Windows 8: the missing manual

929 Pages·2013·62.473 MB·English

by  Pogue, David

Windows 8
The book that should have been in the box®

Windows 8
The book that should have been in the box®
David Pogue
Beijing | Cambridge | Farnham | Köln | Sebastopol | Tokyo
Windows 8: The Missing Manual
by David Pogue
Copyright © 2013 David Pogue. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
Published by O’Reilly Media, Inc., 1005 Gravenstein Highway North,
Sebastopol, CA 95472.
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February 2013: First Edition.
The Missing Manual is a registered trademark of O’Reilly Media, Inc. The Missing
Manual logo, and “The book that should have been in the box” are trademarks of
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publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages
resulting from the use of the information contained in it.

ISBN: 978-1-449-31403-3
[LSI] [02/13]
Table of Contents
The Missing Credits .............................................................................. xii
Introduction .......................................................................................... 1
The Editions of Windows 8—and Windows RT ............................................................................... 3
About This Book ................................................................................................................................. 4
The Very Basics ................................................................................................................................... 6
Part One: TileWorld
Chapter 1: The Start Screen ................................................................. 15
The Lock Screen ................................................................................................................................. 17
The Accounts Screen .......................................................................................................................... 18
The Login Screen ................................................................................................................................ 19
The Start Screen ................................................................................................................................. 19
Corners and Swipes ........................................................................................................................... 23
Shutting Down .................................................................................................................................... 28
Chapter 2: Customizing the Lock, Login & Start Screens .................. 35
Adding or Removing App Tiles ......................................................................................................... 35
Grouping Tiles..................................................................................................................................... 40
More Ways to Tweak the Start Screen............................................................................................. 42
Notifications ........................................................................................................................................ 45
Customizing the Lock Screen............................................................................................................ 48
Customizing the Login Process......................................................................................................... 52
Chapter 3: How TileWorld Works ....................................................... 59
The Windows Store ............................................................................................................................ 60
Working with TileWorld Apps ........................................................................................................... 63
Uninstalling a TileWorld App ............................................................................................................ 67
The Two Task Switchers ..................................................................................................................... 68
The Onscreen Keyboard.................................................................................................................... 71
Handwriting Recognition ................................................................................................................... 74
The File Picker ..................................................................................................................................... 77
Search .................................................................................................................................................. 81
Text: Selecting, Copying, Pasting ...................................................................................................... 84
The TileWorld Spelling Checker ....................................................................................................... 88
Help in TileWorld................................................................................................................................ 89
The TileWorld Apps Missing Manual ............................................................................................... 89
table of contents v
Chapter 4: TileWorld’s Starter Apps ................................................... 91
Bing ...................................................................................................................................................... 91
Calendar .............................................................................................................................................. 93
Camera ................................................................................................................................................ 99
Desktop ................................................................................................................................................ 102
Finance................................................................................................................................................. 102
Games .................................................................................................................................................. 103
Internet Explorer ................................................................................................................................. 104
Mail....................................................................................................................................................... 117
Maps..................................................................................................................................................... 128
Messaging............................................................................................................................................ 132
Music .................................................................................................................................................... 135
News .................................................................................................................................................... 143
People .................................................................................................................................................. 145
Photos .................................................................................................................................................. 154
SkyDrive ............................................................................................................................................... 161
Sports ................................................................................................................................................... 164
Store ..................................................................................................................................................... 165
Travel .................................................................................................................................................... 165
Video .................................................................................................................................................... 166
Weather ............................................................................................................................................... 167
Chapter 5: TileWorld Settings ............................................................. 169
The Six Charms-Panel Settings ......................................................................................................... 169
Personalize .......................................................................................................................................... 171
Users .................................................................................................................................................... 172
Notifications ........................................................................................................................................ 172
Search .................................................................................................................................................. 172
Share .................................................................................................................................................... 172
General ................................................................................................................................................ 172
Privacy.................................................................................................................................................. 174
Devices ................................................................................................................................................. 175
Wireless ............................................................................................................................................... 175
Ease of Access ..................................................................................................................................... 175
Sync Your Settings .............................................................................................................................. 177
Homegroup ......................................................................................................................................... 177
Windows Update ................................................................................................................................ 177
Part Two: The Windows Desktop
Chapter 6: File Explorer, Folders & the Taskbar ................................ 181
The Windows Desktop ....................................................................................................................... 181
Restoring the Start Menu .................................................................................................................. 182
Desktop Windows: File Explorer ...................................................................................................... 183
Universal Window Controls .............................................................................................................. 183
vi table of contents
Window Tricks ..................................................................................................................................... 188
The Ribbon .......................................................................................................................................... 192
Explorer Window Controls ................................................................................................................ 199
Optional Window Panes .................................................................................................................... 203
Libraries ............................................................................................................................................... 208
Tags, Metadata, and Properties ........................................................................................................ 213
Icon and List Views ............................................................................................................................. 215
Sorting, Grouping, and Filtering ....................................................................................................... 219
The “Folder Options” Options .......................................................................................................... 222
Taskbar 2.0 .......................................................................................................................................... 227
Jump Lists ............................................................................................................................................ 232
Three Ways to Get the Taskbar Out of Your Hair ........................................................................... 239
Taskbar Toolbars ................................................................................................................................. 241
The Run Command ............................................................................................................................ 246
The Secret Utilities Menu .................................................................................................................. 249
Chapter 7: Searching & Organizing Your Files ................................... 251
Desktop Search ................................................................................................................................... 251
The Search Index ................................................................................................................................ 253
Where Windows Looks ....................................................................................................... 254
Customizing Search ............................................................................................................. 256
Saved Searches ................................................................................................................................... 260
The Folders of Windows 8 ................................................................................................................ 261
Life with Icons ..................................................................................................................................... 265
Selecting Icons .................................................................................................................................... 271
Copying and Moving Folders and Files ........................................................................................... 275
The Recycle Bin................................................................................................................................... 279
Shortcut Icons ..................................................................................................................................... 282
Compressing Files and Folders ........................................................................................................ 285
Burning CDs and DVDs from the Desktop ...................................................................................... 289
ISO Disk Images.................................................................................................................................. 294
Chapter 8: Redesigning Your Desktop World .................................... 297
Turning Off the New Look ................................................................................................................. 297
A Gallery of Themes .......................................................................................................................... 299
Desktop Background (Wallpaper) ................................................................................................... 301
Color..................................................................................................................................................... 304
Sounds ................................................................................................................................................. 305
Screen Savers ...................................................................................................................................... 306
Desktop Icons ..................................................................................................................................... 307
Mouse Makeover ................................................................................................................................ 308
Preserving Your Tweaks for Posterity .............................................................................................. 311
Monitor Settings ................................................................................................................................. 312
Multiple Monitors ............................................................................................................................... 316
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Chapter 9: Help at the Desktop ........................................................... 321
Navigating the Help System .............................................................................................................. 321
Remote Assistance ............................................................................................................................. 324
Getting Help from Microsoft ............................................................................................................. 330
Chapter 10: Programs & Documents ................................................... 333
Opening Desktop Programs.............................................................................................................. 333
Exiting Desktop Programs ................................................................................................................. 334
When Programs Die: The Task Manager......................................................................................... 335
Saving Documents.............................................................................................................................. 339
Closing Documents ............................................................................................................................ 342
The Open Dialog Box ......................................................................................................................... 343
Moving Data Between Documents .................................................................................................. 343
Speech Recognition ............................................................................................................................ 346
Filename Extensions and File Associations ..................................................................................... 355
Installing Desktop Software .............................................................................................................. 364
Uninstalling Software ......................................................................................................................... 367
Program Compatibility Modes ......................................................................................................... 369
Chapter 11: The Desktop’s Starter Programs ..................................... 375
Windows Essentials ............................................................................................................................ 375
Calculator ............................................................................................................................................ 377
Character Map ................................................................................................................................... 378
Command Prompt ............................................................................................................................. 379
Computer ............................................................................................................................................ 380
Control Panel ...................................................................................................................................... 380
Default Programs ............................................................................................................................... 380
File Explorer ........................................................................................................................................ 381
Help and Support ............................................................................................................................... 381
Magnifier ............................................................................................................................................. 381
Math Input Panel ................................................................................................................................ 382
Narrator ............................................................................................................................................... 384
Notepad ............................................................................................................................................... 387
Onscreen Keyboard ........................................................................................................................... 388
Paint ..................................................................................................................................................... 388
Remote Desktop Connection ............................................................................................................ 390
Run ....................................................................................................................................................... 390
Snipping Tool ...................................................................................................................................... 390
Sound Recorder .................................................................................................................................. 393
Steps Recorder .................................................................................................................................... 394
Sticky Notes ......................................................................................................................................... 394
Task Manager ...................................................................................................................................... 396
Windows Defender ............................................................................................................................ 396
Windows Easy Transfer ..................................................................................................................... 396
Windows Easy Transfer Reports ....................................................................................................... 396
viii table of contents
Windows Fax and Scan...................................................................................................................... 396
Windows Journal ................................................................................................................................ 396
Windows Live Mail ............................................................................................................................. 399
Windows Live Messenger ................................................................................................................. 399
Windows Live Writer .......................................................................................................................... 399
Windows Media Player ...................................................................................................................... 401
Windows PowerShell ......................................................................................................................... 401
Windows Speech Recognition .......................................................................................................... 402
WordPad .............................................................................................................................................. 402
XPS Viewer .......................................................................................................................................... 404
Chapter 12: The Control Panel ............................................................ 407
Many Roads to Control Panel ........................................................................................................... 407
The Control Panel, Applet by Applet ............................................................................................... 411
Part Three: Windows Online
Chapter 13: Hooking Up to the Internet ............................................. 437
Connecting to a WiFi Network ......................................................................................................... 438
Wired Connections ............................................................................................................................. 442
Tethering and Cellular Modems ....................................................................................................... 442
Dial-Up Connections .......................................................................................................................... 443
Connection Management .................................................................................................................. 445
Chapter 14: Security & Privacy ............................................................ 447
Windows Defender ............................................................................................................................ 449
Action Center ...................................................................................................................................... 453
Windows Firewall ............................................................................................................................... 454
Windows SmartScreen ...................................................................................................................... 459
Privacy and Cookies ........................................................................................................................... 461
History: Erasing Your Tracks.............................................................................................................. 465
The Pop-Up Blocker ........................................................................................................................... 466
InPrivate Browsing ............................................................................................................................. 469
Internet Security Zones...................................................................................................................... 470
Do Not Track ....................................................................................................................................... 472
Hotspot Security ................................................................................................................................. 473
Protect Your Home Wireless Network ............................................................................................. 474
Family Safety (Parental Controls) .................................................................................................... 475
Chapter 15: Internet Explorer 10 ......................................................... 481
IE10 Desktop: The Grand Tour .......................................................................................................... 482
The Address/Search Bar .................................................................................................................... 483
Tabbed Browsing ................................................................................................................................ 487
Favorites (Bookmarks) ...................................................................................................................... 491
History List ........................................................................................................................................... 493
RSS: The Missing Manual .................................................................................................................. 495
table of contents ix