I'm thinking of "upgrading" to win 8.1 from win 7. But it seems to me Win 8 was created for tablets and smart phones in mind. Are there any new features for the PC that Win 7 doesn't have?
Full DX 11.1 for one. A lot of internal updates are there and the upcoming Update 1 for 8.1 will make it even lighter on the PC. 8.1 is ok with classicshell. I personally am waiting for 9 instead.
Mostly under hood features that make it perform and boot faster, like tickless kernel, kernel hibernation...etc, security improvements like ASLR. They did remove a couple things, notably Media Center and added others like Restore/Refresh. The complaints are usually about the UI, many don't like the visual split personality experience but with ClassicShell it doesn't seem different at all from 7.
My Desktop and my Laptop are on Windows 7 still and most likely it will be used for quite a while. My new laptop is with Windows 8.1 and so far stock is just ok but when you configure it and install ClassicShell or any other program it is better.
Once you go metro, you will never look back to retro! J/k ^^ Windows 8.1 its a Cool/stable/fast O.S., besides the obvious advantages (updated directx/drivers/etc) the only thing that makes ppl tick its the metro apps and metro ui. My advice, ignore/uninstall the metro apps, the UI for those apps are kinda basic, most of the apps are for tablets anyways, imho i never saw any usefull app for a desktop pc. I merely use the metro ui like a.... pretty.. 1 paged.. CLEAN AND ORGANIZED!.. startmenu. (damn.. how i hated the old startmenus full of crap) And yes still has the search function, just press windows key and type the name of a program similar to the old search. The hibernation works awesomely too, and with teamviewer's wake on lan its really usefull. In windows 8.1, sadly, microsoft removed the "create offline account" option in the instalation process, this means you have to log in with your outlook/live account, similar to an android/ios phone or tablet. But dont worry, after login you can ditch/remove that account and create a regular windows offline account. But above everything the everyday usage is identical to the windows 7 contrary to popular belief.
you can create offline account during installation. just click create new account and scroll the down you will find create offline account
Really? damn it.. in the windows 8 to 8.1 upgrade i didnt saw that option anymore, they hide it well then
I noticed when i install W 8.1 and there is no internet cable connected,the offline account option is there,when i connect the lan cable you need to cancel the offered online account ,then create an offline account. But don't take my words as gospel.
Been using 8.1 for a while now, and i don't think I'll go back to 7 any-time soon. Feels snappier in every way imo.
All valid points but the OP is whether of not to change from W7 to W8, personally for me i'm not convinced W8 does enough things better to justify the cost of upgrading.
H.P. seems to think Win. 7 is still current. http://www.maximumpc.com/hp_explains_decision_bring_back_windows_7_pcs2014 So do I.
Of course it's still current. There's nothing wrong with it. But at the end of the day, it is factually inferior to 8 when it comes to the actual OS side of things. Not by some huge amount, but it's still there. If I didn't get it for a discount I wouldn't have bothered either. But once you use it in depth, it's hard to go back.
I only changed to 8/8.1 because of the discount (39.99) not sorry I did but if that wasn't the case I would probably still be on 7.
I go back and forth. but always end up coming back to windows 8. I always find that an app works better in windows 8 compared to windows 7 I been pushing windows 8 lately and seems to hold up better then window 7.
7 is still a great OS and will be for a long time to come, but I couldn't go back to 7 now after using 8.1 for however long
7 here. Don't mind 8 in terms of the engine so to speak but the Metro UI bodywork is butt ugly (think Ferrari wrapped up in a Fiat Multipla uke2: )
