1.
Put "God Mode" in easy reach
You
wouldn't know it by looking at the Desktop or Start screen, but Windows 8
practically bristles with settings you can customize. The problem is that
they're scattered throughout Windows 8, and it can be time-consuming to track
them down individually.
However,
there is one way to find them all in one place: You can use what some people
call "God Mode." While the term "God Mode" has a powerful
ring to it, the truth is it's not a separate mode that you put Windows into.
It's really a hidden folder that gives you fast access to many settings spread
out across Windows 8. It's easy to put that folder right on the Desktop.
First, make sure that you can view hidden
files in File
Explorer, the system navigation app that in earlier versions of Windows was
called Windows Explorer. Run File Explorer, click the View tab, and check the
boxes next to "Hidden items" and "File name extensions" in
the Ribbon at the top.
Then
right-click the Desktop and select New --> Folder. That creates a folder on
the Desktop named "New folder." Rename the folder:
GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}
The
GodMode folder on the Desktop.
The
folder icon changes, and it has the name GodMode.
(Note
that the "GodMode" text isn't what turns the folder into a special
folder; instead, it's that long string of letters and numbers inside the curly
brackets. You can use any text you want before the period just ahead of the
opening bracket, and it still points to the same folder and everything works
the same.)
Double-click
the icon, and you'll launch a folder filled with dozens of actions, tools and
tweaks, from "Change Automatic Maintenance settings" to "View
update history." They're organized by category. Expand or shrink each
category by clicking the small triangle next to it. Each category displays a
number next to it, showing how many settings there are in it.
"God
Mode" offers a plethora of settings and actions. Click to view larger
image.
To
start any action or tweak, double-click it in the list. In some cases you'll
follow a wizard, in other cases you'll need to fill in dialog boxes, and in yet
other cases you'll be sent to the Control Panel or another Windows location to
do the work.
2. Put a quick-and-dirty Start menu on the taskbar
Particularly
high on the list of things that annoy people about Windows 8 is the omission of
the Desktop's Start menu. Microsoft
did its best to stomp it to death -- but it didn't quite succeed. In the
Windows 8 cheat sheet I showed you how to use free
or paid add-on programs to get the Start button and menu back.
If
don't want to use third-party software to get a Start menu, you can build your
own quick-and-dirty one in no time. You won't get the full traditional Windows
Start menu with Search button, recently run apps, the Control Panel, your
network and so on. Instead you get a menu that lets you browse through
applications and launch them.
First
make sure that you can view hidden files in File Explorer, as outlined in
the tip above.
Now
right-click the Desktop's taskbar and select Toolbars --> New Toolbar. From
the screen that appears, navigate to
C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu
where
username is your account name, and
click the Select Folder button. That will place a Start Menu toolbar on the far
right of the taskbar. Click its double arrow to display a variety of folders
(such as Programs and Computer) that you can browse through until you see the
item you want; click it to launch it.
Here's
your quick-and-dirty Start menu. Click to view
larger image.
To
make the Start Menu toolbar go away, right-click the taskbar and select
Toolbars, then de-select the Start Menu listing.
By
the way, you may have noticed that when you right-click the taskbar and select
Toolbars, there are other pre-built toolbars you can put on the taskbar. Here
are your choices and what each does:
Address: Adds a
box on the Taskbar into which you type URLs. After you enter one, press Enter
and you'll head to the site in Internet Explorer.
·
· Links: Displays your
Internet Explorer favorites on the Taskbar.
Touch Keyboard: Displays
a keyboard icon on the Taskbar. Click it to display an onscreen keyboard.
Desktop: Displays
a list of every icon on your Desktop. It even displays some items that aren't
visible on the Desktop, such as Homegroup. For any item with a subfolder
beneath it (such as Homegroup and Network), you'll see an arrow next to it.
Move your cursor to the arrow to see all of the subfolders beneath it.
To
turn off any toolbar, right-click the taskbar and choose Toolbars, then uncheck
the toolbar.
3. Use and hack the Power User menu
Microsoft
giveth and Microsoft taketh away. In Windows 8 it took away the Start menu, but
it also provided a very useful new tool: the Power User menu. Right-click in
the lower-left corner of the Desktop (or press the Windows key + X) and up pops
a text-based menu that gives you access to 16 tools, including a Run box, a
command prompt, an administrative command prompt, the Device Manager and plenty
of other useful power tools.
Windows
8's new Power User menu.
Most
choices are self-explanatory, but not all. For example, click "Programs
and Features" and you get sent to a Control Panel applet that lets you
uninstall Desktop programs, look at Windows updates you've installed and turn
certain Windows features on or off.
The
Mobility Center sends you to an applet that lets you do things such as change
your display brightness, screen orientation, presentation settings and so on.
And in case you didn't realize that the Control Panel still existed, there's a
link to that as well.
Another
nice thing about the Power User menu: It's hackable. You can delete items you
don't want to appear there and add items you do want to appear there, such as programs
you run frequently or even individual files.
To
do it, you'll first have to make sure that you can view hidden files in File
Explorer, as outlined
previously. Then go to
C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\WinX
where
username is your account name. You'll
see three folders there: Group1, Group2 and Group3. Each has shortcuts to the
apps that appear on the Power Menu. Group1 contains the Desktop; Group2
contains the Control Panel, File Explorer, Run, Search and Task Manager; and
Group3 contains two for the Command Prompt (one of which is an Admin command
prompt), Computer Management, Device Manager, Disk Management, Event Viewer,
Power Options, Programs and Features, System and Windows Mobility Center.
These
shortcuts show up as menu items on the Power User menu.
Click to
view larger image.
Look
back at the Power User menu. Notice that there are three groups separated by
two faint lines? They correspond to the folders in the WinX folder. The app in
Group1 (Desktop) is at the bottom, then there's a line, then there are the apps
in Group2, then there's a line, and then there are the apps in Group3.
To
edit the Power User menu, just make changes to the contents of the folders
Group1, Group2 and Group3. Delete a shortcut and it vanishes from the menu; add
a shortcut and it appears on the menu.
Delete
a shortcut as you would any other shortcut: Select it and press your Delete
key. (When you delete a shortcut, the file it points to isn't deleted; only the
shortcut goes away.) To add a shortcut, open the folder into which you want to
place it, right-click on an empty spot, select New --> Shortcut, and follow
the wizard that appears.
After
you've finished deleting shortcuts and adding new ones, sign out of Windows and
then sign back in. Your new Power User menu will be waiting for you on your
return.
4. Customize the lock screen
When
you boot up your PC or wake it from sleep, it heads right to Windows 8's lock
screen. Along with a large image, the screen displays the time and date as
well as notifications and status updates from certain apps -- email, social
networks, calendar and more. It provides a quick rundown on things you might be
interested in seeing without having to sign into Windows 8. Just wake up your
Windows 8 device and the info is there, waiting for you on the lock screen.
By
default, the lock screen shows notifications from the Messaging, Mail, Calendar
and Weather apps. But maybe you'd like to see Twitter
updates or info from another app, or you'd like to change the image. You can
easily customize all that.
The
place to go to do it is the Lock screen settings screen. To get there, press
the Windows key + C to display the Charms bar, and then select the Settings
icon. Click "Change PC settings" at the bottom of the Settings pane.
The "PC settings" screen appears. Under Personalize, choose
"Lock screen."
You'll
see your lock screen image at the top of the screen. Just beneath the image are
other images you can use. Click one to make it the new lock screen image. To
find other images you can use for the lock screen, click the Browse button and
browse through your pictures. Select the one you want to use and click the
"Choose picture" button to make it your new lock screen image.
Here's
command central for changing your lock screen settings, starting with the
image.
Just
below the image on the Lock screen settings screen is the "Lock screen
apps" section. Here you'll find icons for the apps that automatically
display notifications and updates on your lock screen.
Click
a plus sign and choose an app to display alerts and notifications on the lock
screen.
Over
to the right of them are several plus signs. Click a plus sign and you'll see a
list of apps that can display notifications and updates. Pick one and it will
display alerts and other information on the lock screen.
Note
that when you click a plus sign, you'll see both the apps that are already
displaying notifications and alerts on your lock screen as well as those that
aren't currently doing so. If you choose one that already displays its
notifications on the Start screen, nothing new happens -- the app still
displays notifications, with no change. To stop an app from displaying
notifications, click it and then click "Don't show quick status
here."
Underneath
that section is one that's a little more baffling: "Choose an app to
display detailed status." The app in this section displays more
information on the lock screen than other apps.
Here's
the Lock screen showing detailed information from the Calendar app.
Only
the Calendar app and the Weather app can show this kind of detailed
information, and only one at a time. To change from one to the other, click the
icon that's there and select the other icon. From then on, that app will show
its detailed status.
If
you want neither app to show detailed status, click the icon and select
"Don't show detailed status on the lock screen." Neither app shows
detailed information, and the icon changes to a plus sign. If you want to
reinstate detailed weather or calendar information, click the plus sign and
select either app.
5. Lock the lock screen image
If
you share a Windows 8 PC with others and don't want them messing with the lock
screen image, you can lock it so that it can't be changed. To do it, though,
you're going to have to get down and dirty by editing the Registry.
Caution: Keep in
mind before trying this that you can do damage to your system if you use the
Registry incorrectly, so if you don't feel comfortable with Registry editing,
stop right now. (See our story "The
tweaker's guide to the Windows Registry" for more information about
Registry editing. And be very sure to read the instructions for backing
up the Registry before you attempt any Registry edits whatsoever.)
For
those who do feel comfortable, when you're on the Start screen, type regedit,
click Apps on the right-hand side of the screen, then click the regedit.exe
icon that appears on the left side of the screen.
Launching
the Registry Editor.
A
security window
appears asking if you want to allow the Registry Editor to make changes to your
PC. Click Yes, and the Registry Editor launches.
Now
navigate to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\
See
if there's a key called Personalization there. If the key already exists, don't
create another one. Instead, follow the instructions in the next paragraph. If
the key doesn't exist, you'll have to create it. To do so, click Edit -->
New --> Key. That creates a new key, but it will have a name like "New
Key #1." You have to rename it. Right-click it, select Rename, and rename
it Personalization.
Now
that the Personalization key is there, create a new DWORD value under it called
NoChangingLockScreen. To do that, right-click the Personalization key and
select New --> DWORD (32-bit) Value. Rename the DWORD value
NoChangingLockScreen. Double click-it and change its value from 0 to 1. Now
exit the Registry Editor.
Setting
the NoChangingLockScreen DWORD value to 1 prevents the lock screen image from
being changed. Click to view
larger image.
Log
out of Windows or restart it, then log back in. The lock screen background
shouldn't be changeable -- consider it locked. If you want to allow the
background to be changed in the future, use the Registry Editor to change the
value of NoChangingLockScreen from 1 to 0.
6. Kill the lock screen altogether
Not
a fan of the lock screen? There are plenty of people who don't find it useful
and would prefer to bypass it so they can just sign into Windows and get
straight to work. You won't find a setting to do it. Instead, you'll have to
use the Registry Editor.
All
the caveats about using the Registry Editor outlined in the previous tip apply
here, so keep in mind it could be dangerous to use it. However, if you're
comfortable using the Registry Editor, follow the instructions in "Lock
the lock screen image" above to launch the Registry Editor, and, if
you haven't already done so, to create a Registry key called Personalization in
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\
Create
a new DWORD value under the Personalization key by right-clicking it and
selecting New --> DWORD (32-bit) Value. Rename the DWORD value NoScreenLock.
Double click-it and change its value from 0 to 1. Now exit the Registry Editor.
The
new setting should take effect immediately. The next time you reboot or wake
your PC, you won't see the lock screen. Instead, you'll go straight to the
Windows sign-in screen.
7.
Bend File Explorer to your will
Windows
8's File Explorer file manager is different from the old Windows Explorer in
more than just name. It's gotten a complete makeover, notably by the addition
of a Ribbon interface that puts many tasks, features and views in easy reach.
Following are my favorite ways to get more out of it.
But
first you need to make sure that File Explorer displays the Ribbon, because it
might not be turned on. To turn it on, press Ctrl-F1 or click the
downward-facing arrow on the upper right of its screen. The Ribbon displays,
and the downward-facing arrow turns into an upward-facing arrow. To turn it
back off, press Ctrl-F1 again or click the upward-facing arrow.
Turn panes on and off
File
Explorer has several useful panes you can turn on and off. Click the View tab
to find them. You'll find ways to turn them on and off on the far left-hand
side of the Ribbon. Just click the pane you want turned on, and if there are
options, select options from the menu that appears when you click the arrow
next to the pane's icon.
The
first basic choice is whether to use the Navigation pane. That's the pane on
the left-hand side of File Explorer, and it's what you use to navigate through
your hard disk. Click its icon on the View tab and uncheck "Navigation
pane" to turn it off, or check it to turn it on. There are also several
other options available, such as whether to show favorite folders such as
Desktop, Downloads and Recent Places.
The
Navigation pane on the left helps you get around your hard drive. The Preview
pane on the right displays a large thumbnail of a file you click. Click to view
larger image.
There's
another choice there: whether to use the Preview pane or the Details pane, or
neither. (You can't use both at once.) Either pane lives all the way over on
the right-hand side of File Explorer. If you select the Preview pane and then
click a file, you'll see a large thumbnail of the file in the pane, or else the
actual contents of the file, as long as you have an app that runs or reads the
file. (For example, Office for displaying .doc files.)
The
Details pane shows detailed file information and a small thumbnail.
If
you instead choose the Details pane, you'll see details about the file, such as
its size, when it was created, its file name and more depending on the file
type. (For example, for pictures it displays the dimensions.)
Click
the Preview pane or Details pane icon in the Ribbon to turn it on, and click it
again to turn it off.
Display hidden files and folders
Microsoft
assumes that most people don't want to see the plumbing of Windows, and so
hides many system files and folders, as well as file name extensions. But if
you want to tweak how Windows 8 works, you'll need to see that plumbing.
It's
easy to display it. On the View tab, check the box next to "Hidden
items" to display hidden system files and folders, and check the box next
to "File name extensions" to display those.
Hide
files and folders
To
hide those files and folders again, simply uncheck the "Hidden items"
checkbox again.
Want
to hide more files and folders?
Simply select them, then click "Hide selected items" near the right
edge of the Ribbon's View tab. Then, when the "Hidden items" checkbox
is unchecked, you won't be able to see those items.
Change icon sizes
While
you're on the View tab, you can change the size of the icons that represent
files and folders. You'll find these options just to the right of the icons for
turning panes on and off.
Here's
what you see when you choose extra large icons (left) or small icons (right).
Add columns
By
default, when you open a folder, File Explorer shows three columns of
information about each file in the folder: date modified, type and size. But
you can add columns that show other information, such as the date it was
created, its author, tags and more. Just go to the View tab's "Current
view" group and click the down arrow next to "Add columns" to
add them.
These
are your options for adding columns of information about each file in File
Explorer.
Click to
view larger image.
Near
the "Add columns" choice, you get several options to change how those
columns display, including how you sort them, group them and make them all fit
on a single screen.
Use
the invert selection feature
On
the far-right side of the Home tab, there is a group of commands called Select.
The "Select all" option selects all files in a folder, and
"Select none" deselects them. The third option, "Invert
selection," is confusingly named but surprisingly useful.
Let's
say that you've hand-selected certain files in a folder by holding down the
Ctrl key while clicking them. Once you've selected them, you can perform a task
on them all -- delete them or copy them or move them somewhere else, for
example.
Now
imagine that you've got 30 files in a folder, and you want to delete 26 of
them. The obvious way to do it would be to tediously hand-select 26 of them one
by one and then delete them. Here's where "Invert selection" comes to
your rescue.
Select
the four that you don't want to
delete, and then click "Invert selection." Now all the files that you
selected are no longer selected, and the other 26 are selected. You've inverted
the selection, and you can now mass-delete the 26 files.
8. Use (and tweak) the All Apps screen
One
of the most disconcerting things about Windows 8's dual interface is that it's
difficult to see in one place all the apps you can run -- both Windows 8 Store
apps and Desktop applications. You can find the Windows 8 Store apps on the
Start screen, but all of your Desktop apps don't necessarily appear there. And
because there's no longer a Start button on the Desktop, you can't find all of
your Desktop apps there, either.
However,
there's a way to see all of them in one place: Go to the All Apps screen. To
get there, on the Start screen either right-click an empty space or press the
Windows key + Z. That opens the App bar across the bottom of the screen.
There's only one thing you can do on the bar: click the "All apps"
button at the right.
That
displays the All Apps screen, which, as the name implies, shows you all the
apps on your system. On the left you'll find all the Windows 8 Store apps, and
to the right, the Desktop apps. Click any to run it.
The
Windows 8 All Apps screen. Click to view
larger image.
The
Desktop apps on the right-hand side are organized into groups -- Windows
Accessories, Windows Ease of Access, Windows System, and so on. If you've
installed software, those apps might be in their own groups as well. But you
can rearrange the apps in these groups if you like. Here's what you need to
know.
The
organization of the Desktop apps on the All Apps screen mimics the structure of
two hidden Windows folders:
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start
Menu\Programs
and
C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
where
username is your Windows 8 account
name. The first folder has all the apps that all users of the system will see, while the second has those that
show up for an individual user.
Any
subfolder in those folders shows up as a group -- such as Windows Accessories
-- on the All Apps screen. And all the shortcuts in those folders show up as
apps inside the groups on this screen -- for example, Calculator and Character
Map. To change the organization of Desktop groups and apps on the All Apps
screen, you only need to change the folder and shortcut structure in those two
folders.
First,
make sure you can view hidden files in File Explorer, as outlined earlier
in the story. Then go into those folders, and add any folders that you want
to show up as groups on the All Apps screen. In those folders, add shortcuts to
any apps you want to show up as part of those groups. Delete any folders and
shortcuts that you don't want to appear. That's all it takes. The changes will
be reflected on the All Apps screen.
(Note:
You can also rearrange and regroup the apps on your Start screen. To find out
how, see "Customize
the Start screen" in the Windows 8 cheat sheet.)
9. Build an Applications folder for quick program
launching from the Start screen or Desktop
There's
an even quicker way to access all your apps, whether you're on the Desktop or
the Start screen: Create an Applications folder to house them all.
First,
run File Explorer. Navigate to the Desktop and create a new folder. After you
create it, rename it:
Applications.{4234d49b-0245-4df3-b780-3893943456e1}
On
the Desktop and in File Explorer, the folder will be called Applications.
Double-click it to see a list of all your applications, including Windows 8
Store apps, traditional Desktop applications and many system apps such as
Control Panel. To run an app, double-click it.
The
Applications folder includes both Windows 8 apps and Desktop apps. Click to view
larger image.
There's
still one problem, though: The folder doesn't show up on the Start screen. It's
simple to put it there, though. Right-click it on the Desktop or in File
Explorer and select "Pin to Start." It's now pinned to the Start
screen, though it might not be immediately visible there.
To
find it, scroll all the way over to the right, and it'll be there. Click it,
and the folder opens with all your apps. If you like, you can move it to a more
prominent location on the Start screen by dragging it to the left.
10.
Fool the Mail app into using POP mail
The
Windows 8 Mail app has a surprising shortcoming -- it won't work with email
accounts that use the POP3 mail protocol. Instead, Windows 8 Mail works with
Web-based mail accounts such as Gmail and Outlook.com and accounts that use
IMAP.
However,
there's a workaround that solves the problem. You can tell either a Gmail or an
Outlook.com account to get POP3-based mail from a POP3 account, and then tell
Windows 8 Mail to get mail from that account.
Of
course, you'll also have to consider whether your POP email account might
contain sensitive correspondence that you don't wish to share with an
additional cloud-based service. If you're willing to route your mail through
Outlook.com or Gmail, keep reading for how to do it. (Skip
to Gmail instructions.)
Configure Outlook.com to get POP3 mail
Got
an Outlook.com account? You might have one without knowing it. The service was
formerly called both Hotmail and Windows Live Mail at various times in its
history, and those accounts have been converted to Outlook.com automatically.
So if you've got an old Hotmail account, for instance, just go to Hotmail.com
and log in; you'll be redirected to Outlook.com.
If
for some reason your account hasn't been upgraded, just log into your Hotmail
or Windows Live Mail account, click Options, select Upgrade to Outlook.com and
follow the instructions. Your messages, rules and so on will be brought over.
If
you don't have an Outlook.com account, sign up.
Once
you're logged into Outlook.com:
1.
Click the Settings icon in the upper-right of the screen, and then select
"More mail settings."
2.
Under "Managing your account," click "Your email accounts"
and then select "Add a send-and-receive account."
3.
From the screen that appears, click "Advanced options." Here's where
you enter the information you normally need to access your POP account,
including the server address, port number and so on. If you don't have it,
check with your email provider.
You
can also check whatever mail client you normally use for the information. If
you're using Outlook 2010, for instance, select File --> Info --> Account
settings --> Account setting and click the E-mail tab. Double-click the
account, and you'll find the necessary information.
Configuring
Outlook.com to work with a POP3 account. Click to
view larger image.
4.
Make sure to pay attention to a setting that's easy to overlook: whether or not
to leave copies of your mail messages on the server. If you're planning to have
Windows Mail be your only mail client for accessing your POP-based mail,
consider having the messages deleted from the server. However, if you're going
to have multiple devices access the mail, make sure to leave the messages on
the server. Click Next.
5.
On the next screen, you'll be asked whether you want to create a new folder for
the mail or keep it in your Outlook.com Inbox. Make your choice and select
Next.
6.
A verification email will be send to your POP account. Click that link. You'll
be sent to a page on Outlook.com telling you that you're set up. You're now
ready to tell Windows 8 Mail to get mail from Outlook.com (see
below).
Configure Gmail to get POP3 mail
To
configure Gmail to grab POP3 mail from an existing POP3 account:
1.
In Gmail, click the gear icon on the upper-right corner of the screen and
select Settings --> Accounts and Import --> Add a POP3 mail account you
own.
2.
On the screen that appears, enter your email address.
3.
On the next screen, enter the information you normally need to access your POP
account, including the server address, port number and so on. If you don't have
it, check with your mail provider.
You
can also check whatever mail client you normally use for the information. If
you're using Outlook 2010, for instance, select File --> Info --> Account
settings --> Account setting and click the E-mail tab. Double-click the
account, and you'll find the necessary information.
Configuring
Gmail to get POP3 mail.
4.
After you're done, click Add Account. From the screen that appears, tell Gmail
that you want to send messages from the account, not just receive them. You'll
have to enter your outgoing email settings and have Gmail send the account an
email to verify that it's yours.
5.
When you receive the verification email at your POP3 account, click the link
and follow the instructions for verifying the address. That's it; Gmail will
start retrieving your POP3 mail. You're now ready to tell Windows 8 Mail to get
mail from Gmail.
Configure Windows 8 Mail to get mail from Outlook.com or
Gmail
Run
the Windows 8 Mail app, press the Windows key + C to display the Charms bar,
and select Settings --> Accounts --> Add an account.
To
get mail from Outlook.com, select Outlook on this screen. Enter your
Outlook.com email address and password, click Connect, and you'll start getting
the POP mail via Outlook.com.
To
get mail from Gmail, select Google
on the Add an account screen. Enter your email address and password and click
Connect. You'll start getting POP mail via Gmail.
