Solved Help with microsoft account for someone new to win 8.1

sportflyer

sportflyer
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I am planning to purchase a new win 8.1 AIO computer . My current computers are running Win 7 pro, so I have no win 8 experience

I intend to keep my current Win7 machines (for guests) . I will only have the new computer and one tablet running win 8.1.

Is the only reason to have a microsoft account is to get apps from the windows store and to sync between tablet and new computer ?

Do I need local login credentials as well for new computer (like in win7 ) ? ( I assume local login credentials have to be different from the ms account)

Since I have a gmail as well as a skype accounts can I choose one for the microsoft account? Or is it better to create a new one ?

I am truly confused so please explain.

I am not sure what to expect when I first power up the new computer and how to go about setting up admin , user accounts etc . I just hate to make a mistake and not able to correct it later.

Thanks
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Recline 23-k011
    CPU
    i5-4570T
    Motherboard
    DONT KNOW ( AIO conputer )
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    intel 4600 + Nvdia GeForce GT730A
    Sound Card
    Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic PnP
    Screen Resolution
    1920 X1080
    Hard Drives
    Sandisk SDSA5DK-166g-1006

    ST1000LM024 HN101MBB
    Internet Speed
    comcast blast
    Browser
    IE 11
I am planning to purchase a new win 8.1 AIO computer . My current computers are running Win 7 pro, so I have no win 8 experience

I intend to keep my current Win7 machines (for guests) . I will only have the new computer and one tablet running win 8.1.

Is the only reason to have a microsoft account is to get apps from the windows store and to sync between tablet and new computer ?

Do I need local login credentials as well for new computer (like in win7 ) ? ( I assume local login credentials have to be different from the ms account)

Since I have a gmail as well as a skype accounts can I choose one for the microsoft account? Or is it better to create a new one ?

I am truly confused so please explain.

I am not sure what to expect when I first power up the new computer and how to go about setting up admin , user accounts etc . I just hate to make a mistake and not able to correct it later.

Thanks

The following link explains what you can do. Basically you can associate any email address with your Windows live ID but there are details you should read about.

Signing in to Windows 8 with a Windows Live ID - Building Windows 8 - Site Home - MSDN Blogs
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro WMC
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built
    CPU
    Q9650 @ 4.05 GHz
    Motherboard
    Gforce 780i SLI FTW
    Memory
    8GB Gskill DDR2 1200Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX-480
    Sound Card
    Asus D2 Xonar
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HannsG
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    Gskill 120GB SSD
    PSU
    Thermal Take 1000watts
    Case
    Thermal Take Xtreme
    Cooling
    9 fans air cooled
    Keyboard
    G15 logitech
    Mouse
    G9 logitech
    Internet Speed
    50mbps
OK. I read the link and my understanding is that the MS Account name does not have to be a valid functioning email address even though it looks like one. Correct me if I am wrong. Tks
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Recline 23-k011
    CPU
    i5-4570T
    Motherboard
    DONT KNOW ( AIO conputer )
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    intel 4600 + Nvdia GeForce GT730A
    Sound Card
    Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic PnP
    Screen Resolution
    1920 X1080
    Hard Drives
    Sandisk SDSA5DK-166g-1006

    ST1000LM024 HN101MBB
    Internet Speed
    comcast blast
    Browser
    IE 11

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Sorry, but no. You will need to use a valid email address to create a Microsoft account with. A Microsoft account works best if you use an outlook.com address.

Microsoft Account - Sign up for and Create - Windows 7 Help Forums

If I use an existing gmail address must the password for the microsoft account be the same one as the gmail password?

Perhaps its best to sign up for a new outlook.com address. That way there wont be any confusion .
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Recline 23-k011
    CPU
    i5-4570T
    Motherboard
    DONT KNOW ( AIO conputer )
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    intel 4600 + Nvdia GeForce GT730A
    Sound Card
    Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic PnP
    Screen Resolution
    1920 X1080
    Hard Drives
    Sandisk SDSA5DK-166g-1006

    ST1000LM024 HN101MBB
    Internet Speed
    comcast blast
    Browser
    IE 11
Perhaps its best to sign up for a new outlook.com address. That way there wont be any confusion .

That is what I did for just that reason. I use xxx@gmail .com for mail and xxx@outlook.com (actually xxx@live.fr but it is the same) for Skydrive and log-on. You can associate your gmail account with your MS one but I didn't as it seemed less confusing to keep them separate.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro Prieview x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    MacBook Pro Core2Duo
    CPU
    T7600
    Memory
    3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon X1600
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Internal
    Screen Resolution
    1440 x 800
    Hard Drives
    40GB
    Keyboard
    Apple
    Mouse
    Apple
    Internet Speed
    Varies
    Browser
    Various
    Antivirus
    Defender
Perhaps its best to sign up for a new outlook.com address. That way there wont be any confusion .

That is what I did for just that reason. I use xxx@gmail .com for mail and xxx@outlook.com (actually xxx@live.fr but it is the same) for Skydrive and log-on. You can associate your gmail account with your MS one but I didn't as it seemed less confusing to keep them separate.

Thanks for the inputs everyone.

I will keep my primary email separate because I dont think it's possible to link it to outlook.com because that email service uses a POP protocol . I might consider linking other secondary email accounts to outlook.com for simplicity.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Recline 23-k011
    CPU
    i5-4570T
    Motherboard
    DONT KNOW ( AIO conputer )
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    intel 4600 + Nvdia GeForce GT730A
    Sound Card
    Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic PnP
    Screen Resolution
    1920 X1080
    Hard Drives
    Sandisk SDSA5DK-166g-1006

    ST1000LM024 HN101MBB
    Internet Speed
    comcast blast
    Browser
    IE 11

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
If I elect to use gmail address as my log in name , must the password of the ms account be the same as the gmail account or can it be different?

Gmail : myid@gmail.com password = pw1

MS account : myid@gmail.com password = pw1 or can it be pw2

thanks
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Recline 23-k011
    CPU
    i5-4570T
    Motherboard
    DONT KNOW ( AIO conputer )
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    intel 4600 + Nvdia GeForce GT730A
    Sound Card
    Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic PnP
    Screen Resolution
    1920 X1080
    Hard Drives
    Sandisk SDSA5DK-166g-1006

    ST1000LM024 HN101MBB
    Internet Speed
    comcast blast
    Browser
    IE 11
If you add Gmail as an alias, then you could sign in to your Microsoft account with either email address and that same email address's password.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
If you add Gmail as an alias, then you could sign in to your Microsoft account with either email address and that same email address's password.

OK I understand. Tks
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Recline 23-k011
    CPU
    i5-4570T
    Motherboard
    DONT KNOW ( AIO conputer )
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    intel 4600 + Nvdia GeForce GT730A
    Sound Card
    Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic PnP
    Screen Resolution
    1920 X1080
    Hard Drives
    Sandisk SDSA5DK-166g-1006

    ST1000LM024 HN101MBB
    Internet Speed
    comcast blast
    Browser
    IE 11
You're most welcome. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
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