Update to Windows 8.1 won't work because of Avast antivirus free software.

[wolflegal]

Well, just from the computer sitting in sleep mode, the chess program appears to have repaired itself, because now it's working just fine.

[wolflegal]

The Microsoft Level 2 tech resolved some issues; but, of course, he couldn't resolve them all; although, he was very nice and tried his best. Now we'll see how it goes and if 8.1 gets more stable as time goes on. There's no Windows Updates for it yet; so, when those start coming down the pike, they should probably resolve some issues. Until then, I'll just try to make do with 8.1 and try to get used to it, hoping that no more problems occur with the Start page. (I don't like the Start page anyway; and, except for games that I don't have in the desktop, I don't use it very much anyhow.)

The tech still didn't resolve the transparency of the desktray; but he's supposed to call back again tomorrow night, so I'll try and remember to ask him about it again then. (I have the adjustments in the Personalization settings turned all the way up, and the desktray is still too transparent.)

Cheers, everyone!

[wolflegal]

The Level 2 tech turned out to be just another self-righteous prick who thinks he's better than other people; and who, when Windows users have something unique like the way I have the GUI of my desktop setup, that has worked for me for years, and because I'm an individual and not like most people, not fitting in and seeking to be like most people as most Westernized people do, blames Windows problems on the customer. When he didn't know what he was doing, he made it look like he supposedly did, by resetting things to their default settings without asking me if I minded him doing so first. Or he had to go look things up and keep me waiting while he tried to figure out how to correct a problem. Then, when I started standing up for myself, and standing up against his actions and lying claims, he started talking to me like I'm supposedly stupid when I'm a highly intelligent person. So, he was just another typical phony, dishonest person who only knew what he was told how to do, and who only knew what to say that he was told to say even if it was a lie. Thus, again as usual, dealing with another so-called "techie" was just a typical experience of frustration that wasted my time and limited energy, which is why I usually don't call Microsoft or any other so-called tech "support" in the first place.

[wolflegal]

Additionally, only one of the tech's several so-called "fixes" corrected any of the problems permanently. Then, a couple of days after I last spoke with him, Windows Updates for Windows 8.1 finally came down the pike, I installed them, and now 8.1 is unstable, with no adjustments that I can find to correct such things as the entire Start page being transparent (intermittently?), crashing coming out of Sleep mode, newly installed games not showing up on the main Start page, desktop transparency still being too "light" or transparent even with the Personalization settings adjusted to their maximum settings, the Devices and Printers window automatically popping up every time upon reboot or Restart, and Windows (falsely?) claiming over and over again that there are hard drive problems (after supposedly "repairing" them) when there are none (unless the update to 8.1 caused them, or Windows is giving false reports of hard drive problems) [drive errors that ostensibly didn't exist in 8.0], etc.

Again, in short, Windows 8.x sucks, and just gets worse as time goes on. Furthermore, Windows is evidently getting worse and worse with each new version, and with some if not many of the Windows Updates; again, making Windows less and less worth it.