Why Windows 8.1?

[Sporky McForkinspoon]

Well, I might back up the partition or something, that might help as well.

That's what I would do. Make an ISO of your partition as it exists now and reimage the disk if things go wrong. Incidentally, move your /$user/AppData/ folder over to the new OS if you decide to go with a clean install and you'll keep most of your program settings.

 

[JoostinOnline]

Stay on Windows 7, then either get a new computer with Windows 10, or upgrade to it.

 

[the_randomizer]

Stay on Windows 7, then either get a new computer with Windows 10, or upgrade to it.

I can use my laptop as a guinea pig as my desktop is the one with the more powerful hardware and more vital info, I am comfy with 7 however.

That's what I would do. Make an ISO of your partition as it exists now and reimage the disk if things go wrong. Incidentally, move your /$user/AppData/ folder over to the new OS if you decide to go with a clean install and you'll keep most of your program settings.

Huh, never thought of backing that up to be honest, but that's a good idea.

 

[PityOnU]

So, today, Qtis asked or suggested that I upgrade to Windows 8.1 from Windows 7, letting me know that it's better in almost every way. Well, that's all well and good, but, no reasons or compelling arguments were given as to why I should update. There are many issues with this, I'm afraid, and I'll list the reasons and conflicting issues on why I'm wary:

- Driver software issues, I've heard stories of this happening, some hardware not being able to install them.
- The Metro GUI, while more reduced, I don't like those sodding tablet-like icons, I think they look hideous.
- What about my data? I currently have no spare HDD to really back up all my data. Some, but not all.
- I would have to reinstall all the programs I have, and I have a shitload of them, it'd be a royal PITA.
- I'm comfortable with how Windows 7 runs, how I feel comfortable with its modus operandi.
- If it ain't broke, why fix it?

I would really love for people to share with me their experiences, their opinions and the whys on why I should upgrade to 8.1 and what I can do to not lose my data.

Answering such a question is difficult, as even though Windows 8.1 has a number of improvements, they may not be that significant to you. For your reference, the major ones are:

• The entire UI is now rendered using your graphics hardware. This was not the case with Windows 7, where things such as text were still rendered with the CPU. This improves UI smoothness, speed, and battery life (slightly). However, you may not have any complaints related to the speed of the UI, in which case, ignore this.
• Improved support for DPI scaling. With Windows 8.1, scaling is starting to work really, really well. Even Adobe has finally updated Acrobat to support the scaling options, so everything "just works." However, you may not have any complaints related to the size of the UI, in which case, ignore this.
• Faster boot times and deeper integration with UEFI. Not much to say here, the thing just boots really fast. However, you may not have any complaints related to the time it takes to boot your system, in which case, ignore this.
• Cleaner interface. I don't know about you, but the faux-glass look on Windows 7's window decoration is starting to look really dated at this point, Windows 8.1 uses a more modern, smooth look. However, you may not have any complaints related to the look and feel of your windows, in which case, ignore this.
• Some DirectX 11.1 bullshit, but no one really cares.

There is probably some stuff I left out, but that's most of the major things you would notice right away.

If you're someone like me (a Ph.D. student in computer engineering with literally $1000's of dollars of spare equipment lying around), then installing a new system and getting things like drivers and external devices working correctly isn't really a huge deal. In such a case, you need very little incentive to upgrade because it is very little effort, so just do it. However, if you don't have the necessary equipment and maybe aren't very comfortable doing stuff like this, then you need to decide how important these features/improvements are to you and compare it to how much effort you will expend getting the need system up and running correctly.

Your call, m8.

 

[DinohScene]

I'll keep on using 7 till I get a new lappy.
Me UMPC has Win 10 tho