Personal computing discussed

Moderators: renee, Flying Fox, Ryu Connor

 
BIF
Minister of Gerbil Affairs
Topic Author
Posts: 2458
Joined: Tue May 25, 2004 7:41 pm

Thinking about Going from Windows 8 to 8.1

Wed Oct 30, 2013 12:34 am

Hello:

It's been a little while now so I'm thinking of bringing my desktop and laptop systems up to Windows 8.1.

The only specialized thing with real hooks into Windows (if they can be called "hooks") I use is Classic Shell 3.6. I know there's a new CS out there. I was planning to wait until my last October F@H work units finish (I'm participating in the annual TRFrankenbot Soire), take a fresh backup image of my C partition, then uninstall Classic Shell, upgrade Windows, then install Classic Shell 4.0...or whatever is most current, then test a bunch of stuff and restart folding.

An alternative plan is to do the laptop first (with the same steps above); it is less critical. If successful, then execute the same plan for the desktop system.

Opinions on 8.1?
Opinions on either plan above?

Thanks in advance!
 
LostCat
Minister of Gerbil Affairs
Posts: 2107
Joined: Thu Aug 26, 2004 6:18 am
Location: Earth

Re: Thinking about Going from Windows 8 to 8.1

Wed Oct 30, 2013 12:37 am

I very much like 8.1.

I had nothing against 8 mind you. 8.1 is just better.
Meow.
 
jihadjoe
Gerbil Elite
Posts: 835
Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2010 11:34 am

Re: Thinking about Going from Windows 8 to 8.1

Wed Oct 30, 2013 7:09 am

If you're already using 8, I don't see any reason not to use 8.1
 
gigafinger
Gerbil
Posts: 88
Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2012 8:53 am
Location: Boston

Re: Thinking about Going from Windows 8 to 8.1

Wed Oct 30, 2013 7:25 am

jihadjoe wrote:
If you're already using 8, I don't see any reason not to use 8.1

Zero reasons not to use 8.1.
 
bthylafh
Maximum Gerbil
Posts: 4320
Joined: Mon Dec 29, 2003 11:55 pm
Location: Southwest Missouri, USA

Re: Thinking about Going from Windows 8 to 8.1

Wed Oct 30, 2013 8:00 am

Do the upgrade and upgrade CS while you're at it.
Hakkaa päälle!
i7-8700K|Asus Z-370 Pro|32GB DDR4|Asus Radeon RX-580|Samsung 960 EVO 1TB|1988 Model M||Logitech MX 518 & F310|Samsung C24FG70|Dell 2209WA|ATH-M50x
 
BIF
Minister of Gerbil Affairs
Topic Author
Posts: 2458
Joined: Tue May 25, 2004 7:41 pm

Re: Thinking about Going from Windows 8 to 8.1

Wed Oct 30, 2013 8:01 am

Thank you all. Do you see any problems with the order of tasks in my upgrade plan?
 
Pville_Piper
Gerbil XP
Posts: 347
Joined: Tue Dec 25, 2012 2:36 pm
Location: Pville...

Re: Thinking about Going from Windows 8 to 8.1

Wed Oct 30, 2013 9:29 am

Just do it...
Windows10, EVGA G2 750w Power Supply, Acer XB270H G-synch monitor, MSI Krait Gaming 3X, I7 6700K, 16 gigs of CORSAIR Vengeance LPX DDR4 3200 MHz ram, Crucial 500 gig SSD, EVGA GTX1080 FTW
 
bthylafh
Maximum Gerbil
Posts: 4320
Joined: Mon Dec 29, 2003 11:55 pm
Location: Southwest Missouri, USA

Re: Thinking about Going from Windows 8 to 8.1

Wed Oct 30, 2013 9:39 am

The order of tasks looks OK to me.
Hakkaa päälle!
i7-8700K|Asus Z-370 Pro|32GB DDR4|Asus Radeon RX-580|Samsung 960 EVO 1TB|1988 Model M||Logitech MX 518 & F310|Samsung C24FG70|Dell 2209WA|ATH-M50x
 
Sargent Duck
Grand Gerbil Poohbah
Posts: 3220
Joined: Thu Mar 13, 2003 8:05 pm
Location: In my secret cave that has bats

Re: Thinking about Going from Windows 8 to 8.1

Wed Oct 30, 2013 12:11 pm

Upgrading Windows has become very simple and easy, not like back in the days of Windows 98/XP. 8.1 is essentially just "Windows 8 SP1", so just go for it.
No matter how bad the new homepage sucks or how bungled the new management is...

To all the original writers/contributors and volunteers, please know that I have nothing but the deepest love for you and the work you've done.
 
cphite
Graphmaster Gerbil
Posts: 1202
Joined: Thu Apr 29, 2010 9:28 am

Re: Thinking about Going from Windows 8 to 8.1

Wed Oct 30, 2013 12:47 pm

I was going to do the upgrade last night but when I ran the app to check for compatibility, a few of my games came up as non-compatible. For example, according to the app, Counter Strike: Source won't run (properly) under Windows 8.1

Granted that's not a newer game, but I still play it from time to time; and it made me wonder what else might not work properly. I'm going to hold off for now. I play a lot of older stuff.
 
Pville_Piper
Gerbil XP
Posts: 347
Joined: Tue Dec 25, 2012 2:36 pm
Location: Pville...

Re: Thinking about Going from Windows 8 to 8.1

Wed Oct 30, 2013 1:27 pm

Check to see if the website for Win 8 shows it's compatible... Can't imagine that it changed that much from 8 to 8.1.
Windows10, EVGA G2 750w Power Supply, Acer XB270H G-synch monitor, MSI Krait Gaming 3X, I7 6700K, 16 gigs of CORSAIR Vengeance LPX DDR4 3200 MHz ram, Crucial 500 gig SSD, EVGA GTX1080 FTW
 
cphite
Graphmaster Gerbil
Posts: 1202
Joined: Thu Apr 29, 2010 9:28 am

Re: Thinking about Going from Windows 8 to 8.1

Wed Oct 30, 2013 2:32 pm

Pville_Piper wrote:
Check to see if the website for Win 8 shows it's compatible... Can't imagine that it changed that much from 8 to 8.1.


It was the Microsoft website that was saying it was not compatible... they have a link you click to run an app that checks your hardware and software, and several of my games popped up as having issues. It didn't go into detail - that is, whether they would run poorly, crash occasionally, not run at all, etc. Based on some cursory browsing of various forums, it seems like at least some folks are having issues with games crashing, performing poorly, etc after upgrading to 8.1

Given that there aren't any real pressing reasons to upgrade right away, I think I'll wait a while.
 
Neutronbeam
Gerbil XP
Posts: 460
Joined: Mon Mar 20, 2006 10:07 am
Location: Dunwoody, Georgia USA
Contact:

Re: Thinking about Going from Windows 8 to 8.1

Wed Oct 30, 2013 3:44 pm

FYI, you don't need to uninstall Classic Shell...just upgrade to v 4.X before installing 8.1; that's from my work on two laptops and a desktop.
"the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die." -- Senator Ted Kennedy, 1980 Democratic National Convention speech
 
nanoflower
Gerbil Team Leader
Posts: 281
Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2009 1:10 pm

Re: Thinking about Going from Windows 8 to 8.1

Wed Oct 30, 2013 4:17 pm

I agree that you don't need to uninstall Classic Shell before installing 8.1 but you might as well. At least for me it turned off Classic Shell so I just reinstalled it once the upgrade to 8.1 was finished. Unfortunately my settings were lost in the process and it's still not quite where I want it but it isn't a big deal. One day I'll take a few minutes to figure out what I need to change to get it right.

That being said I will raise one issue to consider before upgrading to 8.1. There have been reports of mouse lag when running games under 8.1. I haven't seen it myself but it seems to be a common complaint. Luckily there does seem to be a workaround involving changing a few compatibility settings.
 
chµck
Gerbil Team Leader
Posts: 236
Joined: Tue Jan 10, 2012 11:14 pm

Re: Thinking about Going from Windows 8 to 8.1

Wed Oct 30, 2013 4:38 pm

cphite wrote:
I was going to do the upgrade last night but when I ran the app to check for compatibility, a few of my games came up as non-compatible. For example, according to the app, Counter Strike: Source won't run (properly) under Windows 8.1

Granted that's not a newer game, but I still play it from time to time; and it made me wonder what else might not work properly. I'm going to hold off for now. I play a lot of older stuff.

I've been running 8.1 since it came out.
While there were some issues with rainmeter, I haven't had any problems with any of my games, CS:S included.
Trump 2020
 
LostCat
Minister of Gerbil Affairs
Posts: 2107
Joined: Thu Aug 26, 2004 6:18 am
Location: Earth

Re: Thinking about Going from Windows 8 to 8.1

Thu Oct 31, 2013 4:33 pm

nanoflower wrote:
That being said I will raise one issue to consider before upgrading to 8.1. There have been reports of mouse lag when running games under 8.1. I haven't seen it myself but it seems to be a common complaint. Luckily there does seem to be a workaround involving changing a few compatibility settings.

It must be only specific games/hardware because I've never seen it or heard from anyone who has.

(And yes, my mouse is at 1000hz.)
Meow.
 
JohnC
Gerbil Jedi
Posts: 1924
Joined: Fri Jan 28, 2011 2:08 pm
Location: NY/NJ/FL

Re: Thinking about Going from Windows 8 to 8.1

Thu Oct 31, 2013 4:52 pm

:roll: Stop listening to retarded rumors, guys (or trusting the garbage "application compatibility" features), and just test stuff out by YOURSELF. I use Win8.1, I have 0 issues with my mouse (Logitech G400s, using latest Logitech's software) or with CS:S and CS:GO and I don't personally know anyone who does.

Just do a full backup before upgrading, so in case of a very tiny chance that your particular software configuration or your cheap, crappy hardware will have issues - you'll be able to easily revert everything :wink:
Gifter of Nvidia Titans and countless Twitch donation extraordinaire, nothing makes me more happy in life than randomly helping random people
 
nanoflower
Gerbil Team Leader
Posts: 281
Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2009 1:10 pm

Re: Thinking about Going from Windows 8 to 8.1

Thu Oct 31, 2013 6:25 pm

It may be only with specific games. I only know about it because I was looking to buy the Directors Cut of Deus Ex: Human Revolution and it is a game that has the problem as many people have reported it. Luckily it isn't that difficult to fix it if you just alter a few compatibility options.
 
SuperSpy
Minister of Gerbil Affairs
Posts: 2403
Joined: Thu Sep 12, 2002 9:34 pm
Location: TR Forums

Re: Thinking about Going from Windows 8 to 8.1

Fri Nov 01, 2013 7:32 am

The only issue I've had since upgrading from 8 to 8.1 is every once in a while my laptop (which I plug into a secondary screen when I'm at work and home) will forget the 'extend my desktop' setting, and go back to duplicating displays, which some times triggers text scaling to get stuck at 150%, even through the control panel says 100%. It's a pain to get restored when it happens, but I'm pretty sure it's due to crappy AMD beta (why the hell are they still in beta?!) notebook drivers for 8.1.
Desktop: i7-4790K @4.8 GHz | 32 GB | EVGA Gefore 1060 | Windows 10 x64
Laptop: MacBook Pro 2017 2.9GHz | 16 GB | Radeon Pro 560
 
cphite
Graphmaster Gerbil
Posts: 1202
Joined: Thu Apr 29, 2010 9:28 am

Re: Thinking about Going from Windows 8 to 8.1

Fri Nov 01, 2013 10:12 am

JohnC wrote:
:roll: Stop listening to retarded rumors, guys (or trusting the garbage "application compatibility" features), and just test stuff out by YOURSELF. I use Win8.1, I have 0 issues with my mouse (Logitech G400s, using latest Logitech's software) or with CS:S and CS:GO and I don't personally know anyone who does.


When the maker of the OS and/or the games in question post that there are potential issues, that's a bit more than "rumors". And, the reason I asked at this website is because a lot of folks here 1.) are gamers; and 2.) are pretty aware of issues that revolve around current upgrades. Personally, I'd rather take the few minutes to ask around and do some research than waste a few hours doing the upgrade and troubleshooting problems, only to waste even more time reverting back.
 
BIF
Minister of Gerbil Affairs
Topic Author
Posts: 2458
Joined: Tue May 25, 2004 7:41 pm

Re: Thinking about Going from Windows 8 to 8.1

Sat Nov 02, 2013 2:19 pm

Hi guys.

8.1 went on okay, but wasn't quite troublefree.

1. I had a messy problem with unreadable fonts in Fire Fox and a couple apps. Based on a Google search, I had to go turn on "Let me choose one scaling level for all my displays". Too early to say if this fixed it (I only just now rebooted).

2. The last time I did a "restart", it went to black screens but did not reboot Windows. Not even "reset" button worked; I had to punch it by holding down the power button.

3. Also, I get a message now every time I boot: "Smart File Advisor is not currently associated to Unknown Files. Do you want to run Smart File Advisor installer now to fix this problem?" Searches on the web don't give clear direction on this one and I am just paranoid enough to wait to hear from somebody else.
 
JohnC
Gerbil Jedi
Posts: 1924
Joined: Fri Jan 28, 2011 2:08 pm
Location: NY/NJ/FL

Re: Thinking about Going from Windows 8 to 8.1

Sat Nov 02, 2013 4:24 pm

Smart File Advisor is not a part of the Windows 8.1. You have some "free" garbage program which probably installed it.
Gifter of Nvidia Titans and countless Twitch donation extraordinaire, nothing makes me more happy in life than randomly helping random people
 
BIF
Minister of Gerbil Affairs
Topic Author
Posts: 2458
Joined: Tue May 25, 2004 7:41 pm

Re: Thinking about Going from Windows 8 to 8.1

Sat Nov 02, 2013 4:33 pm

My suspicion is right then.

This is weird because I am very careful about where I go and what I do.

Edit:

According to Programs and Features, it is version 1.1.1 published by "Filefacts.net" and installed on 1/23/2013, which is about a month after I stood up this system.

Edit 2:

I just uninstalled it and.. haha, it opened a web browser at Filefacts.net asking if I would care to share my reasons for uninstalling their software and oh by the way, what's my email address. I just closed the web page without replying. I will watch to see if this thing mysteriously comes back someday.
 
LostCat
Minister of Gerbil Affairs
Posts: 2107
Joined: Thu Aug 26, 2004 6:18 am
Location: Earth

Re: Thinking about Going from Windows 8 to 8.1

Sat Nov 02, 2013 5:16 pm

BIF wrote:
I just uninstalled it and.. haha, it opened a web browser at Filefacts.net asking if I would care to share my reasons for uninstalling their software and requesting my email address. I just closed the web page without replying. I will watch to see if this thing mysteriously comes back someday.

Yeah that at least is relatively common practice. Panda Cloud does it, Google Chrome does it, cFosSpeed does it...I'm sure I could find plenty more, but that's off the top of my head.

Not always with the email part, mind you.
Meow.

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest
GZIP: On