Learning the fundamentals of Windows (including 8/8.1)

Les Whinen

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2
Hi guys,

I realize there are great tutorials on this site, but what I'm looking for (and I'll do my best not to be hopelessly vague about it) is a way to progress from casual/confident home user - somebody comfortable navigating windows, tweaking things here and there, cleaning up/optimising other people's PC's (to an extent) - to somebody who has a proper understanding of the Windows OS, i.e. the registry, user profiles, and the general underlying organisation of the system.

My problem is when I go searching for books and tutorials, I get completely bombarded by beginner material that's a little too basic (or at least appears to be - the kind designed to help people get used to the new Windows 8 interface etc, which I had no problems adjusting to), and on the other hand, material geared towards developers (which I'm not).

So I'm wondering, for a home user who just wants to be more knowledgeable and in control of his system, and not be completely at a loss when, for instance, my desktop profile suddenly disappears, or why programs aren't simply placed in program files but seem to have all these additional appdata, local/roaming folders (these are some of the more recent issues that made me uncomfortable with how much I don't know) are there specific books/sets of tutorials, or even courses you might recommend to somebody like myself? Do you think the Microsoft MTA or MCSA courses would be worthwhile, or perhaps a bit overkill?

Again, apologies if this is a bit vague, but I'd really appreciate any pointers.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
Hi Les:
I'm gonna be totally honest with ya, back in the day, I bought books, download reference material for the same purpose and poured over them til I was frustrated, bored or just plain sleepy!
There is lots of handy reference guides you can get your hands on from the web.
There is also lots of great sites, like this one, to be a member of and get lots of learning done; and this is one of the best sites by far! (still pluggin for that VIP membership! :D)
Eventually I found the best way for me was 'trial and error', in other words 'mess with the system'. So, I got into the habit of always running a 'test machine' on another partition to fool around with til my fingers bled! I always scour the internet for reputable how-to sites or material, and joined the awesome group of folks here at Windows EightForums!
It's amazing how much you can learn in a short period of time and then eventually help out as well as you keep learning.
It works for me and it's also a fun approach, but you decide what's best for you. I'm just throwing some ideas out there.

Greets! :)

 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 7 Home Premium
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion
  • PC2
    Tablet - Windows 10 Home
I agree with Edwin, "trial and error" worked for me, there's no substitute for experience. Make sure you keep your system backed up so you can restore it if one of your errors goes too far!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 Pro (desktop), W10 (laptop), W10 Pro (tablet)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built i7-8700K, Hp Envy x360 EVO Laptop, MS Surface Pro 7
    CPU
    3.7Ghz Core i7-8700K, 11th Gen Core i7-1165G7 4.7Ghz, 10th Gen Core™ i5-1035G4 1.1Ghz
    Motherboard
    ASUS TUF Z370-Pro Gaming, HP, MS
    Memory
    16G, 8G, 8G
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon RX580, Intel Iris X Graphics, Intel Iris Plus Graphics G4
    Sound Card
    ATI High Definition Audio (Built-in to mobo)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual Samsung U32J59 32 inch monitors, 13.3" display, 12.3" display
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160 (Desktop), 1920x1080 (laptop), 2736x1824 Pro 7
    Hard Drives
    500GB ssd boot drive with 2 & 10TB Data (Desktop), 512GB ssd (laptop), 128GB SSD (tablet)
    PSU
    Corsair CX 750M
    Case
    Antec 100
    Cooling
    Coolermaster CM 212+
    Keyboard
    IBM Model M - used continuously since 1986
    Mouse
    Microsoft IntelliMouse
    Internet Speed
    665Mbps/15Mbps down/up
    Browser
    FireFox, MS Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender on all
    Other Info
    Retired in 2015 after working in the tech industry for 41 years. First 10 years as a Technician, the rest as a programmer/software engineer. After 1 year of retirement, I was bored so went back to work as a Robotic Process Automation Consultant. Retired for 3rd (and final) time in 2019.
Hi guys,

I realize there are great tutorials on this site, but what I'm looking for (and I'll do my best not to be hopelessly vague about it) is a way to progress from casual/confident home user - somebody comfortable navigating windows, tweaking things here and there, cleaning up/optimising other people's PC's (to an extent) - to somebody who has a proper understanding of the Windows OS, i.e. the registry, user profiles, and the general underlying organisation of the system.

Here are a couple of links to the Windows Bible; both Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 book which weighs in at nearly 1000 pages and seems to have been written while testing the Windows 8.1 Update so it may have everything you need.

Windows 8 Bible: Jim Boyce, Rob Tidrow: 9781118203880: Amazon.com: Books
Amazon.com: windows 8.1 bible: Books

While you're on each Amazon page, scroll down to the bottom and you'll see a number of other books on Windows advertised, some of which are pretty comprehensive.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion 500-056
    CPU
    AMD Elite Quad-Core A8-6500
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon HD 8570D
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer 23"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 X 1080
    Hard Drives
    1 TB
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wave K350
    Mouse
    Logitech M510
    Internet Speed
    Fast
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Here I go again but let me tell my story. Once upon a time, long time ago, I thought I knew everything there was about DOS 3, even passed some MS test. Then buy chance (or luck) I got MS manual for DOS, it was the size of an average encyclopedia !!!. After just a cursory look thru I realized i'm aware of only 10% of the content if even that.
Moral of the story, better read (even if it's tedious) than sorry.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home made
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen7 2700x
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime x470 Pro
    Memory
    16GB Kingston 3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus strix 570 OC 4gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 evo 250GB
    Silicon Power V70 240GB SSD
    WD 1 TB Blue
    WD 2 TB Blue
    Bunch of backup HDDs.
    PSU
    Sharkoon, Silent Storm 660W
    Case
    Raidmax
    Cooling
    CCM Nepton 140xl
    Internet Speed
    40/2 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    WD
Here I go again but let me tell my story. Once upon a time, long time ago, I thought I knew everything there was about DOS 3, even passed some MS test. Then buy chance (or luck) I got MS manual for DOS, it was the size of an average encyclopedia !!!. After just a cursory look thru I realized i'm aware of only 10% of the content if even that.
Moral of the story, better read (even if it's tedious) than sorry.

Yep, Count . . . ya never know whatcha don't know until you start reading.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion 500-056
    CPU
    AMD Elite Quad-Core A8-6500
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon HD 8570D
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer 23"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 X 1080
    Hard Drives
    1 TB
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wave K350
    Mouse
    Logitech M510
    Internet Speed
    Fast
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
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