Windows 8.1 review: Latest edition should start to win over consumers and the enterprise.

IT PRO ^ | 10/24/2013

[afraidfortherepublic]

It won’t support many of my peripherals, so I am considering having several computers (for my office) built by a private contractor who will install Win 7. This is on the advice of my computer consultant.

[Wiggins]

One thing that I didn’t like about the 8.1 upgrade is that you now need to have a Microsoft account in order to use certain apps like Skydrive and a few others. There are work arounds but I just don’t like using a Microsoft account to log into my personal computer.

[oh8eleven]

Or you can just run Classic Shell.

[Dick Vomer]

Microsoft anything is like telling your kid to learn to play the trombone while all the other kids are learning guitar and picking up chicks with Apple products.

[pallis]

My wife brought home a new Asus laptop with Window 8 a few weeks ago. I didn’t know about it until yesterday, which means that she isn’t having problems or complaining.

[Red Badger]

Verdict: If you're on Windows 8 we definitely recommend updating to Windows 8.1 as soon as possible. It rectifies a number of issues which plagued the original release and whilst it's not perfect, 8.1 is a step in the right direction.

Verdict: If you're on Healthcare.gov we definitely recommend updating to Healthcare.gov 2.o as soon as possible. It rectifies a number of issues which plagued the original release and whilst it's not perfect, Healthcare.gov 2.0 is a step in the right direction.

[deadrock]

I am running the 8.1 preview.

To get the full 8.1 version, one has to navigate through the Store app. The Store app does not open for me(server error), and according to Googly, many others.

Microsoft suggestion - reinstall Windows 8.0, then see if the Store is accessible.

[Alex Murphy]

Ping for later

[CodeJockey]

I just bought a new Lenovo G500s a few days ago from Staples. 8G ram, 1 TB hard drive. Intel i5 2.6G processor. $500 bucks.

Was a little apprehensive about win 8, but read 8.1 was the fix. I love it. You have to install current updates to win 8 and then go to the apps store. There you will see the win 8.1 upgrade. It was a quick upgrade. One intermediate reboot required.

Once there (8.1) you can get your desktop back. You can make a few mouse clicks to make it boot to the desktop.

See this like for options and configurations.

http://blogs.technet.com/b/askpfeplat/archive/2013/10/17/exploring-windows-8-1-start-screen-and-start-button-options-and-configurations.aspx

I have no regrets with win 8.1

[deadrock]

And another thing, why force the Store concept? Why couldn’t 8.1 be done through..da da da daaaaaaa, Windows Update?

[Slump Tester]

My biggest gripe - It appeared to make me log-in with a Microsoft account. This changed the login/password that the rest of my network used when I accessed it from another machine.

Giant pain in the ass! Every apparent work around had negative consequences (really hating UAC, etc...)

Here's the way to install it initially with a local account to keep your old login/password:

After you install Windows 8.1 and you are asked to sign in to a Microsoft Live account, there's no apparent way to move past that screen if your intention is to only have a local account. Here's the trick: Click the Create New Account link and then at the bottom of that next screen you will see a link that will let you cancel the process. You will then login using your local account.

Here's how to save the upgrade to an ISO.

[IMR 4350]

I tried to download Office.

Found out it couldn’t be done.

The entire combined brain power at Microsoft never bother to think that not everyone in the world has the exact same super high speed internet connection as Microsoft.

[DesScorp]

Not for long. I think Jonathan Ive is about to screw the pooch over at Apple. IOS 7 looks like a cheap knockoff of the previous versions of IOS. And OS X always had a lot of excitement and buzz before. But now no one is talking about Mavericks. There's been zero excitement, and not a little bit of head scratching over Apple's desktop strategy. I'm still using Snow Leopard at home. Apple just isn't giving people a compelling reason to upgrade (and maybe that's why they're just giving Mavericks away now), and I think they're sowing doubts about the future of the Mac. More and more, the Mac seems like Apple's unwanted child, while the iPhone and iPad are the favored children.

I think Apple is preparing to abandon the Mac as we know it... desktop centric computing... and OS X as well. I think Apple is preparing to abandon Intel, and go to an all-ARM strategy as soon as they think their A series of chips are up to desktop strength. I think they'll eliminate much of their high end Mac line, and that the future "iMac" and "iBook" will basically just be ARM powered iPads with a keyboard and mount, and a built in folding keyboard attached to the unit. It makes a lot of sense to do this if you only see yourself as a consumer gadget company (as many within Apple now do), but it's going to leave a huge void in the ranks of dedicated professionals that rely on high end Apple computing products. Who will step into THAT void? That, is an interesting quesiton.

[MarineBrat]

The more Microsoft tries to become Apple the more their OS becomes intolerable. I’ll be on Windows 7 for many years to come.

[LibLieSlayer]

Yeah and the AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE ACT WILL REDUCE INSURANCE PREMIUMS AND SOLVE WORLD PEACE!

[CodeJockey]

I went to (tying to remember, I’m on an xp mch at work) pc settings and then skydrive. You can, as far as I can tell, tell it to not use skydrive for cloud storage and/or syncing data between microsoft devices.

You can boot the pc without having an internet connection, so I am not sure if you even need a microsoft account?

It has been rumored that when Bill Gates started dating he would tell of his aspirations of starting his own software company someday. One night while on a “conquest” he asked his date if she could help him come up with a name for his potential company. She supposedly looked down and said how about micro soft?

[ShadowAce]

[GeronL]

That Metro interface is just pure ugly. I think of "Idiocracy" every time I see it

It’s not possible to access programs from the Start button – so you’ll either have to pin shortcuts to your taskbar/desktop or go to the Metro interface to open them.

Wow... that would be like an IPhone update that messed up something as basic as copy and paste.... heh

[Stentor]

I guess I’m going to find out if it breaks Start8.