Microsoft publishes how-to guide for Windows 8.1 users

Microsoft’s been struggling ever since Windows 8 came to be. This was because OEMs and other parties were less confident with its arrival and the sudden switch to touch controls and the introduction of tablets. However, the common user was definitely excited. But not all fall to that category. Even when Windows 7 launched with a sleek new revamp and a much easier interface, many users still rejected it and went back to their XPs. So, this is common. And the same happens to Windows 8 – some people just love it while some people don’t want to get “updated”.

Even when Microsoft debuted Windows 8.1 bringing powerful features to Windows 8, people still had no clue on where to start. In fact, there were more people IMO who loved to take Windows 8.1 with them but couldn't use it completely as they had little idea on how to use the new interface and such. So, Microsoft since been on a rush to get people use Windows 8.1 and the latest one from the tech giant comes in the form of a downloadable PDF file.

Titled “Windows 8.1 Power Guide for Business”, the guide offers introductory tips and how-to for any user, not just for businessmen. While the nifty 20 page guide looks clean for beginners, it surprisingly is not at all an advanced guide into the OS. What I found as interesting in the guide was the absence of the Windows 8 UI and the apps inside the guide – the major stuff that differentiates it from the predecessors. Instead, Microsoft emphasized on the Desktop, Internet Explorer 11, File Explorers and some apps. There were also some keyboard shortcuts and other workarounds in the last pages. The Metro UI was totally left behind in the guide and was nowhere to be seen which in my thought was a really bad thing. This was the the stuff that needed the promotion. The rest features were already known to most of the Windows users.

Surely, the guide is a good read and you can easily pickup the revamped Desktop interface by going through the pages. If you came for Metro, you will be left disappointed. Let’s hope Microsoft publishes an interesting all-in-one guide pretty soon.