Hi all,
First time posting here. I know the debate about 7 vs. 8 and 8.1 is endless; it mainly seems to be about the new interface trying to cover all platforms and annoyance at having to learn the new layout.
My 3-year-old Asus laptop (Win 7 Home Premium 64 bit) is due for a refresh, and before I pay extra for a Win 7 "downgrade", i thought I'd ask what Win 7 functionality and features I would actually lose if/when i switch to 8.1?
I'm not a fan of Metro or the Start screen, and don't need a touchscreen, but I'm happy to install StartIsBack and I also don't mind taking the time to learn where controls and functions are now accessed.
But "under the hood", is there anything important that's gone? I understand that Back-up and Restore is not what it once was but I use Acronis. Can I still? I don't want Windows Media Center, so that's fine, but can I still play DVD-Video by using VLC and third-party codecs? (I understand that MS didn't want to pay to include a DVD-Video codec).
Is it true that Win 8.1 is more robust? Is it true that's it's more secure? Are there still the same Windows MMC Snap-ins?
Thanks for any comments or insight you could give.
First time posting here. I know the debate about 7 vs. 8 and 8.1 is endless; it mainly seems to be about the new interface trying to cover all platforms and annoyance at having to learn the new layout.
My 3-year-old Asus laptop (Win 7 Home Premium 64 bit) is due for a refresh, and before I pay extra for a Win 7 "downgrade", i thought I'd ask what Win 7 functionality and features I would actually lose if/when i switch to 8.1?
I'm not a fan of Metro or the Start screen, and don't need a touchscreen, but I'm happy to install StartIsBack and I also don't mind taking the time to learn where controls and functions are now accessed.
But "under the hood", is there anything important that's gone? I understand that Back-up and Restore is not what it once was but I use Acronis. Can I still? I don't want Windows Media Center, so that's fine, but can I still play DVD-Video by using VLC and third-party codecs? (I understand that MS didn't want to pay to include a DVD-Video codec).
Is it true that Win 8.1 is more robust? Is it true that's it's more secure? Are there still the same Windows MMC Snap-ins?
Thanks for any comments or insight you could give.