bill - 3:14 am on Jan 5, 2013 (gmt 0)

The other new additions to the OS have made it worth the change for me. Specifics would be nice. What makes it worth the upgrade?

These are a few features that I've found have improved my Windows experience (in no particular order):

• System search
  I love the new system search. It's faster and more comprehensive than previous versions. Just hit the Windows key and type
  
• New Copy interface
  The new Copy dialog gives you a lot more information about the progress of your copy or move of files. You can easily pause/resume or stop operations. If you have multiple copy/move operations going on you now have them all consolidated in one dialog.
  
• Faster
  As Windows 7 was faster on the same hardware than its predecessors, so Windows 8 is faster still. I put it on a netbook that originally came with Windows XP. That netbook was much more functional tithe Windows 7, but Windows 8 even improved on that. I've found the same to be true with my other hardware.
  
• Multiple monitor support
  I used to have to use a 3rd party software to get multiple monitors to behave the way I wanted. Windows 8 finally go this right.
  
• File History
  This is "set it and forget it" backup. Any files that you add to a Library are automatically backed up to a location you choose. I plug in a USB external drive for this. Windows 8 backs up everything at an interval I decide.
  
• Fast secure booting
  Windows 8 supports UEFI which is known as Secure boot. This prevents bootkit infections. I've found it also boots faster than a normal BIOS on my machines that support this.
  
• Built-in AV
  I never understood why MS allowed a 3rd party industry to develop for anti-virus software. This is a function Windows should handle natively IMHO. Finally, Win8 has this included via Security Essentials
  
• System Refresh
  I haven't had to use this yet, but Refresh and Reset both revert Windows back to the system defaults. The difference between them is the extent to which the system gets reset. Refresh preserves user settings, user data, and applications purchased in the Windows store. Everything else is removed and restored to defaults. Reset removes all applications and data, and reinstalls the OS essentially from scratch.
  
• Settings Sync
  If you log in with a Microsoft account (old Windows Live ID) you can sync your Windows 8 settings and personalizations on any machine. I've found this very handy working on different machines.
  
• Task Manager
  The new Task Manager really appeals to me. I love to watch the system performance and have this window open constantly. The new design is more attractive in addition to the increased functionality. Don't know what a process does? Right click on it and check out all the options.
  
• Keyboard commands
  Windows 8 adds a number of Windows key + combinations. I find myself missing them when I use older versions of Windows.
  
• Faster screenshots
  Hit Win+Print Screen and you get a screenshot saved in PNG format. Or use the Snipping Tool to define a part of the screen and annotate it. It's great to have this built in to the OS.