HP PCs - Learning How to Use Windows 8 Features and Apps

• Search charm - Search everywhere - apps, settings, files, even the Internet.
• Share charm - Share photos, music, movies, or links with other apps or people. For example, when viewing a web page, use the Share charm to send it to Facebook, or to your friends. You don't need to open email to copy and paste the link. You can send a photo directly from the Photo app instead of opening Mail, creating a message, and attaching the photo. If you don't have time to read an article now, you can share it with your Reading List and save it to read later.
• Start charm - Use the Start charm to return to the Start screen. If you are already on the Start screen, the Start charm returns to the previous screen.
• Devices charm - Use the Devices charm to print, play media on TVs and audio systems, use more than one monitor, and send content to nearby computers and other devices such as phones. For example, you can connect your computer to your television to share your vacation photos with your friends.
• Settings charm - Use the Settings charm to personalize your computer. A few examples of what you can do include: change the volume or brightness, choose your keyboard type, access the computer settings, and turn off the computer.

• Date and time in the lower-left corner.
• Network and power connection status icons.
• Detailed status from the calendar app (by default).
• Status updates such as new message notifications from apps like Messaging and Mail.

1. Press the Windows + C key.
   The Charms menu opens on the right edge of the screen.
2. Click Settings.
   Figure : Charms with Settings selected

   
3. Click Change PC settings in the lower right, and then click Lock screen.
   Figure : Lock screen selected

   
4. Change the picture by choosing one of the pictures available, or browse your computer for a picture.
   Figure : Changing the Lock screen picture

   
5. To view a slide show on the Lock screen, move the slider to the On position and select a picture source.
   Figure : Lock screen slide show feature turned on

   
6. In the Lock screen apps area, choose which app you want to run in the background to provide status and notifications.
   To use the camera from the Lock screen, move the slider to turn on the feature.
   Figure : Using the camera from the Lock screen

   

• tap the space bar
• spin the mouse wheel
• on a touch screen, swipe upwards from the bottom of the screen

note:

You will see the scroll bar only if your groups do not fit on the screen.

• Add a tile for almost anything: Windows 8 apps, desktop apps, web pages, people, and file folders are a few examples.
• Add new groups of tiles for similar or frequently used apps, change the order of the groups, and name your groups.
• Change the size of the tiles and set them to display updated information about the app.
• Change the Start screen background and color.

1. Press the Windows + C key.
   The Charms menu opens on the right edge of the screen.
2. Click Settings.
   Figure : Charms with Settings selected

   
3. Click Power.
   Figure : Settings menu with Power selected

   
4. Select Shut down.

   note:

   To restart, click Restart. To put the computer in sleep mode, click Sleep.

   Your selections might be different, depending on your Power settings.

   Figure : Shutting down the computer

   

note:

When using a mouse in Windows 8, remember the four corners of your main screen. Each corner provides access to useful features.

• To switch between the Start screen and the desktop, move the mouse pointer to the lower-left corner of the screen, and then click the Start button that displays.
  Figure : Start button for navigating from the Start screen to the Desktop

  
• To zoom on the Start screen,move the mouse to the lower-right corner of the screen and click the Zoom icon.
  Figure : Zoom icon in the lower-right corner

  
• To open the Charms with the mouse, move the mouse pointer to the upper-right corner of the screen, and then down to the Charms when they appear.
  Figure : Opening the Charms with a mouse

  
• To close an app with the mouse, place the mouse pointer at the top of the screen so that it changes into a hand. Drag the hand down and to the bottom of the screen. Your app shrinks and then disappears off the bottom of the screen.
  Figure : Closing an app with the mouse

  
• To switch to the previous app, move the mouse to the upper-left corner and click the thumbnail that appears.
  Figure : Thumbnail in the upper-left

  
• To see all open apps, move the mouse to the upper-left corner to display the previous app. Then drag the mouse down the left edge of the screen to see thumbnails of the open apps. Click a thumbnail to switch to that app or right-click to close the app.
  Figure : View of all open apps

  
• To snap an app to the side of the screen, open the app you want to run on the side. Then open the app you want to run on the main screen. Move the mouse to the upper-left corner to display the thumbnail for the first app.
  Figure : Snapping an app

  
  Drag the thumbnail to the side of the screen where you want the app. Release the mouse to see both apps on the screen. You can split the screen between apps in ratios of 70/30, 60/40 or 50/50. If you have a 1080p display, you can divide your screen between three apps.
  Figure : Dragging the thumbnail

  
  To close the snapped app, drag the divider bar to the edge of the screen.
  Figure : Snapped Music and People apps

  
  If you have a 1080p display, you can divide your screen between three apps.
  Figure : Three apps snapped to the screen

  

• Windows key . Switch between Start Screen and the Desktop (or the last full screen application).
• Move the mouse to the upper-left corner to display a thumbnail image of the previous app. Click the thumbnail to switch to that app.
• To see all open apps, move the mouse to the upper-left corner to display a thumbnail of the previous app, and then drag the mouse down the left edge of the screen. Click a thumbnail to switch to that app or right-click to close the app.
• Alt + Tab. Shows thumbnails of all open apps. Hold Alt and press Tab to move from app to app. Release both keys to switch to that app.
• Windows key + Tab. Shows the most recently used running apps and Start. Hold the Windows key and press Tab to move from app to app. Release to switch to that app.
• If your screen is wide enough (1366 pixels), you can use snap to keep two apps on the screen. With snap, you can move an app to either the right or left side of the screen and open another app. For example, you can snap the Music app to the side so you can listen to music while surfing the Internet on the main screen.

1. Press the Windows + C key.
   Figure : Search charm

   
2. Type the name of the thing you want to open or search for into the Search box.
   Figure : Searching in Windows 8

   
3. Then click your item in the search results to open it.
   Figure : Searching for an app

   

• Move the mouse cursor to the top of the screen. When it changes from an arrow into a hand, drag it down to the bottom of the screen. The app shrinks and then disappears off the bottom of the screen.
  Figure : Closing an app with the mouse

  
• Move the mouse to the upper-left corner to display a thumbnail of the previous app. Then drag the mouse down the left edge of the screen to display thumbnails of the open apps. Right-click a thumbnail to close the app.
  Figure : Thumbnail display of open apps

  
• With the app open on the screen, press Alt + F4.

• Right-click a tile to see the tile commands. Not all commands are available for each tile.
  • Unpin from Start - removes the tile from the Start screen. This does not uninstall the app from the computer.
  • Uninstall - removes the app from the computer and uninstalls the app from the computer.
  • Resize - Increases or decreases the tile size. Depending on the tile, choose from large, wide, medium, and small.
  • Turn live tile off or on - displays information from the app when turned on. For instance, on the Weather tile, see the current temperature and forecast.
  • Unpin from Taskbar or Pin to Taskbar - pins (or unpins) tiles for desktop apps such as Paint or Notepad to the taskbar on the desktop
  • Open new window - opens a new blank window in desktop apps such as Internet Explorer and Paint.
  • Run as administrator - available on desktop apps such as Paint and Notepad. Use when necessary to access or modify files or system configurations.
  • Open file location - available for desktop apps such as File Explorer to open to that folder.
  Figure : Example of the tile commands for Paint

  
• Pin an app to the Start screen:
  1. Right-click anywhere on the background of the Start screen to display the All apps icon in the lower-right corner.
  2. Click All apps arrow to see a list of all your installed apps.
     Figure : All apps icon

     
  3. Find the app you want to pin to Start, and right-click it. At the bottom of the screen, click Pin to Start.
     Figure : App that has been pinned to Start

     
• To move a tile with the mouse, drag it to a new position.
  Figure : Moving a tile with the mouse

  
  To move a tile using touch, first drag it up or down. Then drag it to the new position.
  Figure : Moving a tile using touch

  

• You can organize your tiles into groups, arrange the groups, and assign names to groups. Use the following steps:
  1. To create a new group, select a tile, drag it to an open space, and drop it. You can have many groups on the Start screen. If the groups don't fit on one screen, scroll right or left to see your groups by clicking and dragging the scroll bar at the bottom of the screen.
     Figure : New group of apps

     
  2. To change the order of your groups, first click the Zoom button in the lower-right corner of the screen.
     Figure : Zoom button in lower-right corner

     
  3. Drag the group to a new position.
     Figure : Moving a group

     
  4. To name a group, right-click anywhere on the background of the Start screen, and then click Customize.
     Figure : Button to customize tiles

     
  5. In the Name box, type a name for the group.
     Figure : Name box for a group of apps

     
  6. Click the screen two times to return to the normal view. The new name for the group displays.

1. To add an alarm, click the Plus button.
   Figure : Adding an alarm

   
2. Use the dials to set the alarm time.
   Figure : Setting the alarm time

   
3. Choose whether the alarm will occur one time or several times, and then choose the sound.
   Figure : Set the reoccurrence and sound

   
4. Click Save.
   Figure : Save button

   

1. Click the Calendar tile to open the calendar, and then right-click the screen to select your view - Day, Week, or Month.
   Figure : Calendar view options

   
2. To add an item, click the New item button.
   Figure : New calendar item

   
   Figure : Creating a new calendar item

   
3. If you have more than one calendar, such as Hotmail, Outlook, or Google, you can view them all by adding that account to the Calendar app. Use the Settings charm to add accounts and set calendar options and permissions.
   To add a calendar, open the Settings charm, and click Accounts.
   Figure : Add an account

   
4. Click the type of account you want to add.
   Figure : Account type options

   
5. Enter your email address and password, and click Connect.
   Figure : Account information fields

   
6. Click the account name to set download frequency and the content you want to sync.
   Figure : Calendar options

   
7. Close the Settings. The Calendar app retrieves your information.

• Video Mode: Switch Camera from taking still photos to recording video. Tap or click the screen to start recording, and tap again to stop.
• Timer: Delay for three seconds before snapping a picture or starting the video recording.
• Exposure: Move the slider up and down to change the exposure setting.
• Camera roll: View the pictures you have taken.

1. Click the Crop button to display the four dots on the screen.
2. Drag the dots to select the area of the picture you want to remain after cropping.
3. Select Apply to complete the crop.

1. Tap the screen to play the video.
2. Tap the screen again to show the Play button in the center of the screen, the media slider bar, and the Trim and Delete buttons.
3. Click the Trim button.
4. Drag the white dots on the slider bar to your new beginning and ending positions, and then click Save a copy to save the trimmed video.

1. Click the tile to open the app. The app opens to the main page, showing current top stories, the stocks on your Watchlist, market indices, rates, and top movers. Scroll to the right for more information.
   Figure : Finance app main page

   
2. You can view a quote by searching for the business using the Search box. Type the company name or symbol in the Search box, and click the Search icon.
   Figure : Searching for a business

   
3. To open the app commands, right-click anywhere on the screen. The following options are available:
   • Today: Switches to the main page showing current top stories, Watchlist stocks, market indices, rates, and top movers.
   • Watchlist: Takes you to tiles for the stocks in your list.You can also pin items from your Watchlist to the Start screen. Use the following steps to customize your stock Watchlist.
     1. To add a stock, click the Plus button.
        Figure : Plus button to add a stock to the Watchlist

        
     2. Type the company name in the box, select it from the list, and click Add.
        Figure : Add to Watchlist screen

        
     3. To remove a stock, right-click a stock tile, and click Remove in the lower-left corner of the screen.
   • News: Switches to a page with business-related news stories.
   • Tools: Use the mortgage calculator, currency converter, or retirement planner, figure auto payments, and track your savings.
   • World Markets: Switches to a page that displays the current rates for stock indexes around the world.Scroll to the right for more.
     Figure : World Markets

     

• Friends: Shows your Xbox friends.
• Game activity: Shows games that you have purchased recently.
• Home: Lists some of the games available in the Windows Store specifically for Windows, as well as your achievements, messages, and friends.

1. Click the tile to start Internet Explorer.
   Figure : Internet Explorer 11

   
2. Right-click the screen to display the app commands at the bottom of the screen:
   Figure : Internet Explorer 11 app commands
   
   1. Back button
   2. Site icon
   3. Address bar - type address or search term
   4. Refresh button
   5. Favorites
   6. Page tools - Get app for this site (if available), Find on page, View on the desktop, View downloads
   7. Forward button
3. To open a new tab, open the commands and click the plus sign.
   Figure : New tab button

   
4. Click the address bar at the bottom of the screen to type an address or search term, or select a tile from your Frequent or Favorites to go to a web page.
   Figure : Options for navigating to a web address

   
5. If you have problems viewing a webpage in Internet Explorer 11, click Page Tools,and then click View on the desktop. Internet Explorer for the desktop automatically opens to the webpage you were viewing.
   Figure : Option to view Internet Explorer in the desktop

   

1. To add a mail account, open the Settings charm, click Accounts, and click Add an Account.
   Figure : Add an account

   
2. Click the type of account and then follow the instructions to add the email address and password.
   Figure : Account type options

   
3. Click the tile to open the Mail app, and click Inbox to see your messages.
   Figure : Mail Inbox

   
4. To send a message, click New in the upper-right corner.
   Figure : Inbox commands
   
   1. Respond
   2. New message
   3. Delete
5. Type a name in the To box, or click the plus button to see your contacts. Then type the subject and message.
   Figure : Creating a new message

   
6. To format your message, highlight the section or right-click in the message. Mail opens the formatting commands at the bottom of the screen.
   Figure : Formatting commands
   
   1. Copy/paste
   2. Font
   3. Text color
   4. Highlight
   5. Bold
   6. Italic
   7. Underline
   8. List
   9. Emoticons
   10. Hyperlink
   11. Open in new window
   12. More - Save draft, Undo, Redo, Clear formatting
7. When done, click Send.
   Figure : Send button

   
8. To print a message, open the Devices charm and select the printer. Click Print.
   Figure : Screen for printing a message

   

• Pin to Start
• Add a pin
• Map style: Change between road view and aerial view.
• My location: To center the map on your location, click My location.

  note:

  Open the Settings charm and click Permissions to allow Maps to access your location.

• Directions: Use to get directions from one place to another.
  Figure : Directions

  
• Search: Use the Search feature to search for a location or business.
  Figure : Search charm in the Maps app

  

note:

The Music app does not play traditional music CDs. To listen to songs from your CDs using the Music app, the disc tracks must be converted to files. Use Windows Media Player to convert the tracks on your music CDs to music files such as WMA or MP3. These files can then be played by the Music app.

1. To play music already on your computer, click the Music tile and then click Collection.
   Figure : Xbox Music

   
   Click an album tile to play it.
   Figure : Music app

   
2. Right-click the screen to display the Music commands. You can play, add a song to a playlist, delete, shuffle, and perform other actions with the music track.
   Figure : Music commands

   

1. Click the News tile to open the app.
   Figure : News app

   
2. Scroll to the right to see top stories in other categories such as World, Technology, and Business.
   Figure : News categories

   
3. Select a category to display stories from that category on a separate page. Select a tile to open and read the new story.
   Figure : News story tiles

   
4. Right-click the screen to open the app commands.
   • Bing News: see top news stories in predetermined categories such as World News, Technology, and Politics.
   • Topics: create and add new categories to fit your interests. To create a new category, click Add a topic.
   • Sources: a list of all the news sources sorted by category such as National and World News, Business, Entertainment, Sports, and Science. Click individual tiles to see news in that publication.

note:

The People app has a memory cache so you can add or edit contacts while you are offline. When you go back online, the changes are synced so your updates are backed up.

1. Click the People tile to open the app.
   Figure : People app

   
2. To add another account, click the Settings charm, click Accounts, and then click Add an account. Select the type of account.

   note:

   The account list you see might be different, depending on what accounts are already installed in the People app.

   Figure : Account type options

   
3. Type your email address and password. The app automatically retrieves the contact information and adds it to the People app.
   Figure : Account information fields

   
4. Click a person to see their individual contact information. From this page, depending on which services you have linked to People, you can:
   • send them an e-mail
   • view their profile
   • pin to Start
   Right-click the screen to see the app commands. You can:
   • Edit the profile
   • Delete the profile
   • Add the profile to your Favorites category on the People home page
   • Link multiple profiles for this person

1. Click the tile to open the Photo app. Click the down arrow to choose between your Pictures library and pictures on your OneDrive.
   Figure : Photo app

   
2. To add photos from another device such as a digital camera or memory stick, first connect the device to the computer. Then right-click anywhere on the screen and click Import.
   Figure : Import photos from a device

   
3. To share your photos, first select a photo, and then open the Share charm.
   You can post to Facebook or email the photo. You can also upload the photo to your OneDrive from the Photos app.
   Figure : Sharing a photo

   
4. To print a photo, open the Devices charm, select a printer, and click Print.
5. If you want to see a thumbnail view of your pictures, click the thumbnail button in the upper right corner.
   Figure : Thumbnail view

   

1. When you find an article you want to add to your Reading List, swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and select the Share charm.
2. Then select Reading List.
   Figure : Reading List app in the Share charm

   
3. Click Add to add the article to your Reading List. Open Reading List and read the article.
   Figure : Adding to Reading List

   

• Select all - select all the files in the folder.
• New Folder - create a new folder that will appear in the file column on the left.
• Add files - transfer files from the computer to OneDrive.

• Delete - remove the currently selected item from OneDrive.
• Open with - select a software program to open the file for editing.
• Set as Lock screen - use the photo for the Lock screen background.
• Slide show - add the current selections to a slide show.
• Rotate - rotate the item.
• Crop - crop the item.
• Edit - edit the photo with auto fix, basic fixes, adjust the light, color, and add special effects.

1. Right-click an item to select it. Note the check in the upper-right corner.
   Figure : Photo that has been selected

   
2. Press the Windows key + H to open the Share charm, and click Post to Facebook.
3. In the Add a message area, type your message, and then click Send.
   Figure : Send button to post pictures to Facebook

   

• Search flights. Search for flights, look up schedules and see the status of a particular flight. When you are ready to book your flight, Travel automatically takes you to a third-party site to make your reservations.
• Flight status. Check the status of your flights.
• Flight schedules. Check for flight schedules.
• Search hotels. Search for a hotel based on price, class, and amenities. Get information for each hotel including a description, maps, and photos.

1. To open the Windows Store, click the Store tile on the Start screen.
2. The Windows Store opens to the home page of the Windows Store. Scroll sideways to see more categories. Tiles for individual apps show the name and logo for the app, as well as the price and current rating.
   Figure : Windows store home page

   
3. To browse all of the apps that fall into a category, right-click an empty space on the Windows Store home page and select the desired category from the list.
   Figure : Games category selected

   
4. To search in a category, scroll all the way to the right, and then click See all.
   Figure : See all button in a subcategory

   

   note:

   These subcategories will be different based on the category you are searching. For small categories, the subcategory setting might not be available.

5. Choose a subcategory such as Card to browse all the card games.
   Figure : Card subcategory selected

   
6. For more information about an app, click the tile.
   Figure : Search results

   
7. On this page, you can find more information, or purchase and install the app. When you click Install, text displays on the upper-right corner indicating that the installation is in progress.
   Figure : Installing an app

   
8. When the installation is complete, Windows displays a notification stating that the app was installed and adds a tile to the Start screen.Click the tile to open the new app.

1. To play videos that are already stored on your computer, click the Video tile and scroll to the left to see personal videos.
   Click a tile to play it.
   Figure : Video app

   
2. Right-click anywhere on the background to display the Video commands.
   Figure : Video commands

   
   The following commands are available:
   • Previous: Move to the previous video
   • Pause: Pause the video
   • Next: Move to the next video
   • Volume: Adjust the volume
   • Play to: Play on a connected device
   • Playback options: includes repeat and closed captioning
3. You can also buy movies and TV shows in the Xbox marketplace. When you select a video in the marketplace, you can:
   • Play a movie trailer.
   • See TV series descriptions and links to episodes.
   • Buy or rent the video. Media that you purchase is downloaded to your video library.

1. Click the tile to open the app.
   Figure : Weather home screen

   
2. To add a location, right-click to open the commands, and click the Add button .
   Figure : Button to add a new location

   
3. Type the city name and then click Add.
   Figure : Enter a location to add

   
4. You can also use the Search feature to get weather. Open the Search charm, type a name, and click Search.
5. To change the temperature units, right-click to open the commands, and click Change to Fahrenheit (or Celsius).
   Figure : Changing temperature units

   

• To change the background for the Start screen, use the following steps:
  1. Click the Settings charm, and then click Personalize.
     Figure : Personalize selection in Settings

     
  2. Select a new background and color.
     Figure : Background and color options

     
• To change the background picture for the Lock screen, use the following steps:
  1. At the Windows Start screen, type change lock screen picture to open the Search charm, and then click Change the picture on your lock screen.
     Figure : Search results for Change Lock screen picture

     
  2. Click Change PC settings in the lower right, click Personalize, and click Lock screen.
     Figure : Personalize Lock screen

     
  3. Click Browse to select one of the pictures available or find one on your computer.
• To change the background picture for the Desktop, use the following steps:
  1. On the Start screen, type Change desktop background. Then click Change desktop background in the Search results.
     Figure : Search results for Change desktop background

     
  2. Select a new picture from those displayed or click Browse to find a picture in another location. Click Save changes when done.
     Figure : Browse button for choosing a new background picture

     

1. Click the Settings charm, click Change PC settings in the lower right, and then click Account Picture.
   Figure : Account picture

   
2. Click Browse to find another picture or click Create an account picture to use the camera to create a picture.
   Figure : Browse button for choosing an Account picture

   
3. When done, click Choose image.

1. On the Start screen, type Documents to open the Search charm, and the click Documents in the Search results.
   Figure : Search results for Documents

   
2. File Explorer opens in the Documents folder. Right-click Documents, and then click Pin to Start.
   Figure : Pinning Documents to the Start screen

   
3. The Documents tile displays on the Start screen.
   Figure : Documents tile

   

1. Right-click in the lower-left corner to open the menu, and click Control Panel.
2. Click System and Security, click System, and click Get more features with a new edition of Windows.
   Figure : Upgrading Windows features

   
3. If required, type an administrator password, and then click Yes.
4. Click I want to buy a product key online and follow the instructions.
   Figure : I want to buy a product key online selection

   

• Move the mouse to the lower-left corner and right-click to open the menu. Click Task Manager.
  Figure : Opening Task Manager

  
• Press Ctrl + Alt + Del on the keyboard to open the security screen. Click Task Manager.