Windows 8.1 - From Failure To Success

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Given all the things that went wrong with Windows 8, it would have been safe to assume that Microsoft would have just discontinued working on it right away, but the story doesn’t end there. There is a lot to unpack with Windows 8, because unlike other versions of Windows, Windows 8 arguably has the most moving parts to it, so much so that I decided to divide it into two separate videos. Not only does it tell the tale of an extremely misguided corporation, but also one that was actually able to somewhat correct its course. In 2013, Microsoft came out with Windows 8.1, the OS that acted as a form of retribution for Microsoft. “We’re sorry for making Windows 8. Here is something better.” and it…actually worked. At least, it worked in the best way it possibly could. Despite all the problems that arose before it, Windows 8.1 was actually quite well received among consumers, even to the point where people were comfortable with now making the switch, deciding to update to it from 7 or XP, well at least at a much more successful scale than the original Windows 8. But not just that; with Windows 8.1 came a bit of division within the PC community, many critics describing the software as just a continuation of Microsoft’s confusion of trying to abandon traditional PCs and make tablets the future, while others were saying that it was better than Windows 7, which had majority market share at the time. But at face value, Windows 8.1 doesn’t look all that different from Windows 8…not at all. So then…what was different about it? How exactly did Windows 8 go from something deemed unspeakable by everyday computer users, to becoming “better” than what is widely considered the greatest operating system of all time? What went right?
Now it is important to keep in mind that Windows 8.1 was by no means a silver bullet solution to all of Microsoft’s problems at the time, but it was a release of Windows that significantly remediated the company’s direction with their products, and in that regard was successful, both statistically and with how well it was received among its users. But how was Microsoft able to do this? So effectively turn a wrong into a right? Like with many product launches there isn’t just one straightforward answer. But upon observation, the root causes do become apparent. Windows 8.1’s success can be attributed to Microsoft acknowledging their mistakes and therefore improving the OS’s features, creating a smoother software ecosystem, performing effective damage control of the original Windows 8, and as you’d probably expect, the OS just coming out at the right time.
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[@nationsquid]

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[@Tamay.]

No

[@orangedragon1029]

first reply! pin me

[@Sharkerous]

yes

[@Tamay.]

@@orangedragon1029 you cant pin replies and you arent first

[@orangedragon1029]

@@Tamay. i forgot to refresh the page, asnd after i posted it i realized you cant pin replies

[@thedrbat9572]

I NEVER understood why people hated 8.1, it was an awesome OS, it was a mix between 7 and 10 and was way more stable and optimized than 10.

[@1300l]

The "Start" menu really sucked though

[@1300l]

@@arkahv Yea, but it still not native on Windows. Require a 3rd party to use Start is not good

[@1300l]

@@arkahv Even though i must say, back when it was release i was a user of 8/8.1 with classic shell. I liked it, but i get the turn off.

[@thedrbat9572]

@@justsomerandomgamer6736 wait that's it? Just a start screen? Well I guess it's not surprising since windows 7 was the only other option

[@justsomerandomgamer6736]

@@thedrbat9572 there was also the issue in Windows 8.0 where to shut down the PC you had to move the mouse over to the charms bar, go to this button, then click shut down. Also in Windows 8.0, to close a metro app you had to do this gesture which, with a mouse, was really unintuitive. In Windows 8.1 the shut down options were in the top right corner of the start screen, and to close a metro app you simply hovered your mouse near the top of the screen to reveal the “titlebar” and clicked on the X button which was a huge improvement. However metro apps were always forced maximized, there was no way to window them. This was changed in windows 10 thankfully

[@HighPeakMapping]

Windows 8.1 is my favourite version of windows, I didn’t mind the start screen and I loved how the desktop UI was a mix of the more translucent Aero like Windows 7 UI and the modern, more squared off design of Windows 10. Also the centred text in the application window is really pleasing.

[@AxxLAfriku]

GAGAGAGAGAGA! I will now count to 3 and then I am still the unprettiest KZbinr of all time. 1...2...3. GAGAGAGAGAGA!!! Thank you for your attention, dear hp

[@UltraCenterHQ]

Same

[@UltraCenterHQ]

I hate how I'm forced to use windows 10 because some apps and drivers I use don't support windows 8.1

[@joshuamccutcheon]

@@AxxLAfriku uh sir/ma’am are you having a stronk

[@HighPeakMapping]

@@UltraCenterHQ I would say same but I moved to macOS 4 years ago lmfao

[@AvaByNight]

I have to say, as someone who encountered and binged this channel lately, I am just amazed by the transformation from "here are some extremly creepy and weird mysteries" to "here's tech history" lol

[@nvagn]

It honestly was a pretty solid release, used 8.1 for years and it wasn't that bad, horizontal scrolling in apps and Start Menu was pretty cool and distinctive

[@winitdc]

Tried it for first time on PC a few months ago. It sucked compared to my touch screen school laptop.

[@windows8.170]

Thanks for the compliment :D

[@franci2a]

Used it on a PC for years with mouse only and it was a great experience

[@jasimaneesahamed1033]

And also, its animations and stuff was such a joy to use on a high-refresh-rate display And yeah, I still do think that the horizontal scrolling and the *Start Screen* makes more sense

[@avatarspirit57]

I'd say Windows 8.1 was THE OS for touch screens. A Windows tablet back in the day could offer way more than an iPad or an Android tablet. Live tiles? A thing of beauty. Animations? Superb. Even Windows 8.1 phones in the day had way better feel as phones than their android counterparts. A Lumia felt like a real small computer in a way the android or the iPhone back then didn't.

[@PinguimFU]

arguably windows 8.1 under the hood changes with direct x better drivers and a more streamlined and light os made it better even if the dreaded start screen stayed. i still support 100+ machines with it and 8.1 runs better than 10 on a mechanical hard drive... all those are shedulled to EOL next year as 8.1 is finally phased out.

[@windows8.170]

Sucks how my EOL is coming pretty quickly, 2023 is the last year of mine :(

[@windows8.170]

If the leaked update 2 was released, imagine how many people would be using 8.1!

[@ciungalunga]

@@windows8.170 "I would have voted for him a 3rd time if I could." Thanks to you, my ex girlfriend's netbook still functions decently. Sure, no more security updates, but I guess you can't have 'em all, Karen! (ASUS X200MA, 11.6inch display, Intel Pentium N3530, 4gb ram, 120gb ssd. I know you were all "dying" to hear the specs. You're welcome)

[@MxSlfDstrct]

it's amazing how poorly windows 10 runs off of a spinning disk

[@terathebyte]

put commas jesus

[@therobb5738]

Stil running 8.1 on one of my units. I REALLY like it and agree with 10 being the fix to 8, but 8.1 really grew on me from the phones into the OS, and the computer-side of it is still very cool and different to the Windows norm.

[@windows8.170]

Thanks for running me up today :)

[@panday700yt]

@@windows8.170 but your are laggy for games i got amd ryzen 3 pc and i tried windows 8.1 and when i play a simple game like roblox it lags so much but on windows 10 it can play most of the games sorry to ask but why windows 8.1 is laggy for games even though you have a good specs pc

[@mightybrazilsempire5316]

@@panday700yt Dude, it's impossible to be the OS, this might be a Driver insue (and yes it DOES take a difference, specially in GRAPHICS card) than the OS itself.

[@ZachryMedearis]

Windows 7 will always have my heart. Regardless of what’s under the hood with 8.1 or 10, that Aero Glass is still eye candy to me and still remains my longest used Windows version ever

[@LETTITBITYT]

Windows 8.1 it's extremely fast and stable, there's a big diference in performance between 8.1 and 10. Also Windows 8.1 doesn't have shitty broken updates and you still have the Control Panel and not the mess of Settings.

[@victortitov1740]

windows 10 still has it, it's just hidden a little deeper

[@thatonepali0]

@@victortitov1740 a dumbed down version of it though

[@jasimaneesahamed1033]

Not to mention that 8.1 works so much better with old drivers (Windows 7 and prior era) compared to Windows 10's situation, which straight BSODs when you install some old drivers.

[@prateekpanwar646]

@@victortitov1740 What I don't get it is they made a settings app which is supposed to replace control panel. But every option just opened control panel and it's options indirectly. And it's worse than control panel, For instance changing default speaker needs you to click on that little text on side"sound control panel" which just opened control panel version of features. I mean I get it they want to make it simple and modern. But control panel is more easy to use and it's still more modern with all those icons rather than putting a tiny font on side. Just why??

[@superqaxclub]

I agree, my dinosaur with hdd run windows 8.1 very fast

[@pnnytx]

Windows 8.1 is so stable that it reminds me to Windows XP

[@growingup15]

Exactly. I dont have many issues at all with my 8.1 Laptop. my WIN10 Laptop has all kinda issues. its just bloated. Windows 8.1 was just right

[@GalaxyDeem]

Yeah, it was just the UI that made it bad. Windows 10 fixed a lot of that though, but I get why some people find 8.1's design better

[@pioneer1131]

sp1 of windows xp wasnt stable, at all

[@pnnytx]

@@pioneer1131 just like windows 8.0, it's quite immature

[@pioneer1131]

@@pnnytx yeah thats a good point, sp2 and sp3 of xp were a lot more stable

[@quadraforest]

I remember initially disliking Windows 8 simply because they removed aero. After a short while it grew on me and I ended up liking it more than 7. 8.1 really hit the nail on the head with it's lightness and QoL changes. I'm doing fine with 10 and 11 on my desktop and, respectively, my laptop, but I miss 8.1's charm

[@jasimaneesahamed1033]

Also 8.1 was *A WHOLE LOT MORE COLOURFUL AND VIBRANT* than Windows 10

[@accountdisbanded]

same

[@FoxInkling]

@@jasimaneesahamed1033 also I love the transition used to open apps. Windows 8.1 is just so alive and light on my oversized netbook called the Toshiba Satellite C855D S5320, actually its the native OS and I also love the charm that Windows 8.1 has

[@dhruvakhera5011]

Jumped from 8.1 to 10 and i realised that if i had any control over my machine a fresh install would have fixed everything

[@stchanx3]

@@jasimaneesahamed1033 agreed!

[@mariomolnar3184]

My mom has a 9 year old laptop, 2C/2T Intel Pentium which i just upgraded to 8gb or RAM and an SSD. I had never tried 8.1 personally back in the day, but after some research it seemes this one would be the best for her with regards to low system requirements and use, but still having modern features. No regrets so far. Everything just works without a hitch. Too bad that security updates for it will be cut by MS next year.

[@WololoWololo2]

But dude, Windows 10 is still alive so go to Windows 10 its newer but more buggier and laggy

[@PugMaxer]

Try linux mint when windows 8.1 is no longer viable. Will run well in old hardware.

[@mariomolnar3184]

@@PugMaxer linux is out of the question since my mom is not tech savvy at all

[@PugMaxer]

@@mariomolnar3184 Exactly, I doubt she would be able to tell the difference between the two. Desktop functions just like Windows.

[@mariomolnar3184]

@@PugMaxer not really. Normal apps do not work the same

[@blupu]

I just realized this video only has 90k views. This is just severely underrated. You deserve more with this effort you put out.

[@realthemariogamer]

90K is significantly less views than his last couple videos, which got almost 1 million views.

[@DreQueary]

The release of the iPad scared the absolute hell out of Microsoft and ever since then, Windows has never been the same.

[@staringcorgi6475]

But macbooks seem to be more popular as they get revised every year while the ipad missed out in 2023 so the ipad’s influence in the market is small so Microsoft can go back to making traditional os’s

[@Skarfar90]

I used 8.1 for the longest time. Never had any issues with it, and it was by far the most stable Windows experience I ever had. Far surpassing W7 and W10

[@Skarfar90]

@One Who Waits Sometimes, certain games that rely on Easy Anti-Cheat can cause BSOD's

[@matthewparker9276]

@One Who Waits I've crashed Windows 10 from memory use once (two browser tabs, zoom, and Adobe acrobat open, Windows was hogging the ram). I've also managed to crash Windows Explorer, requiring a restart.

[@mariusjmi]

You didn't get to mention Windows Phone 7 that was released back in 2010, which introduced the Metro Design and Live Tiles

[@Tremmor500]

Hey Stephen, or Steven. I know you’ll probably never read this but I appreciate this series on MS operating systems. Since 95, my family always upgraded, good or bad and each OS felt like a touchstone in my life that I can recall where I was and what I was doing in that time. It’s nice to go back and feel those feelings for each era. Thanks.

[@growingup15]

I am using Windows 8.1 right now for my art and music. it was honestly more stable on my Laptop than Windows 10. I downgraded back and I haven t had many issues since. My Windows 10 Laptop gives me more problems.

[@antenna_prolly]

Forcing 10 on every device was a mistake because if your hardware isn't above a certain level, Win. 10 is abysmal; for cheap/pre-made PC's and laptops and common parts, this is a widespread problem.

[@eIucidate]

Windows 8.1 introduced the option of an alternative Start Screen where it just shows you a list of all your apps - a proper list, not Live Tiles. It was still full screen but I immediately switched to that view when I upgraded to 8.1. Because 8 and 8.1 relied so heavily on Search I actually miss the reliability of the system-wide search on those versions. I just don't get useful results in 10.

[@isaaciktaile1118]

10's Search is trash

[@RatzaChewy]

Search in Windows 10 is way snappier and gets more relevant results if you disable the Bing functions via the registry. Absolute hassle, but it works.

[@bchristian85]

Vista and 7's search was the best.

[@JPX64Channel]

windows 8.1 + Classic shell is still the best option for old dual core ddr2 PC's with HDDS, windows 10 is just too bloated for them.

[@deninpaul7509]

THISSSSSS

[@TH3C001]

Well, now I know what I might try to do with my old Dell Inspiron 530.

[@BlakesReactionTime]

No u

[@ker1SHxD]

can just use some of many lightweight linux distros

[@BlakesReactionTime]

@@ker1SHxD no

[@shadoman7682]

People just hated the interface. It was so alien to any earlier version of Windows. It's not like you could have just picked up and used it after using Windows 7 or Vista. You had to completely learn it from scratch.

[@nathanlamaire]

As a Linux user myself, Windows 8.1 isn't bad, and I mean, at all. I love so many things Windows 8.1 offers, and it was great time trying to mess around.The system is just a confusion between two markets and Microsoft tried their best for both worlds. Still, tablet PC CAN'T replace desktop PC, and I'm not talking about specs but the use of human input methods. Fingers simply can't do something as same level as mouse/keyboard can, and unified UI simply can't fit both worlds. If Microsoft ditch all effort to merge two platforms and focuses on making best solutions for each platform instead, Windows 8 on tablets should have more chance of taking significant market share. Traditional Windows should live on PC, and Windows 8 should live on tablet. It should have the gap between both.

[@izimsi]

Win 8 taught me to use the menu start search for pretty much everything, as it was the fastest way to find apps or settings, and probably it still is.

[@alexsutton85]

I really liked the transitions and animations in Windows 8 and 8.1, it seemed such a polished product in that sense. That's not to say the Start screen was great or anything like that, but it looked nice and was so responsive and fluid, and even the normal desktop experience felt so much faster than 7.

[@ChizuKohi]

Windows 8: I'm worst system! Windows ME: No, I'm worse! ???: Amateurs Both OS: What was that, punk? Windows 10 Mobile: Amateurs

[@cthandrils]

This series is absolutely amazing. It goes to show that everything has a story behind it, no matter what it may be. Good stuff!

[@hannahevertson8306]

I'm a weirdo who absolutely loved a Windows 8 laptop. Granted I made a point of buying a touchscreen Windows 8 laptop and used the touchscreen more than either track pad or keyboard

[@Eliotime3000]

Windows 8.1 is the modern incarnation of Windows 98 SE: great timing to make a really improved OS, better optimization than the -then- most popular version, and a great approach to the feedback. The main changes are mostly from behavior, but seriously revamped the Windows 8 proposal. The keyboard shortcuts are much better than Windows 7 and Vista, but finally the userbase appreciated the background improvements of how stable is Windows 8 and 8.1. Actually, I'm using Windows 8.1 rather than 7 in my desktop PC.

[@ec-se]

I literally just installed windows 8.1 on my old laptop cus windows 10 was too laggy. I gotta say I'm loving it, it's basically a dumbed down windows 10 and a better 7

[@eIucidate]

I was actually thinking if that would be a thing I should do. Are you sure the snappiness isn't simply because it's a fresh install? As I don't see much difference in the minimum system requirements.

[@ec-se]

@@eIucidate nope, even on a fresh windows 10 install with all the correct drivers it still lagged

[@LETTITBITYT]

@@eIucidate Windows 8.1 works pretty nice even in pretty old PC. My cousin had and Intel Pentium 4 PC and 512 MB of RAM and it ran fine even with that. Windows 8.1 it's snappier than 7

[@deninpaul7509]

Its the same for my old computer, which my father uses

[@jasimaneesahamed1033]

At this point, I feel like moving away from Win 10 to Win 8.1 tbh But nah, Windows 10 still works fine (on an old laptop) so yeah Maybe if Windows 10 becomes so unreliable, I'll switch to Win 8.1

[@vibardaniell.5833]

Used to run windows 8.1 about 2 years ago, still one of my faves. Currently running 11. 8.1 is underrated

[@marciofadel4709]

I use windows 8 since 2012 when i made the first and only installation in my PC, update to 8.1 in 2013. Never had a blue screen or any kind of problem. Works like a charm.

[@Mickelraven]

Windows 8.1 is easily one of the most underrated operating systems of all time!

[@randompersonintheinternetagain]

ikr

[@MaciejSkywalker]

True.

[@ZEN-DER]

7 years ago I made a dual boot of Windows Vista&Windows 8.1 Everything called me crazy for combining the two 'worst' versions of Windows, but I loved it.

[@random_person618]

I am with you man. Those are the best versions of Windows. I would've been daily driving either of them today if it wasn't for the lack of support unfortunately.

[@SpaceXplorer13]

I miss the beautiful animations of Windows 8.1. I wish they bring it back in Windows 11 in some form.

[@Codyslx]

The kinda are

[@S3Bayaya]

8.1 is my favorite. So much costumization. And no longer random crashing. I don't why but the win8 keep randomly crashing on me. Not that often but it happens. When i moved to 8.1 it's no longer happen. I really do miss the start screen.

[@awildM.]

I like the hint to KZbin removing dislikes

[@DatMeleeMan]

I love the little beatles references that appear throughout your videos

[@qualich]

Used 8.1 with my old laptop from 2012. 3 year's it was smooth, stable. And then upgraded to 10 and my HDD started having bad sector's so I put SSD in it and then revert it back to 8.1. Still using it time to time when I don't need my PC. Of course it's not opening current games and stuff but it's running normal applications just fine and smooth.

[@Aop_brij]

I just love windows 8.1 still. So smooth, light weight, still morden looking. Gets everything done in less. Never ever had an issue with it and BG on start screen (transparent features) so cool

[@BlameitonBhatia]

I had windows 10 in my laptop till may 2021, then windows 10 corrupted and I was researching on windows 8.1 and its speed and consumption was so good I got windows 8.1 installed in my laptop and it runs buttery smooth. Windows 8.1 is a gem.

[@namesurname4666]

if my laptop could i would do that too but it's too new, i tried it and some drivers don't work properly

[@-Joyfull]

My story is almost completely opposite from yours. I had Windows8.1 for 7 years but then it somehow got corrupted USB drivers and stopped interfacing with my phone and my optical mouse. So in May 2021 I got a new laptop with Windows10 on it. The constant updates were annoying but I learned how to block them and how to rely on third-party anti-malware apps, so now everything works so smoothly. Since 2021 up to now I'm on Windows10 and haven't had any type of malfunctions.

[@Windows7BestOsEver]

as a windows 8.1 user in 2022. ITS THE BEST OS EVERRRR!

[@DemDevDJY]

0:50 to the guy in the live chat who said windows 8.1 will be discontinued on 10/01/2023, that is the paid discontinue date. The actual discontinue date was in 2018

[@ameripinesmapper]

8.1 is 2023 8 is 2018

[@DemDevDJY]

@ appreciate it 2 years later

[@JonatasAdoM]

Windows 8.1 is the last Windows that still works like XP and 7, while also being as modern as 10 and 11. It is also faster, which seems a bit counter intuitive with how much people praise SSDs, while using a slower system.

[@-Joyfull]

Are you saying that even on an SSD Windows8.1 boots faster than 10? I currently have Windows10 on an SSD, but I used to have 8.1 on an HDD before and the 8.1 booted slower for me than 10 does. I've yet to try 8.1 on an SSD.

[@avert_bs]

If Microsoft held onto Windows 8.1 for longer, everyone will eventually get used to it and *start* to love it. Windows 8.1 was very good, but they gave up on it way too quickly. Edit: Now that I think about it, many failed Microsoft products fail because of that: Microsoft gave up on them way too quickly. Windows Vista with Service pack 2 is nearly identical to Windows 7 and if they gave Windiws Vista more time, everyone will start to use the OS. Mixer had a pretty okay audience before they gave up on it and killed it way too quickly... yeah that's the examples I can think of right now.

[@namesurname4666]

you mean vista sp2 because sp3 doesn't exist

[@avert_bs]

@@namesurname4666 yeah

[@james_fisch]

I tend to differ. Windows 8 and 8.1's server versions, Server 2012 and 2012R2, kinda suck because of how much the consumer OS impacted the workability of the server OS. and as they aged, they weren't going to get better thanks to the interface and search issues, or the bizarre bugs that broke them. If they had made 2012 not completely act like 8, then I'd probably say "sure, they should have given a bit more focus with the 8.1 concept." Regardless, I do have a better appreciation of 8.1 now than I did several years ago, and 2012R2 helped with it as I got more experienced in working with servers. I can definitely say I like 2012R2 better than 2008 (which was basically 7, but server) when it came to making changes quickly if needed, as it was more optimized in its performance.

[@AzimuthAviation]

As part of the 0.21% of users still using Vista, I'm reluctantly looking to install 8.1 because I'm a dinosaur and can't bring myself to shoot Old Yeller...

[@Ilikecats731]

I think for vista isn’t Microsoft giving up on it. It’s more of vista being released at the wrong time. If it was released in 08 or 09, it would have probably been loved besides the UAC thing.

[@BurgerParty]

Windows 11:Strictly need a high end pc requirements abandoning old pc and forgetting right to repair

[@bradtoddler3765]

Windows 8.1 was actually my favorite OS back when this shiny new. I even upgrade my laptop from Windows 7 to 8.1 and it was pretty good experience. I also love 8.1 Start screen, very customizable.

[@MLESoup]

Completely missed out on 8.1. I was so locked into 7 that I was nervous to make the switch. Great video as always!

[@Epic_C]

What is funny is that they had several beta testers leaving feedback on this and I was one of the beta testers (Windows 8 and also Server 2012). We ALL were complaining about the really bad UI. It was all over the forums. Everyone hated it and made that clear. But obviously they didn't listen to anyone and released it anyway.

[@justinduren95]

I love the in-depth analysis here! Good job! Maybe we can see a sequel, this time about how Windows 10 continued to fix the problem 8 created? ☺️

[@flamesceza]

Windows 8.1 has a charm to it I can not describe. I still use it on my main pc to this day.

[@lifethings7315]

Every time I see Windows 8 content, all I hear ringing in my head is EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING AT ONCE, O... o... O...

[@mystic.victor]

Owning a relatively old and low spec device, windows 10 didn't give a soothing experience to be honest. Trying out the 8.1 was the best decision I made. Still running seamlessly on my worn out laptop for 6 years straight. Love for the 8.1 ❣️

[@dhruvakhera5011]

How abt gnu/linux now lol

[@dhruvakhera5011]

Also even my pc is from 2013 and it runs windows 10 without any issue lol

[@advmx3]

I remember that, I was using Windows 8 and once 8.1 hit, it felt so much better than the previous one. IT actually WORKED as a desktop and not as a tablet. After that I couldn't go back to Windows 7. That being said I still would prefer Windows 7, but 8 was the first one I was able to actually buy a key. That being said, by looking onwards, after the hype of finally having a start menu back on Windows 10, I can tell that 8.1 was more stable, It looked way better than Windows 10 and 11, and it felt tight. I miss it. I do miss Windows 7 more. The sheer level of customization, there's not a single color you would select on that taskbar that would NOT be applied. Windows 11 if you try to put a custom color, it will complain it can't fucking render that color with the system they have nowadays, and Windows 11 in a lot of ways is a downgrade to 10, 8 and 7 in the color segment for themes and things like that. I hope MS fix it one day. But I doubt they will :)

[@FrontierGD]

8.1 made my old laptop faster. That’s why I love it so much.

[@spekter97]

In the moment I'm writing this comment, it's two days away from Windows 8.1 End of Support and I feel so sad because it was part of my childhood and my whole adolescence, I basically grew up with it. In the high school I went the government gave laptops to students and the laptops came with Windows 8.1 built-in and I really loved it. It was the year where Windows 10 came out so most of my classmates updated to it but I kept with Windows 8.1. If I could, I would keep using Windows 8.1 even after the End of Support but I don't want to risk my security. Goodbye, Windows 8.1, and Windows 7 too.

[@djnoise5305]

Yeah it's so sad To me Windows 7 and 8.1 are the best OS, Windows 10 is so buggy and 11 is weird, wish Microsoft could still support those two at least

[@spekter97]

Something I'm gonna miss from Windows 8.1 is the customization, all those colors plus the beautiful animated backgrounds for Start. Also the charms bar for me were very useful, although some people saw them annoying, when I updated to Windows 10 and not having the charms was like learning to use a computer from zero

[@djnoise5305]

@@spekter97 8.1 runs smoother and faster than 10 and their customization is lovely, im sad that is coming to its end. I have a laptop that was running 7 but upgraded it to 10, at first it was ok kinda fast too but after installing the updates it becomes so buggy, it seems like win10 updates comes with bugs lol, now I have to do it with my 8.1 laptop and I really don't want to leave a good OS for one who is slow

[@spekter97]

It's true that 8.1 runs smoother. Most of the games I played while using 8.1 couldn't play them when I updated to 10. Also when Windows 10 reaches it's End of support in 2025 we all will be forced to use Windows 11 and will be the same thing again

[@djnoise5305]

@@spekter97 yep only 2 years remaining for win 10, because 2025 doesn't count since MS always ends their products in the beginning of the year, and time runs so fast so as much as we don't like windows 10 I guess we gonna start missing it in the end lol

[@frank2mb]

I used Windows 8.1 for nearly five years until last year. It was... good. Not amazing, but good. :)

[@user-pf5xq3lq8i]

Almost as good as xp....the only way i would move from xp was for win 8.1

[@sp1ckaxe]

"What Went Right?" Wow that's the last thing I wanted to hear from a narrator about a documentary about computers

[@celticbalkan2219]

I use Windows 8.1 since 2013 and I'm really sad that next year Microsoft will stop supporting Windows 8.1

[@Stabelgaplerx]

What..? Oh shoot I'm also using win 8 since 2013 and I don't really want to buy a new pc with a newer Windows Version. Thanks for the warning 👀

[@danatmonst3594]

I assume you'll still really important security updates (like last year the spooler backdoor was released to all os's including xp). There are communities out there still loving and using 7 and xp who find ways around issues so no doubt there will be one for win8,1 when "official support" ends.

[@Subuzgreatest]

@@Stabelgaplerx Linux is the way. Fedora is basically win-8.1 with a skin on. Fedora Linux is more stable than windows.

[@randompersonintheinternetagain]

Well it's just only the security updates, so you can probably use an antivirus like 360 full security or Norton.

[@danatmonst3594]

@@randompersonintheinternetagain 💀at your choices but yeah I have av & a firewall already, thx.

[@-Kyomi-]

im watching this while upgrading to windows 8.1

[@seansachs6105]

I love how, when describing how other companies would have "ignored the problem altogether or pretended their solution was an innovation" there's a giant pic of the KZbin logo. What was that thing about dislikes again?😉

[@PanZdwojson]

Mr. @NationSquid I look forward to seeing the movies about Windows 7 and Windows 10. I imagine the titles of these movies "Why people loved Windows 7" "" Why people loved Windows 10 "or" Why Windows 7 is a success "." Windows 10 is a success ''. Maybe even a movie about both systems at the same time? Hmm ...

[@michaelpanlilio6500]

8.1 was a part of my childhood. It was a new, great and unique experience since our first laptop came with it and I've enjoyed using it for years. Although I've also used 7 and xp way before its existense, 8.1 was the best among those OS's I've ever used.

[@kvproduct1ons]

I started going deeper to my computing journey with both Windows 7 and 8.1 back in 2014 (When I was 5). I was curious why Microsoft decided to go for the full-fledged start screen over sticking the traditional start men, at first I didn't realize that the rise of tablets caused that. I loved the sound effects and flat-ish design (With a hint of Frutiger Aero remains from Windows 7 such as the taskbar) given in Windows 8 and 8.1 at that time. When I entered elementary school in 2016 (7 years old), my classroom's PC ran Windows 8 (Not to be confused with the school's computer lab), which by the time I started enrolling, that OS was about to pull it's support away (EOL 12 Jan 2016). The most notorious part I realized about my classroom's Windows 8, is the controversial lack of... Start button! I used to wonder if it was an option to disable, a bug, or something that forced the users to deal with it. Just a years later I realized that the absence of start button in Windows 8's taskbar is a mandatory one, in other words, no options to get the start button back. At least the teachers there didn't complain about the missing start button on the taskbar, even though they're forced to be automatically 'teleported' back to the start screen as soon as the PC boots up. Conclusion: Windows 8.1 became my most favourite past Windows version, I love the Metro UI, it's like two different sides for two different purposes. In fact, the 9-year support (Both mainstream and extended) is considered pretty long for a Windows version that didn't hit the first place of the market share.

[@CarlTheQuaker]

For the most part Windows 8.1 was a pretty solid OS, one gripe I do have about it though was every so often it would give me a blue screen and restart. I'd still rather deal with that and know I can use the PC and have some control unlike WIndows 10 which makes certain PC features damn near unusuable if you don't let it install updates.

[@jasimaneesahamed1033]

Well, your mileage may vary But in my EXTENSIVE usage of Windows 8.1, *I HAVE NEVER ENCOUNTERED A BSOD TILL NOW* Meanwhile Windows 10 BSODs are so common in my system, whereas in Win 8.1 it wasn't

[@user-pf5xq3lq8i]

If you filled the harddrive until only 3gig free, and then try and use chrome. You'll meet blue screen haha.

[@233Hicks]

stuck thread error? I got that too every now and then, otherwise it runs happily on a laptop still

[@JacksonMarczyk]

Windows 8.1 was my main OS from 2014 - 2015, 2016 - 2018 and I had no issues with it. I learned the new UI and honestly, it was wonderful. It was reliable, every time I needed to reinstall it, it would work flawlessly. Windows 8.1 at least for me, was a great operating system.

[@creativegamer_03]

Windows 8.1 was actually good tbh, especially when it started the ecosystem. I owned a Windows Phone 8.1 back then, and even used my Uncle's touchscreen All-in-one Samsung PC with Windows 8.1. It looks smooth and modern to me. The Metro UI was quite simple, but the thing I actually like it was the Live Tiles which saves a lot of time because you don't have to go into an app to check in what's new since you can just check it within a glance on the screen. Also, having apps on PC was quite new back then because "apps" were always associated with smartphones (specifically Android and iOS devices). And... Windows Phones were something quite new too, because "Windows" was always associated with Desktops.

[@ofxone2050]

Access control panel by right click start button. You can even make your own old simply version start menu by making a toolbar of programs, problem solved in seconds. No background updates slowing down pc, no shitty programs, no advertisers, windows defender included, stable and fast. It's my best friend ever now

[@ziranxu6296]

To me, there's no reason to hate Windows 8. Yes, Windows 8 removed start button, and added start screen, which is culture-breaking, but after a while I got used to it. In fact, I really like the idea of charms menu, and I believe if Windows was just a little bit more patient, Windows 8 would be a huge success.

[@Mnogojazyk]

I am a Mac OS and a Linux user at home, and a Win OS user at work. In contrast, my father is a Win OS user. In fact, we upgraded him to a new machine that came with Win 8. He was not pleased because he couldn’t find the start menu, couldn’t find how to get to the applications folder, and so on. We installed an extension that restored the start menu and solved his immediate problems. He also didn’t like the tiles because they cluttered the screen and because they were a navigational hazard to him. We were both glad when Win 8.1 was released because it solved a lot of the problems.

[@Haar_Dragon]

8.1 was alright. Definitely a step in the right direction after W8 - I never ran 8 myself, but trying to troubleshoot for my parents going from W7 to W8 was nightmarish, I had _no_ idea what I was looking at. 10's another good step, but really, neither one got rid of all the problems I had with W8 - specifically bloat and hard-baking things into the OS, particularly secondary functions. Yeah, that "shoving it down [the consumer's] throat" comment hits a bit too real - I still wish I could get rid of things like "People" or "Maps" or MS Edge. I don't need them or use them, and even if they don't take up much software space, they're still there, and they're still cluttering up my Start menu, I can't even hide them. For that reason, I still think XP/7 were more user-friendly, at least for those of us that primarily use a PC.

[@youtubeshadowbannedme]

The older Edge sucked but the newer Edge based off of Chromium is pretty good

[@Kreln1221]

*_"NO START MENU FOR YOU!!!"_* The Soup Guy

[@LeafyJolt]

I never fully understood why Windows 8 always got so much hate. (pun lol 😏) but now I will.

[@orangedragon1029]

apps open fullscreen,start menu fullscreen

[@061Hitachi]

I once spent 7 hours troubleshooting GTA V in Win 8. I reinstalled Windows 7 and it worked immediately after install.

[@ashimochi]

Squid has another video on 8's issues though, this one is about how they saved it with an update lol

[@matthewpaulargall9102]

I love watching videos about the history of operating systems!

[@WarriorRazor]

Windows 8.1 was great if you added Classic Shell to it, it was like an updated Windows 7. Win 8 OOB was a terrible experience though. I still use 8.1 dual booted on my PC with 10 (I can use newer games and programs on 10), Windows 8.1 is so much nicer to use than 10 and it runs a lot better.

[@v1deo.hunter.d317]

My memory is that 8.1 basically just added a start button back to the desktop mode which was a big comfort to people. 8 already had a traditional desktop mode it just didn't have the start button

[@byMaxGames]

I saw in the last 2 years still much people using windows 8.1 on their desktop machine

[@StraightestDakregor]

When I got my first laptop of my own, it had windows 7, and i enjoyed it a lot. I kept using it even after windows 8 came out, and i had only heard of the things that had gone wrong with it, until one day, my dad updates my laptop but, i don't really notice anything big at first glance. Watching this video, i realize he was one of those people who held back on windows 8, only to update after the 8.1 version came out. He is very knowledgeable of computers, but i never realized (or even thought about) why he waited so much to update my software until now.

[@Mgames_xd]

I've never really been a fan of 8.1 to be honest. I bought a small laptop with Windows 8 out of the box, and while it had amazing boot times on an HDD, it never ran very well. The start menu and apps were inconvenient, and I remember them crashing quite a bit. 8.1 was a massive improvement, but I would still favor Windows 7 at the time, as searching and the classic start menu was a lot more convenient and the user interface was more aesthetically pleasing. I remember instantly upgrading my 8.1 PCs to Windows 10 and basically loving it from the get-go. These days, 6 years later, I do regeret upgrading that laptop to Windows 10, as it's become so demanding for HDDs it's actually become problematic... It's hardly usable these days, and the stress on the harddrive has taken its toll on its overall lifetime.

[@pilnowacz_ale_prywatnie]

My dad still uses windows 8. He bought the samsung laptop in 2013 bcoz he started working in other city so he had to communicate with family (via skype) and he had to use pc bcoz he was promoted in work to class where he had to have use pc to work. He uses this pc today and he uses it with windows 8 bcoz he didn t knew how to update the pc. But like in september 2020 I installed open shell for him. He still uses it and he likes it. Yee my mom had the pc with the touch screen and the keyboard and it was in windows 8.1 for a while but it had an update to windows 10 bcoz my mom bought it like in end of the 2014 so windows 10 came in some months. I was using this pc for a while too and I can tell that win 10 is better for tablet users, but I like win 8 and 8.1 too. Sadly charger to this pc that I was talking about broke in 2019 and the pc wasn t being booted for 2 years. In 2021 we booted it but pc had errors that battery isn t charging so it was turning off everytime after like 30 mins of working. Mom bought a new hp laptop with windows 11 in october 2021. I use win 10 on my pc and I really like it.

[@OfficialNoob94]

1:19 "Activate Windows"

[@Max-ej4oh]

The only thing I remember from Win8 is that my RAM started to cough sparks afterwards, and asking me to kill them in a pleading manner. After I got 8.1 my ram kind of braced for impact, but nothing happened... it was good, really good. Today we're back to square one, with Win 10 background installing so much bloatware and things that I will *N E V E R* use. Good thing technology became much, much improved than it's predecessors and can mitigate a lot of Window's shenanigans. I don't understand how hard is for Windows to say "Okay, here's an empty desktop with the win button to access basic computer info, documents and control panel, no skype crap, no store crap, no news crap, no nothing just Edge and oh if you don't like Edge you can always uninstall it after you've installed your browser of choice. No google updates in the background, no unnecessary downloads of things you're not gonna use, no overlays, no app notification popups, just there empty with a pretty full customizable desktop. We're still spying you but when weren't we... let's be honest, that'll still remain... Here champ, the antivirus and that's it, enjoy." It's not that hard, in fact it'll make their work even less tedious. I'll buy that.

[@MrReese]

20:02 this is a pretty big misconception. Especially people who were using XP for a long time upgraded to Win7 because it was the closest thing to WinXP, just with a more modern core and with support for years to come. Win8 and 8.1 were an absolute disaster in comparison and there is an OS strategy that goes like this: never use the most recent version of Windows, because that is ALWAYS where Microsoft messes up the most. Someone who was using XP at that time would not have had any interest in upgrading to Win8(.1), because XP still had support at that time and Win8(.1) was way too different.

[@Jurtaani]

i never thought Windows 8.1 as it's own version of Windows. to me it was like suddenly Microsoft would come and say "Yeah that ain't Windows 7 no more! that's Windows 7 Service pack 1 which is completely different thing..." i never saw 8.1 anything more than your typical Service pack updates of earlier Windows versions.

[@migueljuarescruz160]

Windows 8.1 was epic

[@Baburun-Sama]

Windows 8.1 went from "Sucks" into "The Greatest" quickly

[@WindowsOnWindows]

Great video!

[@nationsquid]

Thank you! More to come! :)

[@bayuchandrasukma820]

I got a Laptop that's at least 4 years old with only 2gigs of DDR3L and those lowly Kabini Processor from AMD, and it runs like new even all this time with Windows 8.1. Truly, the most optimized OS for my Laptop, especially since it initially came with the pre-Build 20/19 back then.

[@Rasplode]

I like windows 8.1 sad its discontinued in 2023😢😭

[@teamredstudio7012]

Windows 8 is the reason we had so many phone games ported to pc. Asphalt 7, 8, cut the rope, flow, hill climb racing, gt racing 2 and so many more games are now available on Windows which is awesome. Windows 10 made the start screen a start menu again and made the UWP apps resizable making it basically perfect.

[@ExecooteOfficial]

this is kind of side of microsoft that understand their customers that they dont like the removing the start button from windows 8. in the other hand, like windows me and windows vista was the worst, like microsoft switching good and bad until probably stopped at windows 8.1.

[@MaruAngelo-bg4vm]

STFU, Windows Vista SP1 and SP2 fixed RTM problems

[@MrGaming-di2sx]

Can you talk about the failure of Windows phones? Keep going bro

[@jeevanm7235]

Fast Startup is a new feature which is introduced in Windows 8.1 RTM (SOMETIMES VERY FAST THAN NEWER VERSIONS). It allows your computer to start faster than normal by logging off the user session and then saving a part of system related files and drivers to a hibernation file. Task Manager has been redesigned, including a new processes tab with the option to display fewer or more details of running applications and background processes, a heat map using different colors indicating the level of resource usage, Windows Explorer, which has been renamed File Explorer, now includes a ribbon in place of the command bar. Additionally, the Blue Screen of Death has been updated with a simpler and modern design with less technical information displayed. I WILL TELL THE EXPERIENCE IS WAY MORE SMOOTH AND MORE FAST BOOT , FAST SHUTDOWN ,MAKING IT HAS THE MOST FASTEST OF ALL TIME ,EVEN MORE THAN IT'S SUCCESSORS , WINDOWS 8.1 IS W̶O̶R̶S̶T̶ BEST OS SO FAR.

[@vissitorsteve]

"Lorretta Martin" is the name of the woman in the Beatle's song 'Get Back!'

[@techtriggr]

I was using windows 8.1 in my Old potato pc(now i use windows 10 BTW) and it was just a bit buggy but overall it's a great operating system and i found the charms bar annoying so i also disabled that. And after all of this i enjoyed windows 8.1 Great vid btw

[@DaACTUALLYREALReddie]

Windows 8 and 8.1's UI aesthetic is like the best of both worlds, It's like the Flat Design but if it still retains the colourful and bright charm from Frutiger Aero/Metro.

[@Nazereth666]

Yeah I remember my initial reaction was disappointment. But after some time 8.1 ended up being pretty solid in my opinion. I was never the type to really care much about operating systems but I also was not a huge fan of ui changes.

[@nationsquid]

This was my exact reaction as well. Was disappointed at first, but it eventually grew on me, and with Classic Shell, it felt just like Windows 7 after that. Thanks for watching! :)

[@Gary-Eng]

thats a fantastic profile name you got there (the beatles - get back)

[@wowinyou]

I love 8.1 i think its the Same with XP & 7 and i feel no difference between 7 and 8.1 in performance and i use it as a Daily driver and i will keep using it

[@Barantoww]

i think im the only one that loved 8.1 start up menu so much

[@hridhaanjagtap9560]

I like it too

[@randompersonintheinternetagain]

You’re not the only one

[@EggyayYT]

same

[@DEXXXO]

Win 8.1 is one of the fastesd and stable win version ever . IT boots faster than winn10 or 11 Amazing and with an SSD as system partizion it flys as nuts👍