Thread: Windows 8 : Tips and Tricks

Were over 500,000 downloads of the official Windows Developer Preview 8, released last night from Microsoft at the event BUILD. Windows 8 Build 8102 is one of the most recent and includes all the latest features like the new Start Menu in Metro-Immersive Design. In many, in the comments, you have some questions about the operation of the new interface and immersive applications: we will try to find answers and solve some common problems in this build.

TURN OFF THE COMPUTER
To turn off the computer you pass the mouse on the Start at the bottom left corner and select Settings, a menu from which the right hand side, click on Power, you can choose whether to put to sleep, shutdown or restart the computer. But be careful, because the voice does not put out really shut down the PC to turn it off really, as you turn off Windows 7, you must turn off the Hybrid Boot.

FIND A PROGRAM
Search for a program is really simple: go to Start and type the first letters of the name of the program you need.

ADDITIONAL CONTROLS APPLICATIONS
If you do not know what to do in an application, try right clicking the mouse in the center of the screen: appear, most likely, options and various controls.

SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF APPLICATIONS THAT DO NOT LEAVE THE NETBOOK IMMERSIVE
Many users who have installed Windows on netbooks 8, have encountered some problems in starting Immersive applications: this is due to the low resolution of the monitor syrup. To resolve this problem we must make some changes to the registry. Enter the registry (regedit) and look for the voice Display1_DownscalingSupported: change the value from 0 to 1. Then enter the folder 0001 (found on the left under the folder that you changed earlier) and create a new DWORD and call it Display1_DownscalingSupported 1 as the value assigned to it. After the reboot you can set the resolutions of 1024x768 or 1152x864; try the combination that works better and run one of immersive applications that did not work.

The DISABLE INTERFACE IMMERSIVE
Some did not like the interface Immersive: if you want the classic Start menu, like Windows 7, go into the registry and find the folder HKEY_CURRENT_USER Software Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion Explorer at this point change the RPenabled value from 1 to 0.

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT WINDOWS 8 BUILD 8102

This Windows version 8 does not require activation, and you can upgrade to the Beta to the RC and RTM.
Immersive interface works on any computer, even without the touchscreen.
Immersive applications can be closed only from Task Manager.
Dragging with the mouse or finger from the left edge of the screen you can open applications SWITCH. The same function can be activated by pressing Win + Tab
The menu on the right, immersive interface is not included.
The Windows To Go (formerly Portable Workspace Creator) is not included.
The Modern Reader is not present.
The App Store does not work to anyone, do not worry.

If you have found other tricks, you can report them in the comments.



In the previous article we showed some tricks for Windows Developer Preview 8, released by Microsoft in recent days during the build. Today we offer others the fruits of our experience and your comments.
CHANGE THE COLOR OF IMMERSIVE
To change the color of the Start Menu immersive interface (as in first screenshot), right click on the Desktop and choose Personalize. Set a High Contrast theme and apply the changes. You can also change the colors to your liking of the individual elements of the interface. But be careful, because just as the Start Menu becomes more pleasing to the eye, Explorer may become unusable for contrasting colors too.

NEW COMBINATION OF KEYS
Microsoft has added new key combinations to use a faster interface Immersive.

Win + Q to search for applications.
Win + W to search settings.
Win + F to search for files.
Win + I to open the application settings currently open.
Win + O to lock the screen orientation on the tablet PC.
Win + C to open the Start menu with the controls and the clock.
Win + L to lock the user.
Win + R to launch the Run.



SET THE DEGREES CELSIUS IN THE WEATHER APP
To set the degrees Celsius in App Weather Immersive, start it, press Win + C and enter Settings. From this screen you can access the settings related to temperature.
ACTIVATE Hyper-V
To enable Hyper-V, open the Control Panel, go into Programs and Features and select Turn Windows features on or off. This will open a window from which you can activate the Hyper-V.








In previous articles we have seen a few tricks and some secrets of Windows Developer Preview 8. Today we reveal more and we'll see how to run Skype on Windows 8102 build 8.

SKIP THE SCREEN IN WHICH THE PASSWORD IS ASKED WINDOWS STARTUP
If you have connected to your Windows 8 Windows Live ID every time you turn on your PC is prompted for a password to access the desktop. To deactivate, just press Win + R, type control userpasswords2 and click OK at this point just remove the "V" Users must enter under a user name and password you use this computer.

SOLVE PROBLEMS OF COMPATIBILITY WITH SKYPE
These days, Microsoft has released a new version of Skype compatible with Windows 8 Build 8102. You can download it from here.

NEXT TWO APPLICATIONS
As you saw during the Keynote, Windows 8, you can combine the two applications, both immersive and desktop to use them simultaneously. To use this function with the finger or just drag the mouse pointer from the left side toward the center of the screen and stop for a moment before the application is currently open to disappear: the tiling of the two screens will be automatic.
If you fail, you've most likely too small a screen that does not support the coaching of two windows in Windows 8.