Windows 8.1 Update 1: Everything we know so far

With the next update to Windows 8.1, Microsoft really wants mouse-and-keyboard users to feel comfortable with modern apps.

We now have a good sense of what to expect in Windows 8.1 Update 1, thanks to a series of leaks from Win8China and reliable Russian blogger WZor, along with reporting by Paul Thurrott and ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley, two writers with a strong track record for breaking early Windows news.

Source

A Guy
 
I like being able to have opened modern apps also show on and be pinned to the desktop taskbar.
 

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If true, I would welcome all of those changes because announcing the death of desktop PC is a bit premature and everything that helps mouse only users would be a right step forward, not backward.
Most of all, M$ should do something about the image of Windows 8 has in the minds of people that didn't even try it but are rejecting them just because of perceived "touch enabled devices only" OS image. The "ugly" interface not withstanding, just making tile background transparent would fix that complaint to some extent.
 

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I like being able to have opened modern apps also show on and be pinned to the desktop taskbar.

Not sure if we are on the same thing, but I do this in Windows 8.1

Open an App, Right click the top bar and select pin to desktop. From there I can also pin to the taskbar.

Untitled.png
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
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    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Use several different computers during a day, so specs are irrelevant.
I like being able to have opened modern apps also show on and be pinned to the desktop taskbar.

Not sure if we are on the same thing, but I do this in Windows 8.1

Open an App, Right click the top bar and select pin to desktop. From there I can also pin to the taskbar.

View attachment 36151

Metro Apps don't have that top bar with the minimize, maximize, Close icons. Not on my 8.1 PC anyway.
 

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    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
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    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
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    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
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    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
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If true, I would welcome all of those changes because announcing the death of desktop PC is a bit premature and everything that helps mouse only users would be a right step forward, not backward.
Most of all, M$ should do something about the image of Windows 8 has in the minds of people that didn't even try it but are rejecting them just because of perceived "touch enabled devices only" OS image. The "ugly" interface not withstanding, just making tile background transparent would fix that complaint to some extent.

You can do that in 8.1. There is an option to show your desktop background on the Metro Start screen instead of the default backgrounds. The actual tiles aren't transparent but the background is, or appears to be.
 

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    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
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    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
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    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
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davehc is probably using ModernMix
 

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I like being able to have opened modern apps also show on and be pinned to the desktop taskbar.

:ditto: Hopefully the taskbar will be visible below the running Metro Apps like it is on monitors running desktop programs. I'd like to see Metro Apps remember what monitor they were last opened on and launch there the next time you launch them like desktop programs do.
 

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    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
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Yes. Sorry. I have only just come back. It is obviously with Modernmix.
 

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Yes, pin fart apps to the taskbar.

That is guaranteed to make the os a massive success.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
For those of us that actually use 8.1 that is going to be a nice feature. It means not having to open the Metro Start screen to launch an App, I would think you'd be happy with that? If they actually do it and some of the other rumored changes it means they are pulling Metro towards looking and working like Desktop programs do and not the other way around. I would think you'd be happy with that too?
 

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
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    Thermaltake TR 620
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    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
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    Stock heatsink fan
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    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
Bit of a nuisance for me, unfortunately. (And, if I read some of the posts, a few others.9. I hope it will be an option. My legacy desktop is totally clear, as I use it as that - a desktop. I use the modern GUI as my (customised) start menu, one click away. I would not wish to go back to the old system now.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Use several different computers during a day, so specs are irrelevant.
I think I am to the point that I simply don't care what Microsoft does?

I don't care what they do to Windows, I have far to many other options, to be worried about it. What I won't do is spend the next 3 years trying to figure out how to run their software, hell, they don't even know what they want, and it wouldn't matter because they will change all of it in a year any way. I think of all their supposed revolutionary ideas ASP, the .Net, Silverlight, all essentially abandoned.

I am done wasting my time on them, I feel like I am running from one fire to another.
 

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This is so exciting, the only thing I don't really like the legacy context menu used on the Start Screen, I think that's a stepback from MS. But overall looks good and promising! :)
 

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For those of us that actually use 8.1 that is going to be a nice feature. It means not having to open the Metro Start screen to launch an App, I would think you'd be happy with that? If they actually do it and some of the other rumored changes it means they are pulling Metro towards looking and working like Desktop programs do and not the other way around. I would think you'd be happy with that too?
Startisback and Classic Shell both have in the start menu the ability to open only one Metro App
 

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    desktop/laptop
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    4gigs
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    350,250
I do use win 8.1 some of the time. Not talking about me. It is the consumer out there they need to impress.

If it is ever a personal thing, I will say so clearly.

For those of us that actually use 8.1 that is going to be a nice feature. It means not having to open the Metro Start screen to launch an App, I would think you'd be happy with that? If they actually do it and some of the other rumored changes it means they are pulling Metro towards looking and working like Desktop programs do and not the other way around. I would think you'd be happy with that too?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
As a Win 8.1 user myself I welcome the supposed changes but have to laugh at some of them because to me, they should have been incorporated in the first release, and certainly in 8.1. Especially the close X, and the shutdown features, both of which are confusing the heck out of users upgrading to 8, and had to be loudly screamed for from the beginning :eek:

Anyway it would be great if these "rumors" become reality.
 

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    NEC PA242W - 24 inch
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I do use win 8.1 some of the time. Not talking about me. It is the consumer out there they need to impress.

If it is ever a personal thing, I will say so clearly.

For those of us that actually use 8.1 that is going to be a nice feature. It means not having to open the Metro Start screen to launch an App, I would think you'd be happy with that? If they actually do it and some of the other rumored changes it means they are pulling Metro towards looking and working like Desktop programs do and not the other way around. I would think you'd be happy with that too?

I should have listened to my first instinct and just let it go. I thought it was a bit tongue in cheek. Sometimes with no similes its hard to tell. I didn't mean any offence by my comments. Wrong place at the wrong time I guess. I posted that after having read a rash on negative posts that were made just for the sake of being negative. I just picked the wrong one to reply to as you are one of the more level headed individuals here and I do respect your opinion. Mt apologies if I offended.
 

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  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
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    Asus
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    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
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    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
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    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
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    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
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    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
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    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
As a Win 8.1 user myself I welcome the supposed changes but have to laugh at some of them because to me, they should have been incorporated in the first release, and certainly in 8.1. Especially the close X, and the shutdown features, both of which are confusing the heck out of users upgrading to 8, and had to be loudly screamed for from the beginning :eek:

Anyway it would be great if these "rumors" become reality.

:ditto: If what is now 8.1.1 had been the first release things may have gone a lot better for 8. On the plus side it does appear like Microsoft is listening and even recanting on some things. I personally didn't like 8.0 because off the way Metro worked on a multi monitor setup. 7 was my choice for my desktop PC's. The updates to 8.1 have changed that and I'm running 8.1 on all my PC's now.
 

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
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