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This chapter is from the book

This chapter is from the book

My Windows 8 Computer for SeniorsMy Windows 8 Computer for Seniors

Learn More Buy

This chapter is from the book

This chapter is from the book

My Windows 8 Computer for SeniorsMy Windows 8 Computer for Seniors

Learn More Buy

Using New and Traditional Apps

Because Windows 8 was created with the smaller screens of tablets and smartphones in mind, new applications developed for Windows 8 are designed for full-screen operation. This means that all new Windows 8 apps open to fill the entire screen; you can’t display multiple Windows 8 apps in tiled or stacked windows.

03fig17.jpg

Click to view larger image

Open the Desktop

Fortunately, you’re not limited to using these full-screen Windows 8 apps. You can still run traditional applications, such as Microsoft Office, in Windows 8. You do so from the Windows 8 Desktop, which is pretty much like the desktop you’re used to from previous versions of Windows. In fact, if you have a lot of older programs that you like to use, it’s likely that you’ll spend most of your time in Windows 8’s Desktop mode.

Open a Traditional Desktop App

The Windows 8 Desktop looks and works much the same as the traditional desktop in Windows 7 or Windows Vista. That is, applications open in separate windows that can be resized and moved around the Desktop. And you can still “pin” application shortcuts directly to the Desktop or to the Taskbar that appears at the bottom of the Desktop.

There are some changes to the Desktop, however. First, you no longer have the see-through windows found in the Aero interface of Windows 7 and Windows Vista; all window frames are solid. More important, there is no longer a Start button or Start menu on the Desktop that you use to open new programs and utilities. When you want to open a new application or utility, you have to return to the Windows 8 Start screen. You might find this more time-consuming than using the old Start menu, and I’d agree—but that’s how Microsoft designed it.

  • circle_1.jpg Press the Windows key to open the Start screen.
    03fig20.jpg
  • circle_2.jpg Scroll to and then click or tap the tile for the application you want to open.
    03fig21.jpg

    Click to view larger image

  • circle_3.jpg The Desktop opens, with the selected application in its own window. You can now use the application as you would normally.
    03fig22.jpg

    Click to view larger image

>>>Go Further: Replacing the Start Menu

If you’ve been using Windows for a while, it’s hard to understand why Microsoft made so many changes in Windows 8—especially removing the Start menu. These changes force us to relearn how to do many tasks we’ve been doing the same way for years, and most people—especially seniors—don’t particularly like having to relearn this sort of stuff. I know I don’t.

There are, however, some options for replacing the absent Start menu in Windows 8. These options don’t come from Microsoft, but rather from third parties who have created add-on utilities that return the functionality of the old Start menu to the new Windows 8 Desktop. Most of these utilities are free, and they’re all relatively easy to download and install on your Windows 8 PC.

I recommend the following Start menu replacement programs:

With one of these Start menu replacements installed, you don’t ever have to back out to the Start screen to launch new programs. Just log into Windows 8, open the Desktop, and stay there—using the Start menu replacement just as you did the old Start menu before.

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