8.1 Update

Am I missing something??

I understood that a fundamental aspect of this update was to enable "Metro-App" to be run in a proper Window, alongside other "normal" Windows (instead of the previous "hog-everything" mode).

All it seems to have done is to add a proper "Close-X" & allows you to minimise it.

It adds the ability to run the "Metro-App" in a split screen, but the unused half of the screen does NOT permit other windows to be run!

Unless you totally minimise it, it still totally "hogs-everything" & blocks access to the Task-Bar!

Blame Steve "Mr. Balls-up" Ballmer.

In reply to a post by micksharpe:

Blame Steve "Mr. Balls-up" Ballmer.

Close, but not right. The one who carries the blame was sacked Steve Sinofsky

In reply to a post by johnjburness:

It adds the ability to run the 'Metro-App' in a split screen, but the unused half of the screen does NOT permit other windows to be run!

Not add! Even before the 8.1 Update and even in Win8 you could snap a Metro app to one half the screen. Also you can go back to the Start Screen and run a 2nd Metro app to run in the other half-screen. MS calls it 'snapping'.

EDIT: I've just found that if you snap a Metro app to one side of screen, the R-click on the Start button at bottom L and select Desktop, you get a compressed Desktop in other half-screen in which you can run normal Windows applications. Can't remember if you could do that prior to the Update, but don't think so.

Edited by XRaySpeX (Sat 12-Apr-14 00:43:48)

Other than the 'Close-X' & Minimise of Metro apps is there any other visible change?

I thought it was going to reintroduce the Win Start Menu or is that hidden from me as I'm still activating Classic Shell?

In reply to a post by XRaySpeX:

In reply to a post by johnjburness:

It adds the ability to run the 'Metro-App' in a split screen, but the unused half of the screen does NOT permit other windows to be run!

Not add! Even before the 8.1 Update and even in Win8 you could snap a Metro app to one half the screen. Also you can go back to the Start Screen and run a 2nd Metro app to run in the other half-screen. MS calls it 'snapping'.

EDIT: I've just found that if you snap a Metro app to one side of screen, the R-click on the Start button at bottom L and select Desktop, you get a compressed Desktop in other half-screen in which you can run normal Windows applications. Can't remember if you could do that prior to the Update, but don't think so.

Until the provision of the new top-bar (in Metro-Apps), where there is the new menu is that permits a split-screen, I wasn't aware that you could split previously the screen. Hence , if you could do it before this update, then it was the usual "Metro-Well-Hidden-Feature"!!

NB:- presumably by the "Start-Button", you mention above, you don't mean the Desk-Top Start Button, but that funny mini-Metro symbol that only occasionally appears when a Metro-App has "whole-hogged" the screen??

In reply to a post by XRaySpeX:

I thought it was going to reintroduce the Win Start Menu or is that hidden from me as I'm still activating Classic Shell?

That was the original idea but MS pulled it from the final release of this update.

I suppose it might appear in the update update

In reply to a post by idb:

That was the original idea

Source?

but MS pulled it from the final release of this update.

Source?


TY in advance...

Screenshots of the update that was inadvertently released a few weeks ago showed the intended addition (a small version of the start page IIRC) to the start button.

Post edited to add ...

Linky
Reading that I'm now not sure if it was actually intended to be released in this update.

It's not in the final release and one of the online news sources, I can't remember which, mentioned that it had been pulled.

Edited by deleted (Sat 12-Apr-14 11:21:27)

You can have Metro and non-metro apps running side by size, although its limited to 2...

In reply to a post by johnjburness:

NB:- presumably by the 'Start-Button', you mention above, you don't mean the Desk-Top Start Button, but that funny mini-Metro symbol that only occasionally appears when a Metro-App has 'whole-hogged' the screen??

I mean the faint Windows symbol that appears on all screens when you point bottom L. MS calls it the 'Start Button'.

In reply to a post by MrTAToad2:

although its limited to 2.

Surely you can run as many desktop apps as you can usefully run in the half-screen?

Yes, as many as you like.

Edited by deleted (Sun 13-Apr-14 15:38:26)

Then how come I just run the Calculator Metro app on the L and all of 1 Command Window, 3 File Explorers, IE, WLM and inSIDDer in a half-screen Desktop on the R?

Admittedly it was a bit of a squash with some overlapping (when isn't there?) but could have run 2 or 3 of these with ease.

The Point is you can run more than 1 in the desktop.

In reply to a post by XRaySpeX:

I mean the faint Windows symbol that appears on all screens when you point bottom L. MS calls it the 'Start Button'.

Having got a Task-Bar & the "Classic-Shell" Start-Button, I've only ever seen it when 8.1 is in "Metro-Mode" - even then, it does always seem to appear!!

That's right! I switched off Classic-Shell as were discussing Windows as supplied by MS, not some proprietary add-on. Even so, the MS 'Start Button' has been there since Win8.

Thats because you are running Calculator Metro app on the L and all of 1 Command Window, 3 File Explorers, IE, WLM and inSIDDer in a half-screen Desktop on the R?

Try doing it solely with Metro apps though...

Edited by deleted (Mon 14-Apr-14 20:50:57)

In reply to a post by MrTAToad2:

Try doing it solely with Metro apps though.

No need to bother! I already know you can't and never claimed you could. It was only you claiming this that I dispute:

In reply to a post by MrTAToad2:

You can have Metro and non-metro apps running side by size, although its limited to 2.

Do we have to go on & on chewing over the same old bone?

Edited by XRaySpeX (Mon 14-Apr-14 22:41:59)

In reply to a post by XRaySpeX:

In reply to a post by MrTAToad2:

Try doing it solely with Metro apps though.

No need to bother! I already know you can't and never claimed you could. It was only you claiming this that I dispute:

In reply to a post by MrTAToad2:

You can have Metro and non-metro apps running side by size, although its limited to 2.

Do we have to go on & on chewing over the same old bone?

I'm due to receive a new PC loaded with the one and only Windows 8.1, have I made a mistake in my choice of OS?

I don't think so. You can make it start on the Desktop and never see the Metro Start Screen if you so wish. Also if you prefer a proper classic Start Menu, as I do, you can install Classic Shell to make up for the one that MS forgot.

Also advise when setting up your 1st user choose a local user rather than 1 linked to your Hotmail/Live a/c. There are a few other useful configuration settings we can advise.

Edited by XRaySpeX (Mon 14-Apr-14 23:04:11)

Thanks for the good news

Do we have to go on & on chewing over the same old bone?

If you want to. You obviously mis-read what I wrote, namely the fact that you can only split the screen into 2, with which you can either have only 2 Metro apps running or 1 Metro app + any number of desktop apps in the other area.

Hope that clears it up for you.

If you have any further questions regarding this or have any other problems, please contact Microsoft and tell 'em to stop messing things up.

Edited by deleted (Tue 15-Apr-14 08:20:44)

+1

Particularly the advice about making sure that you are NOT "sucked-in" to logging into a Microsoft Outlook Account & the almost obligatory use of their Cloud-Storage (unless you specifically prefer to use them).

Why do you insist on posters clarifying their posts?

To help me understand.

OK!