If you run into trouble with installation—or with any Windows feature—the world of Microsoft is filled with sources of technical help. For example, you can follow any of these avenues, all of which have direct links from the “Contact support” page of the Help system (click “Contact support” at the top of the Help window):
Support articles and videos. This is the mother lode: the master Web site for help and instructions on running Windows. You can search it, use its links to other pages, read articles, study FAQs (frequently asked questions), or burrow into special-topic articles.
Of course, a lot of these online articles are built right into the regular Help system described at the beginning of this chapter. You generally don’t have to go online to search a second time.
Windows 8.1 Forum. This link takes you to a discussion site about Windows issues. You can post questions to the multitudes all over the Internet and return later to read the answers.
Windows Website. Here’s the basic Windows 8.1 promotional Web site, with a few very basic getting-started pages.
Microsoft Community Website. This link takes you to exactly the same forums as the “Windows 8.1 Forums” link described above.
If you bought Windows separately (that is, it didn’t come on your computer), then you have a few additional options.
Most of them begin here: http://support.microsoft.com/get-support.
At this site, you can search the online help articles, ask a question in the forums, or get chatroom-style help from an actual, living human being.
Getting help over the phone is a little bit harder. If Windows came preinstalled on your machine, you’re supposed to call the computer company with your Windows questions. You can call Microsoft, but it’ll cost you $100 per problem.
But if you promise that you bought Windows directly from Microsoft, you can call Microsoft for free during business hours. In the United States, that’s 800-MICROSOFT. The company is especially interested in helping you get Windows installed. In fact, you can call as often as you like on this subject.
After that, you get a 90-day warranty. During that time, you can call Microsoft as many times as you like. After that, it’s $100 per “issue.” (They say “per issue” to make it clear that if it takes several phone calls to solve a particular problem, it’s still just one charge.) This service is available 24 hours a day; the U.S. number is 800-936-5700.
If you’re not in the United States, direct your help calls to the local Microsoft office in your country. You can find a list of these subsidiaries at http://support.microsoft.com.