There are quite good options for personalizing the Start screen, but in Windows 8.1 they have expanded even further and allow you to customize almost all its aspects. The new release has increased the selection of colors and patterns, including animated ones, and there are some less obvious improvements that are worth knowing about.
Patterns and colors
The most obvious customization options are available right from the start screen. Just click “Settings” and select “Personalize”.
Everything works almost the same as in Windows 8, but there are many more possibilities. There are twenty options available in the list of background patterns, including six animated, twelve static, a blank background (matching the background color), and Desktop wallpaper. The choice of background and foreground colors is also very wide, especially compared to Windows 8. Together, this allows you to completely customize the Start screen to your liking. Here are a few examples where only the pattern, background and foreground colors are different.
Tip: if you expect to frequently switch between the Start screen and the Desktop, you should use the same background for them - this will soften the harshness of the transition from one interface to another.
Tiles
Consolidating administrative utilities. Administrators and old-school IT pros will appreciate the ability to pin administrative tools to the Start screen. To do this, click on the Settings charm on the start screen and select Tiles.
Turn live tiles on and off. The main advantage of Windows 8.1 in general and the Start screen in particular is the ability of tiles to update and show relevant information in real time. However, some would prefer to do without it - and they have such an opportunity. To turn off updating for one or more tiles, select them and select the “Turn Live Tile Off” option in the panel that appears. You can turn updates back on in the same way, just keep in mind that some tiles simply aren’t dynamic.
Replacing the Home screen
Desktop users might want to replace the Start screen with an Applications screen, which shows a static but comprehensive list of all installed programs. As I already said in the article “”, this can be done in the properties of the taskbar, on the “Navigation” tab. The option you want is called “Show the Apps view automatically when I go to Start.” If desired, the list of applications can be sorted by category to make it even more convenient.
Setting up synchronization
When you use a Microsoft account (as it's designed to do), Windows 8.1 automatically syncs a ton of settings, including the Home screen, so you can work in the same environment on all your computers. It's worth exploring these settings because not all Home screen settings are synced by default.
Home screen sync settings can be found under PC Settings | SkyDrive | Synchronizing settings" (PC Settings | SkyDrive | Sync Settings).
The following options are available:
“Sync your settings on this PC.” This option must be enabled for settings to sync for a given computer.
"Start screen". When this option is enabled, tiles and their placement are synced across all computers. By default this option is disabled, and if you enable it there are some interesting side effects. Let's say modern applications that are not installed on the current computer may appear on the start screen, and if you click on the tile of such an application, it will be automatically installed.
"Performance" (Appearance). By default, this option is enabled and is responsible for synchronizing the pattern, background and foreground colors of the Start screen (as well as other settings not related to the Start screen). If you prefer to use different settings on different computers, it is better to disable this option.
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This article shows you the steps you can use to set up a second monitor in Windows 8.1
The operating system initially provides support for multi-monitor systems of various configurations, just for those who prefer a computer with multiple monitors.
For many users, one monitor is not enough; they need at least a couple of monitors to have the largest possible workspace. There are also those who need more than one monitor, for example for presentations. In Windows 8.1 this feature is called "Share to Screen"
To connect a second monitor, you need a computer with an additional video signal output to an external display: HDMI, VGA or DVI port, as well as a cable that connects the monitor to the port.
CONTENT:Access the Cast to Screen feature
There are several ways to access the Cast to Screen feature.
1 way
Method 2
Press the keyboard shortcut + P
The Cast to Screen panel opens.
You have four options for working with a second monitor:
Computer screen only(PC screen only). The second screen remains dark. Nothing is projected onto him.
Duplicate. The contents of the main screen are copied to the second screen. This option is optimal for presentations. In this case, the resolution of both screens should be the same.
Extend (Extend). Two screens turn into one large virtual screen. This makes it possible to display one file on two screens, for example, a large photo.
Second screen only(Second screen only). This option allows you to check the resolution of the second screen. Accordingly, if you have a laptop whose presentation is projected onto a large screen, choose this option for optimal results.
Configuring Monitors
When expanding the screen to two monitors, if more fine-tuning is required, you will have to use the classic “Screen Resolution” panel, available in the desktop context menu.
Configuring the taskbar
After extending your Windows 8.1 screen to multiple monitors, each of them will have the same taskbar by default. But this can be fixed. You may prefer to remove the taskbar from one of the monitors altogether, or leave only icons for applications running on that monitor on each panel.
To select the desired configuration, right-click on the taskbar and select Properties from the menu that appears. On the Taskbar tab of the dialog window that opens, find the section Multiple displays. To have the taskbar appear only on your primary monitor, uncheck Show taskbar on all displays
If you prefer the default configuration, where each monitor has its own taskbar, you can set the behavior of these taskbars using drop-down lists. Here are the available options:
■ All taskbars.
The default mode where the same panel is present on both monitors.
■ The main taskbar and the taskbar in which a window is open.
In this case, the taskbar on the main monitor contains icons of all running applications, while on the second monitor it contains only icons of applications that are running on it. Let's say you have Internet Explorer and Word running on your main monitor, and PowerPoint and Excel on the second monitor. The taskbar on the main monitor will contain icons for Internet Explorer, Word, PowerPoint and Excel. On the second monitor there will be only PowerPoint and Excel icons.
■ Taskbar with a window open.
In this mode, the taskbar on each monitor will contain only icons of applications running on this monitor. As a result, if we recall the above example again, only the application icons for Internet Explorer and Word will appear on the taskbar of the first monitor, and PowerPoint and Excel on the taskbar of the second monitor
Selecting a background on monitors
To configure screen design settings, you need to open the “Personalization” panel, also accessible from the desktop context menu or control panel, and go to the section Desktop background. Select a suitable background and right-click on it. A menu will appear as shown in the screenshot below. Here you can select which monitor this background should be placed on. In the same way, select the background for the second monitor.
The Start screen in Windows 8 has undergone some changes compared to earlier versions of Windows. Immediately after booting your computer or laptop, you will not see the usual desktop. But, you will see a new tiled Metro interface. In general, this is the same Start button, only in a slightly different form.
But when you go to the desktop, the taskbar will not have the Start button that is familiar to many users. This problem is solvable. Read the article: How to get Start back in Windows 8. Moreover, you can configure it so that it looks like in Windows 7 or XP.
You can also install gadgets in Windows 8 and use different hotkey combinations to have quick access to things like PC settings or search.
Well, now let's return to the main question and configure the Start screen so that it is convenient to work with Windows 8.
Here we have a wide field of actions: you can add or remove tiles from the Metro screen, change their size, move them, and create groups.
Press the Win+I key combination and select "Change computer settings". Or swipe from the right edge to the center if you have a touch screen.
On the tab "Lock Screen" You can select a screensaver and configure applications whose information will be displayed on the lock screen.
On the tab "Home Screen" select a suitable color and background for the screen.
On the "Avatar" tab, you can put an image for your local or Microsoft account.
We return to the Metro home screen by pressing the Win key on the keyboard. If you want to remove any tiles from the screen, select them with the right mouse button or press and hold a tile with your finger, then click "Unpin from Start".
If you select one tile, you can change its size in the menu below or remove the application from your computer.
You can scroll the screen either with your finger if it is a touch screen, or using the mouse wheel. To move the desired tile to another part of the screen or group, click and hold it with your mouse or finger and move it.
If there are tiles on the screen on which the image changes: weather, photos, travel, highlight the desired tile and select from the menu below "Disable dynamic tiles", the tile will take on a static appearance.
Now let's figure out how to work with groups of tiles. To do this, you need to change the scale of the main screen: move two fingers from the top and bottom edges of the screen to the center, scroll the mouse wheel while holding down the Ctrl key, or click on the “–” sign in the lower right corner.
The groups are separated from each other by a wide strip. Point at one of the groups and you will see the boundaries of its area. Groups can be swapped by clicking and holding one of them with your finger or mouse and dragging it to the desired location. For example, a group containing rarely used applications can be moved to the end.
To give a group a name, select it with the right mouse button or hold it with your finger. Then from the menu select "Name the group".
To create a new group, from the Start screen, touch and hold a tile with your mouse or finger, then drag it outside the gray bar.
If you have a lot of groups created, you can zoom out on the Metro screen and quickly move to the desired tile. This is to avoid turning the wheel or scrolling the screen with your finger.
To add the shortcuts you need to the Start screen, right-click on an empty space and go "All applications".
Then select the one you need with the right mouse button and select an action from the menu list below. For example, you can pin an app to the Start screen or taskbar.
To pin an application to the Start screen, you can also right-click on it and select from the context menu "Pin to Start".
If you wish, you can also create buttons to quickly shut down or restart your computer, and add them to the desired group on the Metro screen. For example, I have such a button called Time to rest. Clicking on it terminates the operating system. I have already written about how to create shortcuts to quickly turn off your computer. Read the article by following the link. Let me just clarify: to shut down, use the command shutdown /s /t 0 , to reboot shutdown /r /t 0 .
After I finished writing this article: Customizing the Windows 8 Start Screen, my Metro screen looked like this. Now I have quick access to all the programs I need.
The greatest dissatisfaction among users of previous versions of Windows when switching to a new operating system was caused by two things:
- By default, a new Start screen with “Tiles” opened, so to go to the “familiar” desktop you had to click on the corresponding tile. The next time I logged in, the same thing happened again.
- To turn off/restart the computer using the mouse, you had to “call up the magic buttons, go into the parameters, select the shutdown item and select the desired action.
The "Start" button appeared in its usual place. On click right By clicking on this button, a convenient menu appears with the ability to immediately choose to shut down or restart the PC.
However, when the system starts, tiles still open, not the desktop. To configure the desktop to open instead of "tiles", you must first go to the "Desktop". Then you need to click right mouse button on the "Taskbar".
Next, select “Properties” from the pop-up menu. A window will open dedicated to all the taskbar and “navigation” settings. It is the “Navigation” tab that we need to configure the opening of the desktop instead of the “start screen”. On this tab, find the item “When you log in and close all applications, open the desktop instead of the Start screen” and check the box.
Don't forget to click the "Apply" button, otherwise your changes will not be taken into account. Now, when you turn on your computer or laptop, instead of the start screen (tiles), the good old desktop will always open.
Let us remind you that owners of licensed Windows 8 can upgrade their system to Windows 8.1 absolutely free of charge - this can be done through the Windows Store. If you purchase one version of a Windows 8 product or
In this article, we will look at the device of the Start screen of Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 (aka the Start menu, also known as the main menu). It must be said that those who worked with previous versions of Windows will not really understand the design of the 8 home screen at first glance. There are several tile buttons with different colors.and designed to run various kinds of programs. Each tile button has a name and logo. And on the tiles of the most professional programs, photos, news, weather forecasts and other various data provided by the Internet are displayed, constantly updated.
To run any program simply Move your mouse cursor to the tile you need and click on it with the left mouse button. The program will launch immediately and begin to carry out its functions. At the very beginning of the list there are tile buttons from the standard Windows set, and after them there are programs that the user will install himself. We'll talk about installing, configuring and uninstalling programs in future articles on Windows 8.
It is worth noting that all the button tiles may not fit on the screen, especially when you install a great many different programs and computer games. But, as the famous song says, we will survive this trouble! There are a number of ways to scroll through this list of programs. For example, using a computer mouse: you just need to turn the mouse wheel towards or away from you to scroll the screen back and forth.
You can scroll through the screen without using a mouse - directly from the keyboard using the keys Page Down And Page Up. If your list of applications is very long and stretches over several screens, then the keyboard key End will immediately send the user to the very end, and the key Home will return to the beginning.
At worst, you can use the scroll bar located at the very bottom of the Windows 8 Start screen (shown in the figure on the right). This is a narrow gray strip with a wide light slider. All you need to do is move the mouse cursor there, hold it on it and drag it in the direction you want. I think that this action is already familiar to you. In fact, in the main menu of Windows 8, even if you scroll to the very end, not all of its intricacies are shown.
To see a complete list of installed programs, you need to right-click on any space on the start screen. Immediately at the bottom, a panel with buttons will slide out, the number of which depends on where exactly you clicked - on a tile or on an empty space.
If you have Windows 8.1 installed, then everything will be much simpler: on the initial screen, under the tiles on the left, there is always a round button with a down arrow, which you should press. Thus, the path to the complete list of programs and games will be shortened by 1 step. In Windows 8, the complete list of programs is as follows: Single applications sorted alphabetically come first, followed by groups of applications. In each of these groups, the tiles are also sorted alphabetically. For example, in a group Standard - Windows You can find tiles for launching text and graphic editors, the programs “Notes”, “Sound Recorder”, “Calculator”, “Scissors” and so on.
Most programs that we install ourselves also create a separate logical group for themselves. For example, let's take Microsoft Office– his group will contain tiles for launching text and spreadsheet editors, programs for creating presentations and databases, and other office applications.
To return from the application list to the Home screen, press Windows key on keyboard. Or right-click again and press the same button All applications. In Windows 8.1, the road will once again be 1 step shorter: the return button is always available and is not turned inside out, but only points in the opposite direction. You can also press the cancel key Esc.
Among other things, in Windows 8.1 you can quickly re-sort the list of programs: arrange them not alphabetically, but, say, by the date of their installation, by purpose or frequency of use. To do this, next to the screen name there is a checkmark button pointing downwards. Click on it and it will help you sort the programs in the right way.