Review of Windows 8.1 Exploring the evolution and features of Windows 8.1
Review of Windows 8.1 Exploring the evolution and features of Windows 8.1
Hey everyone, I just finished setting up my new home media PC and while making a bootable USB, I considered installing Windows 8.1 to revisit the experience. It's been a few days now, and there are some aspects in 8.1 that I hadn't noticed after years of using Windows 10—they simply feel more intuitive. I haven’t seen any plans from Microsoft to reintroduce these features, but here are a few positives I appreciated over Windows 10. However, I should note that the 8.1 Start menu and Search function are quite clunky, making Windows 10’s setup seem much smoother. The activation prompts in 8.1 are more intrusive; often at startup, it shows a blue window saying “Activate Windows,” which can be frustrating. You usually have to click through settings and then exit, but after repeated use, the X button disappears—though it still pops up occasionally. This happens frequently enough that I’ve learned to use Alt-tab to bypass it. It’s something I encounter at least 3–4 times daily. Given that 8.1’s long-term support ends in about a month, I wanted to share this.
1) Updates: Surprise for many! While updates were minimal after installation, they mostly ran quietly in the background. You could adjust your preferences easily through Win 8.1’s settings app, which is a bit tricky. In the last couple of years, Windows 10 has become less aggressive with its updates, but 8.1 still had a smoother experience.
2) File Explorer: Generally reliable, though it can freeze or feel sluggish on older hardware. Comparing it to my Media PC with large drives, 8.1 performed better and felt more responsive. The icons from Win7 also worked well, though I’m leaning toward the modern look of Windows 10’s interface.
3) Themes: I miss the nostalgic feel of 8.1’s themes. I still like the default wallpapers, but I appreciate the customization options in Windows 10 more.
4) Volume controls: Much improved compared to the annoying volume menu in Windows 10. It’s a small win, especially for someone who works with audio.
5) Performance on older hardware: Running 8.1 on my old rig gave me a smooth experience. The OS felt natural and fast, unlike the sluggishness I experienced with Windows 10 on similar specs.
6) Installation speed: It took almost no time. Few clicks, minimal settings tweaking—just pick your version and drive, and it started right away.
Overall, I don’t think 8.1 is a better choice than Windows 10 in most cases. It depends on what you value more: stability, customization, or performance. Still, this little trial reminded me of how much I enjoy certain features from the past. Hope someone else has thoughts on this!
I favor smaller details like these more than larger ones. XP remains my top choice for Windows, and it’s likely to stay that way. Each new release brings minor tweaks that some users desire while others don’t. When trying to improve usability, they often sacrifice features or alter behavior in unexpected ways. One thing I appreciated about XP, which they reinstated in 11 but didn’t before, is the volume control—when you mute, simply use the up/down buttons, and it adjusts the mute state without fully unmuting. This contrasts with other Windows versions that unmute automatically when you press different keys.
I enjoyed XP and 7 the most, especially during my early days. With 8.1 it came in close third with 10, both offering unique experiences. They’re quite different interfaces—each has its pros and cons. In my view, 8.1 was particularly well-suited for touchscreen laptops and power users.
I set up a new system in May/June 2013 with both Windows 8.0 and Linux Mint. Version 8.1 was still unavailable. To make Windows functional, I added an extension named ClasssicShell, which restored the Start Menu and made it feel more like Windows 7. The Metro interface wasn't suitable for a desktop experience. For smartphones and tablets, I'm not sure. With Windows 10, the developer struggled with frequent updates, so they left and the extension was removed, becoming Open Shell. I currently use that version on 10.
For tablets, the Metro UI stood out strongly. It offered an exceptional experience. On touchscreen laptops, it performed well for multitasking thanks to the snap feature (W10), though it needed some tweaking for a smoother look. The interface was somewhat cluttered initially but became practical after effort. 8.0 had major flaws, while 8.1 addressed many of those issues.
I also came across information about its performance on smartphones and tablets running low-power Atom SoCs. ARM WinRT might have been more suitable, especially with a clear explanation that it can't run x86-64 Windows apps at all... It was designed specifically for those devices. Personally, I'd prefer using Metro with WinRT instead of Win8.x altogether.
I owned a Windows phone with an 8.1 OS that felt incredibly smooth to navigate. It was noticeably straightforward to use. The main issue was the lack of advanced features in the device, which made things more challenging over time. My Nokia Lumia 635 came with 8GB of storage and 512KB of RAM, but it couldn’t handle sites with heavy banner ads or high-definition video playback. The system would frequently crash to the desktop when handling demanding tasks. Still, it was among the simplest operating systems available at the time. The only better options I discovered were Oreo and Android 11.