Windows 8.1: The Missing Manual

What’s New in Windows 8

In the meantime, if you’ve bought, or have been issued, a Windows 8 machine, you’ve got a lot to learn. You’ll notice immediately that Microsoft has moved the furniture around while you were away. But once you learn where things have wound up, you’ll find a lot to like in the redecoration. For example:

• It’s fast. Windows 8 is very fast, both on the desktop and, especially, in TileWorld. The system requirements for Windows 8.1 aren’t any more demanding than they were for Windows 7.

• It’s graceful. Windows 8 nags you less than any version ever. You can’t believe how many operations have been streamlined and simplified.

• It’s phonelike. Windows 8 incorporates a lot of features that are standard in smartphones, like iPhones, Android phones, and Windows Phones. For example, now there’s a Lock screen that shows your battery level and the time. There’s a Refresh command that resets Windows to its factory-fresh condition without disturbing any of your files. And there’s a Reset command that erases it completely (great when you’re about to sell your PC to someone).

  And there’s an app store that’s carefully modeled on the iPhone App Store, for ease in downloading new apps that Microsoft has approved and certified to be virus-free.

• It’s touchscreen friendly. Microsoft strongly believes that someday soon, all computers will have touchscreens—not just tablets, but laptops and desktop computers, too. So Windows 8, especially TileWorld, is filled with touchscreen gestures that ...