window 8 quick tour

The Start Screen vs The Desktop: What You Need to Know

There is a new style of program in Windows 8, however, called an App. These
apps (or applications) run full screen and are easier and friendlier to use than
desktop programs. Windows 8 comes preinstalled with many apps for email,
calendar, news, and so on, and you can download more from the new Windows
Store. You will see the Store tile on the Start screen.

If you are using a Windows 8 tablet you will only be able to install apps from
the Windows store. You can’t install desktop software on tablet computers.
The only exception to this is Windows 8 Pro tablets; you should check the
documentation that came with your tablet to see which type of device you
have.

Starting Windows 8

When Windows 8 starts, you will see the lock screen .

                                                                 The Windows 8 lock screen

This displays
the time and date and can also show extra information including how many
emails you have and what your next calendar appointment is.

You open the lock screen by swiping upwards on the screen
with your finger, if you have a touch display, or by pressing
any key on the computer’s keyboard.

When you first started using your computer, you may have set a password for
your user account. If you did, you will be asked for this before you can unlock
the computer. You can also create a number password for Windows 8 or use
a Picture Password.To switch between a standard password, PIN, or picture if you
have one set, click/touch sign-in-options at the sign-in screen
when asked for your password.

Finding Your Way Around the New Start Screen

The Start screen


                                                                      The Windows 8 start screen

, in Windows 8 is based around square and rectangular
colored blocks called Tiles, each one when clicked or tapped starts
an app, which will perform a specific task such as sending and receiving email,
viewing web pages, editing photographs, or play a game. The Start screen pans
left to right across your screen.

Swipe left and right with your finger to pan across the Start
screen. If you are using a mouse, you will see a scroll bar at
the bottom of the screen when you move the mouse. Click/
Touch and drag this left and right to look around the Start
screen. You can also use the scroll wheel (up and down) on
your mouse to move left and right on the Start scren.

As you look around the Start screen you will see that some Tiles change occasionally
to display text or images. These are Live Tiles, which give you information
from inside the app or show you what is new or changed, such as
giving you a message.
These messages can include details of new emails or social network messages,
informing you of the number of updates that are available for your apps in the
Windows Store or giving you news headlines.
You can rearrange Tiles on the Start screen by dragging them around and
dropping them into a new location, which can help you organize them to best
suit you.

When you drag a Tile between groups, you will see a colored
vertical bar appear. If you drop the Tile onto this bar you can
create a new group. This can be useful to separate apps. For
example, you can separate games, websites, and so on.

Using the Charms Menu

The Start Button from previous versions of Windows (sometimes known as
the Windows Orb), which you would find in the bottom left hand corner of
your desktop screen, and that you would click/touch to find and run programs,
has moved in Windows 8 to a new Charms Menu
 
                      charm menu
 
 This pops out
from the right side of the screen and contains icons for useful tasks in Windows
8.
You can open the Charms Menu by swiping in from the right of the screen
with your finger or by pressing WindowsKey+C on your keyboard (the WindowsKey
is the key in the bottom left of your keyboard with the Windows logo
on it). To open the Charms Menu with a mouse, move your mouse to the
bottom right or the top right corner of the screen.

On the Charms Menu you will find the following options:

• Search opens the search panel so you can find apps, documents, and
Windows 8 Settings
• Share allows you to share text, pictures, and more between Windows 8
apps
• Start returns you to the Start screen; this is also available by pressing the
Windows Key on your keyboard or the Windows button on your tablet
computer
• Devices allows you to work with printers, display projectors, and other
hardware devices
• Settings displays basic Windows 8 Settings and controls

You can also search for apps, settings, and files by typing directly
at the Start screen. You do not need to open the Search
panel.

Using the App Bar

If you have used an earlier version of Windows, you might know that pressing
the right mouse button can bring up a menu of options associated with an icon
or program. In Windows 8 apps and on the Start screen, this right-click now
displays the App Bar.
The App Bar
 

 which is also available by swiping up from the bottom
of your screen with your finger or swiping down from the top, contains
menu options that are available for that app.

To open the App Bar with your mouse, right-click in an app or on the Start
screen. To open the App Bar from your keyboard, press the WindowsKey+Z.

These options are the equivalent to drop-down menus in Windows desktop
programs and can perform many functions, each of which depends on the
context of where you are and what you are doing.

To perform an action on a Tile on the Start screen, such as
hiding it from the Start screen completely
you can right-click/touch on the Tile with your mouse, or
touch and swipe downwards with your finger, and the App
Bar will appear with options for actions you can perform on
that Tile. You can open the App Bar from your keyboard by
pressing WindowsKey+Z in any app or from the Start screen.

If ever you want to open a menu in an app or on the Start screen, you will do
this from the App Bar. This is where all the controls for apps can be found.

Finding All the Apps in Windows 8

Not all the apps and software in Windows 8 will appear on the Start screen.
For example, you may have chosen to hide a Tile to keep your Start screen
tidy, or perhaps you don’t use it regularly.
You can see all the apps that are installed in Windows 8, including Windows
desktop programs by right-clicking in any blank space on the Start screen (also
by touching a blank space and dragging down) and then clicking All Apps on
the app bar.
In the All Apps view
 
                                          Finding all apps in Windows 8


 you will see every app and all your desktop
software that is installed on the computer. The apps appear on the left of the
screen and your desktop software, on the right, are organized into clearly labelled
categories to make things easy to find. You can move left and right in
the All Apps view as you would on the Start screen.

If you want to pin an app or program back on the Start screen,
right-click (touch and drag down) on it and select Pin to
Start from the App Bar

Switching Between Running Apps in Windows 8

You can press the Windows Key on your keyboard or the Start icon in the
Charms menu at any time to return to the Start screen, but you can also switch
between apps by dragging the previous app in from the left of the screen with
your finger. With a keyboard, you can use the WindowsKey+Tab keys to switch
between running apps.

Docking Apps to the Left or Right of the Screen

When you drag an app in from the left of the screen with your finger, you will
see a vertical bar appear in the left quarter of the screen or the right quarter of
the screen depending where you are dragging it at that point. Dropping an app
when you see this bar will dock it to the far left or the far right of the screen

 
                                            Arranging apps on screen in Windows 8

If you then return to the Start screen by pressing the Windows Key, the next
app you run will fill the remaining space, so you have two apps side by side.
You can drag the vertical bar separating them left and right to switch the focus
from one app to the other, or to move one app off the screen completely.

To dock apps side by side using a mouse (this also works with touch), drag
the app from the top center of the screen toward the center of the screen. You
will see the app change to a thumbnail image. You can now drag this thumbnail
to the left or right of the screen and drop it when you see the vertical dock bar
appear.

Logging Out Of and Locking Windows 8

If several people use Windows 8 on your computer and you want to switch to
a different user, you can do this by clicking or touching your user icon and
name in the top right of the Start screen. This will bring up a menu with three
options
 
                         The User Menu in Windows 8

If you want to change your password, you can do this from
the Users page in PC Settings. Click/Touch Settings in the
Charms menu and then click Change PC Settings to access the
options.

• Change Account Picture will allow you to choose a new picture for your
account from images that you have on your computer.
• Lock will lock the computer so that a password, PIN, or picture password
is needed to sign in again. This is useful if you are leaving your computer
unattended for a while.
• Sign-Out will sign out of your account so that others can use the computer.

If you have multiple user accounts set up in Windows, perhaps
for different members of your family these people will also appear in
the user list when you click/touch your name in the top right
of the Start screen. You can switch directly to another user by
clicking their icon (you will not be logged out). This means
that if you have any files or documents open that you have not
saved, they might be lost if another user then shuts the computer
down. They will be warned, however, by Windows 8 if
another user is still logged in when they turn the computer off.

Using Touch Gestures in Windows 8

I have already shown you some of the touch gestures you can use in Windows
8, including touching a Tile to open it and touching and dragging down to
select it.

There are other gestures you can use, including two finger pinch actions to
zoom in and out (pinch in to zoom out and pinch out to zoom in).

To select an item and open App Bar options for it on the Start screen, touch it
and drag it downward slightly. This is slightly different if you are using touch
in desktop programs where you should touch and hold the item, this will simulate
a mouse right-click.

Using Windows 8 with a Keyboard and Mouse

If you are using Windows 8 with a keyboard and mouse, there are several timesaving
shortcuts that you can use instead of touch gestures.

• Right mouse click or press the WindowsKey+Z to display the App Bar in
apps and at the Start screen
• Press the WindowsKey+C to open the Charms Menu
• Press the WindowsKey+Tab to switch between running apps

You can also move your mouse to the four corners of the screen; these are
called hot corners, and each one will display different options. The top and
bottom right-side corners will open the App Bar, and the top and bottom left
corners will allow you to switch between running apps and opening the Start
screen.

Using the On-Screen Keyboard

When you are using Windows 8 on a touchscreen, the on-screen keyboard will
appear whenever you tap in a place where you would enter text, such as the
address bar in Internet Explorer or a form on a website. When it appears, you
will see the keyboard fills the full width of your screen, but if you’re using your
thumbs to type while holding your tablet in both hands, reaching the keys in
the center of the keyboard can be tricky
.
You can make using the on-screen keyboard easier to use when you are holding
your tablet in both hands by clicking the keyboard icon in the bottom right of
the on-screen keyboard to display different layout options, including:
 
                                              The Windows 8 on-screen keyboard

• The standard full screen–width keyboard
• A thumbs keyboard where the keys are moved to the far left and right of
the screen
• Handwriting recognition if your tablet comes with a stylus
• Hiding the on-screen keyboard

You can select international characters on the on-screen keyboard
by touching and holding a letter for one second. This
will display accented letters that you can then touch to select.

Shutting Down and Restarting Windows 8

To restart or shut down Windows 8, follow these instructions.
• Open the Charms Menu
• Click/touch Settings
• In the panel that appears, click/touch Power
• In the menu that appears, click/touch Shut Down, Restart, or Sleep
 
                                       Restarting and shutting down Windows 8

Sleep puts your computer into a low-power standby state. This makes it very
quick to switch on again, but it does consume a small amount of power, which
can drain the battery on a laptop or tablet computer.

Summary

Windows 8 certainly offers a very new way of working, but it is simple and
intuitive to use. In this Article, I have shown you how to navigate the interface,
launch apps, display menus, and move items to rearrange them, including
arranging apps on your screen.