Windows 8.1 All-in-One For Dummies

1059 Pages·2013·63.47 MB·English

Windows 8.1
®
ALL-IN-ONE
by Woody Leonhard
Windows® 8.1 All-in-One For Dummies®
Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com
Copyright © 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2013949558
ISBN 978-1-118-82087-2 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-118-82100-8 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-82116-9 (ebk)
Manufactured in the United States of America
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Contents at a Glance
Introduction ................................................................ 1
Book I: Starting Windows 8.1 ....................................... 9
Chapter 1: Windows 8.1 4 N00bs....................................................................................11
Chapter 2: Windows 8.1 for the Experienced ...............................................................41
Chapter 3: Which Version? .............................................................................................57
Chapter 4: Upgrades and Clean Installs ........................................................................65
Book II: Personalizing Windows 8.1 ............................ 83
Chapter 1: Getting Around Windows 8.1.......................................................................85
Chapter 2: Changing the Lock and Logon Screens ....................................................103
Chapter 3: Working with Charms and Notifications ..................................................115
Chapter 4: Controlling Users ........................................................................................129
Chapter 5: Microsoft Account: To Sync or Not to Sync? ..........................................147
Chapter 6: Privacy Control ...........................................................................................159
Book III: Navigating the Start Screen ........................ 171
Chapter 1: Controlling the Start Screen ......................................................................173
Chapter 2: Searching in and with the Start Screen ....................................................197
Chapter 3: Sharing Among Tiled Apps ........................................................................209
Chapter 4: Settings, Settings, More Settings, and Devices .......................................219
Chapter 5: Taking Control of the Windows Store ......................................................229
Book IV: Maximizing Tiled Windows 8.1 Apps ............ 241
Chapter 1: Running Metro Internet Explorer..............................................................243
Chapter 2: Using Metro Mail, People, and Calendar Apps ........................................259
Chapter 3: The Windows 8.1 Photos App ...................................................................287
Chapter 4: Xbox Music and Video ...............................................................................301
Book V: Connecting Online with Tiled Apps ................ 315
Chapter 1: Using SkyDrive in Windows 8.1 .................................................................317
Chapter 2: Using Skype in Windows 8.1 ......................................................................335
Chapter 3: Getting Started with Facebook ..................................................................349
Chapter 4: Getting Started with Twitter ......................................................................365
Chapter 5: Bing News, Finance, Travel, Sports, Fitness, and Food .........................377
Chapter 6: Games, Games, and Games ........................................................................401
Book VI: Working on the Desktop .............................. 413
Chapter 1: Running the Desktop from Start to Finish ...............................................415
Chapter 2: Personalizing the Desktop .........................................................................447
Chapter 3: Metro Mods for Desktop Users .................................................................471
Chapter 4: Maintaining Your System ...........................................................................489
Chapter 5: Using Windows (Live) Essentials ..............................................................505
Chapter 6: Choosing and Using a Desktop Web Browser .........................................533
Chapter 7: Music on the Desktop.................................................................................573
Book VII: Controlling Your System ............................ 611
Chapter 1: Controlling Control Panel ..........................................................................613
Chapter 2: Troubleshooting and Getting Help ...........................................................635
Chapter 3: Working with Libraries ..............................................................................661
Chapter 4: Storing in Storage Spaces ..........................................................................673
Chapter 5: Getting the Most from HomeGroups ........................................................681
Chapter 6: Running the Built-In Desktop Applications .............................................701
Chapter 7: Working with Printers ................................................................................713
Book VIII: Maintaining Windows 8.1 ........................ 727
Chapter 1: File History, Backup, Data Restore, and Sync .........................................729
Chapter 2: A Fresh Start: Restore and Reset ..............................................................745
Chapter 3: Using and Avoiding Windows Update ......................................................761
Chapter 4: Monitoring Windows ..................................................................................783
Chapter 5: Using System Tools ....................................................................................801
Book IX: Securing Windows 8.1 ................................ 819
Chapter 1: Spies, Spams, Scams — They’re Out to Get You ....................................821
Chapter 2: Fighting Viri and Scum ...............................................................................853
Chapter 3: Running Built-In Security Programs .........................................................867
Chapter 4: Top Security Helpers ..................................................................................889
Book X: Enhancing Windows 8.1 ............................... 903
Chapter 1: Using Your iPad and iPhone with Windows 8.1 ......................................905
Chapter 2: Kindle, Android, and Windows 8.1 ...........................................................925
Chapter 3: Getting Started with Gmail, Google Apps, and Drive .............................939
Chapter 4: Using Hotmail and Outlook.com ...............................................................955
Chapter 5: Best Free Windows Add-Ons .....................................................................967
Index ...................................................................... 979
Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................. 1
About This Book ..............................................................................................2
Foolish Assumptions .......................................................................................3
What You Don’t Have to Read ........................................................................4
How This Book Is Organized ..........................................................................4
Conventions .....................................................................................................6
Icons ..................................................................................................................6
Beyond the Book .............................................................................................7
Where to Go from Here ...................................................................................8
Book I: Starting Windows 8.1 ........................................ 9
Chapter 1: Windows 8.1 4 N00bs................................11
Hardware and Software ................................................................................13
Why Do PCs Have to Run Windows? ...........................................................14
A Terminology Survival Kit ..........................................................................16
What, Exactly, Is the Web? ...........................................................................20
Getting inside the Internet ..................................................................21
What is the World Wide Web? ............................................................22
Who pays for all this stuff? .................................................................23
Buying a Windows 8.1 Computer .................................................................24
Inside the big box.................................................................................27
Inside a touch-sensitive tablet ...........................................................29
Screening...............................................................................................31
Managing disks and drives .................................................................32
Making PC connections .......................................................................35
Futzing with video, sound, and multitudinous media .....................37
Netbooks and Ultrabooks ...................................................................39
Chapter 2: Windows 8.1 for the Experienced .....................41
What’s New for the XP Crowd ......................................................................44
Improved performance .......................................................................45
Better video ..........................................................................................45
Other improvements ...........................................................................47
What’s New for Windows 7 and Vista Victims ...........................................48
Getting the hang of the Metro Start screen ......................................48
Exploring new stuff in the old-fashioned desktop ...........................49
What’s New for Windows 8 Users ................................................................50
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Windows 8.1 All-in-One For Dummies
What’s New for All of Windows ...................................................................51
Security improvements .......................................................................52
What’s new in the cloud ......................................................................53
What you lose .......................................................................................53
Do You Need Windows 8.1? ..........................................................................55
Chapter 3: Which Version?.....................................57
Roll an 8 — Any 8 ...........................................................................................58
Buying the right version the first time ..............................................59
Narrowing the choices ........................................................................60
Choosing 32-Bit versus 64-Bit .......................................................................62
Chapter 4: Upgrades and Clean Installs..........................65
Deciding Whether to Upgrade Your Old PC ...............................................66
Choosing Your Upgrade Path .......................................................................68
Upgrading XP or Win7 to Windows 8.1 online .................................69
Installing Win8.1 from a DVD or USB drive .......................................74
Upgrading Windows 8 to Windows 8.1 ..............................................81
Cleaning the Gunk Off New PCs ...................................................................81
What If the Wheels Fall Off? .........................................................................82
Book II: Personalizing Windows 8.1 ............................. 83
Chapter 1: Getting Around Windows 8.1 .........................85
Windows’ Jekyll and Hyde Personality .......................................................86
A tale of two homes .............................................................................87
Switching from the Start screen to the old-fashioned
desktop and back .............................................................................89
Navigating around a Touchscreen ..............................................................91
Navigating with a Mouse and Keyboard .....................................................97
Keying Keyboard Shortcuts .........................................................................99
Working with the App Bar ..........................................................................101
Shutting Down Apps ....................................................................................101
How Do You Turn This Thing Off? .............................................................102
Chapter 2: Changing the Lock and Logon Screens................103
Working with the Lock Screen ...................................................................103
Using your own picture .....................................................................105
Adding and removing apps on the lock screen..............................106
Logging In Uniquely .....................................................................................108
Using a picture password .................................................................108
Creating a PIN .....................................................................................112
Bypassing passwords and logon ......................................................113
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Table of Contents
Chapter 3: Working with Charms and Notifications ..............115
Bringing on the Charms ..............................................................................115
Search charm......................................................................................117
The problem with Smart Search ......................................................119
Share charm........................................................................................120
Start charm .........................................................................................122
Devices charm ....................................................................................122
Settings charm....................................................................................123
Setting and Responding to Notifications ..................................................125
Chapter 4: Controlling Users ..................................129
Why You Need Separate User Accounts ...................................................130
Choosing Account Types ............................................................................131
What’s a standard account? .............................................................131
What’s an administrator account?...................................................132
Choosing between standard or administrator accounts ..............133
What’s Good and Bad about Microsoft Accounts ...................................134
Adding Users ................................................................................................135
Enabling the Guest Account .......................................................................139
Changing Accounts ......................................................................................140
Changing other users’ settings.........................................................140
Changing your own settings .............................................................144
Switching Users ...........................................................................................145
Chapter 5: Microsoft Account To Sync or Not to Sync? ...........147
What, Exactly, Is a Microsoft Account? ....................................................148
Deciding Whether You Want a Microsoft Account .................................149
Setting Up a Microsoft Account .................................................................151
Setting up a Hotmail/Outlook.com account ...................................152
Making any e-mail address a Microsoft account ...........................154
Taking Care of Your Microsoft Account ...................................................155
Controlling Sync ..........................................................................................157
Chapter 6: Privacy Control ....................................159
Why You Should Be Concerned .................................................................160
Knowing What Connections Windows Prefers ........................................162
Controlling Location Tracking ...................................................................163
Blocking all location tracking ...........................................................166
Blocking location tracking in an app ...............................................167
Minimizing Privacy Intrusion .....................................................................168
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Windows 8.1 All-in-One For Dummies
Book III: Navigating the Start Screen ........................ 171
Chapter 1: Controlling the Start Screen.........................173
Touring the Start Screen .............................................................................174
Changing Tiles on the Start Screen ...........................................................181
Changing the Start Screen Background ....................................................183
Organizing Your Start Screen .....................................................................184
Changing your picture .......................................................................184
Showing All Apps ...............................................................................187
Forming and naming your groups ...................................................189
Moving groups with Semantic Zoom ...............................................190
Working with Tiled Metro Snap .................................................................191
Showing All Apps View All the Time .........................................................194
Chapter 2: Searching in and with the Start Screen...............197
General Approaches to Searching .............................................................198
Searching for Programs/Apps ....................................................................201
Searching for Settings .................................................................................204
Searching for Files .......................................................................................206
Chapter 3: Sharing Among Tiled Apps ..........................209
Sharing the Easy Way ..................................................................................210
Stepping Through a Photo Share ...............................................................213
What Can You Share? ..................................................................................215
Controlling Share .........................................................................................216
Chapter 4: Settings, Settings, More Settings, and Devices ........219
Using the Settings Charm ...........................................................................219
Changing PC Settings ..................................................................................221
Touring the Start Screen Settings ..............................................................224
Doing the Devices Charm ...........................................................................225
Chapter 5: Taking Control of the Windows Store.................229
Checking Out What a Tiled App Can Do ...................................................230
Browsing the Windows Store .....................................................................232
Searching the Windows Store ....................................................................236
Adjusting Your Store Accounts and Preferences ....................................237