Pleasantly Surprised by Windows 8.1

[BaldEagl]

I'd recently received a bonus at work and was in the beginning stages of researching laptops to replace my circa 2000 Sony Vaio (650 Mhz PIII, 256 Mb RAM, Win XP) but wasn't in any hurry until last Sunday night.

It was the end of the night and I was sitting at the kitchen table working on a spreadsheet with a full beer in front of me.  I'm not sure what happened but the next thing I knew the entire beer was pouring onto my keyboard.  I froze in horror trying to determine my next move as the foam slowly sank into my keyboard and just as I began to react I heard a soft click and the computer turned off.

As the beer seeped through the computer and started to drain out the bottom I realized I was probably never going to use this laptop again.

This sped up my research as I spent two sleepless nights trying to determine exactly what I wanted and how much I was willing to spend.  I eventually narrowed it down to four machines of varying capabilities ranging from $400 to $850.  This is what I ended up with http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1047296-REG/msi_cx61_2pc_499us_i5_4200m_3_0g_8gb_750gb_windows8_1_15_6_grey.html (delivered yesterday).

This brings us to the topic of this post.  Admittedly I've had less than 24 hours of experience but, after all the horror stories I've heard about Windows 8, it's not that different than other, prior versions of Windows.  I was quickly able to get Windows 8.1 back to a semblance of the familiar Windows that I've gotten used to.  I boot to my desktop, have access to applications through the start menu and all my folders and navigation are familiar after tweaking the folder settings.  In fact, I find I like to jump back and forth between my old familiar desktop and the new tiled desktop.

There are some differences in navigation.  For instance to shut down you have to bring up the "charms", select settings, power then shut down.  That actually seems more logical than selecting start to stop.

I've still got a long way to go to get this thing tweaked out fully but so far so good.  I'm glad I didn't limit my hardware choices just to stay away from Windows 8 or panic and buy a Windows 7 license out of the gate.

[Kirin]

There are some differences in navigation.  For instance to shut down you have to bring up the "charms", select settings, power then shut down.  That actually seems more logical than selecting start to stop.

Or you can right click the 'window' (e.g. old start button) to access a plethora of option - amongst them shutdown and reboot.

I kind got grown to 8.1 in the last few weeks. I use the search function a lot. And started to using key commands. Makes working a breeze.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

Or you can right click the 'window' (e.g. old start button) to access a plethora of option - amongst them shutdown and reboot.

I kind got grown to 8.1 in the last few weeks. I use the search function a lot. And started to using key commands. Makes working a breeze.

Or press alt+f4 on desktop.

[Bizman]

I must admit that 8.1 has brought windows back to windows users, the differences now can be understood as features of a new version instead of reinventing the wheel. What's going on under the hood is a totally different animal and out of this thread.

BTW 8.1 can be shut down in the charms menu upper right corner beside the user icon, too. Plenty of point-and-click options instead of hovering into a corner and sweeping down to an icon called "settings"...

[Getback]

My windows 7 says "Shutdown".

[DREDIOCK]

Or
Press the power button on the machine itself.
Seems to work the same no matter what version of windows

[Bizman]

Or
Press the power button on the machine itself.
Seems to work the same no matter what version of windows

Correct, partially. For several years it has been a default option in many BIOS versions to do that, or at least there has been the option to choose this feature available. On laptops I've noticed that the Windows Power Options rather will put the computer to sleep by default. Anyway, every Windows version has the power handling GUI in the Control Panel, so checking and choosing what the power button will do is only a few clicks away.

[Pudgie]

I'll be going to Win 8.x OS myself when I make the next major upgrade jump from my X79 box to the new X99 platform................

So learn up it BE as I might have to call on you for some guidance..................... .......

 

Oh yeah, something bout beer that can cause some strange & mystical responses & reactions.................... ...........

[BaldEagl]

Or you can right click the 'window' (e.g. old start button) to access a plethora of option - amongst them shutdown and reboot.

Thanks.  That was a big help!


I was really getting annoyed by MS wanting me to set up a MS account to use certain apps, which I didn't, until I found out I could ignore it and the nag went away after the first access.  That said it seems to me now that Windows 8 is a massive invasion of privacy, not just waiting to happen but happening as you try to close off access.  It really forces you to decide how much you're willing to give up for access, information and convenience like nothing before it.

[Bizman]

Thanks.  That was a big help!


I was really getting annoyed by MS wanting me to set up a MS account to use certain apps, which I didn't, until I found out I could ignore it and the nag went away after the first access.  That said it seems to me now that Windows 8 is a massive invasion of privacy, not just waiting to happen but happening as you try to close off access.  It really forces you to decide how much you're willing to give up for access, information and convenience like nothing before it.

Sounds like you're using a local account instead of the MS one to log in, which is a good thing. For what I've noticed, most of the "metro" apps are pretty much useless in a computer since there's already several programs in the traditional Windows to accomplish the same tasks, or they can be easily reached by the browser. On my "remove" list would be: Mail (which removes also People and Calendar), Photos, Video, Sport, Travel, Bing, News, Finance plus those added by the computer manufacturer... There's more, but those would be on top. IMO the Weather app is the most useful in telling whether I should go showeling snow now or an hour later! Removing them is a right-click thing. If you regret, they are available in the Shop. Also they'll all come back into every new account you create unless you also remove their "advertising" through PowerShell which is an administrator level thing to do.

A hint for those running 8 and planning to update to 8.1, probably relevant for 8.2 too whenever that will be released: If you're using a local account, the update will recommend you to use a MS account instead. As I said, I prefer the local one, so what next? Click the "create a new account" link! There's a bunch of boxes asking for your personal data, but at the bottom there's a single line (violet on a dark blue bottom, good for visually impaired!  ) saying "Sign in without a Microsoft account" or something like that. The Finnish version says "sign with my previous account". It can be changed afterwards, too, lots of 101's in the net.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

Thanks.  That was a big help!


I was really getting annoyed by MS wanting me to set up a MS account to use certain apps, which I didn't, until I found out I could ignore it and the nag went away after the first access.  That said it seems to me now that Windows 8 is a massive invasion of privacy, not just waiting to happen but happening as you try to close off access.  It really forces you to decide how much you're willing to give up for access, information and convenience like nothing before it.

Avoid using the 'integrated' apps. They're really bad. Use 'regular' desktop versions instead.

[BaldEagl]

I've finally got this machine tweaked out except for going through processes against BlackViper's list and I really don't see any major differences between this and previous Windows operating systems.

I also have to decide what to do with AV.  It came pre-loaded with a Norton trial and I had to remove a couple of Norton apps but the security center app seems to work reasonably well.
 
BTW, thanks Ripley.  The metro apps are the worst although I left weather and pinned it to my taskbar for now.   Fortunately I was able to find DL's of, or methods of transferring most of, the old missing windows apps I'd come to know and love.

I might try to load AH just to see how it handles it.  I don't plan to use this machine for gaming but I'm curious to see what it can do.  I suspect it will run at low settings but it will be at least a couple of weeks before I have a chance to test it out.

That brings up a question; one of the other machines I was considering was another MSI laptop but with the GForce 840 running at 1920x1080 vs this machine running the GForce 820 at 1366x768 on the same size, 15.x" monitor.  The other two, lower priced machines I considered were both Lenovo's running Intel HD 4400 graphics on the same size screen. both at 1366x768.  One of the many criteria I used in my evaluation was video benchmark score per pixel count.  By that measure this seemed the more powerful video/monitor option by a large margin.  Reviews seemed to verify this.  The 840, while benching much higher than the 820 was pushing almost twice as many pixels and by pixels per benchmark, was on par with the two lower priced machines.  Do you guys think that's a valid measure?  Of course, I was predisposed to a dedicated card if for no other reason than to offload the CPU.

[Bizman]

Good to hear! To get "completelely" rid of Norton, download and run their uninstaller: https://support.norton.com/sp/fi/fi/home/current/solutions/kb20080710133834EN_EndUserProfile_en_us. It should remove all remaining entries of various Norton products, but I've heard doubts. In a brand new machine the results are usually better since there isn't many layers of updates and -grades above it yet.

As for the video benchmarks, there's much more to consider than the pixel count. While the Intel HD 4400 may perform well in some tests and can run videos and even some games well, it still doesn't work with AH. Something to do with how the Intel chip handles certain code differently to the way nVidia or AMD do. Thus one single benchmark criteria may not tell you how well something would work specifically for you. The only reliable way is to gather information about how your own set of programs works with each alternative.

[Skuzzy]

I like how the Windows 8 DVD flies through the air.  Tricky bugger to hit with a skeet gun, but practice makes perfect.

[wpeters]

I like how the Windows 8 DVD flies through the air.  Tricky bugger to hit with a skeet gun, but practice makes perfect.

Lol


What do you think windows 9 will be like