How To Use Windows 8 Like Windows 7

Windows 8.1 has been 1 of the nearly-maligned operating systems in contempo retentivity, and, in my stance, much of what'south been written most it has been misguided, unfair, and just plain incorrect. The piling-on Microsoft has experienced in the rollout of its new operating system only goes to illustrate the weakness of the engineering journlism field. Every bit a tech journalist, I take some advice for tech fans: Don't rely blindly on tech journalists—try it for yourself! Virtually tech journalists are concerned with one thing: getting lots of page views. And they know that i sure-fire technique is to have a scathing, negative attitude. I even recently saw a tip-list article telling tech journalists how to up their page views, i of which was simply "Be negative." I would link the commodity, but its championship doesn't see PCMag's family-friendly standards.

The number-one whipping boy for this sort of click-bait negativity is Microsoft. Possibly information technology'due south payback for the company's 90s-era monopolistic shenanigans or for some of its applied science misfires—Vista, the Kin phone, the Zune...the list goes on, admittedly. But it's clear to me that the even slickest, best executed, most technologically brilliant, most toll effective production, software, or service, if associated with the name "Microsoft," would nonetheless manage to find an army of detractors.

Another factor is that the press exaggerates everything. New York wasn't equally dangerous in the 90s as the then mass media would have the world believe: I lived there for the entire decade, riding the subway at all times, and was the victim of just a single failed attempt at pickpocketing during that whole supposedly scary era. The press is an echo bedroom that magnifies everything, specially when in that location'due south fear involved. And what could be scarier for reckoner users than an OS image shift?

Which brings me to Windows 8. With its latest operating system, Microsoft has tried to do something that hasn't been done before—create hybrid organization software that'south equally at home on a tablet as a desktop or laptop PC. And doesn't that brand sense? If you could have just 1 device, a powerful tablet that could do absolutely everything that a desktop computer could, wouldn't you desire that?

Again, despite everything you've heard, Windows 8 is not hard to apply—once you've got just a few new habits under your belt. Here's my cheat canvas on how to run Windows 8 and viii.ane similar a boss, so that you'll never want to look back to Windows 7 or, gasp, the more-than-a-decade-old XP. All this is not to say that you volition feel instantly at home with Windows 8, so don't look to race around information technology the commencement fourth dimension you try it. But after some exploration and familiarization, you may just detect that information technology offers a superior computing experience.

ane. Think of the tiled Start folio as a full-screen Start button. Because that'south exactly what information technology is. Just as with the erstwhile Start button, y'all can only first typing to show programs that begin with the messages you blazon, and launch them without having to scroll across tile screens. You lot tin can customize this page to your eye's content, group tiles and placing your near frequently used ones on the first page. Finally, know that tiles are not just for new-style full-screen mobile apps: Any standard Windows desktop application y'all've been using for years tin can also get a tile that you can place wherever you like on the Commencement page for piece of cake access.

ii. The Desktop is a Tile. If you worry that y'all desire Windows to go along looking and working like Windows 7, but tap that tile on the Commencement screen labeled "Desktop." Y'all'll right away experience at habitation. And there are e'er numerous was to quickly become back to the Commencement screen from anything you're doing on a Windows eight.1 PC: The easiest are to just motility the cursor to the lower-left corner of the screen, where the new-style First button will appear, or tap the Windows key. If your comfort level demands information technology, Windows eight.1 lets you kicking right to the desktop, through Control Console'southward Taskbar and Navigation Properties dialog. At that place you'll also find a option (likewise new in 8.1) to employ the same groundwork for First as for the desktop.

—Tips three-5

Tips iii-five

iii. Discover its Charms. No thing what y'all're doing on a Windows 8.1 system, you can always become to the Charms—a menu rail of buttons along the right site of the screen for major system deportment similar Search, Share, Showtime, Devices, and Settings. Just motion the cursor to the top right corner and then down. (or swipe in from the correct on a touch screen). Ane of the "adjustments" in using Windows viii.i is that new-style apps mostly use these charms—and non their own menus—for settings, search, and sharing to email or social networks. The Settings Charm is also where you'll find the Power options, including those for shutting down and restarting.

iv. Apply the App Bars. No this isn't where you become free appetizers: The app bar is a feature of just nigh every new-manner Windows 8.1 app. To invoke it, you just right-click on the app'due south screen in a mouse-and-keyboard state of affairs, and swipe up from the bottom of the screen or down from the superlative on a touch tablet. One time you do this, you'll reveal the app'due south functions and options. For example, opening the app bar for Adobe'south new Revel for Windows 8 app, you lot'll see buttons for Sharing the photo to Facebook, calculation information technology to an album, or editing it.

5. Keyboard shortcuts still work. Most of Windows' fourth dimension-tested keyboard shortcuts work just every bit they always have: Alt-Tab to switch you among open up applications, F5 refreshes the agile window, Alt-F4 closes the current app, so on. Just the Windows Key is the mother of many new, useful shortcuts. Make friends with the Windows key, and y'all will dart through the OS. Just tapping it switches yous betwixt your current app and the Start screen, Windows key-D takes you lot to the desktop, Windows key-F opens Observe, and—a very handy safety tip—Windows primal-Fifty returns the PC to the lock screen.

A full list of Windows 8.one shortcuts is on this support page(Opens in a new window). 1 central philharmonic nearly people may desire to avert, however, is Windows key-Enter, which starts the Narrator reading everything on screen endlessly; stopping this requires the non-very-intuitive Caps+Esc central philharmonic. The screenshot here shows just a modest sampling of these Windows-key shortcuts.

Check out our Total Windows 8 coverage.

Go Our Best Stories!

Sign up for What's New Now to get our summit stories delivered to your inbox every morning.

This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Utilise and Privacy Policy. Y'all may unsubscribe from the newsletters at whatever time.

Source: https://www.pcmag.com/news/5-tips-for-using-windows-81-like-a-boss

Posted by: millswisted.blogspot.com

Share this post