General Windows 8

Windows 8 (or Win8) is a release of the Windows Operating System by Microsoft, replacing Windows 7. Technically, it's actually Windows version 6.2. It is the dominate OS on campus among students. Faculty and Staff machines will remain on Windows 7 machines until a full roll out of Windows 10.

Like all versions of the OS since '95, Windows relies heavily on its graphical interface. Applications are usually started either from shortcuts on the desktop or from pinned short cuts on the task bar or start screen. Each window is usually a self-contained instance of the software (Not totally true, but visually --yes) and everything relevant to that application is in that window.

Windows 8 includes a number of dramatic changes, most obvious being the "metro" interface. Replacing the start button, the metro interface comes up whenever a use pushed the the Win-Key (Windows logo key) on the keyboard. In general, this acts like the start menu but it can be jarring to see at first and takes some getting used to. Some prefer to install the Windows "Classic Shell," mimicking the older Windows 7 interface. 

In general, most the things added in Windows 7 remain in Windows 8, including the Super Bar and cleaned up Network and Sharing Center. Likewise, most of Window 7's nuances are also present.

For more on Managing Windows 8, see: Managing Windows 7

For Windows Safe Mode, see: Windows Safe Mode

The Metro Interface

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The new Windows 8 Start Screen (originally referred to as the Metro interface) replaces the old the start button. To bring it up, but push the Win-Key or hover your mouse over the right side of the screen and click the windows logo that appears.Windows 8 also naturally boots directly into the start screen. Sadly, there is no way to make Windows 8 skip the Start Screen and go straight to the desktop. The Windows shortcut WIN-D still brings up the desktop and the desktop should be a tile on the Start Screen by default.

You can navigate the Start Screen with either a mouse, keyboard or through a touch screen (on tablets or touch-screen net-books/laptops). Each of the boxes on the screen are called Live Tiles. On specially enabled apps, the live tiles can relay information about the current state of the app it represents. For example, the calendar app will display the next event on your calendar (or next few if there's a lot going on today) while a music app might display album pictures from the last few songs played.

Any Windows application can be pinned to the Start Screen, whether they are a metro app or not. Only metro apps, however, will act as Live Tiles. Other applications will display they're old desktop shortcut icons or a custom icon you can pick (just like on desktop shortcuts).

Clicking or touching a tile will start up the app. If you click and hold on an app you can re-arrange where the tile appears on the start screen, while right clicking will you give the option to remove the app from the Start Screen altogether. On touch-devices, you have to touch and hold on an app to bring up a list of options (akin to right click) or pick it up and move it around the tile space. You can re-size tiles, too, to one of 3 sizes.

There is no way to re-enable the old start menu in Windows 8; though there was a way in some of the old beta releases. There are some apps out there that can emulate the old start button --some of them very well-- but there is no way to do it within Windows alone. The old registry values have been removed in the commercial version.

Connecting to Knox-Wireless

See: /wiki/spaces/AP/pages/1252613

Keyboard Shortcuts

See: Windows 8 Keyboard Shortcuts

DVD Playback

For some unholy reason, Windows 8's Windows Media Player no longer supports playing DVDs. You can either pay Microsoft $20 for their Windows Media Center Add-on, or just go and grab VLC. You could also install a 3rd party codec if you love Windows Media Player but don't feel like parting with $20.

Other (Small) Changes

• The Startup tab is no longer location under System Configuration (brought up with msconfig) like it was in Windows 7 and older. The startup tab is now located in the Task Manager.

• Windows Explorer was renamed File Explorer for some reason. It also includes the ribbon interface from MS Office.

• TheBlue Screen of Death (BSOD) has been changed to be more user-friendly (See below). I kinda like it.

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