Windows® 8 Five Minutes at a Time

                     








                                                                  About the Author






          Lance Whitney is a freelance writer and reporter in the New York City area. For the past 20
years, he has written articles, columns, and reviews for a variety of technology publications
and websites. He currently freelances for CNET as a news and technology reporter and writes a
monthly utility column for Microsoft TechNet magazine.
         Throughout his varied career, Lance has worked as a writer and editor in advertising, marketing,
and publishing. He also spent ten years in the IT department at an international company
where he handled everything from local technical support to global software projects.
         He and his wife share their home with two cats — Mr. Putter and Miss Kitty — both of whom
insisted on appearing in this book.
You can follow Lance on Twitter at @lancewhit.






           Windows 8 represents the most radical change to Microsoft’s operating system since
Windows 95 was released 17 years ago. With its new Start screen and interface, the
latest version of Windows is an attempt to create a single operating system designed
to run on both traditional PCs and tablets.
But no one likes change. People used to the familiar Start menu and features of Windows 7,
            Vista, and XP may find Windows 8 challenging and frustrating, at least until they learn all the
tips and tricks for navigating and using the new operating system.
This book is designed to share many of those tips and tricks so that you can move beyond the
challenges and frustrations to take full advantage of the new flavor of Windows.
              People new to Windows 8 should find this book helpful, though it’s also geared toward those
who’ve already dabbled with the new version. Even users who have been working and playing
with Windows 8 might still find themselves in uncertain territory. You may be confused or
discouraged by certain aspects of the new version. You may be uncertain where to find or how
to use certain features. Or you may already feel comfortable with Windows 8 but simply want
to discover more of the hidden shortcuts and other surprises lurking about.
             Though Windows 8 is aimed toward both PCs and tablets, this book is directed strictly toward
PC users. Tablet owners can tap and swipe their way throughout the Start screen and Windows
8 apps. But PC users can just as easily navigate and work with apps via traditional mouse and
keyboard, a topic covered by several tasks throughout this book.
The book is divided into four sections. The first three sections — The Basics, Be Imaginative,
and Beat the Clock — are task-oriented. All three sections contain a series of unique tasks,
each with individual steps. By following the steps and completing each task, you should gain a
greater understanding of Windows 8 and its various applications and features.
             As the title promises, each task is designed to be completed in five minutes or less. But don’t
worry, there’s no stopwatch. You can take as much or as little time as you want with each
individual task. The goal is to learn from the task so you can use that knowledge to more easily
and effectively work with Windows 8.
            Most of the tasks are designed to be self-contained, so you can pick any task anywhere in the
book, rather than having to go from start to finish. Some tasks refer to other tasks as prerequisites,
but those are noted in the book.




               What Is New in Windows 8?

              The most dramatic change in Windows 8 is the one that stares you in the face just after you
log in — the Start screen.
Replacing the traditional Start menu familiar to longtime Windows users, the new Start screen
is based on tiles. Instead of clicking a Start button to open a cascading menu of folders and
shortcuts for your applications, a Start screen appears where you click on tiles to launch your
apps and features.
              People used to launching their software programs through the Start menu may at first be
thrown off by the Start screen. It is a totally new and different way of organizing and opening
your applications.
The Start screen does lack some of the benefits of the Start menu. For example, you can
organize your Start screen tiles into groups, but you cannot organize them into folders, as you
can your Start menu shortcuts.
             But the Start screen offers some advantages. It can display live tiles with updated information
and let you pin specific types of information directly on the screen. As such, the Start screen
serves not only as a launching pad to open your apps but as a way to view new information,
notifications, and other items of interest all in one place.
            The familiar desktop still exists as well, only now it is set up as another app. Click on the
Desktop tile on the Start screen, and the same screen and environment found in past versions
of Windows appear.
             You can customize and personalize the desktop by setting up shortcuts so that you can quickly
access your favorite programs. The desktop environment itself has been beefed up with a revamped
Task Manager and File Explorer, and new tools such as File History, Storage Spaces, and Hyper-V.
Those who choose not to use the Start screen can still easily use the desktop as their primary
working area.





   
                           Navigating the Windows 8 Start Screen




You can easily find an application’s Start
screen tile if you only have a small number
of tiles on the screen. But the more
apps you install, the wider your Start
screen becomes, which forces you to
move around the screen to find the apps
you need. Windows 8 tablet users can
quickly navigate the Start screen by
swiping their fingers left and right. But
traditional PC users can also move around
the Start screen using a desktop with an external keyboard and mouse, or a laptop with
its built-in keyboard and trackpad. This task explores the different ways you can navigate
the Start screen using your trusty keyboard and mouse.


        1 Use a laptop trackpad: Swipe your fingers up and
down the trackpad, and you will move left and right on the
Start screen. If horizontal scrolling is enabled on your trackpad,
you can also swipe your fingers right and left to move
right and left on the screen.
       2 Use an external mouse: Move your mouse sideways
to reach the left or right edges of the Start screen
       3 Use a mouse scroll wheel: Move the scroll wheel
on your mouse up and down to move left and right on the
Start screen
        4 Use right- and left-arrow keys: Press the rightand
left-arrow keys to move right and left one column at
a time on the Start screen.



         5 Use up- and down-arrow keys: Press the downand
up-arrow keys on your keyboard to move down and up one
tile at a time on the Start screen.
        6 Use Home and End: Press Home to move to the first
tile on the Start screen. Press End to move to the last tile on
the Start screen.

        7 Use Tab: Press Tab to move between the Start screen
tiles and your profile name and picture in the upper-right corner
of the screen.




                                 Searching for Apps,Settings, and Files


       Windows 8 provides a search feature
that lets you track down applications, settings, files, and other items. The search feature can find specific Windows software programs installed on your PC; it can find key Windows settings and options; and it can
find documents, photos, songs,
videos, and other types of files.
It can also search for content
within specific applications, such as Mail, People, Music, and Photos. You can access the search feature from the Charms bar or by pressing the first letter of your search term anywhere
in the new Windows 8 environment. This task shows you how to search for apps, settings, files, and other items.
      1 Type the first few letters: From the Start screen or

Apps screen, type the first few letters of the app, file, or setting that you want to find.

    2 View results: The search bar displays a list of the items found that start with the letters you typed. By default, the results display only apps that start with the letters. The number next to the word Apps reveals how many apps were found.
    3 Search settings: If you are looking for a Windows settinginstead of an app, click the Settings option at the top of the right sidebar. The number next to the word Settings tells you how many settings were found.
      4 Search files: If you are looking for a file, click the Files option at the top of the sidebar.
      5 Narrow results: You can narrow the results by typing additional letters in the search bar’s search field.

     6 Launch the item: From the list of apps, settings, or files on the left, clickthe item you want to open.

     7 Search for other items: If the item you want to find is related to or part of a specific category or application, click that category or application from the list below Apps, Settings, and Files. For example, if are looking for information on a particular song or artist, click the Music app. The Music app opens to display information on the name you typed in the search field.