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Microsoft Admits Windows 8.1 Update May Bork Your Mouse, Promises a Fix
MojoKid writes "Microsoft has several valid reasons why you should upgrade to Windows 8.1, which is free if you already own Windows 8. However, there's a known issue that might give some gamers pause before clicking through in the Windows Store. There have been complaints of mouse problems after applying the Windows 8.1 update, most of which have been related to lag in video games, though Microsoft confirmed there are other potential quirks. Acknowledging the problem, Microsoft says it's also actively investigating the issues and working on a patch."
...is to install Windows 7.
Assuming there's driver support.
In Soviet Russia, dot slashes YOU!
> Another satiesfied Microsoft customer?
Well, yes. We use it because for one reason or another, we have to, usually because a commercial product is required, and we complain bitterly about it -- who, that didn't actually work in Redmond, wouldn't? (Actually, that's not entirely true -- even there, people complain, but quietly, to trusted friends.)
As to FOSS, yeah, my website and blog and my daughter's blog all run on a Linux box I administrate, using software I partly wrote, and if all I ever did in life was use EMACS to pound out Python, I'd drop Windows in a heartbeat. But some of us have things to do that can't be had from sourceforge.
Mind you, I'm hanging onto Windows 7 with both hands. We have a touch screen laptop running Win8, and it's junk. Maybe it'll run Android some day.
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
Legit Question: If it needs less ram, then can you actually run it with less ram?
It seems that line gets mentioned with every new release but it actually means ram usage quadruples.
Remember that XP only needs 128mb of ram to function.
I just want you guys to know that as a developer I have been debugging what I believe to be the side effects resulting from these changes all week. It's not just "mouse co-ordinates" that are affected, you have some very common APIs scaling window co-ordinates in totally unexpected and inconsistent ways now. You have totally broken certain application behaviors, and only in 8.1, and while I found a workaround for my use case I can also see that the workaround I'm using will break more things for others.
Next time you ask yourselves, "should we make these APIs suddenly behave differently than in all older versions of the OS?" there should be a very, very high barrier to saying yes, especially for a service pack release.
still released it that way in spite of the problems. Arrogance is the only logical explanation.
This has been a well documented problem from earlier preview builds and was specifically not fixed in the RTM code because... well because MS seems to think it can make unilaterally bad UI decisions again and again and get away with it.
Try setting your Win8.1 display to 150% on a 1920x1200 monitor. This is exactly where I've used WinXP, WinVista, Win7 and Win8, yet in Win8.1, a random assortment of applications (including many MS utilities and 3rd-party programs) deliver barely readable fuzzy characters. At least in Win8.0, you could set a master switch to tell the OS to disable DPI scaling, but in their infinite wisdom, some group within MS decided that to hell with useability, they're going to simply remove the master switch and force ALL users to disable DPI scaling on an app by app basis, making it bloody well a gargantuan effort to avoid either fuzzy or tiny text.
It's absolutely appalling... About as appalling as MS deciding that Win8.0 users shouldn't be able to boot into desktop mode on a non-touchscreen device and then completely removing the start menu as if giving the middle finger to the existing install base was some kind of magical shortcut back to a dominant market position.
If you're arrogant, but generally make good or at least non-destructive UI decisions, most people will forgive you. When you're arrogant and make butthead UI decisions, well, then you're MS.
They've managed to marry Apple's arrogance with butthead UI decisions.
So, 98SE counts, but 95OSR2 doesn't?
Windows 2000 doesn't count?
And Vista was actually fine. The major difference between 7 and Vista is that hardware was too far behind the improvements in the interface.
At least Microsoft support won't call you a stupid noob to your face.
That's right what they will do is joke about it with their friends while you are on hold and after you hang up.
Been there seen that.
What pissed me off the most is how they pushed the "bringing back the start button" in the press when in reality all it is is a shortcut for the fucking Metro start screen. This is why I call it "WinGoatse" as like a Goatse it was all just a trick to get you to go for it and isn't what you were expecting at all.
What I have found here in the trenches is the only "work" folks want done on Win 8 is to remove the thing, I haven't seen this level of hatred from the public since WinME, even Vista wasn't THIS hated. They can give 1-100 SPs but until they let users have the choice of REALLY getting rid of the "LULZ I Iz A Cellphone LULZ, check out me appstore LULZ" bullshit I have a feeling my best business is gonna be in getting rid of 8 and selling Win 7 units.
BTW just FYI but if you wanna go back to Win 7 download the trial of Driver Magician and choose "update drivers" followed by Win 7 X64, they usually have access to drivers for just about any piece of hardware and so far I have yet to run into a piece of hardware that I couldn't "downgrade" to Win 7..
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
Sure, Windows 8 is fine... after you replace the UI shell.
Please tell me why that makes Windows 8 OK? That you have a third-party workaround does not mean the original problem isn't still there.
For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...