New updates make using Windows 8.1 easier for people who are used to previous versions of Windows

We’re not going to lie, we’re not a big fan of Windows 8.1. The Redmond firm’s latest offering hasn’t been the best offering from the company, and has met a lot of resistance from longtime PC users who say that the company neglected more traditional users who navigate mostly though the use of the mouse and keyboard for touch functionality. Later tonight it changes via the free update to Windows 8.1 which addresses a lot of the gripes of traditional users with the new operating system. The list of changes that we list below is in no way complete – it’s just a few of the changes that we really appreciate coming from Windows 7 and earlier.

You can now boot straight to the desktop

Yes, you read that right. You can now boot straight to the desktop, bypassing the Metro UI completely if you so choose. Microsoft finally gives users a feature that they’ve always wanted, though you can always just venture back to the Metro UI if you so choose.

You can now pin apps to the task bar

If you’re the sort of person that likes to keep apps that you like close by, you’ll be happy to know that you can now pin apps taken from the Windows store directly to your taskbar, so you won’t have to hunt for them in the Metro UI.

The power button is now visible in Metro UI, and you can close an app like you used to

Another nice change is that if you are in the Metro UI, you can now shut down your tablet/hybrid PC via the software power button located on the upper right of the UI. If you have a mouse attached to the machine, you can now close an app that you opened using the old, traditional way by clicking on the X icon on the upper right side of the screen. This option is only available when you have a mouse installed.

Users can expect the new update later tonight for free, though you will have to have Windows 8.1 installed before you can download the update. Everything about the new update shows that Microsoft wants to win over previous customers who have held off upgrading to the new operating system because of its unwieldiness when it comes to traditional keyboard and mouse navigation, which the new update more or less addresses.