8 Useful Tips and Tricks for Windows 8

Windows eight Developer Preview is out and even casual users square measure jumping at the prospect to undertake out the new, and arguably improved, software. although you concentrate on yourself a Windows seven knowledgeable, don’t expect to work out Windows eight right away; the software options associate degree interface ne'er seen before in previous editions of Microsoft Windows.

In fact, Windows eight is that far more confusing for those aware of the in operation system; even the beginning menu — a staple that’s been gift since the Windows National Trust days — is totally redesigned. to assist you work out a way to navigate the new OS, I’ve place along an inventory of tips and tricks that ought to be helpful to each novices and super users.
8. New, amazing Keyboard Shortcuts

Along with the updated style, Windows eight comes with some cool new keyboard shortcuts. though some of the recent shortcuts — like Win+R to launch Run — square measure still gift, a number of the new keyboard mixtures provide a lot of utility than the recent shortcuts. Windows+Q, as an example, offers Windows+R a endure its money; it options identical functions as Run, however at identical time permits you to go looking your system for put in programs or flick thru associate degree alphabetised list of apps.

Here are a few of my favorite Windows 8 shortcuts:

1. Windows: Toggles between the Start Screen and the Windows desktop, or between the Start Screen and an active app.
2. Windows+Tab: Toggle between running apps.
3. Windows+C: Displays the Charms (the Settings, Devices, Share and Search options), date and time, and power options.
4. Windows+F: Opens the new Windows search feature, Search Files.
5. Windows+I: Opens the Settings pane and displays the wireless networking, speaker, screen brightness, language, and power options.
6. Windows+O: Rotates orientation on tablet and slate PCs.
7. Windows+W: Opens the Search Files function from within the Settings tab.
8. Windows+Z: Displays a contextual menu when running a full-screen Metro app.

7. Use a Picture Password

Just about every online service, from banking to social networks to email services, require passwords — all of which, to provide the most protection, should be unique. To keep your files and other information safe from unauthorized users, you should create a password when setting up a new Windows 8 account. However, rather than memorizing yet another jumble of letters and numbers, you can instead create a picture password.
Picture passwords can be made up of a combination of taps, straight lines and circles. To set up a picture password in Windows 8, open Control Panel, and then click “Users.” Click “Create a Picture Password,” and follow the onscreen directions.

6. Log in to Your Account Automatically

In contrast to picture passwords, if you’re the only one who uses your computer and you don’t have to worry about other users logging into your account without permission, you can configure automatic login. Open regedit, and then navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon. Double-click “DefaultPassword” and enter the password for your username. Double-click “AutoAdminLogon,” and then change the value to “1″ to enable automatic login.

5. Mount Disc Images Without Third-Party Software

In previous editions of Windows, you had to download a third-party application to emulate disc images. Windows 8, however, includes a built-in tool that can mount ISO images to a virtual disc drive. To emulate an ISO file in Windows 8, press the Windows key and “E” to open Windows Explorer, and then navigate to the folder where the ISO file is stored. Right-click the file and then select “Mount” from the contextual menu.

4. Restart Explorer with the Click of a Button

Windows Explorer isn’t always the most stable process, and when the taskbar or file manager lock up or become unresponsive, killing explorer.exe is sometimes the easiest way to restore the operating system to working order. In the past, you had to find Windows Explorer in the Processes tab in Task Manager, end the task, and — on much older editions of Microsoft Windows — even create a new explorer.exe task. Windows 8, however, now provides a two-click solution from within Task Manager. Simply click “Windows Explorer” from beneath the Applications or Windows Processes section, and then click “Restart.”

3. Restore the Old Windows Desktop

If you’re a creature of habit, you’re probably not going to be a big fan of the new Start menu. The menu now consists of just four options, called Charms. No more is the jump list, the user folders, or the Computer, Control Panel or Network options; Settings, Devices, Share and Search are all of what makes up the Windows 8 Start Menu. But one quick change to the registry can restore the classic Windows desktop. Open Regedit, and then navigate to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer. Double-click RPEnabled and change the value to 0. Click “OK” to re-enable the old Start menu.

2. Turn on the Touch Keyboard

Windows 8 features a touch keyboard, improving on the old onscreen keyboard. The touch keyboard is ideal for tablet and slate users; it automatically capitalizes the first letter of each sentence, adds a period to the end of a sentence when you double-tap the spacebar, and can toggle between different modes. To enable the touch keyboard, right-click the taskbar, point to “Toolbars,” and then click “Touch Keyboard.” Select the keyboard icon from the bottom right of the dock to switch between full-screen mode, thumb mode, and pen mode.

1. Close Running Apps

If you launch an app from within Metro, you’ll notice that the caption buttons are missing from the upper right side of the window, preventing you from closing the application. Even worse, Alt+F4 does nothing. Pressing the Windows key will switch you over to the Start Screen, but the app you opened will still be running in the background. If you switch to the Windows desktop, Windows 8 will suspend the application, but it won’t close it. The Windows 8 development team may change this sometime in the future, but for now, the only way to close running apps in Windows 8 is to end the task from Task Manager. Press “Windows” and “D” to switch over to the desktop, then press “Ctrl,” “Shift” and “Esc” to open Task Manager. Select the app you want to close, and then click the “End Task” button.saeed

 

Read more »

Window 8 7Tips Tricks

 Window 8 7Tips Tricks

Don't despair, though, help is at hand. We've been investigating every part of Windows 8 Consumer Preview, uncovering many of its most important tips and tricks, so read our guide and you'll soon be equipped to get the most out of Microsoft's latest release.

1. Lock screen

Windows 8 opens on its lock screen, which looks pretty but unfortunately displays no clues about what to do next.
It's all very straightforward, though. Just tap the space bar, spin the mouse wheel or swipe upwards on a touch screen to reveal a regular login screen with the user name you created during installation. Enter your password to begin.

2. Basic navigation

Windows 8 launches with its new Metro interface, all colourful tiles and touch-friendly apps. And if you're using a tablet then it'll all be very straightforward: just swipe left or right to scroll the screen, and tap any tile of interest.
On a regular desktop, though, you might alternatively spin the mouse wheel to scroll backwards and forwards.
And you can also use the keyboard. Press the Home or End keys to jump from one end of your Start screen to the other, for instance, then use the cursor keys to select a particular tile, tapping Enter to select it. Press the Windows key to return to the Metro screen; right-click (or swipe down on) apps you don't need and select Unpin to remove them; and drag and drop the other tiles around to organise them as you like.

 Window 8 7Tips Tricks

3. App groups

The Start screen apps are initially displayed in a fairly random order, but if you'd prefer a more organised life then it's easy to sort them into custom groups.
You might drag People, Mail, Messaging and Calendar over to the left-hand side, for instance, to form a separate "People" group. Click the magnifying glass icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to carry out a "semantic zoom", and you'll now find you can drag and drop the new group (or any of the others) around as a block.
Right-click within the block (while still in the semantic zoom view) and you'll also be able to give the group a name, which - if you go on to add another 20 or 30 apps to your Start screen - will make it much easier to find the tools you need.

 Window 8 7Tips Tricks

4. Simplified Start menu?

The Windows 8 Developer Preview had a very basic Start menu which you could access by swiping from the right side of a touch screen, or moving the mouse cursor to the bottom left corner of the screen. This has changed a little in the Consumer Preview: now you need to right-click in the bottom left corner (or hold down the Windows key and press X) for a text-based menu which provides easy access to lots of useful applets and features: Device Manager, Control Panel, Explorer, the Search dialog and more.

Add caption

5. Find your applications

The Win+X menu is useful, but no substitute for the old Start menu as it doesn't provide access to your applications. To find this, hold down the Windows key and press Q (or right-click an empty part of the Start screen and select All Apps) to reveal a scrolling list of all your installed applications. Browse the various tiles to find what you need and click the relevant app to launch it.

 Window 8 7Tips Tricks

6. Easy access

If there's an application you use all the time then you don't have to access it via the search system, of course. Pin it to the Start screen and it'll be available at a click.
Start by typing part of the name of your application. Windows 8 Consumer Preview makes it more difficult to access Control Panel, for instance, so type Control.
Right-click the "Control Panel" tile on the Apps Search screen, and click "Pin to Start".
Now press the Windows key, scroll to the right and you'll see the Control Panel tile at the far end. Drag and drop this over to the left somewhere if you'd like it more easily accessible, then click the tile to open the desktop along with the Control Panel window, and press the Windows key to return you to the Start screen when you've done.

7. Shutting down

You've finished your first Windows 8 session, and would like to close your system down - but with no Start menu it's not exactly obvious how this can be done.
It's easy enough when you know the secret, though. Just move the mouse cursor to the bottom right corner of the screen, click the Settings icon - or just hold down the Windows key and press I - and you'll see a power button. Click this and choose "Shut down" or "Restart".
Some of the tricks available in previous versions of Windows still apply. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del, for instance, click the power button in the bottom right-hand corner and you'll be presented with the same "Shut down" and "Restart" options.
And if you're on the desktop, press Alt+F4 and you'll be able to choose Shut Down, Restart, Sign Out or Switch User options.saeed

 Window 8 7Tips Tricks

Read more »

Windows 8 Preview 2012 Tricks & Tutorial 

Here's an easy beginners tutorial on Windows 8 Preview 2012 March. Learn some easy how-to's and some tricks and tips too. In this tutorial you will see how to move around in Windows 8 and see how to adjust and change Windows 8 PC settings and more.

Windows 8 is the next generation Windows operating system from Microsoft. It was released on Feb 29 2012 for consumer preview. The OS has a new icon start menu called Metro Interface. The metro interface is geared towards touch screen computers and mobile devices like tablets, cell phones, ipads and all in one computers with touch screen monitors and displays.
@CP freetipspc.blogspot.com
The system is not expected to be released commercially until late this year near the fourth quarter of 2012. It is up against the fast-growing tablet market dominated by Apple's iPad and devices that run Google's Android software. Will it succeed ? Watch my video and you decide. "Windows 8 Preview - 2012 March, Tricks, Tips & Tutorial"

My favorite downloads for Windows 8 stuff so far. You might like to check them out yourself: 

 

Read more »

Windows 8 Preview 2012 Tricks & How To's 

 Here's a hands on tutorial on Windows 8 Preview 2012 . Windows 8 start up, boot up, preview, tips, tricks and how to's. Windows 8 beta was just released for consumers preview. I give you a demo and my first impressions. Windows 8 Consumer Preview is only a beta but runs well. Also check out Windows 8 download link, see below.

Some stuff about my test computer setup:
I installed Windows 8 consumer preview on an old Pentium 4 CPU running at 2.4ghz with 1.5GB of memory. To my surprise, this old desktop computer ran Windows 8 with no problems. Mouse, keyboard and video display had decent response and speed. Windows 8 ran pretty good overall on this old test computer. Not bad for a low powered computer running a new Windows OS.

A side note: I was even able to run a Logitech Webcam on Windows 8 too using the builtin Webcam software in the OS. I will demo that in my next video.

Windows 8 is the next generation Windows operating system from Microsoft. It was released on Feb 29 2012 for consumer preview. The OS has a new icon start menu called Metro Interface. The metro interface is geared towards touch screen computers and mobile devices like tablets, cell phones, ipads and all in one computers with touch screen monitors and displays.

The system is not expected to be released commercially until late this year near the fourth quarter of 2012. It is up against the fast-growing tablet market dominated by Apple's iPad and devices that run Google's Android software. Will it succeed ? Watch my video and you decide. "Windows 8 Preview - 2012 March, Tricks, Tips & Tutorial"

 

 

Read more »

How To Access The BIOS On A Windows 8 Computer

Among the many changes coming with Windows 8 and new computers designed for it is a change in the way we access our computers’ BIOS. No longer do we press a certain key during the boot process to reveal the BIOS – instead, an option to access the BIOS is located in Windows 8’s boot options menu.

Traditionally, computers displayed a message like “Press F2 to enter setup” at the beginning of the boot process. Pressing this key entered the computer’s BIOS. However, Windows 8 hardware uses the UEFI replacement for the traditional BIOS, like Macs do. Some solid-state drive-equipped Windows 8 PCs boot so fast that you’d only have a 200 millisecond (that’s 0.2 seconds) window of opportunity to press the key combination.

Windows 8 Hardware vs. Old Computers With Windows 8

Note that this new method only applies if you purchased a new computer with Windows 8 preinstalled – these will use UEFI. However, if you’ve installed Windows 8 on an existing computer that uses the legacy BIOS system, you’ll access the BIOS in the same way as always by pressing the key that appears during your boot process.
This key is often F2 or Delete, but it can also be other keys. The exact key depends on your computer – if you don’t see the appropriate key displayed on your screen during the boot-up process, consult your computer’s manual.

bios upgrade

  Accessing Boot Options

There are several ways to access Windows 8’s boot options menu. The easiest one to find is in the PC Settings application – press WinKey+C to reveal the Charms bar, click Settings, and select Change PC settings to access it.

bios upgrade

In the PC Settings application, select the General category and click the Restart now button under Advanced startup. Your computer will restart and you’ll enter the Windows 8s boot options menu, where you can access the UEFI BIOS and change other settings.

bios upgrade

You can also hold Shift while clicking Restart in the Shut Down menu to restart your computer into the boot options menu. This is a quick way to restart into the boot options menu, as you can access the Shut Down button from the Charms anywhere on your system.

bios upgrade

Command-line geeks will be happy to know they can run a special shutdown.exe command in a Command Prompt window to restart their computer directly into the boot options menu:

Shutdown.exe /r /o

Accessing UEFI BIOS

The boot options menu has been designed to integrate some commonly used options that people went into the BIOS for. For example, if you want to boot your computer off a USB drive, DVD or CD, or another device, you can click the Use a device tile in the boot options menu and select the device you want to boot from.
If you’re just here to access your computer’s UEFI BIOS, click the Troubleshoot tile.

bios upgrade

This will reveal an Advanced Options screen with a variety of tools – the UEFI Firmware Settings tile will take you to your computer’s BIOS. (On UEFI, which stands for “Unified Extensible Firmware Interface”, the firmware settings menu is equivalent to a traditional PC’s BIOS.)

bios upgrade

If you don’t see the UEFI Firmware Settings tile here, your computer doesn’t use UEFI. You’ll need to access the BIOS in the traditional way, by pressing a specific key during the boot-up process. See the first section above for more information.
If there’s an error booting Windows, you won’t be locked out of the BIOS — the boot options screen will appear when you start your computer. From here, you can repair Windows or enter your BIOS.@saeedkhan

Why the Change?

While this may be slightly inconvenient, as there’s no way to access the BIOS in normal use without booting into Windows first, it’s surely necessary. Microsoft’s blog post about this on the Building Windows 8 blog describes how this new system came to be. With the increased boot speed, some systems had a less than 200 millisecond window of opportunity to press a key. Even the best key-tappers at Microsoft could only press a key once every 250ms — to access the BIOS, frantic tapping, luck, and several compuer reboots were all necessary.
This also brings some much-needed consistency to Windows 8 computers — they’ll all have a consistent way of accessing the BIOS. Currently, different computers use different keys at start-up.
While Windows 8 may have some questionable design decisions that some people will dislike, this shouldn’t be one of them. The new method of accessing the BIOS is necessary and well-implemented.

Read more »

10 Tips and Tricks to Get The Most Out of Windows 8

The Big Guide: 10 Tips and Tricks to Get The Most Out of Windows 8
What do you do with a new operating system? If you’re a typical Maximum PC reader, you roll up your shirt sleeves and jump elbow-deep into every part of the OS you can get your hands on. You make manual registry tweaks to open up hidden elements of your new OS; you navigate through all of the different configuration options to see what’s changed, what’s new, and what you can personalize to your liking; you devote hours to playing around with all the different features.
Or, if you want a quick fix, you can read a guide like this.
We’ve gotten our arms full of data and dust in our attempts to unearth some of the more noteworthy features of the Windows 8 Consumer Preview. And the following list of twenty awesome items represents the must-do tweaks and must-check-out, new features of Microsoft’s latest operating system.
This is but the start of our Windows 8 week festivities: Come back tomorrow and we’ll tell you about the 8 things we absolutely love in Windows 8!

1. Metro: Just Type It!

10 Tips and Tricks to Get The Most Out of Windows 8

We’ll start with an easy trick. When you’re in Windows 8’s Metro UI and you want to load an app, don’t bother moving your mouse around the screen or trying to scroll your way over to wherever it is you’ve placed the app’s tile icon. Just start typing. Literally – start typing. You don’t have to go find the search button or any of that: Windows 8 will try to find anything you type, be it “Solitaire” or “Control Panel,” or what-have-you.

2. Screenshots Are Fun and Useful

10 Tips and Tricks to Get The Most Out of Windows 8

Tech journalists covering Windows 8, take note: Microsoft has finally made it super-easy to dump the contents of your screen down to an image file. In times prior, you could hit the Print Screen key to copy the contents of the entire display, but you’d still have to paste that image into a third-party application (or Paint. Or you could also use Microsoft’s Snip tool, but we digress). Now, hitting the Windows Key and Print Screen at the same time dumps the entirety of your screen to a .PNG file in your Pictures folder. Easy!

3. Don’t Upgrade!

10 Tips and Tricks to Get The Most Out of Windows 8

You’ve (hopefully) caught our guide for installing Windows 8. If you haven’t, go read that. And no matter what you do, don’t install Windows 8 as an upgrade to your existing operating system. There’s a giant list of reasons why you shouldn’t let a Consumer-Preview-cough-beta serve as your primary operating system, the least of which being that it can be a bit confusing for newcomers to try. You’ll shoot your productivity in the foot, not to mention all the potential incompatibilities / bugs / quirks you’ll find in your favorite software, games, and the current “test version” apps found in Windows 8.

4. Hot Corners Are Your Friends

10 Tips and Tricks to Get The Most Out of Windows 8

If you’re a bit befuddled the first time you fire up Microsoft’s newest operating system, we understand. Microsoft’s left a number of navigational elements invisible to your eye unless you move your mouse over one of the four extreme corners of your screen. Hover your mouse over the top-right or bottom-right to access the Charms Bar: Windows 8’s built-in Search and Sharing capabilities, as well as a list of devices you can send the contents of the current app to and Windows 8’s ever-important Settings menu. Hover your mouse over the top-left or bottom-left corners of your screen to jump between open apps on Windows 8’s “Switch List,” just like you would otherwise do by hitting the combination of alt and tab on your keyboard.

5. Hotkeys Are Your Friends, Too

Unless you’re rocking a touchscreen PC, navigating your way around the Metro UI interface (and its horizontal-friendly apps) can be a bit of a drag. So don’t use your mouse; Use your keyboard. Check out some of these helpful hotkeys for flying through the OS and controlling its many elements:
· Windows Key + Tab – Opens up the left-hand “Switch List”
· Windows Key + C – Opens up the right-hand Charms Bar
· Windows Key + I – Opens up your ever-important Settings Menu
· Windows Key + T – Dumps you back to Desktop Mode and cycles through your open windows on the taskbar.
· Windows Key + Shift + . – Docks the app to the left, middle, or right side of the screen with each press.
· Windows Key + M – Jumps to the Desktop and minimizes all applications
· Windows Key + Q – Opens up Windows 8’s global search utility within Metro.

6. The PC Settings Panel is Your Best Friend

10 Tips and Tricks to Get The Most Out of Windows 8

In its infinite wisdom, Microsoft has decided to split the options you can configure on Windows 8 between the contents of its typical Control Panel and a new Metro-based Settings menu, which can be accessed by going to the Charms Bar’s Settings option and clicking on the slightly buried “More PC Settings” link. Here’s where you’ll be able to adjust your lock screen’s background, Metro’s colors, how notifications and Windows 8’s built-in search work, the names of the attached devices Windows 8 has found, and your specific synchronization settings, among other important options.

7. Windows 8 Versus Disaster

10 Tips and Tricks to Get The Most Out of Windows 8

Well, you’ve gone and done it. Either as a result of something (or things) you’ve installed, some setting you’ve mucked up, or just general apathy toward the well-being of your PC, Windows 8 doesn’t work right anymore. In Windows’ past, this would normally force you to take a trip down reinstallation lane. That part hasn’t changed, but Windows 8 now makes it really easy to return a broken operating system to happiness once again. Click on the General tab within the aforementioned “More PC Settings” menu. The “Refresh” option strips your system of the third-party apps you’ve installed and returns it to factory-default settings, but it keeps your User files. The “Reset” option wipes your operating system clean of all your data and returns your system to Windows 8’s factory-default settings.

8. Enable Safe Mode

10 Tips and Tricks to Get The Most Out of Windows 8

Speaking of computer disasters, if you want to reboot your system into Safe Mode, you can’t just jam on the F8 key prior to Windows 8 loading: You have to first enable Safe Mode itself. Type “cmd” on your Metro UI, right-click on the Command Prompt app (called “cmd”), and select to run it as an administrator. Then type “bcdedit /enum /v” on the command prompt screen and hit Enter. Copy the entire “identifier” string (including the braces) for the entry that has “Windows 8 Consumer Preview” as the description, not “Windows Boot manager.”  Then, type the following into the command prompt: bcdedit /copy youridentifierstring /d “Windows Developer Preview (Safe Mode)” and hit Enter. After that, type in “msconfig” and hit enter.
Click on the “Boot” tab and select the entry called “Windows Developer Preview (Safe Mode).” Click on the “Safe Boot” option, the “Make All Boot Settings Permanent” option, click OK, and click “Yes.” Restart your system, and you’ll be given the option to launch either your normal Windows 8 environment or your new Safe Mode environment.

9. Be a Super-Administrator in One Clck

10 Tips and Tricks to Get The Most Out of Windows 8

Here’s a great hidden tidbit of Windows 8: Move your mouse cursor the lower-left corner of Windows 8’s Metro or Desktop mode until it pops up the live thumbnail of the to-be-switched-to environment. But don’t left-click; Right-click. You’ll pull up a menu that gives you a shortcut to a bunch of handy power user options, including Command Prompts, your Disk Management window, and your System menu, among other options.

10. Fast-Uninstall Apps

10 Tips and Tricks to Get The Most Out of Windows 8

Looking for a quick way to nuke any Windows Apps or third-party apps that you’ve installed on Windows 8? Just right-click on the app’s icon within Windows’ Metro UI and select “Uninstall.” Third-party apps will jump you to the good ol’ Windows “Programs and Features” window for the same ol’ Windows uninstallation routine you should be used to by now. Apps downloaded from the Windows Store will simply disappear. Poof!By Saeed

Read more »

Windows 8 Consumer Preview: Windows Key Keyboard Shortcuts

Windows 8 Consumer Preview: Windows Key Keyboard Shortcuts
Hotkeys unchanged from Windows 7
Key combination Windows 7 functionality
Windows - Display or hide the Start menu.
Windows-Left Arrow Dock the active window to the left half of the screen (does nothing to Metro-style applications).
Windows-Right Arrow Dock the active window to the right half of screen (does nothing to Metro-style applications).
Windows-Up Arrow Maximize the active window (does nothing to Metro-style applications).
Windows-Down Arrow Restore/minimize the active window (does nothing to Metro-style applications).
Windows-Shift-Up Arrow Maximize the active window vertically, maintaining width (does nothing to Metro-style applications).
Windows-Shift-Down Arrow Restore/minimize the active window vertically, maintaining width (does nothing to Metro-style applications).
Windows-Shift-Left Arrow Move the active window to the monitor on the left (does nothing to Metro-style applications).
Windows-Shift-Right Arrow Move the active window to the monitor on the right (does nothing to Metro-style applications).
Windows-P Display projection options.
Windows-Home Minimize all nonactive windows; restore on the second keystroke (does not restore Metro-style applications).
Windows-number Launch or switch to the program located at the given position on the taskbar. (Example: Use Windows-1 to launch the first program.)
Windows-Shift-number Launch a new instance of the program located at the given position on the taskbar.
Windows-B Set focus in the notification area.
Windows-Break Display the System Properties dialog box.
Windows-D Show the desktop; restore on the second keystroke (does not restore Metro-style applications).
Windows-E Open Windows Explorer, navigated to Computer. Windows-Ctrl-F Search for computers (if you are on a network).
Windows-Ctrl-F Search for computers (if you are on a network).
Windows-G Cycle through Windows Desktop Gadgets.
Windows-L Lock your computer (if you’re connected to a network domain), or switch users (if you’re not connected to a network domain).
Windows-M Minimize all windows.
Windows-Shift-M Restore minimized windows to the desktop (does not restore Metro-style applications).
Windows-N Create a new note (OneNote).
Windows-R Open the Run dialog box.
Windows-S Open screen clipper (OneNote).
Windows-T Set focus on the taskbar and cycle through programs.
Windows-Alt-Enter Open Windows Media Center. Note that Windows Media Center must be installed for this key combo to function; in many Windows 8 builds, it is not present.
Windows-U Open Ease of Access Center.
Windows-X Open Windows Mobility Center.
Windows-F1 Launch Windows Help and Support.
Windows-N Create a new note (OneNote).
Windows-S Open screen clipper (OneNote).
Windows-Q Open Lync. Note that in Windows 8 the Search function overrides this key combo.
Windows-A Accept an incoming call (Lync).
Windows-X Reject an incoming call (Lync). Note that this key combo does not function if Windows Mobility Center is present on the machine.
Windows-Minus Zoom out (Magnifier).
Windows-Plus Zoom in (Magnifer).
Windows-Esc Close Magnifier.
New hotkeys for the Windows 8 Consumer Preview
Key combination Windows 8 functionality
Ctrl-Shift-Esc Starts Task Manager
Windows-Space Switch input language and keyboard layout.
Windows-O Lock device orientation.
Windows-, Temporarily peek at the desktop.
Windows-V Cycle through toasts.
Windows-Shift-V Cycle through toasts in reverse order.
Windows-Enter Launch Narrator.
Windows-PgUp Move the Start Screen or a Metro-style application to the monitor on the left.
Windows-PgDown Move the Start Screen or a Metro-style application to the monitor on the right. Windows-Shift-. Move the gutter to the left (snap an application).
Windows-. Move the gutter to the right (snap an application).
Windows-C Open the Charms bar.
Windows-I Open the Settings charm.
Windows-K Open the Connect charm.
Windows-H Open the Share charm.
Windows-Q Open the Search pane.
Windows-W Open the Settings Search app.
Windows-F Open the File Search app.
Windows-Tab Cycle through apps.
Windows-Shift-Tab Cycle through apps in reverse order.
Windows-Ctrl-Tab Cycle through apps and snap them as they cycle.
Windows-Z Open the App Bar.
Windows-/ Initiate input method editor (IME) reconversion.
Windows-J Swap foreground between the snapped and filled apps.
Start screen/Metro
The following Windows key shortcuts work in the new Windows shell/Start screen.
WINKEY (tap) Toggles between the Start screen and the foremost running app (Metro-style) or the Windows Desktop.
WINKEY + 1, WINKEY + 2, etc. - Switch to the (classic) Windows desktop and launch the nth shortcut in the Windows taskbar. So WINKEY + 1 would launch whichever application is first in the list, from left to right.
WINKEY + B Switch to the (classic) Windows desktop and select the tray notification area.
WINKEY + C Display Charms and time/date/notification overlay.
WINKEY + D Switch to the (classic) Windows desktop and toggle Show Desktop (hides/shows any applications and other windows).
WINKEY + E Switch to the (classic) Windows desktop and launch Windows Explorer with Computer view displayed.
WINKEY + F Display File Search pane
WINKEY + H Display Share charm.
WINKEY + I Display Settings charm.
WINKEY + J Swaps foreground between the snapped and filled apps.
WINKEY + K Display Connect charm.
WINKEY + L Lock PC and return to Lock screen.
WINKEY + M Minimize the selected Explorer window.
WINKEY + O Toggle orientation switching on slate and tablet PCs.
WINKEY + P Display the new Project (for "projection") pane for choosing between available displays.
WINKEY + Q Search (within) Apps using the new Search pane.
WINKEY + R Switch to the (classic) Windows desktop and display the Run box.
WINKEY + U Switch to the (classic) Windows desktop and launch the Ease of Access Center.
WINKEY + V Cycles through Notification toasts.
WINKEY + W Display Settings Search pane
WINKEY + SHIFT + V Cycles through Notification toasts in reverse order.
WINKEY + X Access the advanced context menu on the Start preview tip.
WINKEY + Z Access the App Bar.
WINKEY + ENTER Launches Narrator.
WINKEY + SPACEBAR Switch input language and keyboard layout
WINKEY + TAB Cycle through apps in Switcher.
WINKEY + SHIFT + TAB Cycle through apps in Switcher in reverse order.
WINKEY + CTRL + TAB Cycle through apps, snapping them as you go.
WINKEY + , Peeks at the Windows desktop.
WINKEY + . Snaps application to the left.
WINKEY + SHIFT + . Snaps application to the right.
WINKEY + PGUP Moves the Start screen to the display on the left.
WINKEY + PGDN Moves the Start screen to the display on the right.
Windows desktop/Explorer
The following Windows key shortcuts work in the classic Windows desktop. Note that while many of these shortcuts also work in Windows 7, some are new to Windows 8.
WINKEY (tap) Toggles between the Windows desktop environment and the new Start screen.
WINKEY + 1, WINKEY + 2, etc. Launch the nth shortcut in the Windows taskbar. So WINKEY + 1 would launch whichever application is first in the list, from left to right.
WINKEY + B Select the tray notification area.
WINKEY + C Display Charms and time/date/notification overlay.
WINKEY + D Toggle Show Desktop (hides/shows any applications and other windows).
WINKEY + E Launch Windows Explorer with Computer view displayed.
WINKEY + F Search Files using the new Windows Search pane.
WINKEY + I Display Settings pane for Windows Desktop (also provides access to Networks, Volume, Screen Brightness, Notifications, Power, and Language).
WINKEY + L Lock PC and return to Lock screen.
WINKEY + M Minimize the selected Explorer window.
WINKEY + O Toggle orientation switching on slate and tablet PCs.
WINKEY + P Display the new Project (for "projection") pane for choosing between available displays.
WINKEY + Q Search (within) Apps using the new Windows Search pane.
WINKEY + R Display Run box.
WINKEY + U Launch Ease of Access Center.
WINKEY + W Search Settings using the new Windows Search pane.
WINKEY + X Display Windows Mobility Center application.
WINKEY + ARROW KEYS Aero Snap.by saeed khan

Read more »

Microsoft Announces Limited Time Windows 8 Upgrade Discount for Windows 7, XP and Vista Users

Are you on the fence about upgrading to Windows 8? The new Metro UI and the lack of Windows Media Center have made many Maximum PC readers vow to stockpile Windows 7 OEM discs in a drawer somewhere. Microsoft's countering the worry with a competitive price point: through January 31st, upgrading from Windows 7, XP or Vista will only cost you $39.99 for a digital download. That's to the fancy-schmancy Windows 8 Pro, to boot -- and you can choose to toss in Windows Media Center for free during installation.

Microsoft Announces Limited Time Windows 8 Upgrade Discount for Windows 7, XP and Vista Users

Microsoft ran through the upgrade process in a blog post today. Windows 7 users can drag whatever they want along for the Windows 8 ride, including apps, personal files and system settings; Vista users can't port over apps, while XP users can bring personal files and nothing else. The installation process lets you start off clean with a fresh install, too, of course.
A physical retail version will be available during the same time from for $69.99. Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro System Builder versions will also be knocking around for the DIYers like you and me, but there's no word on how much that license will cost. People who buy a Windows 7 PC in the next few months will be able to upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for $15.

Read more »