Windows 8 was widely seen as a step in the wrong direction for Microsoft. Continuing its tradition of alternating between good and bad operating system releases, Microsoft followed up the excellent Windows 7 operating system with the bizarre Windows 8, which removed the Start button, removed customization options, and forced users into using a clunky interface designed more for touch screens than desktop PCs.
But Windows 8.1 – the first massive patch for the OS – was supposed to fix all of these problems and finally give users a reason to upgrade to Windows 8, right? Well, if the Windows 8.1 beta is any indication, then you might want to hold off on upgrading until 8.1. Here are 4 reasons why Windows 8.1 is still going to be controversial for many frustrated Windows users:

4) Frustrating upgrade process

Say what you want about Apple products, but Apple sure knows how to roll out firmware updates to users. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Microsoft, which is strangely forcing its users to reinstall all their apps after they upgrade to the full version of Windows 8.1 after trying out the preview. There is one way to avoid this problem: install a separate version of Windows 8.1 on a hard drive petition. But the average user probably doesn’t know how to do that.

3) Internet Explorer 11

Microsoft spent millions marketing Internet Explorer 10. It was the best version of Internet Explorer in a very long time. It was faster and more secure than any version of IE ever released. Unfortunately, it still lagged behind Chrome and Firefox in most benchmark tests, but at least Microsoft tried, right?
Well, for some strange reason, Microsoft has reworked Internet Explorer 10 into Internet Explorer 11 for Windows 8.1. But here’s the thing: they look almost identical and contain very few new features. What’s the point of this switch? I don’t know. But it seems like a desperate move.

2) You better like SkyDrive

There are a bunch of cloud storage services currently competing for users around the world. Major cloud storage services include Dropbox, Google Drive, SkyDrive, and a handful of other big names. Windows 8 included lots of SkyDrive integration features, but it wasn’t as seamless as some would have hoped.
Windows 8.1 delivers on SkyDrive integration in an even bigger way. With 8.1, Microsoft has added SkyDrive into basically everything users do on their PC. That’s great – but what about Dropbox users? Or users of other cloud storage services? Nope! Not an option.
What happened to the old Microsoft operating systems, where users were free to use whatever programs they wanted – regardless of whether or not they were designed by Microsoft? Why is Microsoft so set on making the PC a closed operating system?

1)The Start button

Hey Microsoft: your users like having a Start button that connects to a Start menu. This isn’t hard to figure out. When Microsoft completely removed the Start button with Windows 8, users were in an uproar. But the Windows 8.1 solution isn’t much better. The Start button is back, but it only takes users to the Metro/Modern interface. It’s almost like Microsoft is trolling us.

Hey, it is just a ‘preview’

Windows 8.1 is a preview of the operating system – it’s not quite the full release. Many of these problems might be fixed by the time the full version of Windows 8.1 is released later in 2013.
Or, of course, they might not. Stay tuned to the Fix My PC Free blog to stay up to date on the latest news from the world of PCs.