Windows 8.1

I've previously set out my views on Windows 8 (here and here), which came pre-installed on a new computer.   I had heard that the updated Windows 8.1 addressed (in a limited way) one of the many issues that I (and apparently others) have, namely the lack of the "Start" menu.  So, without thinking too much about it, when I came across the Microsoft update site quite late in the evening, I plunged in and pressed the "Update Now" button.

I think the review on CNET got it right:  "Improved Windows still torn between tablet future and PC past".    Yes, there's confusion, and no wonder corporate buyers are sticking with Windows 7.   Whether 8.1 is actually an "improvement" or just makes a few "changes" is still very much a moot point in my mind.


Yes, you can now set it to boot to desktop, although just to make sure you don't accidentally set your PC to boot to the desktop if you don't really, really mean to, Microsoft has cleverly hidden this feature under "Taskbar > Properties > Navigation".
. 
Likewise, there's a token effort to re-instate the "Start" menu:  now you can click on an icon (instead of using the Windows+C keystroke) to get back to the so-called Start screen (but this continues merely to  present you with a whole series of tablets, not a conventional menu).

On top of this, I wasn't impressed with the fact that the total time to download and instal was about 2 hours.  The download took about 20-25 minutes (I'm not sure of the precise time because it then went straight into the installation process).  The installation process, which occasionally gave unhelpful messages about progress, including "Applying settings" and "Setting up a few more things", together with random percentages as to the progress of that particular phase, gave no indication at all of how many more phases were to come or long it would be before the entire process would be completed.   

Like Windows 8 itself (and, for that matter, the current version of Microsoft Office), 8.1 virtually forces you to sign up for access to Microsoft's big storage facility in the cloud.  I was only offered the option to skip  this when, late at night, it became obvious that I couldn't remember the password for my email account.

When the process was complete, I found that the background on my desktop had been changed to a revolting yellow (not that I liked the Windows 8 desktop, but the new one was far, far worse), that I had to re-set my Bluetooth connection and that I had to re-configure my printer settings.

To sum it all up:   the release of Windows 8.1 hasn't changed my negative opinion of Windows 8.