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Advice Please on W8.1

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Dougcuk:
Been away for a few days - hence the delay in responding.

In terms of advantages of Win8.1 there are a few obvious areas:
- Support for the new full screen Apps and the Windows Apps Store
- Faster Startup (up to twice as fast) and Shutdown (up to 25% faster)
- Slightly faster performance overall (around 10%)
- Browser performance much improved (50%+) using hardware acceleration 
- Improved Battery life on laptops due to better energy saving methods 
- Upgraded Security features - more resistant to malware attacks     

I had not heard of Pokki before and having looked it wouldn't be my choice
- it may be that if its design appeals then Win8.1 would be better for you
Classic Shell replicates the traditional StartMenu interface which is my choice
- but does allow you to access the Win8 Start page at any time

The main things that annoy me about Win8.1 (once Classic Shell is installed)
- The half baked GUI, parts are "Metro" style while others are Classic style
- The random replacement of system controls with dumbed down "Metro" style panels 
- The new ribbon menus of Windows Explorer, I find it slower to access features 
- The dumbed down menu system for Internet Explorer (plus the two versions Desktop & Metro)
- Loss of some classic controls such as Manage Wifi Networks

Once you have started an application there is really little difference between Win7 & Win8
- until you trigger an external service like printing
- and a few older applications are more compatible with Win7, but most will run on either

As I said before if I had Win8.1 already installed I would likely stick with it
- but if installing from scratch my choice would be to go with Win7
- but this is really just personal preference for Classic Windows interface (stuck in my ways at 58)

GWX Control panel has been updated several times recently and is currently at v1.6.0.1
- and has just aquired an installer version in addition to the standalone exe version
- latest info here: http://blog.ultimateoutsider.com/2015/11/the-gwx-control-panel-faq-frequently.html

Xas1953NC:
Hello Dougcuk, thank you for your very comprehensive info in response to my request. I did not receive an email prompt re your info  but have just now signed in and saw your input. I have compiled a list of the free programs I would like to install on the laptop which have also been successfully installed on W7 and Vista for some time. A few of them state they are compatible with W8 but do not mention W8.1. I was wondering if they would install without a problem. Thanks once again.

Dougcuk:
The changes from Win8 to Win8.1 mostly affected the "New Style" (aka Metro) interface and Metro Apps
- so it is almost certain that if a classic application or utility works on Win8 it will be ok with Win8.1

Some manufacturers play safe and say Win8 (and/or Win7) is not supported for older versions of their software
- this can just be a ploy to make you purchase an upgrade or it can mean there are actually issues
- even Microsoft are guilty of this compatibility misinformation for there own applications (such as Office 2003)
- the only way to be certain is for someone to try it out
- either check yourself or look for reports by others on support forums

There is a potential risk is that malware will exploit a flaw in an older application to attack your system.
Another risk with older "unsupported" applications is that a future Windows update may break something
- not a high probability but if it happens you are then on your own as it is unlikely to be fixed

The only major change in compatibility is if you are changing from 32bit to 64bit Windows
- support for 16bit executable formats was dropped (both COM and 16bit EXE no longer function)

Xas1953NC:
Thanks for that Dougcuk, I have all the files copied to a folder to port across to the laptop. As it came installed with W8.1 I shall stick with that. I shall purchase a usb external hdd for any data that is possible to be stored externally as I follow that practice with Vista and my wife's W7 system.

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