Restart Windows 8 with Windows 8.1

Windows 8 changes are coming

Microsoft made big news last year with the much-anticipated introduction of Windows 8, the software giant’s newest operating system. After months of hype, coupled with six months of special introductory pricing, Win8 has received mixed reviews from users since the beginning of the year. Now, in response to criticism, Microsoft is bringing us Windows 8.1, with a preview available by the end of June 2013, and the full release of the FREE upgrade scheduled for later in the year.

What’s new in Windows 8.1?

The “Home” button is making a comeback! That’s right, of all the things users had to say about Windows 8, the loss of the Start button was perhaps the most annoying. In Windows 8.1, Microsoft demonstrates its willingness to listen by bringing back the button at the bottom left of the screen. The Windows logo will appear whenever the cursor is placed in the lower left corner of the screen and will always be visible on the taskbar when in desktop mode.

While it may not seem like much at first glance, the lack of a Start button was easily the number one complaint received about Win8… go figure.

New home screen and tile sizes

Perhaps the signature switch to Windows when the new OS became available last year, the tile-based Start screen, designed for touchscreen systems, was the most obvious. While the tiles were an effort to make the new OS more user-friendly, traditional users didn’t welcome them with open arms; those with keyboard and mouse.

With four tile sizes available in Windows 8.1, instead of just two in Win8, the update not only makes the Start screen more attractive, but it’s also made it easier to find and use your apps. Additionally, users can now select multiple apps at once, resize, uninstall, or rearrange them to fit their needs. In other words, the home screen has been made fully customizable in Win8.1; a huge improvement over Win8 for desktop users.

Additionally, tiles can be easily rearranged for your convenience, using the new Touch and Hold feature for touch screens in Win8.1.

With Windows 8.1, the new start screen is also a smart screen.

What else is new in the Windows 8.1 update?
While it is not possible to describe all the changes to the Windows operating system that will be available with the Win8.1 update later this year, here are some of the important changes that should be mentioned:

• new lock screen – The lock screen has been turned into a slideshow, which includes images collected from your PC, laptop or tablet, as well as SkyDrive and your phone.
• New all apps screen -With a simple swipe up of your touchscreen device, all the apps on your device are displayed for your perusal. You can also pin your most used apps to the home screen with the new Touch and Hold feature for touch screens.
• New search results added – No longer a simple type and list feature, Windows 8.1 presents users with added search results; gathering Bing web results, SkyDrive results, your own stored files, and any other information related to your search term. Microsoft calls these results “curated” and, truly, the search function has to be seen to be believed.
• Personalize your home screen – With multiple new backgrounds and wallpapers as well as motion-responsive graphics available, you can personalize your home screen like never before.
• Full SkyDrive integration – According to Microsoft, Windows 8.1 now lives “in the cloud” with improved integration with its online storage app, SkyDrive.
• Improved multi view function – With so many users multitasking on the screen, Win8.1’s new multi-view enhancement will please many users, while Win8 frustrated them.

These are just a few of the many improvements to the operating system that Microsoft has confirmed are available with the Windows 8.1 update. Not only will the update be available for all devices currently running Win8, but users of the Windows RT operating system, on the Surface RT for example, will also receive the free update; as are Windows Phone users and users of SkyDrive and Outlook.com.

While often unpopular to complement the Washington-based software giant, it must be said that Microsoft has responded well to Windows 8 users, using the Windows 8.1 update to clean up and improve the user experience available with the introduction of your latest operating system.