Working with Windows 8 on a laptop. Add or remove an app from the Home screen

Almost every year for some time now, the user has a new Windows operating system. Windows 8 - the new OS Windows family. Is it worth switching to a new operating system just because Windows 7 is supposedly outdated? Or simply the development team at MicroSoft Corporation stimulates the fading demand for operating systems by releasing new versions of the same program with a changed interface every year.

Many Windows users, including our readers, have a very reasonable question: “How Windows 8 will work if you install it on a laptop? What are the new features of this operating system, pros and cons.
I'll start with the obvious and the probable. Since we work with computers and laptops: we repair computers efficiently and quickly, on a compatible platform, we know how operating systems most often behave on different computers. This gives an idea of ​​the operation of the system as a whole, without reference to specific equipment and its performance. So, Windows 8 works no better, but obviously no worse than the previous OS. In this context, we meant speed, performance and stability.

What's new and positive about Windows 8 that Windows 7 doesn't have when used on a laptop?

• USB3.0 support - since in Windows 7 there were problems even when trying to install the OS through this interface, not to mention the fact that;
• system recovery - new functions have been added: update (Refresh) and reset (Reset). Windows update restores everything system files to its original state, while maintaining all settings, user files and applications. Those. The feature is not new, but to restore in Windows XP you would have to insert the disk and type the command - sfc /scannow.

  A reset returns the computer to factory settings, which can be quite convenient: you don’t have to worry about preparing and installing Windows 8 from a flash drive. Not to mention that the original image will still be needed;

• some features for touchscreens: large tiles, easy scrolling;
• to conditionally positive aspects you can add that if you practically did not use combinations shortcut keys in Windows 7, then in G8 some will become familiar to you and, over time, very convenient. Remember the most important combination of buttons in Windows 8 - Win + X calls in the place of the former “Start” context menu which will help you deal with quick setup And .

That's all!
There are neutral ones for simple user buns:

• modified task manager;
• possibility to install graphic password user;
• the ability to store files on the Internet using SkyDrive (Google, Yandex and other lesser-known services such as DropBox have such cloud functions.)
• Bluetooth 4.0, DirectX 11.1 and NET.Framework 4.5 - all this works in Windows 7;
• Internet Explorer 10 is a browser optimized for touch mode. Why is it in a simple PC or laptop?
• app store. This is a fashion trend for everyone: if you have a business (any kind of business), you urgently need an online store where you can buy or download required application for laptop.

Well, negative windows innovations 8 - they also exist:

• New control panel in Metro style UI - why this without Start, revolutionary tile-phone design for a computer with a mouse?
• Keyboard layout switch: now you can switch it using windows+Space. Uh-why is this? In Windows 9, the keyboard switch will be the combination: Z+X. You'll see!

If you are a Windows 8.1 user, then these tips can make your life much easier when working with the OS. The computer will work without any problems, and the system is protected. So, 6 tips when working with Windows 8.1.

Installing the latest updates

The operating room has now been released Windows system 10 and Microsoft is trying its best to ensure that as many users as possible switch to this platform. However, they are still releasing updates for Windows 8.1 for a while. Although Windows support 8 and Windows 8.1 are ending.

If you are still using this operating system, be sure to install the most Latest updates that correct various errors in the system and add new functions. You can download them from the Update Center. Some updates improve performance and fix security issues.

Installing driver updates

Most often, some components in Windows do not work due to the fact that they are not installed necessary drivers. This also applies to Windows 8.1. If you don’t know how or where to install drivers, then where it is described how you can quickly install drivers. If they are already installed, then update them to the latest version. You can also go to the website of the manufacturer of your laptop or computer and install the necessary drivers for the components: video card, sound card and other.

Update your apps

Installing apps from the Windows Store? Then be sure to update them. You can do this in the Windows Store. Click "Application Updates", Then "Check for updates", and then select the applications that need to be updated.

This isn't the only thing you can do. It is advisable to install latest versions and programs that you download from the Internet or install from disk.

Antivirus installation

IN Windows versions 8.1 already has a built-in antivirus, which is called « Windows Defender» . If you are not satisfied with it, then you can install another one at any time, for example, or. Windows Defender will be disabled.

Cleaning your hard drive

If you installed Windows 8.1 from scratch, then there is nothing to worry about yet, but if not, then there are most likely copies of previous installations saved on the disk. To remove these files you can use standard tool "Disk Cleanup". To use it, let's open "My computer", then click on system disk right click mouse and select "Properties", now choose "Disk Cleanup", just below, select "Clean up system files", choose necessary files, including temporary installation files and click OK.

Creating a Backup

If you don’t do this, then when the system “flies”, you will no longer be able to return anything. To make a backup you need to open "Control Panel", then go to point "System and safety". Next, open "File History" and you need to click on the item « Backup copy system image", which is in the lower left corner. Then everything is intuitive. Or you can use third-party software.

Just a month ago, users all over the world had the opportunity to see and try test Windows Consumer Preview. It is worth noting immediately that the production operating systems company is like a roller coaster - up and down, good and bad. For example, Windows 95, despite its revolutionary nature, was crude and unbalanced. The next one was Windows 98 - good, fast and convenient, and after the appearance next versions many users continued to use it for a long time. Windows Millenium, apparently, was released under the influence of a huge number of rumors about the coming end of the world and itself resembled a cataclysm on a global scale. On Windows 2000, the developers made significant improvements, but they did not last long because Windows XP was crude and unsuccessful. And with the advent of SP2, this version surprisingly turned into one of the best in the entire line of operating systems, and even after the release of the seventh version, many users and programmers preferred to use it. Windows Vista despite attempts to innovate in design and create something revolutionary, it turned out bad, slow and full of holes. But the seventh version of Windows turned out to be simply magnificent; perhaps Vista is just an unfinished “seven” that had to be released on the market and called a separate name due to pressing deadlines.

But the eighth version is a completely different story. Things to do today Microsoft not nearly as good as before. Sales of personal computers have declined for a long time, and with the advent of an abundance of laptops, ultrabooks, smartphones and tablets, the level of collapse of the PC market is simply amazing. Thus, the developers were forced to come up with, create and try to implement a cross-platform operating system, with the ability to control, excuse me, with your finger. It was to implement these tasks that Windows 8 was created. It is worth noting that, according to statistics, in the first day after access to the trial version was opened, about a million users downloaded it. And in 7 days it was installed on almost 6 million gadgets.

Minimum system requirements.

First of all, it’s worth mentioning the minimum system requirements:

• Processor frequency - 1 Gigahertz;
• Volume random access memory- 2 Gigabytes;
• The amount of free space on the hard drive is 16 GB.

As you can see, everything is not as scary as you might think. In fact, it will work reasonably well on almost any laptop (from 2009), smartphone (from 2011) or tablet. You can try to put it on the old one Personal Computer instead of Windows XP.

Installation.

The installation itself is even more convenient and faster than in the previous version. On a laptop with an iCore3-2330M processor and 4 GB of RAM full cycle Installation took a little over 20 minutes. It’s worth remembering that this is only a test version for now. Windows 8 installed well, neatly and without any complaints - everything is accessible, everything works. Despite the absence of any problems with drivers, if such problems arise, Microsoft itself gives standard recommendations - look on the manufacturer’s website. Manufacturers can only obediently and quickly release updated versions.

Initial impressions after working with Windows 7 on the same laptop are quite good. It seems that the eighth version is even faster. Although the “seven” stood for a little more than six months and was quite loaded. If you remember a certain surprise after the first Windows startup 7, then something like nostalgia awaits you. There are many unusual innovations here. But more on that a little later. For now it is worth describing the wider flexible and convenient features copying files. In the same window, you can control a certain number of processes in parallel - choice of location, priority or copy order, pause, cancel, etc. The notification system has been thoroughly updated. IN Google couldn't be wrong with the implementation of remote " hard drives for the user". Microsoft picked up this wave and actively supported cloud services. Even with a small screw volume, you can save data on a network service. In addition, there is a branded online store for free download applications. Perhaps they are worthless as long as there are minimal applications and you have no choice. The network channel routing system has also been updated.

Innovations.

Now let's get back to the innovations. The interface is unfamiliar and unusual. Everything is beautiful, clear and neat, but incomprehensible. Windows name no longer corresponds to reality, because there are no more windows. In addition, you won’t even find the usual “Start” button - neither round nor rectangular. To call up the list of programs, just move the mouse to the lower left corner, click and under no circumstances move, because with the slightest movement the preview of the starting list of programs disappears. The active zone of the list is unclear, because periodically activation occurred by mistake and unnecessarily. When you bring it up and click in the upper left corner, a list of the application in use appears; when you move the mouse further down, the list expands and you have the opportunity to select the required application from full list launched applications. The screen is filled with “touch” buttons, similar to applications on the iPhone. The buttons are not randomly placed, but can be easily swapped by simply moving the mouse (and probably your finger).

The horizontal scroll, which is used to scroll through the buttons, is a little surprising. To activate the application, just click on the button. To turn it off, what would you think - move the mouse from top to bottom or activate the list running applications through the upper left corner and then close the application. Apparently, the developers are trying to push users to a more advanced level, since the default hotkeys have to be used quite often. It was very inconvenient to use everything that was happening on the screen, at least first time. Probably after a few months daily work in the environment of the eighth version, you can find incredible convenience and charm in everything. Or perhaps it was uncomfortable only because the screen is not touch-sensitive. By the way, right now you can download homemade add-ons that will return the standard previous versions"Start" button. Internet Explorer has always been a problematic and inconvenient program, even the appearance of the tenth version did not improve the situation at all despite a couple interesting solutions. In fact, its only purpose is to provide the user with the opportunity to download and install a browser convenient for him, and then forget about Explorer until the next reinstallation of the operating system.

To briefly summarize, we can say that despite the presence large quantity unusual functions, inability to use a familiar mouse and lack of Russian Windows language 8 looks interesting, beautiful and truly new, does not disappoint at all with its speed and even allows you to store a significant amount of information with a small hard drive.

Lesson topic: “Mastering the desktop on a computer in Windows 8”

TO The computer is on the table - this is understandable. But how can a desk fit into a computer? Let's try to find the answer experimentally. After turning on the computer and selecting a user, you will see similar picture:

This “picture” is called a menu Windows start 8 (which you will learn more about in the next lesson).

Find the “Desktop” panel, then position the mouse pointer on it, sharply press the left mouse button and immediately release it.

This action is usually called click or click with the mouse.

What you see after some time, which depends on the speed of your computer, is called desktop.

So, Desktop – this is the area of ​​​​the screen on which information is displayed while working with the computer.

The bottom of the desktop is limited by a blue stripe, on the left side of which there is an icon in the form of a folder (by default). This strip is called task bar.

The taskbar has two parts:

You will see the system time, date, virtual keyboard(if configured).

This is also where keyboard indicator(keyboard layout). If in progress Windows installations If you have selected Russian as your main language, you will see 3 Russian letters “RUS” in the notification area.

Place your mouse pointer on the clock and click on it:

A tab will appear that displays details system date and time, and also allows you to configure these parameters. This tab is called date and time:

Looking at the panel system notifications

Place your mouse pointer on the roof indicator, then click on it once.

A small panel will open. They call her notification panel Windows . It is in it that you will find connected flash drives, disks, as well as other notifications.

Setting up the language

Place the mouse pointer on the “RUS” keyboard indicator and click the left mouse button once.

Drag and drop elements on the desktop

First, let's look at the desktop. Find an icon on it with the caption “Trash” (in the picture it is shown with a red arrow).

Now let go left button mice. What happened to the Trash icon?

The operation that you have just practically carried out is called "drag".

Drag and Drop – This is changing the position of any object on the screen using the mouse.

Exercises and tasks to reinforce the material you have learned

Exercise to customize the taskbar

Since customizing the taskbar is one of the most interesting tricks in Windows, be sure to complete this exercise!

1. Setting up objects

Position the mouse pointer anywhere free place taskbar and click not with the left, but with the right mouse button. When a sign appears on the screen, as in the figure, position the mouse pointer on the line “Pin the taskbar” and click the left mouse button once.

This way you can allocate space for additional elements.

Place your mouse pointer on any free space on the taskbar and click on it right mouse button. When a sign appears on the screen, as in the figure, place the mouse pointer on the “Properties” line and click on it once.

In the window that appears, in addition to customizing the position of the taskbar, you can also customize its appearance!

For several years now, many users have been using a completely new operating system from Microsoft - Windows 8. Instead of the usual desktop and Start menu, the developers have introduced a completely new concept. At the same time, those users who have worked with previous versions for a long time may not immediately get used to the new interface and understand where and what functions are located.

Some elements of the “eight” are quite clear and there are no problems with them, but the rest, such as restoring the operating system or any controls, are quite difficult to find. Some novice users cannot even turn on the computer when they first meet them.

Therefore, it would be a good idea for such users to familiarize themselves with the instructions for using the operating system of the eighth version, as well as the possibilities new system. There is quite a lot to learn, but it is worth doing because it will make your life easier when working with Windows 8.

Enable and disable, log in and log out

After turning on a computer with operating system version 8 or waking it up from sleep, the “Lock Screen” will appear. It will display the time The current date and connection data and failed or missed events. When you press Enter buttons, mouse click or click on touch screen the operating system will be entered. Sometimes, if there are many accounts on your PC or you just need to enter a password to log in. To do this you need to specify account, under which you will log in and enter a password, if the operating system requires it.

When compared with the “seven”, the keys to exit the OS, turn off the power and reboot are located in completely different places. If you need to exit the operating system on the initial screen, you need to click on the user's name at the top, which will lead to a menu appearing through which you can exit the operating system, lock the PC, or replace the avatar.

Locking means activating the lock screen and the need to enter a password for further work with the computer, if it was set by the user. If it is not there, then you can enter without it. In this case, all programs continue to function and do not close.

Selecting "Logout" closes all programs given user and exits the operating system. In this case the screen also pops up. Windows locks 8. If you are doing some important document work or something like that, you need to save before using this function.

To shut down, restart or put your PC into sleep mode, you must use new feature, which is only available in Windows 8 - the Charms panel. To go to this panel, you need to move the cursor to one of the right corners of the screen and click on the “Options” icon. After this, you need to click on the “Shutdown” icon. There are also buttons “Sleep mode”, “Shut down” and “Restart”.

Applying the Start screen

The G8 initial screen is what appears immediately after the computer starts. This screen displays the inscription “Start”, the name of the user who is working on the PC and Windows tiles 8 Metro.

Users may notice that the G8's home screen bears no resemblance to what could be seen in previous editions of Windows. In fact, the "Desktop" of the eighth version is separate program. Moreover, in the operating system there is a separation of utilities. Familiar legacy utilities will open on the desktop, just like in previous versions.

Those utilities that were specially developed for the G8 are slightly different applications and will open on the start screen in mode full screen or attached.

How to open and close G8 utilities

On the home screen you can open utilities, including those included in the G8. Among them are “Mail”, “Calendar”, “Desktop” and more. To launch an application, you need to click on its tile. Often all G8 applications are launched in full screen mode. But there is no cross to close the window.

You can press a keyboard key to return to the home screen. You can also grab the top edge of the window and drag it down the screen. This will close the program. In addition, you can close a Windows 8 program by moving the cursor to the left corner of the screen, which will open a list active applications. After this, you need to right-click on the desired one and select “Close”, which will stop its operation.

G8 desktop

As stated above, the desktop appears to be separate Windows application 8 Metro. To launch it, you need to click on a special tile on the start screen, as a result of which the usual desktop, taskbar and Trash will be displayed.

The difference between the G8 desktop and previous versions is the absence of a Start button. Initially, it has icons for opening Explorer and launching a web browser. This is the most inconvenient innovation of this operating system, which is why many users install software to return the Start button.
To return to the home screen, press special key on keyboard. Alternatively, you can use the bottom left hot corner.

Primary programs Windows screen 8 Metro

The eighth version of the Windows operating system has its own programs for working on the start screen. This screen contains a number of square tiles, which are separate applications. You can add here own programs from Windows Store, remove useless ones and perform various other manipulations with them to create the appearance of the start screen as desired.

As mentioned, the previous G8 home screen programs are not the same utilities that were used in previous editions of Windows. Other than that, it's not the same as version 7 widgets. It can be said that Windows utilities 8 Metro is a unique software. You can launch no more than two of them at the same time; they immediately open in full screen mode, and can only be launched from the start screen.

You can also launch them from the “All apps” list, which appears as a component of the Start screen. Even when the Start screen is closed, the data in the tiles is still updated.

In addition, if necessary, use programs that you have worked with before and
install them in Windows 8, tiles will be created on the Start screen, but they will not work. When you click on it, the desktop will automatically open in which the utility will launch.

Search for utilities, files and settings

In previous editions Windows users practically did not work with application search. In the eighth version, this option has become more clear, simple and convenient. On this system, to launch a utility, search for data, or go to specific settings OSes, you just need to type the text directly on the G8 home screen.

Almost immediately after you start writing, a search results screen appears, which will display all the items found for the “Applications”, “Options” and “Files” items. Windows 8 programs will be located below them. Here you can search in any section. For example, in the Mail program you can search for the letter you need.

It turns out that searching in the “eight” is a very convenient tool, which makes it possible to significantly simplify access to programs and parameters.

Installing programs of the eighth version of Windows

In Windows 8, all programs must be installed only from the application store. To search and install utilities, you need to click on the “Store” tile. A list will appear on the screen popular programs, which are divided into groups. The store has great amount programs. If you need to find a program, you need to start entering the name in the store window and the search will be performed only among the utilities that are located in the store.

Among the programs there are a huge number of free ones, but there are also paid ones. Having specified a program, you can read information about it, reviews of other users who have already used this utility and its cost. Here you can also install applications, purchase or download a trial version of a paid program.

If you click on the “Install” button, the program will start downloading. After installation is complete, a tile for this program will appear on the initial screen. To exit from the initial one, you need to press the keyboard key or use the left corner at the bottom.

Actions with programs

Launching utilities in G8 is quite simple, you just need to click on them with the mouse. Everyone already knows how to close them, however, not everyone knows what other opportunities there are to work with them.

If you right-click on the program tile, a panel will appear at the bottom of the initial screen that allows you to perform various manipulations with them. You can unpin apps from the Start screen. In this case, the tile is removed, but the program remains on the computer. You can use it in the “All applications” section.

The “Uninstall” button allows you to completely uninstall the program from your PC. There is also a button that allows you to change the size of the tile, i.e. make a rectangular one into a square one or vice versa. In addition, you can disable updating information on tiles. If you click on the “All Apps” button in this panel, a menu will open that is a little like “Start”, where all installed programs are displayed.

There is one caveat here, which is that not all items may be available for some programs. For example, disabling dynamic tiles can only be used for those that natively support this feature. In addition, if the developer provided one option for the shape of the tile, then its size cannot be changed either. In addition, it is impossible to remove system-forming tiles of the “Shop” or “Desktop” type.

Switch between Windows programs 8

To quickly switch between active programs, you can use the top left corner. To do this, you need to move the mouse cursor there and when a thumbnail of another active program appears, click on it, which will open the next application.
Open if necessary a specific program, you need to move the cursor to the left top corner and drag your mouse down. A list of all active programs will appear, from which you can select a specific one.

These are the main features of the eighth version of Windows. It's not all that complicated. After spending some time working on this operating system, you can quickly get used to all the innovations.