I HATE Windows 8. This is the worst OS ever invented.

Ken...this response is lame! I hate Windows 8. Been trying to learn it and get comfortable with it for hours. Need a solution. It would be great on a touch screen or tablet, but that's not what I have.

 

Your choices as I see it with Windows 8/8.1:

Learn to use it the way it was designed.  No - it is not like Windows 7.  Yes - some parts of it would be easier on a touchscreen.  Yes - it can be used without a touchscreen, but with a few days to a few weeks learning curve, dependent on the individual.  It's not likely to go away in the next 12-18 months nor will it probably even have any drastic look/feel changes for that amount of time after 8.1's release to the public (beyond any changes 8.1 makes - which really are not going back to the XP/Vista/7 interface at all.)

Make it look/act as much like Windows 7 as possible with one of many third party applications (some free, some cost...)

http://www.eightforums.com/customization/12971-list-start-menu-replacements-windows-8-a.html

You can get the Start menu back and disable some of the gestures and boot straight to the desktop with some of those.  Truthfully - for most people this is more than enough.  Sure, there are the people who say, "why should I have to run a third party application to make my OS more usable" but then again - they do it already most likely.  They may use an alternative web browser, some office suite, some video editing application, some image editing application, some audio player or editor, various antivirus and antimalware applications, etc.  All those are changing the way they interact with the OS.  Maybe not at the look/feel level - but the Linux crowd has been doing it for years and the Windows crowd has always had a subset of people who modify their desktop layout to extremes.  *shrug*

Install a different operating system on the computer you have *given* the manufacturer of said computer or the manufacturers of the individual components in said computer have drivers for the different operating system.  If you have Windows 8 Pro and you happen to have a legitimate license for Windows 7 Professional - it can be a no-cost (other than time and effort) venture.  If you have a full unused license [never used if OEM, not used currently if retail] of any other version of Windows (likely Windows 7 would be the best choice for the age of the hardware and staying not so far behind the curve) - you can use it to do your install with the caveat already mentioned about hardware support.  You can use one of many flavors of linux, same caveat about the hardware drivers apply but add the functionality being probably almost as foreign to most as Windows 8 is - ikely more considering a lot of things you are used to just won't exist in the way you have gotten used to them, if at all.

Return the product, make sure it is well known and documented to those you return it to as well as the manufacturer of the product as a whole WHY you returned it.  Who knows - they might even offer to downgrade to Windows 7 for you (unlikely, but not unheard of.)  If that doesn't happen (more likely) you can look around and get a new or recently refurbished/off-lease Windows 7 system probably for less money than you spent on the Windows 8 system (if it was a whole system and not just a software upgrade.)

If all you did was purchase the Windows 8 upgrade and installed it on your current system with an older Windows OS - return Windows 8 for a full refund and restore your system to prior OS.  There's not PUSH to move to Windows 8/8.1 - certainly very few (if any) software vendors require it for the major "non-Windows Store" applications they make and I have not found many peripherals (none actually) that require Windows 8 to work.  However, you have to do this one quick.  As you stated your attempt has only been "for hours", you may still be okay.  It's like 30 days or something?

Ken...this response is lame! I hate Windows 8. Been trying to learn it and get comfortable with it for hours. Need a solution. It would be great on a touch screen or tablet, but that's not what I have.

Lenovo Brings Back Start Button to Windows 8

http://blog.laptopmag.com/lenovo-start-button-back-windows8

So one hardware vendor listened to customers and installed one of the many applications that exist to do that (excuse the pun) "from the start" for new customers who buy their specific brand of product?

This is good.  Some OEM actually listening and doing what should have probably been done all along: asking their customers what they want instead of cookie cutting out the solution that makes them the quickest buck in the shortest amount of time.

Although, honestly, most people did not complain to the vendor they purchased the entire computing package from or just return their system demanding a different operating system if/when they decided they did not like Windows 8 - but instead complained to Microsoft and kept BOTH products.  If more people had just returned their products to the vendors they bought it from, then the vendor and Microsoft would have felt the pinch and Microsoft cannot sell their products in the bulk they do without these vendors, eh?  The way things went down so far: here's my money, I hate your product so much... No, no,  no - keep my money - I am just letting you know I am holding my breath until I get what I want.  Or, better yet, I'll let you know I dislike it and spend more money on one of your older products to get the new computer I paid the vendor for (and has my money without any indication I am unhappy with the full package they sold me as their customer) to a point where I not only like the hardware they sold me, but the software *they* (didn't) sold me as well.

Sure, vendors have supposedly sold less, etc. - but in the end, was it really Windows 8?  We won't know for a while and it is probably a mixture of economy already in a hole combined with current functionality vs. the ability and cost to get back to that same level of functionality - which has always been a complaint.  Windows XP (the supposed shining star in these arguments) and Windows 7 (the second brightest star in these arguments) had the same complaints about being 'so different' and 'difficult to navigate' and so on.

So some vendor (Lenovo) has finally decided to listen to the people who are/were spending their money with them and keeps them in business and do something smart.  Not surprising - but could have happened six months ago if people weren't so passive with their needs.

Lenovo Brings Back Start Button to Windows 8

http://blog.laptopmag.com/lenovo-start-button-back-windows8

All I would like to know is how to get my volume to work.  According to the icon its at 100%. but no sound.  I'm not computer savvy by any means, but I thought the volume part was about as simple as it gets, yet I have no volume and have no clue what the problem is.  If anyone out there can give me some instructions I would sincerely appreciate it. 

randellfoster,

You may have already checked this, but if you have not, then it might help you.

I have found Windows 8 sound system to be very stable and works much like Windows 7, so I suspect that there is a simple issue causing your problems, just finding the particular problem you are having  is the challenge.

(I believe you will find your problem in step three)

Steps:

1. Check that your speakers or headphones are actually working, and connected to the correct sound output of your computer. I usually unplug the sound lead and tap my finger on it, if the speakers pop or hum with the touch of my finger (low level signal) I know they are working.
2. Check that all your sound drives are working correctly.  Open Control Panel, the select "Device Manager", expand "Sound, video and game controllers" and check that none of the listed devices have a red or yellow symbol beside them, that is that none of the devices have an error or problem. You can also right click each an select "Properties", then check the "General" tab, if it says "The device is working properly" it usually is.
3. if all your sound devices are working correctly, then issue is likely to be that you do not have the correct "Playback Device" selected.  I am assuming here that your computer has more than one Playback device, as most computers I have seen these days have more than one Playback device. Right click on the speaker icon in the System tray, and select "Playback devices", see which device is selected as "Default Device" (a green tick icon beside the device icon). If you know which device your headphones or speakers are connected to, then ensure that it is set as the "Default Device".  If you are not sure then try each device in turn. In the "Sounds" tab you can enable a sound theme and use this to test the sound output via the "Test" button.

If the above does not help you, then please let us know more about your computer, its sound play back device (speakers or headphones), what you have checked (i.e. drivers), etc.