The Windows 8 Book

164 Pages·2014·44.155 MB·English

(cid:18)(cid:17)(cid:17)% UNOFFICIAL
The
Windows 8
Book
The independent guide to mastering your PC
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Welcome to
The
Windows 8
Book
Microsoft shocked a lot of people with Windows 8. For some users, the removal
of the Start menu and the introduction of the Start screen interface, with its
emphasis on apps and live tiles, strayed too far from Windows’ traditional,
desktop-centric experience. Two years later, the world has had time to catch
up. It’s now clear that Windows 8 is a technological powerhouse that enhances
the core system features while offering a new spin on desktop computing that
brings the OS into the modern era. All those changes require a learning curve,
though, so that’s why we made The Windows 8 Book. Read on for detailed
tutorials on making the most of Microsoft’s most sophisticated OS yet, from
increasing security to augmenting your system with hidden, advanced features.

The
Windows 8
Book
Imagine Publishing Ltd
Richmond House
33 Richmond Hill
Bournemouth
Dorset BH2 6EZ
(cid:8) [phone]
Website: www.imagine-publishing.co.uk
Twitter: @Books_Imagine
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ImagineBookazines
Publishing Director
Aaron Asadi
Head of Design
Ross Andrews
Production Editor
Mike Hine
Senior Art Editor
Greg Whitaker
Assistant Designer
David Lewis
Photographer
James Sheppard
Printed by
William Gibbons, 26 Planetary Road, Willenhall, West Midlands, WV13 3XT
Distributed in the UK, Eire & the Rest of the World by:
Marketforce, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London, SE1 0SU
Tel [phone] www.marketforce.co.uk
Distributed in Australia by:
Network Services (a division of Bauer Media Group), Level 21 Civic Tower, 66-68 Goulburn Street,
Sydney, New South Wales 2000, Australia Tel [phone]
Disclaimer
The publisher cannot accept responsibility for any unsolicited material lost or damaged in the
post. All text and layout is the copyright of Imagine Publishing Ltd. Nothing in this bookazine may
be reproduced in whole or part without the written permission of the publisher. All copyrights are
recognised and used specifically for the purpose of criticism and review. Although the bookazine has
endeavoured to ensure all information is correct at time of print, prices and availability may change.
This bookazine is fully independent and not affiliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein.
Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation
in the United States and/or other countries.
Windows © 2014 Microsoft
The Windows 8 Book © 2014 Imagine Publishing Ltd
ISBN 978-1910155684
Contents
Contents 50 Photos
Store and edit your pictures in a digital gallery
52 Finance
Track your money alongside the market
54 Reading List
Bookmark all sorts of content to read later
Complete guide to
56 OneDrive
Get to grips with cloud computing in Windows
Windows 8
Master Windows 8
8 A re you getting the most from Windows 8?
Find out more about what this modern OS has to off er
60 Desktop set-up
Customise the look and feel of your Windows 8 desktop
Guide to the
68 File Explorer
Windows 8 apps Organise and search Windows’ fi le management system
74 Users & accounts
20 Internet Explorer Add more users and manage accounts on your PC
Get the most from the latest version of IE 78 Control Panel
22 Bing News Improve your system settings with a number of tools
Personalise your news feed with what matters most 84 Action Center
24 Bing Sport Track your PC’s performance and solve problems
Stay up to date with your favourite teams 88 Task Manager
26 Food & Drink Manage your running applications and processes
Become a chef with the help of this app 92 Security
28 Bing Travel Activate a fi rewall, use Windows Defender and more
Take the stress out of planning your next trip 98 Cloud computing & networks
30 Health & Fitness Sync content between devices and go further with OneDrive
Lose weight, exercise more and monitor your health 104 Web browsing
32 People Essential tips for making the most of Internet Explorer
Get all your contacts and updates in one place 108 Microsoft Offi ce
34 Mail Get the most from Word, Excel and PowerPoint
Keep in touch with friends, family and colleagues 116 Windows Media Player
36 Calendar Organise your personal media library
Organise your daily life with your PC 120 System performance
38 Maps Improve the effi ciency of your PC use
Explore the world and discover new places 124 A dvanced functions
40 Windows Store Go deeper into the core of Windows 8’s functionality
Find more apps to add to your Start screen 130 Installing & booting
42 Xbox Music Understand advanced install and boot options
Play your own music or stream from a vast library 134 Drive management
44 Xbox Videos Defragment your hard disk, deal with ISO fi les and more
Browse, stream and download movies and TV
Essential apps
46 Xbox Games
Purchase, install and run games on Windows
138 1 00 best Windows 8 apps
48 Camera
Top apps for lifestyle, entertainment and work
Shoot stills and videos in the Camera app
6 The Windows 8 Book
Contents
The Windows 8 Book 7
Complete guide to Windows 8
8 The Windows 8 Book
Complete guide to Windows 8
Are you getting
the most from
Windows 8?
Microsoft’s latest operating system, the dramatically updated Windows 8,
now links desktop and mobile computing with a radical new interface
W
hereas Windows 7 looked and felt like a steady evolution significant. It’s this tiled approach to the content that gives a more
from the earlier iterations of the Windows operating system modern edge to desktop computing. In fact, anyone who regularly uses a
family, such as Vista, Windows 8 is an entirely new prospect. smartphone will find the latest Windows 8 approach familiar and reassuring.
In many ways, it represents a break from the past – but only if you want it Of course, for many PC users, any significant change from a well-used
to be. You will still find all of the recognisable folders and windows, and the and very familiar operating system to one that introduces new and
taskbar, but now that familiar content has been taken and wrapped within fundamentally different ideas, such as those seen within Windows 8, will
a new, visually dominant, tiled layer, providing access to apps and other spark a frisson of concern and trepidation. Which is where this bookazine
services that have the ability to display essential snippet information such as comes in to provide you with both a guide and reassurance. Windows 8 is,
weather, sports scores, share prices and more. essentially, a well-structured and easy-to-use operating system but, like any
Windows 8 offers an eye-catching user interface, sure, but its bold new operating system, it introduces new practices and commands. Read on
colours, solid icons and clearly defined edges hint at something more to find out more.
The Windows 8 Book 9
Complete guide to Windows 8
What makes Windows 8
apps at
Windows 8 different?
a glance
Microsoft’s latest OS includes several significant features
Internet Explorer
S
tarting and operating a Windows 8-driven PC can be quite a shock to those users who are The default website browser
familiar with the established and very successful Windows 7 operating system. With Windows 8, supplied by Windows 8,
you are asked to adopt an entirely new user interface philosophy and a new way of working Internet Explorer 11 is one of
and navigating your PC. The same aspects of Windows 8 that might surprise you, however, are also the most powerful and capable apps of its
type. The latest version includes a swathe of
the new operating system’s most interesting and important new features. These same features help to
performance-enhancing features.
drive Windows 8, allowing you to move beyond the standard environment and boundaries, enhancing
your computing experience and introducing new methods that can give you more scope to tackle
new tasks. Here are just two of the most important features.
Mail
The default, fully featured
Windows 8 Mail app arrives
The Start screen with a ‘power pane’ that is
situated on the left side of the screen,
featuring icons to see your inbox, flagged
S mail and more.
tarting up a Windows 8-fuelled PC, you
cannot help but immediately notice this
important new feature. Rather than the
Store
standard desktop screen with the Start menu
Click here to open Microsoft’s
in the bottom-left corner, Windows 8 presents
own app store, ready with a
to you a set of tiles, each of which acts as a
host of applications ready to
button to open an application. Some of these download to your Windows 8 PC. Many
display information on the face of the tile itself. of these are freely available or can be
For instance, an email tile will tell you how many purchased for a low price.
unread emails you currently have, a music tile
can tell you what music is currently playing
Sport
and a calendar tile can provide information on
upcoming events. Tiles can be rearranged easily Tiles come in different shapes and sizes, The Sport app provides
depending on the app and its function. news updates even when it’s
to suit your preference. Some feature information on the tile itself not opened, by displaying
information on the tile itself. You will see
images and text acting as a slideshow on
Full-screen apps the tile face.
C Weather
licking on full-screen apps provides Apps can multitask and, in addition,
a series of additional options such can be run side by side, which allows Another app that displays live
you to do more on a single screen information on the tile, the
as search, share and settings. Apps
Weather app will ask you about
can also share information with each other, if
your current location so it can provide exact
required. For example, text and images can be
weather information, no matter where you
shunted between relevant apps. So, if you are do your computing.
looking at a gallery of images, you can then
share an image with Facebook, for example.
Apps can also be run side by side – up to four Xbox Music
at a time depending on your screen’s resolution One of several multimedia
– and they can multitask, if needed. This means apps available with Windows 8,
Music will display currently
that you could watch a movie while
playing music on the tile, grouping your
checking the news. It gives
music into a collection, supplying internet
you more options.
radio and streaming commercial tracks.
10 The Windows 8 Book