Windows 8 is the most drastic Microsoft operating system update in decades. Here’s how to get the most out of it.

Windows 8 is here, and tens of millions are already or soon will be using it as their PC operating system. With the long-in-the-tooth but still heavily used Windows XP set to have its support expire next year, a vast horde of Windows users will likely move to this entirely re-imagined version of Microsoft’s operating system. It’s that re-imagining that may throw off some longtime Windows users, so we’ve come up with some pointers to ease the transition.

A key thing to remember is that, although the startup screen will look vastly unfamiliar to veteran Windows users, the new operating system’s desktop view is accessible from the tile displaying the desktop (aka wallpaper). This will shift you back into a warm and familiar setting, though one that’s improved in several ways. One thing Windows users won’t miss is the long time it takes to boot up the operating system from power off. And it’s not just boot performance: Both my own Windows 8 speed tests and the title of a LifeHacker article, “Windows 8 Speed Tests: It’s Faster at Pretty Much Everything,” sum up the performance story.

In addition to these speed boosts, Windows 8 also improves tools like Task Manager, file transfer dialogs, and it’s new included browser Internet Explorer, can hold its own against competitors like Chrome and Firefox in both speed and support for new Web standards like HTML5. But since it’s windows, you’re still free to run those competing browsersand millions of other programs.

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