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Enjoy hassle-free computing today with our in-depth advice
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If you’ve got a Windows 8.1 device and need to know how it works, we’ve got you covered! Windows 8.1 is the very latest version of Windows, and the version that comes installed as standard on all new Windows PCs, tablets or all-in-one devices. It’s pretty incredible what you can do with a new Windows PC running Windows 8.1 these days, from organising and sharing your photos to watching the latest movies and getting updates on your stocks and shares, or simply a forecast for the weather outside. This guide has everything you need to get more from your PC. We start with the basics of setting up a new Windows device, then look at the first things you’ll need to know – the Start screen, the built-in apps and how to navigate around. Next we take a look at connecting your device to the internet, getting Mail set up and
Made Simple books are designed to get you up and running quickly with a new piece of hardware or software. We won’t bombard you with jargon or gloss over basic principles, but we will… Explain everything in plain-English so you can tackle your new device or software with confidence and really get to know how to use it
how to browse the web. After that we take a look at the security and safety features you need to be familiar with and finally we finish off with some tips and tricks for saving time, and fixing common annoyances. So, if you’ve got a Windows 8.1 device, this is your ultimate guide to using it. Keep it near your PC and refer to it often, as I hope you’ll find tips and tricks here that you’ll keep coming back to, time after time. Windows 10 is due out at some point in 2015, and we’ll have a new guide for you when it is, so keep a look out for it! Until then enjoy your guide to using the great Windows 8.1.
Graham Barlow, Editor
Break instructions down into easy-to-follow steps so you won’t be left scratching your head over what to do next Help you discover exciting new things to do and try – exploring new technology should be fun and our guides are designed to make the learning journey as enjoyable as possible for you
Teach you new skills you can take with you through your life and apply at home or even in the workplace Make it easy for you to take our advice everywhere with you by giving you a free digital edition of this book you can download and take with you on your tablet, smartphone or laptop – see page 146 for more details on this offer
How are we doing? Email techbookseditor@futurenet.com and let us know if we’ve lived up to our promises!
Windows 8.1 Made Simple | 5
Welcome & Manifesto
Welcome!
Windows 8.1 Made Simple | Contents
Get started with windows 8.1 Everything you need to know about the OS
Contents 14
70
Edit images in Photos Make your photos look better in Win 8.1
OneDrive
40 From getting started with a new device to getting online and increasing security, it’s all here!
6 | Windows 8.1 Made Simple
How to use Microsoft’s cloud storage system
■ Get started
10 Set up a new Windows 8.1 device 14 Get started with Windows 8.1 30 Use touchscreen gestures 33 Slim down your Start screen 36 Supercharge Windows 8.1
■ Windows basics 40 Edit images in Photos 44 Organise your photographs 48 Discover music 52 Master Media Player 56 Keep in contact 60 Master search in Windows 8.1 63 Share files in Windows 8.1
Use File History to get back deleted files
92 126
FAmily Safety
Keep children safe online
Windows 8.1 shortcuts Save time using your PC
98 130
top 20 tips
Great ways to get more from Windows
■ Get connected
68 Get online with Windows 8.1 70 OneDrive to rule them all 78 Make more of Internet Explorer 11 82 Set up and use Mail 87 Get Skypeing
■ Safety & security
92 Set up Family Safety 96 Supervise your family’s computer usage 98 Recover files with File History 102 Synchronise your device 104 Secure your computer 106 Make Windows tough to crack 111 Keep out viruses and malware for free 114 Restore, refresh or reinstall Windows
■ Tips & tricks
124 Exploring Explorer 126 Master Windows 8.1 shortcuts 130 20 tips for Windows 8.1 140 Fix Windows 8.1 annoyances
Windows 8.1 Made Simple | 7
Windows 8.1 Made Simple | Contents
recover files
It’s time to get up and running with a new Windows 8.1 device 10 Set up a new Windows 8.1 device How to get up and running with a new device, log in to Windows 8.1 and more! 14 Get started with Windows 8.1 Introducing all the main parts of the system and taking your first steps with Windows 8.1 30 Use touchscreen devices A guide to all the gestures you can use with a Windows 8.1 device 33 Slim down your Start screen A handy guide to organising and customising your Windows 8.1 Start screen 36 Supercharge Windows 8.1 Some simple customisation tips for getting more out of a new Windows 8.1 system
Windows 8.1 Made Simple | 9
Get started | Contents
Get started
10 | Windows 8.1 Made Simple
Get started | Set up a new device
Windows device
To log into Windows 8.1 for the first time, you’ll need a Microsoft account – here’s how to get one
S
o, you’ve bought a shiny new Windows 8.1 device. It’s unpacked, plugged in, and humming gently. What’s the first thing you should do? The answer is set up a Microsoft account. Don’t be disheartened by the word ‘account’, because a Microsoft account is the key to unlocking everything that’s great about Windows 8.1, as well as the wider suite of Microsoft products, tools and services.
One account for all At its most basic, a Microsoft account acts as your PC’s first line of defence. That’s because the password you choose when opening your account becomes the one that grants access to your copy of Windows 8.1 and, ultimately, to your new device. Move beyond that and a Microsoft account also lets you access your email. Take a further step and your account will let you explore great products such as Skype, and your Office 365 subscription; it will let you buy games, music, apps and films, and access your
When you’ve got Windows 8.1 running, you should search for and apply the software updates
videos, photographs and documents via Microsoft’s OneDrive. In short, a Microsoft account is the gateway to Microsoft’s magic kingdom. Before we delve into the nuts and bolts of setting up your account, it’s worth looking at a little bit of simple computing theory. Specifically, we’ll look at the cloud. Until very recently, information – your files, pictures, movies and documents – were all stored locally. In other words, they were stored inside your PC, and on a hard disk. The benefit was you could get at them
One of the first jobs you’ll need to do when turning your machine on initially is choose your colour scheme.
Windows 8.1 Made Simple | 11
Get started | Set up a new device
Get started with a new
Get started | Set up a new device
You can easily change the look of your lock screen and stamp your personality on your machine.
quickly. There was, however, a big downside to this way of storing information. If you lost your laptop, you’d lose all of your files too. Also, if you wanted to view a file on a different machine, it would involve some particularly cumbersome messing about to get it. The cloud is a tech term used to describe a different type of storage. Here, your information lives on a remote computer, out on the internet. If you want to access information you just access that external machine and get at your data that way. This style of working has many benefits. If you lose your device, your data remains safe. Storing data in the cloud also makes it easy to access it from all your different computers and devices.
A Microsoft account lets you embrace the benefits of this smarter way of working. In practice, it means your data will feel like it’s following you around! When you’ve got everything set up, pictures taken on your phone will be viewable on your laptop, tablet or Xbox. You’ll be able to get at your email, again, from any of your Microsoft devices. In a nutshell, you’ll be able to get to all of your data, all of the time, in an instant. The only caveat is you’ll need to be connected to the internet. If you’re not, your machine will still work but, Windows 8.1’s clever data-sharing features will be paused until you’re next online.
Safety and privacy The concept of storing your information on a computer you don’t own and have
never seen can feel rather threatening. That’s because our information is precious to us, so handing over valuable stuff to a stranger might feel like a leap into the unknown. But there’s no need to worry. Microsoft will take care of your data, storing it very securely and backed up, cosseted and cared for like the Crown Jewels. In fact, statistically, you’re more likely to lose data through your computer’s hard disk failing than through Microsoft having a catastrophic problem. There is, however, one critical point of weakness, and that’s you. Or, more specifically, the password you choose when creating your Microsoft account (see the walkthrough below). It needs to be difficult to guess, so don’t use words that appear in the dictionary, and avoid names of your friends and family. Rather, use something that combines upper and lower case letters with numbers. Given the importance of your password, we’d advise thinking about it carefully. Microsoft has made a handy tool that’ll help your check the strength of your prospective password – http://bit. ly/1fHVk8D.
Let’s get started Turn on and boot your machine, then decide what colour you want Windows to be dressed in. Just move the on-screen slider through the pallet until your reach a shade you like. Don’t worry if you change your mind at a later date, the colour isn’t fixed and you can amend it.
Setting up your user account
1
Setting up your account
To set up your Windows account you need to fill in an online registration form. Access the form by visiting account.live. com in your web browser, or by tapping ‘Create a new account’ when prompted during your first boot. However you begin the process, the steps you need to complete are the same. Enter your first name, second name, date of birth and a few more details of that nature.
12 | Windows 8.1 Made Simple
2
I don’t have an email address
Your Username is your email address. If you have a Google, Yahoo or any other type of address, enter it here. If you don’t have an email address, don’t worry. Just click ‘Or get a new email address’. In the box under Username enter the address you’d like (it needs to be unique) and select either @hotmail or @outlook. If the name you select isn’t unique, don’t worry – the system will give you some hints.
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