--- product_id: 286746 title: "Windows 8.1: The Missing Manual" price: "€ 39.71" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 10 url: https://www.desertcart.at/products/286746-windows-8-1-the-missing-manual store_origin: AT region: Austria --- # Windows 8.1: The Missing Manual **Price:** € 39.71 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Windows 8.1: The Missing Manual - **How much does it cost?** € 39.71 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.at](https://www.desertcart.at/products/286746-windows-8-1-the-missing-manual) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Windows 8.1: The Missing Manual [Pogue, David] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Windows 8.1: The Missing Manual Review: What a pleasure - Unlike in the past, software companies today -- every one that I have encountered, from the uncomplicated to the extremely complex -- do their customers a disservice by selling their products without manuals. They think they're saving money; what they're really doing is creating a generation of ignoramuses, who don't recognize, understand, or know how to use the features which their software manufacturers have spent so much time and money developing. I am amongst those who were very happy with Windows 95/98, XP and 7, but who strongly dislike Windows 8/8.1. I suspect that had Microsoft sold this manual with their product, they would have won over people like me, who have been long-time users but resent having to discard much of our past acquired knowledge about Windows because some developer thinks it's a good idea to do things his/her way. Pros *The author has done a great job in clearly explaining the operation of, and philosophy behind, Windows 8.1, with relevant explanatory images *Handsomely designed, easy to use book, with instructions to match *Book has a great index (a rare feature today) Neither Pro nor Con *I miss the CD, but the website has the information which would have been included on the CD, and it works well (therefore: no real loss) *The book is expensive, but worth the price *I have read David Pogue's New York Times columns, and found him a bit of a smart-aleck. There is some of that in this book as well, but I am the first to acknowledge that this is a matter of taste and, notwithstanding this comment, it does not affect the great value of this book. Cons *Book is heavy, but that offers the opportunity to build arm strength ;) *I wish there were books like this for some of the other software I use. Conclusion My initial purpose in using this book is to make Windows 8.1 operate as much as possible like Windows 7 on a recently purchased Windows 8 computer, and there are many ways in which one can do that (even down to the Gadgets, which Windows 8 developers chose to delete). Pogue explains that Windows 8.1 is actually 2 systems, Windows 7 and the Tiles, so this is quite within the realm of achievement and I have been very pleased with the results. In the future I may become interested in trying to understand why MS developers believe I would want to lean across my desk and put my fingers on my 2 monitors to perform an action, when I could instead achieve the same results with my mouse, without constantly leaning over. If I do decide to try and understand Win8, this is the book that will do the job. Bottom Line: Thank you, Mr. Pogue. Great job. Review: A Great Tool For Learning 8.1 - This is the second of author David Pogue's "missing manuals" that I've read. He does a great job in creating a readable, understandable guidebook for learning Windows 8.1 I migrated to windows 8.1 almost a month ago and have found this book invaluable. After reading most of it from cover to cover, I'm continually referring back to it as I increase my familiarity with the software. Usually I don't rely on manuals too much, but this really sped up my learning curve. Organization is great and the table of contents really supports use of this material as a reference manual after initial reading or skimming. The instructions and illustrations are well done. Whether using touch or mouse on Windows, you can easily follow Pogue's instructions. He even mixes some wit into the text, because let's face it, this is a Windows manual. In fact, I was surprised how enjoyable a cover-to-cover read was. Because of the Kindle price, I had considered the rental terms offered on this book. But in the end, I felt the purchase was well worth it as I am continuing to refer to this over and over again. This made life so much easier, I will consider using more of this "missing manual" series with future projects. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #4,030,008 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #11 in Windows 8 Guides #188 in E-mail (Books) #1,181 in Computer Operating Systems (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars (289) | | Dimensions | 7 x 1.79 x 9.19 inches | | Edition | 1st | | ISBN-10 | 1449371620 | | ISBN-13 | 978-1449371623 | | Item Weight | 2.94 pounds | | Language | English | | Part of series | Missing Manuals | | Print length | 948 pages | | Publication date | December 31, 2013 | | Publisher | O'Reilly Media | ## Images ![Windows 8.1: The Missing Manual - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81uzoa7Z4SL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ What a pleasure *by W***S on January 27, 2014* Unlike in the past, software companies today -- every one that I have encountered, from the uncomplicated to the extremely complex -- do their customers a disservice by selling their products without manuals. They think they're saving money; what they're really doing is creating a generation of ignoramuses, who don't recognize, understand, or know how to use the features which their software manufacturers have spent so much time and money developing. I am amongst those who were very happy with Windows 95/98, XP and 7, but who strongly dislike Windows 8/8.1. I suspect that had Microsoft sold this manual with their product, they would have won over people like me, who have been long-time users but resent having to discard much of our past acquired knowledge about Windows because some developer thinks it's a good idea to do things his/her way. Pros *The author has done a great job in clearly explaining the operation of, and philosophy behind, Windows 8.1, with relevant explanatory images *Handsomely designed, easy to use book, with instructions to match *Book has a great index (a rare feature today) Neither Pro nor Con *I miss the CD, but the website has the information which would have been included on the CD, and it works well (therefore: no real loss) *The book is expensive, but worth the price *I have read David Pogue's New York Times columns, and found him a bit of a smart-aleck. There is some of that in this book as well, but I am the first to acknowledge that this is a matter of taste and, notwithstanding this comment, it does not affect the great value of this book. Cons *Book is heavy, but that offers the opportunity to build arm strength ;) *I wish there were books like this for some of the other software I use. Conclusion My initial purpose in using this book is to make Windows 8.1 operate as much as possible like Windows 7 on a recently purchased Windows 8 computer, and there are many ways in which one can do that (even down to the Gadgets, which Windows 8 developers chose to delete). Pogue explains that Windows 8.1 is actually 2 systems, Windows 7 and the Tiles, so this is quite within the realm of achievement and I have been very pleased with the results. In the future I may become interested in trying to understand why MS developers believe I would want to lean across my desk and put my fingers on my 2 monitors to perform an action, when I could instead achieve the same results with my mouse, without constantly leaning over. If I do decide to try and understand Win8, this is the book that will do the job. Bottom Line: Thank you, Mr. Pogue. Great job. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Great Tool For Learning 8.1 *by D***K on February 20, 2014* This is the second of author David Pogue's "missing manuals" that I've read. He does a great job in creating a readable, understandable guidebook for learning Windows 8.1 I migrated to windows 8.1 almost a month ago and have found this book invaluable. After reading most of it from cover to cover, I'm continually referring back to it as I increase my familiarity with the software. Usually I don't rely on manuals too much, but this really sped up my learning curve. Organization is great and the table of contents really supports use of this material as a reference manual after initial reading or skimming. The instructions and illustrations are well done. Whether using touch or mouse on Windows, you can easily follow Pogue's instructions. He even mixes some wit into the text, because let's face it, this is a Windows manual. In fact, I was surprised how enjoyable a cover-to-cover read was. Because of the Kindle price, I had considered the rental terms offered on this book. But in the end, I felt the purchase was well worth it as I am continuing to refer to this over and over again. This made life so much easier, I will consider using more of this "missing manual" series with future projects. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great resource *by R***T on June 29, 2014* The title is an apt description...this is indeed the missing manual that should be included with this new Windows OS, especially in light of the drastic changes from previous versions of Windows. I like the author's down to earth style - he covers all the info you need to know in a conversational style, and not as a dry text to serve as a cure for insomnia. I keep this handy for the moments when I need to research a question about the new Windows. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.at/products/286746-windows-8-1-the-missing-manual](https://www.desertcart.at/products/286746-windows-8-1-the-missing-manual) --- *Product available on Desertcart Austria* *Store origin: AT* *Last updated: 2026-04-30*