1. 1 TRANSITIONING BETWEEN "WINDOWS XP", "WINDOWS 7", "WINDOWS 8", AND “WINDOWS 8.1 ”

2. 2 Web location for this presentation: http://aztcs.org Click on “Meeting Notes”

3. 3 SUMMARY As of April 8, 2014, Microsoft has discontinued support for "Windows XP" so here is a comparison between "Windows 7", "Windows 8", and "Windows 8.1" to help you select between them.

4. 4 TOPICS o Beyond "Windows XP" o Hardware Requirements o "Start Button" Issues o Running Old Software Applications That Only Run In "Windows XP"

5. 5 TOPICS (continued) o "Windows Media Center" o "Extended Support" End Dates o "Windows 8" and "Windows 8.1" Have "File History" o The "Pro" and "Enterprise" Editions of "Windows 8" And "Windows 8.1" Have "Hyper-V"

6. 6 TOPICS (continued) o "Windows 8" And "Windows 8.1" Have "Storage Spaces" o Hardware Driver Improvements In "Windows 8" And "Windows 8.1" o "Spot Verifier" Service For Hard Drives in "Windows 8" and "Windows 8.1"

7. 7 TOPICS (continued) o Appendix 1: Windows Product Time Line o Appendix 2: Confusion Between "Update To 8.1" and "Update for 8.1"

8. 8 BEYOND "WINDOWS XP"-- THE BIG CHANGES FOR THE COMPUTER USER

9. 9 BEYOND "WINDOWS XP" Microsoft made five big changes to the configuration of "Windows.." when they moved from "..XP" to "..Vista". They kept these five changes for "Windows 7", "Windows 8", and "Windows 8.1":

10. 10 BEYOND "WINDOWS XP" (continued) "Printers and Faxes" in the "Control Panel" Became "Devices and Printers":

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13. 13 BEYOND "WINDOWS XP" (continued) "Scanners and Cameras" Has Been Merged Into "Devices and Printers":

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16. 16 BEYOND "WINDOWS XP" (continued) The "Documents and Settings" Folder Became the "Users" folder:

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19. 19 BEYOND "WINDOWS XP" (continued) "Add or Remove Programs" in the "Control Panel" Became "Programs and Features":

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22. 22 BEYOND "WINDOWS XP" (continued) "Add Hardware" in the "Control Panel" No Longer Exists:

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25. 25 BEYOND "WINDOWS XP" (continued) These changes are explained in more detail at http://aztcs.org/meeting_notes /winhardsig/win8.1/beyondWin XP.pdf http://aztcs.org/meeting_notes /winhardsig/win8.1/beyondWin XP.pdf

26. 26 HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS

27. 27 HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS WINDOWS 7 REQUIRES AT LEAST A 1+ GIGAHERTZ PROCESSOR WITH AT LEAST 1 GB OF RAM WINDOWS 8+ REQUIRES PROCESSOR WITH PAE, NX, and SSE2 WINDOWS 8.1 + REQUIRES PROCESSOR WITH PAE, NX, SSE2, and, if you have a 64-bit processor: CMPXCHG16b, PrefetchW, and LAHF/SAHF

28. 28 HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS (continued) Computers with Intel "Pentium 4" processors have had exceptionally durable life spans. They were sold from 2000 to 2008 and many of them are still alive and well. Most of them were sold with "Windows XP" installed.

29. 29 HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS FOR OLD "PENTIUM 4" COMPUTERS WINDOWS 7 REQUIRES A "PENTIUM 4" (OR HIGHER) PROCESSOR WINDOWS 8 RUNS ON 30 PERCENT OF "PENTIUM 4" COMPUTERS WINDOWS 8.1 RUNS ON VERY FEW "PENTIUM 4" COMPUTERS

30. 30 HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS (continued) Two ways to determine If your old "Pentium 4" computer can run "Windows 8" or "Windows 8.1: Method 1: Run "coreinfo.exe" Method 2: Attempt to install the free "Windows 8 Enterprise Evaluation" or the free "Windows 8.1 Enterprise Evaluation"

31. 31 HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS (continued) Method 1: Run Microsoft's free "coreinfo" to determine if your old "Pentium 4" Computer can run "Windows 8" or "Windows 8.1": See http://aztcs.org/meeting_notes/wi nhardsig/win8/old-computer- Win8.pdf http://aztcs.org/meeting_notes/wi nhardsig/win8/old-computer- Win8.pdf

32. 32 HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS (continued) Method 2: Attempt to install the free "Windows 8.1 Enterprise Evaluation" or the free "Windows 8.1 Enterprise Evaluation".

33. 33 HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS (continued) Method 2 (continued): To download and attempt to install the free "Windows 8 Enterprise Evaluation", see http://technet.microsoft.com/en- US/evalcenter/dn407368 or http://aztcs.org/meeting_notes/winh ardsig/win8/win8enteval.pdf http://technet.microsoft.com/en- US/evalcenter/dn407368 http://aztcs.org/meeting_notes/winh ardsig/win8/win8enteval.pdf

34. 34 HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS (continued) Method 2 (continued): To download and attempt to install the free "Windows 8.1 Enterprise Evaluation", see http://technet.microsoft.com/en- us/evalcenter/hh699156.aspx?ocid =wc-tn-wctc or http://aztcs.org/meeting_notes/winh ardsig/win8.1/win8.1enteval.pdf http://technet.microsoft.com/en- us/evalcenter/hh699156.aspx?ocid =wc-tn-wctc http://aztcs.org/meeting_notes/winh ardsig/win8.1/win8.1enteval.pdf

35. 35 "START BUTTON" ISSUES

36. 36 "START BUTTON" ISSUES WINDOWS 7 "START BUTTON" IS AVAILABLE WINDOWS 8 "START BUTTON" IS MISSING, BUT.. WINDOWS 8.1 WHITE "START BUTTON" BUT IT MAINLY TAKES YOU TO THE "START SCREEN"

37. 37 "START BUTTON" ISSUES (continued) "Windows XP" has a "Start Button" and a "Start Menu" that looks like this:

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40. 40 "START BUTTON" ISSUES (continued) "Windows 7" has a "Start Button" and a"Start Menu" that looks like this:

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43. 43 "START BUTTON" ISSUES (continued) "Windows 8" has an invisible "zero pixel Start Button" in the lower left-hand corner of both the "Desktop" and the "Start Screen":zero pixel Start Button

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46. 46 "START BUTTON" ISSUES (continued) In the Desktop of "Windows 8", when you hover the mouse cursor over this invisible "zero pixel Start Button", a thumbnail of the "Start Screen" will pop up:zero pixel Start Button

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48. 48 "START BUTTON" ISSUES (continued) In the "Start Screen" of "Windows 8", when you hover the mouse cursor over this invisible "zero pixel Start Button", a thumbnail of the "Desktop" will pop up, if you have already been to the "Desktop" at least once:zero pixel Start Button

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52. 52 "START BUTTON" ISSUES (continued) "Windows 8.1" has a white "Start Button" in the lower-left corner of the "Desktop":

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55. 55 "START BUTTON" ISSUES (continued) "Windows 8.1" has a auto-hiding white "Start Button" that pops up when you hover the mouse cursor in the lower-left corner of the "Start Screen":

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59. 59 "START BUTTON" ISSUES (continued) If you are in the "Desktop" of "Windows 8" or "Windows 8.1" and you (left) click on the invisible "Start Button" of "Windows 8" or the white "Start Button of "Windows 8.1", it takes you to the "Start Screen":

60. 60 "START BUTTON" ISSUES (continued) In other words, for both "Windows 8" and "Windows 8.1", the "Start Button" in the Desktop takes you to the new- fangled "Start Screen" (instead of to a "Start Menu" like it did in "Windows 95" through "Windows 7").

61. 61 "START BUTTON" ISSUES (continued) If you use your RIGHT mouse button to click on the "zero pixel Start Button" of "Windows 8" or the "Start Button" of "Windows 8.1", you get a "Windows Key + x" pop-up menu = "Power User Menu" which is useful but it only contains a fraction of what used to be in the "Start Menu" in "Windows 7":

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64. 64 "START BUTTON" ISSUES (continued) If you are in the "Start Screen" and you have never been to the "Desktop" and you click on the "zero pixel Start Button" of "Windows 8" or auto-hidden "Start Button" of "Windows 8.1", it takes you back to whatever screen of "Metro" app you were in earlier.

65. 65 "START BUTTON" ISSUES (continued) If you are in the "Start Screen" and you (left) click on the "zero pixel Start Button" of "Windows 8" or the auto-hidden "Start Button" of "Windows 8.1", it takes you back to the "Desktop", if you have already been to both the "Desktop" AND the "Start Screen" at least once.

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70. 70 "START BUTTON" ISSUES (continued) Having an old-fashioned (Windows 7-style or Windows XP-style) "Start button" and an old-fashioned "Start Menu" is important because many "Windows.." applets and many third-party software programs depend on the "Start Menu" as a key menu interface for you.

71. 71 "START BUTTON" ISSUES (continued) Two workarounds for the loss of the "Start Button" in "Windows 8" and "Windows 8.1 o Third-party programs to put back a "Start Button" o You can make three toolbars that pop-up from the "Taskbar" to replace the "Start Button"

72. 72 "START BUTTON" ISSUES (continued) Many third-party, utility software programs bring back the "Start button" for "Windows 8" and "Windows 8.1". Some are free and some are not free.

73. 73 "START BUTTON" ISSUES (continued) Jim Evans of APCUG recommends the not-free "Start8" program by "Stardock Corporation". See http://www.stardock.com/prod ucts/start8/ http://www.stardock.com/prod ucts/start8/

74. 74 "START BUTTON" ISSUES (continued) For a list of free and not-free programs that bring back a "Start Button" and a "Start Menu" for "Windows 8" and "Windows 8.1", see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List _of_Start_Menu_replacements _for_Windows_8 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List _of_Start_Menu_replacements _for_Windows_8

75. 75 "START BUTTON" ISSUES (continued) However, all of these software programs run "memory resident" in the background. Like all "memory resident" programs and they use up RAM and CPU cycles that affect the speed and reliability of your computer.

76. 76 "START BUTTON" ISSUES (continued) To get back the functionality of the "Start Button" with minimal "overhead" utilization of RAM and CPU cycles, you can right- click on the "Taskbar" of the "Desktop" to make yourself three pop-up toolbars that replace the original start button.

77. 77 "START BUTTON" ISSUES (continued) This workaround replacement for the "Start Button" makes use of three pop-up toolbars on the "Taskbar": One is called "Start Menu". One is called "Program Files (x86). One is called "Program Files".

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86. 86 "START BUTTON" ISSUES (continued) For step-by-step pictorial instructions on how to create the three replacement "toolbars", see http://aztcs.org/meeting_notes /winhardsig/win8/TaskbarToolb ars-StartButton.pdf http://aztcs.org/meeting_notes /winhardsig/win8/TaskbarToolb ars-StartButton.pdf

87. 87 RUNNING OLD SOFTWARE PROGRAMS THAT ONLY RUN IN "WINDOWS XP"

88. 88 RUNNING OLD SOFTWARE PROGRAMS THAT ONLY RUN IN "WINDOWS XP" Let's compare the native, bundled capabilities of "Windows 7", "Windows 8", and "Windows 8.1" for running old software programs that only run in "Windows XP":

89. 89 "WINDOWS 7 PROFESSIONAL", "WINDOWS 7 ENTERPRISE", OR "WINDOWS 7 ULTIMATE" "WINDOWS XP MODE" CAN BE DOWNLOADED FOR FREE (="WINDOWS XP PROFESSIONAL") RUNNING OLD SOFTWARE PROGRAMS THAT ONLY RUN IN "WINDOWS XP"

90. 90 "WINDOWS 8 PRO" OR "WINDOWS 8 ENTERPRISE") TURN ON "HYPER-V" TO RUN YOUR COPY OF "WINDOWS XP" "WINDOWS 8.1 PRO" OR "WINDOWS 8 ENTERPRISE") TURN ON "HYPER-V" TO RUN YOUR COPY OF "WINDOWS XP" RUNNING OLD SOFTWARE PROGRAMS THAT ONLY RUN IN "WINDOWS XP" (continued)

91. 91 RUNNING OLD SOFTWARE PROGRAMS THAT ONLY RUN IN "WINDOWS XP" "Windows 7 Professional", "Windows 7 Enterprise", and "Windows 7 Ultimate" all have the ability to download and run a free copy of "Windows XP called "Windows XP Mode" at no additional cost.

92. 92 RUNNING OLD SOFTWARE PROGRAMS THAT ONLY RUN IN "WINDOWS XP" "Windows 7 Starter", "Windows 7 Home Basic", and "Windows 7 Home" premium do not allow you to download "Windows XP Mode".

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102. 102 "WINDOWS MEDIA CENTER"

103. 103 "WINDOWS MEDIA CENTER" ("WMC") WINDOWS 7 "WMC" IS BUNDLED IN WITH THE "WINDOWS 7 HOME PREMIUM", "WINDOWS 7 PROFESSIONAL", AND "WINDOWS 7 ENTERPRISE"

104. 104 WINDOWS 8 "WMC" CAN BE PURCHASED ONLINE FOR "WINDOWS 8 PRO" EDITION OF "WINDOWS 8" "WINDOWS MEDIA CENTER" ("WMC") (continued)

105. 105 WINDOWS 8.1 "WMC" CAN BE PURCHASED ONLINE FOR "WINDOWS 8.1 PRO" EDITION OF "WINDOWS 8.1" "WINDOWS MEDIA CENTER" ("WMC") (continued)

106. 106 "WINDOWS MEDIA CENTER" (continued) If you have a copy of any edition "Windows 7" (that is not "Windows 7 Starter"), then it will have a "Windows Media Center" bundled in it.

107. 107 According to http://windows.microsoft.co m/en- us/windowhttp://windows.m icrosoft.com/en- us/windows-8/feature- packss-8/feature-packs http://windows.microsoft.co m/en- us/windowhttp://windows.m icrosoft.com/en- us/windows-8/feature- packss-8/feature-packs

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109. 109 If your PC is running Windows 8.1, you can get Windows 8.1 Pro Pack and enjoy all the features of Windows 8.1 Pro as well as Windows Media Center for $99.99 USD ERP.

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111. 111 If your PC is running "Windows 8.1 Pro" and you'd like to watch and record TV with "Windows Media Center", you can get "Windows 8.1 Media Center Pack" for $9.99 USD ERP.

112. 112 "WINDOWS MEDIA CENTER" (continued) If you have a copy of "Windows 8.1", it will probably be a copy of the "Windows 8.1" ("core") edition of "Windows 8.1". Any ad for a computer that says "and Windows 8" or "with Windows 8" implies that the "core" "Windows 8" edition of the "Windows 8" product present.

113. 113 "WINDOWS MEDIA CENTER" (continued) To get "Windows Media Center" for a "Windows 8" core computer, you first have to purchase and install upgrade to "Windows 8.1 Pro" edition with the "Windows 8.1 Pro Pack". Then you have to purchase and install "Windows Media Center".

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115. 115 Start with "Windows 8.1" ("core") edition of "Windows 8.1" Upgrade it with "Windows 8.1 Pro Pack" ($100) so that it becomes "Windows 8.1 Pro" edition of "Windows 8.1 Then install "Windows Media Center" ($10) by buying it in the online "Windows Store".

116. 116 For most "Windows 8.." computer users, the cost of installing "Windows Media Center" is $110. Most "Windows 8.." computer users are better off using the free "VLC Video Player" which can be safely downloaded only from http://www.videolan.org/vlc/index.ht ml http://www.videolan.org/vlc/index.ht ml "WINDOWS MEDIA CENTER" (continued)

117. 117 A detailed description of most of the features of the free "VLC Media Player" can be found at http://www.videolan.org/vlc/features.html To play Blu-Ray Discs in "VLC Media Player", you have to add a few drivers as described in great detail at http://forum.notebookreview.com/window s-os-software/699817-playing-blu-ray- discs-windows-8-using-vlc-media- player.html http://www.videolan.org/vlc/features.html http://forum.notebookreview.com/window s-os-software/699817-playing-blu-ray- discs-windows-8-using-vlc-media- player.html "WINDOWS MEDIA CENTER" (continued)

118. 118 The only feature that the free "VLC Media Player" is missing is the ability to provide "Television Inside PC" with a USB, PCI, or PCIe television tuner. "WINDOWS MEDIA CENTER" (continued)

119. 119 Hauppauge's "WinTV", which is bundled in with their USB, PCI, or PCIe television tuners, is a better choice for "Television inside PC" relative to paying $100 + $10 for "Windows Media Center". "WINDOWS MEDIA CENTER" (continued)

120. 120 "EXTENDED SUPPORT" END DATES

121. 121 "EXTENDED SUPPORT" END DATES WINDOWS 7 EXTENDED SUPPORT ENDS ON JANUARY 14, 2020 WINDOWS 8 JANUARY 8, 2016 (WINDOWS 8.1 UPGRADE FROM THE "WINDOWS STORE" BECOMES MANDATORY ON THIS DATE) WINDOWS 8.1 EXTENDED SUPPORT ENDS ON JANUARY 10, 2023

122. 122 "EXTENDED SUPPORT" END DATES (continued) "Windows 8.1" will have a longer period of "extended support" into the future relative to "Windows 7".

123. 123 "WINDOWS 8" AND "WINDOWS 8.1" HAVE "FILE HISTORY"

124. 124 "FILE HISTORY" APPLET WINDOWS 7 DOES NOT HAVE "FILE HISTORY" WINDOWS 8 HAS "FILE HISTORY" APPLET IN THE "CONTROL PANEL" WINDOWS 8.1 HAS THE "FILE HISTORY" APPLET IN THE "CONTROL PANEL"

125. 125 "WINDOWS 8" AND "WINDOWS 8.1" HAVE "FILE HISTORY" The "File History" feature of "Windows 8" and "Windows 8.1" automatically stores "frozen" copies of changed data files at designated intervals of time.

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138. 138 THE "PRO" AND "ENTERPRISE" EDITIONS OF "WINDOWS 8" AND "WINDOWS 8.1" HAVE "HYPER-V"

139. 139 THE "PRO" AND "ENTERPRISE" EDITIONS OF "WINDOWS 8" AND "WINDOWS 8.1" HAVE "HYPER-V" "Hyper-V" is a virtual machine program that is bundled with the "Pro" and "Enterprise" editions of "Windows 8" and "Windows 8.1".

140. 140 THE "PRO" AND "ENTERPRISE" EDITIONS OF "WINDOWS 8" AND "WINDOWS 8.1 HAVE "HYPER-V" WINDOWS 7 "HYPER-V" IS NOT AVAILABLE "WINDOWS 8 PRO" AND "WINDOWS 8 ENTERPRISE") "HYPER-V" IS AVAILABLE AT NO ADDITIONAL COST "WINDOWS 8.1 PRO" AND "WINDOWS 8.1 ENTERPRISE" "HYPER-V" IS AVAILABLE AT NO ADDITIONAL COST

141. 141 THE "PRO" AND "ENTERPRISE" EDITIONS OF "WINDOWS 8" AND "WINDOWS 8.1" HAVE "HYPER-V" The Microsoft-proprietary "VMbus" technology of "Hyper-V" lets you create faster virtual machines relative to any third-party virtual machine program.

142. 142 THE "PRO" AND "ENTERPRISE" EDITIONS OF "WINDOWS 8" AND "WINDOWS 8.1" HAVE "HYPER-V" (continued) Instead of "Hyper-V", "Windows 7 Professional", "Windows 7 Enterprise", and "Windows 7 Ultimate" all have the ability to run the older "Windows Virtual PC" virtual machine program instead.

143. 143 THE "PRO" AND "ENTERPRISE" EDITIONS OF "WINDOWS 8" AND "WINDOWS 8.1" HAVE "HYPER-V" (continued) Unlike the free third-party "virtual machine programs", Hyper-V has no direct "USB support" and difficult sound card support. In comparison the free "VMware Player" excels at these two features.

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152. 152 THE "PRO" AND "ENTERPRISE" EDITIONS OF "WINDOWS 8" AND "WINDOWS 8.1" HAVE "HYPER-V" (continued) For details about using the "Hyper-V" virtual machine program in "Windows 8" or "Windows 8.1", see http://aztcs.org/meeting_notes/winha rdsig/virtualmachines/Hyper- V/Hyper-V.pdf http://aztcs.org/meeting_notes/winha rdsig/virtualmachines/Hyper- V/Hyper-V.pdf

153. 153 "WINDOWS 8" AND "WINDOWS 8.1" HAVE "STORAGE SPACES"

154. 154 "WINDOWS 8" AND "WINDOWS 8.1" HAVE "STORAGE SPACES" WINDOWS 7 "Storage Spaces" is not available. Windows 8 "Storage Spaces" is available from inside the "Control Panel" Windows 8.1 "Storage Spaces" is available from inside the "Control Panel"

155. 155 "WINDOWS 8" AND "WINDOWS 8.1" HAVE "STORAGE SPACES" (continued) The "Storage Spaces" feature of "Windows 8" and "Windows 8.1" lets you mirror two hard drives for redundancy (= "software RAID 1").

156. 156 "WINDOWS 8" AND "WINDOWS 8.1" HAVE "STORAGE SPACES" (continued) A failure of a single hard drive in a "two-way mirror" pair of hard drives will not cause you to loose data files because the data files also reside in the other hard drive.

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163. 163 "WINDOWS 8" AND "WINDOWS 8.1" HAVE "STORAGE SPACES" Using "Storage Spaces in "Windows 8.." for Real-Time Automatic Backup of Data Files and Folders": http://aztcs.org/meeting_notes/wi nhardsig/win8/StorageSpaces- howto.pdf http://aztcs.org/meeting_notes/wi nhardsig/win8/StorageSpaces- howto.pdf

164. 164 "WINDOWS 8" AND "WINDOWS 8.1" HAVE "STORAGE SPACES" (continued) "Storage Spaces" Successes and Failures See http://aztcs.org/meeting_notes /winhardsig/win8/StorageSpac es-successesand.pdf http://aztcs.org/meeting_notes /winhardsig/win8/StorageSpac es-successesand.pdf

165. 165 HARDWARE DRIVER IMPROVEMENTS IN "WINDOWS 8" AND "WINDOWS 8.1"

166. 166 HARDWARE DRIVER IMPROVEMENTS IN "WINDOWS 8" AND "WINDOWS 8.1" Faster, sharper graphics and video rendering in both the "Windows Store apps" and legacy desktop application, with a greater improvement in "Windows Store apps" relative to legacy desktop applications.Faster, sharper graphics and video rendering in both the "Windows Store apps" and legacy desktop application, with a greater improvement in "Windows Store apps" relative to legacy desktop applications

167. 167 HARDWARE DRIVER IMPROVEMENTS IN "WINDOWS 8" AND "WINDOWS 8.1" (continued) Native USB 3 support instead of vendor-suppled drivers for "USB 3" adapters/controllers.Native USB 3 support V4 Printer Drivers—faster, smaller, fewer printer driversV4 Printer Drivers

168. 168 "SPOT VERIFIER" SERVICE FOR HARD DRIVES In "Windows 8" and "Windows 8.1":

169. 169 "SPOT VERIFIER" SERVICE FOR HARD DRIVES "Windows 8" and "Windows 8.1" have a "Spot Verifier" service that keeps a real-time list of possible bad spots on your hard drives:

170. 170 "SPOT VERIFIER" SERVICE FOR HARD DRIVES WINDOWS 7 DOES NOT HAVE "SPOT VERIFIER" SERVICE WINDOWS 8HAS "SPOT VERIFIER" SERVICE WINDOWS 8.1HAS "SPOT VERIFIER" SERVICE

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173. 173 "SPOT VERIFIER" SERVICE FOR HARD DRIVES (continued) When you start "Error Checking" in a "Windows 8" or "Windows 8.1" computer, you get a notification that either says "We haven't found any errors on this drive." OR "We found potential errors on this drive."

174. 174 "SPOT VERIFIER" SERVICE FOR HARD DRIVES (continued) This is because Windows 8 new "Spot Verifier" service keeps a real time, constantly-updated record of the locations of any hard drive errors.

175. 175 "SPOT VERIFIER" SERVICE FOR HARD DRIVES (continued) The "Spot Verifier" dramatically reduces the time that it takes to do the "Error Checking" maintenance procedure on a hard drive.

176. 176 "SPOT VERIFIER" SERVICE FOR HARD DRIVES (continued) The "Spot Verifier" service is implemented as C:\Windows\System32\svsvc.dll

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184. 184 APPENDIX 1: "WINDOWS.." PRODUCT TIME LINE

185. 185 WINDOWS PRODUCT TIME LINE October 22, 2009--General availability release of Windows 7. October 17, 2013--General availability release of Windows 8.1 October 17, 2014--Non-mandatory, free upgrade called "Update To Windows 8.1" for existing Windows 8 computers.

186. 186 WINDOWS PRODUCT TIME LINE (continued) April 8, 2014--End of Extended Support for Windows XP

187. 187 WINDOWS PRODUCT TIME LINE (continued) April 8, 2014--Update for Windows 8.1 (= "Update 1 for Windows 8.1" = KB 2919355) for existing Windows 8.1 computers was released by means of "Windows Update"

188. 188 WINDOWS PRODUCT TIME LINE (continued) May 13, 2014--Update for Windows 8.1 (= "Update 1 for Windows 8.1" = KB 2919355) became a "mandatory" "important" update for existing Windows 8.1 computers.

189. 189 WINDOWS PRODUCT TIME LINE (continued) July 2014--Publicly-available preview of "Windows 8.2" which might also be known as "Update 2 for Windows 8.1".

190. 190 WINDOWS PRODUCT TIME LINE (continued) August or Summer 2014—"Update to Windows 8.2" or "Update 2 for Windows 8.1" for existing Windows 8.1 computers will be released by means of "Windows Store"

191. 191 WINDOWS PRODUCT TIME LINE (continued) January 2015—Publicly- available preview of "Windows 9" (= "Threshold")

192. 192 WINDOWS PRODUCT TIME LINE (continued) April 2015—Probable general availability release of "Windows 9" (= "Threshold")

193. 193 WINDOWS PRODUCT TIME LINE (continued) July 14, 2015--End of updates for "Microsoft Security Essentials" installed into "Windows XP"

194. 194 APPENDIX 2: CONFUSION BETWEEN "UPDATE TO WINDOWS 8.1" AND "UPDATE FOR WINDOWS 8.1":

195. 195 WINDOWS PRODUCT TIME LINE (continued) January 8, 2016--Update to Windows 8.1 via the "Windows Store" becomes a mandatory important update for existing Windows 8 computers mandatory

196. 196 WINDOWS PRODUCT TIME LINE (continued) April 11, 2017—End of Extended Support For Windows Vista January 14, 2020—End of Extended Support For Windows 7 January 10, 2023—End of Extended Support For Windows 8.1January 10, 2023

197. 197 WINDOWS PRODUCT TIME LINE (continued) There is no super urgency or justification to upgrade existing "Windows Vista" and "Windows 7" computers up to "Windows 8" or "Windows 8.1":

198. 198 WINDOWS PRODUCT TIME LINE (continued) There is no rush to upgrade existing Windows 8 computers to Windows 8.1 since you can do it for free from October 17, 2013 to January 8, 2016.

199. 199 CONFUSION BETWEEN "UPDATE TO 8.1" AND "UPDATE FOR 8.1" Please do not confuse "Update for Windows 8.1" (="Update 1 for Windows 8.1"= KB 2919355) which was released on April 8, 2014 with the "Update to Windows 8.1 from Windows 8" which was released on October 17, 2013:

200. 200 CONFUSION BETWEEN "UPDATE TO 8.1" AND "UPDATE FOR 8.1" (continued) "Update for Windows 8.1" (="Update 1 for Windows 8.1"= KB 2919355) is a free update for "Windows 8.1" which makes cosmetic and usability changes to "Windows 8.1" and which becomes a "mandatory" "important" update for "Windows 8.1" computers on May 13, 2014.

201. 201 CONFUSION BETWEEN "UPDATE TO 8.1" AND "UPDATE FOR 8.1" (continued) "Update to Windows 8.1 from Windows 8" is a free upgrade for "Windows 8" which takes you from "Windows 8" up to "Windows 8.1" and which becomes a "mandatory" "important" update for "Windows 8" computers on January 8, 2016.

202. 202 REFERENCES http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of _features_removed_in_Windows _8http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of _features_removed_in_Windows _8 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Featur es_new_to_Windows_8http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Featur es_new_to_Windows_8