# 8.1 Forever !



## AntoniaNewbie (Aug 7, 2017)

I've been using Windows 10 now for a few days and I gotta say I think Windows 8.1 is much better, I just built my first computer with Windows 10 and while it completes tasks perfectly well and about 40% faster, I still think the navigation around the system is slower than 8.1 ... I was told 81 processes running was normal, and over 20 background processes It does not seem to be using much CPU which is great but I guess I can't monitor that all of the time.

I tried to run some software on there, had some issues but I worked with it, it just made me me think wow yeah even though 8.1 uses more CPU it still ran that software much more smoothly, even after I uninstalled everything I didn't need from Windows 10, I've also done that with 8.1, I hate that I can't remove all that XBOX stuff and those things I just wont ever use.

So ... even though I have a few issues with my 8.1 right now I can't help but love this old computer more than my new build ( Windows 10 ) ... My Windows 8.1 Machine is a Dell optiplex and it's officially at least 10 years old, I'm sad at the thought that maybe this wont be around much longer, I have downloaded a bunch of my old software's to the new computer and the updated versions just don't work for me, I mean with changed settings, things like that, visual changes also ... That's why I never update them on Windows 8.1, everything is perfect, I don't like the changes made and I don't think there is anything wrong with me not wanting to move on, well I am moving on but I'd like to know if there is anything I can do to this old machine or Windows 8.1 to make its life a little longer ? obviously a new build means I'll be using this one less, so I'm thinking of removing every single thing from the system that I 100% just don't need, making things like scans and disk cleans run a lot faster ... My disk cleaner has been acting up lately ... it gets up to cleaning temporary files and then just stops moving, it used to fly by in a matter of minutes haha ( I know Windows 10 does it in seconds  ) is there anything I can do to help this problem ? 

All I'd be using 8.1 for from now on would be, Internet use, downloading, possibly uploading, only really storing my Music collection( CD rips ) and recording software, not updated ... because it works perfectly well and using Windows 10 makes me feel nostalgic haha .

When I turn on my computer, I have to type in a password, because a while ago I had accidentally downloaded one drive which came with a zip or RAR extractor, can't remember now and I can't get rid off the thing ! that's the main Issue for me, I used to be able to load my computer up in about 15 seconds, now with a password and one drive starting up it takes about 1 minute ( not the worst, but it's not 15 seconds  ) ... I open Task and end the process of one drive and anything else I know I don't need, My background processes never seem to hit past 18 tops and at the minimum 7, unlike windows 10 never dropping below 24, my backgrounds never hit above 24 unlike Windows 10 hitting 81 and seemingly never dropping ... 

Once I close one drive it opens again and again and starts running even though I never use the thing and I'm always ending the process GO AWAY ONE DRIVE ! my 8.1 was perfect before you came along  I went through the registry key thing ( Don't really know what I'm doing ) and I could not work out how to remove one drive from there ... secondly The software's I used the extractor for ( The whole reason why One drive moved in ) are to important to me ( refusing to update them ) to risk clicking sign out and then attempting to remove One drive only to find out it took those extracted files with it ! can that happen ?? 

I'm also going to blame One drive for my disk cleaner Issue, I don't remember a system file clean up taking over 2 hours before, same with Defrag, same with scans ... if someone tells me I can remove one drive and keep all my files I'll be amazed ! 

First thing I uninstalled on Windows 10 was One drive ... why is it still there ?? 

Anyway I guess I am mainly looking for help with that Issue and also if you guys can let me know what not to remove in order to keep using my 8.1 for my needs, I am hoping to be able to remove 1000's of files and folders haha already removed so much stuff, the things I knew were safe to remove. 

Maybe there is a way to transfer software to another computer ?? right now All I know how to do is move the installer, but they install the latest updates  cloning ?? that seems difficult


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## Grey03 (Aug 10, 2017)

Can you please specify what's your concern ?


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## AntoniaNewbie (Aug 7, 2017)

What Can I do to extend the life of my 10 year old computer ?

what's safe to remove in 8.1, I'd like everything gone but the things enable me to use the web, download, upload, record, audio, CD rip and that's all I need it for ! 

 I want One Drive gone from my 8.1 and Windows 10 if it's possible ( Xbox also , 10 only ) 

What happened to disk clean up, and did one drive affect my defrag and windows defender scans ? 

is there anything I can do to this system ( along with using it less ) that would ensure a few more years out of it, since it's working almost perfectly well for now ... 

Is there anything I can do to speed my start up back up  ? 

What processes are safe to end or even remove ? 

Possible software transferring ? transferring older none updated versions of them onto windows 10 ? ( without windows 10 installing the updates ) 

HDD copy some how ?


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## TerryNet (Mar 23, 2005)

Only slightly off topic: have you considered looking for a (newer) refurbished PC with Windows 8.1?


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## HyperHenry (Aug 1, 2017)

You can revert back to 8.1 from within Windows.


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## AntoniaNewbie (Aug 7, 2017)

Well No Terry, I blew all the money I had on my new build, is it impossible to remove one drive ? 

System restore didn't really work for me, I don't mess with that anymore.


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## texasbullet (Jun 11, 2014)

You can install both OS in one hard drive. Install Windows 10 and after completing the installation partition your hard drive and you can then install Windows 8.1 too (or vice versa). Make sure your hard drive is greater than 500 GB's for best results. Have another HDD as a backup to store all your documents in there.


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## Johnny b (Nov 7, 2016)

TerryNet said:


> Only slightly off topic: have you considered looking for a (newer) refurbished PC with Windows 8.1?


I keep an eye out for inexpensive hardware.
Not much out 'there' with 8.1, but Newegg seems to offer up a lot of Win 7 refurbs and sometimes new old stock Win7 pro machines.
I picked up a new Acer i5 with Win7 pro just for the hardware, several months ago. Immediately disconnected the hard drive and now run Puppy from a DVD. Cheaper than building a comparable custom rig, already sorted and came with a warranty.

I'm not much of a fan of 8 or 8.1.
Still using Win 7 offline in my home office and see no reason to change.
Amazing how trouble free Windows runs that never encounters the Internet


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## Johnny b (Nov 7, 2016)

AntoniaNewbie said:


> What Can I do to extend the life of my 10 year old computer ?
> 
> what's safe to remove in 8.1, I'd like everything gone but the things enable me to use the web, download, upload, record, audio, CD rip and that's all I need it for !
> 
> ...


Some times a reinstall of the OS is the easiest/most efficient way to refresh an old computer that's seen years dealing with the Internet and all the nasties it's encountered.

Realistically, EOL defines how long 'forever' lasts when using the Internet.
At least safely. 

And there's always Linux as an option on an old computer.


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## AntoniaNewbie (Aug 7, 2017)

Well John, that would mean me losing my software, plus I actually don't own a copy of windows 8 ... The computer was free, so was the HDD which just had 8.1 on there, even if I had the disc I'd still be losing my software  

I can't stand Linux haha its fine but eh ... Not for me.

8.1 is the best I've seen so far.


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## AntoniaNewbie (Aug 7, 2017)

Texas its a 500 GB, but again I'd be losing my software unless I can work out how to copy that stuff some how.


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## texasbullet (Jun 11, 2014)

AntoniaNewbie said:


> Well John, that would mean me losing my software, plus I actually don't own a copy of windows 8 ... The computer was free, so was the HDD which just had 8.1 on there, even if I had the disc I'd still be losing my software
> 
> I can't stand Linux haha its fine but eh ... Not for me.
> 
> 8.1 is the best I've seen so far.


Does the computer has a legit OS.
What is the make and model number of your computer including the serial number or service tag number.


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## Johnny b (Nov 7, 2016)

AntoniaNewbie said:


> Well John, that would mean me losing my software, plus I actually don't own a copy of windows 8 ... The computer was free, so was the HDD which just had 8.1 on there, even if I had the disc I'd still be losing my software
> 
> I can't stand Linux haha its fine but eh ... Not for me.
> 
> 8.1 is the best I've seen so far.


Sounds like a bad situation if you don't have the install disc or the factory partition, to reinstall Windows and even worse that you don't own licenses for the added software installed on it.

You could try buying a legal 8.1 . Should be cheap as it's not considered desirable by many users. Not popular. Stats show fewer 8.1 users than even Win XP.
Then go open source with needed apps. Doesn't look like you use anything unusual.

But remember.....if you hack what you now have and it doesn't work out, you are stuck with a broken system since you don't use the restore function, maybe even bricked if you mess with something like the registry.

Then Linux looks like a really good deal


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## Cookiegal (Aug 27, 2003)

Please open an Elevated Command Prompt window (on the Start screen, type "Command" - a Command Prompt icon will appear, right-click on it and select Run as Administrator) then at the prompt, type the following (be sure to include the spaces):

*Licensingdiag.exe -report %userprofile%\desktop\report.txt -log %userprofile%\desktop\repfiles.cab*

After running the command, two files will appear on your desktop, report.txt and repfiles.cab. Please open the report.txt file in Notepad and copy and paste the contents here. The repfiles.cab is only a backup file and can be ignored for the time being.


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## Cookiegal (Aug 27, 2003)

Also, please just use the default font rather than using excessive formatting (bold and italic text) every time you post as it actually makes it more difficult to read and is not needed in the technical threads other than to highlight a point. Thanks.


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## AntoniaNewbie (Aug 7, 2017)

Well when I first posted here my text was faded and I couldn't read it back, when I posted bold it showed up so I don't know what happened there.

Okay so ...

It is official windows but the guy who gave it to me died about a year and a half after he gave it to me, so I don't have the activation code. As far as I can see that's not an issue though, it doesn't seem to affect anything.

I don't know if its a good idea to post my model number on here, I bet a bunch of you are hackers ...  haha

I'm just going to delete every single thing that looks useless to me, or ... Upgrade to windows 10 keeping the files from 8.1 if that also keeps software ?

Been watching clone videos


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## HyperHenry (Aug 1, 2017)

AntoniaNewbie said:


> I don't know if its a good idea to post my model number on here, I bet a bunch of you are hackers ...  haha


This is the thanks we get for trying to help you? Apparently you haven't noticed but your story keeps changing. First you posted to uninstall Linux and install Windows from a flash drive you downloaded. Now you got it from someone else. You said you were putting it on a 10 year old hdd then you said it was newer. I suspected it was not a legitimate copy of Windows a long time ago. I'm guessing that's why you don't want to post the test Cookiegal asked for.


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## Johnny b (Nov 7, 2016)

AntoniaNewbie said:


> ................
> 
> I'm just going to delete every single thing that looks useless to me.....................
> 
> Been watching clone videos


Let us know how that works out


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## Cookiegal (Aug 27, 2003)

It sounds like you are acknowledging that the operating system is not genuine therefore it's been flagged as such which means no further assistance will be provided on this machine unless you produce the report I asked for and it indicates otherwise.


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## AntoniaNewbie (Aug 7, 2017)

No I have 4 computers, and One that I just built, I had Linux on 2 Drives and I've replaced one with windows 1o, Henry those situations are not the same issue ... Both Issues are solved, some of my computers are older, they were given to me by family members ... I have some communication difficulties and I don't know how this went wrong other than people assuming things.

I've been advised not to post that sort of thing, my 8.1 is genuine its just not activated anymore. 

also I've been using my new build mostly, and a laptop booting to linux, which I'm looking into changing.


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## Johnny b (Nov 7, 2016)

AntoniaNewbie said:


> No I have 4 computers, and One that I just built, I had Linux on 2 Drives and I've replaced one with windows 1o, Henry those situations are not the same issue ... Both Issues are solved, some of my computers are older, they were given to me by family members ... I have some communication difficulties and I don't know how this went wrong other than people assuming things.
> 
> I've been advised not to post that sort of thing, my 8.1 is genuine its just not activated anymore.
> 
> also I've been using my new build mostly, and a laptop booting to linux, which I'm looking into changing.


Truly, it sounds more like you have a hacked Win 8.1 that isn't legal, since you won't post the results of our administrator's request.
And now you state it isn't activated.
Perhaps because it's a genuinely hacked illegal Win 8.1? 



> I've been advised not to post that sort of thing


Obviously.

Anyway, since the computer in question is 10+ years old with a MS operating system that first came out in 2012, 5 years ago.....it's probably painfully slow with all that rendering.

Perhaps the end of 'forever' is knocking on it's front door? 

So, which MS operating system do you favor putting on that laptop?



> I don't know how this went wrong other than people assuming things.


Probably your communication skills, as you noted.


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## Cookiegal (Aug 27, 2003)

AntoniaNewbie said:


> its just not activated anymore.


We do not provide assistance on a system that hasn't been activated as that doesn't tell us whether it's genuine or not. Also, a system that's not activated will eventually present some issues that may be solved by proper activation.


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## AntoniaNewbie (Aug 7, 2017)

Well that's fine cookie but I guess it could also apply to any machine that's old in the sense of just advising people on maintaining a working computer activated or not ... I really don't see a difference.

John what's MS system ? 

And I'd be using windows 10 on that laptop not activated as I've learnt how to do that but my new build is not fully ready to work on ... It has not been activated yet because I have to wait till Christmas haha and I didn't think it was all that big of a deal, still gotta buy SSD, speakers, optical drive.


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## Johnny b (Nov 7, 2016)

AntoniaNewbie said:


> Well that's fine cookie but I guess it could also apply to any machine that's old in the sense of just advising people on maintaining a working computer activated or not ... I really don't see a difference.
> 
> John what's MS system ?
> 
> And I'd be using windows 10 on that laptop not activated as I've learnt how to do that but my new build is not fully ready to work on ... It has not been activated yet because I have to wait till Christmas haha and I didn't think it was all that big of a deal, still gotta buy SSD, speakers, optical drive.


Sounds like you are running a lot of pirated and/or hacked MS software on various machines if you don't need activation.

Help yourself. Activate if you can. It costs nothing if your software is legal.


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## Cookiegal (Aug 27, 2003)

AntoniaNewbie said:


> I really don't see a difference


Oh but we do. Therefore no further help will be provided until it's been activated and confirmed genuine.


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## AntoniaNewbie (Aug 7, 2017)

What is the differance ? 

John, there is no pirate software on my computer haha ... I don't have any Anti-Virus at all, I don't do much on the web besides YouTube, all the software that I use was downloaded while it was still activated, Like I say I don't update it because the changes made in the updates are terrible ! it seems to be a common Issue, I could successfully update it if I wanted to I updated it maybe Twice since it's not been activated, I don't know how pirate software works though :/

I have no plans on activating it, I can't ask for the product key, that would be impossible kind of, but as I said I don't notice a differance in how it runs, which is still faster than Windows 10 at this point.


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## AntoniaNewbie (Aug 7, 2017)

I'm guessing MS stands for Microsoft ...


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## HyperHenry (Aug 1, 2017)

AntoniaNewbie said:


> I have no plans on activating it, I can't ask for the product key, that would be impossible kind of, but as I said I don't notice a differance in how it runs, which is still faster than Windows 10 at this point.


Then why all the posts open asking for help? You are clearly an attention seeker who refuses to quit no matter what. I wouldn't be surprised if you have one computer that's working perfectly. You get mileage out of forums like this. I'm only 14 years old and I can see it for what it is. So can all the others so why not just give it up?


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## AntoniaNewbie (Aug 7, 2017)

Well ... I don't know what to tell you, I was told to join this site by a few people, I held off doing it for a while, but as soon as I set my new build up I felt it was perfect time to get some help, It worked so I decided to get help on another Issue, Worked, then another ... If that's asking for to much, I don't know what to say ... I'm interested to learn about this stuff.


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## Johnny b (Nov 7, 2016)

HyperHenry said:


> Then why all the posts open asking for help? You are clearly an attention seeker who refuses to quit no matter what. I wouldn't be surprised if you have one computer that's working perfectly. You get mileage out of forums like this. I'm only 14 years old and I can see it for what it is. So can all the others so why not just give it up?


I suspect it's largely a windup that didn't go as planned, Henry.
Contradictions, implied confusion, projected innocence, terms used out of context.

Years ago, at a different tech site, I read of a guy that ran a windup when water cooling was the hot topic. Complained and whined about how he destroyed his computer because of bad advice on water cooling.
Eventually he described his process of sealing up his case and filling it with water. He strung that out for many days.
A real classic.
Funny, too.

But, imo, this one poorly done.
Just several posts ago, we see win8.1 running faster on a 10+ year old computer ( it's slow cpu actually introduced in 2007 ) than a current build with Win 10..
Earlier, the new build was 40% faster.
No AV....really? 
A good windup needs consistency and enough belief to carry the joke to the punch line.
I'm not saying I could do better, but it would be hard to do worse, in my humble opinion.


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## Johnny b (Nov 7, 2016)

Found that classic windup, enjoy 

https://www.avforums.com/threads/kr...-water-cooling-you-have-alot-to-answer.56924/


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## AntoniaNewbie (Aug 7, 2017)

it's not a wind up? In my opinion 8.1 in my case runs faster than windows 10, just in general, Windows 10 obviously completes bigger tasks faster, Don't forget that I built it myself so I could have done many things wrong, I don't know who would bother winding you up ... 

Don't we all have better things to do ? haha besides me who had to stupidly post about multiple issues all at once, is that wrong of me ? because it worked out well, Safe to assume it could work again, with any issue that's been around for a while.

There are no contradictions, Do I need to upload pictures of all of my computers ? along with screen shots of the solved issues with links to the information where it was originally posted ... ??


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## Johnny b (Nov 7, 2016)

All I see are denials 

Face it, you'll probably never get the recognition Comer did 



edit: forgot.....ha ha


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## AntoniaNewbie (Aug 7, 2017)

I don't know what you mean by that.


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## Johnny b (Nov 7, 2016)

AntoniaNewbie said:


> I don't know what you mean by that.


So?


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## AntoniaNewbie (Aug 7, 2017)

your weird haha ... anyway, It's dinner time


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## Johnny b (Nov 7, 2016)

AntoniaNewbie said:


> your weird haha ... anyway, It's dinner time


Enjoy your meal, but we still can't help you at this time 

ha ha


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## Cookiegal (Aug 27, 2003)

I've been out and just got back so I see it's time to close this one up now.

System flagged as pirated.


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