Solving Some of Your Windows 8 Frustration

Yeah.

Today, I'll be sharing two tips that have greatly reduced my Windows 8 frustration.

Personally, I consider Windows 8 a better OS that Windows 7. It's faster and amazing on a touchscreen tablet/laptop. The only issue I have with it is that it makes the little things I do easily on Windows 7, like launching Notepad or shutting down, a task that now require considerable conscious effort. It is very annoying. It's now my greatest example of why you shouldn't fix what is not broken. I don't see any ease of use in hiding shutdown. 

And today, I will be showing you a couple of things I do to reduce my Windows 8 frustration.

When Windows 8 boots up, it boots into a Start Screen. Below is a screenshot of mine.

To launch the programs I frequently use, I need to scroll and scroll. And then scroll again.

Doing this once in a while is not annoying. But on weekends when I'm working intensely on some project, this is very annoying. Having to go to start screen each time, and scrolling and trying to figure out where that program is. Then occasionally I don't see the program where it usually is, and I have to scroll back and forth a couple of times. 

Then there are some programs I don't see at all. Like Notepad, Command Prompt and Calculator.

So here are two ways I fix this frustration. 

For programs I use a lot, I pin them to the Taskbar. 
Second, for programs I do not see in the start screen, I start typing their name or I launch the "All apps" screen.

So let's start with launching the "All apps" screen.
From the start screen, rightclick on any of the space around the apps. 

You'll suddenly see "All apps" at the bottom right corner of the screen.

Click on the "All apps".
And you'll get another screen with a listing of all the programs installed on the PC. Including Notepad, Command Prompt and Calculator.

Then for sticking the programs you use a lot on the Taskbar, here's how.

For me Microsoft Excel is that program.
I look for it on either the "All apps" screen or the Start screen, then rightclick on it.

All apps screen

Start Screen

You'll notice "Pin to taskbar" in the options that show at the bottom of the screen. Click on it.

Voila! Like me, you'll now be able to launch that favorite program from the Windows desktop screen. In fact, I have done that for PowerPoint, Word, Note, Thinderbird and Chrome.

And those are the two tips that have greatly reduced my Windows 8 frustration.

They are simple tips that I'm sure some of you already know and use, and maybe do not even consider as a tip. Maybe someday I'll post the more techy stuffs I do on my Windows 8. It's just that I'm now a little hesitant to post too techy stuffs, I don't want to cut-off the amazing people that read my daily posts. And real techy guys always figure out what they want to do, with or without help from a blog post.