Windows 8 Action Center is a control
panel that monitors your system’s configuration, notifies you when it
detects a security or configuration problem, and can help you take
action to remedy problems it finds. In most cases, Action Center sits in
the background and doesn’t require intervention.
But when there is a problem, Action Center
makes itself known by posting a warning and turning the notification
icon on the taskbar red or yellow .
A red item indicates that the problem is significant and needs to be
addressed immediately; a yellow item is a recommendation. The
notification icon gives you quick access to Action Center . Using the Security button, you can access the state of Action Center, its Security section , and the notification icon when Windows Firewall is turned off. Action Center also provides a button to remediate the problem.
The Action Center notification icon and its pop-up menu are a quick path to the Action Center control panel.
Action Center
A critical system problem indicated in Action Center
Using the Maintenance button in Action Center , you can access the Maintenance section ,
check the status of your drives and devices, do a maintenance check,
and turn on File History. File History backs up files on your primary
drive and in your libraries, files on your desktop, your contacts, and
your favorites to a secondary drive. It’s always a good idea to have an
extra way to recover files in case of an emergency.
The Maintenance section lets you run checks on your system status, check your HomeGroup, and turn File History on or off.
You can access two other important Windows 8
security features from Action Center: User Account Control and Windows
SmartScreen settings. Links to these are in the left pane of the Action
Center control panel .
When you tap or click the Change User Account Control settings link, the User Account Control Settings dialog box opens .
User Account Control notifies you when a change requires administrator
privileges and allows you to elevate your privileges to perform the
operation. The choices are:
• Always notify me. For
all changes that require administrator privileges, the screen dims and a
dialog box appears. This is the most secure setting.
• Notify me only when apps try to make changes to my computer.
This is the default setting. Your changes to Windows settings are
allowed, but apps’ changes to your PC require rights elevation.
• Notify me only when apps try to make changes to my computer (don’t dim my desktop). This choice is the same as the one above but doesn’t dim the screen.
• Never notify me. If a
change requires administrator privileges and you are signed in as an
administrator, the change is allowed. If you are signed in as a user,
the change is denied.
The User Account Control Settings dialog box
Windows SmartScreen is
technology that can block apps from the Internet from running on your
system unless you elevate your privileges to administrator level. The Change Windows SmartSceen settings link opens the dialog box shown in . I can think of no good reason to alter this setting.
The Windows SmartScreen dialog box
To open Action Center
1. Tap and hold, or right-click, the Action Center icon in the Notification area on the taskbar.
2. Select the Action Center command from the pop-up menu.
Action Center appears .
