# Can I undo my upgrade to 8.1? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 19, 2015, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-undo-my-upgrade-to-8-1/710313 "2015-01-19T21:10:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-undo-my-upgrade-to-8-1/710313/1 "2015-01-19T21:10:23Z")
:smack: I am such the idiot! A notice from Microsoft recently popped up that an upgrade to 8.1 (from 8) was available, and like a doofus, thinking that it might be a good thing, I dove in. Big mistake. I now see on line that just about everyone has problems with it. Everything is slower, including even the anti-virus software I use to scan the machine. The solutions I see on line are esoteric, arcane, and beyond my pea brain to comprehend, let alone enact. Is it possible/feasible for a non-computer literate person such as myself to find a way to revert to 8? It worked for me. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Why oh why oh why did I do such a stupid thing? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-undo-my-upgrade-to-8-1/710313/2 "2015-01-19T21:23:55Z")
> [@](#): > > I now see on line that just about everyone has problems with it. yeah, right. the only way you can go back is a re-install of 8. 8.1 wasn’t a big change, certainly nothing to cause the problems you claim you’re having. ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-undo-my-upgrade-to-8-1/710313/3 "2015-01-19T21:50:04Z")
I don’t know if “yeah, right” is meant sarcastically, but if you Google “8.1 slow” you’ll get lots and lots of hits. All the ones I’ve looked at report a wide variety of problems including slowdowns of websites, crashes, and more. Looks like it’s a mess and I’m not the only one to have the problems I’m “claiming” to have. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-undo-my-upgrade-to-8-1/710313/4 "2015-01-19T22:13:33Z")
Windows 8.1 isn’t inherently slower than 8.0. They really didn’t change much with the OS between 8.0 and 8.1. Most of the changes were for desktop users who felt royally screwed by the move to a tablet style user interface (and justly so, IMHO). None of these changes affected the system performance in any way that I’m aware of. That said, there can be some issues. Sometimes things get totally mucked up during a Microsoft upgrade. The only real fix at that point is to save all of your important stuff to a backup drive and wipe the disk and re-install. Installing 8.1 usually works just fine after this. There are a few devices with power management and driver issues that don’t work properly under 8.1. Updating your device drivers may fix a lot of this. Some devices don’t have properly working drivers yet, but sometimes there are configuration parameters that you can tweak to get around the issue. Many systems using certain Intel chipsets have a problem with the Intel Dynamic Platform and Thermal Framework (this particularly affects Lenovo systems but others using the same chipsets will have similar problems). The last I heard, there’s currently no fix for this other than to uninstall the Intel Dynamic Platform and Thermal Framework and disable DPIF in the computer’s BIOS. IE has some updates that can fix slowdown issues as well. I use 8.1 on a system that doesn’t have any of these issues and it’s snappy and doesn’t have any performance-related problems. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-undo-my-upgrade-to-8-1/710313/5 "2015-01-19T22:27:04Z")
Yes, you should be able to. And, whether or not it was the 8.1 upgrade per se, sometimes a specific update or upgrade just won’t agree with your system. You want a System Restore. Instructions on Microsoft Page Look for “Restore your PC to an earlier point in time”. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-undo-my-upgrade-to-8-1/710313/6 "2015-01-19T22:42:18Z")
[Instructions on Microsoft Page](http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/restore-refresh-reset-pc) Working link. :o ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-undo-my-upgrade-to-8-1/710313/7 "2015-01-19T22:48:50Z")
> [@ddsun](#): > > [Instructions on Microsoft Page](http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/restore-refresh-reset-pc) > > Working link. :o Uh, your directions don’t revert him back to 8.0. They reset Windows 8.1 back to its defaults. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-undo-my-upgrade-to-8-1/710313/8 "2015-01-19T23:29:06Z")
He should be able to use the same instructions to find a System Restore point previous to the 8.1 install. Unless 8.1 erases all previous Restore points, in which case I say “frickin Microsoft”. Or unless he’s waited so long there is no Restore point available any more. I just went through this with a different version of the OS. It worked. Not sure why it wouldn’t with 8.1. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-undo-my-upgrade-to-8-1/710313/9 "2015-01-19T23:33:58Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Uh, your directions don’t revert him back to 8.0. They reset Windows 8.1 back to its defaults. To clarify, the page title leads off with “Refresh”. Make sure you scroll down to the “ **SYSTEM RESTORE** ” section. ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-undo-my-upgrade-to-8-1/710313/10 "2015-01-19T23:41:17Z")
As far as I can see, the only restore point is today. I can’t find any other older ones, although it seems that at one point, I was shown a long list of them. I didn’t upgrade to 8.1 today. I think I did it two days ago. Unless there’s a hidden way to find all the old restore dates, I think all the older ones were eliminated. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-undo-my-upgrade-to-8-1/710313/11 "2015-01-20T03:30:03Z")
CC - what make and model did you upgrade? You might need to update some drivers from the maker of your device. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-undo-my-upgrade-to-8-1/710313/12 "2015-01-20T04:07:26Z")
> [@CC](#): > > I don’t know if “yeah, right” is meant sarcastically, but if you Google “8.1 slow” you’ll get lots and lots of hits. All the ones I’ve looked at report a wide variety of problems including slowdowns of websites, crashes, and more. Looks like it’s a mess and I’m not the only one to have the problems I’m “claiming” to have. If you google “[anything] slow” you’ll find plenty of people to agree. This update may have caused some issues, but it’s genuinely not because 8.1 is slower than 8.0. Before attempting to downgrade, make sure you’re FULLY upgraded. If you were still on 8.0, you might have several rounds up of updates to do. ---
**Author:** ![Saturn\_Dreams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Saturn\_Dreams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saturn_Dreams)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2015, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-undo-my-upgrade-to-8-1/710313/13 "2015-01-21T09:18:45Z")
I’ve heard of users experiencing slow downs upgrading from Win 8 to 8.1. In any case, you cannot do a restore to downgrade the OS. You will need to either: [ol] [li]Do a refresh which will restart you with a clean slate except that your files and personal settings will be saved and installed programs will be deleted. (But not store apps.) Or,[/li][li]Do a reset/recovery which will delete and reformat everything to start you off from when you bought it new.[/li][/ol] ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2015, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-undo-my-upgrade-to-8-1/710313/14 "2015-01-21T12:58:29Z")
I’ve had minor issues with an update that resolved fully when, in a week or three, the next update was released. ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2015, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-undo-my-upgrade-to-8-1/710313/15 "2015-01-21T14:28:48Z")
It seems that one of the problems with this upgrade is that it was designed for people who use tablets, phones, etc. and I use a desktop. I don’t have store apps. I’m thinking that I’m just going to have to wait for the fixes and patches to come through. Appreciate the help. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2015, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-undo-my-upgrade-to-8-1/710313/16 "2015-01-21T22:59:09Z")
I’m running 8.1 (on a non-touchscreen laptop) and haven’t noticed any changes at all. How is it supposed to be more desktop-friendly? They didn’t give me my Start menu back or anything. ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2015, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-undo-my-upgrade-to-8-1/710313/17 "2015-01-21T23:03:15Z")
I’m repeating what I heard/read - the upgrade was supposed to make some things (??) better for folks who use mobile devices. Desktop use is worse. No start menu, for example, and no obvious improvements along with the aforementioned slowness. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2015, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-undo-my-upgrade-to-8-1/710313/18 "2015-01-21T23:20:22Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I’m running 8.1 (on a non-touchscreen laptop) and haven’t noticed any changes at all. How is it supposed to be more desktop-friendly? They didn’t give me my Start menu back or anything. Windows 8.1 gave you the start button back, although to be fair it only takes you to the Windows 8 start screen. You’ll have to wait for Windows 10 to get a real start menu back, which won’t be exactly like the old style start menu but it actually looks pretty decent from what I’ve seen. Windows 8.1 gives you the option of booting to the desktop instead of forcing you to start with the Windows 8 start screen. This stops you from saying things like “get this f\*\*\*ing tablet interface out of my way you stupid piece of \*\*\*\*” every time you start your computer, so that’s kinda nice. Basically, you can start in desktop mode and, start menu aside, can pretty much stay there and avoid the tablet interface if you want. The new Windows 8 tablet style programs now have a desktop task bar anchor so that you can do desktop style things like close them from the task bar. So, some improvement, but not enough for a lot of people. Windows 10 looks better, so far. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2015, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-undo-my-upgrade-to-8-1/710313/19 "2015-01-21T23:22:01Z")
Hmmm. It’s possible that 8.1 was preinstalled, then, because I already had the button and boot-to-desktop default. ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-undo-my-upgrade-to-8-1/710313/20 "2015-01-22T13:57:24Z")
Oh, yeah, and now I have no sound. And YouTube doesn’t work. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-undo-my-upgrade-to-8-1/710313.md?page=2)