Mastering Windows 8 in 15 minutes.

lagers1

New Member
Messages
4
Hi.

I am new to the forum . I joined today having put a new laptop to work yesterday, the 1st time I had seen Windows 8.
Needing to do some work quickly, I didn't really have time then to mess around with Windows 8 and preferred to look at in in detail later so I figured out this workround.

There's nothing revolutionary here.. just a statement of the obvious for anyone facing the windows 8 desktop for the 1st time and needing to get some urgent work done, leaving Windows 8 for later.

From the Windows 8 tiled desktop page, press the windows key on the keyboard.
This will take you to what appears to be a Windows 7 desktop but this screen, too, has no start button.
Move the cursor into the top right hand corner of the screen and a menu opens on the right side, the top item being "search".
Click on this and type "computer" in the box.
A new screen opens offering a link to click to "my computer".
Click on this and the familiar "My computer" page opens showing C drive, D drive etc.
Right click on C drive and click "send to desktop-create shortcut.
Then drill down through C drive, right clicking and adding short cuts to the "windows 7 style" desktop of every folder you would go in to from the old type start button.
You can now work from this "Windows 7" environment until you have time to study the Windows 8 interface.
The "Windows" key on the keyboard toggles backwards and forwards between the "windows 7 "style desktop and the windows 8 desktop.
I really see no need to roll back the software from windows 8 to windows 7 using this workround.
Hope this helps someone.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8 64 bit
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP G6 -2230sa laptop
    CPU
    A8
    Motherboard
    unknown
    Memory
    8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    raedon
Or you can install the Windows Shell and have the best of both worlds. I personally have my computer boot to the desktop and if I want the metro screen I can just go to the lower left corner and load that. Works great so far.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8 Pro
    CPU
    i7
    Motherboard
    Asrock Pro
    Memory
    32 G
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte Radeon HD 7870 2GB
    Hard Drives
    2 Raptor 1000 G
    PSU
    Corsair 1000
You can also simply pin Desktop apps and items to the Start Screen, so it just becomes a full screen start menu.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
Or, you can be like me, and drop W8 for Ubuntu/Windows 7.
Kidding, I recommend using Classic Shell or Start8.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W7
Thanks guys. Wasn't aware of Start8 but I have downloaded it and for less than 5 bucks, it's a good investment.

If I'd known about it in the 1st place , I wouldn't have had to figure out my workround above!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8 64 bit
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP G6 -2230sa laptop
    CPU
    A8
    Motherboard
    unknown
    Memory
    8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    raedon
Or you can install the Windows Shell and have the best of both worlds. I personally have my computer boot to the desktop and if I want the metro screen I can just go to the lower left corner and load that. Works great so far.

I was thinking that would be handy, how do you get it to boot straight into the desktop mode? Is it a feature of windows shell or can anyone do it?

Nic
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Z801
    CPU
    i3 2120
    Memory
    4Gb
Or you can install the Windows Shell and have the best of both worlds. I personally have my computer boot to the desktop and if I want the metro screen I can just go to the lower left corner and load that. Works great so far.

I was thinking that would be handy, how do you get it to boot straight into the desktop mode? Is it a feature of windows shell or can anyone do it?

Nic
The only way I know is to put the desktop tile top left in Metro, and when you are logging in, hold down enter.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W7
Having used windows 8 for a few days now, I have now come to the conclusion that the one thing you can't do with Windows 8 is to put random shortcuts on the windows 8 desktop, for example, a shortcut to a large Excel file you are creating over a period of days for easy access later. I don't think there's a way to create a metro style tile of a single Excel file.
I appreciate these can be placed on the Windows 7 style desktop which is one click of the windows key away but isn't having to use 2 desktops with Windows 8 making it rather pointless for the pc user though I can see why tablet users will like Windows 8.
Has anyone found a way to do this?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8 64 bit
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP G6 -2230sa laptop
    CPU
    A8
    Motherboard
    unknown
    Memory
    8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    raedon
Or you can install the Windows Shell and have the best of both worlds. I personally have my computer boot to the desktop and if I want the metro screen I can just go to the lower left corner and load that. Works great so far.

I was thinking that would be handy, how do you get it to boot straight into the desktop mode? Is it a feature of windows shell or can anyone do it?

Nic
There is a setting in Shell that you can check to bypass the metro screen entirely.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8 Pro
    CPU
    i7
    Motherboard
    Asrock Pro
    Memory
    32 G
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte Radeon HD 7870 2GB
    Hard Drives
    2 Raptor 1000 G
    PSU
    Corsair 1000
Having used windows 8 for a few days now, I have now come to the conclusion that the one thing you can't do with Windows 8 is to put random shortcuts on the windows 8 desktop, for example, a shortcut to a large Excel file you are creating over a period of days for easy access later. I don't think there's a way to create a metro style tile of a single Excel file.
I appreciate these can be placed on the Windows 7 style desktop which is one click of the windows key away but isn't having to use 2 desktops with Windows 8 making it rather pointless for the pc user though I can see why tablet users will like Windows 8.
Has anyone found a way to do this?

I think if you create a shortcut with the excel command that opens your file then it should work. You'll see a tile with your command on the metro start screen. Just double click it.

You need the command that causes EXCEL to open with a specific file --I'm sure it can be done via some script.

The otherway is just to save your EXCEL file to the DESKTOP -- then when in desktop just double click on it. File explorer (used to be windows explorer) will just open it automatically with EXCEL so long as file type is one of the excel formats..

Cheers
jimbo
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Linux Centos 7, W8.1, W7, W2K3 Server W10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1 X LG 40 inch TV
    Hard Drives
    SSD's * 3 (Samsung 840 series) 250 GB
    2 X 3 TB sata
    5 X 1 TB sata
    Internet Speed
    0.12 GB/s (120Mb/s)
Jimbo Thanks-I'll try it out.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8 64 bit
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP G6 -2230sa laptop
    CPU
    A8
    Motherboard
    unknown
    Memory
    8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    raedon
An answer to a lot of your questions is the update called Windows 8.1.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 64 bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy 700-414
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 4570 3.20ghz
    Memory
    12 gigabyte
    Graphics Card(s)
    INTEL HD 4600
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Pavilion 22bw
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x1080
    Hard Drives
    2TB
    PSU
    460w
    Keyboard
    Hp Wireless cichlet style
    Mouse
    Logitech m 100
    Internet Speed
    Charter Cable Wireless
    Browser
    INTERNET EXPLORER 11
    Antivirus
    NORTON 360
Back
Top