Windows 8 has proven to be a challenge for Microsoft to get people to think of it as the best operating system on the planet. Although the majority of new computers offer it as the main operating system, many consumers are doing whatever it takes to place Windows 7 on those brand new laptops.

Windows 8 has been referred to by some as the new Vista. Vista was the operating system that replaced XP and was short lived because of the large amount of bugs that it contained. Windows 7 was rushed to completion to offset Vista and it remains a very stable and great Operating System. With the stability and user friendliness of Windows 7, it is no wonder that everybody still craves it. Windows XP and Windows 7 remain the 2 best operating systems that Microsoft has ever created. XP still has a strong foothold on the operating system market as millions of people still use it, including myself.

The other day I was looking over some forums and customer reviews for some major brand computers and laptops. I saw a lot of great reviews for the machines but many, many posts simply stated that they hated Windows 8. In the coming months I would like to see more computer manufacturers offering “downgrade disks” so consumers can install Windows 7 if they so choose. Manufacturers are not going to be able to sell their products if they do not offer what the customer wants. The choice to use Windows 8 or 7 should be implemented as a norm. If I walk into a store and all I see is Windows 8, I turn around and leave.

Windows 8 was originally designed as an operating system to use with a touch screen phone or tablet. It was then thought that instead of creating two operating systems; why not combine it into one. That is why the famous “start menu” is missing from Windows 8. This is quite possibly one of the biggest complaints of the users. There are numerous add ons you can get to replicate it but they are nothing like what you find if you use Windows 7 or even XP for that matter. Besides the start menu, we have also heard of some very buggy behavior with the operating system. It is also more difficult to do simple tasks that were user friendly and straightforward in other versions of Windows.

A trend we have seen is that many folks are doing whatever they can to preserve the machine they currently own. Think about it, when people were replacing their machines at a rapid pace, Windows XP was the primary operating system. People loved it and it was a treat to get a shiny new machine with all the bells and whistles. Now, many are dreading having to use Windows 8 so they are holding off and keeping their existing machines. In addition, the introduction of Tablets has also put a hurt on new PC sales, even though these products can never be a replacement for a full-featured Windows computer.

In short, I think that computer manufacturers and software designers need to offer what people want and not what they want us to use. This will help to increase the sale of new computers and give the computer era a brand new jump-start!

Written by Joe Zelenak, Staff Writer/Technician for Ring A Geek.