Step-by-step instructions with callouts to Windows 8 that show you exactly what to do.

Help when you run into Windows 8 problems or limitations.

Tips and Notes to help you get the most from Windows 8.

Full-color, step-by-step tasks walk you through getting and keeping Windows 8 working just the way you want. Learn how to

• Quickly master Windows 8's fluid, colorful interface--and leave yesterday's Windows behind!
• Get super-productive fast with the latest touch and mouse techniques
• Tweak your Start screen to get easy access to tasks you do every day
• Get up-to-this-instant information with Live Tiles
• Browse the web with the sleek, streamlined Internet Explorer 10
• Use Windows 8's great built-in apps and get more at the new Windows Store
• Secure your computer with custom Lock screens, picture passwords, PIN logons, and location privacy
• Copy, move, and share files through the revamped File Explorer
• View, organize, and share all your photos on your PC, photo sites, and favorite social media accounts
• Work with Windows 7 programs through the Windows 8 desktop
• Keep your files safely backed up and Windows 8 safely updated
• Improve computer performance with Windows 8's updated system tools
• Stream media and share files easily with your PCs, your Xbox 360, tablets, and phones

After writing about technology for 25 years, Katherine Murray believes there's never been a better time to be a tech enthusiast. With the advent of Windows 8, technology is more connected and more integrated with our daily lives than ever before. She's worked with every version of Microsoft Windows released, marveling with the masses at Windows 3.1, swearing at Windows ME, enjoying Windows XP, and threatening to throw her computer off the roof, thanks to Windows Vista. Windows 7 was her favorite version of the operating system, followed in a close second place by Windows XP. But now with Windows 8, she feels Microsoft is in sync with the times, offering a fast, fluid, and secure option for connecting with others, enjoying media, saving to the cloud, and integrating our work across multiple devices. She started writing about technology 25 years ago and still enjoys it, specializing in Microsoft Office technologies and the fascinating ways in which we stay in touch with each other through cloud technology, blogging, social media, and more. You'll find Katherine's blog, BlogOffice, at www.murrayblogoffice.blogspot.com. In addition to writing books, she writes regularly for CNET's TechRepublic and Windows Secrets.