Tutorials

How to Change Power Plan Settings in Windows 8 and 8.1 A power plan is a collection of hardware and system settings that manages how your computer uses power. Power plans can help you save energy, maximize system performance, or achieve a balance between the two. This will show you how to change the settings of a power plan that you want to customize to reflect how you want Windows 8 to manage power. Changes made to a power plan will affect all users that have that power plan selected as their default power plan. All users (standard and administrator) will be able to make changes to a power plan settings except for the grayed out options. The grayed out options (ex: "require password on wakeup") can only be changed by an...

How to Add or Remove Default Desktop Icons in Windows 8 and 8.1 This will show you how to add or remove the default Computer, User's Files (your user profile folder), Network, Recycle Bin, or Control Panel desktop icons for your user account in Windows 8, Windows RT, Windows 8.1, and Windows RT 8.1. Here's How: 1. Do step 2, 3, or 4 below for how you would like to open Personalization. 2. Right click or press and hold on your desktop, click/tap on Personalize, and go to step 5 below. (see screenshot below) 3. Open the Control Panel (icons view), click/tap on the Personalization icon, and go to step 5 below. 4. While on the desktop, open the Charms bar, click/tap on Settings, click/tap on Personalization, and go to step 5...

How to Set a Data Usage Limit for Live App Tile Updates in Windows 8 and 8.1 Windows 8 Store apps can deliver periodic or real-time information to you that will be displayed as live notification updates on your app tiles in Start. Apps that you choose to use as lock screen apps can also show notification updates on the lock screen. Store apps that are pinned to Start can update their tiles with text, images, or text and images. Store apps that are set to show status on the lock screen can update the lock screen with text. This tile information is sent from the app provider to you through Windows Notification Service on Microsoft servers, and is then stored locally on your PC. This tutorial will show you how to set a monthly data...

How to Set or Unset Wireless Network as a Metered Connection in Windows 8 and 8.1 A metered Internet connection is when a service provider charges by the amount of data sent and received by your PC. This tutorial will show you how to mark (set) any wireless network (ex: Wi-Fi and mobile broadband) as a metered or non-metered connection to help reduce data usage for that network connection for all users in Windows 8, Windows RT, Windows 8.1, and Windows RT 8.1. You must be signed in as an administrator to be able to do the steps in this tutorial. Windows Update will defer the background download of all updates, unless it's a critical security update, until you connect to a non-metered network, such as your home broadband connection...

How to Turn App Notifications On or Off in Windows 8 and 8.1 Toast notifications in Windows 8 and 8.1 are balloon type notifications that appear as a themed bar in the upper right corner of your main display to allow a Windows Store app to communicate with you whether your are in another app, on the Start screen, on the desktop, or on the lock screen. This tutorial will show you how to turn on or off to show app notifications for all apps in only your user account in Windows 8, Windows RT, Windows 8.1, and Windows RT 8.1. EXAMPLE: Windows Store App Toast Notification NOTE: This is an example toast notification on the desktop and lock screens from the Calendar app. Turn App Toast Notifications On or Off in "PC Settings" 1...

How to Change Permissions of an App in Windows 8 and 8.1 This tutorial will show you how to turn available permissions of a Windows Store app on or off for your user account in Windows 8, Windows RT, Windows 8.1, and Windows RT 8.1. Here's How: 1. Open an app (ex: Messaging) that you want to change the permissions of. (see screenshot below) NOTE: For example, open the app from the Start or Apps screen. 2. While the app is open, open the Charms bar, and click/tap on the Settings charm. (see screenshot below) 3. At the top of the right pane, click/tap on Permissions. (see screenshot below) 4. From here, you can move the sliders left or right to turn on or off the available permissions you want for the app. (see screenshot...

How to Allow or Prevent Users to Uninstall Apps from Start in Windows 8 and 8.1 This tutorial will show you how to allow or prevent all or specific users from being able to uninstall apps from the Start screen in Windows 8 and 8.1. You must be signed in as an administrator to be able to do the steps in this tutorial. When users are prevented from uninstalling Windows Store apps, it will remove Uninstall from the option bar when users right click on a Windows Store app on either the Start or Apps screen. Using a BAT File Download NOTE: This option will affect all users on the computer. The .bat files below are for the registry key and value below. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer /V...

How to Lock or Unlock the Taskbar in Windows 8 and 8.1 This will show you how to lock or unlock the taskbar in Windows 8 to allow you to be able to move the taskbar to any border on the desktop, or move toolbars on the taskbar. When the taskbar is unlocked, you will see a dotted separator line to the left of pinned apps and any toolbars. EXAMPLE: Taskbar Lock or Unlock Taskbar from the Taskbar 1. Go to oyur Desktop. NOTE: You could press the :winkey: + D keys to do so. 2. Right click or press and hold on an empty space on the taskbar, then do step 3 or 4 below for what you would like to do. 3. To Lock the Taskbar NOTE: This is the default setting. A) Click/tap on Lock the taskbar to check it. (see screenshot below) 4. To...

Add or Remove "Favorites" from Navigation Pane in Windows 8 and 8.1 This will show you how to add or remove the Favorites group in the Navigation Pane of File Explorer for only your user account in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1. This is also applied to the smaller "Open" and "Save as" type dialog windows. The default folder for Favorites is the Links folder located at the location below. C:\Users\(user-name)\Links EXAMPLE: Favorites in Navigation Pane NOTE: This is the Favorites group added (default) (left screenshot below) and removed (right screenshot below) from the Navigation Pane. Add or Remove "Favorites" Using File Explorer 1. Open File Explorer, then do step 2 or 3 below for what you would like to do. NOTE: You can...

This is a 27 minute video that shows you some of the basics of Windows 8. It is intended to help those of you who have not yet tried the Windows 8 Consumer Preview. Although not a perfect professional job, it may make it easier to get you started with Windows 8 after you watched this video. Full screen view is best. Note: If you have a problem with the loudness of the sound output of the video, check the "Loudness Equalization" box in your Playback device. It is under the 'Enhancements' tab.

How to Assign a Shortcut Key to Open a Shortcut in Windows 8 and 8.1 This tutorial will show you how to assign a keyboard shortcut (hotkey) to use to open or run a shortcut on your desktop from anywhere in Windows 8, Windows RT, Windows 8.1, and Windows RT 8.1. This can be used on a shortcut of a file, folder, drive, library, or program's .exe file. Each app (program) pinned to the taskbar can be opened by pressing the Windows key + 1 to 0 (1-10) keyboard shortcut instead. You would use a number for how the program icons are ordered on the taskbar from left to right (for top or bottom taskbar) or top to bottom (for left or right taskbar) desktop location. The shortcut that you assign a keyboard shortcut (hotkey) to must always...

How to Add "Sign out" to Desktop Context Menu in Windows 8 and 8.1 This will show you how to add or remove Sign out (log off) to the desktop context menu of all users in Windows 8. You must be logged in as an administrator to be able to do this tutorial. EXAMPLE: Sign out in Desktop Context Menu Here's How: 1. To Add "Sign out" to the Desktop Context Menu A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below. Add_Sign_out_to_Desktop_Context_Menu.reg https://www.eightforums.com/attachments/add_sign_out_to_desktop_context_menu-reg.4538/ B) Go to step 3. 2. To Remove "Sign out" from the Desktop Context Menu A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below...