Windows 8 Cheat Sheet : Learn The Tricks

Oct. 30, 2012 - PRLog -- Windows 8 Cheat Sheet

This is a little cheat sheet will show you how to get the most out of the new Start screen and its apps, the Desktop, the new Charms bar, Internet Explorer 10 and other new features and apps. Also provided are reference charts listing useful touch-screen gestures and keyboard shortcuts.

Note: If you want to get the most out of Windows 8, you will have to use a Microsoft ID as your user account.  If you do not already have one you will need to create one. Without a Microsoft ID, you will not be able to use a number of new Windows 8 apps, including Mail and People, and you will not be able to sync settings among multiple devices. So when you set up Windows 8 for the first time, sign in with an existing Microsoft ID or you can create a new one at this point. (You can also switch to a Microsoft ID account later from the “PC settings” screen.)

There is a new lock screen
When you start Windows 8 (whether booting up initially or waking from sleep), you will see the first big difference from previous versions of Windows — a whole new look for the lock screen. Like the lock screens on Windows Phone devices, it sports a big graphic image and displays a variety of information, such as the date and time, the local weather, the number of new emails you have, the strength of your network connection and how much power you have left on your device.

This information is not interactive; you cannot click or tap to see your email, for example. (Later this article will cover how to change the information that appears on your lock screen.)

To log into Windows, tap a key or click the mouse or, on a touch system, swipe from the bottom up — and you will come to a sign-in screen. Select an account if you have multiple accounts, type in your password and press Enter to sign into Windows 8.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGGsqEE3wqw



Meet the Start screen

Once you are logged into Windows from the lock screen, you head directly to the new Start screen rather than the usual, familiar Desktop interface. This is the new face of Windows.

Initially Microsoft called this design the “Metro” interface, but now Microsoft is calling the new UI, “Windows 8 design.” Laptop and desktop PC users might have a bit of a learning curve getting used to the Start screen’s big tiles and horizontal orientation however this article will show you what you need to know in order to navigate it.

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Tiles. The Start screen is made up of a grid of colorful tiles. Each tile represents an app; click (or tap) the tile to run the app.

To start, you will find tiles for several new apps — People, Mail, Calendar, Messaging and others — that are built into Windows 8 and will have the same look and feel as the Start screen. Formerly called Metro apps, they are now referred to as Windows 8 apps, Windows Store apps, Modern apps or Start apps by industry watchers. In this cheat sheet, Windows 8 apps will be distinguished separately from Desktop apps (more about those in a moment).

A word about Windows RT…

Buying a new Windows-based tablet this fall? Some tablets, such as Microsoft’s own Surface RT, don’t come with Windows 8 but are instead based on Windows RT, a lightweight version of Windows 8 that’s designed for devices with energy-efficient ARM processors. Windows RT shares the new Windows 8 interface and many of its features and apps, and it ships with its own version of the Office 2013 productivity suite. It doesn’t, however, run most traditional Desktop-based applications.

This cheat sheet is for users running the full version of Windows 8, but Windows RT users can use this guide to learn about the Start screen, the Charms bar, Windows 8 apps and navigational gestures.

By default, those apps that show notifications have larger Start screen tiles than those that do not.

You will also find tiles for Desktop-based apps on the Start screen, and the Windows Desktop itself is now accessed via Desktop tile.

Desktop tile.

Desktop apps are traditional programs like Microsoft Word or Adobe Photoshop; as a general rule, any application that you have run on previous versions of Windows is a Desktop-based app.

Desktop-based app tiles do not show notifications, and they have smaller graphics on them. Also, tiles for Desktop apps often appear on the right side of the screen, and they (and other tiles as well) may lie off the edge of the main, front screen, so you may have to scroll (or swipe, if you have a touch-screen device) to see them.

Charms bar. If you move your mouse pointer to the upper-right or lower-right corner of the screen, the Charms bar appears as an overlay on the screen — sometimes directly on top of tiles or other content. This bar gives you quick access to features such as search and system settings from anywhere in Windows 8.

Scroll bar. The Start screen has a horizontal orientation, so when you want to see more tiles on the screen, you will have to scroll or swipe to see them. The scrollbar is not normally visible, but it makes its appearance when you move your mouse. You use it as you would any normal scroll bar, except you scroll to the right and left rather than up and down.

When you get there, you will find a familiar-looking Desktop minus what had been one of its key features in previous versions of Windows — the Start button and its menu. And that means that you are going to have to get used to a new way of using the Desktop and utilize different ways of accessing apps and features.

Additionally, the Desktop supports all of Windows 8′s system wide navigation features, including the Charms bar and keyboard shortcuts. We’ll cover those later in the story.

Get to know Windows 8
You can also change a myriad of other system settings, including app notifications, search preferences, privacy options and more. The settings are all straightforward and self-explanatory. Just click the one you want to change and get to work.

One noteworthy section in the PC settings screen is “Sync your settings.” Microsoft built Windows 8 assuming that people would be using it with multiple devices. This feature lets you sync some of your settings among them.

You can sync your lock screen; account picture; personalized Desktop settings; passwords for apps, websites and networks; app, browser and mouse settings; and so on. Simply turn on or off which items you want to sync or not sync.

Touch-screen navigation

Windows 8 supports a whole host of touch-screen gestures, including the swiping, pinching and rotating motions familiar to smartphone and tablet users. Tapping an item opens it; pressing and holding an item pops up a menu to display more information about it.

Note, however, that these gestures often do not work in Desktop apps. (See “Meet the Start screen” for the differences between Desktop apps and Windows 8 apps.)

Windows 8 also uses something called edge UIs, in which you swipe from the edge of the screen toward the center. Swiping in from the right edge of the screen displays the Charms bar. Swiping quickly in and back out from the left edge of the screen cycles through your open apps.

While the previous edge UI gestures work universally, some are specific to Windows 8 apps. When you are in a Windows 8 app, swiping up from the bottom of the screen or swiping down from the top of the screen displays the App bar. Also you can close a Windows 8 app by pulling down from the top edge of the screen all the way to the bottom of the screen. The app shrinks to a thumbnail and then disappears.

Here is a list of useful Windows 8 gestures, including more edge UI gestures. Keep in mind that not all of the following gestures work in all places and apps. Again, they typically, do not work in Desktop apps.

Windows 8 touch gestures

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