Windows 8 Consumer Preview: Power User How To Series

[Corrine]

One dramatic change Microsoft has introduced in Windows 8 is the Metro style user interface, a reimagining user experience of Windows. The new Metro user interface has been carefully designed and built and therefore very intuitive to new and experienced Windows users. However, the change also requires users, myself included, to learn or re-learn new ways of working with applications and the Windows environment in general, from some basic tasks of turning your PC or tablets or slates off to resetting your device to default settings without losing apps and user data and settings.

To help users quickly ramp up their experience of working with Windows 8 and find shortcuts of getting things done, I will start this “Windows 8 Consumer Preview Power User How To Series” or “Win8 HowTo“ for short or Twitter hash tag “#Win8HowTo”.

This is a nice series of how-to posts by Dr.Z, a senior Microsoft Architect Evangelist. At the time of this posting there is a collection of 30 articles:

Windows 8 How To: 1. Switch Between Metro UI and Desktop Mode
Windows 8 How To: 2. Switch Between Apps or Snap Apps
Windows 8 How To: 3. How to Power Off Your Device
Windows 8 How To: 4. Show and Access the Control Panel
Windows 8 How To: 5. Show and Access Administrative Tools
Windows 8 How To: 6. Show All Apps
Windows 8 How To: 7. Switch Between Windows Accounts and Local Accounts
Windows 8 How To: 8. Set up a Picture Password
Windows 8 How To: 9. Set Up a Printer
Windows 8 How To: 10. Customize Metro UI – App Tiles and Groups
Windows 8 How To: 11. Install Language Packs for Multilingual Support
Windows 8 How To: 12. Show and Use “Run” Command
Windows 8 How To: 13. Show and Use cmd Prompt (DOS Mode)
Windows 8 How To: 14. Show and Use PowerShell
Windows 8 How To: 15. Show and Use Desktop Applications
Windows 8 How To: 16. Install .NET 3.5 and Windows Live Essentials
Windows 8 How To: 17. Add New Tab or New InPrivate Tab in Metro Style IE Browser
Windows 8 How To: 18. Configure WiFi Connection and Airplane Mode
Windows 8 How To: 19. Show Hidden Files, Folders and Drives
Windows 8 How To: 20. How to Start Windows 8 in Safe Mode
Windows 8 How To: 21. Install and Uninstall Metro Style Apps
Windows 8 How To: 22. Enable or Disable Sharing Between PCs Using HomeGroup
Windows 8 How To: 23. Find and Use Windows Help and Support
Windows 8 How To: 24. Show and Configure Free Anti-Virus App (Windows Defender)
Windows 8 How To: 25. Show and Enable Split Touch Keyboard (On-Screen)
Windows 8 How To: 26. Set up Remote Desktop Connection
Windows 8 How To: 27. Backup your Files Using File History
Windows 8 How To: 28. Restore Files Using File History
Windows 8 How To: 29. Restore System to a Previous State Using Restore Point
Windows 8 How To: 30. Restore your Device using Refresh and Reset

Links at Dr. Z's blog, Windows 8 Consumer Preview Power User How To Series.

 

[AceInfinity]

This is a nice list, if i'm ever forced to use Windows 8 sometime or just feel like fooling around on that OS i'll refer to these here... I like the MetroUI, but the no start menu button, cluttered explorer, and tileview I can't stand, and for a desktop PC, I can't see myself ever using the touch-screen features. I don't see the point in why they did that.