Free Apps Available with Windows 8
The Windows 8 Start screen comes stocked with several free apps, each living on its own square or rectangular tile. Every tile is labeled, so you know what’s what. [more…]
How to Exit from Windows 8
Ah! The most pleasant thing you’ll do with Windows 8 all day could very well be to stop using it. Exiting Windows brings a new hurdle to the process, however: You must decide whether to Lock, Sign Out, [more…]
Windows 8 User Accounts
Windows 8 allows several people to work on the same computer, yet it keeps everybody’s work separate. To do that, it needs to know who’s currently sitting in front of the keyboard. When you [more…]
How to Unlock Your Windows 8 Screen
Starting Windows 8 is as easy as turning on your computer — Windows 8 leaps onto the screen automatically with a flourish. But before you can begin working, Windows 8 stops you cold: It displays a locked [more…]
What to Expect When You Run Windows 8 the First Time
If you’ve worked with Windows previously, you may not recognize Windows 8. When you first turn on your computer, you won’t see the familiar desktop. Instead, you’ll be awash in a screen of brightly colored [more…]
How to Make Windows 8 Stop Asking for a Password
Windows asks for your name and password only when it needs to know who’s tapping on its keys. And it needs that information for any of these four reasons: [more…]
Sign up for a Microsoft Account for Windows 8
Whether you’re signing in to Windows 8 for the first time, trying to access some Start screen apps, or just trying to change a setting, you’ll eventually see a screen similar to this one. [more…]
The New Start Screen in Windows 8
The new Start screen in Windows 8 whisks you away from traditional Windows desktop and drops you into a foreign land with no helpful translator at your side. That’s right: Windows 8 no longer has a Start [more…]
Launch a Windows 8 Start Screen Program or App
Windows 8 stocks your Start screen with apps — small programs for performing simple tasks. In fact, Windows 8 now refers to all Windows programs as apps. [more…]
View or Close Your Open Apps in Windows 8
Windows 8 Start screen apps, by nature, consume the entire screen, with no visible menus. That makes it difficult not only to control them but also to switch among them. The same holds true when you’re [more…]
How to Find a 8 Windows Start Screen App or Program
You can scroll through the Windows 8 Start screen until your eagle-eyes spot the tile you need, and then you can pounce on it with a quick mouse click or finger tap. But when the thrill of the hunt wanes [more…]
The Windows 8 Charms Bar and Its Hidden Shortcuts
The Charms bar is simply a menu, one of a million in Windows 8. But the Microsoft marketing department, eager to impart a little humanity to your computer, calls it a [more…]
Five Tips for Using the Windows 8 Start Screen
The Windows 8 Start screen is a dynamic and ever-changing feature of the Windows 8 environment. You will need it to access your user account, to add or view apps, or to share cool websites with friends [more…]
Keep Your Windows 8 User Account Private with Passwords
A password is more important than ever in Windows 8 because some accounts can be tied to a credit card. By typing a secret password when signing in, you enable your computer to recognize [more…]
How to Add Windows 8 Start Screen Items
You’ll probably want to spend time adding items to the Windows 8 Start screen, and here’s why: It’s easy to escape the Start screen by clicking the Desktop app. But once you’re safely on the desktop, how [more…]
How to Customize the Windows 8 Start Screen
The Windows 8 Start screen grows longer and longer as you add more items. Give yourself a fighting chance by organizing your Start screen. The following steps begin with a small dose of organization: purging [more…]
The Windows 8 Start Screen’s PC Settings Screen
The Window 8 Start screen’s mini control panel — the PC Settings screen — would make more sense if it simply offered mini tweaks, such as changing colors or other cosmetic fluff. But oddly enough, Microsoft [more…]
How to Customize the Start Screen Background and Color
The default Windows 8 Start screen background is nice enough, but is it really you? Because you spend so much time on the Start screen, you may want to personalize it with your own design. To change the [more…]
