Blogging from Windows 8 using Windows Live Writer 2012
It appears that the word “live” didn’t get removed from all the old Windows Live Essentials 2011 Apps when they upgraded the suite to Windows Essentials 2012 (WE2012). I just installed WE2012 on a newly minted Windows 8 Enterprise Laptop (I am a Microsoft TechNet subscriber and the RTM version is available there now) to test the user experience and discovered that like Windows Live Mail and Windows Live Messenger, the live brand has yet to be removed from Windows Live Writer (WLW). Good, one less thing I have to change.
Surface RT, now starting at $349 at Microsoft Store
Speaking of change, there no real visible updates that have been made to WLW2012. Sure, the interface is flatter and more Windows 8 (Metro) like, but no major differences. It’s been one of the best blogging tools in my kit over the last 4 years and I was glad to see that Microsoft is not tweaking a good thing. I’m sure something changed, I just cannot find it. If you know of something, leave it in the comments below.
One of the weird things about installing WE2012 on Windows 8 however is the fact that you have to install the Microsoft .NET Framework 3 before you can install WE2012. It’s not seamless either. In this case, it throws a message (see below) with a link to the .NET Framework install (http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=22) and expects you to select the download button for the install. When you do, it gives you a popup that then suggests some additional software (also see below) that can be installed. Not Average User friendly kind of stuff. I didn’t select either and moved on.
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When the framework install is complete, it then does not take you back to the WE2012 install like you would expect, but closes out the install completely. It’s then back to the WE2012 page and the install starts over again without the .NET interruption this time. It’s not awful, just not a one step install. Microsoft will need to get that fixed before launch in October.
When the install is done (and I did a complete install, it looks something like this on the Windows 8 (Metro) screen.
Other than that, blogging is just as easy in WLW2012 as it was in WLW2011. I just wrote this entire post with it and didn’t have a single issue. Thanks for not messing up a good thing Microsoft!
If you would like to try Windows 8 Enterprise with 90 day evaluation license, click on the link and download. I would suggest trying it first in a VM or an extra PC or Laptop that you might have. If you have questions about that, join us over at Facebook for the discussion. http://www.facebook.com/groups/theaverageguy/
Windows Live Essentials 2012 can be found here: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-live/essentials-home
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I hope to see it renamed Microsoft Writer and become a pre-installed program on Windows 8 (like Windows Live Family Safety which is included as Microsoft Family Safety). This would prevent Microsoft from suddenly dropping it from the Windows Essentials, also to return Windows Live Mail to the Desktop as a Pre-installed app, these were all pre-installed before Windows 7, there was no need to remove them.
I would have to agree with you Van Minh Nguyen. I thought they might fold LW2012 into Word 2013 but that never happened either. Do you think we will see another version of Live Writer?
I’m installing wlw12 right now. hope it running good on my notebook….
is there any alternative link to the site for download? I can’t seem to access the site. thanks!