Windows 8 Consumer Preview introduces two new system recovery features, Refresh and Reset, that were previously offered by some original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). There is a big difference between these two features that you should be aware of. Refreshing your PC reinstalls Windows and keeps your...

Restoring your Windows operating system to a previous state is nothing new, but this feature can be very handy and time saving. For example, if you installed a new application or driver and your system starts to behave abnormally, or if your computer is infected by a virus from one unintentional mouse...

Restoring File History from a backup is very straightforward. Open File History from the Control Panel. (Read my previous post on how to back up Files using File History.) Select Restore personal files.  You can restore all or selected folders to their original or different locations. To restore...

Prior to Windows 8, you can back up documents and files using the Backup and Restore feature available in Control Panel | Backup and Restore (in Windows 7 for example). Windows 8 Consumer Preview has enhanced the feature and replace it with File History, as shown in the screenshot below. File History...

With Remote Desktop Connection, you can sit at a PC and connect to another PC in a different location (the remote PC). To set up Remote Desktop Connection, open the Control Panel. (Read my previous post on how to access the control panel.) Type “Remote” in the search box and click “Select users who can...

Windows 8 Consumer Preview provides on-screen keyboards for touch enabled tablet or slate users. You can easily choose one of the three layouts available: normal keyboard, split keyboard, and hand writing recognition panel. In the Desktop Mode, click or tap the keyboard icon at the Taskbar to get your...

Windows Defender in Windows 8 Consumer Preview comes with a familiar user interface and includes enhanced features of Windows Security Essentials. You can show and configure the free anti-virus program using the options described below. A bit background on MSE and Windows Defender. Windows Defender was...

While you can find Windows related information from the Internet, you can also find information using Windows Help and Support. One benefit of using Windows Help and Support is that not only you can find the right answer but also you can launch applications or commands directly from within the search...

A feature introduced with Windows 7, HomeGroup is an easy way to share documents, music, pictures, videos, and printers between networked computers at home or in a small business—without a server. You can join computers to a homegroup whether they connect by using wired and wireless networking. From...

Install an App From the Metro UI Select the Windows Store app or tile and click or tap it. Find the app you like, e.g. USA Today, by browsing the apps in the store or searching an app from the Charms Bar. Select the app, buy it if it is not free, and install it. (Note: After users purchase an app, they...

Safe mode is a troubleshooting option for Windows that starts your PC in a limited state. You can start Windows 8 Consumer Preview in a safe mode, but the process of activating the safe mode is different. Check out the article “ How To Boot Into Safe Mode On Windows 8 (The Easy Way) ” published by How...

By default hidden files and folders are not visible and this is a preferred way for most users. But you can easily show hidden files and folders. Follow the steps outlined in my previous post to show the Control Panel if needed. From the Control Panel, type “folder” in the search box and select Folder...

You can configure a wireless connection and Airplane mode using one of the following options. For more info on Windows 8 mobile network capabilities, read Steven Sinofsky ’s blog post on “ Engineering Windows 8 for mobile networks ”. From the Charms Bar Move the mouse cursor to the upper right corner...

Windows 8 comes with two flavors of the Internet Explorer browser, the IE on the desktop that many of us are familiar with and the Metro style Internet Explorer. Unlike the desktop version, the Metro style IE runs in a full screen without any window or chrome. Working with the Metro style IE, you can...

If you enjoy applications such as Windows Movie Maker or Windows Live Writer (an authoring tool I use to publish my blog posts), you can download and install Windows Live Essentials. You can either install all apps, or choose specific apps to install if you don’t want to install all of them. I choose...

With Metro UI Windows 8 provides improved user experience. As part of the design change, the Start | All Programs user interface is no longer available. The new Start button is available from the Charms Bar as shown below. But it behaves differently from the old Start button. For more info, check Kent...

Windows PowerShell is a task-based command-line shell and scripting language designed especially for system administration. Built on the .NET Framework, Windows PowerShell helps IT professionals and power users control and automate the administration of the Windows operating system and applications that...

The DOS mode is still available in Windows 8. There are a few options to show and use the command (cmd) prompt. From the Desktop Mode Move the mouse cursor to the exact lower left corner until the desktop shortcuts menu appears. Select either Command Prompt or Command Prompt (Admin). The latter runs...

Some users prefer to use the “run” command to perform tasks such as checking the version of Windows 8 you installed. There are a few options to show and use the “run” command. From the Desktop Mode Move the mouse cursor to the exact lower left corner until the desktop shortcuts menu appears. From the...

If you prefer to use a non-English user interface for Windows 8, you may be interested to install one of the language packs. Fortunately, Windows 8 Consumer Preview comes with languages packs for 167 languages, as shown at the end of the post. The language packs can be installed only from the language...

Moving Tile to a Different Group You can move tiles from one group to another group by selecting a tile, for example, the Weather Metro app, holding it over to another group, and dropping it where you want. <=>  Create a New Group Select a tile, move it outside of the current group and drop...

Follow the steps in How to show and access Control Panel . From the Control Panel, type “printer” and select Devices and Printers. Follow the instructions to set up a printer. For example, I have a network based printer, HP Color LaserJet CM2320 printer. The Printer setup wizard detects the printer,...

Windows 8 introduce a new security feature, picture password. While you can continue to use a numeric combination as your password, you can enable the security feature if you have a touch enabled device and experience the new way of logging into your Windows 8 device. To find more info on picture password...

When installing Windows 8, you may have chosen to use a Windows Account, e. g. your Live or Hotmail account, or to use a local account. One advantage of using a Windows Account is that your settings and contents are sync’ed up with your Windows Live account and that you will get the updated content and...

Windows 8 comes with many built-in Metro apps such as Calendar, People, and Mail and desktop apps such as WordPad, Snipping Tool, and Run. Over time you may add additional apps from the Windows Store or by installing apps to the desktop. You can show and access all apps as follows. Use All Apps from...