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Message: [QUOTE="Arnox, post: 12115, member: 1"][SPOILER="Windows 8/8.1"]And now, we move on to the touch-based and third-hated Windows OS. Windows 8 sadly started the downhill trend of modern Windows, BUT this Windows version is still very salvageable. More on that later though. Now, Windows 8 was released in August of 2012, and Windows 8.1 was released in August of 2013. Both fully support 32 and 64 bit. Unlike Windows 7 and Vista, Windows 8 and 8.1 took a leaf out of Windows XP’s book and cut down the number of editions to just two. Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro. There is also Windows 8 Enterprise, but Microsoft decided during this time that us unwashed non-business plebs don’t deserve the highest edition of Windows 8 and restricted access of it to volume licensing customers only. A practice they would continue on into Windows 10 and 11 both. As to Windows 8.1, it had the exact same editions as Windows 8, so nothing really to talk about there.OK, it’s time to talk about the differences between Windows 8 and 8.1 and how this all started. So, after the incredible success of Windows 7, Microsoft naturally set their sights on the next Windows version, and for this, they looked to the future. But in their looking, someone decided to see just a partial view of it apparently, and then decided that the future of all computers was nothing but touch screens! Yes, touch screens everywhere. Look out, kids. This isn’t your dad’s boring old sensible desktop OS anymore! Woooo! Look at the new full screen Start menu! Look at our Charms bar! Look at our MSPaint style user interface! Look at how we attempted to replace the Control Panel with a weird Settings app but stopped very early because we quickly realized just how much of a monumental task that would be!Windows 8 also launched alongside the Windows Store, but this failed hard at launch due to the fact that apps written for the Windows Store could not be sideloaded by the retail plebs, and only Windows 8 Enterprise customers could do so. Apps gotten through the store were heavily restricted whether the user liked it or not. And on top of that, the store was buggy. As to the other new apps developed and shipped in Windows 8, they were all clunky and basic. Now basic doesn’t necessarily equal bad, but if they are going to be like that, then they need to load almost immediately if not instantly, perform well, and be easy to use. These new apps were not.As you can imagine, none of this went over well with the long since established desktop Windows userbase. Now, in fairness, Windows 8 technically DID succeed in what it set out to do, and that was to be a good OS for touch screen devices. But that was the problem as desktop users were left out in the cold with the new changes. And maybe this all would have just blown over rather quickly if Windows 8 gave an option to go back to the Windows 7 look and way of doing things, but alas, it did not. You got what you got in Windows 8 and you could take it or go back to Windows 7. Those were your choices. So, naturally, it turned out Windows 7 didn’t have anything to fear from Windows 8.After almost exactly a year after Windows 8’s momentous launch, Windows 8.1 was released as a free major update and rerelease to act as damage control. Microsoft was hoping they could pull off another Windows-7-esque recovery, but... It was not to be this time. While Windows 8.1 did fix some of the pain points of Windows 8 like a somewhat revamped Start screen and the readding of a Start button, it was too little too late, and Microsoft quickly just decided to move on to developing Windows 10. After that, Windows 8 and 8.1’s reputation, like Vista, became firmly set, and it was soon forgotten after Windows 10 released.With all of that history out of the way though, it’s actually rather hard to make a final judgment call on Windows 8.1 because, with just one small third-party open source program that, again, we’ll get into later, you can salvage the ENTIRE OS and, in fact, turn it into an enhanced if more boring looking version of Windows 7, although, even the visuals can be fixed if you’re willing to go a little further. On top of that, Windows 8.1 also comes with a TON of improvements under the hood over Windows 7 along with the regular updated hardware compatibility as well. Some of the big highlights here are improved stability, improved overall speed, much better task manager, native USB 3 and NVMe support, File History, improved lock screen functionality, and more multi-monitor features.Alright, then. Decision time. Should you run Windows 8.1 over Windows 7? Well... If, for some weird reason, you don’t plan to make any alterations to the OS whatsoever and also aren’t installing it on a touch-based device, then maybe not. Otherwise yes. Absolutely. And if you are, then let us proceed to the maximum supported hardware.Now, like Windows Vista and XP, Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 share the exact same maximum supported hardware. With one annoying quirk. The graphics card. Unfortunately, if you want the best of the best, you’re going to have to be more specific about what that means because Nvidia’s Windows 8.1 support is ALL OVER THE PLACE here. If you want the best FP64 card, you need the Quadro GV100 again. If you want the best workstation card and don’t care about 32-bit support, you need the Quadro RTX 8000. If you want the best high-end non-Quadro card and don’t care about 32-bit support, you need the 2080 Ti. If you DO care about 32-bit support though then you’re stuck with the Quadro P6000. Or the Titan Xp if you don’t want a Quadro. Yeah, not confusing at ALL. I think what annoys me here the most by far though is that it’s NEEDLESSLY annoying and arbitrary.One more note though on graphics drivers for the 2080 Ti. Nvidia says on their site they’re not available for Windows 8 and 8.1 64-bit but yet again, Nvidia is LYING. The Windows 7 64-bit drivers install and work on Windows 8 and 8.1 just fine, and without any installer modification as well. Nvidia… Just… Can we… Why???ANYWAY… Let’s talk software now. Like Windows 7, Microsoft “””Helpfully””” blocked the same processors from accessing Windows Update servers on Windows 8.1. Again though, wufuc will restore that functionality, so just download and use that as before. And thankfully, Windows 8.1, as of this writing, is still fully supported with security updates, so there’s no need for any annoying workarounds. Putting aside security updates then, are there any significant updates to Windows 8 then that regular users would care about? Well, besides the obvious 8.1 update… Not really. Also, don’t be afraid to update your copy of Windows 8 to 8.1. A few VERY small things were removed, but otherwise, nothing to be worried about whatsoever. 8.1 is objectively far better than Windows 8. Windows 8 does have that cool box art though, I’ll give it that. If you don’t mind me going on a bit of a dumb tangent about box art for a bit, Windows 8 had a black outer box with a very colorful and artistic inner box, and the designs of the inner box varied with every individual copy. With Windows 8.1 though, I guess they decided that was too cool and switched to an incredibly plain and boring solid blue outer box with a white inner box instead. (Or a purple outer box if you got the core edition.) Guess it doesn’t matter anyway though since both Vista and 7 had better boxes.Now, let’s go into the modifications you’ll want to make before you start daily-driving Windows 8.1. Now, most of this is actually pretty optional, but there is one program that you’ll definitely want above all else, assuming you’re running a desktop or standard laptop, and that is Open Shell. The link for this program will be in the description. (<a href="https://github.com/Open-Shell/Open-Shell-Menu/releases/tag/v4.4.160">https://github.com/Open-Shell/Open-Shell-Menu/releases/tag/v4.4.160</a>) This program can disable the annoying corners, disable the charms bar, add transparency to the task bar, but most importantly, can also bring back the classic start menu. You can choose from any of the old menus, from Windows 7 to Windows XP. Just look through the program settings and set it however you like.After that, the last thing to do, if you so desire, is to fully replace Metro, what Windows 8’s completely flat look is named, with Aero from Windows Vista and 7. We’re gonna do this with a huge pack called the Windows 8 to 7 Restoration Pack. The link, as always, will be in the description. (<a href="https://intosanctuary.com/index.php?resources/windows-8-to-7-restoration-pack.9/">https://intosanctuary.com/index.php?resources/windows-8-to-7-restoration-pack.9/</a>) Keep in mind though, the key program that the pack uses to get back Windows Aero is called Aero Glass, and it’s a paid program. If you use it for free, it watermarks your desktop until you uninstall it. I tried looking for a free solution, but they all seemed really clunky and/or buggy, so it’s up to you as to whether you want to pay for it. I will say though, the program seems perfectly reputable and it’s only $3. Also, if you do find a better solution, let me know and I will update both this video and the pack. Beyond that though, just follow the instructions on the pack web page or the instructions bundled in the pack. They are the exact same.[/SPOILER][/QUOTE]

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