How to use the Start Page the Dummy way

Vince53

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Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico
The free e-book "Windows 8 for Dummies" explains how to use the Start Page, and, uhm, it works pretty well.

First, I am using the word "press" for click, touch, or use your keyboard.

1) Whenever you install any program, a shortcut appears on the Start Page. Don't delete it.

2) If you click "Enter" on the Start Page, it takes you to the tile that is in the upper left corner. Put the Desktop tile there.

3) Right-click any blank spot on the Start Page, and the "All Aps" button appears in your lower right corner. It shows all your programs in alphabetical order. Call it what you want: it's the Start button.

4) When you press a shortcut to a program on your traditional desktop, it takes you there (to the desktop).

5) From the desktop, the fastest way back to the Start Page is to press the Windows key, BUT, many third party Start Buttons take you to their own Start program instead. You need to disable that feature.

Okay, suppose Slomka Joe wants to use a program but he's too stupid to find the icon. He presses a blank area of the Start Page, presses All Aps, and presses the Icon. That's three presses. Or he can press the Desktop tile, press his third party Start button, and select the program. That's also three presses.

Later, Slomka's smart intelligent wife, who knows how to get into the program, logs on. She presses the shortcut on the Start Page and she's there in one press. Or she can press the Desktop tile, and then select the program. That's two steps.

Folks, Windows 8 for Dummies shows that if you do it properly, the Start Page is an improvement over the Start Button.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
I just wanted to thank you for the tip about putting the desktop icon as the first upper most left icon, it has saved me a little grief.

There seems to me to be a couple "dumb" things in Windows 8, for example...

I want to uninstall an application from the new metro desktop... I have to right click the item, then move my mouse all the way to the bottom of the screen to click the uninstall button, which doesn't start an uninstaller at all, all it does is bring up the program and features app from Windows 7 to where I have to then still search in my massive list of installed apps to find it and then start the uninstaller.
So... Click for click I suppose it's the same, so why even bother with the metro desktop at all if it's not going to be faster?

Windows 7:
Click Start
Click control panel
Click program and features
Find program, click uninstall
4 clicks

Windows 8:
Right click app
Click Uninstall
Find program, click uninstall.
Finally, click corner of window or press Windows key to get back into Metro again.
4 clicks

If you have more tips for dummies like me please do share, I'm really needing tips right now with this thing that MS is calling an OS. It seems to me the whole new start menu (and I hate calling it that) so I'm going to continue calling it the metro desktop is a step backwards for PC's. It may be a blessing to tablets (I don't know, I don't own one) but for me it's not intuitive at all thus far.

It's very confusing having both the metro desktop and the normal desktop with the way that the OS switches between them as it's needed to do.

My only blessing right now is that I have a HUGE list of my most frequently used apps in my Quick links on the old start menu bar so those things that I really do have to access all the time is still easily available to me by going to the original desktop in Win 8.

Again... Thank you for the tips about moving the desktop to the upper left of the start menu, it will save me a lot of grief in using this OS.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    CPU
    i7 2860qm
    Motherboard
    Asus Laptop
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GTX 560m 2GB dedicated Video RAM
    Screen Resolution
    1600x900
    Hard Drives
    C:\ 185GB SSD
    D:\ 500GB HDD
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Performance
Welcome aboard, Jalida. The Dummies book explains an important point: the tiles are for programs that ONLY work on the Start Page. Any other program that you download or install works ONLY on the Desktop; however, they create shortcuts on the Start Page. When you press a shortcut, Windows 8 takes you to the program, which is ALWAYS located on the Desktop. When you press a tile, Windows 8 takes you to the program, which is ALWAYS on the Start Page.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
I just wanted to thank you for the tip about putting the desktop icon as the first upper most left icon, it has saved me a little grief.

There seems to me to be a couple "dumb" things in Windows 8, for example...

I want to uninstall an application from the new metro desktop... I have to right click the item, then move my mouse all the way to the bottom of the screen to click the uninstall button, which doesn't start an uninstaller at all, all it does is bring up the program and features app from Windows 7 to where I have to then still search in my massive list of installed apps to find it and then start the uninstaller.
So... Click for click I suppose it's the same, so why even bother with the metro desktop at all if it's not going to be faster?

Windows 7:
Click Start
Click control panel
Click program and features
Find program, click uninstall
4 clicks

Windows 8:
Right click app
Click Uninstall
Find program, click uninstall.
Finally, click corner of window or press Windows key to get back into Metro again.
4 clicks

If you have more tips for dummies like me please do share, I'm really needing tips right now with this thing that MS is calling an OS. It seems to me the whole new start menu (and I hate calling it that) so I'm going to continue calling it the metro desktop is a step backwards for PC's. It may be a blessing to tablets (I don't know, I don't own one) but for me it's not intuitive at all thus far.

It's very confusing having both the metro desktop and the normal desktop with the way that the OS switches between them as it's needed to do.

My only blessing right now is that I have a HUGE list of my most frequently used apps in my Quick links on the old start menu bar so those things that I really do have to access all the time is still easily available to me by going to the original desktop in Win 8.

Again... Thank you for the tips about moving the desktop to the upper left of the start menu, it will save me a lot of grief in using this OS.
There is a HUGE list of tutorials on the Tutorials section here! :D
 

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
I guess I'll add some dummy tips...

You can click and drag tiles around to arrange them. If you move it around in such a way, a column appears that hints to you that you can make a new group of tiles. To label this new group, you hit the - icon on the lower right corner of the Start Screen, right click on that group and you can name it. You also can drag this group around as well.

A tip to encourage good Start Screen hygiene :) , get rid of the tiles you don't need. Keep the application tiles, but get rid of the help files or the ones you will never use or you know you'll never use.
 

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
I saw the book at OfficeMax the other day. It reminded me of this book for some blasted ridiculous reason, someone gave to me just in case if I needed it. (Never did and recycled it) It was on how to navigate around with Windows xp and the interwebster. It was strange to see these icky screenshots of an icky UI that is so icky. Then I saw the screenshots from Windows 8 in that Dummy's book, seemed weird to see it. Mostly because Windows 8 is so easy to use for me, but that's just me. :)
 

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
Quick! Where's the Search function on the Start Page?

Start typing what you're looking for, and the Start Page immediately starts the Search function without being told.
Now that *IS* truly handy. I don't generally like having to type when I'm searching for something, I'm old school, I'd rather browse in file manager than have to type, in general because I know where everything is on my computer, but this tip truly IS handy for Win 8 and when I can only remember a partial name of a program that I installed ages ago since the all apps screen (TO ME) is a huge jumbled mess of a screen that I really wish MS would allow me to customize how it presents itself to me.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    CPU
    i7 2860qm
    Motherboard
    Asus Laptop
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GTX 560m 2GB dedicated Video RAM
    Screen Resolution
    1600x900
    Hard Drives
    C:\ 185GB SSD
    D:\ 500GB HDD
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Performance
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