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CONTENTS
- 15 Windows 8 Tips to Get You Started
- 15 Windows 8 Tips to Get You Started: 6-10
- 15 Windows 8 Tips to Get You Started: 10-15
Windows 8 is here, and tens of millions are already or soon will be using it as their PC operating system. With the long-in-the-tooth but still heavily used Windows XP set to have its support expire next year, a vast horde of Windows users will likely move to this entirely re-imagined version of Microsoft's operating system. It's that re-imagining that may throw off some longtime Windows users, so we've come up with some pointers to ease the transition.
A key thing to remember is that, although the startup screen will look vastly unfamiliar to veteran Windows users, the new operating system's desktop view is accessible from the tile displaying the desktop (aka wallpaper). This will shift you back into a warm and familiar setting, though one that's improved in several ways. One thing Windows users won't miss is the long time it takes to boot up the operating system from power off. And it's not just boot performance: Both my ownWindows 8 speed tests and the title of a LifeHacker article, "Windows 8 Speed Tests: It's Faster at Pretty Much Everything," sum up the performance story.
In addition to these speed boosts, Windows 8 also improves tools like Task Manager, file transfer dialogs, and it's new included browser Internet Explorer, can hold its own against competitors like Chrome and Firefox in both speed and support for new Web standards like HTML5. But since it's windows, you're still free to run those competing browsers—and millions of other programs.
So without further ado, here's our crash course on how to get rolling with Windows 8 in style and comfort.
1. Edges and corners.
Remembering just two interface procedures can do more to get you fluent in Windows 8 than anything else: If you're working on a touch screen, swiping in from the edges should become second nature, to get you back to the start screen, to search, to change settings, and more. Working with a mouse, the corners of the screen are the keys to the interface. The corners on the right side display the Charms (see later slide), and the left corners let you switch between apps, the desktop, and the start screen.
Remembering just two interface procedures can do more to get you fluent in Windows 8 than anything else: If you're working on a touch screen, swiping in from the edges should become second nature, to get you back to the start screen, to search, to change settings, and more. Working with a mouse, the corners of the screen are the keys to the interface. The corners on the right side display the Charms (see later slide), and the left corners let you switch between apps, the desktop, and the start screen.
2. Don't fear the Start screen: Just start typing.
A lot of users are taken aback by the completely newfangled screen that displays on first boot-up of Windows 8. But just thinking of it simply as a full-screen start button panel will allay some of your fears. Just as with Windows 7's start button menu, you can simply start typing the name of a program to display app names that match the letters you type. If what you're looking for isn't there, say, you want to run the control panel, switch the right-slide selector bar to Settings; if you're looking for a picture or doc, switch it to Files. Note that you can also search within any of the apps listed below these three choices.
A lot of users are taken aback by the completely newfangled screen that displays on first boot-up of Windows 8. But just thinking of it simply as a full-screen start button panel will allay some of your fears. Just as with Windows 7's start button menu, you can simply start typing the name of a program to display app names that match the letters you type. If what you're looking for isn't there, say, you want to run the control panel, switch the right-slide selector bar to Settings; if you're looking for a picture or doc, switch it to Files. Note that you can also search within any of the apps listed below these three choices.
By just typing, you can find both new-style and traditional desktop Windows apps, which also get tiles on the start menu when you install them. And tiles can represent other things besides apps: They can represent specific people for contact info, sections of apps such as a specific team in the Sports app, or a symbol in the Finance app. They can also simply be links from the Start screen to a favorite Web page.
A sub-tip here is to organize your Start screen using semantic zoom—just pinch in on the screen if you're using a touch screen or touchpad, or hit Windows Key-Minus Sign to shrink the tiles, right click or swipe down, and then you can name and move groups of tiles. Moving individual tiles is easy, too: Hold them down (or right-click with a mouse) and drag them to the target location. Start the same way to make the app's tile smaller or larger, or to turn off the live information it displays.
3. App Up: Visit the Windows Store
And visit it frequently, since new apps are arriving in the tens of thousands monthly. Sure, you may still mostly want to use your PC for traditional desktop-style applications, but why not take advantage of these lightweight, mobile-esque apps that are quick to install and update automatically through the store. As in Apple's iTunes App Store, the Windows Store lets you see top free and paid apps, and categories like Games, News, Music, Photo, Entertainment, and Productivity. Most apps, many of them very useful, are free, and most of those that cost money are priced from $1.49 to $9.99.
And visit it frequently, since new apps are arriving in the tens of thousands monthly. Sure, you may still mostly want to use your PC for traditional desktop-style applications, but why not take advantage of these lightweight, mobile-esque apps that are quick to install and update automatically through the store. As in Apple's iTunes App Store, the Windows Store lets you see top free and paid apps, and categories like Games, News, Music, Photo, Entertainment, and Productivity. Most apps, many of them very useful, are free, and most of those that cost money are priced from $1.49 to $9.99.
One app in particular worth more mention is Skype. The Messaging app in Windows 8 draws on Windows Messenger (it also works with Facebook messaging), but the MSN/Windows Messenger service is going away this April. Prepare for this change by installing Skype, which will replace it. Skype is one of the better things to come out of Internet technology advances over the past decade, allowing far flung face-to-face conversations. You can also use it as a telephone substitute, via apps for all the big mobile platforms and it offers a cheap way to make calls to regular phone numbers.
4. Take Advantage of SkyDrive
The cloud has been all the rage for at least two year, even before Apple's October 2011 launch of iCloud. SkyDrive gives PCs equal footing when it comes to cloud conveniences. If you sign into your PC with a Microsoft account—highly recommended, since you can't use the Windows Store or take advantage of other integrations if you don't—your SkyDrive account in included into the bargain. Not only does SkyDrive serve as backup for PC settings and as online storage and syncing, but third party new-style Windows apps can use it as though it were just another hard drive on your PC.
The cloud has been all the rage for at least two year, even before Apple's October 2011 launch of iCloud. SkyDrive gives PCs equal footing when it comes to cloud conveniences. If you sign into your PC with a Microsoft account—highly recommended, since you can't use the Windows Store or take advantage of other integrations if you don't—your SkyDrive account in included into the bargain. Not only does SkyDrive serve as backup for PC settings and as online storage and syncing, but third party new-style Windows apps can use it as though it were just another hard drive on your PC.
SkyDrive also can serve as a Dropbox-style syncing service, but this requires installing its desktop client. Yes—as with Internet Explorer, there are two guises of SkyDrive on Windows 8—new-style and desktop style. When used this way, SkyDrive can serve as an online backup for your important documents, photos, and anything else you save to synced folders.
A final SkyDrive sub-tip is that, in order to have passwords synced, you must "Trust" the PC. Do this by tapping or clicking on the Settings charm, then Change PC Settings at the bottom, and in the Users section, click "Trust this PC." This will open the Web browser to your Microsoft, where you can request a verification code that will show up on your cell phone or email account you specified as a trusted alternate contact. Note—my work spam guard filtered this, so you may have to dig.
5. Install drivers
My test Windows 8 laptop is a stunner. It's a svelte Samsung Series 9 that can match any MacBook Air for slim, lightweight design. But even though it features a state-of-the-art touchpad, I could barely do anything with that input device—no two- or three-finger scrolling in particular. When I asked Windows to check if the driver was up to date, it said yes. But a visit to the hardware maker's site, a download, and an install got all my multitouch goodness working.
My test Windows 8 laptop is a stunner. It's a svelte Samsung Series 9 that can match any MacBook Air for slim, lightweight design. But even though it features a state-of-the-art touchpad, I could barely do anything with that input device—no two- or three-finger scrolling in particular. When I asked Windows to check if the driver was up to date, it said yes. But a visit to the hardware maker's site, a download, and an install got all my multitouch goodness working.
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