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Windows 8.1 |OT| There's your start button

Finally upgraded my big desktop here from 7 to 8.1 (been running 8 and then 8.1 on a laptop since release). 3 Snaps on a big monitor, sooo good. So easy to snap things and change their sizes as needed, bravo to MS on this.

The syncing between everything is really great. Synced tabs on IE is easy to use all the settings work as expected. There is only one issue with the syncing and it's the start screen layouts. My laptop has 4 rows of tiles and the monitor for the desktop has 5, so when I updated on the desktop I moved/resized some stuff and then when I got on my laptop later the start screen was all wacked because of the changed I made on the desktop. Not a huge deal, has there is an option to turn off start screen syncing.
 
Hey guys, new 8.1 user here, just got a Venue 8 Pro for my birthday (belated, way to make up for it folks!) and am messing around with things and want to make the text, apps, and other things bigger on the start screen, but when I go to the option

"Change the size of apps, text, and other items on the screen (only applies to displays that can support it)"

The option is at "Default" and greyed out, meaning I don't think my display supports it, which makes no sense to me. Dell probably disabled this and I don't like it, would still like to change it if I can - does anyone know where I can maybe go in the registry to enable this? Bothers me to no end.
 

Totakeke

Member
Is there a way to share stuffs between windows devices yet like websites other than using something like email or synced OneNote?
 

Fewr

Member
Wow, first time I use win8 and I think it's super weird. I hope the rest of the people who will use this computer get used to it :p

strange strange strange strange
 
Wow, first time I use win8 and I think it's super weird. I hope the rest of the people who will use this computer get used to it :p

strange strange strange strange

You get used to most of the things, but there's still some niggling gotchas. Like here's one: I wish all the folders of the shortcuts weren't all open in the start screen so I don't have to scroll through a billion junk shortcuts just to get the one shortcut I want.
 

MarkusRJR

Member
For some reason Windows 8.1 fucked up my browser on my Surface. I can no longer click links that would normally load into new tabs (basically all of the links on GAF), and I have to hold the link and manually select "open in new tab". Then on websites like YouTube after scrolling down it will randomly lock up. I for some reason have scrolling still, but I can't click any links and I have to close the browser because nothing responds. Other sites like Twitch or Giant Bomb have issues when loading up videos

Considering I mainly only use my Surface for browsing GAF and watching videos I'm kind of pissed. Any solutions?
 

Edwardo

Member
I'm running into an issue with scrolling my mouse ever since I installed 8.1. My Razer Naga Hex likes to jump back up and down occasionally when I'm trying to scroll using the wheel. So when i'm scrolling the wheel down, it will jump back up for a second (and vice versa).

I tried scrolling on my work computer (windows 7) and didnt have any problems. I tried another mouse on my computer and didn't run into the problem either, so i'm going to assume it's an issue on Razer's side. The drivers are up to date and i've done every windows update, so i'm at a loss right now.

I just want to see if anyone else is having a similar problem.
 
"Change the size of apps, text, and other items on the screen (only applies to displays that can support it)"

The option is at "Default" and greyed out, meaning I don't think my display supports it, which makes no sense to me. Dell probably disabled this and I don't like it, would still like to change it if I can - does anyone know where I can maybe go in the registry to enable this? Bothers me to no end.

It's because of the native resolution of the tablet.
 
For some reason Windows 8.1 fucked up my browser on my Surface. I can no longer click links that would normally load into new tabs (basically all of the links on GAF), and I have to hold the link and manually select "open in new tab". Then on websites like YouTube after scrolling down it will randomly lock up. I for some reason have scrolling still, but I can't click any links and I have to close the browser because nothing responds. Other sites like Twitch or Giant Bomb have issues when loading up videos

Considering I mainly only use my Surface for browsing GAF and watching videos I'm kind of pissed. Any solutions?

It's because all links go through www.viglink.com before redirecting to what the link actually links to. GAF is the only website I have trouble with in this regard.

As far as I know, there's no way around it and you HAVE to "open in a new tab" manually. I usually forget at least once a day and end up with tabs with "about:blank" instead of the actual link contents.

Pain in the arse!
 

MarkusRJR

Member
It's because all links go through www.viglink.com before redirecting to what the link actually links to. GAF is the only website I have trouble with in this regard.

As far as I know, there's no way around it and you HAVE to "open in a new tab" manually. I usually forget at least once a day and end up with tabs with "about:blank" instead of the actual link contents.

Pain in the arse!
I'm having the new tab issue at a few other sites too.

Anyone have any idea about why the browser crashes over basic browsing (eg. scrolling down my subscriptions feed on YouTube 100% always crashes my browser).

Considering I use my tablet for browsing I pretty much have a brick.
 

SPDIF

Member
I'm having the new tab issue at a few other sites too.

Anyone have any idea about why the browser crashes over basic browsing (eg. scrolling down my subscriptions feed on YouTube 100% always crashes my browser).

Considering I use my tablet for browsing I pretty much have a brick.

It seems like it's a Flash issue (or a weird bug on IE's end that's conflicting with Flash), and it's happening to plenty of people. Either way, until an update comes along, the only way to prevent it is to disable Flash (which I don't think is possible unfortunately on Metro IE) and rely on HTML5.

So if you're using Metro IE on your tablet you're kind of stuck for now.
 

NervousXtian

Thought Emoji Movie was good. Take that as you will.
Is there any way to upgrade without using the Metro Windows Store?

I have that dreaded "no internet connection" in Metro apps problem.. everything I've tried has failed to work short of re-installing or re-freshing... neither which I want to do at this point.
 

dLMN8R

Member
Any Twitter app recommendations? Getting pretty tired of the official app, how slow it is to open links, and bugs in going back far in my timeline.
 

nillapuddin

Member
Okay GAF, I just found something pretty exciting, awhile back I was able to pick this up

H4Vs9Ve.png

from manufacture_certified for my girlfriend, and I could not possibly be anymore happy with it, she loves it and uses it all the time.

Anyways, the point is, I am helping a friend get ready for next-gen and saw this on Best Buy's website...

uabGcu6.png


Holy shit, excitement.

So I am going to take her Surface RT into BB this week,
get $350.00
turn around
buy Surface 2 at $449.99
high tail it out of that store giggling like a child.

If anyone out there was lucky enough to get a Surface cheap, this is a great deal for upgrading from Gen 1 -> Gen 2
posting to make sure im not dreaming this up
 

godhandiscen

There are millions of whiny 5-year olds on Earth, and I AM THEIR KING.
Okay GAF, I just found something pretty exciting, awhile back I was able to pick this up

H4Vs9Ve.png

from manufacture_certified for my girlfriend, and I could not possibly be anymore happy with it, she loves it and uses it all the time.

Anyways, the point is, I am helping a friend get ready for next-gen and saw this on Best Buy's website...

uabGcu6.png


Holy shit, excitement.

So I am going to take her Surface RT into BB this week,
get $350.00
turn around
buy Surface 2 at $449.99
high tail it out of that store giggling like a child.

If anyone out there was lucky enough to get a Surface cheap, this is a great deal for upgrading from Gen 1 -> Gen 2
posting to make sure im not dreaming this up
For a Surface RT 32GB you will only get $200 ($150 normal trade in price plus $50 for offer) I did that back in October before the launch of the Surface 2.
 

Zizbuka

Banned
What's the trick to updating apps? Tile says I have a bunch, and I used to open the store and click the link at the bottom, that said "updates 999". Now it's not there?
 

dLMN8R

Member
What's the trick to updating apps? Tile says I have a bunch, and I used to open the store and click the link at the bottom, that said "updates 999". Now it's not there?

That is very weird....what if you use the Settings charm inside the store, go to "app updates", and then click check for updates?
 

Zizbuka

Banned
That is very weird....what if you use the Settings charm inside the store, go to "app updates", and then click check for updates?

That worked. Hmmm, wonder why the old way doesn't work? Oh well, thanks for the help. I wasn't even aware that the settings charm changed for contexts.
 

RurouniZel

Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
Two questions for vets of Windows 8.1

1) What are the best apps?
2) I have a Griffin Powermate that I use with my art. On my Windows 7 PC I can get it to work with both Photoshop and Paint Tool Sai. On Windows 8.1 however I can only get it to work with Photoshop. Any thoughts?
 

nillapuddin

Member
For a Surface RT 32GB you will only get $200 ($150 normal trade in price plus $50 for offer) I did that back in October before the launch of the Surface 2.

are you sure its the same deal?
There dont seem to be any stipulations that would say anything against the $350 gift card for a 32GB RT, I called to confirm?
 
That worked. Hmmm, wonder why the old way doesn't work? Oh well, thanks for the help. I wasn't even aware that the settings charm changed for contexts.

Yeah that's kind of the main goal of the charms, unified functions and settings that change based on the app you're currently using.
 

hipbabboom

Huh? What did I say? Did I screw up again? :(
Found a solution to my Windows 8.1 0x80070714 Installation Error:

http://social.technet.microsoft.com...a7d5533/error-0x80070714?forum=w8itproinstall
1. Run MSCONFIG, click on the services tab and turn off each service that starts with "SQL Server" - Reboot

2. Install upgrade

3. Run MSCONFIG and turn on your "SQL Server" services back on- Reboot

This after weeks of searching because I couldn't afford to uninstall SqlServer which was the typical solution to this particular issue.


Update:
Man o man! I'm living it up now on my desktop. Up till now, I've ben using 8.1 on a tablet and the overall experience felt like a noticeable improvement over 8 but after just a few hours of using 8.1 on the desktop, this is where it really shines! It took a while but it was worth the wait as the system feels even more snappy than ever and it was by no means slow on 8; this was the most unexpected improvement as I didn't know how 8 could be made even faster as 7 was when I moved to 8 but that's the reality. The metro apps staying put on multi-monitor setups was orgasmic! The new start button makes me feel more confident when I'm going to right-click the bottom right corner... its a subtle but powerful improvement. I know some were not lucky with this but I was able to have the system remember my app setting and start screen apps after upgrade which was something I genuinely worried about :) Now I don't feel like a second-class citizen anymore!
 
so is there really no way to get skydrive back to how it was in 8.1? I fricken hate it now. 1. I like using local accounts on my work computers and apparently cant use them with skydrive anymore. 2. you dont have an app telling you things are uploading or downloading, things just do and you have no way of seeing how much is left.

All very annoying. I get 25gb's free with skydrive but may just abandon it if I cant get it working how it use to.

That's very weird, you are not the first I see complaining about a complete lack of feedback on what's going on behind the scenes with the new skydrive, but in all my devices I definitely get feedback for everything.

If a file is cloud only it appears a bit transparent, when I make it available offline it becomes full opaque. When it's either downloading or uploading it's marked with that old blue syncing icon (and that icon is propagated to folders all the way up)…

I even get a new warning icon on the skydrive folder that tells me when it's not syncing (whether I'm on a metered connection, or without connectivity at all)

That on desktop, going through the metro app each file also has an appropriate marking, plus the app provides a summary of all it's pending operations…
 
I think only desktop apps disable the grabber...

For metro apps, I think the only way to avoid this issue is by the app design itself changing to avoid putting important stuff so close to the edge...

That's really frustrating. Using Chrome in metro mode is awesome, but the grabber keeps screwing things up. I like being able to use it, snapping apps is cool. I just wish it didn't conflict with Chrome's functionality.
 
D

Deleted member 1235

Unconfirmed Member
starting to feel the pain of 8.1.

love the OS, but I put it on my media centre. The video driver is the old legacy CCC for ati cards older than forever. basically I watch netflix for 15 minutes then the computer screams, freezes and restarts.

worst thing is, I can't actually find my email/order number for the download of windows 8/8.1.

anyone remember what email address this thing comes from? Those dicks don't couple it to your live account and I can't for the life of me find any reference to any email anywhere, so I can't install linux on the telly computer and use 8.1 for my other desktop :(
 

Chucker

Member
I recently updated from 7 to 8, then 8.1. My bootup time from power to working on 7 was really fast, maybe 10 seconds with my SSD. On 8.1 it's over a minute. Is there anything that's not turned on by default that would be causing this madness?
 

Azih

Member
I recently updated from 7 to 8, then 8.1. My bootup time from power to working on 7 was really fast, maybe 10 seconds with my SSD. On 8.1 it's over a minute. Is there anything that's not turned on by default that would be causing this madness?

I had an issue with Windows 8 with a very long boot up times and it turned out that my external backup harddrive connected via USB had died and I guess Win 8 was trying to detect it or something. I unplugged it and boot times went back to very fast. Don't know if that helps you.
 

Chucker

Member
I had an issue with Windows 8 with a very long boot up times and it turned out that my external backup harddrive connected via USB had died and I guess Win 8 was trying to detect it or something. I unplugged it and boot times went back to very fast. Don't know if that helps you.

I don't have anything like that plugged in, but I could always check my boot options in the bios to make sure it's going in the order I want.
 
I recently updated from 7 to 8, then 8.1. My bootup time from power to working on 7 was really fast, maybe 10 seconds with my SSD. On 8.1 it's over a minute. Is there anything that's not turned on by default that would be causing this madness?

I've got a surface pro that I often get confused whether or not I actually restarted the surface or if I just somehow put it to sleep and brought it back up.

Also, I know how to change the titles of the sections, move around and change tile sizes, but how do I make new categories?
 

Torraz

Member
I just got my first windows 8.1 device.

I delibereately created my account without a password, but after I merged it with my windows/skype account, I now have to input a password everytime I wake up the system from sleep mode.

Anyway to remove this?
 

bro1

Banned
Make that 3.

1. In IE 11, my address bar doesn't act like a search bar. When I do a search, it takes me to TimeWarnerCable's search which is part of google.

2. How do I enable voicemail in the Skype 8.1 app (not the desktop version, but the app)?

3. What does "snap" mean?

Thanks!
 

Azih

Member
2. Skype 8.1 app is lol bad and does not have voicemail. Stick to the desktop version until the Win 8 apps are updated multiple times to bring them up to feature parity. It's pretty horrible.
 

RS4-

Member
I recently updated from 7 to 8, then 8.1. My bootup time from power to working on 7 was really fast, maybe 10 seconds with my SSD. On 8.1 it's over a minute. Is there anything that's not turned on by default that would be causing this madness?

I have the same problem as you, granted it isn't as bad (10 seconds on W7, but around 20-30 seconds on 8.1).

Fresh format too, from 7 to 8.1.

Going to look into it.
 

hipbabboom

Huh? What did I say? Did I screw up again? :(
Make that 3.

1. In IE 11, my address bar doesn't act like a search bar. When I do a search, it takes me to TimeWarnerCable's search which is part of google.

2. How do I enable voicemail in the Skype 8.1 app (not the desktop version, but the app)?

3. What does "snap" mean?

Thanks!

This is TWC's gross tomfoolery! I had this issue a couple of weeks ago. TWC has this opt-out thing where they redirect all your 404 errors to there search engine (so they can serve up ads probably) before Bing has a chance to process it. There should be a link on the page that lets you opt out of it.
 
Am I missing something or did they screw up how snapped Xbox Music worked? Until recently when snapped it would show an image of the band(ie the one in the top right) and at the bottom would be the progress bar but it seems to be stuck in this song list mode now. The Xbox One for reference works in the old way.

Also, is there any way to see those rotating artist pictures in fullscreen mode like you used to be able to?
 

EGM92

Member
I'm having serious issues with 8.1, not as much as I was having with 8 with it's constant BSODs. I think I might be infected with a virus of some sort as my Windows Defender is somehow turned off (I never turned it off) and Windows system files seem to go missing and prevent programs from launching. Do any of you know if there are any good Win 8.1 compatible virus/trojan/rootkit scanners other than AVG/Kaspersky? AVG only finds tracking cookies and Kaspersky finds nothing after a deep scan and takes ~20hrs to scan 8TB of data.
 

hipbabboom

Huh? What did I say? Did I screw up again? :(
I'm having serious issues with 8.1, not as much as I was having with 8 with it's constant BSODs. I think I might be infected with a virus of some sort as my Windows Defender is somehow turned off (I never turned it off) and Windows system files seem to go missing and prevent programs from launching. Do any of you know if there are any good Win 8.1 compatible virus/trojan/rootkit scanners other than AVG/Kaspersky? AVG only finds tracking cookies and Kaspersky finds nothing after a deep scan and takes ~20hrs to scan 8TB of data.

You may infected by a rootkit. Hopefully you have the ability to burn the disc for this. It helped me in my greatest time of need.
 
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