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Windows 8.1: The Missing Manual
book

Windows 8.1: The Missing Manual

by David Pogue
November 2013
Beginner to intermediate
950 pages
34h 26m
English
O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Content preview from Windows 8.1: The Missing Manual

Installing Windows 8.1

Once you’ve decided to take the plunge and install Windows, you can begin the countdown.

Preparing for the Installation

If you’ve made all the plans and done all the thinking described so far in this chapter, you have only a short checklist left to follow:

  • Update your virus program and scan for viruses—then turn it off. If you’re updating an existing copy of Windows, turn off your virus checker. Also turn off auto-loading programs like non-Microsoft firewall software and Web ad blockers.

  • Confirm that your computer’s BIOS—its basic startup circuitry—is compatible with Windows 8.1. To find out, contact the manufacturer of the computer or the BIOS.

    Don’t skip this step. You may well need to upgrade your BIOS if the computer was made before mid-2006.

  • Gather updated, Windows 8.1–compatible drivers for all your computer’s components. Graphics and audio cards are particularly likely to need updates, so be sure to check the manufacturers’ Web sites—and driver-information sites like www.windrivers.com and www.driverguide.com—and download any new drivers you find there.

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Publisher Resources

ISBN: 9781449371777Errata Page