Should I upgrade to Windows 8.1?

120inna55

New Member
Messages
8
Location
Athens, TX
I have a year-old Desktop with Windows 8 and a 3 day old laptop, also with Windows 8. Everything is working perfectly (network, etc., all stable) Should I upgrade to 8.1? The desktop nags about it about once per week. I've heard horror stories after upgrade, though, so I just don't know.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
I have one upgraded system and one that came with 8.1. Never had a problem.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
    Hard Drives
    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
Some people have reported issues with some hardware not working properly. You could wait until 8.1 Update 1 in April. This is the article on the Update, or should we state Service Pack. Microsoft's Windows 8.1 Update 1: Rumored release target is March 11 | ZDNet

If you want, post the manufacturer & model of the unit, along with installed hardware info, and we can tell you if you are going to run into problems.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Linux Mint 17.2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba Satellite C850D-st3nx1
    CPU
    AMD E1-1200 APU with Radeon (tm) HD Graphics 1.40 GHZ
    Memory
    12GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon™ HD 7310 Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    Crucial M500 240GB SSD
    Mouse
    Logitech M525
    Internet Speed
    45/6 - ATT U-Verse
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    None needed. It is Linux.
    Other Info
    Arris NVG589 Gateway; Router - Cisco RV320; Switch - Netgear GS108 8-Port Switch & Trendnet TEG-S50g 5-Port Switch; Access Points - Engenius ECB350, Trendnet TEW-638APB; NAS - Lenovo ix2-4; Printer - Brother HL-2280DW; Air Print Server - Lantronix XPrintServer

    A/V UPS - Tripp-Lite Smart 1500LCD 1500 Va/900 W.
Welcome to Windows EightForums, 120inna55.

They have most of the bugs worked out of it. There’s a sleep problem some are experiencing that you should be aware of. An update last month fixed that for most. (Link below) That thread is quite lengthy. The last 3 or 4 pages would be sufficient.

You might want to make sure you’re able to get important drivers.

I’m sure you know, but as a reminder, the most important thing is to back up files. If you run into problems, rest assured there is plenty of good help here.

Whatever you decide, good luck and again welcome. :)

http://www.eightforums.com/general-support/28226-windows-8-1-refuses-sleep.html
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1 Pro X64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer T690
    CPU
    Intel Pentium D Dual Core
    Motherboard
    Acer/Intel E946GZ
    Memory
    2GB (max upgrade)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3000 - PCI Express x16
    Sound Card
    Integrated RealTek ALC888 high-definition audio with 7.1 channel audio support
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer AL1917W A LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1440 X 900
    Hard Drives
    350 GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.10
    Thumb drives
    PSU
    Standard 250 watt
    Case
    Desktop 7.2" (183mm) W x 17.5" (445mm) L x 14.5"
    Cooling
    Dual case fans + CPU fan
    Keyboard
    Acer Windows PS/2
    Mouse
    Wireless Microsoft Arc
    Internet Speed
    54mbp/s
    Browser
    IE11
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    Office Pro 2013 / Nokia Lumia 1520 Windows Phone 8.1DP GDR1
Be sure to backup your OS before updating.
Macrium free is good.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self built
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-4790
    Motherboard
    GA-Z87X-D3H
    Memory
    G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 F3-10666CL9D-8GBNT
    Graphics Card(s)
    Sapphire ATI Radeon R7 250
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC892
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung UN32EH5000, Dell 1703FPT
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    WD5003AZEX
    WD10EZEX
    Samsung HD103SJ
    Samsung 128 GB 840 PRO
    PSU
    SeaSonic M12II SS-500GM
    Case
    Fractal Design Define R4
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900ALED
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Mouse
    Logitech M705
    Internet Speed
    16 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Avast
    Other Info
    Bose Companion 2 Multimedia Speakers
For me the real question is: If you've got your computer set up like you want it, and everything is working perfectly, is there any reason to upgrade? Could you find yourself two-years down the road with a new problem (probably due to a microsoft update) only to find that upgrading to 8.1 presents a bigger problem?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    XP, Win 7, Win 8
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell
For me the real question is: If you've got your computer set up like you want it, and everything is working perfectly, is there any reason to upgrade? Could you find yourself two-years down the road with a new problem (probably due to a microsoft update) only to find that upgrading to 8.1 presents a bigger problem?

Stay where you are now and miss out of the performance enhancements, boot to desktop, smart search etc. etc., the list goes on and on. One of the most important considerations here is that probably by mid June you will no longer receive security updates that are important to the security and well being of your system.

If you are happy to stay in the past then it is up to you.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1 Update 1 Pro 64bit
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Pavillion H8-1202
    CPU
    I7-2600 @ 3.4 GHz
    Motherboard
    PEGATRON
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NIVDIA GeForce GT 520
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC656GR CODEC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SyncMaster S22B350
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1080 32 bit color
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 EVO SSD 500GB
    Keyboard
    Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2013
    Mouse
    Logitech M510
Should I Upgrade from Win 7

I have a HP-Probook 4530s i5 running Win 7 pro it's about 3years old
providing there are no boot sector issues on the Microsoft test tool (my older Sony VAIO was running XP - but now W7.)
I have a new i7 desktop running 8-1 and I thought bringing all up to date with Win 8-1

regards Mike
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7. 7 Pro. & 8-1
I have a HP-Probook 4530s i5 running Win 7 pro it's about 3years old
providing there are no boot sector issues on the Microsoft test tool (my older Sony VAIO was running XP - but now W7.)
I have a new i7 desktop running 8-1 and I thought bringing all up to date with Win 8-1

regards Mike
Check with 8.1 Compatibility tool.
Check for drivers,
than decide.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home made
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen7 2700x
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime x470 Pro
    Memory
    16GB Kingston 3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus strix 570 OC 4gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 evo 250GB
    Silicon Power V70 240GB SSD
    WD 1 TB Blue
    WD 2 TB Blue
    Bunch of backup HDDs.
    PSU
    Sharkoon, Silent Storm 660W
    Case
    Raidmax
    Cooling
    CCM Nepton 140xl
    Internet Speed
    40/2 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    WD
before you upgrade to 8.1,
id change my drive partitions so i only had C.
Then when you upgrade the new restore, WILL not be between two user partitions (C and D)
hopefully this will also negate the breaking of some makers F8 restore facility.
Wish i had


Roy
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    x55a asus
    Antivirus
    bitdefender
    Other Info
    this laptop was/is still posted on asus website as W7
For me the real question is: If you've got your computer set up like you want it, and everything is working perfectly, is there any reason to upgrade? Could you find yourself two-years down the road with a new problem (probably due to a microsoft update) only to find that upgrading to 8.1 presents a bigger problem?

Stay where you are now and miss out of the performance enhancements, boot to desktop, smart search etc. etc., the list goes on and on. One of the most important considerations here is that probably by mid June you will no longer receive security updates that are important to the security and well being of your system.

If you are happy to stay in the past then it is up to you.

Where did you get that "by mid June you will no longer receive security updates" from? Windows 8.0 will receive updates for a while yet. At least two years after the release of 8.1 was what I've read. Those running 8.1 though, won't receive any further updates unless they apply update 1. Might that be what your thinking of?
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
@alphanumeric
Exactly the point I was trying to get across unfortunately missed a keystroke. Sorry
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1 Update 1 Pro 64bit
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Pavillion H8-1202
    CPU
    I7-2600 @ 3.4 GHz
    Motherboard
    PEGATRON
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NIVDIA GeForce GT 520
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC656GR CODEC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SyncMaster S22B350
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1080 32 bit color
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 EVO SSD 500GB
    Keyboard
    Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2013
    Mouse
    Logitech M510

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
To be clear, Windows 8 will no longer receive basic updates after a certain date. The date changed from May 13 to June 13, so consumers only have a short time. Business licenses have until August 12.

But it appears that the latest patches and the Windows 8.1 update are having some problems. I upgraded all my systems about 2 months ago and didn't have any problems.

If I were you, I would wait until about 1-2 weeks from the required date and then run your upgrade. Either everything will be solved by then or they will extend the date again.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self Built
    CPU
    Intel I-7 860
    Motherboard
    Asus P7B
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia 580
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer (Primary), Asus (secondary), Sony TV (third)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Kingston 128GB SSD Windows 8 Boot Drive
    WD Black 1 TB (2 ea)
    WD Red 3 TB
    WD Black 500GB
    Keyboard
    MS 1000
    Mouse
    MS Flip
    Internet Speed
    Verizon FIOS 35/35
    Browser
    IE 11, Google Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Safari
    Antivirus
    Windows 8 Defender (MS Security Essentials)
8.1 together with it's updates is not just an glue-on to Win 8, it's a series of fixes MS made to address some stuff they missed first time. Why wait a year or two and than to have to do it. If at all possible, nobody should wait and than to have to do much more than to do it gradually. Think of all the changes that will happen ti your system and all that may diminish chances of update success later on.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home made
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen7 2700x
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime x470 Pro
    Memory
    16GB Kingston 3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus strix 570 OC 4gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 evo 250GB
    Silicon Power V70 240GB SSD
    WD 1 TB Blue
    WD 2 TB Blue
    Bunch of backup HDDs.
    PSU
    Sharkoon, Silent Storm 660W
    Case
    Raidmax
    Cooling
    CCM Nepton 140xl
    Internet Speed
    40/2 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    WD
To be clear, Windows 8 will no longer receive basic updates after a certain date. The date changed from May 13 to June 13, so consumers only have a short time. Business licenses have until August 12.

But it appears that the latest patches and the Windows 8.1 update are having some problems. I upgraded all my systems about 2 months ago and didn't have any problems.

If I were you, I would wait until about 1-2 weeks from the required date and then run your upgrade. Either everything will be solved by then or they will extend the date again.

Do you have a link to that info about June 13 cutoff date? Again I do believe that is the cutoff date if you are running Windows 8.1 and don't apply update 1, its not the cutoff date for Windows 8.0. That's the whole point I'm trying to make. Windows 8.0 and 8.1 have two different end of support dates. Microsoft has decided to treat the upgrade from 8.0 to 8.1 as a service pack. That's where the two years from date of general availability (of Windows 8.1) comes from.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
Thanks,
Act in haste, repent at leisure.
This time I've put all files on a USB drive before I screw everything up.

Mike
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7. 7 Pro. & 8-1
its a sepereate OS

sorry Countmike 8.1 is defined as a new OS.
The big probs will begin in a couple years time if MS and the OEM's dont resolve the restore funtion to take you back to >>8.1<< , or make available a free 8.1 ISO, as opposed to an unsupported 8.0 set-up.
They will obviously have to tell users the specific KB needed to upgrade to 8.1

marry in haste repent in leisure
MS version
Issue buggy OS let the user beware


Roy
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    x55a asus
    Antivirus
    bitdefender
    Other Info
    this laptop was/is still posted on asus website as W7
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