How To Switching To Windows 8: A Quick Lead For Electrical Flow Windows Users

Here it comes — Windows 8 is on the way! Windows 8 is a lot dissimilar from older versions of Windows, however, so you lot may bring a picayune reeducation to do. In this article writer Michael Miller shows you lot what’s novel inwards Windows 8, too helps you lot acquire how to create all your one-time tasks the novel Windows 8 way.

 

Windows 8 is the latest version of Microsoft's iconic operating system. And it's a lot — really, a lot — dissimilar from those previous versions you've learned to know too love. (Well, at to the lowest degree to know too tolerate.)
The entire Windows 8 sense is new, from outset power-on to running your favorite apps. It's so different, inwards fact, that electrical flow Windows users may bring a difficult fourth dimension figuring out just how to create what they desire to do. Windows 8 doesn't expect at all similar Windows seven (or Vista or XP), too doesn't run quite the same way.
Whether you're upgrading to Windows 8 or purchasing a novel reckoner amongst it already installed, you're going to bring to acquire to alive amongst Windows' novel tiled interface too Metro-style (excuse me, Modern-style) apps. The challenge is to create so piece minimizing the learning flexure — which is what this article is all about.

Welcome to the Start Screen

The outset matter you lot encounter later logging into Windows 8 is something called the Start screen. This ain't the one-time Windows desktop folks — far from it. The Start concealment looks to a greater extent than than a picayune similar the concealment from a Windows phone, which isn't surprising because that's where Microsoft got the design.

 

The Windows 8 Start concealment — this is where everything begins.

You see, Windows 8 is Microsoft's effort to pattern an operating organisation for handheld touchscreen devices. Most of the basic operations, inwards fact, are optimized for touch, non for mouse or keyboard use. The strategy is to render a version of Windows that plant bang-up on tablets (and therefore allow Microsoft compete amongst Apple's iPad) too is pretty much the same across all types of devices, from personal computers to tablets to smartphones.
The work is, 99.9% of all electrical flow PC users create non bring touchscreen devices. We bring notebook too desktop computers amongst traditional keyboards too mice (or trackpads). So beingness forced to purpose on our computers an operating organisation that was designed for tablets too phones — well, i tin for certain struggle the wisdom of that decision. But that's just what Microsoft has given us, a touch-based tablet OS for your notebook or desktop. Lucky us.
Knowing this background helps a picayune when it comes to figuring out simply how Windows 8 works. It for certain explains all those tiles you lot encounter on the Start screen; they're the Windows equivalent of the tappable icons you lot bring on your iPhone or iPad.
In fact, Microsoft goes Apple i ameliorate yesteryear making many of these tiles “live,” inwards that they display real-time data correct on the human face upward of the tile. Take the Weather tile, for example, which displays your electrical flow weather condition conditions, or the Photos tile, which displays a slideshow of your favorite pictures.
The destination hither is to brand the Start concealment every bit useful every bit possible, so you lot acquire a lot of data without having to opened upward all those apps. Basic weather condition information without launching the Weather app? Yeah, that's pretty neat.
The master copy yell for of the Start screen, however, is to render a gateway to all the apps you lot run on your computer. Every app appears every bit a tile on the Start screen; to launch an app, all you lot bring to create is click the appropriate tile. This launches the app inwards total concealment agency — which is the novel default agency to thought apps. Microsoft is discouraging the tillable or stackable windows experience, inwards favor of viewing everything yesteryear itself on the big screen. So that's something else to acquire used to.
By the way, it's probable you'll bring to a greater extent than tiles pinned to the Start concealment than tin endure displayed at i time. No problem; the Start concealment scrolls left too correct (not upward too down, similar you're used to), using either the left/right arrow keys on your keyboard, or yesteryear displaying the scrollbar at the bottom of the concealment too and so using your mouse.
One to a greater extent than thing. Once you lot launch an app too it displays total screen, how create you lot acquire dorsum to the Start screen? There are several ways to create so, but the easiest is to press the Windows telephone commutation on your keyboard. This volition ever render you lot to the Start concealment inwards Windows 8.