Computer Repair in Kalamazoo

 Microsoft Windows 8 Operating System is the most radical design change in Windows since version 3.11 upgraded to Windows 95!  As expected there was initially a lot of resistance to Microsoft’s new touch-centric, mobile based design.  Windows users had grown accustomed to their familiar GUI interface that although had undergone many revisions and modifications during the last decade, essentially stayed the same at its core.

Windows 8 (and now 8.1) changed all that.  Gone is the beloved “Start Menu” button.  The new interface was clearly designed for a touchscreen.  Suddenly there’s an “app store” like on your smartphone with “Modern” style apps.  Not too mention now there’s a difference between “apps” and “applications” that run in Windows 8.  Confused yet?  A lot of new users were.  But don’t fret, it’s not all doom & gloom.  With the “8.1” patch, WIndows 8 became a lot more user friendly to those that opted to use it without a touchscreen.  And WIndows 8 runs many legacy standard Windows applications!

Yes, there is definitely a learning curve when upgrading from Windows 7 or Vista, even more so coming from Windows XP.  Many new Windows 8 users were frustrated at having to re-learn ways to do things that they have been doing for years.  That’s understandable.  But after a couple of weeks of using the new interface, many have come to enjoy the new way of accessing information.

Windows 8.1 is the current upgrade path for most computers running Windows 7.  The minimum requirements are:

Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster with support for PAE, NX, and SSE2

RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) (32-bit) or 2 GB (64-bit)

Hard disk space: 16 GB (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)

Graphics card: Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver

The recommended amount of ram for smooth and efficient operation of the operating system is 4GB.  This will insure that Windows can properly multitask without bottlenecking and slowdowns.  If you want more information on upgrading to Windows 8.1, the crew at Geek Easy Computers is always happy to answer your questions!  Or just drop in with your computer and we can discuss upgrade options for your hardware and operating system.  As always, we want to make your technology easy!!