Still Running Windows 8.0

[Ve7878]

This isn't a technical thread as such. Just wondering if any of you are still running Windows 8.0 instead of 8.1?

 

Don't get me wrong, I do realise that Windows 8.0 will be going out of support in January 2016, chances are Windows 9 should be out by then so that should be a suitable upgrade. I have also deployed 8.1 very successfully throughout most of the computers at work and a Windows 2012 R2 solution for RDS. Still running Windows 8.0 is just a choice I make on my main personal machine.

 

These are all just opinions.

 

I just don't like the way Windows 8.1 seems to be so fragmented, it's as if it isn't sure what it wants to be. The most annoying thing is how the tiles on the start screen take the main colour of the icons background. This looks like a complete mess once most tiles are pinned to the start screen, especially for application icons which are almost a solid colour.

 

The way the taskbar shows up over ModernUI apps and the start screen is another thing which just seems like a quickly put together solution. It's as if they were going to make the ModernUI apps windowed in 8.1 but stopped half way through leaving it with half done sort of solution. Especially the way the title bar and close/minimise buttons do not always show up as expected.

 

The start button seems like a pointless addition. I understand that it's a visual cue to reduce confusion. I totally agree with this and that it's on by default but where's the option to switch it off. I find it totally unnecessary, the way Windows 8.0 works is fine for me.

 

There are also more apps in 8.1 which cannot be removed. In 8.0 it's possible to uninstall every single app except the Store. Since the defaults have changed to desktop apps when being used on a desktop, why not have the option to remove things such as Xbox Music, Videos etc. These can all be removed in 8.0 so I can install just the apps which I want to use.

 

The OneDrive integration in 8.1 seems stupid too. I use a local account, in 8.0 I'm unable to uninstall the OneDrive app and install the desktop version instead. Due to the OneDrive integration in 8.1 the only possible way to use OneDrive is to the pin OneDrive website to the taskbar. In a Domain environment it's possible to attach a Microsoft Account to the Domain account. It would have been good to have this option for local accounts too.

 

Does anyone else agree or have you all upgraded to 8.1?

[Ian W]

I was reluctant to move to Windows 8.1 for most of the same reasons you mentioned, such as the inability to remove certain applications, integration with Bing, OneDrive, et cetera.

However, the appearance of the tiles in Windows 8.1 doesn't really bother me. Consider that Windows Store applications have their own colors for their tiles. I find that unique colors for desktop folders and applications does a better job at blending in with the Metro environment.

[Studio384]

You can remove Xbox Music and Video. The only apps that can't be removed are the Store, OneDrive and Photos. Also, the taskbar only shows up when you go down with the cursor to the bottom, stop and then go down again. In 8.1 the OneDrive for Desktop app is integrated in Windows. As support for 8.0 is ending in January 2016, you better should upgrade.

[Max Norris]

No, for my own uses anyway 8.1 is far better than 8.0. As far as the typical metro argument goes, don't like it, don't use it, beaten to death. Tiles can be created manually, use whatever graphic that does it for you, don't need to stick with the boring ones if you don't want to. OneDrive, yea that change was annoying, but you can still connect to OneDrive via WebDAV in Explorer, set it up as a network share and treat it just like any other volume, don't need the app version, convenient as it is.

[Studio384]

I was reluctant to move to Windows 8.1 for most of the same reasons you mentioned, such as the inability to remove certain applications, integration with Bing, OneDrive, et cetera.

However, the appearance of the tiles in Windows 8.1 doesn't really bother me. I find that the individual colors for desktop folders, applications, et cetera matches the Metro environment more than a single color for desktop tiles.

Mmm, here, the colors of the Office tiles are lighter.

[TAZMINATOR]

Mmm, here, the colors of the Office tiles are lighter.

 

that could be because of the settings on your PC or graphic card...  you can try to adjust your color settings.  Mine are same as Ian's 8.1 post.

[+InsaneNutter MVC]

The most annoying thing is how the tiles on the start screen take the main colour of the icons background. This looks like a complete mess once most tiles are pinned to the start screen, especially for application icons which are almost a solid colour.

I use 8.1 however agree with this a 1000 times over, pinning desktop apps to the start screen in 8.1 looks a total mess compared to 8.0.

 

Other than that i generally liked all the improvements in 8.1. It's still far from perfect, however a good improvement on 8.0 I thought.

[Ve7878]

You can remove Xbox Music and Video. The only apps that can't be removed are the Store, OneDrive and Photos. Also, the taskbar only shows up when you go down with the cursor to the bottom, stop and then go down again. In 8.1 the OneDrive for Desktop app is integrated in Windows. As support for 8.0 is ending in January 2016, you better should upgrade.

 

Yes you're right actually, it's been a while since I did a fresh install of 8.1. On the image at work I just left those in for laptop users. It's the photos app which cannot be removed.

[Studio384]

that could be because of the settings on your PC or graphic card...  you can try to adjust your color settings.  Mine are same as Ian's 8.1 post.

Nope, it isn't . This PC has had them colored like his screenshots too, but after a while, and once I resized them once, their color changed.

[Ve7878]

As support for 8.0 is ending in January 2016, you better should upgrade.

 

Windows 9 should be out by then.

 

However, the appearance of the tiles in Windows 8.1 doesn't really bother me. Consider that Windows Store applications have their own colors for their tiles. I find that unique colors for desktop folders and applications does a better job at blending in with the Metro environment.

 

I just think it looks like a mess if you have loads of desktop apps pinned to it but I guess it all depends on your tastes and the type of icons your applications use. On Windows Phone the tiles are also the colour the user selects like in 8.0.

[metallithrax]

Still on 8.0, but only because I cannot install 8.1 because of processor restrictions.

[freak180]

if you run an illegal version of office the colors are are bright like that.

[Lenny Bruce]

I use Windows 8.0 64 bit- I haven't upgraded to 8.1. It's not like I don't want to; I just forget to and I actually don't care that much about upgrading.

 

However, would someone please tell me what's better about Win 8.1 vs Win 8?

[LUTZIFER]

I only upgraded from Windows 7 to Windows 8.1, quite awhile ago now.

There were way too many things I didn't like about Windows 8 and after reading about 8.1 I decided to give it a try and I actually liked it, especially after the updates to it came out and fixed a few things that sucked a bit.

Windows 9 should finalize on Windows being much more usable, espe ially compared to Windows 8.0.

[HawkMan]

if you run an illegal version of office the colors are are bright like that.

 

ummm no. if you pin the "Word", "powerpoint", "oneNote" and such sortcuts you get the ones with the colors matches so you only the the document icon.

 

if you pine the "Word 2013" shortcut instead you get the shortcut style tile with the lighter background, because it has a different icon. 

[Dashel]

8 is so regressive over 8.1 I'm surprised anyone choses to stick with it vs not knowing they have to update via the Store. ;)