How To Access Xbox Live Games In Windows 8

Windows 8 is the latest operating system launched by Microsoft. Though criticized for its drastic graphical user-interface changes, Microsoft claims that there is lot more to explore in Windows 8 than what users imagined earlier. Experts say that apart from the trendy looks, easy navigation to applications, and improved search features, Windows 8 offers the best gaming experience for the modern high-end games.

The newest operating system has an inbuilt Xbox app to help users easily subscribe and play millions of games. However, Windows Live technical support team advises that it is better to set up your existing Xbox Live account with Windows 8 before embarking on the gaming adventure. The below given set of instructions will guide you how to configure your Windows Live account with Windows 8.

Steps to follow

• Tap or click on the Games tile on the Start Screen of your Windows 8 computer. If you are on the Desktop mode, hit on the Windows key and roll back to the Live tiles screen. 
• When directed to the Xbox games screen, check whether you are already logged in to your Windows Live account. If you are not logged in, click or tap on the Join XBOX LIVE button, and use any of your Hotmail, Skype, or Windows Live account to sign in. 
• If you do not have an account with any of the Microsoft products, click or tap on the Sign up now option against Don’t have a Microsoft account link at the bottom of the screen. Fill all the required fields in the resulting page and create a new Microsoft user ID. 
• If you already have a Microsoft account, but have never accessed Xbox Live account before, you will be directed to the My Account screen, where you can see your email address and date of birth listed. Check all the details on the page carefully, and click on the I Accept button to continue. 
• Microsoft will assign you a Gamertag, which will help you to access your Xbox Live account in future. You can then either review or upgrade your membership, or start browsing and playing your favorite games. 

Make sure that you keep the assigned Gamertag secure, as it helps you to enjoy seamless access to Xbox games across all of your Windows devices. If you need further help with the above guidelines, contact Windows Live technical support team for assistance.

Tech Support Scheme For Windows 7 And Windows Vista Revived

Windows XP will breathe its last breath on April 08 2014, when all sorts of official technical support for the operating system will be ended. It was around a year ago, when Microsoft announced that it would cut off all supplies for XP by 2014 summer, and no more patches or security updates would be issued for the platform anymore. However, millions of users across the globe are still heavily dependent on Windows XP, and have not migrated to another platform until now.

Where Microsoft urged Windows XP users to upgrade their computers to Windows 8, most users found the latest operating system released by the tech giant confusing and lagging in applications support. Though Microsoft launched a Windows 8.1 update to meet with all the shortcomings of the modern platform, XP users preferred moving on to Windows 7 and Windows Vista, rather than upgrading to Windows 8.

With the end of technical support for Windows XP, the operating system would become vulnerable to virus attacks and malwares. Many recent threats have made it clear that hackers and malware producers are keen to penetrate the XP ecosystem as soon as the official tech support ends. Consequently, Microsoft has announced that it would offer an added antivirus support for Windows XP until 2015.

Interestingly, Microsoft also revealed that it is planning to add an extra five years of extended technical support to either of its operating systems as enjoyed by Windows XP. This means that Microsoft support for Vista will end by 2017, where Windows 7 users will get the official tech support until 2020.

The tech giant offers both Mainstream and Extended technical support for its operating systems and other products. Where the Mainstream support is offered for a period of five years, the Extended support adds an extra five years of official tech support for the platform. Both the tech support schemes include providing essential software updates, security patches, and hotfixes for the operating system, which ensures that the computer performance is at the optimal level.

Both Windows 7 and Windows Vista were earlier entitled to the Mainstream support only. However, with the recent addition of Extended support for the platforms, Microsoft has made it clear that it actually cares for its user community. It is reported that users feel that the added Microsoft support for Vista and Windows 7 is favorable on their part, and frees them from the fear of a shorter life span.