News - Windows 8.1 Update 1 said to boot to desktop by default

[HEXUS]

Will Microsoft's new OS default startup behaviour favour Windows desktop users?

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[aidanjt]

You mean a supposed desktop OS is going to (sorta) start putting desktop users first? Maybe if that start menu finally arrives.

[crossy]

"The main thing in this build, and that immediately catches the eye, is that, immediately after installing and loading it, we find ourselves on the desktop (Desktop) PC and not on a tiled interface Modern UI (Metro) as it was previously". As noted by The Verge this change goes against the grain of Microsoft's vision for Windows 8 but appeases many mouse and keyboard jockeys.

I'm going to ask a very obvious question - wouldn't it have been possible for the Windows 8.x startup to check if there was a touch screen present, and if so switch to MUI as default, otherwise give the user the "mouse/trackpad friendly" standard desktop? Wouldn't that have given the best of both worlds?

Still going to stick with '7 for the moment, although a pre-order for '9 is getting more certain.

[Popeye46]

Windows 8 is and always was about Touch screen interaction in my opinion. So as I'm not of that genre as yet, i still think windows 8 was rushed out a bit like Vista. but Microsoft never learned their lesson on that OS did they.

[AlexKitch]

I use 8.1 and, honestly, it's not all that bad, but I don't disagree that Microsoft made a terrible mistake with how they approached Windows 8(.1).

A simple choice during setup ("Default boot to desktop, or touch?) would have solved almost everything that ended up being terrible about it.

[cheesyboy]

This is kind of a shame, if true - In principle I like the metro; I prefer tiles to icons (single click, potentially more customisation**, live tiles) - I just wish it had been better optimised for a desktop setting.

All the apps seem to be targeted at tablets - Ebay, Facebook, Hotmail, news streams etc. The tile itself is ok (though more customisation of what is shown would be better), but the "app" behind the tile is all but useless.

** Unfortunately, to create your own tile (for a folder, for example), you need a third party program - MS has really pared back any more advanced features on the Metro, which is annoying, why didn't they include tile creation/customisation by default?

I think the Metro could be great if only they had followed through with it and given it the full functionality of the desktop (plus given the option of a more streamlined Applications menu)

[kingpotnoodle]

Boot to desktop is the most pathetic of all the complaints against Windows 8. It wasn't really an issue in original 8 given that it required a single click on a large tile after boot (oh no, how arduous - there must have been a huge surge in RSI), the tiny gripe was solved in 8.1 with a minor settings change... I suspect they've decided to just have it on by default, or perhaps depending on machine hardware or licence, it'd probably be useful on by default to users of the VL Enterprise edition or with no hardware touch capability.

The other tweaks deserve being the headline much more as they will actually make a difference, like the improvements to MUI applications for mouse and keyboard users, pinning to taskbar and close buttons will make using MUI apps easier if you spend more time on the desktop. Lets hope they eventually do it like ModernMix built-in and allow them to be run in desktop windows to.

I'd like to see the ability to have a tile area on the desktop, optionally able to be made to stay visible over other windows or occupying the top/side/bottom xx pixels and shrinking the desktop so the potential for alerting from tiles can be fulfilled.

Windows 8/8.1 are really good if you can get used to a few new usage paradigms (you don't *need* to have touch, it works great without), it's good to see Microsoft adding things for easing the transition and enhancing it for mouse/keyboard users further. Windows 7 feels old fashioned to me now, I hated the old start menu and hardly used it because I pinned everything I used regularly to taskbar. I have never understood why anyone considers the old start menu as some pinnacle of launcher excellence, familiar yes but it was crap - quickly cluttered by applications creating random folder trees, fiddly at times and the search was only average.

[cheesemp]

I don't mind windows 8 since boot to desktop was bought in (now I can practically ignore the tiles). Just wish I could solve the weird reboot on shutdown issue since installing the 8.1 update...

[cjs150]

Kingpotnoodle: It all depends on what you are using w8/8.1 to do. I run 2 computers with w8/8.1.

One is an HTPC the other is a normal, non touch, desktop.

The desktop runs w8.1, but after the problems with the upgrade, I refused to upgrade the HTPC. On the desktop I would prefer to boot to desktop, on the HTPC I would much prefer to put to the modern/metro screen as that just works better from the sofa.

Hourses for courses

[GeorgeStorm]

I installed 8.1 (from 7) when I rebuilt my PC, I find it very similar to 7 after I'd made it boot to desktop by default and remembered to not use apps.

I don't really get people who hate it, but I don't consider it a big improvement either.

[Ksyruz]

Great now I have to click start to get to my Game shortcuts!Just when you get use to the craziness, they have to change it.

[kudos1uk]

That's a bit odd as there is already a checkbox with 8.1 to set to to boot to desktop if you want so I see no need to set everyone to boot to desktop after update 1.

[miniyazz]

I hated the old start menu and hardly used it because I pinned everything I used regularly to taskbar. I have never understood why anyone considers the old start menu as some pinnacle of launcher excellence, familiar yes but it was crap - quickly cluttered by applications creating random folder trees, fiddly at times and the search was only average.

What did you dislike about the Win7 start menu search? I personally find the search far superior to the Win8 search, which for no obvious reason forces categorisation and will only display you the results for "apps" until you click on e.g. "settings", even when there are no app results. It's impractical for me to have every program or settings I use pinned but my regular programs are all pinned and I mostly just use the Start Menu for search, I agree the folders are pretty defunct now. I've not tried any other search solutions to compare, but it always seems effective..

[aidanjt]

The 'search' argument is complete bunk, there's nothing in the screen search that can't be displayed in the menu search.

[Willzzz]

Great now I have to click start to get to my Game shortcuts!Just when you get use to the craziness, they have to change it.

Default doesn't mean you can't change it.

[Saracen]

....Windows 7 feels old fashioned to me now, I hated the old start menu and hardly used it because I pinned everything I used regularly to taskbar. I have never understood why anyone considers the old start menu as some pinnacle of launcher excellence, familiar yes but it was crap - quickly cluttered by applications creating random folder trees, fiddly at times and the search was only average.

Well, then, there's the thing. If you don't like it, and didn't use it, you won't miss it, will you?

But I did like it, and more importantly, found it useful.

Why? For a start, nested menus. So I had a Communucations menu, with various comms programs under it, a Graphics menu with Photoshop, CorelDraw, scanner software, etc. I had a Business menu with various business tools, from Office, contact manager, several custom-written (by me) databases, accounts, etc. And several more. Any item was immediately available with 3 or 4 mouse clicks, and muscle memory and years of use meant that, like riding a bike or driving a car, I didn't need to think about it, I just needed something and it .... happened. And then MS decide to dump it, to try to sell phones and tablets.

Also, some of the entries inside those menus would be the same program (like the database engine) with start parameters srldcting either a directory or file to start in, meaning the one program could be started directly into multiple functions, all from the same menu.

Not much gets pinned to my toolbar.

And I've been using this method for years. Since, what, WfWG3-11?

Yet all of a sudden, MS decide they want to try to drive tablet sales by leveraging desktop OS users, so seek to FORCE us to change? Well, nuts to that.

If you don't like menus, and do like MUI or starting from search, I'm happy for you. But I don't intend to change my habits of 20 years or more to suit MS marketing whims.

If MS don't bring back the Start menu, I won't be going back to Windows. Even if they do bring it back, now, I doubt I'll go back, because I no longer trust them. At all. What's to stop them bringing it back, and for W9, or W10, having another go at forcibly dropping it?

What MS have succeeded in doing is to create very considerable ill-will, to varying degrees, by trying to FORCE us to MUI. Of course, ClassicShell, Start8, etc, show just how fatuous that idea was, and give the lie to the notion that it's too hard.

All they had to do, ALL it needed, was an option to disable MUI, boot to desktop and enable start button/menu, and let users choose. But no, they had to try to force us, for their narrow marketing benefit.

No doubt MS won't notice, let alone care what I do, but they've not only ensured I won't be upgrading Windows (or Office, etc), they've ensured I won't buy a Windows tablet or phone either .... not that the latter was very likely anyway. And I might be in a minority, but I'm far from the only one that angry at them.