Friday, April 11, 2014

Useful Microsoft Windows 8.1 Tips

With the upgrade from Windows 8 to 8.1, Microsoft has made several changes.

1. View Options From The Start Button : The Start button is back. It is similar to the Start button
   found on Windows 7. Left-click on the button (bottom left of the screen) and it will redirect you to the    Start Screen. If you right-click on it, it will show options for Run, Search, Desktop, Shut Down, and      many more.

2. Log In Straight To Desktop: When you start your computer, by default it will take you to the Start      Screen. There is a way to start your computer and go straight to the Desktop instead.

  • Right-click on the desktop toolbar > select Properties > go to the Navigation tab. 
  • Under the Start Screen options > enable the box "When I sign in or close all applications on a screen, go to the desktop instead of Start".


3. Customize Home Screen Tiles : Now you can customize your home screen tiles on Windows 8.1.      To move and group tiles,
  • Go to your Start Screen > right-click on any of the tiles. After grouping your tiles, you can also name them by filling in the Name Group field.


4. Customize Start Screen Background: Windows 8.1 also allows you to customize your start        
   screen. Just swipe the Settings Charm menu and tap on Settings. Click on Personalize to change the      colors of the background as well as the accent.

5. Create A Lock Screen Slideshow: On Windows 8.1, you are able to create a lock screen slideshow    with your favorite photos. To do this, go to the Settings Charm menu, click on Change PC Settings,      select PC and Devices then click on Lock Screen. Enable the option On to create a lock screen       
   slideshow.

6. Use Internet Explorer 11 Reading View: When you load any webpage using Internet Explorer 11,    a Reading View icon can be seen on the address bar. If you click on it, Internet Explorer will       
   automatically reload the page and display a clean version – free of ads. This makes it very easy to 
   read as there are no distractions. However, this feature is not available for the desktop version of      
   Internet Explorer 11.

7. Make Use Of 3D Printing Support: Windows 8.1 is the first operating system to provide support 
    for 3D printing! You can print from the Windows Store apps and desktop applications. For More 

8. Customize Privacy Options: Windows 8.1 offers you options to set what devices and data are used 
    by apps found in the Windows Store. You can allow or block apps from accessing your personal 
   information. You are also able to turn off your advertising ID so that advertisers do not use your 
   personal data to display personalized ads. To customize these settings, go to Change PC settings and 
   navigate to Privacy.

9. Smart Files: Smart Files is a new feature on Windows 8.1 that allows you to view your SkyDrive 
    files without having to download everything onto your computer. When you browse through your 
    SkyDrive folder in File Explorer, you’ll see a column called Availability.

   By default, all the files are listed as Online-only, which means that as long as you are connected to the    Internet, you can view the files without actually having them on your computer’s hard drive. If you  
   want a particular SkyDrive file or folder to be available offline, just right-click on it and select the
   Make available offline option.

10. Prevent Apps From Running In The Background: Previously on Windows 8, when you drag a
     Start Screen app down to the bottom of the screen, it will close the app. However, on Windows 8.1,
     this action will only make the app disappear – it is still running in the background. To close the app,
    drag the app down to the bottom of the screen but instead of letting it go, hold on to it. Wait until the
    app card flips over, and only now the app is closed.

11. Restore Libraries: By default, Windows 8.1 has hidden Libraries. If you want to get it back, open
     File Explorer and you will find the newly renamed This PC view. Here, select View, and click on
     Navigation pane. Lastly, enable the option to Show Libraries.

12. Delete Old Windows Installation Files:  When you upgrade from an old version of Windows,
     Windows keeps a C:\Windows.old with your old files. You can delete this folder to free up some
     storage space.
    To do this, Search for Disk Cleanup, and click on Free up disk space shortcut. Next,
    click on Clean up system files, enable the Previous Windows Installation(s) option, and run a
    disk cleanup. If this option does not appear, that means there is nothing to clean up.

New Keyboard shortcuts on Windows 8.1.

Here is the list of few New KB Shortcut for Windows 8.1


ShortcutAction
Windows Key + SOpen Search Charm to search Windows and Web
Windows Key + QSearch within the opened app
Windows Key + FSearch files
Windows Key + ZGet Commands and Context Menus within an app
Windows Key + . + Right ArrowSnap app to the right
Windows Key + . + Left ArrowSnap app to the left
Ctrl + Plus (+)Zoom in on Start Screen
Ctrl + Minus (-)Zoom out on Start Screen
Windows Key + Down ArrowClose an app
Windows Key + Start TypingSearch your PC
Windows Key + OLock the screen orientation (portrait or landscape)
Windows Key + Ctrl + SpacebarChange to a previously selected input language
Windows Key + PChoose a presentation display mode
Windows Key + XOpen Start Button options
Windows Key + HomeMinimize all but the active desktop window