• Make sure your heat is working and set to a minimum of sixty degrees.
• Check to ensure there's adequate heat reaching any pipes.  Open cabinets, closets, or other enclosures housing any pipes on outside walls. 
• If your office will be closed for an extended period of time, arrange to have someone visually inspect plumbing and ensure your furnace is working properly.
• Gather important phone numbers for key management, employees, landlord, and plumbing and HVAC contractors.
• Make sure your computer data backups are running properly.  

A year after Microsoft's release of Windows 8 to much fanfare and subsequent disappointment, Windows 8.1 has been released to fix some of the most common complaints - especially around the start button and desktop.

Beginning with Windows 7, Microsoft's flagship desktop operating system emerged as one of the most reliable and solid versions yet. Windows 8 leveraged that solid core. Windows 8 and 8.1 are both solid and reliable - no issues there.

What upset millions of users is the new Windows Start Screen, the removal of the Start Button, and the fact that you couldn't go straight to the desktop. With Windows 8.1, they have fixed and tweaked this more towards most people's tastes. Further, when Windows 8 was released, some free or inexpensive utilities emerged to bring back the traditional way Windows worked. These same utilities work with Windows 8.1. So you can have it any way you want it.

Windows 8.1 is a free update for existing Windows 8 users. You can tweak the Start Screen and Desktop preferences by right-clicking the Taskbar, selecting Properties, and the Navigation tab.

In my opinion, Windows 8 worked well on tablets. And now it works well on desktops. It is solid and I have no problem recommending it. Take a few minutes to learn how it works and you'll be a happier computer user. Use one of the alternative Start button solutions if you want.  If you are still opposed to it, Windows 7 is still available pre-loaded on new workstations.

Don't forget that computers running Windows XP and Office 2003 will need to get replaced before April 2014.