Once again, I'm finding myself inclined to reply to this thread. The problems do not seem to die, despite the best efforts and innovations of Windows 8.1.
I can confirm that if you are using the .3412 driver from ASUS's website, the ATK package from the Windows 8 section, updated your BIOS, as well as installed CloseLid 1.8, you shouldn't have any trouble, so long as you haven't updated to Windows 8.1 Update
- The ability to open and close the lid to switch between screens should work fine.
Prior to the Windows 8.1 Update 1, upgrading to Windows 8.1 from the store would install a 9.18 series driver and break everything on your Taichi. Oddly enough, I have a Windows 8.1 backup disc that contains Core and Pro. Yes, you can fresh install 8.1 onto
the Taichi without 8.1 Update 1, if you're willing to fork out $15 USD for a disc and can find out your OEM product key by the means of something like RW-Everything (I think that's what it's called) and some ei.cfg additions and what not. But yes, you can
install 8.1 with the 8 product key.
Aside from that, I am noticing a few problems here and there. From a fresh installation of 8.1, you can install 8.1 update 1. Sometimes it works but other times, it seems to fail to update properly, resulting in you having to boot to safe mode so Windows
can undo the changes of the broken update. Installing the latest Intel driver or the one from ASUS after putting on 8.1 Update 1, will cause the screen to black screen boot entirely, unless you go to safe mode again. Even taking the driver off does not always
warrant success, meaning you have to fresh install Windows again. I cannot tell you how many times I've had to reinstall both 8 and 8.1 on this ASUS Taichi.
For the time being, if you are already on Windows 8.1, do not install the Update. Make sure you have the latest driver from ASUS (.3412), updated BIOS, the ATK package, and CloseLid. Make sure all the other drivers on the machine are also updated accordingly.
This computer design is essentially before it's time and while in October 2012, it was great for the moment, as soon as 8.1 came along, it all went into the ground. The uniqueness of such a laptop means that it's very much limited by OEM design and build.
In a perfect world where users won't try to upgrade drivers beyond the OEM version or thought they'd have to install 8.1 of all things, it's great. But with being a $1000+ laptop (now nearly $670 USD on Amazon.com for the i5 version), you get an entirely different
demographic of people who are actually smart enough to do such things and when they get their hands on it, you find that the laptop is rather defective by design.
I would not be surprised that a class-action lawsuit comes into play for the ASUS Taichi, considering that ASUS hasn't done too much to fix the problem, took so long to fix the problem, and even after fixing the problem, Microsoft drops another update on
us that breaks everything. How many more times must this happen to us? How many more times must we reinstall windows 8 or 8.1 entirely just to use the laptop as it was promised to be intended for!?