Microsoft Windows 8.1 review

Windows 8 released earlier this year to a mixed response from both reviewers and users. While many people appreciated its fast boot times, responsive interface and touchscreen-friendliness, others were driven to distraction by the disjointed relationship between desktop and Start screen, and poor default multimedia apps. The loss of the Start button was a particular point of contention, with many Windows 7 and even XP users citing it as the reason they wouldn’t switch to the new operating system.

Thankfully, Microsoft has responded to criticism and implemented a few changes that it hopes will persuade those who haven’t yet upgraded to do so. Yes, Microsoft has added a Start button to Windows 8 desktop screen, but that isn’t the killer feature that it may initially seem. More important is the way in which Windows 8’s default multimedia apps behave, look and feel. You can now view multiple PDFs in the Reader app, for example, and you can open as many tabs as you like in the app version of Internet Explorer.

Windows 8 can be upgraded to 8.1 without affecting your existing software and files, but it’s still worth backing up important files. The upgrade involves several reboots of your PC and took around an hour to complete on our AMD Athlon II X3 PC. More powerful computers may take a little less time to complete the update. When your PC finally restarts, you’ll be asked to if you want use default settings or your own custom settings. It’s worth checking these, as some of the default options share information with advertisers. You’ll also be prompted to log in to your Microsoft account. As with Windows 8, it’s not compulsory, but you’ll need it to use the Microsoft Store.

WINDOWS 8.1 SKYDRIVE – HEAD IN THE CLOUD?

You’re also asked if you want to use Microsoft’s SkyDrive online storage service to back up automatically the documents and pictures you save to your PC. It’s enabled by default and, although we’re not fans of SkyDrive’s web interface, it’s always a good idea to use online storage to keep copies of your most important files. You only get 7GB of space free, so if you take a lot of pictures, you might be inclined to upgrade and pay for one of Microsoft’s SkyDrive packages. However, we still prefer more fully featured online storage services such as SugarSync.

SkyDrive syncing folders now appear in the navigation pane, while libraries have moved to This PC

SkyDrive integration is only an option if your user account is connected to your Microsoft account. Local user accounts, which you’re discouraged from using, don’t create SkyDrive folders for you. If you’ve enabled SkyDrive, you’ll find a SkyDrive shortcut in the left-hand navigation pane of the Windows file manager in roughly the same place that you’d have previously found your Windows user Libraries: Documents, Pictures, Videos and Music. These haven’t been eliminated, though, they’ve been relocated to the This PC folder.

WINDOWS 8.1 START BUTTON- A NEW START?

The most widely anticipated change in Windows 8.1 is the desktop’s Start button. However, the button’s just a shortcut that takes you to the start screen, and is unlikely to satisfy those who want a Windows 7-style Start menu.

The Start screen and many of its default apps have also been updated and improved. You can now view two apps on a single screen, with each app taking up half the space, rather than one being a tiny sidebar. If you have two monitors, you can display a different app on each monitor.

You can now run two Start screen apps side-by-side

The Start screen’s search function has also been improved. There are no longer annoying divisions between apps, settings and files, you can search for anything. You can even search on the web using Bing. Searches can be restricted to specific types of content, such as files, settings, web images or web videos.

If you search everywhere then local settings, software and files are listed first and online search suggestions after. Unfortunately, Bing is the only search engine you can use for this. Sadly, you can’t use wildcards and it won’t pick up results for partial words. For instance, you can only find LibreOffice by searching for “libre”. You won’t find it if you type “office”.

A refined Start screen search feature makes it easier to find what you’re looking for either locally or online

Other Start screen improvements include customisable category headers for your shortcuts, an optional smaller size for tiles, the ability to set slideshows on the lock screen, and an integrated settings page that now includes options previously only found in the Control Panel.

WINDOWS 8.1 APPS – APPY DAYS?

The core apps have also been improved. The previously clumsy Music app now has a much more streamlined interface and is more effectively integrated with Microsoft’s Xbox Music streaming service, making it easy to search for the music you want to hear. The free version of the service gives you unlimited access to a vast collection of music for six months, after which you can stream up to 10 hours of music per month. Subscriptions are available if you need greater access to streaming music.

The Music app gives you access to the Xbox Music streaming service

You can also play music from your hard disk and from other Windows PCs on your network. Unfortunately, non-Windows network shares, such as the NAS device we used for testing, aren’t supported by Music as it’s unable to index them properly. It’s still by no means the best audio player you can get for the PC, and many users will still prefer Windows Media Player, but the Music app has become much more comfortable to use.

The Reader app, which opens PDF files, was one of our least favourite Windows 8 apps due to its slow response times and limited features. It’s been lightly improved and now lets you open multiple documents in the same Reader session, with different PDFs displayed in a bar at the top of the screen. It also feels a little faster, and the ability to split then screen so that you can use two apps or an app and desktop at the same time makes it useful if you want to have a PDF manual open at the same time as an app. Sadly, it’s still no substitute for Adobe Reader.

The app that’s seen the greatest improvement is Photos. It’s smoother, more streamlined and now lets you flick through any directory of photos, even if they aren’t in the program’s indexed Pictures library or Skydrive locations. We’re particularly pleased by this improvement, as it means we can stop using Windows Photo Viewer and take advantage of Photos’ more convenient instant full-resolution display. Other updates include some basic cropping and editing tools and the removal of Facebook and Flickr integration.

Other default apps have also been tweaked. The Store has been updated with a permanent floating search bar in the top right, making it much easier to find new Start screen apps. The Xbox Video app also hasn’t seen any overwhelming changes, but everything’s a bit more neatly presented.

The app version of Internet Explorer 11 lets you keep its navigation bar onscreen at all times

The app version of Internet Explorer 11, which is only available if Internet Explorer is set as your default browser, now lets you open as many tabs as you want and no longer restricts you to 10. You can also configure your tabs and address bar to be permanently visible, although this option is hidden in the Charms bar settings. Plus, the browser now supports WebGL, which brings it in line with its rivals. While these improvements to the app version of Internet Explorer will be useful for touchscreen users who want to use the Start screen wherever possible, we’d rather use a desktop browser, and these improvements still don’t threaten Chrome’s position as our favourite browser.

WINDOWS 8.1 REVIEW – CONCLUSION

While Windows 8.1 won’t make everyone happy, it’s fixed most of our original complaints about Windows 8. The apps are slowly improving and the Photos app, in particular, has now become one of the best tools for browsing images in Windows. Many users will be glad to have the Start button back on their desktop, but the change is more cosmetic than functional.

Clearly, Microsoft still has touchscreen users in mind, which is hardly surprising given consumer demand for touchscreen devices. The ability to run two apps side-by-side is a definite plus to anyone who uses the Start screen regularly, and the refined search tool also makes life much easier. We found that working with Windows 8.1 on our touchscreen all-in-one felt much more natural.

Windows 8.1 is an ideal opportunity to upgrade to a secure, up-to-date operating system. Windows 8.1 will cost £75 for most, but is a free upgrade for existing Windows 8 users. You’ll be able to upgrade via the Windows Store, assuming you’re logged in with your Microsoft account. You’ll also need your original product key to complete the process. However, it’s well worth the time it takes to upgrade.