I am disappointed with the upgrade. I used the Windows 8 as it was meant to be used, as a digital dashboard. Now I have an unwanted taskbar and everytime I close a Metro app it defaults back to the desktop. I also find app performance poorer now.
Forced Windows 8.1 Update
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Anonymous
This morning a blue banner appeared on my screen asking me when I wanted to restart my computer to continue to download the update to Win 8.1 (I have Windows 8). At no time did I start the download process. I selected "Remind me later" from the drop down. A few minutes later, the download started, and the drop down only allowed me to select a time period to restart my computer (Now, 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours)!. I was committed, and I never authorized this! So I selected "Now" just to see what would happen. I went to the Windows Store and lo and behold the update was downloading. The update failed (I got an error 0xC1900101). I disabled the update notification reminder using regedit (I was sick of seeing it every time I powered down my computer anyway)-but how could this happen? This looked like a legitimate Windows notification.
Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Windows update
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Anonymous
2014-11-11T03:36:43+00:00 -
Anonymous
2014-12-06T06:22:04+00:00 They got me today too. I can't stand Windows so my Windows 8 PC has been powered off for awhile. Now with Windows 8.1 they ripped out the little bit of functionality I still used Windows to accomplish. This is just another nail in the coffin for Microsoft. I will never buy another Windows PC. I've never owned a Mac in the past, but I'm done with this nonsense.
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Anonymous
2015-04-09T23:52:34+00:00 REMINDER: Support for Win8 ends in January 2016. Win8.1 must be installed by 12 January 2016 or the computer will NOT be offered ANY further updates.
[Last Revised (as marked) - 06 Sept-14, 21:07 UTC]
WHY?
I currently got stuck with two win8 and one win7 machines. I hate them all, only using one 8 tablet thing. So tired of reconfiguring all this ****.
So far I have managed somehow to disable automatic downgrade from 8 to 8.1. Still waiting for the thing to forcibly "upgrade" to 8.1 and screw up everything I've managed to get working.
I'm an old XP holdout. I don't even like 7 with the stupid ribbon cluttering up so much of my screen. I am aware that this can be disabled but it doesn't give me back my old pull down menus - why couldn't the old pull down readable menus still be available without all this icon clutter. Some of us old folks prefer to READ pull down menus instead of trying to figure out what some little icon aka picture thingy means. I guess younger folks no longer know how to read.
Again, WHY must 8.1 be installed? I didn't want this 8 metro tile garbage to begin with, it was forced on me when my last XP machine died and I am trying very hard to live with it without any third party **** that is now necessary to pay for to have a semblance of what Windoze since 3.whatever used to provide. I have wasted SO much time figuring out this 8 garbage.
Please DO NOT litter me with tutorials. I have been capable of figuring out everything MS has thrown at me for 20+ years. Tutorials are of very limited use, condescending, and annoying.
I mostly live in a very rural area in the boondocks of south America where internet / basic landline telephone often doesn't work. It can take me over an hour to watch some fan boy's / "MVP"'s ten minute tutorial. I resent that win8 practically requires me to be online 24/7.
Again, WHY?? So tired. Shutting up now.
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Anonymous
2015-04-09T23:57:19+00:00 what, c*r*a*p is an unacceptable, blocked word? How about f*r*a*k?
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Anonymous
2015-04-10T23:12:04+00:00 WHY must 8.1 be installed?
For the same reason Windows 7 SP1 & Vista SP2 & WinXP SP3 had to be installed.
Security Updates for Windows 8 will cease after 12 January 2016. In order to be offered any further updates after that, you must have Win8.1 installed.
PS: If Win8.1 is installed, you'll be offered a free upgrade to Windows 10 once it's been released.