Windows 8.1
Monday 21st October, 2013 13:27 Comments: 0
One word of warning when you decide to upgrade Windows 8 to 8.1 via the Store: you cannot complete the upgrade using a remote desktop connection.
I had kicked off the download overnight using the Remote Desktop client on my phone (not the official one, which is now available, but probably isn't as good as the Xtralogic one on Android). I then logged back in around lunchtime using my work laptop and began the upgrade. Then I couldn't log back in.
It turns out there's a whole load of mouse clicks and things you have to type in before Windows 8.1 is ready.
It also seems to forget a few settings, and overwrite a few customisations. I ended up having to reconfigure which filters are used for videos, for example. File transfers didn't show the advanced progress information either. I had a new wallpaper and lock screen. Nothing major though (well, not after they fixed the Google search results in IE11).
I also had to connect my local account with my online account, although it was relatively easy to disconnect it afterwards (it seems that disconnecting the network cable during the installation can allow you to skip that part).
But on the plus side, I do have a Start button and I can log into the Desktop rather than the Start Menu. And it didn't lose any of my data (not that the host has anything important on it, it's only used for testing purposes).
I would recommend upgrading (it's free for Windows 8 users!), but you do need to be at the local console to finish it off. Unless you're using a virtual machine so you can gain access to the virtual console, which is next on my list (I like to potentially break one thing at a time, rather than everything all at once). I imagine it'll go even smoother now I know what to expect.
I had kicked off the download overnight using the Remote Desktop client on my phone (not the official one, which is now available, but probably isn't as good as the Xtralogic one on Android). I then logged back in around lunchtime using my work laptop and began the upgrade. Then I couldn't log back in.
It turns out there's a whole load of mouse clicks and things you have to type in before Windows 8.1 is ready.
It also seems to forget a few settings, and overwrite a few customisations. I ended up having to reconfigure which filters are used for videos, for example. File transfers didn't show the advanced progress information either. I had a new wallpaper and lock screen. Nothing major though (well, not after they fixed the Google search results in IE11).
I also had to connect my local account with my online account, although it was relatively easy to disconnect it afterwards (it seems that disconnecting the network cable during the installation can allow you to skip that part).
But on the plus side, I do have a Start button and I can log into the Desktop rather than the Start Menu. And it didn't lose any of my data (not that the host has anything important on it, it's only used for testing purposes).
I would recommend upgrading (it's free for Windows 8 users!), but you do need to be at the local console to finish it off. Unless you're using a virtual machine so you can gain access to the virtual console, which is next on my list (I like to potentially break one thing at a time, rather than everything all at once). I imagine it'll go even smoother now I know what to expect.