Five Big Changes in Windows 8
Windows 8 looks and behaves much differently from previous versions of Windows. Remember these five big changes, and you'll be well prepared for Windows 8. [more…]
Finding Hidden Hotspots in Windows 8
Every app you load in Windows 8 fills the entire screen. That lets you concentrate on the information in front of you. But that also means that you won't see any menus. When you need those menus — to switch [more…]
Windows 8 For Dummies Cheat Sheet
If you're new to Microsoft Windows, you'll probably enjoy Windows 8, the newest version of Windows, which simplifies many of the most common computing tasks. If you've used Windows before, prepare for [more…]
How to Use the Windows 8 Taskbar's Notification Area
Like a crafty card player, the taskbar comes with a few tips and tricks. For example, here's the lowdown on the icons near the taskbar's right edge, known as the [more…]
How to Launch Programs from the Windows 8 Taskbar
The Windows 8 taskbar lives along the bottom of your desktop, constantly updating itself to show an icon for every currently running program. The taskbar also serves as a place to launch your favorite [more…]
Shrink and Retrieve Windows from the Windows 8 Taskbar
Windows spawn windows. To combat the clutter, Windows 8 provides a simple means of window control: Use the Minimize button to shrink a window. The screen-cluttering square morphs into a tiny button on [more…]
Switch to Different Windows 8 Tasks from Jump Lists
The Windows 8 taskbar enables you to jump to other tasks by right-clicking the taskbar's icons. Right-clicking the Internet Explorer icon produces a Jump List of your recently visited websites. Click any [more…]
How to Customize the Windows 8 Taskbar
Windows 8 brings a whirlwind of options for the lowly taskbar, letting you play with it in more ways than a strand of spaghetti and a fork. And that's especially important in Windows 8: By stocking the [more…]
Find Other Computers on a Network through Windows 8
Windows 8 is happy to help if you need to access files from another computer on your network—for example, grab files from the computer in your family room. In fact, the Windows Homegroup system makes it [more…]
Find Currently Running Windows 8 Start-Screen Apps
By nature, the Windows 8 Start screen apps fill the screen. Switch to another app, and it fills the screen, shoving away the previous app. Because the Start screen shows only one app at a time, your other [more…]
Find Lost Windows on the Windows 8 Desktop
As opposed to the full-screen Start screen, the Windows 8 desktop works much like a spike memo holder. Every time you open a new window or program, you toss another piece of information onto the spike. [more…]
Locate a Missing App, Program, Setting, or File in Windows 8
To help you find lost apps, wandering files, hidden settings, or even things like missing e-mail, Windows 8 offers an easily searchable index. To begin searching, fetch the Charms bar's Search icon. You [more…]
Find a Missing File inside a Windows 8 Desktop Folder
Windows 8 includes a Search box in every desktop folder's upper-right corner. That Search box limits your search to files within that particular folder. In comparison, the Start screen's Search pane probes [more…]
How to Find Lost Photos in Windows 8
Windows 8 thoroughly indexes your e-mail, down to the last word, but it doesn't index photos; it can't tell the difference between photos of your cat and photos of your office party. When it comes to finding [more…]
How to Print Envelopes from within Windows 8
Although clicking Envelopes in a Windows 8 program's Page Setup area is fairly easy, printing addresses in the correct spot on the envelope is extraordinarily difficult. Some printer models want you to [more…]
How to Print from a Windows 8 Start Screen App
Many of the apps in the Windows 8 Start screen can't print at all, and those that do allow printing don't offer many ways to tinker with your printer's settings. So what's the deal here? The new, tile-filled [more…]
How to Print from the Windows 8 Desktop
Built for power and control, the Windows 8 desktop offers much more control than the Start Screen over printing your work. But that power and control often mean wading through a sea of options. [more…]
Windows 8 Page Setup: Adjust Work to Fit Printed Pages
If what you see on your Windows 8 screen isn't what you want to see on the printout, use the Windows 8 Page Setup dialog box to tweak your content. Page Setup, found on nearly any program's File menu, [more…]
How to Adjust Printer Settings from Windows 8
When you choose Print from many programs, Windows 8 offers one last chance to set up your printed page. The Print dialog box lets you route your work to any printer installed on your computer or network [more…]
How to Cancel a Print Job from Windows 8
Use Windows 8 to properly cancel a print job — this is, by purging the print request from the printer's memory. Canceling a print job isn't a simple matter of hitting the printer's Off button. Many printers [more…]
How to Print a Web Page from Windows 8
Although information-stuffed web pages look awfully tempting, printing those web pages even from within Windows 8 is rarely satisfying because they look so awful on paper. When sent to the printer, web [more…]
How to Troubleshoot Your Printer from Windows 8
When you can't print something from within Windows 8, start with the basics: Are you sure that the printer is turned on, plugged into the wall, full of paper, and connected securely to your computer with [more…]
How to Use Print Preview in Windows 8
The Print Preview option, found on nearly every program's File menu, foretells your printing fate before the words hit paper. Printing often requires a leap of faith: You choose Print from the menu and [more…]
How to Choose the Right Paper for Your Printer
Before printing anything from any Windows 8 program or app, be sure to click the Printer's Preferences section to select the grade of paper you're using for that job. If you've strolled the aisles at an [more…]
Windows 8: Using Scroll Bars to Move within a Window
The scroll bar in a window within Windows 8, which resembles a cutaway of an elevator shaft, rests along the edge of all overstuffed windows. You can even find a scroll bar along the bottom of the Start [more…]
