Solved Win8 upgrade experience

[andrew129260]

See this blog post:

Delivering fast boot times in Windows 8 - Building Windows 8 - Site Home - MSDN Blogs

 

[Slartybart]

Andrew,
I think I saw it before, but I'm getting way off track with my evaluation - digging too deep too early

But here's one for you
Windows 8 / Windows Server 2012: The New Swap File - Ask the Performance Team - Site Home - TechNet Blogs

At this point, I'm ready to keep Win8 as the only two things that bug me are

1) an issue with the ext drive that was on Win7 as well. It is resolved, or partially resolved by sheer luck. I tried all the settings I knew or could remember from when it occurred on Win7 that would normally affect the drives behavior and yet, the drive still slept. A failed printer install, changed the behavior - don't know why, but.....

2) When I turn off airplane mode, connect to my router and then click Internet Explorer; the transition from Modern to Desktop application is not immediate. In other words, the click on IE changes the focus to the desktop but it doesn't launch IE. Once the Desktop is in focus another click on IE launches it. The issue is which GUI is in focus, similar to typing in a text editor when it is not the window in focus - the letters don't appear until that application is in focus.

That's all that bugs me and it's a small list (one)

Did I say focus too many times?

I'll keep posting as I go along. I appreciate the feedback everyone is giving and will eventually delve into the tutorials on EightForums.

I'm itching to figure out why the Special folders are displayed on Computer and if they relate to Libraries. That might just have been a good place to present the special folders and there is no relationship to Libraries.

Ohhhh the excite of a mystery - are they real folders or xml defined objects?

Bill
.

 

[lehnerus2000]

I'll keep posting as I go along. I appreciate the feedback everyone is giving and will eventually delve into the tutorials on EightForums.

I'm itching to figure out why the Special folders are displayed on Computer and if they relate to Libraries. That might just have been a good place to present the special folders and there is no relationship to Libraries.

IIRC, you have to turn Libraries on in W8.

I can't remember if you can simply right click in the Navigation pane or if it requires "gymnastics".

 

[ThrashZone]

Man I'm too old for Gymnastics :roflmao:

 

[Britton30]

I've never been young enough for gymnastics.:shock:

 

[Slartybart]

I'll keep posting as I go along. I appreciate the feedback everyone is giving and will eventually delve into the tutorials on EightForums.

I'm itching to figure out why the Special folders are displayed on Computer and if they relate to Libraries. That might just have been a good place to present the special folders and there is no relationship to Libraries.

IIRC, you have to turn Libraries on in W8.

I can't remember if you can simply right click in the Navigation pane or if it requires "gymnastics".

I think you're saying that Libraries are not initially shown on the Navigation pane, not that you have to turn them on.

If that's what you meant, then yes, all you have to do is right click an open area of the Navigation pane and select "Show Libraries". Selecting "Show all folders" also presents Libraries, but they are grouped under Computer.

The rest of Libraries setup is under Library Tools/Manage tab on the Ribbon. Selecting the Manage Library pick on the ribbon takes you to the dialog window where you can add or remove folders and set default save location. You can still right click a folder and select the "Include in Library" pick. Both the Library manage dialog window and the "Include in Library" pick operate just as they did in Win7.

 

[lehnerus2000]

I think you're saying that Libraries are not initially shown on the Navigation pane, not that you have to turn them on.

Poor phrasing by me.

I meant make them visible in File Explorer (Navigation pane).

 

[Slartybart]

I meant make them visible in File Explorer (Navigation pane).

Thanks, I thought I missed a step - but hey, you did call it File Explorer, not Windows Explorer

I chuckled when I saw that
File Manager -> Explorer -> Windows Explorer -> File Explorer.... almost a complete circle

Next thing you know they'll change Command to CommanDos
Nah, they already moving towards PowerShell.

 

[Slartybart]

Now I'm breaking stuff - cool!

My HP laptop uses the F12 key to turn Wireless on and off. I'm also using a wireless KB and mouse.

I decided to hit the fn F12 key combination to see what happened. Nothin'
Thinking that the keyboard was reset, I hit the F12 key. Nuthin'

Ok, perhaps the wireless KB is the culprit, removing the receiver and trying again - Nuthin' - or so I thought.
When I looked at my desktop, the icons now had a dotted line box around them. Ok, the Fkey made that appear, try to toggle it off - Nope.

Read about and try icon cache nope.
Read about shortcut arrow and look at the registry - nope.

Reboot, yep

Beats me, but this is a known issue with HP and apparently other laptop mfgrs. This laptop uses a combination Bluetooth and Wifi card. The resolution is to load a different driver for the card. I haven't done this because it's not that important.
And because the information varies - the different driver only affect Airplane mode, or it doesn't do as advertised, or the LED doesn't change to amber when off.

This article references a Mediatek card (mine is Broadcom)
Wireless LED problem in HP laptop: always white (even with Airplane mode on) - withsteps.com

and there is a 19 page thread on the HP forums regarding this issue
Wireless button (f12) not working after windows 8 pro upgrad... - HP Support Forum - 1992999

There are a few pages on EightForums too:
https://www.google.com/search?q=f12...rls=com.microsoft:en-US:IE-Address&gws_rd=ssl

Side note: After I rebooted, the system was a pig doing anything. IT's better now, so I suspect the indexer screwing around with icons, but I don't know for sure.

 

[ThrashZone]

F12 ?
That could get a bit cumbersome for me the F12 key accesses developer tools ?
Glad I didn't buy a h-p
Does sound like a can of worms

 

[Britton30]

I suspect the F12 key has to be used along with the Fn key, mine does.

 

[Slartybart]

F12 ?
That could get a bit cumbersome for me the F12 key accesses developer tools ?
Glad I didn't buy a h-p
Does sound like a can of worms

Applications have assigned Fkeys that are only active when the application is in focus. (IE; F12=developer tools, same for me)

Many laptops assign Fkeys non-standard functions and to get the standard function, you have to hit a combination (fn+Fkey). On HP, you can reverse the behavior so that Fkey is the standard function.

Another way to think of it is an aftermarket KB where you can assign keys. My wireless KB has
f1-home
f2-email
f3-search
...
f12-KB battery

and such.
but the standard Fkey takes precedence. I have to hit a combination (don't know what that is bc I don't use the "features" driver, just the MS keyboard driver)

It's not just HP, I read a post re: Toshiba too and it's not the PC mfgr - it's the wireless driver. I'm guessing they flipped a three sided coin on what to do. Nothing, Airplane mode, Airplane mode with no LED change

Anyway, I want to be clear that it is only the F12 assigned to Wifi. It does not affect F12 anywhere else that I've seen.

All of the other Fkeys work as it should, including F12 in IE-developer tools. No surprise there if you're familiar with KBs that can assign functions to keys, no can of worms or other slimey creatures.

 

[ThrashZone]

no can of worms or other slimey creatures.

:roflmao:

 

[Slartybart]

I suspect the F12 key has to be used along with the Fn key, mine does.

Yeah, I got tired of having to hit fn+Fkey, so I changed it in BIOS
- one of the few things you can change in HP BIOS (Insyde moded BIOS)

 

[DavidE]

I had System Restore turned off and something turned it back on.
I had installed a few programs and uninstalled one program with Revo.
This is with 8.1 as a VM running under Win 7.

 

[Slartybart]

I had System Restore turned off and something turned it back on.
I had installed a few programs and uninstalled one program with Revo.
This is with 8.1 as a VM running under Win 7.

I think that happened on my system too, but it hasn't happened again. It was early on in my eval, so I chalked it up to all of the updates being applied. This might not be the case on your machine - do you recall when you turned it off? Before or after 8.1 (and upd1).

Bill
.

 

[DavidE]

This system was installed with 8.1 as a VM, and all windows updates were installed before turning off System Restore.
I'll have to look on my Test Box 8.1 (not a VM) and see if System Restore is turned off.

 

[Slartybart]

This system was installed with 8.1 as a VM, and all windows updates were installed before turning off System Restore.
I'll have to look on my Test Box 8.1 (not a VM) and see if System Restore is turned off.

Ok, thanks David.

 

[DavidE]

System Restore is turned on again in my VM install.
I installed WLM 2012 and the Restore Point description is "Windows Live Essentials".

I'm running the Windows 8.1 Enterprise Evaluation version in a VMware Virtual Machine.
Just trying to decide if I want to move my 8.1 Pro license from a triple-boot Test box to my Main PC as a VM ...

I'm REALLY liking running Win 8 as a VM.
It's SO nice not having to fire up the test box, switch PCs, .........
I wouldn't want it as a VM if it is my Primary System/OS.
For learning and helping, using it as a VM looks good to me.

I'm having more fun learning VMs right now

 

[ThrashZone]

As long as you can spare the computer resources vm probably would be better/ easier to work with