For those who would like to switch your computer operating systems to Windows 8, or for those of you who already have, here is a guide to help you work through this new-style interface, which is very different from previous operating systems. (Tiles are what they call the new desktop icons…and there’s more for you below.)

Knowing some of the new terms introduced with Windows 8 will help improve your familiarity with Windows 8. Below, are just a few of the most commonly used Windows 8 terms.

Charms – a new feature that was introduced with Windows 8 that gives you access to Search, Share, Start, Devices, and Settings. This menu appears when you move your mouse on the right-hand side of the screen or press the Windows key + C on the keyboard

Lock screen – a new feature introduced with Windows 8 that displays an image, the time and date, and can even show apps you wish to show such as your calendar, messages, and mail while the computer is locked (To get to the login screen from the lock screen swipe your finger up if you’re using a touch screen, click and drag up if using a mouse, or press enter on the keyboard.)

Picture password – allows you to create three different gestures on any image of your choice and use those gestures as your password. The gesture can be any combination of circles, straight lines, and taps

Power User Task Menu – is a feature introduced with Microsoft Windows 8 that gives a power user access to Windows administrative features such as the Event Viewer, System Properties, Device Manager, Disk Management, Computer Management, Command Prompt, Task Manager, Control Panel, File Explorer, Run and the Desktop.

Speed bump – name of the small gap found between groups of tiles

Tile, User Tile, and Live Tile – User titles can be two different sizes, colors, and include a custom image. Live tiles can display updated information such as weather information, stocks, or other types of notification information.

Customize your tiles

Make the most of your Windows Start screen tiles by adjusting the sizes, where they are located, and what is listed.

Move any tile by clicking and dragging the tile. While moving a tile, if you need a larger view of the Start screen move the tile towards the top or bottom of the screen to zoom out.

Use your mouse wheel to scroll left-to-right through your tiles.

Any Desktop shortcut or program can be pinned to the Start screen by right-clicking the icon and choosing Pin to Start.

In the bottom right-hand corner of the start screen is a magnifying glass with tiles, click this icon to get a zoomed out view of your Start screen. In this view, if you right-click on a group of tiles you’ll be given the option to name group, which can be useful if you have a group of related tiles (e.g., games). In this view, you can also click and drag a group to organize your tile groups.

Create a new speed bump between tile groups by moving a tile to a speed bump. (In Windows 8, a speed bump is the name of the small gap found between groups of tiles.)

Resize any User tile or Live tile by right-clicking the tile and choosing resize.

If there is a tile you want on your Taskbar, right-click the tile and choose Pin to taskbar.

Show admin applications on the Start screen by clicking Settings in Charms, click Settings, and change the Show administrative tools from No to Yes.

In Internet Explorer 10, you can also pin any of your favorite web pages to your Start Screen.

Windows 8 handy keyboard shortcuts

Press the Windows key to open the Start screen or switch to the Desktop (if open).

Pressing the Windows key + D will open the Windows Desktop.

Press the Windows key + .to pin and unpin Windows apps on the side of the screen.

Press the Windows key + X to open the power user menu, which gives you access to common admin tools, for example, Device Manager and Command Prompt. You can also access by right-click on the lower-left hand hot corner.

Press the Windows key + C to open the Charms.

Press and hold the Windows key + Tab to show open apps.

Press the Windows key + Print screen to create a screen shot, which is automatically saved into your My Pictures folder.

Windows + H = Opens the Share charm

Windows + I = Opens the Settings charm

Windows + K = Opens the Devices charm

Windows + Q = Search for apps

Windows + F = Search for files

Windows + W = Search for Windows settings

Windows + E = Launches File Explorer in the desktop environment

Windows + O = lock screen orientation

Windows + L = Lock the computer

Windows + Print Screen = Saves a screenshot to your Pictures > Screenshots folder

Windows + any of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0 = Launches the corresponding program pinned to the taskbar

Ctrl + Shift + Esc = Open Task Manager

(See below for a more extensive list )

hot corners

The corners on your screen are hot corners and give you access to different Windows features. Below is a brief explanation of each of these corners.

Bottom Left-hand corner

The bottom left-hand hot corner of the screen will allow you to access the Start screen, if you’re in the Start screen and have the Desktop open, this corner will open the Desktop from the Start screen. Tip: Right-clicking in the left hand corner will open the power user menu.

Top-left corner of the screen

Moving the mouse to the top-left corner and then down will display all the apps running on the computer. Clicking and dragging any of these apps to the left or right-hand side of the screen will snap that app to that side of the screen. Each of these open app icons can also be right-clicked to close or snap.

Right-hand side of the screen

On the full right-hand side of the screen you will be given access to the Windows Charms.

Windows 8 Search

The Search feature in Windows 8 has been significantly improved compared to previous versions of Windows. To search for a file or run a program in Windows 8 from the Start screen just start typing what you’re trying to find or want to run.

As you begin typing, the results will start appearing on the left-hand side. In addition to being able to search for files and run programs, the Search also supports limiting the search to apps such as Finance, People, Maps, Photos, Mail, Music, etc. If what you are searching for is not a file or program, click on the app you wish to use as the search. For example, if you were searching for “New York” and selected the Weather App you would be shown the weather in New York, NY.

By default, Search organizes the available Apps by how frequently they are used and then in alphabetical order. If you want to keep your favorite app at the top of the Search list, right-click the app and choose Pin. Pinning the app will lock it in place regardless of how often it is used. If there is an app you don’t want (e.g. Finance) you can turn on and off any of the search apps through the PC settings, which is found under the Settings in the Charms.

Running two apps side by side

Any app can be pinned to the left or right-hand side of the screen. For example, open the People app and then press the Windows Key + . (period) to move that app to the right-hand side of the screen, pressing the same keys again will move it to the left-hand side, and pressing the same keys again will make it full screen. While an app is pinned, any other app or program can be opened and loaded into the available space on the screen. Any open app can also be pinned using your mouse by clicking at the top of the tile and dragging it to the left or right-hand side of the screen. Tip: The Desktop can also be pinned to the left or right-hand side of the screen. Note: In order for snap to work properly your screen resolution must be at least 1366 x 768.

Use a picture password to log into your computer

Windows 8 includes a new feature called Picture password, which allows you to authenticate with the computer using a series of gestures that include circles, straight lines, and taps.

Open the Windows Charms.

Click Settings and then More PC settings

In the PC settings window click Users and then select Create a picture password

The Sky Drive App

The SkyDrive app will give you access to the Microsoft cloud service called SkyDrive, which allows you to store your photos, documents, and other files in the cloud and access or share those files with any computer with Internet access.

By Harold Nussbaum