Windows 8 Consumer Preview is available for download

Windows 8 Consumer Preview is available for download as of today. This highly anticipated release allows you to try Windows 8 and test out its latest features before it is formally released.You can download the preview as an ISO image or via a setup file that downloads the files you need and either upgrades your current installed Windows or allows you to make an ISO image to install elsewhere. My suggestion is to use VirtualBox to create a virtual machine running Windows 8. This will allow you to use all of the features of Windows 8 without having to upgrade your current version of Windows. I have already installed it on VirtualBox and it is working perfectly, even with guest additions installed. I will also be installing it on a Windows 7 tablet shortly and will tell you about my experiences. The Microsoft Windows Team labels this as a "reimagined Windows". How do you feel? Did they do it right or wrong?

Was downloading this while I was gone today, only to find out when I got home that the download failed at 2GB of the 3.3GB. -.-

I installed it... and removed it two hours later. Anything worth doing in Windows 8 dumps you back to the desktop. Example, you want to use the Music app with your already existing library but it isn't installed in the standard library location. You have to use Windows Explorer, which also requires you go back to the desktop, to designate the location as part of your library. Let's say it mislabels an album, say a punk rock album gets album art and stats of a similarly titled gospel band, you cannot update it from Metro or the music app. Same thing with IE 10, no bookmarks in Metro, everything gets dumped to the start screen, so good luck finding much if you have more than a few links. You can still get the good 'ol favorites back by going to the desktop.

My question is this: If all I'm doing is sitting on the desktop to do work, why bother with Metro at all?

Simple whining, I know, but... i miss the start button!

Finally got it installed...and I agree, the Metro UI is nothing more than a shiny waste of time. Yeah, it looks nice, but to get any real work done (or even change simple settings that used to be easy to find...grr), you have to go back to the classic Desktop (which is crippled by no regular Start Menu).

Personally, I think M$ is too late to catch on in the mobile market (iOS and Android have that pinned down), and they don't give power users any incentive to upgrade either.

It'll flop, IMO.

I'm coming to a conclusion for desktop users, either skip Windows 8 or do everything you can to minimize needing to go back to the Start Screen. Those users should view it merely as an app launcher. I rarely used the Start Menu anyway and most of my actions take place on the taskbar. I do, however, used Start Menu search quite extensively.

Got to agree with DJBPace07, these are all things I had a problem with in the dev preview. Businesses have ZERO reason to upgrade, from what I see. Unless secretaries, lawyers, and print shops of the future are all going to be working on tablets at the local coffee shop. Some of the features are neat, but it hardly makes my work experience any more efficient.