Tom's Guide: Hands-on Leaked Builds of Windows Blue 8.1

[JMcEntegart]

Check out Tom's Guide's latest article on Windows 8.1!

Tom's Guide: Hands-on Leaked Builds of Windows Blue 8.1 : Read more

 

[Shin-san]

I'm hoping this will be a service pack and not another $99 OEM disc

 

[killabanks]

dont need it dont want it

 

[maguirpi]

I think the reason that 8.1 is so leaked is that MS are hurting over W8 and want to get a little bit of discrete feedback from 8.1?

 

[catswold]

Windows 8, by any standard is a total failure . . . they have to do something. One thing certain, given the dismal performance of 8, those "leaks" are anything but; they are an attempt to gin up some PR to rescue 8 from it's premature demise.
They need to roll-back Windows 8, admit they made a huge mistake, and then build the next Windows version on the huge success of Windows 7. Till then, I'll stick with 7.

 

[Timmy225]

"subscription OS" Please MS go that way, linux will grow leaps and bounds as your greed overwhelms your common sense. Long Live Open Source

 

[danwat1234]

Hmm, not FAT32 option in the 'format drive' application.
I wonder if the Metro File Explorer will support file paths longer than 255 characters in lenght, and if the Windows Explorer will support it as well?
I know the Windows 8 Explorer does not, so I have to use Total Commander to manipulate files in deeply nested folders. Come on, support 255+ character paths already.

 

[nitrium]

An SP2 for Win7 would be a lot more useful.

 

[Dropdead777]

Stick with windows 7....windows 8 trash

 

[computerguy72]

W8 is better in almost every measurable way. Too many zealots commenting out of pure MS hate. The two changes that are controversial (conversion of the start button to a hover button) and the tile based start menu are in practice really minor changes. I had bought into all the negativity until I actually used a friends computer for a while and the controversial changes are really nothing. The technical improvements are very good.

 

[AndreT]

Win8 is not better in every way. It's ugly start menu is out of place on desktops and laptops without touch. If you prefer alphabetized start menus, you're going to be doing this manually, and every time you install something, you're reorganizing the start screen. You can't play DVD's any more without paying for an additional media center pack. The stupid charms bar, keeps popping up and getting in the way when I want to just close a full screen program on the desktop. I don't have pure MS hate. I hate this stupid modern UI that they've shoved down everyone's throat on platforms where it doesn't belong. I have always been the first to upgrade to new MS OS's including Vista and thanks to Win 8, I'm actually playing around with Linux Mint (which is more windows like than windows 8 is). First time I've seriously looked at another Brand of OS that isn't MS in 20+ years since my 386 running DOS 5.0.

 

[AndreT]

Win8 is not better in every way. It's ugly start menu is out of place on desktops and laptops without touch. If you prefer alphabetized start menus, you're going to be doing this manually, and every time you install something, you're reorganizing the start screen. You can't play DVD's any more without paying for an additional media center pack. The stupid charms bar, keeps popping up and getting in the way when I want to just close a full screen program on the desktop. I don't have pure MS hate. I hate this stupid modern UI that they've shoved down everyone's throat on platforms where it doesn't belong. I have always been the first to upgrade to new MS OS's including Vista and thanks to Win 8, I'm actually playing around with Linux Mint (which is more windows like than windows 8 is). First time I've seriously looked at another Brand of OS that isn't MS in 20+ years since my 386 running DOS 5.0.

 

[AndreT]

Win8 is not better in every way. It's ugly start menu is out of place on desktops and laptops without touch. If you prefer alphabetized start menus, you're going to be doing this manually, and every time you install something, you're reorganizing the start screen. You can't play DVD's any more without paying for an additional media center pack. The stupid charms bar, keeps popping up and getting in the way when I want to just close a full screen program on the desktop. I don't have pure MS hate. I hate this stupid modern UI that they've shoved down everyone's throat on platforms where it doesn't belong. I have always been the first to upgrade to new MS OS's including Vista and thanks to Win 8, I'm actually playing around with Linux Mint (which is more windows like than windows 8 is). First time I've seriously looked at another Brand of OS that isn't MS in 20+ years since my 386 running DOS 5.0.

 

[gburke]

I like W8 on a desktop and actually enjoy the apps. I made the desktop screen look just like the way I have it in Win7. Plus organized the start screen apps in a very convenient way. The Start screen can be in an alphabetized list/menu format which would be essentially the same as a "start menu". Just looks different. Performance wise, its just like Win 7. I use a dual boot with the same PC hardware. Actually, Win 8 is a little faster cause its on an SSD, boots in 7 seconds. Win 7 is on a slower HDD. But both OSs on the same processor, memory and vid card. I wouldn't mind if a Start menu made a come-back to the desktop, but to me it would be a little redundant. MS had better make 8.1 a Service Pack or a regular update. Something tells me, if its not free, there will be a lot of angry customers...

 

[Matsushima]

Subscription based.... DOH!

 

[soundping]

Microsoft still hasn't made a legitimate argument for Windows 8. If you're using Windows 7 there's no reason to abandon it.

 

[computerguy72]

AndreT half of your negatives simply aren't true and the true ones are highly debatable.
1. Charms bar stops you from clicking a full screen close box. FALSE. Charms bar doesn't keep you from clicking on anything. The first charm (the search magnifying glass is half way down the screen) and the charms bar itself is transparent and doesn't prevent clicking on anything.
2. You can't play DVD's without paying. FALSE. VLC is free along with most other programs that can play DVD's. I never bought this on my install and play DVD's all the time for FREE. Btw Windows Media Player is a piece of crap on Windows 7 why would you want to use this?
3. All programs list is alphabetized. TRUE. However the Win7 start menu is organized by programs install order, then programs that are considered 'for all users' and then by network apps etc.. I have 4 PC's with Win7 and my start menus are littered with more crap than you can imagine. Menu items with no icons, menu items with hlp files that aren't supported in Win7, menu items that are from programs that I uninstalled but couldn't remove the start group. (btw Win8.1 allows the same sorts as Win7)
4. You have to reorganize your start screen. TRUE but you don't move icons around on your desktop? Menu's around in your start menu for Win7? In your quick launch bar? Win8 you do it in one place rather than 3. (quick launch bar and desktop icons are identical to Win7 btw)

 

[computerguy72]

AndreT half of your negatives simply aren't true and the true ones are highly debatable.
1. Charms bar stops you from clicking a full screen close box. FALSE. Charms bar doesn't keep you from clicking on anything. The first charm (the search magnifying glass is half way down the screen) and the charms bar itself is transparent and doesn't prevent clicking on anything.
2. You can't play DVD's without paying. FALSE. VLC is free along with most other programs that can play DVD's. I never bought this on my install and play DVD's all the time for FREE. Btw Windows Media Player is a piece of crap on Windows 7 why would you want to use this?
3. All programs list is alphabetized. TRUE. However the Win7 start menu is organized by programs install order, then programs that are considered 'for all users' and then by network apps etc.. I have 4 PC's with Win7 and my start menus are littered with more crap than you can imagine. Menu items with no icons, menu items with hlp files that aren't supported in Win7, menu items that are from programs that I uninstalled but couldn't remove the start group. (btw Win8.1 allows the same sorts as Win7)
4. You have to reorganize your start screen. TRUE but you don't move icons around on your desktop? Menu's around in your start menu for Win7? In your quick launch bar? Win8 you do it in one place rather than 3. (quick launch bar and desktop icons are identical to Win7 btw)

 

[Matsushima]

I like looking at my wallpaper, not coloured rectangles that look messy and clog the whole screen with messages, notifications and stuff. With a dark background.

 

[apache_lives]

7 SP2? I thought it was perfect in every single way (hence why you want to stick with it? Yes?), and dont you really mean Vista SP4? After all all the "greatness" of Windows 7 was actually all thanks to Vista, there 99% the same, go check it out some time?
Lets have a look back in time, XP was hated *MORE* then 8 is today, and look at how that went? Or do all you haters forget that?
8 is a good OS.

 

[Matsushima]

What all of you need to realise is that Windows 8 suits different people.

 

[phump]

It's not ugly, and touch has no bearing on the functionality of the start menu. It's point and click, like everything else. You must have hated Windows 95.
DVDs are perfectly playable, no need to use Windows Media Center.

 

[Matsushima]

7 SP2? I thought it was perfect in every single way (hence why you want to stick with it? Yes?), and dont you really mean Vista SP4? After all all the "greatness" of Windows 7 was actually all thanks to Vista, there 99% the same, go check it out some time?
Lets have a look back in time, XP was hated *MORE* then 8 is today, and look at how that went? Or do all you haters forget that?
8 is a good OS.

Each to their own. But have you looked at the declining PC/laptop sales? This is all because of the touch UI in Windows 8. Windows 8 should be for TOUCH DEVICES. That is why a lot of cheap, fast laptops and adequate desktops that still have half-decent processors like the i5 or FX with GTX660Ti's with Windows 8 are being outsold by tablets with 1GB of memory and the Intel Atom processor that has Windows 8. Microsoft is the cause of declining PC sales because they shove Windows 8 in any half-decent PC/laptop and make it gather dust on the shelf for 2 years before being dumped or frustrate customers because of the Touch UI.

There's nothing wrong with Windows 8 itself; but there is something wrong with Microsoft shoving a Touch UI tablet OS into a desktop.

Windows 8 for touch devices and Windows 7 for normal desktops and laptops.

 

[Matsushima]

7 SP2? I thought it was perfect in every single way (hence why you want to stick with it? Yes?), and dont you really mean Vista SP4? After all all the "greatness" of Windows 7 was actually all thanks to Vista, there 99% the same, go check it out some time?
Lets have a look back in time, XP was hated *MORE* then 8 is today, and look at how that went? Or do all you haters forget that?
8 is a good OS.

The problem with Vista was less with the UI and more with high system requirements (like needing a DX9 card) and needing at least 512MB of memory and some restrictions. Also, many computers did not have the appropriate hardware to run Vista with all features.

 

[AndreT]

AndreT half of your negatives simply aren't true and the true ones are highly debatable.
1. Charms bar stops you from clicking a full screen close box. FALSE. Charms bar doesn't keep you from clicking on anything. The first charm (the search magnifying glass is half way down the screen) and the charms bar itself is transparent and doesn't prevent clicking on anything.
2. You can't play DVD's without paying. FALSE. VLC is free along with most other programs that can play DVD's. I never bought this on my install and play DVD's all the time for FREE. Btw Windows Media Player is a piece of crap on Windows 7 why would you want to use this?
3. All programs list is alphabetized. TRUE. However the Win7 start menu is organized by programs install order, then programs that are considered 'for all users' and then by network apps etc.. I have 4 PC's with Win7 and my start menus are littered with more crap than you can imagine. Menu items with no icons, menu items with hlp files that aren't supported in Win7, menu items that are from programs that I uninstalled but couldn't remove the start group. (btw Win8.1 allows the same sorts as Win7)
4. You have to reorganize your start screen. TRUE but you don't move icons around on your desktop? Menu's around in your start menu for Win7? In your quick launch bar? Win8 you do it in one place rather than 3. (quick launch bar and desktop icons are identical to Win7 btw)

1) It's not that the charms bar prevents my from clicking on the X. Rather my complaint is more like if I have my remote control for my TV and I click it to change channels, and every time I change channels one of my kids jumps between me and the TV set. Is this type of behavior not annoying to you? It's annoying and I don't like it. If you can tolerate it then good for you.
2) I'm curious how you download VLC without the adware? See this zdnet article. http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/companies-bundling-spyware-adware-with-open-source-media-player/9034
If you're ok with that then by all means, use it, but I'm not and I shouldn't have to put up with adware/spyware if I want to play DVD's while traveling. You may hate Media Player but it works, is free (used to be) and is adware/spyware free.
3) Yes, I know the programs are added in order that they are installed. As well as every unneeded exe file that is included with any application. You need to know what to delete in addition to sorting it, so it's even worse than just alphabetizing. You have to prune as well. This is less obtrusive in the start menu since all the programs are collapsed into folders. Not with the start screen, everything is front and center (or rather front and way over to the right if you scroll long enough).
4)I don't use desktop icons since they clutter the space used for files that I'm actively working with (other than Computer, Network and Recycle Bin). Everything is sorted and organized in the start menu and I do have items in the recently opened list but those are added automatically based on how often I use them, so I don't have to manually sort them, it takes care of itself, not based on when I installed something.