windows 8
Sync Unmoveable Folders to SkyDrive
I’ve shown you how to make SkyDrive the storage location for your Windows libraries, as well as sync your desktop and other shell folders to SkyDrive and your other PCs. But what if you have files that need to stay on another drive, or that can’t be moved to the SkyDrive folder?
Sync the Desktop across all your PCs with SkyDrive
If you’ve been following me here or on twitter, you know I’m a huge proponent of SkyDrive, the online storage space service from Microsoft. SkyDrive makes sharing files a breeze – whether it privately among your private personal computers and devices, discreetly with individuals and colleagues, or publically with the world. SkyDrive is a great [...]
Visual Effects and Performance Options in Windows 8
I’ve written before about the non-intuitive nature of visual effects in recent versions of Windows, where offloading the desktop rendering duties to the graphics card can result in considerable performance improvements. While this is true for nearly any modern PC, including those with ‘integrated’ graphics cards, there are still steps one may take to enhance [...]
Radial Menu in OneNote MX [Video]
The OneNote radial menu provides finger-friendly access to common commands. When you’re familiar with the layout of the menu, you can use it without opening it first: just swipe in the direction of the command you want to select.
More Commands in the Quick Access Toolbar [Video]
Pinning submenu commands to the toolbar not only provides more direct access, but also serves as a status indicator to a state that may otherwise be hidden. For example, now I can tell at a glance the status of my Excel workbook calculations, and change it if necessary before I make an edit that would [...]
Using Gmail in Windows 8 Mail App [Video]
Gmail’s use of labels instead of folders typically means that using the service with most mail clients can be tricky. If you know how Gmail archives instead of deletes messages though, you can more easily triage and archive mail from Windows 8.
Deep Pinning on the Windows 8 Start Screen [Video]
Your Start screen tiles can link deeper into your apps, providing a one-touch shortcut to the content you care about most. Whether it’s people, email, news, or content from a variety of other apps, you can deep pin it on your Start screen easily.
Use Quick Access from the Keyboard [Video]
Did you know that you can add your own commands to the toolbar at the top of Microsoft Office programs? This also applies to several apps in Windows 7, and has even been expanded to the File Explorer in Windows 8!
General Reactions to Windows 8 Metro Interface
Folks both for and against metro are up in arms. In classic American political style, these two camps have taken fiercely opposite and extreme views: either love or hate it. Based on online observations, I believe reactions to the Metro interface in Windows 8 come in two general varieties: Reaction when using Metro on any touch-capable [...]
Dual boot Windows 8 without partitioning
In this post, I’ll discuss why you should avoid using virtual machines for evaluating the new Windows 8 Consumer Preview, and how you can test drive this new OS the way it (and you) deserve by fully booting into it. Some readers may be aware that Windows added support for lossless hard disk partitioning beginning [...]


