Forced 8.1 upgrade

[harry manback]

Howdy folks, hope everyone is doing well.

A couple of weeks ago I suddenly got a countdown timer to Win 8.1 upgrade. I didn't choose to upgrade and there was no way to abort that I could find. I was due a free upgrade on this laptop but hadn't taken advantage of it as I was just fine with Windows 8 & feared having problems with the upgrade.

Since the forced upgrade I"m having longer shut down and start up times, longer waking from hibernation, problems with the mouse, and some other assorted weirdness.

So why & how was this upgrade forced on me? Are there some tweaks that would help with the problems I'm having?

 

[Clintlgm]

I would suggest upgrading your hardware drivers, if Win 8.1 drivers are available. Toshiba support web site should have the new drivers for you.

 

[popeye]

I would also run sfc /scannow.

 

[cbwilsha]

See THESE special instructions you were supposed to follow when updating a Toshiba laptop from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1. Go HERE for a very active Toshiba Laptop Forum if you have further problems.

 

[harry manback]

Thanks for your replies.

I would suggest upgrading your hardware drivers, if Win 8.1 drivers are available. Toshiba support web site should have the new drivers for you.

That's a good piece of advice & I will definitely get it done.

I would also run sfc /scannow.

I've run it and sfc didn't report any problems.


Thanks for getting the links for me, cbwilsha. The thing is, I didn't know I was upgrading & only had maybe 30 minutes notice before it happened. Silly me was trying to find a way to stop it rather than preparing for it. Did Windows update trigger it or was it maybe some Toshiba auto process?

 

[CountMike]

I would place my bets on Toshiba because Win8 had to be initialized manually and even that was only when it met certain conditions and an update.

 

[cbwilsha]

Harry, Microsoft doesn't install the Windows 8.1 upgrade unless requested and Toshiba doesn't install the Windows 8.1 upgrade period. So it is very unclear to me how you received your 8.1 upgrade. In any event, since it has occurred, the preferred way to proceed would be revert back to Windows 8 and then upgrade using the directions in the link I gave you. However, that could present it's own set of problems and you would lose everything on your computer since you took it out of the box originally if you didn't back everything up.

If it were my machine, at this point, I would proceed with the instructions given in the link, uninstall the drivers mentioned in Appendix A (actions to take before the upgrade) as if you were doing it before the upgrade. After taking those actions, do a final restart and then proceed to do the things listed to do after install including Appendix B. If this works, the problems you are having should probably all be cured. Before you do anything, read ALL of the directions carefully before proceeding.

Good Luck! If you have any further problems, I recommend you post in the Toshiba Forums which I also linked for you.

 

[harry manback]

Thanks guys.

I would place my bets on Toshiba because Win8 had to be initialized manually and even that was only when it met certain conditions and an update.

That would have been my guess as this machine came from a Toshiba sales rep pre-loaded with Windows 8. It's full of their bloatwear with constant reminders to update programs that I don't use and an occasional nag to "get more features with a new version of Windows". It doesn't really matter how it happened, I was just curious. It's quite possible that I initiated it myself without realizing.

the preferred way to proceed would be revert back to Windows 8 and then upgrade using the directions in the link I gave you

This is probably what I will do as there's not much in this box that I can't afford to lose. I'll just save what I want & start from scratch. It'll be a learning experience and if anything goes way wrong, I have a licensed copy of Win 7 Pro that I can install - which is what I originally intended to do. Just got to playing around with 8 and once I got past the "What the heck is this?" phase I got to the "This is pretty cool!" phase.

Much thanks to all who posted. I'll append this thread to let you know how it goes.

 

[cbwilsha]

I think your proposed course of action is a good idea, Harry. Go to Win+C > Settings > Chg PC Settings > Update and Recovery > Recovery > Remove Everything and Re-install Windows. Besides backing up any personal files you want to save, you will have to re-install any applications you have added since you got the machine. Good Luck!

 

[cbwilsha]

BTW, Harry, I strongly advise that you NOT try reverting to a clean install of Windows 7. Your profile doesn't show your complete model number but there are quite a few Toshiba Windows 8 laptops that are not supported for Windows 7. And even if yours is, you would have to manually install all necessary drivers and Toshiba utilities to make your laptop perform as it should. Here is a link to your C-855 USER'S GUIDE. It would be helpful if you read the section "Recovering the Internal Storage Drive" starting on page 54.

 

[harry manback]

BTW, Harry, I strongly advise that you NOT try reverting to a clean install of Windows 7. Your profile doesn't show your complete model number but there are quite a few Toshiba Windows 8 laptops that are not supported for Windows 7. And even if yours is, you would have to manually install all necessary drivers and Toshiba utilities to make your laptop perform as it should. Here is a link to your C-855 USER'S GUIDE. It would be helpful if you read the section "Recovering the Internal Storage Drive" starting on page 54.

Thanks for mentioning that. It never would have occurred to me that I can't just format & lay on a fresh Windows7 installation. I've always preferred to have separate, full disks of whichever operating system I'm using. Somehow it just doesn't seem like a good idea to have everything you need on a single hard drive. Just a personal preference.
However, from what I've read it looks I can run Win 7 but will still have to manually install the drivers. What a pain. This stuff is not as much fun as it was when my brain was 20 years younger.

So I'll reset to 8 and start from there. Shouldn't be a problem. I'd like to use 8.1 before I dump it all, anyway.

Thanks again for all the help!

 

[cbwilsha]

You're welcome, Harry. I sure hope it all works out. And, incidentally, I learned just yesterday in two other threads that Microsoft is pushing out 8.1 in some cases without being requested so you were apparently right about the involuntary installation you received.

"This stuff is not as much fun as it was when my brain was 20 years younger". I'll be 86 next month so I understand your frustration.

C.B.

 

[harry manback]

I'll be 86 next month.

I would not have ever guessed! I'm only 50 and already just about to the point of "technology overload". It's great having all this information literally right at your fingertips but sometimes I just miss having to walk across the room and change channels on the TV. And if there's nothing interesting on the other 2 channels...read a book, go fishing, clean the house, or whatever.

I dunno how you continue to have the patience for it, but power to you! & Happy Birthday next month!