Today is the day: Windows 8.1 is out

[Tokae]

So has anyone grabbed it yet? I know its early but I lets hear the feedback if you have it (or when you do get it).

I haven't installed Windows 8 yet on any PC I own, but I have dealt with some customer's PC's running it. I may have to install it somewhere if 8.1 does indeed change it for the better.

 

[TeknoBug]

Yes it's out for RTM, my laptop is downloading 8.1 through the store, tomorrow should be the retail and OEM release AFAIK. I tried downloading the 8.1 through W8setup and it says I can't connect.

 

[notarat]

I'm going to wait a few days before I download and install it so that if there are any major bugs, they're identified before I encounter them

 

[gt24]

It always seems like Windows 8 related stuff does things in the most complicated manners ever.

You install Windows 8.1 through the store (and it will never be in Windows Update)... but it only shows up if you have installed a recent update from Windows Update. So you need to Windows Update completely, then go to the store to get 8.1. Since this is a particularly large download, you have a small progress bar in the Windows Store that tells you next to nothing as to how much is downloaded and alike which are things that Windows Update will tell you.

After all is said and done, you need to Windows Update again because 8.1 has 5 windows updates waiting for you (so this is another situation of installing something new only to then have to install updates for the completely new thing that you just installed).

I'm using local accounts here at work on Windows 8. Windows 8.1 requires you to have a Windows Live account... unless you type in garbage for the Windows Live login stuff and then it allows you to opt out of using a Windows Live account.

Finally, everything is installed and I want to boot to the desktop by default. Windows 8.1 moved all control panel stuff into the "metro" related control panel so I look around there only to find nothing relating to booting to the desktop. The reason is because to do that you need to go to the desktop then the taskbar properties and change it in there. I needed to search on Google to figure that out.

It isn't that anything is impossible to do in Windows 8 but things are usually not straight forward. I get used to the quirks and everything is ok for me but many other people get quite annoyed at these odd ways to go about doing things. Therefore, I can see why many people are quite annoyed with the whole Windows 8 thing.

 

[TeknoBug]

I'm using local accounts on both my PC and laptop running 8.1.

 

[c627627]

People will think it's coming tomorrow October 18, 2013.

 

[OptyTrooper]

I will stick with Windows 7 till I DIE.

 

[cullam3n]

Original poster please edit you post. People will reimage their systems and spend time today October 17, 2013 to install Windows 8.1 only to find out the hard way that:

View attachment 134070

It's coming tomorrow October 18, 2013.

??? It's in the Microsoft Store, I'm installing it now.

I think the upgrade for Windows 8 is out today but to buy Windows 8.1 outright, it releases tomorrow.

edit: http://www.techradar.com/us/news/so...ate-to-build-on-and-improve-windows-8-1131737

Windows 8.1, the comprehensive update to Windows 8 that was formerly known as Windows Blue, has landed.

It's available now to existing Windows 8 users for free in the Windows Store. To get hold of the new version, you'll need to launch the store app in the Modern UI, where the Windows 8.1 upgrade should appear as a pending upgrade. Just give it a click to get started.

It will be available to buy in retail from October 18 and has already been released to manufacturers (this stage is known as RTM). Volume licencees were able to get their hands on it ahead of the update, too.

 

[Automata]

It always seems like Windows 8 related stuff does things in the most complicated manners ever.

It isn't in Windows updates because that is out of the way and something that most users aren't going to touch, let alone know how to even get to. Unless you disabled automatic updates, you shouldn't have had to install anything. Mine came up and started installing without a problem.

I will stick with Windows 7 till I DIE.

Then why are you posting in a Windows 8 thread? You are free to have your own opinion, but continually reading about how people "hate" Windows 8 in every Windows 8 thread gets old pretty fast. If you have something to contribute about the 8.1 update specifically (since that is what this thread is), then do it.

 

[c627627]

I will stick with Windows 7 till I DIE.

Plus there is zero difference between Windows 7 and [Windows 8+Classic Shell] - they are identical from Booting in to Shut Down. Most people hating on Windows 8 are not aware that 8 can be made to look identical to Windows 7 quickly, or else they would not be posting Windows 8 hate posts.

Why is Windows 8.1 not available through Windows updates

Where is Windows 8.1!?

Meh
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/buy?ocid=GA8_O_WOL_DIS_ShopHP_FPP_Light

I thought they said it would be on the front page? (making me look for it)

Where's the direct download!?

 

[TeknoBug]

One nice thing is that I got WMC back, I couldn't reactivate them before Jan 31st because the codes were sent to an email I no longer use, but after updating to 8.1 they appeared.

Why is Windows 8.1 not available through Windows updates

You have to download and install the latest updates in windows update before it will show up in the store. My laptop had 71 updates the other day, glad I ran them through.

 

[Automata]

Hit your Windows key, go to Store, click Download on Windows 8.1, then watch it download.



Time to restart into 8.1. Install finished.

 

[c627627]

I can't run apps because I use a real Windows 8 Administrator account on which you cannot run apps.

Windows 8 updates do not display any options to get 8.1 and when I click on the link on the web page o fms-windows-store:
WindowsUpgrade?ocid=GA8-1_O_WOL_DIS_Buy_81Update_Light_01

nothing happens.

 

[briansun1]

I pretty sure it's only in the store (you forgot start is gone or similar)

 

[c627627]

Figured it out. I knew this from before. Just did not know that you can ONLY get Windows 8.1 if you are using a Windows 8 machine and then only if you are logged in with an account with Administrator privileges and not with an actual uber Administrator account.

 

[c627627]

I uninstalled Classic Shell to install 8.1 clean without it. Was immediately forced to use Windows 8 GUI with my productivity dropping 1000% just to accomplish this:

Adding another user. Finding the hard way it didn't have administrator privileges, logging out, logging into my Real Administrator account just to assign admin privileges to the other account then getting back into it to FINALLY being allowed to download 8.1 service pack.

It is downloading now with a minimalistic looking white page with the word Downloading and a tiny green line slowly moving as it is downloading.

There is no indication of the speed of download, percentage completed, let alone any ETA info. It looks good though but not very useful. Why is there no option to display download speed, percentage downloaded, total size etc?



So anyway with Classic Shell, click click click and I would have been done.


Here's why Windows 8 Metro GUI drops productivity 1000%:

No start menu so you have to *try* to Fish in Windows Charms then Fail once or twice to Fish it in then finally get it then where's Control Panel? OK Search and then what? Type C-O-N-T-R- are you kidding me? Who in their right mind chooses to waste their time doing this when Classic Shell is right there and boosts your productivity almost immeasurably.

So where is log off in Windows 8 GUI?

 

[Automata]

If you didn't have SecureBoot (with BitLocker) enabled before upgrading to 8.1, it will complain with a message on the desktop that SecureBoot isn't enabled. If you have BitLocker enabled and you enable this option, it probably won't accept your PIN if you have one set (it kept telling me my password was wrong). To get around this, I gave it my recovery key with everything enabled, which allowed me to start the computer properly.

So anyway with Classic Shell, click click click and I would have been done.

Win + C. Settings. Control Panel. Click Users and you are done. Faster than Win 7 for me.

So where is log off in Windows 8 GUI?

Win key, click your name, "Sign out".

 

[c627627]

Once the download completes, is it stored somewhere or if anything goes wrong post download are you forced to wait again for a complete download?

 

[Automata]

c627627, when it asks you to create an account or sign in, hit "Create account" then "use existing". All links at the bottom. Took me a minute to figure out how to bypass that because they really want you to sign in. Don't care for that part of the install.

 

[c627627]

Yup, I knew that too. Don't know why I forgot. It threw me that I couldn't get it because I was using a real Admin acct. It wasn't because I wasn't logged in with MS account.