Looking to buy a laptop and it seems Windows 8.1 is most common OS – I’ve never used it but reviews suggest it’s pretty bad

I use Win7 at work and OSX at home – this laptop will be for my daughter

Don’t really want the faff of downgrading a new machine from 8 to 7 assuming that’s an option

i would suggest its not worth downgrading for home use, 8.1 is fine.

It’s been fine on my new pc. Very stable.

[confession]

I mostly run it with a Windows 7 desktop view.

[/confession]

8.1 is OK… compared to original 8.

Remember you’ll be able to get windows 10 for free when it comes out, I think, so might not be worth the hassle of sticking windows 7 on it.

I have it on a tablet and it’s fine. I still prefer the W7 interface rather than metro but you get used to it and you can install classic shell or similar to get back to the W7 style.

You can get windows 7 machines with free option to upgrade to 8 at a later date from the likes of HP and Dell via their business arms. I bought one from Dell France, admitteldyfor business use as am self employed. (was a bit long winded as had to order a QWERTY keyboard as a special, DELL UK would not deliver to France etc etc)

It’s ok. I’ve not used the new fangled interface at all, or the “apps”. The old desktop view is available, and a home button(not quite the same as the old one) is there. Bit I dislike most is having to have a Microsoft Account, and risk losing access to my PC if I have to reformat or the like. I never password any of my PCs.

The big issue with W8 is its insistence on popping in and out of the Metro interface. Fine if you’re on a touchscreen device but a bit pish if not. There’s a thing called “Classic Shell” which can get rid of it if you really don’t like it.

I use 7 at work and 8.1 at home; the main difference is the start menu or start screen, but I use stuff on the taskbar so hardly use either. From that point of view there’s very little difference.

Upgrading from 8 to 8.1 turned my mouse wheel upside down. That was far more annoying than anything else.

With Classic shell 8.1 is fine, I can’t remember it crashing the the past 12 months [touches wood].
The only issue I have is I often can’t delete PDFs without to a hard delete.

Its strange to say the least.

It comes with a nice front end like a Windows Phone, and you think oh this is nice.

You then open any application, and it sends you back to an old desktop type scenario, except most of the useful stuff is missing.

Its neither one thing or another. Almost like some kids were given a school project to design a new front end, but then got bored half way through

I am utterly confused as to why people have a problem with it. As an OS it’s perfectly fine.

I’m running 8.1 on an old non-touch core 2 duo laptop. I think it’s great! I run Win 7 at work and home on another machine, and 8.1 is very quick and useable.

I like it, not sure what all the moaning is about really.

It’s fine but I just find it somewhat half-finished. Some stuff is ‘new’ and modern in look and feel but then other stuff is just w7 and you kind of change between the two in a less than intuitive way. Some stuff is in the new section, others you have to dip into the old. It doesn’t feel finished to me.

It does work perfectly well though.

Windows 10 is coming soon and will be a free upgrade from 8, FWIW.

Markie – Member
Windows 10 is coming soon and will be a free upgrade from 8, FWIW.

aye brings back the start menu for some strange reason.

It came on my new laptop, I can’t see any reason I’d want to go back to Win7.

It’s fine but I just find it somewhat half-finished. Some stuff is ‘new’ and modern in look and feel but then other stuff is just w7 and you kind of change between the two in a less than intuitive way. Some stuff is in the new section, others you have to dip into the old. It doesn’t feel finished to me.

^This

It feels like you are running two operating systems, neither of which is finished. A half-cock job, but it is stable!

8.1 is better then 8 or Vista.
I am stil using a mixture of XP and 7 at work and like 7.
10 is coming soon. They are saying its a free upgrade from 8.1,8 and 7 but only for the 1st year. There is talk of some kind of subscription after that 1st year.

Use it on my work laptop, its fine, especially in 8.1 form.

No its worse than that. It might work well for phones and tablets but for pc/laptop its awful

No its worse than that. It might work well for phones and tablets but for pc/laptop its awful

Why awful? It’s stable, easy to use, works fine. And if you bother to learn the keyboard shortcuts it’s even easier.

seosamh77 – Member

aye brings back the start menu for some strange reason.

That strange reason being that they broke 20 years of consistent UI and the replacement forced upon us had no apparent benefits over what was already there*.

*unless you’re using a touchscreen

Can’t see a problem with it but maybe that’s a consequence of what I use it for. It’s basically windows 7 with a full screen start menu for me. I think I prefer it to 7 but not even close enough to care one way or the other.

retro83 – Member
seosamh77 – Member
aye brings back the start menu for some strange reason.

That strange reason being that they broke 20 years of consistent UI and the replacement forced upon us had no apparent benefits over what was already there*.

*unless you’re using a touchscreen

The start menu is a terrible UI. Just because it’s been about fro 20 years does not make it good! 😀

if you bother to learn the keyboard shortcuts it’s even easier.

As a confirmed keyboard shortcut junkie I’ve no issue with that personally, but if you have to rely on them then its defeated the object of a GUI. The whole point is that it’s supposed to be intuitive.

The start menu is a terrible UI.

For all that people bemoan the loss of a Start menu, I don’t remember the last time I used it. To launch a (non-pinned) application, I just tap the Windows key and start typing its name. Eg, to launch Notepad I’d type Win-‘not’-Return.

Pinned apps are even easier of course; it’s the Windows key and the number key corresponding to the app’s position on the bar.

As a confirmed keyboard shortcut junkie I’ve no issue with that personally, but if you have to rely on them then its defeated the object of a GUI. The whole point is that it’s supposed to be intuitive.

Yes – but that doesn’t go against what I’ve said. I didn’t find it that different to earlier versions of Windows, and the OP’s daughter certainly won’t have any problems if she’s anything like mine.

Its strange to say the least.

It comes with a nice front end like a Windows Phone, and you think oh this is nice.

You then open any application, and it sends you back to an old desktop type scenario, except most of the useful stuff is missing.

Agree.
I use http://www.classicshell.net/ on my test workstation at work. makes life much easier.

Yes.

bought my parents a new lappy for christmas.
took 3 relatively techy guys in their 30’s + 40’s to suss out how to get it set up.
I expect my mother will be more of a Win8 expert than the 3 of us by now, and the 3 of us are “IT support”. My dad still can’t understand why the mouse has a tail coming out of its nose and not out of its ar5e, which was basically solved by getting a wireless mouse, so all he needs is a TIFKAM button for solitaire, and pass the laptop to my mother whenever it needs to be turned off.

i’m sure it’s stable though. as was w8, w7, xp, …

I was perfectly happy with XP. All seems like change for the same of it.

I was perfectly happy with XP.

Here here!

and pass the laptop to my mother whenever it needs to be turned off.

that big button used to turn it on… works a treat to turn it off too 😉

I was perfectly happy with XP.

I’ve always hated it. YMMV.

Pinned apps are even easier of course; it’s the Windows key and the number key corresponding to the app’s position on the bar.

Mind. Blown.

that big button used to turn it on… works a treat to turn it off too

don’t get too technical! he probably got my mother to turn it on first, or at least waited until she’s checked gmail first, before playing solitaire 😉

As others have said, it is very stable and with Classic Shell it is very like Win 7/Vista/XP, but it does feel very disjointed between the normal desktop and the touchy-swipey interface.

Windows 10 is shaping up to be more unified, with much less pushing users to be touchey-swipey.

Mind. Blown.

I did wonder if anyone would go “ooh” at that one. (-:

The failure there ofc is, there’s no number indicators on the icons. Gets a bit reliant on memory when you’ve got a full task bar.

I’m also not a fan of W8 or 8.1. As said W10 is coming out and will be a free upgrade as apparently most businesses won’t use W8 and the hardware business is up in arms as they can’t shift any pooters with W8 installed. According to our IT bod.

I like 8 and 8.1
I just don’t use the Metro side of it at all.