So you have a new computer and it has windows 8. Many people do not like the new system and it does have some different ways to do things. But the truth is, Windows 8 is a very good system and a big upgrade from Windows 7 or anything before. For the most part, the biggest issue is the interface and how to get around. This outline should help you get through these differences and make your windows experience much easier. Learning about the new interface should not take long. If you have any questions or would like personal training, please contact: info@hstar.net

If you know you have windows 8.1 Click here to jump to basic windows 8.1 instructions The first thing that you need to do is make sure you have the Windows 8.1 upgrade. Here are instructions that will apply to windows 8 and windows 8.1

1. Pull out the Charms sidebar by moving your mouse to the top right corner, or swiping from the right.
2. Select the search icon
3. Type: “computer”
4. Right click on “This PC” and choose Properties
5. A new Window called “System” will open and tell you what version you have.

If you only have windows 8, then you will need to upgrade to 8.1. It is highly recommended and comes with some very good new features. There are some considerations:

• Please note, it is recommended that you backup your data but Hstar has had good success with updates that do not crash the system.
• the update is 3.6 Gb so you may need to give yourself a lot of time, or even do it overnight.
• You are forced to have a Microsoft account (eamil@msn.com, @hotmail, @live, @outlook, etc) This can beneficial to your system

Instructions:

1. From the start page go to “Store” app, it is usually green
2. Choose Windows 8.1 upgrade. It should be the first item.
3. Follow instructions to install, it should be easy
4. you can work while the download is working, just know that if you are online, it slows your download rate.
5. When finished, you will need to restart your computer. It will take some time for it to fully upgrade.
6. Follow the steps to use 8.1. It may seem like a new setup for a new system, but all your old data should still be available.

Here are some basics of how to use windows 8.1

Desktop mode is particularly helpful for those who have used any other version of windows before. Windows 8 now has no start menu, but rather a start screen that uses tiles designed for touchscreen tablet computers. However, most people will not use these functions and instead mostly operate in the desktop. This will be more familiar of an operation. No matter where you are, you can always get to the desktop by:

1. Press the Windows Icon Key on the Keyboard (bottom left, between ctrl (or fn) and alt)
2. find the Desktop Tile and click on it.

With windows 8.1 you can now make your computer start-up in the desktop. To do this you should:

1. Go to the desktop
2. Move your mouse to the bottom tray and right click
3. ??????? settings?
4. ??? Click on the tab “environments?”
5. ????Check the box “start in desktop”
6. Click OK

You may notice that there are tiles that do certain things like Mail, Calendar, etc. The easiest way to explain these are as “Apps” and what you run in the desktop as “Programs.” True, they are all applications or Programs, but with the proliferation of smartphones. Apps and programs have a kind of unique distinction. However, for most users of Windows 8, they will mostly be in the desktop and be using “programs.”

A very helpful function is pinning. You can pin your most used programs to the taksbar that is present in the desktop. You can also pin or unpin anything from the start screen or the taskbar. Generally all you need to do is right click on the program and choose the desired option. Here is how to find the full list of programs and pin one to the taskbar:

1. Go to the start screen (press windows icon on keyboard)
2. Move your mouse to below the most bottom left tile. A down arrow should appear, click this
3. You are now in the all programs screen. Find the icon for the program you want to pin
4. Right click on it
5. Below, there are now some options. Find “Pin to taskbar” and click it.