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FWIW, I am liking Windows 8.1


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I bought an Acer Iconica tablet/laptop from a friend. I got it cheap. It has W8.1 on it. I know it is supposed to be a flop as an OS. But I like it - especially as a tablet OS. Even as a little laptop I like it. No need for a mouse w/the touch screen.

 

The hardware is a little limited. SSD is tiny 32 Gig. I want to replace it. But I've got fully functioning Office and 8.1 on this.The keyboard is much better than what comes optional for the iPad or Surface.

 

I think 8.1 may not be optimum for mouse and laptop computing. But I like it as a tablet OS. And w/a touch screen, it's fine for a laptop too.

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I keep hearing that it's actually quite good for "regular" mouse and laptop computing if you configure it, which I realize many people don't want to do. But regardless, Win8 appears to be moving toward melding OS for tablet and computer together.

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Windows 8 got halfway to where it was supposed to go. I think Windows 9 is going to get the rest of the way there, and it's going to rock...if they pull it off, Microsoft will be able to what Apple and Google have not yet been able to do. Assuming, of course, they don't shoot themselves in the foot first.

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I keep hearing that it's actually quite good for "regular" mouse and laptop computing if you configure it, which I realize many people don't want to do. But regardless, Win8 appears to be moving toward melding OS for tablet and computer together.

 

I've heard similar reports - From what I understand, it's Windows 8.0 that was the charlie-foxtrot.

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Windows 8 got halfway to where it was supposed to go. I think Windows 9 is going to get the rest of the way there, and it's going to rock...if they pull it off, Microsoft will be able to what Apple and Google have not yet been able to do. Assuming, of course, they don't shoot themselves in the foot first.

 

What's the plan for Win 9?

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I've heard similar reports - From what I understand, it's Windows 8.0 that was the charlie-foxtrot.

 

 

Maybe there is a big drop-off from 8.1 to 8.0. But I much prefer 8.1 to W7 - or any other Windows OS I've used. I'm not using it for DAW applications though - just business and web surfing. And I don't think I'd like it without a touch-screen.

 

It's not as facile as an iPad. But I can get serious work done on it. I can't do that on my iPad.

And it doesn't freeze or crash.

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What's the plan for Win 9?

 

 

It's supposed to do what Windows 8 was supposed to do - scale seamlessly from smart phone to desktop. Imagine if iOS apps showed up as tiles on you Mac, and that's a start. The Metro apps were supposed to do that, but the apps never really materialized. It's like Microsoft threw a party but no one showed up...now that they have Nokia in tow, they have more of an incentive to make this work.

 

There was also an internal reshuffling at Microsoft where much of Windows 9 is being run by people with a mobile background. This freaks out some people ("oh no! my desktop machine is going to look like an iPhone!") but I think what it means is something else. Interface design for a smartphone doesn't give much margin for error. You don't have a lot of real estate, or a conventional keyboard and mouse. I suspect Windows 9 will convince quite a few people that touch isn't only for smart phones, and the integration across platforms will be a contrast to Apple's mobile/desktop divide.

 

Microsoft still has enough cachet with desktops and business that if they can woo those users to go for Windows phones and tablets, that would be huge. It's sort of the reverse of what Apple has done - get people hooked on iPads and iPhones so when they look around for a computer, they get a MacBook or Air.

 

Google of course is hardcore into the phone thing, but lack the desktop component (except for spying on yours, LOL). IF (big if) Windows 9 lives up to Microsoft's lofty goals, it will throw a speed bump in the Apple juggernaut and could even become the "iPhone alternative" instead of Android.

Or not. It's Microsoft's battle to lose, but they have a history of doing that...

 

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Like many, I use Android for phone, iPad for tablet and Windows for computing. I considered buying a Nokia 920 W8 smart phone. But the battery life was an issue.

 

My next phone will likely be a Nokia. The M$ Surface tablets are really nice. But M$ ought to be selling them fully-loaded at a discount. The pro models are too expensive to compete w/Apple. The Android tablets cost much less but really aren't serious competitors for DAW apps or serious business apps IMO. They sell a lot because they are at an attractive price point. M$ tablets are serious. But the price point is ridiculous.

 

So right now, my bet is M$ will botch the tablet market. The Win phones will sell. They are priced well. Third party makers like ASUS or Acer may be the future of Windows tablets -- if they have a future.

 

But I'm impressed with my W8.1 tablet.

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I like Win 8,1 a lot. I added Start Menu X (free but I spent a couple of bucks and upgraded - I write software and wanted to support the author) and there is nothing I miss about XP or 7.

 

It seems to be more stable (hasn't crashed yet) on my ThinkPad laptop it's noticeably faster, and I've had no problems.

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Crash? What is this crash thing of which you speak?

 

I can only think of a couple of times in 13 years with XP that the OS crashed or hung up when it wasn't clearly related to some balky piece of hardware and its driver. And the latter was surprisingly rare, considering how incredibly complex my systems were during that period. XP is a great OS, far, far more efficient than W7 -- which I like mostly fine -- but they really did mess up some stuff in the W7 UI. The W7 start menu is a mess. Almost a year with it and I can still never figure out where to find things or why searches for applications end up delivering data file lists. And the freakin' LIBRARIES -- what a sht-snarl! They slow EVERYTHING down. Also searches are bizarrely slow, even with all indexing on.

 

With four times the cores and four times the RAM and a substantially faster clock, my W7 machine is maybe 125% the machine my old single core P4 was with XP.

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I've got used to Windows 8.1 and even got used to not having a 'Start' button. It boots up quickly and has only crashed once in a year. That being said, my wife (bless her) knocked my laptop off my coffee table the other day and the hard drive needs to be replaced. Unfortunately, with Windows 8 and 8.1 it's tied into the hard disk, so there's no registration key. This means I will need another of copy of Windows 8.1, which will add to the cost of fixing the laptop.

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I write styes for Band-in-a-Box. And I found that the StyleMaker app for BiaB can crash any computer ;) but it hasn't crashed 8.1 yet.

 

I've used DOS 5, Win 3.1, Win95, Win98SE, WinXP, Win7 and Win8.1. They all have their strengths and weaknesses, and all in all they have been improvements over the earlier OS releases. But as each one came out, the public outcry was huge, and each new OS was considered terrible. When I bought XP people were recommending people to stick with Win98SE because it was better. I disagree.

 

I think people just don't like change, and Microsoft doesn't help that by re-naming old functions and putting them in different places.

 

I've had the same problem with my Mac computers, and they are even worse because they abandon the past more freely and frequently than MS does.

 

BTW, I don't upgrade, but get a new OS when I need a new computer. To me the cutting edge is the bleeding edge, and upgrading an OS on a computer that wasn't designed for that OS is asking for blood.

 

Notes

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Unfortunately, with Windows 8 and 8.1 it's tied into the hard disk, so there's no registration key. This means I will need another of copy of Windows 8.1, which will add to the cost of fixing the laptop.

 

Seriously? You mean if after six months you decide to upgrade to a bigger C: drive, you need to buy a new copy of Windows?

 

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Seriously? You mean if after six months you decide to upgrade to a bigger C: drive, you need to buy a new copy of Windows?

 

​I did not know this. But I will find out. I am upgrading the SSD on my Acer tablet/laptop hybrid. I still have the 8.1 serial number I paid for.

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Seriously? You mean if after six months you decide to upgrade to a bigger C: drive, you need to buy a new copy of Windows?

 

Well my laptop's being fixed at the moment and unfortunately, it's what I was told. This guy is reliable and a recommended computer person in my area. He said the only work around is to contact Windows, explain the situation and they can do something to get it working, but you have to pay for this. If you notice on a new Windows 8 or 8.1 laptop, there's no registration key on the underside of the laptop.

 

In my opinion, it seems totally ridiculous, but I haven't researched into it myself. In fact, it doesn't seem legal, but I guess it's a way for Microsoft to cut down on piracy.

 

My computer guy has said I need a new hard drive (what I thought initially) and will install Windows 7.

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I'm sorry but Windows 8 and 8.1 are junk. Yes its stable and its suppose to be. Its catered towards PC noobs or idiots. Any power user will agree with me. Not saying people who like it are idiots (you may be a noob) :) I'm glad to see them bringing the start menu back in 9, but its to be seen if power user accessibility is available in that new start menu. Thank goodness for "Classic Shell" !! It give windows 8 users the option of any of the GUI's of past Windows Versions. Plus its a community effort !!! So if you hate 8's GUI then get "Classic Shell".

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I'm sorry but Windows 8 and 8.1 are junk. Yes its stable and its suppose to be. Its catered towards PC noobs or idiots. Any power user will agree with me. <....>

 

Yes it does have 'training wheels' for the noobs, but a real power user can still get under the hood and work on it.

 

I don't care for the icon based interface, but with "Start Menu X" installed, Win 8 boots to the desktop and really isn't that much different from Win 7 or XP, except that it's faster, more stable, and more secure.

 

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Not looking to get into a 7 vs. 8 pissing contest, but !!! Do a fresh install of 7 and one of 8. Now do a comparison of the processes running in the background of each. 8 is bloated with non essential stuff and or maintenance stuff that will screw up or slow down many DAW's let alone any application. Yes you can stop these processes in 8, but, the steps to do so in 8 vs. 7 is a giant step backwards. 8 to me is nothing more than a Cell Phone OS ported to the PC.

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Well my laptop's being fixed at the moment and unfortunately, it's what I was told. This guy is reliable and a recommended computer person in my area. He said the only work around is to contact Windows, explain the situation and they can do something to get it working, but you have to pay for this. If you notice on a new Windows 8 or 8.1 laptop, there's no registration key on the underside of the laptop.

 

In my opinion, it seems totally ridiculous, but I haven't researched into it myself. In fact, it doesn't seem legal, but I guess it's a way for Microsoft to cut down on piracy.

 

My computer guy has said I need a new hard drive (what I thought initially) and will install Windows 7.

 

That doesn't sound right to me. When I got my Dell Windows 8 computer last year, I got an "Operating System - Windows 8 Recovery Media for Windows 8 Products - 64 bit" CD from Dell. It didn't come with the computer, but I asked for one just in case I someday had to replace the HD. They sent it, and I wasn't charged.

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Not looking to get into a 7 vs. 8 pissing contest, but !!! Do a fresh install of 7 and one of 8. Now do a comparison of the processes running in the background of each. 8 is bloated with non essential stuff and or maintenance stuff that will screw up or slow down many DAW's let alone any application. Yes you can stop these processes in 8, but, the steps to do so in 8 vs. 7 is a giant step backwards. 8 to me is nothing more than a Cell Phone OS ported to the PC.

 

 

I will be doing that one of these days on my 8.1 tablet/laptop hybrid. It came with Windows 7. I want to install a bigger SSD and I may need to reinstall W7 to get it up and running. A W7 CD came with the device. Whether my license will let me install W8.1 again, I don't know.

 

I'll buy another W8.1 if I have to. I like how it operates on tablets.

 

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I typically like to stick to my macs since my conversion a number of years ago, however, I still have several PC's in the house. I bought the wife one with Win8 a while back and I've had mixed feelings about it. We all know it's quite different looking from XP, 7, etc. but it does look like something recognizable if I can get to the old style 'icons on background' type screen. You see, the problem for me is that I only ever have to deal with it at times when she's having problems doing something with it so I'm not typically having fun when I use it. Sometimes I can get into the "old familiar places" like add/remove programs, device manager, network connections, etc. but at other times I seem to get caught up in a never ending loop.

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I don't know what the big deal is. You can boot up in the desktop, install an app like StartMenuX and the difference between 7 and 8 is hardly noticeable, no more than any other upgrade.

 

But every new Windows OS has always come out with a lot of people hating it. And when Windows 9 comes out, there will be a slew of people saying that they liked Windows 8 better.

 

I've watched this happen every OS change since Win 3.1

 

The fact is, like it or not, eventually you will have to adapt to a new version of Windows (or Mac).

 

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