Windows 8 Archives ⋆ Page 5 of 6 ⋆ Programming and Tech Blog

Windows 8 Tips Part 15 – Take Back Control Of Your Settings

Post author:Dirk Strauss
Post published:April 4, 2013
Post category:How To
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Do you want to have an all access icon on your desktop? Some call this God Mode but I am sure that if it were, you would be able to do much more.

I came across this tip the other day and thought it would be nice to share here. Windows 8 settings are spread across the OS in various nooks and crannies. How many times have you rooted around the Control Panel in search for that one setting you used a few months ago?

Wouldn’t it be nice to have it all in one place (so that you can go rooting around in only one place)? Well, Mark Kaelin shared this tip on TechRepublic (reference link below) and here it is. (more…)

Windows 8 Tips Part 14 – Creating Recovery Media

Post author:Dirk Strauss
Post published:February 4, 2013
Post category:How To
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If something goes wrong with Windows 8 and you can’t boot, it is essential to have recovery media created so that you have an alternative way to boot your machine and run recovery tools. I am certain that most of you have already done this, but let me recap just in case.

The nice thing about this process is that Windows 8 now allows you to use USB-based as well as disk based recovery media. In Windows 7 you were only allowed to specify disk based options for creating recovery media and the change in Windows 8 is welcome to say the least.

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Windows 8 Tips Part 13 – Four Ways To Close Windows 8 Apps

Post author:Dirk Strauss
Post published:January 30, 2013
Post category:How To
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One of the first things I hear people asking after working with Windows 8 for a while is how to close Windows 8 style applications. Keeping in mind that Windows 8 has been designed so that you don’t have to close a Windows 8 style application, sometimes you might need to. Well, as it turns out, there are 4 methods to do this. Windows 8 is after all, the Windows we all know and love.

Alt+F4

If you have a keyboard, hitting Alt+F4 will immediately close your Windows 8 application. This shortcut has been around for all modern version of Windows and should be old hat for most Windows users.

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Windows 8 Tips Part 12 – Start Windows 8 in Desktop

Post author:Dirk Strauss
Post published:January 28, 2013
Post category:How To
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Do you wish you could start Windows 8 and go straight to the Desktop? Well it is possible, with a bit of spit and polish. Here is how you do that.

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Windows 8 Tips Part 11 – Upgraded to Windows 8? Free up loads of disk space

Post author:Dirk Strauss
Post published:December 14, 2012
Post category:How To
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I upgraded my installation of Windows 7 to Windows 8. The upgrade took quite a long time, but the wait was well worth it. I have really been enjoying discovering the neat features of Windows 8 and sharing these tips with you on my blog. I hope that you have been enjoying the Windows 8 Tips series as much as I have enjoyed writing them. With this 11th article I would like to show you how to save some disk space…. ok, perhaps loads of disk space. Did you upgrade your copy of Windows to Windows 8? If so, read on.

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Windows 8 Tips Part 10 – Launch File Explorer with Drive List

Post author:Dirk Strauss
Post published:December 12, 2012
Post category:How To
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The default behavior when clicking on the File Explorer shortcut in the Windows task bar is to open with the libraries view shown as default. If you are like me (in other words, fussy), I prefer to see My Computer when clicking on the shortcut. Luckily you can easily modify this behavior by following the quick steps as outlined below. As a side note to this article, be sure to see the comment left by Shawn Keene below in the update. Visit Shawn’s blog for more excellent content.

Your shortcut is located on your Windows task-bar as indicated by the screenshot below.

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Windows 8 Tips Part 9 – A more Secure System with Trusted Boot

Post author:Dirk Strauss
Post published:December 10, 2012
Post category:How To
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With the release of Windows 7, many security features were introduced and it was to date the most secure OS released by Microsoft. Well Microsoft keeps on innovating in the area of security, and Windows 8 is no exception. Windows 8 will protect you from unauthorised programs that could modify the boot process of your machine, causing a malware based OS loader to start Windows normally. You will not realise that your system has been compromised because the malware was running before Windows was loaded. Your antivirus (and even Windows) knows nothing about the malware. (more…)

Windows 8 Tips Part 8 – On the Move with Windows to Go

Post author:Dirk Strauss
Post published:December 5, 2012
Post category:How To
Post comments:1 Comment

What is Windows To Go? In short, it is a fully manageable Windows 8 Desktop on a bootable USB drive and is only available with Windows 8 Enterprise. IT Departments can give staff access to the corporate environment without compromising security. This means that users can use the USB drive to boot from any PC available (At home, At Work, connected or disconnected). It is like having your secure corporate PC in your pocket.

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Windows 8 Tips Part 7 – Organize and Group Apps on the Start Screen

Post author:Dirk Strauss
Post published:December 3, 2012
Post category:How To
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The Windows 8 Start Screen can become cluttered with all the Apps you install and download from the Windows Store. Did you know that you can create groups and name them? It kind of reminds me of the excellent Fences app by Stardock. The only difference is that Fences organises your desktop, while in Windows 8, you are grouping and organising your Start screen tiles. You can start organising your apps by dragging them into neat groups on the Start screen.

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Windows 8 Tips Part 6 – Secure your Data with Bitlocker

Post author:Dirk Strauss
Post published:November 30, 2012
Post category:How To
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How important is the data on your PC to you? Let me rephrase that, how sensitive is that information? Are you a lawyer that has confidential case files on your PC? Are you a doctor that needs to keep patient or research data of clinical trials safe and secure? Are you a small business owner that views the data on your PC as essential for your business survival? Are you none of the above, but need to protect files such as tax information, salary information, medical history data or other more risqué files you rather would not fall into the wrong hands? [Please note: Securing anything illegal plays havoc on your Karma and will make you a very unhappy person]

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