Microsoft Windows 8.1 Professional

Microsoft Windows 8.1 Professional

Here are a few tips to get you started with Windows 8.1:

Booting to desktop
You can now bypass Microsoft’s tiled Start screen and boot directly to the desktop. To do this, click on the Desktop tile, right-click anywhere on the Windows 8.1 taskbar, select Properties, and click on the Navigation tab. Next, check the box labeled “Go to the desktop instead of Start when I sign in,” which can be found under the Start screen options.

Default apps
Internet Explorer received many improvements with its most recent update, but not everyone prefers to use Microsoft’s Web browser. Windows 8.1 now allows users to set default apps for things like the Web browser, e-mail client, music player, video player, photo viewer, calendar provider, and map address.

This can be done by going to the Charms menu, which can be accessed by clicking the lower right-hand corner of the screen or hitting the Windows and C buttons at the same time and going to Settings. Next, select Change PC Options, click on Search & Apps, and choose the Defaults option.

Start button
It’s true, Windows 8.1 returns the Start button to the desktop, but it isn’t the same button we have all come to know and love. Clicking the button will bring you back to your last menu, while a right-click will reveal more traditional options. From here you can easily restart or power down the computer, and access things like your programs, system settings, and Device Manager, along with the Task Manager, Control Panel, File Explorer, and Search and Run functions.

Users previously only had two options when it came to the size of Live Tiles in Windows 8: large or small. This is no longer the case, though. A right-click, or long-press, on a specific tile, will give you the ability to unpin it from the screen, uninstall the program, resize it, or turn the Live Tile off. Clicking the “Resize” option will allow you to alter the icon’s size to large, wide, medium, or small.

Windows 8.1 also gives users the option to organize apps into various groups. Live Tiles can be dragged and dropped as you please, while a right-click will give you the opportunity to name specific app groups.

Not every app is displayed on the Start screen. A complete list of installed apps can be accessed by either clicking the down arrow in the lower left-hand side of the screen or by performing a swipe down on a touch screen. Selecting the up arrow or a swipe upward will bring you back to the home screen.