The desktop in the Windows 8 beta offers no Start button and a few shortcuts. How can you easily populate it with your favorite programs? Lance Whitney is a freelance technology writer and trainer and ...

Windows 8 has two environments: the full screen, touch-centric Windows Store App interface (also called Metro) and the Desktop interface, which looks and acts like Windows 7. If you install programs ...

Forget all of Microsoft’s hoopla about Windows 8‘s new Metro interface. If you’re a power user who relies on lots of legacy software, you’ll still be spending most of your time with the classic ...

Windows 8 is the most significant operating system update Microsoft has launched since Windows 95, and the first one designed to run on such a wide range of devices. ExtremeTech has split its coverage ...

If you’re new to Windows 8 (or Windows 8.1), you’re no doubt battling the learning curve. And some areas aren’t as intuitive as they could be, like trying to navigate your way to the PC Settings menu.

An expected update to Windows 8.1 could reportedly boot directly to the traditional Windows desktop, bypassing the tiled "Metro" start screen. Brooke Crothers writes about mobile computer systems, ...

Windows 8 may not offer the option to boot a computer directly to the familiar desktop interface. Users running the final code of Windows 8 RTM have reported that the operating system must first boot ...

On the desktop, Windows 8 is exactly what you'd expect from a new OS: the same one with a few refinements. The task manager has greatly improved, the file copy dialog displays nice numbers and can ...