Windows 8.1

Colin Goss · Post by **Colin Goss** » 25 Apr 2014 1:00 am

Having upgraded my laptop to W8.1 without problems, I decided to do the same to my desktop.

Oh dear.

The graphics are horrible. The PC is a Compac DC5850 with Radion 3100 graphics. AMD say they do not have an 8.1 driver.

Sometimes the text is almost unreadable. It is almost like an old pin printer with numerous pins missing.

Dare I reinstall W8.0 from the disc?

Wiz what are your views please?

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 25 Apr 2014 2:23 am

Some older PC's do not make good candidates to upgrade to newer OS'.

The Radeon 3100 is a relatively old video card.

If there is a Vista or Win 7 driver for the Radeon 3100 you can try it.

Full specs on the PC would help to determine if its upgradeable. Maybe just a new video card will help.

Colin Goss · Post by **Colin Goss** » 25 Apr 2014 2:34 am

I should have said that I had previously upgraded to W8.0 and it worked a treat. It is the move to W8.11 which has screwed things up.

The graphics drivers worked OK then.

AMD say they are not planning 8.1 drivers

Scott Duckworth · Post by **Scott Duckworth** » 25 Apr 2014 3:07 am

Were you aware MickeySoft is dropping support for Windows 8.1 in May... of this year?

Dickie Whitley · Post by **Dickie Whitley** » 25 Apr 2014 4:45 am

Scott, not sure where your info is coming from, but this is from the Microsoft support page:

Scott Duckworth · Post by **Scott Duckworth** » 25 Apr 2014 7:15 am

See http://tech.slashdot.org/story/14/04/15 ... 81-support

Wiz Feinberg · Post by **Wiz Feinberg** » 25 Apr 2014 7:23 am

It is true that Microsoft will not provide any further non-security updates for Windows 8.1, unless you upgrade to "Windows 8.1 Update." They are not calling either 8.1 or 8.1 Update a Service Pack, therefore bypassing their own stated lifecycles.

Dickie Whitley · Post by **Dickie Whitley** » 25 Apr 2014 8:04 am

I agree, 8.1 was a rush to correct things they should have left well enough alone. It's just that Scott's post could be read that Microsoft was dropping support for it's newest OS, although not intended that way I know, no disrespect intended Scott.

I will say Microsoft's way of stating and doing things are always a source of continuing amazement to me. Just my 2 cents, YMMV.

Scott Duckworth · Post by **Scott Duckworth** » 25 Apr 2014 8:26 am

No offense taken, my mistake. One mistake I won't make, is going further in Windoze. I plan to go to some version of Linux. Mint is looking pretty good...

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 25 Apr 2014 8:49 am

There is nothing that I'm aware of, or seen on the Windows 8 forum, that 8.1 would affect the video.

Have you tried reinstalling whatever video driver you are using?

Dickie Whitley · Post by **Dickie Whitley** » 25 Apr 2014 9:00 am

Colin, don't know if this will help or not, but I was having issues with Adobe Premiere and Windows 8.1 update, couldn't keep it from crashing the Premiere. Finally ended up removing all the AMD Radeon drivers and letting it run on whatever Win 8 provided, seems to work now.

I have an AMD Radeon 5870, just for reference.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 25 Apr 2014 12:41 pm

I have an AMD Radeon HD7770 and there are no problems with either Win 7 64 bit Home or Win 8.1.1 Pro 64 bit.

I'm using the latest AMD Radeon Catalyst/Drivers.

Dickie Whitley · Post by **Dickie Whitley** » 25 Apr 2014 12:58 pm

Jack, my problem isn't with the OS itself, it's using Adobe Premiere, tried the latest and greatest drivers, it crashed.

May be fine for OS but not with Adobe.

Hope this helps explain my situation.

Colin Goss · Post by **Colin Goss** » 26 Apr 2014 5:43 am

Additional problem on 8.1

I have in the past done mail merges with (say) 120 names, I use Page Plus but have also used Word, and in the past all documents printed first time.

Now on 8.1, only the last page prints, and it will also not accept mutiple copies of the page.

I have two printers and it is the same on both.

Cute pdf and pdf creator all work correctly, and create all the pages of the mail merge, so it is obviouly a printer instruction that is defective.

I have just created the documents on cute pdf and then had to go to each page of the pdf file, and 'print current page', a job which took 50 times longer.

Has anyone reinstalled windows 8.0 over 8.1 and were there any problems?

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 26 Apr 2014 8:12 am

I suspect your 8.1 is corrupt or 8.1 corrupted your Windows 8.0 install. In either case it is probably going to take a clean reinstall of Windows 8.0 and then the 8.1 update.

Colin Goss · Post by **Colin Goss** » 26 Apr 2014 8:21 am

That is what I was afraid of...........