In Module 2, you learn about Microsoft Windows 8. Chapter 1 covers navigating around windows. Chapter 2 deals with managing files and folders. In Chapter 3, you will work with Windows settings, accessories, and the security and help features.
On school computers, you may not be allowed to see, review, or make certain system and other key changes. While you can explore many of the settings, you may not be able to change them. Depending on the configuration of your school’s computer labs, you may not have access to some of the settings covered in this chapter. However, you can use the knowledge in this chapter to change settings on your home or business computer.
Typically, when you purchase a computer, Windows has already been installed for you. Therefore, many of its settings are the default settings applied during the installation process. You can access and adjust most system settings for your computer through PC settings.
Clicking the Change PC settings option opens a screen where you can access groups of computer settings. These groups and setting include the Personalize group, which allows you to modify the Lock screen, Start screen, or your account picture; the Search group, which allows you to control search history and specify what apps are searched; and the General group, which allows you to set the date and time zone.
In this chapter, along with exploring PC settings and Control Panel settings, you become familiar with many useful programs that are included as Windows Accessories, such as the Calculator and Sticky Notes. You also learn how to use Windows Help.
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In Windows 8, the Start button seen in earlier versions of Windows has been replaced by the Start screen. The Start screen displays tiles similar to those found on some smartphones and other mobile devices. Tiles can be added to or removed from the Start screen (for instance, when you install or uninstall a program). All tiles, whether large or small, can be moved, resized, and grouped.
Notice the various large and small tiles, such as Weather (a large, live tile) and Internet Explorer (a small, static tile).
Notice that the Weather tile becomes transparent and moves with your mouse, while all other tiles get slightly smaller.
The Weather tile now sits at the beginning of the first row of tiles on your screen.
The images on live tiles may change frequently. For example, the News tile updates with breaking stories.
You can see groupings on the App screen, which you access from the Start screen. Windows groups tiles automatically; for example, it creates groups called Microsoft Office and Windows Accessories. You may, however, group tiles yourself; for example, you could group together all apps that perform similar functions, like Notepad, WordPad, and Word. You can move any tile from one group to another by dragging it into the destination group.
You have now created a new group with two tiles in it.
Notice that the first group of default tiles is outlined with a white border.
The Start screen scrolls to display the new group. You can also use the keyboard to locate tiles and groups on the Start screen. Press Ctrl + - to zoom out, use the arrow keys to select a tile or group, and then press Ctrl + Shift + + to zoom in to that tile or group. If you do not see the scroll bar on the Start screen, move your mouse pointer slightly until it appears.
Live tiles can display current information, as illustrated in this slide, such as the weather conditions for your location.
The Windows 8 Start screen displays tiles that you click to open applications. Some of these tiles are live, which means that they display real-time content from the Internet.
The Windows toolbar also offers icons for other tile options, such as Unpin from Start, Uninstall, and Smaller/Larger. You can tailor content in some live tiles to suit your needs. For example, if the live Weather tile does not show your location, click it to display the Weather screen, right-click anywhere on the screen, and then click the Places button in the bar at the top of the screen. Click the + button, type your location in the Enter Location text box, and then click the Add button. Right-click the new tile showing your location, click the Set as default icon on the Windows toolbar, and then press the Windows button to return to the Start screen and see the live Weather tile displaying weather for your location.
In this skill, you learned how to create a group of tiles and move between groups of tiles. Naming groups of tiles can make them easier to locate when you have many different tiles and groups. You might want to try this with the new group you created in Steps 9–11 of this skill.
Windows automatically passes your search term to the Bing search engine in Internet Explorer.
To try this out, press Win + Q to open the Search pane. Type the stock exchange symbol for the company Research in Motion Ltd in the search box: RIMM. Click the Finance option below the Search box to open the Windows 8 Finance app. In a few seconds, Research in Motion’s current stock results are displayed in the app. Now clear the search (by pointing to the search box until you see a black X and then clicking the X). When you see the prompt Company name/Symbol in the search box, type IBM to see a list of options for the company IBM below the search box. Click one of those options to display that information in the Finance app.
For example, if you normally do not use a certain app (such as the Finance app) listed in the Use these apps to search section, move its slider all the way to the left to turn the app off in Windows searches.
Windows’ general settings include date, time, spelling, language, and more. By default, your computer’s date and time are set by a Windows date/time server. Additionally, if you live in an area that uses daylight saving time, Windows will update your computer’s time settings twice a year for you. Your computer must have the correct date and time settings for several reasons. One is that the files you create are stamped with the current date and time. Knowing how to change the date/time settings is helpful if you travel and want to change the computer’s clock to another time zone. Other general settings allow you to control how Windows treats spelling errors in Internet Explorer and other apps and to change what language is used by the Windows interface.
Another Way: From the desktop, click the time and date displayed on the Taskbar and then click the Change date and time settings option to modify the time zone and daylight saving time settings.
If your region does not use daylight saving time, drag the slider all the way to the left to turn it off.
You may find that Autocorrect is a great help or a great nuisance. For example, if you commonly use specialized legal terms, it may repeatedly change those terms to incorrect words.
Click Win + Q to open the Search pane, type language in the search box, and then click Settings in the Search pane. All language setting options are now listed in the Settings results list.
Move your mouse pointer to the right edge of the pane to display the scroll bar.
The illustration in this slide displays the PC settings window.
For example, if you click Notifications in the left pane, you can change which apps show notifications. (See Chapter 1 of this module for more information on notifications.) If you want to see which devices (such as a printer and a mouse) are currently connected to or recognized by Windows, or add a device, click Devices. On a laptop or tablet, click Wireless to select a wireless network or to turn Airplane mode on or off to enable or disable wireless communications.
Before completing its installation, Windows 8 will try to connect to an available network. The network could be the one your computer is hard-wired to (through a network cable plugged into the appropriate port) or a wireless network. This skill discusses networks, including network settings, sharing, and troubleshooting.
Another Way: To access the Networks pane from the desktop, click the Networks icon in the notification area of the Taskbar.
Depending on the type of connection you have, you may or may not see information about your network. NOTE: Network names are all different; you should see the name of your own network here.
The network connection status dialog box opens, showing you information about connectivity. The network connection status dialog box will be named for the type of network you are connected to (for example, Wi-Fi Status).
To see Windows’ built-in troubleshooting tools, go to the Start screen, type troubleshooting, click Settings under the search box, and then click Troubleshooting in the Apps results list.
Clicking the Network icon, as illustrated in this slide, will show you all wireless networks within range of your computer. Observe the number of bars in the signal strength icon (the more bars, the stronger the signal).
The numbers and letters used in the type refer to the method of transmission. If you are using a Wi-Fi connection, such as for a notebook computer, you will see a Disconnect button when you click the network name. When you click that button you will disconnect from the network.
Windows 8 has default settings that control how loud your computer’s speakers are, how bright your monitor is, and more. Like most other components of Windows 8, you can control or customize these settings. For example, to save battery power (on a laptop) or the life of your monitor, you can fine-tune your computer’s power settings. In addition, Windows 8 shows notifications about what is new, what updates it recommends or needs, and potential problems that need troubleshooting. You can turn these notifications off for various periods of time. You may wish to turn them off if they are distracting, or while you are updating antivirus or antispyware software (when Windows might constantly remind you these items need attention).
Another Way: To access volume controls from the desktop, click the Speakers icon in the notification area of the Taskbar.
When you release the slider, the speaker will play a tone at the volume indicated and the volume control box will automatically close.
You can drag the slider up to increase your monitor’s screen brightness or down to decrease its brightness.
Notice that a small clock appears on the Notifications icon.
The Brightness icon, as illustrated in this slide, is generally available on laptop and other portable computers. It may not be available on a desktop computer. If the Brightness icon is unavailable, you can adjust your monitor’s brightness using controls on the monitor. On laptops and other portable computers, you can extend the time between battery charges by decreasing the brightness.
If the Action Center icon has a red X on it, an important issue, such as your computer’s antivirus protection, needs attention. Less urgent issues are “yellow” issues. With these, you will see no change to the Action Center icon flag, but if you hover on the flag you will see a ScreenTip indicating that you have one or more messages. Yellow issues are those that may, for instance, help your PC run more smoothly.
Brightness and other settings affect the amount of power your computer uses. You can customize either plan by clicking the Change plan settings option to adjust brightness and other elements.
Each time you begin a new Windows 8 session, accessibility options are available: look for the Ease of Access button in the lower left corner of the Sign-in screen. Accessibility options offer over a dozen ways to customize your PC experience. You can alter the screen contrast, change the thickness of the cursor, turn a screen reader on to read text aloud, or even make the mouse easier to use. In addition, you can have Windows 8 recommend accessibility settings that will make your PC easier to use.
Wait a second or two until the Magnifier toolbar changes to a magnifying glass icon. You can also use the shortcut Win + Shift + + to activate the Magnifier.
Notice that the magnifying glass icon follows your mouse pointer. Another Way: The amount of magnification can also be adjusted using the Options button on the Magnification toolbar.
Another Way: If you opened Internet Explorer from the Start screen, you can also open the Settings pane from the Start screen.
After a few seconds, you will see the screen in high contrast.
The Make everything on your screen bigger option is not available on all computers.
One accessibility tool, the Magnifier, as illustrated in this slide, can be used to zoom in on any area of the screen or on the whole screen, making items easier to read.
As you draw a shape, the size in pixels (abbreviated px) displays in the Status bar at the bottom of the Paint window.
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For example, Character Map is useful for inserting accented characters such as é or special symbols like € (the symbol for euros) when working in Notepad or Mail. Sound Recorder works with your computer’s microphone to record your voice, and the resulting file is saved as a Windows Media audio file. Windows Media Player plays music and movie files and allows you to hear or view content from the Web. WordPad is used to create simple text documents with basic formatting. The Snipping Tool is used to take a picture (or capture) of all or any part of your screen. You can copy or cut and then paste the result, or save the result in any number of graphic formats (such as .jpg and .png).
A firewall is software or hardware that checks information coming to your computer from a network such as the Internet to determine if a hacker or certain types of malware (malicious software) are trying to gain access. Depending on its settings, the firewall either blocks the information or allows it to pass through to your computer. Windows Firewall comes with Windows and is enabled by default. You can check the Windows Firewall status and settings in the Action Center or through the Control Panel. Microsoft Windows Update allows you to download the latest updates to Windows 8 and other Microsoft products (such as Office 2013). Windows Update is set to run automatically by default. You can check Windows Update settings and review installed updates in the System and Security window, which is accessed through the Control Panel. You may need special user permission to open some of the security features described in this skill.
Notice the status of each setting, such as Network firewall, Windows Update, Virus protection, and several others (scroll down to see them all). If your spyware or virus protection is out of date, click the Update now button to let Windows check for and install updates
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If you see the message Maintenance in progress, Windows is currently running a maintenance scan.
Windows will continue to run its maintenance routine, reporting on problems it encounters, until the scan is complete.
Use the Change settings link to control the update schedule for your computer.
The illustration in this slide displays the Action Centre window.
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Windows Updates automatically checks for updates on a number of items, including Windows Defender, Internet Explorer, and Windows 8 itself. Updates are either Recommended or Important.
In the View Update History window, review the name of the update, its status (Succeeded or Failed), its level of importance, and the date it was installed.
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Windows 8 has many more features, tools, settings, and accessories than this textbook covers. The Windows Help and Support system can help you explore or troubleshoot those on your own. This system uses help files that are stored on your computer and online to find answers to your questions.
Online content may change from time to time. You may not see the topic discussed and illustrated in this skill. If that is the case, choose any topic that interests you and follow the steps using it as an example.
Scroll through the list of help topics that deal with fonts and related topics, such as installing programs and printers
From the main Windows Help and Support window, as illustrated in this slide, you can choose the way you wish to get help. For example, you can choose to browse topics or search for an answer.
