Could use some help with Windows 8.

[William769]

I bought a Alienware laptop today that came with windows 8, my desktop is windows 7. I'M lost!

Could someone direct me to some useful sites on navigating Windows 8?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Warren Stupidity]

1. First: upgrade to 8.1, its free.

Click on the desktop square in the awful metro UI to go to the win8 version of the windows desktop.

Then the simplest way to launch desktop programs is to press the windows key and start typing the name of the program.

Win8.1 has a "boot to desktop" mode which avoids the awful metro ui almost entirely. Right click on the taskbar on the bottom of the desktop and select properties from the menu. In the Taskbar and Navigation properties dialog click on the Navigation tab. In the Navigation tab, under Start screen, select "Show my desktop background on Start" and "When I sign in or close all apps on a screen, go to the desktop instead of Start" and "List desktop apps first in the Apps view when it's sorted by category". Unselect the other options under Start screen. Leave the Corner navigation selection alone.

Desktop apps you use frequently can be launched from the desktop taskbar. Just rightclick on the apps icon in the awful metro ui and select "Pin to taskbar".

Word is that 8.2 will bring back the desktop ui now that Balmer is out.

[William769]

3. Thank you so much!

First thing I did was go to automatic updates and it told me it was downloading & installing 71!

But it's almost done has only taken about 15 minutes. When it completes I will do as you suggested.

Thanks again.

[PoliticAverse]

2. How to make Windows 8 look like Windows 7...

http://blog.laptopmag.com/make-windows-8-like-windows-7

[William769]

4. Thanks for the link.

[PoliticAverse]

5. YW. I still have my Windows 7 looking like Windows XP... n/t