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Windows 8 Quick Guide for New Users

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Windows 8 is fast and builds upon the success of previous versions of Windows, but it’s not exactly the easiest operating system to get used to. Windows 8 has a brand-new look and our beloved Start menu and desktop seems to have vanished in place of a new “Start Screen”. Where in the heck do you go from here?

If you or a friend have recently bought a new Windows 8 PC and you’re completely lost, there’s no need to worry, as Microsoft has released a great Training Brochure (PDF) that covers the basics and also gives you some handy shortcuts to get you around the new OS much faster.

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The guide goes over pretty much everything you need to get started with Windows 8 including basic navigation, app arrangement and grouping, charms, PC settings, App commands, Internet Explorer 10 in Desktop mode and “App Mode”, Security, theme customization, and shortcuts.

Although Windows 8 may be a little scary at first, it’s still a quick and powerful version of Windows that should only improve over time. Once you get used to the new user interface, things should go a lot smoother and this guide will hopefully help you get there.

 

Windows XP Users, It’s Time To Move On

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Windows XP has stood the test of time quite well and has remained one of the most popular versions of Windows for over a decade. Many personal users and businesses are still using Windows XP right now, but that needs to change, and soon.

Why? Microsoft will be killing ALL support for XP on April 8th 2014. How does that affect you? The main reason is security or lack thereof. If Microsoft isn’t providing routine security patches to the operating system then it can quickly become vulnerable to attack. There’s no doubt that once the deadline passes, Windows XP will likely become a breeding ground for malicious code like viruses and spyware since XP will basically have a target on it’s back for not having official support. For this reason alone it’s worth it to upgrade to Windows 7 or 8.1 and unfortunately for some users that may mean buying a new PC.

Of course there are other reasons to upgrade as well including driver support, live technical support from Microsoft, newer applications that won’t run on XP, website compatibility,  and not to mention the fact that a newer PC running Windows 7 or 8 will likely be many times faster. Although Windows 8 got off to a rocky start because of criticism over it’s user interface design, it’s probably one of Microsoft’s fastest versions of Windows.

So don’t wait till after the deadline to make your changes, start the upgrade now or at least put together a game plan, especially if you’re a business.

98 Year Old Makes Amazing MS Paint Art

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While reading through a few articles on web, I came across a truly inspiring video. It’s about a 98 year-old man named Hal Lasko who creates amazing 8-bit style artwork using Microsoft Paint. Hal worked as a graphic artist when he was younger and he used to create his own unique typography by hand.

Hal started using Microsoft Paint later on in his retirement when his family introduced it to him around 2005. Hal has been spending hours upon hours every day since then creating his own unique artwork.

You can view more of Hal Lasko’s artwork at hallasko.com and for a deeper look into Hal Lasko’s world, you can head to WIRED.

How to Easily Shut Down Windows 8.1

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In many ways Windows 8 is pretty awesome, but it has many flaws. One of these flaws is the lack of an intuitive UI. Many people have found that even performing the most common tasks, like shutting down the computer, are very difficult thanks to hidden menus and buttons.  Fortunately , Microsoft is looking to solve these problems with upcoming release of Windows 8.1, which is set to be available to the general public on October 17th.

We originally offered up a solution that allows you to quickly shut down your Windows 8 computer in one step but with the upcoming release of Windows 8.1, this process will no longer be necessary but you can still use it if you prefer. Instead, Microsoft offers it’s own solution, the Start Button.

With the new update, instead of opening the charms bar you can simply right-click the Start Button or press the Windows Key + X, which will open up a menu with the option to Shutdown or Sign Out.