Windows 8.1 Upgrade - A Warning

Okay everyone... I have a warning to share and it's with a bone to pick. This almost made rant, but, I'll bite my tongue a bit and keep it more helpful than rantful.

Earlier this evening and a couple hours before a major live group project I was a part of this evening, I started the free download/upgrade to Win 8.1. (I got a new system...8 came with it..). This is a 3+ gig download, so I figured it would take awhile... Well, it didn't take anything like what I was expecting.

Now, Of course, I expected there to be a reboot required. However, I expected to be given a choice about when. It seemed to, and could have too. However, it doesn't. So, here's the heads up.

When you complete downloading it, it will alert you to the reboot needed and give a 15 minute countdown with Reboot Now or Cancel buttons. (nice drama there I guess..it's even a live count with seconds) The Cancel is supposed to "Allow you to finish and close your work then reboot later". Ummm... Yeah... When IT feels like it.

I clicked cancel and it went fine for what must have been a good 10 minutes. Then, it triggered a total, no warning and no delay shut down to reboot. Not even a hang on a running program (I had a bunch open). It killed every process in a swipe and shut down! Then went directly into the full install of 8.1 (Think same time as any Windows install but 98% automated.)


So be warned, once you start the download of 8.1, it's a process that won't stop or give you the option of doing anything but seeing it through to the end of install on the new O/S. The only thing that would have changed that was a power down, which obviously would have defeated the purpose and created the problem.

I haven't had a chance to check out what changed yet... The way it intruded on what I considered important tonight leaves me a little burned on caring what they considered important to see. Thank goodness I'm using a Classic Shell mod for the traditional desktop, too. Ugh!

Just a clarification before a sharp eyed person catches it to ask. The timer that came up was 15 minutes. I let that click off most of the way down with a few minutes left before clicking cancel. So the 10 minutes wasn't overlapping to what that would have done anyway. The timing seemed entirely arbitrary, although probably odd as ever for the precise moment it happened in what I was doing with other folks.

Winblows strikes again! (sigh)

If it wasn't for the limitation of RAM, I would probably still use windows XP.

It just was faster!

Even if 7 is acceptable, they pretty much messed up every versions since then...

and don't get me started on 8!

Wrabbit2000
Winblows strikes again! (sigh)

edit on 25-10-2013 by Wrabbit2000 because: (no reason given)

Linux is looking more and more interesting.

With mainstream applications like Steam coming to Linux, they might get rid of it's limitation when it comes to gaming.

Win 8!!
I'd rather use win 98

This kind of crap isexactly why I have been using Linux for the last several years!

reply to post by incoserv


As soon as full gaming support comes to Linux, I'll be on it in a heartbeat. Until then, I unfortunately have to keep using Windows.

reply to post by theMediator


I have Virtualization installed to run other O/S's when I get done with immediate projects and have some breathing room. Right now it's just not possible, but Ubuntu is going in as a virtual machine. I think I should be able to actually run that on another monitor while Windows runs in the others like two different machines.

My old machine just didn't have the horsepower to manage it and the virtual options hadn't updated where they are now. I'm looking forward to having the best of both, if I can manage that.

reply to post by VoidHawk



For reference to people who may need it, I am using Classic Shell. It's a free util.

In Win 8, it entirely substituted for the tiles on all monitors. (I have 3 running full time) In Win 8.1, Classic shell replaces the tiles on monitor 1 (center for me) while the first side monitor you click on after boot will host the tiles ..which can be replaced by just dropping a conventional window into that monitor at any time.

The Classic Shell is everything Win 7/Vista is for Desktop and can switch to older layouts of Windows if that's more familiar. Personally, I hate the tiles, so this is all that makes Win 8.x bearable for GUI. The system itself though?? Well, so far, uncrashable (and I've tried)...and it flies with multi-tasking or however much I want to load memory with it. Part of that is the machine, but Win 8 is also using more memory for programs (letting them run free) than I've ever seen it do in other versions. The result is much lower use of the swap file (I rarely see that bump on the perf. monitor) and real fast programs without much memory sharing needed.

* Oh... a major thing as well. The Classic Shell GUI autosaves icon position on the desktop. So, move it and it stays without anything else done. Boot after boot. That's real nice...as well as treating different monitors separately for Icons being auto-sorted or moved into groups.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Hey, thanks for the heads up. My new laptop is coming in the mail in a few more days, and it will be my first windows 8 machine.

I decided to go out on a limb despite my better judgement, but I'm sure it'll be fine.

This classic shell gizmo looks interesting, I'd like to keep things more like the classic interface as much as possible- while still reaping any benefits 8 might have.

Maybe working on "important" things (see porn) during an install and before it is completed isn't wise should be the moral of this story...

I bought a new pc about 2 years ago (around there) and it came with Windows 7 installed. My mom bought a pc about 2 months later and it came with Windows 8 installed. She has absolutely HATED it since then. She even went so far as to get a quote on how much a shop would charge her to downgrade to 7.

My pc with 7 installed was the first pc I've had in over 10 years. My last pc had Windows 98. I used a smartphone for years until then. I was able to pick up everything just like Windows 98 with a few exceptions and most of them were improvements. I figured mom was just complaining because she likes change as much as I would like to lose a limb. I rode on over ready to help her out and Windows 8 was just a whole remodel and it sucked IMO. It took me about 10 minutes to be thankful that my pc had come with 7 instead of 8.

I heard about the roll out of 8.1 and told her to wait to download it... from your post I am glad I did. I think Microsoft lost a ton of customers when they did a total revamp that only succeeded in making things more complicated/worse.

reply to post by ThinkingCap


Well, if you have just one monitor like a laptop, then it's easy. If you use Classic Shell (or should work the same with other similar utils that do about the same), make sure in the time you do spend in Tiles, you get the settings for active corners for reaching Win 8 stuff. 1 corner will swap screens and another will open something similar to the Win 7 Widget menu on the side. That gives access to settings and other things Win 8. (Shell gives it in classic Start Menu form we all know better)

On mine, moving my cursor to the max top left opens a little thumbnail back to the tiles and switches the whole thing over. From tiles, the same corner opens a thumb of the desktop and clicking returns to full classic view. It's like the multi-desktops of a Linux system, though I've not used Win 8 without this ..so I don't know how much it was meant to do this and how much it's added function from the GUI util.

reply to post by Kangaruex4Ewe


Oh, you definitely WANT to get 8.1. This is their "We're really really sorry...please stop looking at Linux" version to make nice with customers. I don't expect trouble and haven't had any...except for that rather rude way of doing things it's way on the install process, rather than pausing like it really appeared it was supposed to.

Everything else? Running smooth and one of the main selling points of 8.1 is the return of a functional Start Menu older users can use. Supposedly without the utils like Classic Shell. That's what I haven't bothered to look at yet. Graphics and monitor handling sure improved instantly though ...so did boot time by a bit and response on menus and such.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


The START MENU??? Angels are singing in that background Wrabbit!! Can you hear them? That has been one of her main issues believe it or not. She will be excited then when I install it. I will just make sure everything else is ready for reboot.

I do thank you for that tip and letting us know that it is running alright as of right now.

Here's a warning and a suggestion, don't buy anything windows, buy a mac.

Sorry, not even a fanboy or nothing. Have had to buy over 6 computers for business and personal in the last 3 years, went MAC and have not had 1% of the problems I did with windows. I still bought a PC, just for a few apps. But, I never use it.

And funny enough, I just tried installing the update since I saw this thread. 3x timeouts, 1x not being able to find the update in store, 1x reading that some versions of 8 don't include a free update. (Huh, what? 8 is so bad, 8.1 should be a mandatory update.)

Way to totally kill your consumer base MSoft.

I would rather buy a turd with an apple carved into it at this point.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Wait.. So youi're performing an upgrade of an operasting system and then deciding it is bad and crap because it needs to reboot during the upgrade process.

And this causes people to say "I prefer XP." and "Oh my Linux time!"

Oh whatever....

I drove a car once, damn thing hit a brick wa;ll.. so much for "the breaks" whatever they are... stupid cars..

incoserv
This kind of crap isexactly why I have been using Linux for the last several years!

Please explain to us all how when installing linux you never need to reboot the PC. Not even at the end.

I am all ears. Because, this sort of crap is exactly why i cannot stand fan bois....

crawley
Maybe working on "important" things (see porn) during an install and before it is completed isn't wise should be the moral of this story...

No you can do that on linux. I heard you can even remove the video card and install a new one while not even turning the PC off with linux.

And no metro tiles, man, it's like a dream... you can even stick paper clips inside the case and they start to clean up your files.

I swear, I m moving to linux as soon as they something something.... the same thing thats been said for the last 15 years.

reply to post by Kangaruex4Ewe


From his post youi're glad you didn't go with 8.1?

Hahahah.. oh ..

you're all trolling.. I know it..

"Man I'm so glad you told me that falling off cliffs would be a danger to my health. I was all about to start walking too. Whew, close call. I'll stick with my chair."