Understanding the Windows 8 Start Screen - Presented by your Denver IT Support and Network Specialists and Technology Consultants at North Star, Inc. Visit http://www.nssit.com

1. Understanding the
Windows 8 Start Screen

2. DENVER IT SUPPORT SPECIALISTS
N O R T H S T A R , I N C .
Helping your Organization to be
More Productive
NORTH STAR, INC.
Presented by
Understanding the
Windows 8 Start Screen
www.nssit.com

3. How to Work in Windows 8

4. The Windows 8 Start Screen is the
complete replacement for the
ubiquitous start menu which most PC
users have been accustomed to
since the launch of Windows 95
some seventeen years ago.

5. The changes are profound as they
are controversial but, fortunately,
there is not a particularly steep
learning curve involved in finding
your way around the new interface.

6. As your chosen
Denver IT Support Company,
we’re here to get you started
with Windows 8
the right way.

7. Understanding the Windows 8
Start Screen

8. The new Start Screen
is Windows 8′s one-
and-only start menu.

10. The code has been completely
removed, so if you want to work
with a more familiar interface like
that of previous editions of
Windows, you will need a third-
party program such as Stardock’s
Start8.

11. The full-screen interface,
previously dubbed
“Metro,” will be the first
thing you see when you
log into Windows.

12. When you log in for the first time,
you will be given the chance to
choose a color scheme and a
background.

13. If it’s your first time
using Windows 8,
you will likely find
yourself a little
overwhelmed at
first.

14. While the Start Screen is heavily biased
toward touch-screen platforms, it is also
perfectly adequate with the traditional
desktop or laptop computer.

15. The following guide will
help you to acquaint
yourself with the all-new
Windows 8 interface.

16. An Overview
of the Start
Screen

17. The first thing you
will notice when
you start Windows
8 for the first time
is the various tiles
on the left-hand
side of the Start
Screen.

18. These tiles
represent the new
Windows 8 default
apps such as
News, Sports,
Messaging, Mail,
Weather, Photos
and Desktop
among others.

19. Some of them will also show live
information on them. The weather tile,
for example, shows weather forecasts
for your location.

20. When you click
on one of the
tiles, the full app
will open,
providing further
details and
functionality.

21. Desktop applications will be represented by
square-shaped tiles with the icon and name of
the program they are connected to.

22. To access the settings, networking,
search and device features, move the
mouse pointer to either the top- or
bottom-right corner of the Start Screen.

23. A new menu will appear. To zoom
out of the Start Screen, move the
mouse pointer to the bottom-right
of the screen and click on the “-”
symbol in the corner.

24. To access the advanced
system menu, right-click
in the bottom-left corner
of the Start Screen.

25. If you want to use the traditional
Windows desktop, click on the Desktop
tile. The desktop will automatically open
if you attempt to run a desktop program
such as any program designed for a
previous edition of Windows.

26. By moving the mouse
pointer to the top-left
corner of the Start
Screen, you will be able
to glance through a list
of open applications
including desktop
applications and the new
Windows 8 apps.

27. If you are on the desktop,
simply moving the pointer
to the bottom-left corner
of the screen will bring up
the Start Screen option.

28. Adding Shortcuts to
the Start Screen

29. Be aware that the
following instructions do
not apply to Windows 8
apps.

30. When you install a new program, it
should add a shortcut to the Start
Screen automatically, even if it is a
program designed for an older version
of Windows.

31. The same is true of the new Windows
8 apps which are installed through the
Windows 8 Store.

32. However, adding a custom shortcut to the screen
may not be immediately obvious for some.

33. The quickest way to do this
is to open the advanced
system menu by right-
clicking in the bottom-left
corner of the screen and
clicking “File Explorer.”

34. Navigate to the program, drive, folder,
or file that you want to add to the
Start Screen and click “Pin to Start.”

35. When you return
to the Start
Screen, you will
see the new
shortcut.

37. To do this, right-click on the shortcut
and click “Open file location” in the
menu bar which appears at the
bottom of the screen.

38. This will open the Start
Menu folder in Windows
Explorer.

39. Press “F2″ and
type in a name for
the highlighted file
before pressing
Enter.

41. You can close the
window when
you’re done.

42. To remove a shortcut on the
Start Screen, right-click on it
and click “Unpin from Start.”

43. Do NOT click “Uninstall”
unless you want to
completely remove the
shortcut.

44. You will still be able to
find the shortcut by right-
clicking anywhere on the
Start Screen and clicking
“All apps.”

46. Organizing Your
Start Screen

47. Organizing the Start
Screen is easier and
quicker than organizing
the traditional Start Menu
in Windows 7 and earlier.

49. Drop the tile
to the right
of the bar.

50. Drag each tile into the section you
want it to be in.

51. You can, for example, have a separate
section for video games and another
one for utilities and another for
multimedia and Internet applications.

52. To name the groups, zoom
out of the Start Screen by
clicking on the small “-”
button in the bottom
right-hand corner.

53. Right-click on the
group you want to
rename and click
“Name Group,”
type in a name
and press Enter.

54. Customizing
Your Start
Screen

55. You can customize your Start Screen only
in a limited variety of ways using
Windows 8′s built-in tools.

56. This includes changing the
color scheme and choosing
from a preinstalled set of
background images.

57. To customize the Start Screen, move
the mouse pointer to the bottom- or
top-right corner and click “Settings”
followed by “Change PC settings.”

59. Your changes will take
effect immediately.

60. Please feel free to contact us for your network analysis.
THANK YOU!
Looking forward to our future collaboration!
N O R T H S T A R , I N C .
303-552-0018 // www.nssit.com
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