Upgrading to the new Windows 8 operating system is not nearly as complicated as it looks, despite Microsoft's sometimes muddled marketing.
Getting used to using it is a different story.
At midnight Thursday, Microsoft's newest operating system is finally on sale. With more than a billion users, Microsoft's Windows is the dominant PC platform in the world. This launch is a big moment for the company, which is trying to keep those users from leaving for more mobile friendly competitors.
Windows 8 -- Microsoft's biggest gamble
Here are the basics for regular, non-techy Windows users curious about getting started with Windows 8.
What is Windows 8?
Windows 8 is Microsoft's latest operating system. It features touchscreen capabilities and a drastically different interface, and runs on tablets as well as PCs. It can be controlled entirely by touch (on compatible devices), with a mouse and keyboard, or by any combination of your preferred input options.
The operating system is a daring effort by Microsoft to stay relevant as PCs are being overtaken by mobile devices. Apple's iOS and Google's Android operating systems are dominating the tablet and smartphone market, and Microsoft is attempting something big, different and risky to catch up.
This is Microsoft's first operating system since the well-received Windows 7 was released three years ago. It is a complete reimagining of the desktop computer interface, but it is built on the same base as Windows 7, so all your old applications should continue to work just fine. (Except on devices running Windows RT. More on that later.)
What's different in this operating system?
The biggest change in Windows 8 is a system-wide shift in attitude. Apple products have the reputation for being fun and creative, Windows PCs for being dull but hardworking. One brand screams "Angry Birds," the other Excel spreadsheets. Microsoft wants Windows to be hip and enjoyable to use, so it has come up with its own tablet-style interface and tried to make it work on tablets as well as PCs.
At its best, the result adds some much needed life to an all-work-and-no-play operating system. At its worst, Windows 8 feels like two creatures hastily thrown together, à la CatDog. One interface feels better with a touchscreen and gestures, the other with a keyboard and mouse or touchpad.
The familiar desktop view has been pushed to the background to make room for a colorful, touchable, swipeable Start Screen, which acts as your home base. When you start the computer, you'll be greeted with a jazzy array of square and rectangle tiles representing applications, arranged into groups. The tiles can show live information such as your latest e-mail, breaking news, photos, the weather or calendar reminders.
This side of Windows 8 runs apps developed for and sold in the Windows Store. But you can also click on a traditional Windows application and it will open it in the desktop view.
Windows 8 review: A big, beautiful, slightly shaky step forward
Back on the old desktop view, the most visible change is that the Start button is gone. All your old applications look and feel the same in this retro world, though tapping on buttons designed for a mouse can be tricky.
If you get confused, and you will in the beginning, one swipe from the right side of the Start Screen brings up a search tool to help you track down files or applications.
Some Windows users will scoff at the attempts to liven up the old system as pandering to more casual computer users, or as somehow making the system less capable of serious work. But there are also many subtle, under-the-hood changes, including performance improvements. Most notably, the startup time is greatly improved over Windows 7. There also is a new feature called Storage Spaces that makes it easy to manage your various storage and backup options.
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