Create Windows 8 Taskbar Shortcuts for Your Favorite Programs
Whenever you install a new program on your computer, the program usually asks way too many obtuse questions. But perk up your ears when you see this question: “Would you like a shortcut icon placed on [more…]
What’s Inside a Folder in Windows 8
Because folders are really little storage compartments, Windows 8 uses a picture of a little folder to represent a place for storing files. To see what’s inside a folder, either in File Explorer or on [more…]
How to Manage a Windows 8 Library’s Folders
The Windows 8 library system may seem confusing, but you can safely ignore the mechanics behind it. Just treat a library like any other folder: a handy spot to store and grab similar types of files. But [more…]
How to Create a New Folder in Windows 8
To store new information in a file cabinet, you grab a manila folder, scrawl a name across the top, and start stuffing it with information. To store new information in Windows 8 — a new batch of letters [more…]
How to Rename a File or Folder in Windows 8
Sick of a file or folder’s name when working in Windows 8? Then change it. Just right-click the offending icon and choose Rename from the menu that pops up. [more…]
Select Bunches of Files or Folders in Windows 8
Although selecting a file, folder, or other object may seem particularly boring, it swings the doors wide open for further tasks: deleting, renaming, moving, copying, and performing other file-juggling [more…]
How to Get Rid of a File or Folder in Windows 8
Sooner or later, you’ll want to delete a file in Windows 8 that’s no longer important — yesterday’s lottery picks, for example, or a particularly embarrassing digital photo. To delete a file or folder, [more…]
See Hidden Information about Files and Folders in Windows 8
Whenever you create a file or folder, Windows 8 scrawls a bunch of secret hidden information on it: the date you created it, its size, and even more trivial stuff. Sometimes it even lets you add your own [more…]
Copy or Move Files and Folders in Windows 8
To copy or move files to different folders in Windows 8 on your hard drive, it’s sometimes easiest to use your mouse to drag them there. For example, here’s how to move a file to a different folder on [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…]
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 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…]
Basics of the Documents Library Window in Windows 8
You might recognize the window shown in the following figure as your Windows 8 Documents library, that storage tank for most of your work. Learning to navigate the Document library window will enable you [more…]
