This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Starting and Logging into Windows
Starting your computer and logging into Windows 8.1 is a simple affair, albeit a bit different than in older versions of Windows. It all starts when you push the power button on your PC.
Each time you turn on your computer, you see a series of short, perhaps indecipherable text messages flash across your screen. These messages are there to let you know what’s going on as your computer boots up.
NOTE
Technical types call the procedure of starting up a computer booting or booting up the system. Restarting a system (turning it off and then back on) is called rebooting.
After a few seconds (during which your system unit beeps and whirrs a little bit), the Windows Lock screen appears. As you can see in Figure 4.1, the Lock screen provides some basic information—today’s date and the current time, Internet connection status, and power status—against a pretty photographic background while Windows waits for you to log on.
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FIGURE 4.1 The first thing you see in Windows 8.1—the Lock screen.
To log onto your Windows account, all you have to do is press any key on your keyboard, click the mouse, or tap the screen. This displays your username, as shown in Figure 4.2.
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FIGURE 4.2 Select your username and enter your password to proceed.
Enter your password and then press the Enter key or click/tap the right-arrow button. After you’re past this Lock screen, you’re taken directly to the Windows Start screen, and your system is ready to use.
NOTE
It’s easy to configure Windows 8.1 for multiple users, each with their own account and settings; we’ll discuss that in Chapter 5, “Using the New Windows 8.1 Interface.” If you only have a single user on the machine, only one name appears from the Lock screen.