pretty happy with windows 7 and from what i have seen so far windows 8 looks like a cruel joke played by MS... i Mean what is with the stupid tiles page? the graphics look like something from 10 years ago.. most of the reviews on youtube make windows 8 out to be the stupidest os ever made. i think its fine if you want to run it on a tablet but who needs touchscreen functions on a desktop?

can anyone list anything about windows 8 that gives it a leg up on windows 7? i was considering trying it out until i looked at all the youtube reviews from what they showed its laughable...

(2012-09-02 06:32)ibleedspeed Wrote:  pardon my ignorance but what exactly is great about windows 8? I am pretty happy with windows 7 and from what i have seen so far windows 8 looks like a cruel joke played by MS... i Mean what is with the stupid tiles page? the graphics look like something from 10 years ago.. most of the reviews on youtube make windows 8 out to be the stupidest os ever made. i think its fine if you want to run it on a tablet but who needs touchscreen functions on a desktop?

can anyone list anything about windows 8 that gives it a leg up on windows 7? i was considering trying it out until i looked at all the youtube reviews from what they showed its laughable...

This thread is about using Windows 8 for a dedicated HTPC, it uses xbmc as the shell, therefor your comments about the startscreen is irrelevant. You won't see the startscreen, you'll boot directly into xbmc.

Some points of the top of my head where Win8 has an edge over Win7 in HTPC scenarios:

1) Faster boot (especially if you have UEFI)
2) Uses less resources
3) Storage Spaces (virtual drive pools similar to what the early versions
of Windows Home Server used, without having to resort to RAID)
4) Better media perfomance (decoding and encoding)
5) Better power managment
6) Networking improvments (including SMB improvements which is relavent to xbmc)
7) Support for USB 3.0

So you boot into xbmc in 4 seconds? Using windows 8 ? Thats lightning fast!