Until very recently, I was using a headless music pc (without screen, keyboard and mouse). So I was accessing it through RDC - yes, through networking.

I never gave importance on the VGA cable, since its use was only occasional (when accessing the BIOS). Most of the time it was disconnected.

Finally Peter convinced me to use "Stop All Services", so I connected these devices on the music pc to play music. I stopped using RDC and networking accordingly. I am connected to the TV LCD through a VGA cable I have had for quite some times now.

I was aware that a cable with DVI can be better. I won't go into the different DVI possible connections, but I got a cable with a DVI connection at one end and an HDMI connection at the other.

Then something I have never noticed since I have the NOS1 happened: there is a "glare", some voices seems "edgy". There is also some kind of "sizzle" at times, when the sound seems to saturate due to high recording levels (like in analog recordings)...

I connected the VGA cable and while all seems less prominent, it also seems there. The difference is subtle, but it's better than with the DVI-HDMI cable.

Pushing the experience, I changed the settings to have things like they were before: with networking, with RDC, without keyboard, mouse, nor screen.

In the comparison from worst (with "glare") to best (without "glare"):
1. DVI to HDMI
2. VGA to VGA
3. Through RDC (with networking)

The graphic card is a basic ASUS card with nothing in particular.

Has someone else experienced such results ?

Alain

Ok ok ! I will order one too... But what to do with the Sotm USB 3 PCIe card... use it to plug my keyboard or my mouse

Alain

Done !

Maybe you have done this before, but if so, it will at least be a temporary way to test different formats for others...
- Format the playback ramdrive as you want to
- Copy on it the songs you wish to listen to
- In XXHE, you replace the music directory by the ramdrive location and you empty the playback info (as if you don't have any).
- You also uncheck the "Copy to Xxdrive..."

Not a pretty suggestion, but... 

Regards,

Alain

Hi Coen,

It would be a feature request, since it is automatic in XXHE as soon as you use the Playback drive... It never occured to me to see this when you explained you preference for NTFS...

Alain

Hi Juan,

Not really, since I still am not using W8.1. Instead of installing 8.1 on my music PC, I preferred to encounter the different changes with my laptop, even if I don't use it often. I already have discovered a few things, but SQ wise, I am still in a very early stage. And since using unattended at this point is a challenge, I prefer to take my time.

I would like to say "All works !", but our friends at MS have a different angle at things than us... It's like when the highway workers decide to repair a road. We all spend against our will (our running engines wastes gas while we are stuck in traffic)...

Regards,

Alain

Since I have started using SFS at 4 (as per Peter's), it feels like a drug now
The bass has a presence it never really had before. It is as if when you select "4", a new engine is started. And I like it !!!!

Correction: it's like staring at an image of a countryside on TV as opposed to being in the countryside itself.

Alain

I removed my previous post to write it again, since there was a few errors.

It is possible to use Min OS, but unattended mode will potentially give headaches to some users. "Potentially", because as we know it, what happens for an individual will not necessarily happen for another.

From Minimized OS and unattended...

When the music finishes and XXHE comes back, an error appears and is related to explorer.exe (it can't start correctly with the 0xc0000142 error).

I could post the screenshot but though I changed my W8.1 language from French to English, some messages still appears in French. The result is that explorer.exe does not load back, so no icons, no taskbar... I either press Minimize OS to go back in Normal OS mode (it restarts the system), or do a hard shutdown.

I also noticed that using "Start Is Back+" (StartIsBackPlus_setup) also seems to add this error under certain circumstances, but I am less sure about it. There was an update yesterday, but it still was behaving this way. Again this could be fine for someone else.

And remember to bring back the Explorer 8 screen and uninstall Explorer 7 for Win 8...

As for SQ, I will leave this to better pairs of ears than mines

Alain

Peter,

I also thank you, because even if sometimes I do not fully understand your artistic performance in English (......), I can see that you were suggesting the possibility to do this

Now I will try to have the music play with 8.1...

Regards,

Alain

Juan,

Thanks a lot ! I now am in traditional Chinese... Just joking haha

I am in English now ! Super !!!

Alain

Peter,

Exact... I was more at ease with English since programming involved only English programming. But circumstances changed this at home, so now I never looked back. But it is complicated when trying to translate with the correct words...

I don't know why I never thought at some point to switch back to English...

Alain

Yes it's the pro version. I always buy the pro version since sometimes I would have to connect at the office (through VPN) and so I have to specify the domain...

Alain
EDIT: I would gladly change to English, at least it would make things so much easier when we communicate and I have screenshots...

It's the other aspect of it that I am concerned about... Getting an official 8.1 version that will not bring problems... And be in French...

As for the bootable DVD... Maybe I have been lucky, at least for this. I have wasted a lot of CDs and DVDs in some other times though...

Alain

Hi Juan,

Well, almost Only one update is required for the conversion (the KB from my previous post), then restart the PC and access the Windows Store.

BUT****: Jud strongly suggests to uninstall Explorer 7 for 8. I would add to this "Bring back the W8 interface first through Explorer 7 for 8. I  before uninstalling it"... I would do this before converting W8 to W8.1. Not that it is absolutely necessary (I haven't test this), but it does not work with 8.1 anyway...

I presently am at the point where I can minimize OS and bring it back. I will install the NOS1 drivers, then go back in minimize OS and try to see how it works

When I "scr*p" a Windows version, it does not take long to restore it, but it's the almost 4GB of download for W8.1 that takes long... I wish there was an ISO W8.1 file that I could download and install at least on a DVD or a USB stick...

Alain

I did the conversion again from W8 to 8.1. This time, I deactivated all the series of choices that ask if you want to "activate" this and that. I even unplugged the network cable at that point.

Well it did not ask me for an email account this time

Alain

EDIT: I also did not do all the Windows Updates... I only used the KB 2871389. It is the update that prepares W8 for the conversion.
EDIT2: You will know you have not done that update (KB 2871389) when you don't see the possibility to update to W8.1 when you access the Windows Store.

I do the same when I receive this kind of email... Apart from the usual "Enlarge your P...." or "Dear friend, I am the widow of... I have 4 million dollars..." Bla-bla-bla... I will begin to think that I attract all the widows from important but deceased presidents from Africa...

Alain