Windows 8.1: improvement or step back? (part 2)
Booting to desktop mode
Windows 8.1 users can now boot directly to the Desktop mode, bypassing the tiled start screen and opting for a more traditional flavor of Windows.
To do that, after opening Desktop Mode (clicking/tapping on the Desktop tile), right-click anywhere on the taskbar, select Properties, and click on "Navigation". In this tab, under the Start screen options, flag the box "Go to the desktop instead of Start when I sign in", as shown in the picture below.
The return of the Start button
The Start button is back, but with some twists.
Even though Microsoft decided to bring it back, urged on by of a flood of criticisms for taking it off, it's not the same button we all were used to.
Unlike the past, in fact, a left click (or a tap) on the icon doesn't open up the classic hierarchically structured Start menu, but brings you back (by default) to the starting tile interface (so does the Windows key when pressed on your keyboard, too).
To actually open the Start menu, you must right-click its icon on bottom left of the screen.
A wide list of options will pop up as a result (Control Panel, Task Manager, Device Manager, Command Prompt, search, Network connections and other options), as shown in the image below.
This return to the past from Microsoft seems to be an attempt to address the main issues that customers complained about and to regain their trust by giving them what they want, recovering market share in both the desktop and mobile device markets.
This is clearly a hybrid solution, but it does make the operating system more user-friendly than Windows 8, especially if you don't use touchscreen functionalities and you don't want to play dominoes with the tiles to find what you're looking for.
App grouping
Windows 8.1 allows users to customize the starting tile interface by organizing apps into groups.
To do that, it's enough to drag and drop them (easier with touchscreen); to rename a group, a right-click on it will do the trick.
Display all apps
The Start screen doesn't show all the installed apps and Windows 8.1 compensates for the missing old Start menu by allowing users to access the complete list of the installed apps.
To do that, you can click the down arrow on the bottom left of the screen or (for touchscreen) swiping downward.
To go back to the home screen, select the up arrow or swipe upward.
Stick around for the next part of Windows 8.1 review.
Go to part 3 of the review
Back to part 1
Windows 8.1 users can now boot directly to the Desktop mode, bypassing the tiled start screen and opting for a more traditional flavor of Windows.
To do that, after opening Desktop Mode (clicking/tapping on the Desktop tile), right-click anywhere on the taskbar, select Properties, and click on "Navigation". In this tab, under the Start screen options, flag the box "Go to the desktop instead of Start when I sign in", as shown in the picture below.
 |
| How to set up booting to desktop mode in Windows 8.1 |
The return of the Start button
The Start button is back, but with some twists.
Even though Microsoft decided to bring it back, urged on by of a flood of criticisms for taking it off, it's not the same button we all were used to.
Unlike the past, in fact, a left click (or a tap) on the icon doesn't open up the classic hierarchically structured Start menu, but brings you back (by default) to the starting tile interface (so does the Windows key when pressed on your keyboard, too).
To actually open the Start menu, you must right-click its icon on bottom left of the screen.
A wide list of options will pop up as a result (Control Panel, Task Manager, Device Manager, Command Prompt, search, Network connections and other options), as shown in the image below.
 |
| The Start button in Windows 8.1 |
This return to the past from Microsoft seems to be an attempt to address the main issues that customers complained about and to regain their trust by giving them what they want, recovering market share in both the desktop and mobile device markets.
This is clearly a hybrid solution, but it does make the operating system more user-friendly than Windows 8, especially if you don't use touchscreen functionalities and you don't want to play dominoes with the tiles to find what you're looking for.
App grouping
Windows 8.1 allows users to customize the starting tile interface by organizing apps into groups.
To do that, it's enough to drag and drop them (easier with touchscreen); to rename a group, a right-click on it will do the trick.
Display all apps
The Start screen doesn't show all the installed apps and Windows 8.1 compensates for the missing old Start menu by allowing users to access the complete list of the installed apps.
To do that, you can click the down arrow on the bottom left of the screen or (for touchscreen) swiping downward.
To go back to the home screen, select the up arrow or swipe upward.
Stick around for the next part of Windows 8.1 review.
Go to part 3 of the review
Back to part 1
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