Features which are removed in Windows 8

Windows 8 is a version of Windows NT and the successor of Windows 7. Several features which are present on Windows Vista and Windows 7 are no longer present on Windows 8.

Windows shell

• Start button was removed from the taskbar (although it was re-added in Windows 8.1). Replacement methods for invoking Start screen include a hotspot in the lower left corner of the screen, where the Start screen tile pops up, and a Start button among "the charms".
• "Recent documents" menu is removed from Start screen.
• Windows 8.1 no longer automatically adds newly installed programs to Start screen.
• Unified search is removed. A category-specific search replaces the former. It can search "Apps", "Settings", "Files" or within an app-specific index (such as, for example, e-mails from the Mail app) but not all at once. The default category is Apps, but can be changed before or after performing a search. Windows 8.1 restores this feature.
• Windows Desktop Gadgets, first introduced in Windows Vista, are removed.

Appearance and personalization

• The Aero Glass theme is replaced by a new theme with a flatter visual appearance in line with Metro design language. This is intended to prevent skeuomorphism. Aside from the taskbar, the new theme uses fewer transparency effects than the previous Glass theme.
• Flip 3D is removed. ⌘ Win+Tab ↹ now toggles between Windows Store apps and the desktop.
• The Windows Classic theme is removed. High-contrast themes (which previously used the Classic appearance) are modified to use visual styles.
• "Advanced appearance settings...", once found in Personalization\Window Color and Appearance part of Control Panel is removed.
• Sample pictures, sample music clips, sample video clip and preset user account pictures (a form of avatar) are no longer available.
• The sound schemes that were first included with Windows 7: Afternoon, Calligraphy, Characters, Cityscape, Delta, Festival, Garden, Heritage, Landscape, Quirky, Raga, Savanna and Sonata are all no longer available; only the folders remain in C:\Windows\Media, and they are empty.

File Explorer

• The Briefcase option under New context menu is removed by default, but can be reinstated by editing the registry.
• Windows 8.1 no longer shows Libraries by default.

Games

• Chess Titans, Mahjong Titans, Purble Place, Minesweeper, FreeCell and Solitaire were removed. Updated versions of Mahjong, Minesweeper and Solitaire are available in Windows Store.
• Shortcuts to the Games Explorer were removed. The feature itself and its command line shortcut (shell:games) remain.

Networking

• For dial-up networking (DUN), some of the options under "Redialing options", such as "Redial attempts" and "Redial if line is dropped", are no longer available. Although dial-up networking using PSTN telephone line is becoming increasingly rare, this could affect users that still use it to connect to 2G, 3G and/or 3.5G mobile networks and also DSL subscribers that use the system's PPPoE dialer.
• The "Manage wireless networks" option on the task pane of the Network and Sharing Center control panel is no longer available, although a similar function is still available through the netsh command 
• netsh wlan. Some of this functionality is reintroduced with the Windows 8.1 Update via the PC Settings app. Similarly, creating an ad hoc wireless connection via the "Set up a wireless ad hoc" option under "Set up a new connection or network" is no longer available through the GUI; users need to use the same netsh command or a third-party utility such as Connectify.
• One can no longer save a wifi connection to a flash drive from the Wireless Network Properties box under the Connection tab.
• Shortcuts for the Bluetooth File Transfer wizard, which are added by Windows 7 on a device with Bluetooth communication, are no longer provided. The utility itself (fsquirt.exe) remains available.
• Network Map is removed from Network and Sharing Center

User accounts and security

• Windows CardSpace was removed.
• Windows Defender: 
• Can no longer schedule automatic system scans; it is now part of Windows Action Center's maintenance schedule
• No longer shows the currently processed item

Media features

• Windows DVD Maker was removed.
• Windows Media Center is no longer included with any of Windows 8 editions. It is available as an add-on through the Add features to Windows 8 service for Windows 8 Pro (via the Media Center Pack) and Windows 8 core edition (via the Pro Pack).
• Windows Media Center cannot run on startup or on top of other windows because of “new Windows OS requirements and behaviors”.
• Windows Media Player no longer has the Media Guide feature.
• DVD-Video and MPEG-2 Video codecs are no longer included. Video DVDs can be played in Windows Media Center.
• Windows 8.1 removes Facebook and Flickr support from the Photos app.

File system

• Backup and Restore is deprecated and renamed Windows 7 File Recovery in favor of File History.In Windows 8.1, only System Image Backup remains.
• Persistent shadow copies are no longer available. Therefore the ability to browse, search and/or recover older versions of files via the Previous Versions tab of the Properties dialog of files was removed for local volumes. Configuring and scheduling of previous versions of files was also removed from the System Protection tab of the Advanced System Properties (systempropertiesadvanced.exe) dialog box.
• CHKDSK utility only shows the progress percentage when running at startup.

Other

• Stop errors are simplified; specifically, several paragraphs of generic advice and auxiliary error codes are removed. Windows 8.1 added a Registry setting to revert the changes, which is also available to Windows 8 users after installing a hotfix.
• The sounds played upon login, logout and system shutdown were removed. The startup sound remains but is disabled by default.[citation needed]
• .NET Framework 3.5 is no longer installed. Windows requires an Internet connection to install it, although Microsoft has published a workaround that enables users to install it from Windows installation disc.
• .NET Framework 1.1 is not supported.
• In Windows 8.1, the Windows Experience Index score is removed.

How to Add or Remove Start Screen Items

Adding or Removing Start Screen Items

Removing something from the Start Screen is easy, so you can begin there. To Remove an unwanted or unused tile from the Start Screen, right-click it and choose Unpin from Start from the pop-up menu along the screen's bottom. The unloved title slides away without fuss.

But you will probably want to spend more time adding items to the Start screen, and here's why. It is easy to escape the Start screen by clicking the Desktop app. But once you are safely on the desktop, how do you start a program without heading back to the Start screen? To escape this recursive conundrum, stock your start screen with Icons for your favorite desktop destinations, such as programs, folders and settings. Then, instead of loading the desktop and looking lost, you can head to your final destination straight from the Start screen.

To add programs or apps to the Start screen, follow these steps:

1. Press the Start screen's All Apps button.
    Right click a blank portion of the Start screen and then choose the All Apps     button along the screen's bottom. On a touchscreen, slide your finger             upward from the screen's bottom edge and then tap the All Apps icon. No       matter which route you take, the Start screen alphabetically lists all your         installed apps and programs.

2. Right click the item you want to appear on the Start screen and choose        Pin to Start.
3. Repeat Step 2 for every item you want to add.
     Unfortunately, you can not select and add several items simultaneously.

4. Choose the Desktop app.
     The desktop appears.

5. Right click desired items and Choose Pin to Start.
    Right Click a library, folder, file or other item you want added to the Start       screen, when the pop up menu appears, Choose Pin to Start. When you are     through, your Start screen will have grown considerably with all your               newly added destinations.

How to Secure your account by Password in Windows 8

Keeping your account private with a Password

Because Windows 8 lets many people use the same computer, how do you stop Rob from reading Diane's love letters to Jason Bieber? How can Josh keep Grace from deleting his Star Wars movie trailers? Using a password solves some of those problems.

In fact, a password is more important than ever in Windows 8 because some accounts can be tied to a credit card. By typing a secret password when signing in, you enable your computer to recognize you and nobody else. If you protect your username with a password, nobody can access your files. And nobody can rack up charges for computer games while you are away from home.

To Set up or change your password, follow these steps:

1. Summon the Charms bar and click the Settings icon
    You fetch the Charms bar differently depending on whether you are using a      mouse, keyboard, or touchscreen:

• Mouse: Move the mouse pointer to the top-right or bottom-right corner of your screen.
• Keyboard: Hold down the Windows key press the letter C.
• Touchscreens:- Slide your finger from the screen's right edge Inward.

    When the Charms bar appears, click the settings icon. The Settings screen appears.

2. Click the words Change PC Settings at the very bottom of the Settings        screen.

     The PC Settings screen appears.

3. Click the Users category on the left and then click the Change Your              Password button. Or, to create a password, click the Create a                      Password button.

    You may need to type your existing password to gain entrance.

4. Type a Password that will be easy to remember.

     Choose something like the name of your favorite vegetable, for example, or      your dental floss brand. To beef up its security level, capitalize                      some letters and embed a number in the password, like Glide2 or                     Ask4More.

5. If asked, type that same password into the Retype Password box, So         Windows knows you are spelling it correctly.

6. In the Password Hint box, type a hint that reminds you- and only you-        of your password.

     Windows won't let you type in your exact password as a hint. You have to        be a bit more creative.

7. Click the Next button, and click Finish.

     Suspect you have botched something during this process? Click Cancel to        return to Step 3 and either start over or exit.

After you have created the password, Windows 8 begins asking for your password whenever you sign in.

• Passwords are Case-Sensitive. The words Caviar and Caviar are considered two different passwords.
• Windows also offers to Create a Picture Password in Step 3, where you drag a finger or mouse over a photo in a certain sequence. Then, instead of entering a password, you redraw the sequence on the sign-in picture.
• Another new option in step 3 is Create a PIN. A PIN is a four-digit code like the ones punched into a Automated Teller Machines. The disadvantage of a PIN? There is no password hint to a four-digit password.

How many of you like to use Lubuntu OS? Why Lubuntu is a Good option to use in place of Windows XP

Windows XP has become an orphan. No, It is parent is not dead. But Microsoft has essentially disowned its progeny as of April 8,2014. From that date, no Windows XP security updates from Microsoft will ever again be available.

Use of Windows XP is now a big Risk

Computer Security experts are agreed that the loss of ongoing Microsoft support makes Win XP far more vulnerable to attacks by hackers than it was when its parent was plugging security gaps on a weekly basis. They are almost unanimous in their recommendation that the millions of current users of Windows XP move as soon as possible to an alternative operating system.

But Where can beleaguered Windows XP users go? Many have neither the desire nor the means to buy the new hardware and software that would be required  to follow Microsoft 's approved migration path and upgrade to Windows 7 or 8.1.

My Church is in that category. We have developed a plan that involves continuing to use Win XP in the short term, while gradually changing over to a new OS for long term stability.

The Operating system we plan to migrate to is Lubuntu Linux. Lubuntu is a member of the UNIX family of operating systems, and is a direct derivative of Ubuntu.

What are Ubuntu and Lubuntu?

The Philosophy behind  Ubuntu is to provide a freely available, open source operating system that includes the most used capabilities of windows without the expense and disruption involved in having to keep up with the Microsoft product cycle.

Like Windows, Ubuntu and Lubuntu have a graphical user interface that makes it easy for non-technical users to navigate. Anyone familiar with windows in its various incarnations already understands the concept of how the Ubuntu GUI functions, though, as we will see, the details can be quite different.

Advantages of the Ubuntu Family

The entire Ubuntu family has some unique features that make it a great alternative for those looking to migrate from Windows XP.

• Linux is inherently a more secure environment than Windows. It has built-in protections against hacker instructions that make it far less vulnerable than Windows XP.
• Ubuntu and its derivatives are open source and entirely free, though, paid commercial support is also available.
• Ubuntu comes with a wide selection of free software preinstalled, including such apps as the Firefox or Chromium browser, the LibreOffice Suite, and many more.
• In addition, there is a Software Center where any of hundreds of free apps can be quickly and easily downloaded and installed without having to individually hunt for them. In my opinion, this is one area where Ubuntu and its derivatives far outshine Windows XP.
• The Ubuntu family is stable and well supported, with more than 20 million users world wide.

Advantages of Lubuntu over Ubuntu

Lubuntu is simply a lighter, less resource intensive descendant of Ubuntu. Ubuntu already requires far fewer resources than Windows. Lubuntu takes that philosophy to the next level. It is specially designed to run on outmoded hardware with limited memory and CPU reqources.

Lubuntu runs great on older Computers 

For my Church, the ability of Lubuntu to run on vintage computers that would otherwise be obsolete is crucial.

We have Dell Laptops and Desktops that are more than a decade old. They are Entirely adequate for the applications we run. Yet we could not upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7 or 8.1 if we wanted to our old hardware can not run the new Windows versions.

Lubuntu will seem more familiar to Windows XP users than Ubuntu

I installed Lubuntu on a Laptop and Ubuntu on a Desktop PC. After working with each implementation for a while, i much prefer the LUbuntu incarnation. That is basically because the GUI is closed to what i am used to on WIndows XP.

The Lubuntu desktop looks pretty much like the Windows XP desktop. Programs can be launched by double-clicking icons on the desktop, or from Lubuntu's equivalent of the Start button. you can also install Shortcuts in folders and launch programs from there.

In contrast, the Ubuntu desktop is not intended to function as a program launcher. There is no equivalent to the Start button, although the most frequently used apps are lined up along the left edge of the desktop. Other programs must be accessed by opening an application launcher window and searching for them.

It is not easy to place shortcuts on the Ubuntu desktop so programs can be launched from there. in fact, I have yet to figure out how to do it. and for me, that is the point. I have to invest far less " figuring out" time with Lubuntu than with Ubuntu.

One of the great things about all members of the Ubuntu family is that you can usually find a way to configure their look and feel pretty much way you want. SO i am sure I could get the Ubuntu GUI to look more XP like if I made the effort. But Lubuntu presents a more familiar interface from the beginning.

How to sign in directly to the Windows 8.1 desktop

One of the biggest issues many people have had with Windows 8 is that it automatically logs you into the Windows 8 Start screen rather than the traditional Windows desktop. For those people who do not want to use the Start screen and instead work off the desktop this change has been very frustrating. If this has been an issue for you, Windows 8.1 allows you to skip the Start screen and boot directly into the desktop. To do this, type Navigation when you are at the Windows Start screen to open a search for that word.

When the search results appear, click on the Navigation Properties result as shown in the image above, This will open the Taskbar and Navigation properties tab.

At this screen, put a check mark in the Go to the desktop instead of Start when I sign in check-box as indicated by the red arrow above. Once that check-box is checked, click on the Apply  button and then press the OK button. With this setting enabled, when you start your Windows 8 computer it will now automatically go to the desktop rather than the Windows 8 Start screen.

How to enable he Narrator screen-reader on Microsoft Surface

Windows has a feature called Narrator, which is a screen reader for the visually impaired. This Program will read dialog boxes, text, and Windows controls to make it easier to use surface for those who have difficulty seeing. To enable Narrator, you can press down and hold the Windows  key and at the same time, press the Volume Up button on the left side of the surface.

When you press the buttons correctly, Surface will announce that Narrator is enabled.

While Narrator is enabled, any prompts, screen text, and Windows controls will be read to you. Unfortunately, Narrator does make it a little more difficult to close a Windows or click on something as you will typically have to tap on something twice to close or select it. When you are ready to turn Narrator off, just use the same Windows + Volume Up button combination. Surface will then disable Narrator.

How to use Windows 8 - Tutorial on Using Windows 8

The First time I sat in front of the Windows 8 interface, I have to admit I was not thrilled. now Start button, I Could not find the control panel, things just were not what I was used to. That was over, two years ago in the early adopter program for windows 8, and now when I use Windows XP or Windows 7, I find it very inefficient to "have to click through so many menus" to find and do basic stuff.

The focus of this article is to share with you not simply how to make Windows 8 work like Windows XP/ Windows 7 "the old way", but instead to really focus on how to do things better and more easily, effectively helping you shortcut the learning process that makes Windows 8 actually extremely  easy and efficient to use.

First of all, some basic terminology and "old way" of finding things so that I can take you through Windows 8 in a way you have learned how to use Windows. As I am sure you are aware, Windows 8 no longer has the "Start button" at the bottom left of the screen.Instead, Microsoft has the "windows 8 Style Menu". This is the menu that Windows comes up with. 

If you are in the middle of an application and you want to get back to the menu, on a tablet, you press the "Home" button or from a keyboard system, you press the "Windows Key".

The "Start button" for the most part is called the "Charm" and it pops up on a touchscreen tablet when you swipe your thumb from right to left on the right side of the screen. On a keyboard system, the charm menu pops up when you move the move cursor all the way to the right bottom of the screen.

From the charm menu, you can click on the top most icon and it shows you all of your applications installed. You will see the search bar and on the left you can scroll through all of your apps.

When you search/find the app you want or simply just scroll through the apps off this Charm/Search view, you can right-click the application, and at the bottom of the screen you are given options to Pin to Start, which adds the app to your Windows 8 Style Menu. you can also Pin to Start things like Control Panel, Command Prompt, Run, etc. I usually Pin everything. I usually use/access to the Start which makes it easy for me to just go back to the main Windows 8 style menu to launch my apps.

Note:- You will also see when you right click an app, you can also Pin to Taskbar. I used to Pin stuff to the Taskbar, but now that more and more apps are coming out with windows 8 menu icons, I no longer find myself working from the older Win 7 "Taskbar". This is one of those crutches you can continue to use, or just move into the 21st Century and start using the native Windows 8 menu.

Note:- You will also see When you right click an app, at the bottom of the screen you can choose to run the app as an Administrator, uninstall the app, find the file/application location. These are helpful "things" we used occasionally in Win 7 in the past that you now have shortcuts to run.

Another option off the Charm Menu is the Settings options when you click on Settings....

..This is where a Lot of things are found, such as Control Panel..

....Power, Network, Change PC Settings where you can change other things that are not in the control panel like desktop background, the photo you associate to your logon..

...add Printer, etc.

Basically click on this Settings place and you will get to a lot of things you may normally access for configuration.

How to Speed up Windows 8 - 13 ways to increase productivity

1 - Boot to desktop

In windows 8.1 users can now boot directly to the desktop. However, this features needs to be activated manually. To do this right-click the Taskbar > Properties > Navigation tab.

Under Start screen, tick the first option that says, "When I sign in or close all apps on a screen, go to the desktop instead of Start". Then click on OK or Apply.

2 - Get a proper Start Button

Windows 8.1 is reintrouduced a sumbed down Start button, but thankfully there are a range alternatives that bring back the fully featured Windows 7 version.

One of the most popular is classic shell and it is free. The app offers three types of Start Button - Classic, Two Column and Windows 7.

Version 4 offers improved compatibility with Windows 8.1. New features  include a dedicated shutdown button, the ability to pin programs to the taskbar from an explorer windows and better Windows Search functionality.

3 - Re-open Libraries

Microsoft has disabled the libraries feature by default. However, this can be reactivated easily. To do this open up Windows Explorer > View > Options. Tick the box libraries in the navigation pane to re-active the feature.

4 - Uninstall unused apps at the same time

Windows 8.1 allows users to select multiple apps and uninstall them all at the same time. If you ever to do this, right click on the Start screen >  Customise > Tick apps you want to uninstall.

5 - Disable Charms

Charms in Windows 8.1 aim to speed up access to menus. But if you find yourself inadvertently activating the menu with your muse, it is possible to disable it.

Go to Taskbar > Properties > Navigation and untick the "When I point to the upper-right corner, show the charms."

6 - Open files in the desktop instead of Modern UI

Music, videos, pictures and PDF files are automatically opened using Modern UI apps by default, but you can changed to be opened within the desktop.

To do this, from the Windows Start screen type " default programs and click on the Default Programs icon under results. Click "Set your default programs" and choose the app you want to set as your default for your files.

7 - Keyboard shortcuts

Many people still use the mouse to perform tasks which can be done quicker using a keyboard shortcut. Here are a few useful combinations which will get you started.

• Windows Key  + C : Opens up the charms menu
• Windows Key  + O : Locks the orientation of the screen
• Windows Key + Q : Opens up the App Search pane. This now appears alone and without the start screen.
• Windows Key + M : Minimizes all Windows and brings you back to the desktop.
• Windows Key + H : Opens the Share charm in any app you are currently in.
• Windows Key + F : Opens up the Search box to help find files.
• Windows Key + I : Opens up the settings Charm.
• Windows Key + (Full Stop) + Arrow Key : Moves app to the left or right of screen so you can view more than one app at a time. Using the down arrow key with this combination will close the app you are in.

8 - Turn off notifications to minimise distractions

If you want to get work done without being distracted by notifications Windows 8.1 has got you covered.

Go to PC Settings > Search & apps and then make sure the quite hours switch is on. You can then choose which times you want to be left in peace.

9 - Search locally and on the internet

The search function in Windows 8.1 searches files on your device and also for answers on internet simultaneously.

When you enter a term, the local files will appear as normally, but swiping to the left will bring up other web pages Bing has trawled through. This also shows up files on SkyDrive too.

10 - Get SkyDrive under control

SkyDrive is baked into Windows 8.1. Files stores here are listed alongside other categories, such as downloads and documents. While cloud storage is a boon to those who use files across multiple machines, you may not want all you files in the cloud.

To ensure that Windows 8.1 is not storing stuff in the cloud without your permission, Go to PC Settings. Here there are settings for the cloud storage tool that will determine whether it is enabled by default as well as how specific content types are handled.

SkyDrive also tries to save space on the hard drive by using what it dubs "Smart Files". This is a great feature as long as you have an internet connection, but useless when you do not. To make sure that all SkyDrive files are accessible when you need them go to Windows Explorer > Right Click SkyDrive > Select Make Available Offline. This will download all files stored in the cloud and save them locally.

11- Ditch Command Prompt and go for PowerShell

In Windows 8.1 right clicking on the Windows icon in the taskbar brings up a list of power user commands.

For those of you that need to carry out more intensive, complex tasks using DOS-Style commands you can replace CMD with Windows PowerShell.

To do this fo to Navigation Properties > Tick the box marked Replace Command Prompt with Windows PowerShell in the menu when I right-click the lower-left corner.

12 - Show all apps instead of live tiles

if you want to retain the Modern UI start screen but want to change the layout, it is possible to display all apps.

To make this more productive in use, it is best to tick all of the last four boxes in the Taskbar and Navigation Properties dialog box.

When you click on the Start button you will see all your desktop application first on the list. of cource you can still go back to the live tiles by clicking the little arrow at the bottom to go back to that view.

13 - Pinning your apps to the taskbar & emails folders to desktop

You should pin your most frequently used apps to your taskbar so you can access them faster. Right click on an app within Modern UI. Then select the option at the bottom that syas "pin to Taskbar".

How to Turn On Bitlocker in Windows 8

BitLocker and BitLocker to go is a great security feature in Windows 8 operating system. which provide full drive encryption for fixed and removable drives, respectively providing protection for your data even when the drive is removed and accessed from elsewhere.

Just follow below given simple steps for enabling Bitlocker in Windows 8.

Step 1 - First Right Click on the drive in which you want to enable Bitlocker and select Turn On Bitlocker.
 

Step 2: Tick Mark on Use a Password to unlock the drive, then Enter your password in the box and click on Next.
(You can also use Smart card to unlock your drive. For using smart card tick mark on use my smart card to unlock the drive and then you will need to insert your smart card).

Step 3: Now take back up of your recovery key and save it to Microsoft account, USB flash drive or print the recovery key. It would be goof idea to save recovery key into USB flash drive.

Step 4:- After Saving your Recovery key Click on the  Next.

Step :- 5 Now you asked how much of your drive to encrypt, select options according to your need and click on Next.

Step:-6 Now you are asked Are you ready to encrypt this drive? Click on Start encrypting.

Step 7:-  Drive Encryption process will be started. once Encryption process is completed Click on Close.

Step 8:- Restart your Computer and you will see that your drive is protected by Bitlocker.

Unlock Drive: 

To Unlock Drive, Right Click on the BitLocker Enabled Drive and select Unlock Drive.

Now Enter your password and Click on unlock.

Change BitLocker Password:

For Changing BitLocker Password just Right click on the BitLocker enabled Drive and select Change BitLocker Password.

Enter old Password, new Password ,Confirm new Password and Click on Change Password. That's it! your BitLocker Password will be changed successfully.

Turn OFF BitLocker in Windows 8 :

If you want to turn OFF Bitlocker, then just right click on the BitLocker enabled Drive and select Manage Bitlocker.

Click On Turn OFF BitLocker.

Now decryption process will start and BitLocker will be disabled on your drive within few seconds.

Click on Close button.

Six Way to Get Start menu in Windows 8

Windows 8 is the latest version of Microsoft. The first update of this is windows 7 which was released three & half years ago. windows 8 Operating System is that it can work same as with the tables, laptops and desktop computers. this can support the input by keyboard & mouse and by touchscreen also, but Start Menu is one of the missing feature of the Windows 8. Start menu contains all the programs and shortcuts.

In Windows 8 we can get Start Menu Back by following options:

• The Classic Shell

The use of Classic shell is free and it is an open source. this can be termed as a kind of the start menu. This can include the features of Windows XP, windows 2000 and 98, windows vista/7 and also this is more configurable.

•  The Start8

In addition to the Windows 7 start menu, it can also offer us the Windows 8 start menu as such. Here, the Start8 is not free to use as we can use the classic shell. If you want to make the use of Start8 for long term, then you have to pay for it. More accuracy can be experienced in the Windows 7 as compered to the classic shell. Now the Start8 is very much familiar with the Windows 8 as it contains the new start screen inside it.

• The IObit Start Menu 8

If someone who is disappointed by the classic shell and cannot buy it, then we can make the use of the new start menu called as the IObit Start Menu 8. This is completely free and can perform the all basic functions as compare to the classic shell. Then, one has to right click on the start menu and for our computer use, we find that there is a large number of options which we can make use in windows 8 and we can hide the other side bars.

 

  

• Create your own start menu

With the help of windows taskbar, we can create our own start menus and they can display the content of a folder. Without using any software, we can create menus here.

• The pokki

 This policy can be defined as the application store for the windows. the Pokki can also offer us various start menus for windows 8. This does not copy the content and this can have the different design. As the policy offers various categories of applications as well as settings. One can create your favorite part, where we can place our most useful programs.

•  The Vistart Menu

Vistart Menu offers various features such as custom skins, buttons and incredible features. It is also compatible with the other versions of operating system such as Windows 7, Vista and XP.

How to create a bootable USB Flash Recovery Drive in Windows 8

Windows 8 has the ability to create a bootable USB Flash recovery drive that can be used to troubleshoot a Windows 8 computer that is unable to start. A recovery drive is the same as a start up repair disk, but instead of being on a CD/DVD it is on a bootable USB drive. Once you boot up a Windows 8 computer with a Recovery Drive you will have access to a variety of diagnostic and troubleshooting utilities that can help resolves issues you may be having.

It should be noted that a recovery drive is not the same as a Windows 8 DVD and you can not use it to install Windows 8. It is also important to create the recovery USB drive on the machine with the same bit-type as the one you need to repair. If you create the drive on a 32-bit machine you will only be able to repair 32-bit versions of windows 8. The same goes for 64-bit versions of the recovery drive. Last, but not the least, Windows 8 will format the USB flash drive that you use to create the recovery drive.

To create the Recovery Drive, type Recovery Drive  at the Windows 8 Start Screen. When the search results appear, click on the  Settings category and then click on the Create a recovery drive  options. This will display a User Account Control Prompt, which you should click Yes to continue. This will open the Recovery Drive program.

Make sure you have a USB flash drive that is at least 256MB inserted into the computer and the nclick on the Next  button. you will now be presented with a screen where you will prompted to select the USB flash drive that you would like to use for the recovery drive.

Select the USB flash drive that you wish to use and then click on the Next button. You will now be shown a warning stating that your USB flash drive will be erased.

If you are ready, click on the Create  button and Windows will turn your USB flash drive into a bootable recovery drive.

When it done you will be shown a screen that states that the recovery drive has been created.

You can now remove the flash drive and store it in a safe place.

In the future if you need to use the recovery drive to start Windows, you can insert it into a Windows 8 machine and boot off of it. If you are unable to boot off the USB drive then you will need to go into your BIOS and enable it as the first boot device. Once your computer starts booting up off the USB Recovery Drive, you will be presented with a screen asking what keyboard layout you would like to use.

Select the Keyboard layout you wish to use by left-clicking on it once. You will now be at a screen where you can choose an option to perform.

You can either choose to Continue booting Windows 8, Turn off your PC, or use a variety of tools to Troubleshoot your Windows 8 installation. As you most likely are using the recovery drive because Windows 8 is no starting correctly, click on the Troubleshoot options. This will open the troubleshoot screen that contains various tools that you can use to repair Windows 8.

The Refresh your PC  option allows you to reinstall Windows 8 while retaining your data.
The Reset your PC  options will perform a clean install of Windows 8 on your computer. This option will remove all the data on your computer, so please be sure to backup your data before performing this option.

If you click on Advanced Options  choice a new screen will open that contains other tools that you can use troubleshoot Windows 8.

The tools on this screen allow you to perform a variety of diagnostic and repair processes on your compute. These options are described below:

• System Restore 

This option allows you to use System Restore to restore your computer back to a state when it was working properly.

• System Image Recovery

This option allows you to restore a system image that you may have created in the past.

• Automatic Repair

Automatic Repair tries to automatically detect and fix problems that may cause Windows 8 not to start.

• Command Prompt

The Recovery Command prompt is a very powerful tool that provides access to your file system as well as variety of repair tools.

When you are done using one of these tools, you will automatically be back to the Choose an option screen where you can continue to use these tools or continue to boot to Windows 8.

How to Start Windows 8 in Safe mode

Safe mode is a Windows mode that uses only the most basic drivers and programs that are required to start Windows. This mode will also not launch any programs that are set to start automatically when windows starts. This makes Safe mode is very useful for diagnosing hardware driver problems and computer infections in Windows 8. It can also be useful when you want to uninstall a program or delete a file that you are unable to remove when Windows is started normally.

To access Safe mode in Windows 8, you need to do so via the Advanced Start up options menu. To restart your computer into the Advanced startup options menu please go to the Windows 8 Start Screen and type Advanced. When the search results appear click on the  Settings  category as shown below.

Now click on the option labeled Advanced Startup options and you will be brought to the General PC Settings screen. Scroll down to the bottom until you see an option labeled Advanced start up.

Click on the  Restart no  button and Windows 8 will restart your computer and go directly into the Advanced Start up options menu.

Now click on the Troubleshoot button and then the Advanced options  button. You will now be at the Advanced options screen where you should click on the Startup settings options.

At the Startup Settings screen, click on the Restart button. Your computer will be restarted and brought into the Startup Settings menu as shown below.

You can start Safe Mode in Windows 8 from this screen. There are 3 possible Safe Modes options that you can choose from, which are described below:\\

• Enable Safe Mode

                 This version of Safe Mode starts windows 8 using the most basic drivers that are required to get Windows to run. It will not start any programs or the networking system.

•  Enable Safe Mode with Networking

                   This version of Safe Mode starts Windows 8 using the most basic drivers that are required to get Windows to run. It will not start any programs automatically, but will start the networking subsystem so that you can access the Internet. This is the most useful Safe Mode Versions as it allows you to download any tools that you may require as well as the ability to update anti-virus programs in case to scan your computer.

•  Enable Safe Mode with Command prompt

                        This version of Safe Mode starts windows 8 using the most basic drivers that are required to get Windows to run, but does not start the Windows shell.  This means that you will not see the desktop, but will instead be shown the command prompt screen where you can type commands. This version will also not start any programs or the networking subsystem. This Safe Mode method can be useful if you are cleaning up an infection that is started when the windows shell, or desktop, is started.

Please select the Safe Mode options by pressing the corresponding option number. Windows will then boot into the safe mode versions that you requested where you will be able to login. Once you login, you will be at the classic windows desktop, which will have the words Safe Mode written in each of the corners.

You can now use the computer as normal and resolve any issues that required you to boot into Safe Mode. If you need to get back to the Windows Start Screen, you can press the ALT button on your keyboard.