Windows 8.1 Navigation Customization

Windows 8.1 added with lot of small improvements, this post highlight the Navigation Customization.

Right click on Task Bar and bring the Properties of Taskbar.  Notice it is no more called as Taskbar Property.  It is now Taskbar and Navigation properties.  Check out these cool settings under “Navigation” tab to improve user experiences.

You can skip remaining post if you got all above settings!

Corner Navigation

• Quick App Switch:
• Mouse: When I click the upper-left corner, switch between my recent apps
• Keyboard: Windows Key + Tab
• 
• Charms Bar
• Mouse: When I point to the upper-right corner, show the charms.  You will still get charms using bottom-right corner.  This setting is to avoid disturbance if you are using Close button of desktop apps .
• Keyboard: Windows + I

 

• Default to PowerShell:
• Mouse: Bring the Windows Power User Menu by using Right click, you can set the Power.  It is good idea to start using Powershell instead of command prompt.
• Keyboard: Windows + X
• 

Start Screen

• Default Modern UI / Desktop?: You can set your preferred mode as start screen, between Desktop (Icons) and Modern UI Start screen (Tiles)
• Wallpaper as Modern UI background: You can have the same or different wall paper between Modern UI Start Menu and Desktop.
• Windows Tiles / App list as start screen:  You can switch between Modern Tiles vs App list as your default likst
• Search default Apps / Everywhere
• 
• List Desktop apps first: When all the Apps list you can bring the Desktop to first.

Treasures of Windows Explorer

Any one using Windows, getting in and out of Windows Explorer (WinKey + E) is common task.  But how many of us use the full power of Windows Explorer.  Here are some cool features of Explorer exposed.

• Navigation Pane: You have complete control over the left side folder tree structure.  You can hide / show to get more room. 
• Expand to open folder: You can Keep expanding the tree as you explore
• Show all folders: shows arrows indicating the availability of sub folders
• Show favorites: Get your most used folders in one click

Sort

 

• You can sort the folders in any of the attributes of the file.  You can toggle the sort order by simply clicking on the header
  

Grouping

• You can group the files in a folder based on any of the attribute of the file.

Filter

• You can access the filter by using the down arrow at end of each column header.

Multi select

• Multi select become simple now, no more you are required to hold Shift or control keys, Make sure you switched on this feature by using “Item check boxes”

Also you have

• Recent locations, by accessing Previous, Next, Down Arrow to list all previous locations

• Enabling Preview can show Word, Excel documents

Windows Push Button Reset / Refresh

Windows 8.1 is capable of PBR!!

At any time you can reset the machine to factory condition!  This feature is available from Windows 8.0, At any time you can Reset or Refresh the OS.

Refresh: Refresh you PC without affecting your files.  If you PC isn't running well you can refresh it without losing your photos, music, videos and other personal files.

Reset:If you want to recycle your PC or start over completely, you can reset it to its factory settings.

In both the cases (Refresh / Reset), you need to have the original setup disk used to install the PC which you used to install.  If is Surface it is preserved in the image, you don't need the original setup desk.

In Windows 8 Charms Bar (Ctrl + I)> Change PC Settings > General

In Windows 8.1: Charms Bar (Ctrl + I) > Change PC Settings > Update and Recovery

 

For more details refer http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/restore-refresh-reset-pc

When you are upgrading from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1, you can use this feature to go back to Windows 8.  (Except in Surface device)

More Personalization with Windows 8

From Windows 8, you have Two Start Screen

1. Metro Start Screen
2. Desktop Start Screen

Both you can customize and personalize independently,

For Metro UI from the charms bar (You can hit WinKey + I) > Change PC Settings > Personalize > Start Screen, to change the color theme

Windows 8	Windows 8.1

You can use Ease of Access to make the Metro Tiles bigger.

For Desktop from the charms bar (You can hit WinKey + I) > Personalize or Control Panel\Appearance and Personalization\Personalization, to change the Desktop color theme, background.

Windows 8	Windows 8.1
	Control Panel\Appearance and Personalization\Personalization

 

Windows 8 Alphabets

B - System Tray
C - Charms Bar
E - Explorer
F - Files Search
H - Share
I - Settings
K - Devices
L - Lock
M - Minimize
N - (One) Note
P - Project
Q - App Search
R - Run
T - Task Bar
U - Ease of Access
W - Setting Search
X - Smart Start Menu

Try using WinKey + [Alphabet]

Fore more info

Windows Safe Mode Boot

Win 8 Safe Mode is not simple F8 any more.  The following are the options you have

Option I: Before login

1. Hold Shift and press restart
2. After login will be presented with options
3. Choice Troubleshoot
4. Select Advanced options
5. Choose Startup Settings
6. Click Restart to login to Safe Mode

Option II: Using MS Config

1. You can use MSConfig from rum prompt
2. By changing the boot option you can boot from safe mode

Option III: Automatic Repair

If the OS is not booted properly on last attempt, it is will go into Automatic Repair mode and presented with Troubleshooting screen.

Reference

Why I have Pause key in keyboard

Go to command prompt move to C: by typing CD\, now hit DIR, while it showing info hit the Pause key!!  This the real use of the key specially in DOS world.  In Windows GUI world there is no role except we I know of. 

Windows Key + Pause – System Properties

Ctrl + Alt + Pause – Restore / Full screen Remote Desk top

Please add comments if you know any other use of Pause key!

See also