How to Operate Windows 10: A Survival Guide. By Allan Clapp A public service of Allan Clapp http://booksbyallan.com

What we will cover in this class. Why Windows 8 Looks like it does. Working with the “tile” screen. How to reach the Control Panel. How to make the mouse pointer easier to see. How to “turn off” the touch pad. Useful keyboard “short cuts”. Uses for the Windows Security Screen.

Why Windows 8 looks like it does. Windows 8 is designed on the Tablet” concept. Windows 8 “Assumes” every device has a touch screen. The keyboard and mouse considered are “optional”. The “tile” screen is intended to replace the Start Menu. Windows 8 “Assumes” every device has a touch screen. Obviously many computers are built without a touch screen. The keyboard and mouse considered are “optional”. Again this is obviously not true. The “tile” screen is intended to replace the Start Menu. The fact of the matter is that all programs are written to provide either a tile or an icon. But you have no ways to know which.

Working with the “tile” screen. Not all tiles don’t fit on the computer’s screen at once. Navigating around the tile screen. Moving tiles around on the “start” screen. Uses for the right side menu. How to Add / Remove tiles from the Start Screen. The tiles don’t all fit on the computer’s screen at once. But you can move them around so that the programs you use most are easy to find when you login into your computer.   Navigating around the tile screen. The Arrow and Tab keys can be used to navigate the time screen. Pressing the “enter” key acts as “Left Click”. Moving tiles around on the tile screen. Tiles can be moved around the rile screen by pressing and holding the Left Mouse button and dragging the tile where you want it. Uses for the right side menu. Search – Search your computer for an application program. Share – Sharing Photos and Files with other people. This requires that you have activated a application before you can share something. Start – returning to the tile screen. Note: if you installed the Windows 8.1 upgrade this can be accomplished by clicking on the icon in the lower left corner (in the taskbar) when on the Desktop screen. Devices – Turning on various “optional” devices. Settings – Mainly useful for shutting down or restarting your computer.

How to reach the Control Panel. Move the mouse to the top right corner of the screen to open the Right Side Menu. Clicking on the “Magnifying Glass” opens a search box. Type the word “Control” in the search box. The Control Panel “tile” will appear on the screen. Click on the Control Panel tile.

Making the Mouse pointer easier to see. Open the Control Panel. If to the right of “View By” it says “Category” click on Category and select “Large Icons”. Then click on “Mouse”. Click on “Pointers”. Change the “Scheme” to “Windows Inverted (Extra Large) (System Scheme)”. Click “OK”.

Turning off the touch pad . . . Windows 8 for laptops provide a way for you to “turn off” the touch pad. This is the procedure: Open the Control Panel Open the “Mouse” section. Switch to the “Device Settings” Tab. Check the “Disable … when external USB pointing device is attached” box. Click “OK”.

Useful Keyboard “Short Cuts” . . . “Alt-Tab” switches you between running programs. “Ctrl-C” “Copies” what you have highlighted. “Ctrl-X” “Cuts” what you have highlighted. “Ctrl-V” “Pastes” what you have “Cut” or “Copied”. “Ctrl-Alt-Del” brings up the Windows Security Screen.

Uses for the Windows Security Screen . . . The ability to “Lock” your computer without shutting down running programs. “Kill” a program that is “not responding”. Monitor your computers overall performance. Get yourself into a GREAT DEAL OF TROUBLE!

Thank you The notes from this class are available at: http://booksbyallan.com/classes/windows8survival.pdf