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Windows 8 Absolute Beginner’s Guide
Make the most of your new Windows 8 device—without becoming a technical expert! This book is the fastest way to take control of Windows 8, and use it to create, connect, and discover… simplify and organize your whole life… learn more, play more, do more, live better! Even if you’ve never used Windows 8 before, this book will show you how to do what you want, one incredibly clear and easy step at a time. Windows 8 has never, ever been this simple!
Who knew how simple Windows 8 could be? This is the easiest, most practical beginner’s guide to navigating Windows 8—whether from a desktop, notebook, or tablet… simple, reliable instructions for doing everything you really want to do! Here’s a small sample of what you’ll learn:
• Discover Windows 8’s whole new approach to running a computer
• Run Windows 8 the way that’s easiest for you: mouse, touch, or keyboard
• Find and use the old Windows Desktop along with all your favorite Windows XP and 7 programs
• Get online with Internet Explorer® 10 and master its new tools and shortcuts
• Set up your home network, printer, and other devices
• Master quick, easy new ways to use Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn®
• Safeguard your personal information and keep it private
• Enjoy all your digital photos, videos, movies, and music
• Connect with anyone through email, messaging, and video chat
• Discover and play new Windows 8 games, and use Windows to control your Xbox 360
• Manage even the most gigantic collections of data and media
• Automatically back up your information to external drives, DVDs, or Microsoft SkyDrive®
• Fix problems, protect yourself from viruses, and keep Windows 8 working reliably
Paul Sanna is the author of almost two dozen computer books on topics such as Microsoft Windows, Internet Explorer, and Windows security. He has extensive experience working with and explaining pre-release versions of Windows. He currently advises his clients on software decisions, both for the desktop and for large business projects.
Table of Contents
Introduction ........................................................................................................ 1
What Is an Absolute Beginner? ................................................................................ 3
How This Book Is Organized .................................................................................... 3
Conventions Used in This Book ............................................................................... 5
Selects and Selecting ........................................................................................... 5
Special Elements .................................................................................................. 6
1 Starting and Stopping Windows 8 .............................................................. 7
Starting Up Windows 8 .......................................................................................8
Powering Up Your Computer .............................................................................. 8
Choosing an Operating System .......................................................................... 9
Signing In to Windows 8 ......................................................................................... 11
Handling Special Windows 8 Startup Situations .................................................. 16
Restarting Windows After a Problem ............................................................... 16
Waking Up Windows .......................................................................................... 17
Handling Messages You Might Receive While Signing In ............................. 17
Exiting Windows ...................................................................................................... 19
Signing Out of Windows 8................................................................................. 19
Locking Windows 8 ............................................................................................ 20
Putting Windows 8 to Sleep .............................................................................. 20
Shutting Down Your Windows 8 Computer ..................................................... 21
Restarting Windows 8 to Install Updates ......................................................... 21
2 Interacting with Windows 8 ...................................................................... 23
Getting to Know the Windows 8 Interfaces .......................................................... 24
Using the Mouse in Windows 8......................................................................... 24
Using the Keyboard in Windows 8 .................................................................... 26
Using Touch in Windows 8 ................................................................................ 27
Using the Virtual Keyboard ................................................................................ 29
Using Windows Controls in the Desktop App ...................................................... 30
Window ................................................................................................................ 31
Button .................................................................................................................. 32
Option Button or Group .................................................................................... 32
Text Box .............................................................................................................. 33
Check Box ........................................................................................................... 33
Windows 8 Toggle ............................................................................................. 33
List Box ................................................................................................................ 34
Drop-Down List ................................................................................................... 35
Combo Drop-Down List ..................................................................................... 36
3 Learning Windows 8 Basics ....................................................................... 39
Working at the Start Screen ................................................................................... 40
Returning to the Start Screen ............................................................................ 41
Seeing Tiles off the Screen ................................................................................ 42
Displaying All Tiles ............................................................................................. 42
Selecting a Tile ................................................................................................... 44
Moving a Tile ...................................................................................................... 45
Making a Tile Bigger or Smaller........................................................................ 45
Adding a Tile to the Start Screen ..................................................................... 46
Opening the App Bar .............................................................................................. 47
Using the Charms Bar ............................................................................................. 47
Using the Search Charm .................................................................................... 49
Using the Share Charm ...................................................................................... 52
Using the Devices Charm .................................................................................. 53
Using the Settings Charm .................................................................................. 54
Selecting Files in Windows 8 .................................................................................. 55
Finding and Using the Control Panel .................................................................... 57
4 Personalizing Windows 8 ........................................................................... 61
Personalizing Language, Keyboard, and Number Settings................................. 62
Personalizing Colors and Pictures .......................................................................... 65
Personalizing the Start Screen .......................................................................... 65
Personalizing Your Account Picture .................................................................. 67
Personalizing the Lock Screen ........................................................................... 68
Personalizing Tile Groups ....................................................................................... 69
Creating a Tile Group ........................................................................................ 70
Moving Tile Groups ............................................................................................ 71
Naming a Tile Group ......................................................................................... 71
Setting Up Accessibility Options............................................................................ 72
Personalizing How Notifications Work ................................................................. 75
Personalizing How Your Windows 8 Settings Synchronize ................................. 77
Personalizing the Desktop ...................................................................................... 77
Changing the Desktop Background ................................................................. 77
Changing the Mouse Pointers Used on the Desktop ..................................... 79
Change the Desktop’s Color Scheme .............................................................. 81
Setting Up a Desktop Screen Saver ................................................................. 81
5 Connecting to the Internet ........................................................................ 85
Reviewing Important Internet Connection Basics ................................................ 86
Learning About Internet Service Providers ...................................................... 86
Checking the Hardware Required to Connect ................................................ 86
Learning the Internet Connection Services Typically Available .......................... 87
Understanding Routers for Internet Connection Sharing ............................... 90
Understanding Network Adapters .................................................................... 91
Connecting to the Internet ..................................................................................... 91
Connecting to a Wireless Network ................................................................... 91
Connecting Where Free Wi-Fi Is Advertised ................................................... 94
Connecting to Pay-as-You-Go Wi-Fi................................................................. 95
Connecting to a LAN/Wired Network .............................................................. 95
Connecting After Upgrading to Windows 8 .................................................... 96
Connecting After You Restart Your Device ...................................................... 96
Connecting in Other Scenarios ......................................................................... 96
6 Surfing the Web in Windows 8 .................................................................. 99
Introducing Internet Explorer ............................................................................... 100
Navigating to Websites ........................................................................................ 103
Enhancing Your Browsing ..................................................................................... 109
Zooming In and Out ......................................................................................... 109
Viewing Web Pages in the Desktop Browser ................................................ 110
Pinning Websites to the Start Screen ............................................................. 110
Sharing and Printing While You’re Web Browsing ............................................. 112
Sharing Web Pages .......................................................................................... 113
Printing Web Pages .......................................................................................... 113
7 Connecting with the People App ............................................................ 117
Introducing the People App ...........................................................................118
Connecting with Your People .........................................................................121
Checking What’s New with Your People ........................................................125
The Me Page ...................................................................................................127
Setting Up Your Contacts ................................................................................128
Linking to Facebook ......................................................................................... 128
Linking to Google, Hotmail, and Exchange/Outlook/Office 365 ................ 130
Linking to Twitter .............................................................................................. 133
Linking to LinkedIn ........................................................................................... 135
8 Using the Mail App and Messaging to Stay Connected .......................... 137
Exploring the Mail App ......................................................................................... 138
Setting Up Email .................................................................................................... 139
Setting Up Your Email Accounts ..................................................................... 140
Reading Your Email ............................................................................................... 143
Replying to a Message..................................................................................... 144
Filing a Message in a Folder ........................................................................... 145
Deleting a Message ......................................................................................... 146
Forward a Message .......................................................................................... 146
Mark a Message as Unread ............................................................................. 147
Writing an Email Message .................................................................................... 148
Formatting Your Email Message ..................................................................... 149
Addressing Your Message ............................................................................... 151
Attaching a Photo or Another File to Your Message .................................... 152
Checking Spelling in Your Message ............................................................... 152
Using the Messaging App .................................................................................... 153
9 Using the Calendar App .......................................................................... 157
Getting to Know the Calendar App ..................................................................... 158
Starting the Calendar App .............................................................................. 158
Controlling the Calendar View ........................................................................ 159
Setting Calendar Colors .................................................................................. 161
Synchronizing with Other Calendars ................................................................... 162
Connecting to Your Hotmail Account ............................................................ 163
Connecting to Your Gmail Account ............................................................... 164
Connecting to Your Exchange/Outlook/Office 365 Account....................... 165
Entering New Events into Your Calendar............................................................ 167
10 Sharing Your Windows 8 Computer with Others .................................... 171
Windows 8 Users and Account Basics ................................................................. 172
Adding a New User ............................................................................................... 174
Adding a New User with a Local Account ..................................................... 175
Adding a New User with a Windows Account ............................................... 176
Creating a PIN or Picture Password ..................................................................... 179
Adding a PIN to Your Account ....................................................................... 180
Adding a Picture Password to Your Account ................................................. 180
Making Changes to User Accounts ..................................................................... 184
Changing a User’s Type ................................................................................... 184
Removing a User Account ............................................................................... 185
11 Sharing Files and Printers with Homegroup ............................................ 187
Networking with Homegroup ............................................................................... 188
Using the Windows Homegroup .......................................................................... 189
Creating a Homegroup .................................................................................... 191
Joining a Homegroup ...................................................................................... 194
Leaving a Homegroup ..................................................................................... 195
Troubleshooting Homegroup Connections ................................................... 195
Setting Up Sharing ................................................................................................ 196
Disabling Sharing for Specific Files or Folders .............................................. 196
Sharing Files and Folders Only with Specific Users ...................................... 197
Sharing Your Printer ............................................................................................. 198
Seeing Stuff Shared By Others ............................................................................. 199
12 Mastering Windows 8 Apps .................................................................... 203
Learning Basic Windows 8 Apps Info .................................................................. 204
Running Windows 8 Apps ..................................................................................... 205
Starting a Windows 8 App ............................................................................... 205
Starting Additional Windows 8 Apps ............................................................. 206
Stopping a Windows 8 App (If You Must) ...................................................... 207
Using the App bar to Change a Windows 8 App’s Settings ........................ 207
Managing Windows 8 Apps ................................................................................. 208
Using the App Switcher ................................................................................... 209
Switching to the Previous App ........................................................................ 210
Showing Two Windows 8 Apps on the Screen .............................................. 210
Shopping at the Windows Store .......................................................................... 214
Purchasing an App ........................................................................................... 215
Managing Your Account .................................................................................. 216
13 Working with the Desktop App .............................................................. 221
Introducing the Desktop App .............................................................................. 222
Starting the Desktop ........................................................................................ 222
Returning to the Start Screen .......................................................................... 224
Keeping the Desktop Organized ........................................................................ 225
Automatically Line Up Icons on the Desktop ............................................... 226
Arrange the Desktop by Icon Type ................................................................ 227
Change the Size of Desktop Icons.................................................................. 227
Hide All Desktop Icons .................................................................................... 228
Working with the Taskbar ..................................................................................... 228
Receiving Alerts and Notifications .................................................................. 228
Adding Toolbars to the Taskbar ..................................................................... 230
Displaying Special Icons on the Desktop ....................................................... 231
14 Using Windows Desktop Programs ......................................................... 235
Introducing Windows Desktop Programs ........................................................... 236
Running Programs on the Desktop...................................................................... 237
Running Multiple Windows Desktop Programs ............................................. 237
Making It Easy to Start Your Favorite Desktop Programs ............................ 239
Saving Files to the Desktop ............................................................................. 239
Exiting Desktop Programs ............................................................................... 241
Working with Windows ......................................................................................... 241
Installing and Removing Programs ...................................................................... 245
Installing Program............................................................................................. 245
Removing Windows Programs ........................................................................ 245
15 Organizing Files and Folders with Windows Explorer ............................. 249
Files and Folder Basics .......................................................................................... 250
Understanding Files ......................................................................................... 250
Understanding Folders .................................................................................... 251
Exploring Your Files and Folders with Windows Explorer ................................. 252
Working with Libraries ..................................................................................... 254
Navigating the Folder Tree ............................................................................. 255
Customizing the Content Pane ....................................................................... 257
Exploring the Preview and Details Pane ........................................................ 259
Folder Options .................................................................................................. 261
Navigating Through Your Folders ....................................................................... 263
Selecting Files and Folders ................................................................................. 266
Selecting a Single File at a Time ..................................................................... 266
Selecting Multiple Contiguous Files ............................................................... 267
Selecting Multiple Noncontiguous Files ........................................................ 268
Common Files and Folders Tasks ........................................................................ 269
16 Storing Files on Drives, Disks, and the Cloud ......................................... 273
Working with External Drives ............................................................................... 274
Connecting Your Drive the First Time ............................................................ 275
Naming Your New Drive .................................................................................. 275
Storing and Sharing in the Cloud ........................................................................ 276
Saving Data to DVDs ............................................................................................. 279
Data Backup Strategies ......................................................................................... 282
Backing Up with File History ................................................................................. 283
Setting Up File History ..................................................................................... 283
Backing Up ........................................................................................................ 287
Restoring Files .................................................................................................. 287
17 Setting Up Hardware the Easy Way ........................................................ 289
Setting Up Your Display ........................................................................................ 290
Adjusting the Resolution (Making the Screen Bigger or Smaller) ............... 290
Setting Up Multiple Monitors .......................................................................... 292
Setting Up Your Mouse ......................................................................................... 294
Changing the Mouse Pointers Used on the Desktop ................................... 298
Setting Up Your Keyboard .................................................................................... 299
Setting Up Sound .................................................................................................. 301
Setting Up Your Speakers ................................................................................ 301
Selecting Sounds for Windows Events ........................................................... 303
Setting Up Power Use ........................................................................................... 305
The Easy Method to Set Up Power Use ......................................................... 306
The Really Easy Method to Set Up Power Use .............................................. 306
The Manual Method to Set Up Power Use .................................................... 308
18 Printing, Scanning, and Faxing in Windows 8 ......................................... 309
Printing in Windows 8 ........................................................................................... 310
Setting Up a New Printer ................................................................................. 310
Printing in Windows 8 ...................................................................................... 311
Faxing in Windows 8 ............................................................................................. 313
Sending a Fax ................................................................................................... 314
Receiving a Fax ................................................................................................. 315
Scanning in Windows 8 ......................................................................................... 316
Setting Up Your Scanner ................................................................................. 316
Scanning in Windows 8 .................................................................................... 316
19 Safe and Private Internet Computing ...................................................... 319
Understanding Internet Threats and Risks .......................................................... 320
Web Browsing Risks ......................................................................................... 320
Learning About Risky Attachments and Other Email-Related Threats ....... 321
Learning Phishing Threats ............................................................................... 322
Avoiding Virus Threats ..................................................................................... 325
Defending Yourself ................................................................................................ 325
Reviewing All-in-One Internet Defense Suites .............................................. 325
Defending with Windows Defender ............................................................... 326
Checking Your Security Status at the Action Center .................................... 330
Using SmartScreen to Avoid Dangerous Websites ....................................... 330
Covering Your Internet Tracks ......................................................................... 332
Browsing Quietly and Invisibly with InPrivate Browsing ............................... 333
Using Windows Firewall ................................................................................... 334
Managing All Your IDs and Passwords ................................................................ 334
20 Performing Routine Maintenance ............................................................ 337
Keeping Current on Windows Update ................................................................ 338
Delete Unused Files .............................................................................................. 341
Defragmenting Your Drive .................................................................................... 343
Update Internet Security Definitions ................................................................... 345
Sample Maintenance Schedule ............................................................................ 345
21 Troubleshooting and Solving Problems in Windows 8 ............................ 347
Using the Troubleshooting Wizards .................................................................... 348
Using Task Manager to Close Unresponsive Programs ..................................... 349
Understanding Refresh and Restore .................................................................... 350
Getting a Do-Over with Refresh ..................................................................... 351
Restarting from Scratch with the Reset Option ............................................. 352
Reviewing Your System Core Info ........................................................................ 353
22 Keeping Current with the Bing Apps ...................................................... 355
Introducing the Bing Apps ................................................................................... 356
Read the News That’s Fit to Bing ........................................................................ 357
Getting the Bing Weather Report ........................................................................ 359
Keeping Score with Bing Sports .......................................................................... 361
Getting the Bing Money Story ............................................................................. 362
Vacationing with the Bing Travel App ................................................................. 364
Trending Topics with Bing .................................................................................... 366
Finding Your Way with Bing Maps ....................................................................... 367
23 Enjoying Your Digital Photos .................................................................. 369
Learning Photos App Basics ................................................................................. 370
Browsing Through Your Photos ........................................................................... 374
Working with Your Photos .................................................................................... 375
Bringing In Your Facebook and Flickr Photos .................................................... 377
Bringing In Facebook Photos .......................................................................... 377
Bringing In Flickr Photos .................................................................................. 379
Bringing In SkyDrive Photos ............................................................................ 379
24 Enjoying Movies and Videos in Windows 8 ............................................. 381
Getting Started with the xbox video App ........................................................... 382
Setting Up Your Xbox LIVE Account .............................................................. 382
Adding Your Videos to the Videos Library .................................................... 384
Moving Through the xbox video App ................................................................ 386
Shopping for Videos.............................................................................................. 391
Making a Purchase ........................................................................................... 391
Renting a Selection .......................................................................................... 392
25 Listening to the Music in Windows 8 ...................................................... 395
Getting Started with the Music App .................................................................... 396
Learning What’s Where in the Music App ..................................................... 397
Setting Up Your Xbox LIVE Account .............................................................. 399
Loading Your Music into Windows 8 ................................................................... 401
How to Link Your Music ................................................................................... 401
How to Move Your Music ................................................................................ 402
Browsing Through Your Music ............................................................................. 403
Playing Music ......................................................................................................... 405
Purchasing Music ................................................................................................... 405
Importing and Creating Music CDs ..................................................................... 407
Importing Music from a CD ............................................................................. 408
Creating a Playlist and Music CD .................................................................... 409
26 Gametime with Windows 8 and Xbox 360 .............................................. 411
Using Xbox LIVE with Windows 8 ........................................................................ 412
Setting Up Your Xbox LIVE Account .................................................................... 413
Controlling Xbox from Windows 8 ....................................................................... 416
Installing Xbox SmartGlass .............................................................................. 417
Using Xbox SmartGlass .................................................................................... 418
Learning the Xbox Games App ........................................................................... 420
Index .............................................................................................................. 423
Anonymous
Posted November 26, 2012
No text was provided for this review.
Overview
Windows 8 Absolute Beginner’s Guide
Make the most of your new Windows 8 device—without becoming a technical expert! This book is the fastest way to take control of Windows 8, and use it to create, connect, and discover… simplify and organize your whole life… learn more, play more, do more, live better! Even if you’ve never used Windows 8 before, this book will show you how to do what you want, one incredibly clear and easy step at a time. ...