Home Forums Discussions Problems Windows 8.1

After installing Win 8.1 I can not use the Google search for ICD codes.
Somehow that script (is that something that AmazingCharts wrote?) doesn't work.
Gives a very weird output and an error message.

Anyone else notice this?

Also, Win 8.1 might have improved some things -- I still have to use an add-on shell to get a proper start button and menu list. You can, at least, boot directly to desktop.

That Metro screen is just a nightmare, and you still can't see multiple windows on the same screen. I suppose they want me to have 4 screens?

For the benefit of our clients we have been hoping for the fixes in 8.1 to make W8 usable. We will see, but the initial reviews are not encouraging.

That said, hopefully James can provide some Microsoft insight about how to make the latest version of W8 more usable.

Meanwhile, clients are regularly having us upgrade their machines by wiping W8 and installing W7 64bit.

For that matter, we are seeing an increase in the use of Chromebooks and CentOS installs. Remote Desktop (RDesktop) runs well on CentOS. As Wendell would say, "Did I mention that CentOS is free?"

I've been using Windows 8 for some time now and I have to say I haven't had any issues. For a video of my set up, see this link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Bqpd7bwCW8

Learning how to navigate the new Start Screen was interesting because it was so different. However, once I got my tiles configured the way I wanted It's not been a problem. Of course, any time I ever got a new computer be it Windows NT, 2000, XP, Vista, 7, and now 8, I had to spend time getting things the way I wanted it.

Regarding switching apps in Windows 8 Metro desktop, check out this post.

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/zxue/archive/2012/03/07/win8-howto-2-switch-between-apps-or-snap-apps.aspx

Windows 8 is a big jump, no doubt about it. And, it will take some training and patience to master it. PC sales are declining as the move to mobile takes off. Having a "hybrid" environment such as what Windows 8 provides will ease the transition over the long run. Unlike Apple with its iPad, Microsoft just can't dump 15 years of software written for Windows by making Windows 8 not support older apps that were written for the desktop (this is why Windows 8 sales are much better than Windows RT sales as RT will not run legacy apps). Therefore, having both the Metro desktop and the legacy desktop live side-by-side was the only choice.

Regarding the initial reviews of Windows 8, like any new version of Windows it depends on which reviews you are reading. I remember when Windows XP first came out with it's "Fisher Price" interface. The reviews were horrible. And now everyone is sad to see XP go.

I understand that CentOS and so forth are free. Free is nice. However, I've always lived by the old saying "it never ceases to amaze me just how expensive cheap can be." Someone has to support whatever infrastructure you decide to install. Make certain you can find just as much support for CentOS or whatever as you can for Windows before just jumping over.

There is nothing wrong with sticking with Windows 7 for now if you aren't ready to make the jump to Windows 8. There are a lot of applications out there, including Amazing Charts, that have not been officially tested by the vendor on Windows 8. Unfortunately, you cannot obtain Windows 7 on that super cheap P. O. S. computer from Best Buy or Staples. Windows 7 can, however, still be ordered with a brand new Dell/HP/Lenovo business class machine. And Windows 7 has almost 8 years of support left from Microsoft. For those of you who have jumped to Windows 8, I recommend Paul Thurrot's book which can be bought from here:

http://tinyurl.com/ng8y7uf

Please note there is a Kindle edition available.

While there will always be improvements to be made, I think Windows 8 is the right step for Microsoft. It will be a painful transition just like Windows Vista was with the UAC everyone hated so much, UAC which is still alive and well in Windows 7 and 8, but in the long run as more and more applications take advantage of the new features and new paradigms of design, the pain will go away and things will become more efficient. You'll be able to work behind a PC and work on a mobile device with the same application with ease. Until the third party app guys, such as Amazing Charts, catch up, we're kinda stuck in limbo.

JamesNT

For those using Windows 8, may I suggest you download Classic Shell?

It's a nice replacement for the junk MS put into 8 and 8.1, and it's free/donation.

http://www.classicshell.net/

I've been using it for months now, and am glad it exists.

I tried a few others, and it seems to me they have ads or trackers in them. One installed a search bar that tried to hijack the browser each time.

1. I use classic shell -- it's the only thing that makes Win8 useable. I just stay in Desktop, and the shell gives me access to machine functions that are hard to get to in the Metro mode.
I have no problem with little tiles on my cell phone -- but that is for a different purpose.
2. No matter how good you get at moving those little tiles around, you can't have more than one "app" open on screen. No little windows.
3. James -- that was a good essay, but please, go to the Search ICD screen (the one that comes up when you are putting in the ICD codes into the chart.) If the code you want doesn't come up, a box comes up offering a Google search.
Mostly, that works -- WinXP, 7, 8.0.
But in 8.1 I suddenly get an error that a script has stopped running, and the search halts.
Now, I don't know where that script is, but it must be in AC, because the same thing happens whether I use IExplorer, Chrome, or Firefox as my default browser.
Of course, if I just go to Google and put in "CPT (disease)" it will search about the same way, but it isn't as elegant, and there is a lot of cut and pasting.

Update this morning.
The Google CPT search is working perfectly this morning.
No idea what that was all about -- I'm not doing anything differently.
I thought it was a Windows 8.1 problem. Guess not.
Anyway --8.1 seems to work just fine now, but I can't use it for office work and medical records without the add-on start button shell.