So now that 8.1 is out, what do people think about it overall?

I might actually get around to updating my rig to Windows 8.1. I skipped 8 entirely on that machine. I've got it on my laptop and it's not as bad as I thought it would be but having said that using it was harder to use than it needed to be. Hopefully 8.1 is better.
 
I like the ability to change the tile sizes and go straight to desktop.

Beyond that, it's more of the same, which is a good thing. Other than the local/Microsoft account issue (which seems there's a way around), it seems to be great.
 
I have used the preview daily for a few months. Anyways the removal of the GUI for the builtin windows backup / imaging program is frustrating. I hope the enterprise version I get at has the backup with the GUI. Metro apps (like the pdf viewer) are no more friendly to use on non touch devices. The Start Button on the desktop is of no use at all since it takes you back to the Start Screen. Other than that the OS works. Booting and shutdown are definitely faster than Windows 7 pro even on a hybrid.
 
I was using Windows 8 without much issues so I find 8.1 to be a nice upgrade (installed the RTM last night, and the update was completely painless).

It can be configured to "Go to the desktop instead of Start when I sign in", "Show the Apps view automatically when I go to Start", and "List desktop apps first in the Apps view when it's sorted by category". Hot-corners (Charms, recent apps) can also be disabled so it basically works more like windows 7 for people who prefer it.

From the information available on many Windows specialized sites, performance and reliability should (hopefully) now be back to Windows 7 standard.
 
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I really like it. I ended up going from the public preview back to "vanilla" Windows 8, and you forget exactly how handy it is to have such quick access to the all programs menu.
As always, I really wish they gave normal users more control over what folders and shortcuts are created. I have no problem editing it, but those folders are somewhat buried and there are versions for both the current and all users. In Win 7 you can just right click folders and shortcuts to get rid of them, but in Win 8 and 8.1 there's no easy way to do that. I hope at some point they offer an easier way to do that.
 
The upgrade screwed up IE. IE would crash on start up. I had to use CCleaner to delete settings to allow IE to start normally. Also, some of the Office 2012 add ons were deemed incompatible. I had to manually delete each one.

NOTE: I did an upgrade. I'm not in the mood to do a clean install.
 
Yeah, I am NOT happy with the removal of the imagine software gui. I ended up swapping over to the far less friendly Macrium Reflect.
 
I like it. It is way faster over all than 7 or 8.0. But it is just another version of windows, an I never used the start menu very much anyway... so yeah. Once I am setup, I rarely go into it.
 
I like the persistent Start screen on a second monitor.
I like ModernUI apps are a little more resilient to desktop apps (in Win8 I had a chronic problem where running a desktop app would minimize a ModernUI app on my second screen, for no reason)
I like the desktop wallpaper can now be the Start screen wallpaper.
I want to like the Skydrive integration but I don't really use Skydrive.
I don't like the sidebar "This PC" retooling.
The rest I have no specific opinion on.
 
I just thought of another gripe. The Folders thing that comes up in "This PC". I disabled it via a registry edit. That should be more easily toggled though. I sure as hell don't want it, as I don't store those things on my laptop, but via mapped drives on my server. I see how it can be useful to people that only have a single system and stick with the default way of saving things though.
 
The small things make it for me. I have it on my laptop, but not on my desktop yet. There are those small things that I notice when switching from the two. The tile size and organization, the start screen wallpaper the same as the desktop, boot to desktop... They make a noticeable difference. Subtle but noticeable. It's a small patch release that really doesn't bring anything major to the table (that's really 'hey, look!'), but small improvements.

But, if you hated Windows 8 before, it's not going to change your opinion. If you had a few doubts, but didn't care one way or the other, it might be enough to get you to switch. If you are already using Win8, it is an improvement and a welcome update.
 
One thing I simply couldnt deal with in 8 was closing a metro app with a mouse, it was infuriating having to drag the top of the windows to the absolute bottom since a lot of the times I didnt have the mouse space to complete such a ridiculous movement. They increased the close area at the bottom by a lot (but still not ideal), its now like the bottom 20% of the screen instead of the bottom pixel which so far hasnt been that bad, time will tell if it gets annoying. If metro app's had an input sensitive close/minimize button when theres a mouse moving on screen then that would completely solve the problem.

I originally thought the inclusion of the start button was just a placebo that wouldnt solve any of the core problems, but it turns out you can configure it to go to all apps, which actually helps reduce the amount of clicks to select a program which was a big problem in 8.

They did not solve the all apps screen though, its still a massive clusterfuck of icons. The folder organization was there for a reason, my god is it ever hard to navigate without a list of collapsable folders. Its like MS developers arent allowed to use anything at work besides Office and then go home to Macs, no way in hell are they installing a lot of programs and think THAT way of listing them is good. Im not sure if the new start button will end up helping since it becomes such an unusable mess after awhile.

I still think its a huge step down in usability from 7, but Im willing to install it and deal with the crap if only for Netflix supporting proper streaming like the PS3. Also the Logitech T650 is a reasonable price now, I like the gestures on my Macbook so I think having a trackpad would make 8 easier since the OS is so gesture based.
 
idivide: sounds like you just need a solid start menu replacement, StartIsBack is very good. Dont even play Microsoft's game trying to bend over backwards to make sense of their touch tablet UI on your desktop, jumping through hoops to find programs that were easier to find through a nice hierarchical start menu.
I install a lot of programs too and I quickly realized trying to keep the start screen app icons organized would be a never ending chore and felt like me working for the o/s rather than the o/s working for me.

Not even giving desktop users a choice to use the classic method out of the box is just pure arrogance.
 
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8.1 is out?? I thought this was being released in November/October . . .
 
Instead of improving the backup program, they removed it. I can almost bet the bits are present in the OS and someone will make a GUI to use them.

MS is very strongly encouraging everyone to use only Metro apps. Hence they removed the ability to backup/restore your pc. Now all you can do is refresh/reset which doesn't preserve any desktop apps.
 
If you want to pretend your PC is an underpowered tablet with all the limitations those devices have, for good reasons on ARM devices due to the limited memory and processor speed, mishmashed into the desktop experience in inappropriate ways, it's probably the perfect OS for that kind of user. :p
 
pxc said:
If you want to pretend your PC is an underpowered tablet with all the limitations those devices have, for good reasons on ARM devices due to the limited memory and processor speed, mishmashed into the desktop experience in inappropriate ways, it's probably the perfect OS for that kind of user. :p
Click to expand...

Guess I better uninstall Crysis.:D
 
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