Mr. Fixit's PC Upgrade and Repair
Changes in Windows 8
Microsoft removed many features that were in Windows 7 version.  Desktop Gadgets (i.e. Windows Sidebar), Windows Flip 3D,  Aero
Glass and Windows Classic themes were removed. Games like Chess Titans, Mahjong Titans, Purble Place, InkBall, Minesweeper,
FreeCell and Solitaire were also removed. "Manage wireless networks" option on the task pane in Network and Sharing Center control
panel was removed. Shortcuts for the Bluetooth File Transfer wizard, which was added in Windows 7 for devices with Bluetooth
communication, was removed. Windows Media Center is no longer included on any edition of Windows 8, but is available as a paid
add-on for Windows 8 Pro. Windows Media Player no longer includes codecs for DVD playback support. MPEG-2 video codec is no
longer included.  Must use a 3rd-party software to watch DVDs and videos.

Backup and Restore was deprecated and renamed Windows 7 File Recovery.  It still works with preset schedules but was pushed to
the background and only accessed in control panel.  Shadow Copy was a feature in Windows 7 that saved previous version of your
files is no longer protecting local files and folder, but can still access Shared files stored on the Windows Server.

Microsoft made many improvements to Windows 8. Microsoft renamed Windows Explorer to File Explore that allows you to manage files
and folders with basic and advanced tasks in an easy to use interface. Manage Permissions, Sharing settings, and Library settings.
Quickly launch Command Prompt and Windows PowerShell. For PCs and tablets that do not have an optical drive, Windows 8's File
Explorer can mount ISO disc images and Virtual Hard Disks (VHD).  Windows 8 added USB 3.0 native support that can reach data
speeds up to 5 Gbps, provide additional power to USB 3.0 devices and is backward compatible with 2.0 and 1.1.  USB 3.0 has been
around during Windows 7's era but was never implemented because it was not ratified at that time.  File History is a new function that
allows incremental backups of your files to a secondary Storage device

The Windows interface seen a lot of changes, too.  The Start button was hidden and can only be found by moving the mouse to the
lower left corner "Hot spot" and the button will appear.  The start menu was changed to Microsoft's Metro design that was similar to the
Windows Phone 7 with customizable array of tiles that could also provide up to the minute content known as "Live Tiles".  The Charms
is a vertical Tool bar that was added to provide quick access to Search. Share, Start Screen, Device Management, and Settings.  You
can see or and switch between active programs and apps by clicking in the upper left corner or swipe the left side of the screen.

Previous Windows versions have supported the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI), however, Windows 8 no longer uses
BIOS. Many manufactures still call the UEFI utility BIOS Setup so not to confuse consumers. Although Windows 8 can boot from legacy
BIOS, there are several features and improvements that will be disabled in non-UEFI compliant computers.  UEFI supports several new
features like GUID Partition Table (GPT), Secure Boot, UEFI Native Mode, Compatibility Support Module/Legacy Mode, Graphics
Output Protocol (GOP), Fast Boot, Measured Boot, Early Launch Anti-Malware, Trusted boot, and Boot on PCs with no VGA support.

Secure Boot checks the signatures on early boot components, protecting pre-boot manager components from tampering. It can prevent
the computer from booting if a non-Secure Boot, a UEFI compatible hardware device or OS is used during the boot process. For
example, many add-on graphics cards do not support Secure Boot or UEFI, which will cause the computer to not boot.

UEFI Native Mode forces the computer to disable BIOS dependent hardware which can prevent BIOS based hardware or the OS using
BIOS from working.

Compatibility Support Module/Legacy Mode is an optional component on some Windows 8 PCs that will allow you to enable BIOS
Compatibility Mode to support operating systems and hardware that do not support UEFI.

UEFI GOP is not backwards compatible with BIOS based graphics cards. Many current graphics cards do not support it and will not
function when the computer is configured to use it and/or UEFI Native Mode with Secure Boot.

Fast Boot allows the pc to skip POST and boots directly to the first HDD/SDD connected to the storage controller. This drastically
improves the boot time of the device.

Measured Boot logs startup components and activities with the Trusted Platform Module (TPM).

Early Launch Anti-Malware registers and loads an anti-malware driver as a trusted boot-critical driver to protect the system early in the
boot process.

Trusted boot is combination of Secure Boot, Measured Boot and Early Launch Anti-Malware that helps establish that the system is in a
trusted state.

UEFI removes the need for VGA support, enabling Windows 8 to be installed on computers that do not use this legacy video technology.
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