Windows 8 Feature for Business

Windows 8 sports some fundamental user interface changes. However, Windows 8 also offers a variety of new features that have been rarely mentioned in the media so far. This post is an attempt to list all new Windows 8 features with a short description and reference links.

1. Laptop power plus tablet convenience

It’s no secret Windows 8 is designed to rival the Apple iPad and Android tablets. Right now, Windows is nonexistent on tablets, while iOS dominates with 68 percent market share, according to research firm Strategy Analytics. Android-based tablet devices have around 29 percent of the tablet market.

But what isn’t often discussed is the enhanced functionality Windows 8 affords users who want to navigate between a laptop and a tablet — all without switching between two pieces of hardware.

The list of Windows 8 hybrids that transform from a laptop to a finger-ready tablet include systems with detachable keyboards such as the HP Envy x2 and Acer Iconia W510, sliding convertibles such as the Sony VAIO Duo 11 and systems with back-bending displays such as the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga.

Such versatile designs are sure to appeal to job sectors where tablets are popular. According to studies by NPD and Vertic, the financial, health care, education and government industries are increasing their tablet usage, thanks to the need to take quick notes, make presentations on the fly, execute research online and send emails. The Vertic study also shows that converting workflow to a slate interface improves employee response time, increases team decision-making time and quickens resolution of critical issues.

A Windows 8 device puts that performance enhancement into business users’ hands, while simultaneously giving them a device that can easily transition into a laptop for traditional productivity assignments.

2. Office, evolved

As of press time, Microsoft Office 2013 didn’t have an official release date, but we know the new lineup — Microsoft Access, Excel, OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint, Publisher and Word 2013 — will be identically available for both Windows 7 and Windows 8. Via previews, we also know that the new suite includes plenty of touch-friendly interface tweaks for Windows 8 machines. Those perks join much improved tools for better workflow management and team collaboration too. That is, if managers opt into Microsoft’s new yearly subscription prices, which include local installs of Office software and access to cloud-based syncing services.

communications client Lync or via Skype).

For teams with a roster of road warriors or work-anywhere employees, Microsoft Lync includes the ability to host audio and video meetings complete with screen sharing and high-definition video streaming.

Designed for organizations with one to 10 employees, the Office 365 Small Business Premium subscription package costs $149 per year and includes all Microsoft’s software, even Lync. Each user can install Office on up to five Windows 8 PCs or tablets as well as Mac computers.

3. Better virus protection and security

 

In Windows 7, Microsoft Defender guarded against invasive spyware and pop-up ads, but it lacked protection against anti-virus threats such as trojans, worms and bot-net attempts. With Windows 8, Defender gets a bolder shield to protect against all of the above, right from the operating system’s first launch.

The new Defender (shown) provides only basic anti-virus defense, but will likely save IT managers or small business owners the time to pay for and install third-party virus protection from McAfee or Norton. Plus, when paired with Windows 8’s new SmartScreen technology for verifying downloads against a list of reputable files, viruses and other malware are sure to have a harder time cracking IT-deployed devices.

Under the adage, “You can never be too safe,” Microsoft added other defensive weaponry to Windows 8’s arsenal. Namely, there’s Trusted Boot and Measured Boot, two new protections against rootkits that attack during the PC boot process.

A third tool is Enhanced BitLocker. This encryption weapon can now render whole hard drives unreadable to uncredentialed users, which moves beyond scrambling particular pockets of data such as previous versions of Windows. Plus, BitLocker now supports Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) for encryption, making it a trustworthy tool for government office workers.

4. Improved performance and smarter backups

Gone are the days of twiddling your thumbs, grabbing coffee or doing your taxes while waiting for Windows to load. Windows 8 not only launches much faster than its Windows 7 forebear, it uses a new boot-up bridge called the Unified Extensible Interface (UEFI) to access graphical drivers before the operating system is fully active. Earlier access to visual graphics helps replace old-school boot visuals with a more interesting — and shorter — sequence of visual cues. In our tests, a Lenovo ThinkPad T430 running Windows 8 booted in 25 seconds, half the time it took the same notebook to land on the Windows 7 home screen.

When it comes to restoring a Windows PC to factory settings, Microsoft eliminated the need to back up files, data and settings. With a new tool called Refresh, Windows users can essentially reinstall the OS while maintaining their own settings, document libraries and customizations. After the OS is restored, all saved data, settings and Metro apps are automatically reinstalled. Only desktop apps must be restored manually.

Windows 8 also borrows a strong backup tool from Apple. A new feature called File History saves a running timeline of all files — just like Mac OS X’s Timeline feature — to make backing up important documents and data an automated process. That’s sure to save IT managers time.

5. More efficient wireless connection management

When it comes to wireless connections, Windows 8 is vastly improved. First, the new Wi-Fi manager is smarter and faster. Rather than simply search out the nearest Wi-Fi network, the manager measures each signal’s throughput and chooses the source with the strongest bandwidth instead.

There’s also a Connection Standby mode, for updating data while a Windows 8 laptop or tablet is asleep. Those worried about battery life drain can place the device in Airplane Mode, just like most smartphones.

For employees who use mobile broadband to connect to get online, Windows 8 builds in a data meter to keep track of your usage. This is a great way to save the company money if you’re worried about overage fees. Last but not least, drivers for plug-and-play mobile broadband devices are built into the OS. Now, rather than downloading third-party broadband software to connect to the Web, devices that connect over 3G/4G data networks should work automatically. Their networks should appear in the same Wi-Fi manager as other wireless connections options.

6. Exchange ActiveSync built-in

 

Email accounts are a cinch to set up on Windows 8 PCs. That’s because for the first time ever, Outlook 2013 has built-in support for Exchange ActiveSync, the email solution that makes it very simple to connect email accounts to Android, iOS or Windows Phone devices. With ActiveSync ingrained in the OS and Outlook, savvy end-users or small business managers should have no problem connecting multiple email inboxes, syncing calendars and managing contacts on Windows 8 laptops or tablets.

7. Windows to Go makes Windows 8 plug-and-play on any PC

Imagine how happy business travelers would be if they could carry a Windows PC in their pocket instead of their laptop bag. Windows to Go, available only in Windows 8 Enterprise, allows just that by putting all the power of Windows 8 on a USB key, allowing users to plug into any Windows 7 or Windows 8 machine to access their system. The bootable OS image includes support for any apps added to the image by support staff.

There are some caveats, though. You won’t be able to access the Windows Store due to strict hardware licensing (so no downloading new apps). You’ll also love hibernation mode and access to the host computer’s storage drive.

8. Better Support for Virtualized systems and remote desktop support

If you’re an IT manager juggling loads of Windows XP legacy apps, you probably loved the Virtual PC feature in Windows 7. That’s because that tool lets users run a full, virtual install of Windows XP in a window within the Windows 7 environment, which meant fleet managers didn’t need to upgrade tons of dated machines.

For Windows 8, Microsoft offers multiple virtualization options, including a tool to use Windows XP as a virtual OS on a Windows 8 machine. The PC-within-a-PC tool is useful in other ways as well. For instance, with Microsoft Server 2012 and a technology called User Experience Virtualization, employees can access a remote, server-side and virtual copy of their Windows 8 desktop, even if the local machine runs Windows 7. Another example uses what Microsoft calls Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) to create multiple virtual PCs on one physical computer. So, if an office has an equipment crunch, one laptop can be assigned to several users, each with their own distinct virtual desktop that is complete with independent customizations, settings and personal setups.

Plus, because Windows 8 runs Hyper-V, the evolutionary upgrade to Windows Virtual PC (via Microsoft Server 2012), there’s roughly no slow-down between the actual interface and the virtual one. That means even a virtualized version of Windows 8 running on a touch-screen device can be used with all the touch and gesture controls native to that OS.

In-Place Upgrade: From Windows 7 to Windows 8

From Windows 7 to Windows 8: The in-place upgrade

In Windows 7, insert the Windows 8 Upgrade media--typically a DVD or USB media key with the installation files--and click through Auto Run to launch the Setup application. After a brief Windows 8 splash screen, Setup begins.

First, choose whether to get any install updates via Windows Update.

Next, enter your 25-digit Product Key. This is required, unlike with Windows 7, though it's unclear if that will be the case in the final version of the product. If you forgot to copy the Product Key that Microsoft provides, you can copy and paste this: It's DNJXJ-7XBW8-2378T-X22TX-BKG7J.

Next, agree to the End User License Agreement, or EULA.

Next, you'll be asked what you'd like to keep. Since you're running Setup from Windows 7, the available choices include "Windows settings, personal files, and more," "just personal files," and "Nothing."

This part of Setup is comprised of technologies that were previously available in the separate Windows Easy Transfer utility. Choose the first if you want to retain (compatible) applications, your personal documents and other data files, and most customizations, and perform what I call an in-place upgrade. Choose the last option if you want to wipe the whole thing out and perform what is essentially a clean install.

Next, Setup will check your system to see whether you need to do anything before proceeding. (Some applications, especially Microsoft Security Essentials, may need to be uninstalled before you can proceed.) If not, Setup will communicate that it's ready to install and verify which things you wanted to keep.

Next, Setup upgrades Windows 7 to Windows 8.

There will be a couple of reboots during which Setup prepares the system, updates the Registry, configures device drivers, applies user settings, and so on.

When this process is complete, Setup will boot into the Out of Box Experience (OOBE), where you make your final system configurations.

First, personalize the Start screen with a color scheme.

Then, choose Express or Custom settings. I've already thoroughly documented the various settings that are applied with the Express choice in other articles in this series, but the short version is that most users should simply choose Express. (I do.)

Then, logon to your previous, Windows 7-based user account.

Here, Setup will allow you to change this logon to an existing (or new) Microsoft ID. I recommend doing so, but if you'd rather not, you can retain your previous local account by clicking "Don't want to sign in with a Microsoft account?"

 

Supply the password for your Microsoft account.

Enter (or, more likely, confirm) your security verification info, which includes your mobile phone number and an alternate email address.

Then, Setup creates your account, finalizes your settings, prepares Windows, and logs you onto to your upgraded, Windows 8-based PC. Congrats, you're done.

How to Shut down, Restart, or Sleep Windows 8

To shut down Windows 8 or perform the other power-related functions, you can use one of the following methods:

Keyboard: Type CTRL + ALT + DEL at any time and then tap the Power button in the lower-right corner of the screen to access Sleep, Shut down, and Start options. Or, type WINKEY + I to display the Settings pane and then tap the Power button from there.

Mouse: Activate the Charms bar by moving the mouse cursor to the lower-right or upper-right corner of the screen and then move the cursor along the right edge of the screen towards the middle of the ridge edge. Click Settings and then Power.

Touch: Activate the Charms bar by swiping in from the right edge of the screen. Click Settings and then Power.

Hardware button: Tap the Start key button or the power button on a Windows device to activate Sleep. Or, on a traditional PC, tap the machine's power button to activate Shut Down. (Be careful: This will happen immediately and without warning, regardless of which applications are running.)

(That last bit about the hardware button assumes you're using the default power scheme, Balanced, and that you have not customized what happens when the power button is pressed.)

Customizing what happens when you press hardware button(s)

You can of course customize what happens when you press a power button. This can be very useful, especially if the PC's or device's power button is in easy reach.

To change what happens when the power button on your PC or device is pressed, launch the Power control panel. (There are many ways to access this control panel. I recommend Start Screen Search or the power user menu that appears when you right-click on the new Start tip thumbnail.) From this interface, click the link on the left titled "Choose what the power buttons do" or "Choose what the power button does."

In the resulting interface, you can choose what happens when the Power (and possibly Sleep) button does when pressed. Available choices include Do nothing, Sleep, Hibernate, and Shut down. Portable devices will further allow different actions based on whether the device is plugged in or on battery power.

You might be able to similarly customize other related actions. For example, on a typical portable computer, you will see an option titled "Choose what closing the lid does."

Making these options more accessible in Windows 8

You may not be thrilled with the placement of the lock/sign out and power options in Windows 8, and maybe configuring a power button to do your bidding isn't cutting it either. Short of using a silly utility to return the old-school Start menu to Windows 8, is there some way you can surface these commands in a more elegant and usable fashion?

Of course there is.

The key is to make a shortcut to the relevant command and then make that shortcut visible where you want it: On the taskbar, the Windows desktop, or even on the Start screen. And doing so is simple enough because, as any power user or IT pro can tell you, Windows has long support a command line utility, shutdown, that offers all of these options.

To see this command, open a command line window by typing WINKEY + R (for "Run") to display the Run box. Then type cmd and hit Enter. In the command line window that appears, type the following to display all of the options associate with the shutdown command:

shutdown /?

You should see something similar to this:

Given this information, you might consider using the following commands to accomplish the relevant, lock/sign out and power-related options...

Shut down immediately (with no warning)

shutdown.exe /s /t 0

Restart immediately (with no warning)

shutdown.exe /r /t 0

Sign out

shutdown.exe /l     <- That's a lowercase "L", not a one.

Armed with this information, you can make a shortcut to any one of these commands. To do so, right-click on the desktop and choose New and then Shortcut from the menu that appears. In the Create Shortcut wizard, paste one of the above commands into the text box. (I'll use shut down in this case.) Then tap Next.

In the next page of the wizard, give the shortcut a name, something like Shut down, and then click Finish.

The resulting shortcut has a plain icon, so right-click it and choose Properties. In the Properties window that appears, click the Change Icon button and then click OK in the warning dialog that appears. In the next window, select an appropriate icon.

Click OK and then OK again to close out the windows. Your new shortcut now has a useful new icon. Repeat these steps for each shortcut you wish to create and then move them somewhere easy to find. (I put them in a folder I created, C:\Program Files\Shutdown.)

Now you can place them where you want them. I recommend choosing a spot between the following:

Taskbar. You can drag the shortcuts, one by one, to the Windows taskbar for quick access. Note, however, that this can be dangerous since these shortcuts act immediately with no warning. So if you tap the Shut down button by mistake, your PC will shut down immediately whether you want it to or not.

Taskbar, in a new toolbar. Alternatively, you can create a new taskbar toolbar that points to the folder that contains the shortcuts and then position that toolbar on the right side of the taskbar where you may be less likely to click one inadvertently. Remember that you can unlock the taskbar and choose various toolbar options to make it look the way you want. A few possible configurations are shown below.

There are other configurations, but you get the idea. To get started, right-click the taskbar and choose Toolbars then New toolbar from the menu that appears.

Start screen. To place tiles for these options on the Start screen, right-click each in turn and choose Pin to Start from the menu that appears.

Then, navigate to the Start screen and position the tile(s) where you'd like them. Optionally group them and give the name a group.

Desktop. Finally, you can do it the old-fashioned way: Simple copy the shortcuts to the desktop and access them from there.

Download Free Windows 8 e-book from Microsoft

Everyone knows about Microsoft's new OS "Windows 8" which comes with many new features, enhancements and UI updates. It comes with a brand new Start Screen which has replaced the good old Start Menu. It comes with Office 2013 style Ribbon UI in Windows Explorer. It comes with new hot corner feature which helps you in accessing system tools quickly and easily by moving the mouse cursor to screen corners.

There are so many new features in Windows 8 and its possible that you might have missed a few of them. Today we are going to share a free e-book released by Microsoft which will help you in learning all new features of Windows 8.

"Introducing Windows 8: An Overview for IT Professionals" is a free Windows 8 e-book from Microsoft press which provides detailed tutorials and instructions to find and use new features present in Windows 8.

Following are some areas covered by this e-book:

• Hardware requirements
• Windows 8 editions or SKUs
• Using Start Screen and Metro apps
• Using Metro UI and hot corners
• New features of Windows Explorer (which is now known as File Explorer)
• New features of Task Manager
• Customizing and configuring Windows 8
• Client Hyper-V
• Windows PowerShell 3.0
• Networking enhancements
• Windows To Go feature
• Deploying Windows 8
• Group Policy and Security in Windows 8
• Developing Metro apps for Windows 8
• Windows 8 recovery (Refresh or Reset PC)
• Using Internet Explorer 10

Above are only a few selected points which we noticed while checking the e-book. There are many other useful points given in this e-book which will definitely help you in using and tweaking Windows 8.

The e-book also tells you why should you use Windows 8 and why is it better than Windows 7 or other previous Windows OS? You'll also learn many keyboard shortcuts and methods to use the new Start Screen and other Metro UI features on a touch enabled device such as Tablet like a professional.

The e-book also contains information about new Windows Server 2012 so if you are using the Server edition, you should also give a try to this e-book.

You can download this free e-book using following link:

Download Free Windows 8 e-book from Microsoft

Also check out:

Download Free Windows 8 and Windows RT Product Guide

Free AntiSpyware Software from Microsoft

Microsoft is now in the spyware market. You can download Microsoft’s free anti Spyware software. Enjoy!

Microsoft and spyware–the two just seem to go together.

Well, now they really do. Microsoft has now released their anti-spyware package. It is in beta, but it’s free.

Give it a try!

Here is the direct download link:
http://download.microsoft.com/download/8/1/5/815d2d60-49b5-44dc-ae35-fca2f2c6f0cc/MicrosoftAntiSpywareInstall.exe

The official download site asks you to validate your installation of windows; however, you can click continue and refuse to validate if you wish.

URL:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=321CD7A2-6A57-4C57-A8BD-DBF62EDA9671&displaylang=en

Windows 8: Pin and Elevate Command Prompt

With the new user-friendly Metro interface of Windows 8, power users will still need to know how to find the all powerful command prompt in order to execute those terminal commands.

Many of the tutorials here on tech-recipes and a lot of administrative work still requires access to the terminal. However, with the release of Windows 8, finding and using the Command Prompt has become more difficult.

Quickest Way to Command Prompt

1. Winkey + R opens the Run box in the traditional desktop.
2. Type cmd and click the OK button to open.

Pin Command Prompt

1. Pull up the Search Charm
2. Search for Command Prompt
3. Right-click on the icon
4. Select Pin to Start or Pin to Taskbar

Elevated Command Prompt

1. Right-click on the icon from the Search Charm or Start menu
2. Select Run as administrator
3. The terminal will open in the desktop titled Administrator: Command Prompt

This article assumes that you are using a keyboard and mouse since you likely performing administrative tasks. Touch navigation maneuvers can be reviewed in a prior article.

This tutorial references the most recent version of Windows 8. If you have additional information you would like to add or update, please let us know in the comments below.

The New Look of Windows 8 File Explorer

If you don't like the Metro User Interface, then you may really hate the new Windows 8 File Explorer—especially if you can't stand the ribbon menu that Microsoft has added to all of its products. Other than the disappearance of the Windows Start Menu (now taken over by the Metro Start screen), the new Windows Explorer is the most dramatic change on the Windows side of the operating system.

Windows Explorer is by far the most important tool in the Windows arsenal. It is used to find and open files, open Control Panel tools, launch programs, copy and move files, organize hard drives, and much more. The structure of the Windows Explorer menu was changed in Windows 7 and Vista, but a tap of the ALT key would bring the old XP menu back in view. That is no longer the case in Windows 8. Why does Microsoft have to mess with things?

I've only occasionally used programs with ribbon menus, so as I reviewed the new Explorer, I was also learning about the ribbon. This gave me an opportunity to evaluate both Windows 8 Explorer and the usefulness of the new menu interface without a pre-existing notion. As I dug deeper into the capabilities of the new Explorer, I slowly came to realize that there was means in this madness. It is a system that can be individually adapted to each person, potentially configured in such a way that best fits the computing preferences of each user. If you want all the menu labels in view, you can have it. If you prefer minimized to small square icons, each of which carry their specific menu behind them, while the ribbon is hidden, then you can have that.

While different from what many users have grown accustomed, the Windows 8 Explorer ribbon menu system offers more visibility of options and quicker access—usually saving at least one click. Plus many of the features we once accessed via the Start Menu (or other obscure methods) are just as easy to reach with Windows Explorer. For example, Computer Management, which is a collection of many of the important system tools such as Task Scheduler and Device Manager, is now a button on the Computer ribbon tab in Windows 8. Even in Windows 7, it was difficult to find Computer Management unless you knew that it existed and just where to look (usually I would search "manage" in the Windows 7 or Vista Start Menu search field).

I'm guessing that there will be a good bit of hostility toward the changes in the new Windows Explorer. However, in the long run, I feel it is a change for the better. You can see for yourself and make your own determination.

Windows 8 File Explorer
                 Open Windows Explorer with the +E key combination (works in both the Metro Start screen and Windows Desktop mode), or click the Windows Explorer tile on the Metro screen. If you're already at the Windows Desktop, you can click the Windows Explorer icon (looks like a group of folders) in the Taskbar. Explorer will open in the Computer mode, as shown in Figure 1. The Control Panel and other system controls are immediately available in the Computer tab of the Computer Windows Explorer window.

Figure 1. When first opened, Windows 8 Explorer displays the Computer tab of the Computer window. From this view the Control Panel can be opened, as well as, other system functions.

Note that the ribbon menus display both icons and text. Most of the figures in this column have been resized smaller causing some of the text labels to disappear. However, in normal use, both text and icons will be visible at all times. The advantage to offering both the control icons and the text labels is that the icons are easy to recognize on the ribbon and the text tells you what they do—lest you forget.

The File Menu
           The File menu breaks with the ribbon menu design and offers a standard drop-down menu which appears to be consistent regardless of the type of folder or file selected. What is significant is that additional features previously not found in Windows Explorer are immediately available, including the command prompt, Windows PowerShell, deleting history (recent places and address bar history), and Frequent Places (see Figure 2). (Frequent Places is hidden by the command prompt secondary menu.)

Figure 2. The File menu of Windows 8 Explorer appears to be standard across all Windows operating systems offering Frequent Places (hidden under Open command prompt in this image), the command prompt and PowerShell.

In Windows 7, the command prompt and Windows PowerShell would be found under All Programs => Accessories in the Start Menu. Now that the Start Menu is gone in Windows 8, Explorer has taken over at least this portion of the work. (To view all of the Metro apps and Windows programs available, return to the Metro Start screen ( key), then press CTRL+TAB simultaneously.)

The View Tab Menu
           Everything which appeared in the old Windows Explorer View menu is now available, and simultaneously in view, in the View tab of the ribbon (see Figure 3). In fact some features, such as Show/Hide "Hidden items" and "File name extensions", appear when a folder/file is selected (see Figure 9 and Figure 10 below). Previously, these were changed with the Properties menu (right-click).

Figure 3. The View tab of Windows 8 Explorer puts all of the layout options in view. For quick changes between the Details view and the Large icon view the two buttons in the lower right corner are available at all times regardless of the tab selected in the ribbon or the type of folder/file.

Viewing panes can be selected, but now, in addition to the Navigation Pane, there is only the option of either the Preview Pane or the Details pane—not both. The usual Layout options (thumbnails and details) are easily deciphered from the icons. The two layout buttons in the lower right corner are a plus. One equates to the Details layout while the other is Large thumbnails (icons). The advantage to these two buttons is that they are always available regardless of which ribbon tab is selected, making switching between the two layouts a snap (...or click).

Special Ribbon Tabs
                Windows 8 Explorer changes the ribbon tabs available depending upon the type of folder or feature viewed. In this case the special functions Disk Tools (Drive) has been added to the Menu (see Figure 4). When a drive is selected, the Drive tab offers those features formerly available through the Properties window (right-click). The command for safely removing USB drives also appear on this menu.

Figure 4. In the Computer view of Windows 8 Explorer a special Disk Tools tab is made available.

These special ribbon tabs are tailored to the specific type of folder. Pictures, Music and Videos folders offer this extra tool tab with the tools appropriate for each (see Figure 6). The Picture Tools tab only appears when the folder type is Pictures. In the Picture Tools tab images can be rotated left or right, viewed in a slide show (right-click on images for slide show controls after show starts), set as background, etc. There are similar functions for Music Tools and Video Tools in their respective folder type. To change the folders type select the folder, then open the Properties window from the Home tab in Windows Explorer and use the Customize tab.

Figure 5. In Windows 8 Explorer the Picture Tools in a Pictures type folder offers limited editing and viewing functions.

The Share Tab
             A Share tab will appear also when an appropriate folder type is selected (see Figure 7). Sharing features include printing, faxing, burning to disc, e-mail, zip compression and Homegroup. Homegroup is the network sharing systems first introduced in Windows 7. It supports Windows 7 and Windows 8 computers.

Figure 6.The Sharing tab in Windows 8 Explorer offers tools for e-mailing, printing, faxing and Homegroup.

Search Tools
              The Search Tools tab does not appear until the search field is selected by clicking the left mouse button when the cursor is hovering over the search field. All of the advanced search functions (which are a little more cryptic in Windows 7) are in view and ready to use (see Figure 7).

Figure 7. Windows 8 Explorer Search Tools puts all of the search functions in clear view.

This is an improvement over both Windows 7 and Vista. Vista included Advanced Search options and Windows 7 allows selection of options directly in the search field. In the Windows 8 ribbon the advanced search options are buttons always available for easy access.

Keyboard Option for the Ribbon Menu
              In previous versions of Windows Explorer, if the old XP menu bar (File | Edit | View | Tools | Help) was not in view, the ALT key would pop it up. Now pressing the ALT key turns the keyboard into hot keys that will activate the labeled parts of the ribbon menu (see Figure 8). (The classic Windows menu bar seems to be retired.)

Figure 8. In Windows 8 Explorer pressing the ALT key will display hot labels for the various tabs. Hit the assigned key and the next set of hot labels will appear in the appropriate place.

For example, after pressing the ALT key, the V key will select the View tab from the ribbon menu. The View tab will then display another set of hot keys for selecting the functions within the View tab. This is exactly the same as a point and click except you use the keyboard rather than the mouse.

Quick Access Toolbar
           Windows 8 also includes a Quick Access Toolbar (circled in red below the ribbon menu in Figure 9) which only displays a single square icon for the included functions. By default these single click hot buttons include: Undo, Redo, Delete, Properties, New Folder and Rename. This toolbar can be set to appear above or below the ribbon. While you can remove all of the buttons from the toolbar, I did not see a way to remove the toolbar itself. (There is always someone who wants to make features completely disappear.)

Figure 9. The Quick Access Toolbar in Windows 8 can include functions from any of the ribbon tabs.

However, you can completely bypass the ribbon by adding ribbon menu functions to the Quick Access Toolbar. Right-click on the name of a feature in the selected tab and click Add to Quick Access Toolbar. The feature will now be added to the Quick Access Toolbar in the form of another small square icon button. Clicking that button will access the feature without affecting the display of the ribbon. (For the reverse, right-click on the new button to remove it from the toolbar.)

If you want an even more minimalist view of Windows Explorer, you can right-click on either the ribbon or the toolbar and check Minimize the Ribbon. (You can also click the little arrow in the upper right corner next to the Help question mark.) This will cause the features of the various tabs to disappear leaving only the tab names visible at the top. Clicking the tabs will continue to temporarily open the ribbon view for each tab. To bring back the permanent ribbon reverse the process with the same right-click and uncheck Minimize the Ribbon.

Resizing the Ribbon Menu
           For readability I resized the Windows Explorer window smaller for the screen shots. This left the text as readable as possible. However, as the Windows Explorer window is made smaller, text and graphics will disappear from the ribbon. This is fine if you remember the purpose of each icon, but not so good if you have trouble with mere images. Figure 10 shows what is lost by resizing the window to a smaller width. If you click on the little down arrow in each section the original options will temporarily appear.

Figure 10. When the Windows 8 Explorer window is reduced in width, the ribbon automatically reduces the space required by collapsing the option boxes. In red are the lost options, although they pop up when the reduced box is clicked.

It most situations, you should be able to size the Windows Explorer window wide enough to see all of your options, making your selections easier.

The Three Key Features from Windows 7
            The Navigation pane in Windows 8 includes the three key Windows 7 features: Favorites, Libraries and Homegroup. Favorites is for shortcuts that you use frequently. Libraries is a system for collecting similar types of folders and files together whether on your computer or over a network. Homegroup is a sharing system between various computers available in Windows 7 and Windows 8 (see Figure 11). For more detailed information about these the features see the e-book Windows 7 Explorer Secrets available at ComputorEdge E-Books, Amazon.com, and iTunes.

Figure 11. Windows 8 Explorer supports three key features of Windows 7: Favorites, Libraries and Homegroup. Favorites can be removed from the Navigation pane by unchecking Show favorites.

I use Favorites extensively, but if you want to remove it from the Navigation pane, uncheck Show favorites from the drop down menu.

6 Great Tricks for Windows 8 You Probably Don’t Know

We’ve covered a lot of tips, tricks, and tweaks for Windows 8, but there are still a few more. From bypassing the lock screen to instantly taking and saving screenshots, here are a few more hidden options and keyboard shortcuts.

Whether you love Windows 8, hate it, or just wish Metro would go away, these options will help you make Windows 8 work the way you want it to.

Disable the Lock Screen

Windows 8 shows a lock screen when you restart your computer, log out, or lock it. It’s very pretty, but it just adds one more keystroke to the login process. You can actually disable the lock screen entirely, although Microsoft hides his option very well.

This option is located in the Group Policy Editor. To launch it, type “gpedit.msc” at the Start screen and press Enter.

In the Group Policy Editor, navigate to Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Control Panel\Personalization.

Double-click the “Do not display the lock screen” option, set it to Enabled, and click OK.

The next time you restart your system, log out, or lock the screen, you’ll see the login screen instead of the lock screen.

Combine this with skipping the Start screen and you can boot to a login screen and log straight into the desktop, just like on previous versions of Windows. The desktop will be the second screen you access instead of the fourth.

Take & Save Screenshots Instantly

Windows 8 has a new hotkey combination that lets you take and save screenshots instantly. To take a screenshot, hold the Windows key down and press the Print Screen key. Your screen will flash and Windows will save a screenshot to your Pictures folder as a PNG image file.

You might assume that WinKey+Alt+Print Screen would take and save a screenshot of the current window, but it doesn’t. Maybe this will be implemented in the final version of Windows 8.

We’ve also covered other new keyboard shortcuts in Windows 8.

Prevent Files From Opening in Metro

If you prefer to use Windows 8’s desktop and try to avoid Metro, you may be surprised the first time you double-click an image file in Windows Explorer and get kicked back into Metro. By default, Windows 8 launches images, videos, and music in Metro apps – even if you open them from the desktop.

To avoid this, launch the Default Programs control panel by pressing the Windows key to access Metro, typing “Default Programs,” and pressing Enter.

Click the “Set your default programs” link.

In the list of available programs, select the “Windows Photo Viewer” application and click the “Set this program as default” option.

Repeat this process for the  “Windows Media Player” application. You can also set the desktop version of Internet Explorer as your default Web browser from within Internet Explorer.

Of course, if you have a preferred image viewer or media player, you can install it and set it as the default application instead.

Display Administrative Tools

By default, Windows hides the Event Viewer, Computer Management and other Administrative Tools from the Start screen. If you use these applications frequently, you can easily unhide them.

From the Start screen, mouse over to the bottom or top right corner of the screen and click the Settings charm. You can also press WinKey-C to view the charms.

Click the “Settings” link under Start and set the “Show administrative tools” slider to “Yes.”

The Administrative Tools will appear on the Start screen and in the All Apps list.

Control Automatic Maintenance

Windows 8 has a new scheduled maintenance feature that automatically updates software, runs security scans, and performs system diagnostics at a scheduled time. By default, the maintenance tasks run at 3am if you aren’t using your computer. If you’re using your computer at the scheduled time, Windows will wait until the computer is idle.

To customize this time, open the Action Center from the flag icon in the system tray.

You’ll find Automatic Maintenance under the Maintenance category. Click the “Change maintenance settings” link to customize its settings.

From this screen, you can set the time you want to run automatic maintenance tasks. You can also have Windows wake up your computer to run maintenance tasks, if it’s asleep.

Customize Search Applications

Metro apps can appear as options when you use the search feature.

You can control the apps that appear here and trim down the list. First, click the Settings charm from anywhere on your system and click the “More PC settings” link.

From the PC settings screen, click the Search category and use the sliders to hide apps from the search screen.