I am going to buy (from Amazon) a used laptop computer for use by a youngster. I do NOT want Windows 10. >>QUESTIONS: 1) Is Windows 8.1 okay? Reasonably stable, etc? 2) Is Microsoft still issuing security patches for 8.1? 3) Is Microsoft still pushing Windows 10 as an *involuntary* upgrade? If so, what should I do when the laptop first boots, so as to prevent Win10 from ever happening without my say-so? Any & all comments will be hugely appreciated.
Yes, it works well. However, you may want install Classic Shell or a similar Start Menu replacement so you have a Start Menu instead of the new Start Screen which is more designed for a touchscreen than a mouse. Yes, and they will continue to do so until January of 2023. They have stopped that, now that they have officially ended the free upgrade period. Personally, I would always choose Windows 10 over 8.1 or any other version of Windows. But, each to their own.
What will it be used for? How long is it expected to last? Budget? Laptop, desktop or either? Does it have to be Windows?
I think the most important factor to decide is how old the person who is going to use the computer is. If she/he is young, Windows 10 is better. It´s the future, and she/he will have enough time to learn it and exploit its capabilities. Besides, it´s much more fun. You never know what it´s going to happen with the next update.
The user is 55 (a younger son) and I do not wish him to age rapidly -- therefor Win10 does not compute. It is illogical. @ rogerM -- you gave me very responsive info. Just what I needed to know. Thanks!
You can downgrade to Windows 7. Windows 8xxx suck. Windows 7 is the last great classical OS Microsoft made.
Yes, but that would require the purchase of Windows 7. It seems pretty silly to spend money and then take the time to downgrade to what is in my opinion a inferior OS. Windows 8.1 is faster than Windows 7, and if you add a Start Menu replacement then works pretty much the same.
Got this laptop 2 yrs ago with Win 7 Pro and an upgrade disk to 8.1 Pro. I stuck with 7 Pro for seven or eight months and a crash a week. Never did figure out why. Neither could the techs. It just crash dumped every week, even with cleaning the thing daily. I finally did the upgrade to see what 8.1 Pro was like. No more crashes. It was rock solid and dependable, and faster than 7 Pro. I took the plunge to Win 10 last October and hung on until after the anniversary update when half my programs quit working or began having problems. So, I'm back with Win 8.1 and am happy. It's solid, reliable and everything works. I'm staying with Windows 8.1.
@Chuck57 There was a time about a year ago W7 started BSOD once a week then every few days. Finally I pulled my head out of my *** & I copied the BSOD error code. I Googled the code & M$ had put out out a specific fix. Ever since no BSOD. Btw it was because I have Nvidia switchable graphics.
Yes, it's pretty good, it hasn't crashed in the last 6 months or so. I decided not to upgrade to Win 10 because it doesn't bring any important new features, and because of the whole privacy fiasco.
Thanks to all!!! I bought the laptop w/8.1 & gave it to my *friend*. He is happy with it. I am still an XP holdout. However, the good comments about 8.1 have got me thinking as to whether I should buy a tower-with-8.1-installed for myself. My present tower is vintage 1998 & slow. I am very comfortable using XP but I would like a faster tower, with 8GB ram. QUESTIONS: 1) I detest touchscreen. I understand that 8.1 offers the ability for the user to make 8.1 *somewhat emulate* XP (w/o touchscreen). True? If so, is that ability built into 8.1? Is it hard to do? 2) How much of a learning curve would be involved if I moved from XP to 8.1? 3) Will my 32-bit apps run on 64-bit, or will I have to replace everything?
1. You can use Classic shell to replace Start menu: http://www.classicshell.net/. I've been using it when I replaced Win 7 with Win 8 and I liked it. It's not hard to install and configure it. 2. After replacing start menu, I don't think you will need a lot of learning. 3. Apps will run on Windows 8.1 if they are compatible with it. 32 bit applications can run on 64 bit OS, you are not limited to 64 bit apps.
I agree with these comments. After installing Classic Shell, Win 8 is basically the same as XP, but more stable and secure.