Windows 8.1 RTM - experiences

[machistmo]

@Russ. Tis' a Pro 128GB. If a screenshot of Speccy counts, well, technically yes but it refuses to activate.

I checked the hard disk manager and it says 7.45GB free along with 2 sub 500-ish MB recovery partitions too.

It boots, just with the activate Windows screen there.

---EDIT---
The alarms app seems to have no sounds and explorer crashes. Brightness is always max at every boot, but I think this has something to do with drivers.

Refresh the device. I think this is the new strategy for managing these devices. Refresh.

 

[uzernamezz]

Update: I got some firmware updates in Windows Update, and apparently the camera and the touch cover was fixed. Excellent.

Day 1 recap:
GENERAL
So after an upgrade mishap, I go back to the factory version of Windows 8 and do a fresh install, the key is finally accepted and i'm onto a properly-activated 8.1. Not exactly usable at first since the audio wasn't working, the brightness was stuck at highest and the screen would tear whenever there's movement of such. So installing the Intel Drivers and Realtek drivers should bring back some usability. (The Intel driver seems to be buggy so I went to a WDDM driver ASAP - 9.18.10.3200 vs 9.18.10.3257, but it breaks the GPU acceleration in Photoshop CC)
You also need to reinstall NET 3.5 before using a LOT of programs. (Oh, the stupidity of me sometimes.) MediaEspresso, Sketchbook Pro 6.0.1 and iTunes 11.0.2 64 bit oddly don't work.

SPEED
I can say, I love how this thing is faster than the stock 8, even with "tombstoned" apps eating your memory. (gdi MS) The scrolling in IE11 is just heavenly, even the amount of visual resistance when scrolling with the trackpad and touch is pleasant. The sound quality improved and the new apps are a huge improvement over 8. The PC settings IS confusing at first though.

 

[pierre118]

I think what he is saying is this: I put it on my home PC because who uses a home PC anymore, but before I put it on my Surface Pro, the device I live by, can anyone give me their experience as I don't want to kill my productivity tool with some beta release from wonky Microsoft. It all seems pretty clear and fair to me.

That's exactly what I mean. I use my SP a lot for my daily ICT job, and I want to be sure that 8.1 is working without problems. That's why I ask for opinions and experiences. That's what this forum is for, I always thought.......

 

[pierre118]

Okay, so I managed to snag a legit 8 key from my friend. I clean reinstalled 8 and jumped to 8.1 and this is what I notice so far...
1. COM Surrogate crashes when I open a photo in Photo Viewer. The Photos app works just fine. I think it has something to do with the latest Intel drivers. The control panel of the graphics seems to crash all the time. (9.18.10.3257)
2. After a reboot I saw this program that had something to do with WEI crash. Never noticed it after.
3. Camera has an exposure problem. Everything is too dark (see picture 1, taken in a brightly lit room, this is both front and rear camera.)
View attachment 1068
4. Trackpad Settings app does not detect the touch cover, even if it works fine. Nothing in Device Manager about the touch cover too. (Annoyed by the fact I can't disable the touchpad for now)
View attachment 1069
5. Some apps have a problem launching/installing, such as iTunes giving an error about "Apple Mobile Device" service can't be started, thus only leaving to abort the install, and Vegas Pro getting stuck on the creating windows screen.

Try an older Intel HD4000 driver pack, that will solve the crash of the Intel Control Panel :

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Se...+Processors+with+Intel®+HD+Graphics+3000/2000