Windows 8.1 question

VAHillbilly wrote:
Just bought a new laptop with Windows 8.1. Coming from Windows 7 I understand the frustration many have expressed. I have been trying to download Classic Shell to emulate the earlier Windows screen but it is being blocked. The download file is a .exe which apparently 8.1 doesn't like. The laptop has McAfee security but it does not appear to be what is doing the blocking as I tried to download a help app from McAfee and got the same block.

What needs to be modified to allow me to download .exe files from trusted sites? I would like to authorize the .exe download on a case by case basis.

Pretty fair chance the UAC (User Account Control) may be blocking your install.

Is it asking for user name and password?

If so that is UAC and that can be disabled.

See link below (link is Win7 but Win8.1 also has UAC)

UAC Blocking software install

If not asking for User name and password then it maybe the security settings may be set to max for your browser. In this case you could try downloading the file (save file to your PC first) instead of trying to install from the browser.

Once file is on your PC then you can run it to install.

And for the record, I am not impressed with Win8.1 at all.. Spent most of last week beating Win8.1 along with Office 2013 into submission on my new work PC..

Just absolutely retarded the amount of extra steps one must now take to do stupid simple things like printing from Word..

Managed to figure out work arounds for many things that used to be simple in Win7 and below that Win8.1 no longer has..

VAHillbilly wrote:
Just bought a new laptop with Windows 8.1. Coming from Windows 7 I understand the frustration many have expressed. I have been trying to download Classic Shell to emulate the earlier Windows screen but it is being blocked. The download file is a .exe which apparently 8.1 doesn't like. The laptop has McAfee security but it does not appear to be what is doing the blocking as I tried to download a help app from McAfee and got the same block.

I do not understand the problem. You don't like the new Windows Start screen ... that I can understand, but a simple tap on the "Windows" key will take you to the standard Windows desktop screen, very similar to Windows 7. To make this startup permanent, All you do is bring up the desktop by hitting the Windows key, Right click on the Taskbar, click on the Navigation tab, and check the box that says, "When I sign in or close all apps on a screen, go to the desktop instead of Start".

That's it.

I've had absolutely no problems with Windows 8.1 since I bought this computer a year and a half ago. I really don't understand all the bashing it gets. It's much more stable than any other OS I've had since DOS in the 80's.

VAHillbilly wrote:
Just bought a new laptop with Windows 8.1. Coming from Windows 7 I understand the frustration many have expressed. I have been trying to download Classic Shell to emulate the earlier Windows screen but it is being blocked. The download file is a .exe which apparently 8.1 doesn't like. The laptop has McAfee security but it does not appear to be what is doing the blocking as I tried to download a help app from McAfee and got the same block.

What needs to be modified to allow me to download .exe files from trusted sites? I would like to authorize the .exe download on a case by case basis.

This has absolutely nothing to do with Windows 8. Windows does not block you from downloading whatever you wish.

It might be your AV software as suggested by downtheroad so definitely try temporarily disabling your AV software in order to download Classic Shell.

I have been using Win 8 since it was in Beta and have never had it prevent me from downloading whatever I wanted or from opening any file or website I wished. Don't make Win 8 the scapegoat for whatever issues you encounter with your new computer.

BTW, Win 10 is no better or worse than Win 8. They're both perfectly usable OSes.

Appears that windows 10 won't be available until 7-29

And Quote:

So if you’re part of Microsoft’s Windows Insider beta testing program, maybe you’ll get it on July 29th. Maybe. For everyone else, you’d better have clicked that “Get Windows 10” prompt that mysteriously showed up in your Windows toolbar to reserve your digital copy of the OS, because those will also be rolling out in waves. Microsoft doesn’t say if they’re first-come, first-serve, but the company doesn’t say they aren’t, either.

downtheroad wrote:
You can also wait a few weeks and download Windows 10 for free...it will be replacing the disaster Windows 8 anyway.

But who knows what Windows 10 will be like :H

You can also wait a few weeks and download Windows 10 for free...it will be replacing the disaster Windows 8 anyway.

I found this:
Basically I would disable McAfee and try again. If it works, enable McAfee and run a scan to make sure you didn't pick up some thing evil...which is unlikely.

In this case it is far more likely that if you are using an Antivirus/Malware/Internet Security suite that it is blocking or quarantining the file you are attempting to download. If the file you are downloading is from a known and trusted source you can try disabling your antivirus software and attempting the download again. If that still doesn’t get it through then we can try running IE in the no Add On mode and attempting the download. To launch IE with no Add Ons go to Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and clicking the icon for Internet Explorer No Add Ons.