Windows 8.1 "Update 1" Released

[Pib]

This major update was released mid day 8 April (U.S. Time) which would be early this morning Thailand time (9 April). Instead of waiting for Windows to do its periodic check for updates (all depends on how you have your update settings) I did a manual Check Updates and 11 "Important"" updates appeared with around 5 of them being for my Windows 8.1 operating system (OS) and 6 for some MS Office products I have installed.

Anyway, the 4 of the 5 "Important" OS updates only totaled around 60MB but the the 5th one was "unchecked" and was very BIG in size....887MB in size...approaching 1GB. I figured this large file was "The Major Update" we've been hearing about. But when reading the summary about each update it just said they were security or improvement related...few specific details. I first downloaded and installed the 4 OS and the 6 MS Office updates which were already checked and that went quick. I rebooted and then checked my Win 8.1 to see if I saw anything different like being caused by a major update we've been hearing about...no I didn't as those 4 OS updates were just security patches/minor updates...Win 8.1 looked the same as before.

I then decided to do another manual Check Updates to see if the one big update file that was not checked before would reappear and reappear as checked for download/install. It did reappear as a "Important" update but still not checked just as before. So, I checked it to begin the download and install. Since it's a large file approaching 1GB in may take a while to download depending on the speed of your internet connection and how busy the MS servers are. Upon it's download it took about 10-15 minutes to install on my i7 quad core CPU-based laptop and it rebooted twice during the install with some periods of black screen as it's configuring itself....I'm sure all of you have experienced those long Window update installs that keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time hoping the install goes OK versus turning your computer into a brick. So, when installing this major update you might want to let the computer just do that one action versus continuing to do other computering.

Well, the major Win 8.1 Update did go OK and I'm now enjoying the improvements like being able to boot directly to the Desktop (i.e., Win 7 style) or the Win 8 Metro tile style. Of course before this update it only took one click to switch between Start screen mode and Desktop screen mode. You can just google something alone the lines of "Windows 8.1 Update" to come up with tons of very recent links describing the update/enhancements. Below are a couple of links for starters:

Link 1

Link 2 (this one talks about how future security updates will be handled)

[Pib]

And just to stress something important talked about in Link 2 above, below is a cut-and-paste from Link 1 regarding future Win 8.0 and 8.1 security updates:

Compulsory Installation – Sort Of

If you have Windows 8.1 installed Update 1 is compulsory. Microsoft has informed users that "Failure to install this (Windows 8.1) Update will prevent Windows Update from patching your system with any future updates starting with Updates released in May 2014" meaning the OS won’t be secure. Interestingly users still with Windows 8 will keep receiving patches until January 2016.

[MJCM]

I just installed it on both the Laptop and the Desktop, both times installed without a glitch except afterwards on the Laptop (which has Touch Screen) it automatically booted into the Desktop (which my wife hates, she likes the "interface formerly known as Metro" more).

The reason why it did that was because during installation I had the Laptop connected to my TV (and that one isn't a Touch Screen)

But this was fortunately easy to resolve (so if your PC boots into Desktop Mode and you want the "interface formerly known as Metro" aka Tiles instead

- Right Click on Taskbar and select Properties, and click on the Taskbar Tab (should be selected standard already)

unselect the following

Then click the Navigation Tab Bar and unselect the following option

Edited April 9, 2014 by MJCM

[Pib]

Actually, now I also prefer booting directly to the Win 8 Start (Metro) screen vs Desktop, especially since right on the Start screen or Taskbar I have tiles/icons setup for the software I use 95% of the time. And before and now, it only took one click to switch between Start and Desktop screens. And now that one click can just be on the start button in the lower left hand side of the screen to toggle back and forth. And I like the Power/Restart/Sleep button icon now being always displayed in the upper right hand corner of the screen versus having to do that swipe action to to get the Charms menu to appear. Yea, knock on wood, but no problem in installing the major update and its various improvements are nice.

[MJCM]

^ Agree completely, but I (personally) still prefer the Desktop, but I haven't installed an App like Classic Shell or the likes to get the Start Menu (Win7) back.

But what was bothering me (it will bother my wife for sure when she gets back (and that's why I had to solve it)) was when you closed "Metro" Apps you would immediately be put back on the Desktop.

I agree completely that the additions to the Start ("Metro") screen are good especially the addition of the Search button (The power button not so much as my wife for example just pushes the Power Button on the Laptop as I have changed that to Power Down Windows)

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/14956-power-button-action-change-windows-8-a.html

[IMA_FARANG]

So That's why every thing is running so d-mn slow to day, then?

MonkeySoft has done another forkup.

I was downloading another porogram about that time and somehow rhe MonkeySoft windows 8.1 fiasco got involved in it too and it never completed.

<deleted>....we'll just have to see what I can do to go back to the last good updte and start over I guess.

[Pib]

Could be...I was just thinking the same thing....my internet browsing to most websites is kinda slow for this time in the morning....still aceptable but not zipping along like it usually does at this time in the morning. MS Update Servers will probably gobble up half the world's bandwidth for the next few days....because like I mentioned the update file that is the major update is around 900MB in size...throw in the other smaller update files in the latest updates release and we are up around 1GB.

[KittenKong]

Classic Shell has given me the "boot to desktop" option for ages, amongst several other useful functions that Win8 has never had.

The only worthwhile thing that Microsoft can do with Win8 is to completely remove the pointless Metro/tile interface and all the horrible full-screen apps that go with it, though it seems we may have to wait for Win9 for that. Until then Classic Shell does a good job of hiding them.

[KittenKong]

Upon it's download it took about 10-15 minutes to install on my i7 quad core CPU-based laptop ....

It was much faster than that on my old i3 laptop (with SSD). In fact it barely took longer than the regular updates that accompanied it.

[canopus1969]

Classic Shell has given me the "boot to desktop" option for ages, amongst several other useful functions that Win8 has never had.

The only worthwhile thing that Microsoft can do with Win8 is to completely remove the pointless Metro/tile interface and all the horrible full-screen apps that go with it, though it seems we may have to wait for Win9 for that. Until then Classic Shell does a good job of hiding them.

You mean you do not have a Touch Screen

[Pib]

Upon it's download it took about 10-15 minutes to install on my i7 quad core CPU-based laptop ....

It was much faster than that on my old i3 laptop (with SSD). In fact it barely took longer than the regular updates that accompanied it.

I'm going to guess maybe you didn't actually download/install the BIG file...the major update. As mentioned by me and others, the major update was not even automatically checked for download/install as all the other Important updates...a person needs to manually check that update for it to download/install. Yes, the other Important updatesf/files (approx 60MB total) downloaded/installed in just a couple of minutes. A update that is almost 900MB in size in comparison to 60MB is going to take significantly longer. You might want to do a manual Check for Updates to see if you still have that file showing up as an Important update to download/install. Or maybe you let it download/install in the background while still using the computer...then yes, you would haven't noticed much of a download/install activity...but that would have occurred over several hours probably. As mentioned, I forced the download and had it install immediately.

Edit: just noticed you said you had a SSD...yeap, it would have went faster since there was a LOT of disk activity in doing the major update as the approx 900MB file is decompressed and written/integrated to the Windows OS on the hard drive....I expect 95% of the activity was hard drive activity versus any serious CPU work. My laptop just has a regular 1TB hard drive. But you still should double check and make sure you did downloaded/installed the major update since it probably was not clicked/selected for auto download/install....I know it sure wasn't for me the two times I ran the Check for Updates as mentioned in my opening post....all the other Important updates were automatically selected/clicked for download/install but not that major update.....I had to manually select it for download/install.

Edited April 10, 2014 by Pib

[Pib]

Classic Shell has given me the "boot to desktop" option for ages, amongst several other useful functions that Win8 has never had.

The only worthwhile thing that Microsoft can do with Win8 is to completely remove the pointless Metro/tile interface and all the horrible full-screen apps that go with it, though it seems we may have to wait for Win9 for that. Until then Classic Shell does a good job of hiding them.

You mean you do not have a Touch Screen

Why have a Touch Screen which adds a healthy price to the laptop/monitor cost and your arm gets tired reaching out to smudge-up up your screen all the time. When instead just use your finger(s) on the mousepad to move around, click/select, scroll up/down or left/right, etc. Yeap, I'm lazy...I just like laying my hand on my laptop and lifting a few fingers versus all the heavy arm lifting/movement and screen smudging. Yeap, say it again...I'm lazy.

Edited April 10, 2014 by Pib

[KittenKong]

I'm going to guess maybe you didn't actually download/install the BIG file...the major update. As mentioned by me and others, the major update was not even automatically checked for download/install as all the other Important updates...a person needs to manually check that update for it to download/install. Yes, the other Important updatesf/files (approx 60MB total) downloaded/installed in just a couple of minutes. A update that is almost 900MB in size in comparison to 60MB is going to take significantly longer.

Yes, I was referring to the large update for which I checked the box manually. With the other half-dozen updates it totalled about 900+MB, though this figure did fluctuate up and down during the procedure which is common enough for Microsoft. At one point I think it said 780MB.

I was also surprised it went so fast, though I do put it all down to the SSD. The actual download was also very fast though this is usual for MS downloads via my Sophon cable connection.

[KittenKong]

Classic Shell has given me the "boot to desktop" option for ages, amongst several other useful functions that Win8 has never had.

The only worthwhile thing that Microsoft can do with Win8 is to completely remove the pointless Metro/tile interface and all the horrible full-screen apps that go with it, though it seems we may have to wait for Win9 for that. Until then Classic Shell does a good job of hiding them.

You mean you do not have a Touch Screen

Not only dont I have one, but I cant imagine how I could possibly use for any productive purpose. I do have a tablet with a touch screen that is very nice for reading emails, or viewing webpages, or playing 2048 but I couldn't possibly do any real work on that either. I dont even use it to reply to emails; it's too inconvenient.

The same applies to laptop with a touchpad but without a mouse: unusable for any productive purpose.

Outside of uses like POS terminals in shops touch screens and their interfaces are really just toys and it amazes me that Microsoft didnt see this coming when they foolishly decided to produce an OS with a touch GUI for devices without a touch screen. It was just plain insanity. At least it seems they have finally woken up to their folly and are addressing the issue in Win9.

[Pib]

I'm going to guess maybe you didn't actually download/install the BIG file...the major update. As mentioned by me and others, the major update was not even automatically checked for download/install as all the other Important updates...a person needs to manually check that update for it to download/install. Yes, the other Important updatesf/files (approx 60MB total) downloaded/installed in just a couple of minutes. A update that is almost 900MB in size in comparison to 60MB is going to take significantly longer.

Yes, I was referring to the large update for which I checked the box manually. With the other half-dozen updates it totalled about 900+MB, though this figure did fluctuate up and down during the procedure which is common enough for Microsoft. At one point I think it said 780MB.

I was also surprised it went so fast, though I do put it all down to the SSD. The actual download was also very fast though this is usual for MS downloads via my Sophon cable connection.

Makes me want a couple of SSDs....my pretty new i7 CPU-based laptop came with a 1TB hard drive and one for my 8 year old Toshiba Pentium Dual Core CPU based computer which now has a 500GB hard drive. The i7 laptop is really fast even with the regular hard drive...it boots Windows 8.1 in 15 to 20 seconds (it varies logon to logon) and is ready to go....and it opens programs really fast. But the Pentium Core Duo laptop takes about 1 min 15 seconds to completely boot Win 7 and then is still kinda sluggish for a few more minutes with different start-up programs like my antivirus updating themselves. I'm seriously thinking about putting a Samsung 840 EVO 500GB SSD in the i7 laptop and a Samsung 840 EVO 250GB SSD in the Pentium Duo laptop. Would still have enough storage on both as I'm not really into saving video/movie files on those computers which can quickly eat up many gigabytes.

Edited April 10, 2014 by Pib

[KittenKong]

Makes me want a couple of SSDs....

Best value investment you can make in computing terms, I think.

I pulled the old 500GB hard drive out of my laptop and replaced it with a 128GB Vertex SSD that I bought here for about 4500Baht when I installed my copy of Win8 (which I got for a low price when it was launched: USD25 I think). The speed difference is stunning. Prior to that I was thinking of changing the laptop, but now it will be good for another 5 years at least, if not more.

This 128GB is more than enough capacity for my needs when travelling. I basically just need to remote access other machines, and run two fairly large installed production software suites. All my work files are accessed either online or copied from an encrypted external drive (actually the old 500GB drive from the laptop in a caddy) and I rarely need more than a few hundred MB of them at a time so I still have plenty of space on the SSD.

Oh, and the Vertex is bitlocked too which makes the speed increase even more impressive.