Shivam
Windows 8 will be available so on every branded laptop and desktop that you will buy. Recently Microsoft has released some Demo release of OS so that people can have feel of Windows 8. To be frank, I am not happy with that. Microsoft took a drastic move, by changing the interface and adding a Metro UI on the screen. The desktop is hidden somewhere, there is no Start Menu, and many more thing. In short Microsoft made is very simple. But still people are not really use to that. We always have a tradition of using the Start Menu for all our needs. Metro UI just offer you a quick access to your favorite applications, but on the same hand it is bulky when you keep on installing programs. Still Windows 7 is my favorite. I had tested Windows 8 for a while and accumulated a set of Tips and Tricks that will help you to make it more better. Along with that there are series of threads which you can read and get more information on the same.
Getting the Start Menu back :
Windows 8 does not comes with Start Menu and this is not actually correct. Because by default every Windows user tries to look for Start Menu. Luckily there are some tweaks. But it does not look so better. There are third party applications which can add Start Menu. You just need to download then and run the setup. There are also some classic shell applications which are available for free on web. But remember that they are all third party software. There is no stability guarantee. Soon when Windows 8 gets common, we will be able to see Windows 8 to Windows 7 Transformation pack. It looks developers has yet not started working on it. For the time being keep using the Metro UI.
Desktop :
You can access Desktop by pressing Windows key + D. It is the same desktop like in Windows 7, but the only thing it lacks is Start Menu. Basic navigation can be done through arrow keys by pressing them left to right. There are columns on the screen which gives you details or glimpse of application icons and your documents. This became very messy when you have many icons. The screen allow you to group icons as per your choice. For example you can add all set of Words files at one side and Excel on the other. It is easy for common applicatinos, games, bookmarks, etc.
Quick Access Menu :
On the screen right click on the bottom left. You can see a Quick Access Menu. This menu offers you easy link of Desktop, Control Panel, Task Manager, etc. Below is a small screenshot that can provide more highlight on the same. In the same way to shutdown Windows 8 just use Alt+F4. You can find the menu on the right side.
Navigation:
Windows 8 new interface is quite colorful and friendly but beginner might find a bit difficult to deal with it. On touch screen monitor or Tablet you have to swipe left or right to scroll the screen and tap on any tile to access it. On regular desktop you have to spin the mouse wheel to scroll backwards and forwards. You can Press Home or End key from keyboard to navigate form one end of the screen to other. In order to start a particular tile you can either tap on it or use cursor for selecting it. Just like in windows 7 you can press Windows key to return to the Start screen. In order to unpin or remove an application from tile you can simply right click on that application and select unpin or swipe it down and replace it with other tiles around.
App groups:
In order to organize random order of the app in organized manner you can create separate groups. You just have to click on 'minus' icon in the bottom right corner of the screen which is used for zooming out. Once you zoon out you will be able to drag and drop new group around. You can name the group and add 20 or 30 apps in organized manner.
Search applications:
For searching an application hold down the Windows key and press Q or you can simply right-click an empty part of the Start screen or swipe your finger upwards and select “All Apps” option. Once you select or tap on “All Apps” option you will be presented with list of all the application that you might have installed. You can now go through them and launch the application that you might be looking for.
Easy access:
If you want to access any application easily rather than searching for it all the time you can pin it to the Start screen. In order to pin an application first type the name of the application in search system, right click on it once it appears in Apps Search screen and click on “'Pin to Start' option. In case you are using touchscreen monitor than you will have to press and hold the icon, flick down and select 'Pin to Start' option. Once you have pinned it, it will appear to the far end, you can change its position by dragging and dropping it anywhere on the screen.
Check out application that might be running:
There is no task bar to find out which application is running in the background in case you launch some application and press windows key to move to the start screen. However, you can press Alt+Tab and you will be presented with list of application that might be running. You can also press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to see all you’re running apps in the Task Manager in case you need extra detail of the applications running.
Closing an application:
You might find quite easy to launch an application by simply clicking on it or tapping its tile but closing the same can be a question for beginners. There is no close buttons, anyways you can close down any application by moving the mouse cursor up to the top of the screen, as soon as regular mouse pointer turns to icon of a hand you can hold down the left mouse button and drag the application that you want to close down the screen. By default when you switch to some something else, your application gets suspended. You can Ctrl+Shift+Esc to launch Task Manager and end task of any application you want just like we used to do in windows 7.
Accessing Internet Explorer:
You can launch Internet Explorer by clicking on its tile from the Start menu. However after launching it you will get a full-screen version without toolbars, menus or sidebars. In that case you can Right-click an empty part of the page or flick your finger downwards and you will get the option for creating and switching between the tabs. In order to get back full desktop version of Internet Explorer simply click on spanner icon.
Running 2 applications side by side:
You can run 2 applications side by side in windows 8 and for that Swipe from the left. Once you do that your last application will turn into a thumbnail and will be displayed in sidebar pane where as your current application will cover up the rest of the screen. You can easily swap between both applications by swiping again.
Making larger application tile smaller:
Some windows application might have large tile icon where as some might have small icons. In order to make larger application tile smaller you can just Right-click on the application you want and select Smaller or larger option according to the current status of that app. smaller option shrinks an application to half the size of larger icons.
Uninstall or unpin an application:
You can unpin an application just like you pinned it, you just have to select 'Unpin from Start' option for that. In case you want to uninstall any application completely rather than unpinning it than you can select uninstall option. Uninstall option is in the same menu where 'Unpin from Start' is.
Apps and privacy:
Windows 8 application pinned to the start screen will use your name, location and account picture by default. In case you don’t want them to get expose than you can press Win+I > Click on More PC Settings > select Privacy and click relevant buttons for disabling the details you want.
Disable the lock screen:
You can disable Windows 8 lock screen for booting in to windows as fast as possible. In order to do that launch GPEdit.msc > Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Personalization and double-click 'Do not display the lock screen' > Select Enabled, click OK, reboot your system and you are done. You won’t get the same Windows 8 lock screen again.
In case you are not able to find out GPEdit.msc than you can search for 'mmc'. Now in the File menu click on 'Add/Remove Snap-in', click on 'Group Policy Object Editor' and click on Add. Once you get 'Select Group Policy Object' dialog box, click on Browse, click on “'This Computer” for editing the Local Group Policy object.
Installing anything:
You are just allowed to install anything from Windows store and not form any other source. If you want to install application form other source than you will have to enable 'Allow all trusted apps to install' option. For that launch GPEdit.msc > Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > App Package Deployment > double-click 'Allow all trusted apps to install', select Enabled and click on ok to save the changes.
Logging in automatically:
In case you remove lock screen you will be asked for logging in manually every time you start your system. However you can deal with it easily, you just have to Hold down Windows key, press R, type 'netplwiz' without quotes and hit enter. Once you get User Accounts dialog box, uncheck "Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer" box and click OK. You will have to enter the user name and password of the account that you might be willing to get logged in automatically and restart your system. After these changes you won’t be asked for logging in manually upon starting the system.
Replacing Windows 8 Start menu with regular Start menu:
If you don’t like Windows 8 Start menu than you can replace it with regular Start menu by downloading and installing software called ViStart or Start8 .
Windows key shortcuts:
Taking screen shot:
For taking screen shot in windows 8 you will have to hold down Windows key and press PrtSc. However image won't get saved to the clipboard instead it will get saved to your My Pictures folder naming Screenshot.png followed by Screenshot (1).png, Screenshot (2) if you press same buttons repeatedly.
Setting Windows Photo Viewer as default option for opening an image:
Simply double clicking on image file within Explorer won’t open it in Photo Viewer window. However you can set Windows Photo Viewer as default option for opening an image.
Just go to Control Panel > Programs > Default Programs > Select “Set your default programs” > Click on ‘Windows Photo Viewer” > click on 'Set this program as default' or select 'Choose default' options in case if you want to open specific type of files with Photo Viewer.
Windows 8 File History:
Windows 8 File History feature is capable of backing up or libraries, desktop, contacts and favorites to other storage media regularly and automatically. You just have to connect a USB flash drive and configure the same for storing backup using File History. In order to set it up go to Control Panel > System and Security > File History > Click on “Exclude Folders” and select the folders that you want to get backed up. You can go through the Advanced Settings for choosing backup frequency, for changing drive for backup and for enabling this feature on with settings you want. You can simply choose Home tab and click on History for checking out history of any file in Explorer.
Getting the Start Menu back :
Windows 8 does not comes with Start Menu and this is not actually correct. Because by default every Windows user tries to look for Start Menu. Luckily there are some tweaks. But it does not look so better. There are third party applications which can add Start Menu. You just need to download then and run the setup. There are also some classic shell applications which are available for free on web. But remember that they are all third party software. There is no stability guarantee. Soon when Windows 8 gets common, we will be able to see Windows 8 to Windows 7 Transformation pack. It looks developers has yet not started working on it. For the time being keep using the Metro UI.
Desktop :
You can access Desktop by pressing Windows key + D. It is the same desktop like in Windows 7, but the only thing it lacks is Start Menu. Basic navigation can be done through arrow keys by pressing them left to right. There are columns on the screen which gives you details or glimpse of application icons and your documents. This became very messy when you have many icons. The screen allow you to group icons as per your choice. For example you can add all set of Words files at one side and Excel on the other. It is easy for common applicatinos, games, bookmarks, etc.
Quick Access Menu :
On the screen right click on the bottom left. You can see a Quick Access Menu. This menu offers you easy link of Desktop, Control Panel, Task Manager, etc. Below is a small screenshot that can provide more highlight on the same. In the same way to shutdown Windows 8 just use Alt+F4. You can find the menu on the right side.
Navigation:
Windows 8 new interface is quite colorful and friendly but beginner might find a bit difficult to deal with it. On touch screen monitor or Tablet you have to swipe left or right to scroll the screen and tap on any tile to access it. On regular desktop you have to spin the mouse wheel to scroll backwards and forwards. You can Press Home or End key from keyboard to navigate form one end of the screen to other. In order to start a particular tile you can either tap on it or use cursor for selecting it. Just like in windows 7 you can press Windows key to return to the Start screen. In order to unpin or remove an application from tile you can simply right click on that application and select unpin or swipe it down and replace it with other tiles around.
App groups:
In order to organize random order of the app in organized manner you can create separate groups. You just have to click on 'minus' icon in the bottom right corner of the screen which is used for zooming out. Once you zoon out you will be able to drag and drop new group around. You can name the group and add 20 or 30 apps in organized manner.
Search applications:
For searching an application hold down the Windows key and press Q or you can simply right-click an empty part of the Start screen or swipe your finger upwards and select “All Apps” option. Once you select or tap on “All Apps” option you will be presented with list of all the application that you might have installed. You can now go through them and launch the application that you might be looking for.
Easy access:
If you want to access any application easily rather than searching for it all the time you can pin it to the Start screen. In order to pin an application first type the name of the application in search system, right click on it once it appears in Apps Search screen and click on “'Pin to Start' option. In case you are using touchscreen monitor than you will have to press and hold the icon, flick down and select 'Pin to Start' option. Once you have pinned it, it will appear to the far end, you can change its position by dragging and dropping it anywhere on the screen.
Check out application that might be running:
There is no task bar to find out which application is running in the background in case you launch some application and press windows key to move to the start screen. However, you can press Alt+Tab and you will be presented with list of application that might be running. You can also press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to see all you’re running apps in the Task Manager in case you need extra detail of the applications running.
Closing an application:
You might find quite easy to launch an application by simply clicking on it or tapping its tile but closing the same can be a question for beginners. There is no close buttons, anyways you can close down any application by moving the mouse cursor up to the top of the screen, as soon as regular mouse pointer turns to icon of a hand you can hold down the left mouse button and drag the application that you want to close down the screen. By default when you switch to some something else, your application gets suspended. You can Ctrl+Shift+Esc to launch Task Manager and end task of any application you want just like we used to do in windows 7.
Accessing Internet Explorer:
You can launch Internet Explorer by clicking on its tile from the Start menu. However after launching it you will get a full-screen version without toolbars, menus or sidebars. In that case you can Right-click an empty part of the page or flick your finger downwards and you will get the option for creating and switching between the tabs. In order to get back full desktop version of Internet Explorer simply click on spanner icon.
Running 2 applications side by side:
You can run 2 applications side by side in windows 8 and for that Swipe from the left. Once you do that your last application will turn into a thumbnail and will be displayed in sidebar pane where as your current application will cover up the rest of the screen. You can easily swap between both applications by swiping again.
Making larger application tile smaller:
Some windows application might have large tile icon where as some might have small icons. In order to make larger application tile smaller you can just Right-click on the application you want and select Smaller or larger option according to the current status of that app. smaller option shrinks an application to half the size of larger icons.
Uninstall or unpin an application:
You can unpin an application just like you pinned it, you just have to select 'Unpin from Start' option for that. In case you want to uninstall any application completely rather than unpinning it than you can select uninstall option. Uninstall option is in the same menu where 'Unpin from Start' is.
Apps and privacy:
Windows 8 application pinned to the start screen will use your name, location and account picture by default. In case you don’t want them to get expose than you can press Win+I > Click on More PC Settings > select Privacy and click relevant buttons for disabling the details you want.
Disable the lock screen:
You can disable Windows 8 lock screen for booting in to windows as fast as possible. In order to do that launch GPEdit.msc > Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Personalization and double-click 'Do not display the lock screen' > Select Enabled, click OK, reboot your system and you are done. You won’t get the same Windows 8 lock screen again.
In case you are not able to find out GPEdit.msc than you can search for 'mmc'. Now in the File menu click on 'Add/Remove Snap-in', click on 'Group Policy Object Editor' and click on Add. Once you get 'Select Group Policy Object' dialog box, click on Browse, click on “'This Computer” for editing the Local Group Policy object.
Installing anything:
You are just allowed to install anything from Windows store and not form any other source. If you want to install application form other source than you will have to enable 'Allow all trusted apps to install' option. For that launch GPEdit.msc > Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > App Package Deployment > double-click 'Allow all trusted apps to install', select Enabled and click on ok to save the changes.
Logging in automatically:
In case you remove lock screen you will be asked for logging in manually every time you start your system. However you can deal with it easily, you just have to Hold down Windows key, press R, type 'netplwiz' without quotes and hit enter. Once you get User Accounts dialog box, uncheck "Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer" box and click OK. You will have to enter the user name and password of the account that you might be willing to get logged in automatically and restart your system. After these changes you won’t be asked for logging in manually upon starting the system.
Replacing Windows 8 Start menu with regular Start menu:
If you don’t like Windows 8 Start menu than you can replace it with regular Start menu by downloading and installing software called ViStart or Start8 .
Windows key shortcuts:
- Win : switch between the Start screen and the last-running Windows 8 app
- Win + C : displays the Charms: the Settings, Devices, Share and Search options
- Win + D : launches the desktop
- Win + E : launches Explorer
- Win + F : opens the File Search pane
- Win + H : opens the Share pane
- Win + I : opens Settings
- Win + K : opens the Devices pane
- Win + L : locks your PC
- Win + M : minimises the current Explorer or Internet Explorer window (works in the full-screen IE, too)
- Win + O : toggles device orientation lock on and off
- Win + P : switch your display to a second display or projector
- Win + Q : open the App Search pane
- Win + R : opens the Run box
- Win + U : open the Ease of Access Centre
- Win + V : cycle through toasts (notifications)
- Win + W : search your system settings (type POWER for links to all power-related options, say)
- Win + X : displays a text menu of useful Windows tools and applets
- Win + Z : displays the right-click context menu when in a full-screen app
- Win + + : launch Magnifier and zoom in
- Win + - : zoom out
- Win +, : Aero peek at the desktop
- Win + Enter: launch Narrator
- Win + PgUp: move the current screen to the left-hand monitor
- Win + PgDn: move the current screen to the right-hand monitor
- Win + PrtSc: capture the current screen and save it to your Pictures folder
- Win + Tab: switch between running apps
Taking screen shot:
For taking screen shot in windows 8 you will have to hold down Windows key and press PrtSc. However image won't get saved to the clipboard instead it will get saved to your My Pictures folder naming Screenshot.png followed by Screenshot (1).png, Screenshot (2) if you press same buttons repeatedly.
Setting Windows Photo Viewer as default option for opening an image:
Simply double clicking on image file within Explorer won’t open it in Photo Viewer window. However you can set Windows Photo Viewer as default option for opening an image.
Just go to Control Panel > Programs > Default Programs > Select “Set your default programs” > Click on ‘Windows Photo Viewer” > click on 'Set this program as default' or select 'Choose default' options in case if you want to open specific type of files with Photo Viewer.
Windows 8 File History:
Windows 8 File History feature is capable of backing up or libraries, desktop, contacts and favorites to other storage media regularly and automatically. You just have to connect a USB flash drive and configure the same for storing backup using File History. In order to set it up go to Control Panel > System and Security > File History > Click on “Exclude Folders” and select the folders that you want to get backed up. You can go through the Advanced Settings for choosing backup frequency, for changing drive for backup and for enabling this feature on with settings you want. You can simply choose Home tab and click on History for checking out history of any file in Explorer.
