Lync MX and Skype Crash on Windows 8.1

I got around to upgrading my main laptop to Windows 8.1 this week (finally!) and found I was unable to open the Metro-version apps of both Lync and Skype. They would start to open, show me the splash screen, and then exit. After a bit of digging it appears the crash is caused by the display adapter driver. Seems like Intel still has some issues with their driver for the HD 4000 Graphics on 8.1 and there doesn’t seem to a fix.

In case it saves someone else the time, I’ve already tried all of the following revisions, the latest of which was released less than two weeks ago:

  • 10.18.10.3379
  • 10.18.10.3345
  • 10.18.10.3316
  • 9.18.10.3190 (Windows 8 version)

So you may want to hold off on that upgrade if you have an Intel HD 4000 chip and rely on Lync MX or Skype heavily.

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Hi there. My name is Tom Pacyk and this is my small home on the web. I love the intersection of design, technology, and communication, which is a combination that led me to a career in sales and marketing roles at places like Zoom and ServiceNow. They're a bit old now, but I also had the opportunity to publish a couple of books along the way.

Portland, Oregon is home for me, my wife Beth, and our three kids, but I'm actually a Midwestern transplant—I grew up in the Chicago suburbs and went to school at Purdue and Illinois. When I find some free time I'm probably going to concerts, rooting for the Portland Timbers, or working on my Sunshine Burn Photography project.