- Messages
- 38
I'm not a troll, I'm just a crotchety, oldster trying to figure out how to get Windows 8.1 to fit my workflow. I've been using Windows 7 for a while, so I'm a bit late to the Windows 8 party, but I'm building a new PC and figured I'd move to 8.1 instead of continuing with 7... So far, after 3 days, I'm still struggling with Windows 8.1, so I figure I'll get some guidance here...
I did a rummage, but didn't find much on how I should change my workflow to make it easier in 8.1. In Windows 7 I had a desktop with icons for less frequently used applications, a taskbar with frequently used applications pinned, and a start menu (3rd party) with EVERYTHING organized hierarchically so it was easy to find what I need. I'm trying to use 8.1 without adding a bunch of 3rd party stuff to make it look more like older interfaces that were organized differently.
In Windows 8, I appear to have the equivalent of THREE desktops, all different, none with any hierarchical organization.
On the Apps screen, I already have a large number of items (apps?), despite deleting a bunch of the "modern" things. They already exceed the width of the 24" monitor I'm using for setup and I still have stuff to install. There doesn't seem to be any hierarchy, either. So, for example, for Office I have at least 12 icons/apps, including the ones I CARE about, like Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Outlook that I use regularly. AND a bunch of OTHER stuff I VERY rarely use like Clip Organizer, and Groove, and Uploader, and so on. But, I can't take them off the screen if I ever want to get at them, right? 'Cause there's no start menu any more...
I also have stuff for handling e-books - Calibre, a Kindle Reader, OverDrive, Adobe Digital Additionsl, a Nook Reader, a couple 3M cloud things, and so on. On the Apps page they're all OVER the place instead of being grouped together (which at least the Office stuff is). And there doesn't appear to be a way to have them be together and hierarchical so I can quickly find the ones I want (Calibre, ADE), and only have to see the others (Kindle reader, Nook reader) when I want them... So how do folks organize so they don't have to wade through hundreds of things you only need once a year to get to the ones you use a couple times a month or once a week?
I also have a bunch of stuff that's just a single application, like Syncback, but instead of just being "Syncback", there' ANOTHER line that tells me who the creator is - I don't care that 2BrightSparks made it, I just want to be able to find it QUICKLY when I need it - once in a while.
And the Apps screen, how do I organize things hierarchically so I can have the few items I care about visible, with the rest not clogging up space but available for drilling down?
The desktop is as it's always been, but I don't want 200 or 300 icons on there for a bunch of stuff I rarely use. The constantly used stuff will be pinned to the taskbar, and the less frequently can be icons, but where do I do to organize all the other stuff?
I found the Name Group thing for the Start screen, but I can only group applications across the screen? Which limits me to 6 groups. How do I configure that screen so I can have multiple groups in a column?
So, in my ignorance - is there a way to have 8.1 support MY workflow, or if not, how do other people organize things to make it as easy as possible to find what you need without having to wade through a ton of stuff you don't? And have it all fit on the screen.
I did a rummage, but didn't find much on how I should change my workflow to make it easier in 8.1. In Windows 7 I had a desktop with icons for less frequently used applications, a taskbar with frequently used applications pinned, and a start menu (3rd party) with EVERYTHING organized hierarchically so it was easy to find what I need. I'm trying to use 8.1 without adding a bunch of 3rd party stuff to make it look more like older interfaces that were organized differently.
In Windows 8, I appear to have the equivalent of THREE desktops, all different, none with any hierarchical organization.
On the Apps screen, I already have a large number of items (apps?), despite deleting a bunch of the "modern" things. They already exceed the width of the 24" monitor I'm using for setup and I still have stuff to install. There doesn't seem to be any hierarchy, either. So, for example, for Office I have at least 12 icons/apps, including the ones I CARE about, like Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Outlook that I use regularly. AND a bunch of OTHER stuff I VERY rarely use like Clip Organizer, and Groove, and Uploader, and so on. But, I can't take them off the screen if I ever want to get at them, right? 'Cause there's no start menu any more...
I also have stuff for handling e-books - Calibre, a Kindle Reader, OverDrive, Adobe Digital Additionsl, a Nook Reader, a couple 3M cloud things, and so on. On the Apps page they're all OVER the place instead of being grouped together (which at least the Office stuff is). And there doesn't appear to be a way to have them be together and hierarchical so I can quickly find the ones I want (Calibre, ADE), and only have to see the others (Kindle reader, Nook reader) when I want them... So how do folks organize so they don't have to wade through hundreds of things you only need once a year to get to the ones you use a couple times a month or once a week?
I also have a bunch of stuff that's just a single application, like Syncback, but instead of just being "Syncback", there' ANOTHER line that tells me who the creator is - I don't care that 2BrightSparks made it, I just want to be able to find it QUICKLY when I need it - once in a while.
And the Apps screen, how do I organize things hierarchically so I can have the few items I care about visible, with the rest not clogging up space but available for drilling down?
The desktop is as it's always been, but I don't want 200 or 300 icons on there for a bunch of stuff I rarely use. The constantly used stuff will be pinned to the taskbar, and the less frequently can be icons, but where do I do to organize all the other stuff?
I found the Name Group thing for the Start screen, but I can only group applications across the screen? Which limits me to 6 groups. How do I configure that screen so I can have multiple groups in a column?
So, in my ignorance - is there a way to have 8.1 support MY workflow, or if not, how do other people organize things to make it as easy as possible to find what you need without having to wade through a ton of stuff you don't? And have it all fit on the screen.
My Computer
System One
-
- OS
- Windows 8.1
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- System Manufacturer/Model
- Home Built
- CPU
- Intel 5820
- Motherboard
- Asus X99 Deluxe
- Memory
- Crucial Ballistix 32GB
- Graphics Card(s)
- GTX 970 FTW
- Monitor(s) Displays
- 2, 30" U3014
- Hard Drives
- 1TB 840 EVO O/S, apps, all non-image data
2, 3TB Seagate for images
2, 2TB Seagate for backups
3, 1TB external backups
- PSU
- EVGA Gold 1000W
- Case
- Antec
- Cooling
- Noctua NH-D15
- Internet Speed
- 20 MB
- Browser
- Firefox