We all want our interaction with technology
to be as friendly as possible, thus the term “user friendly” is widely
used in advertising new technology. However each of us may have
different opinions on what and how features should work with Windows 8.
Ultimately we bought a computer to accomplish something, maybe work, or
maybe play.
First we need to know where to go to access
the tools we need to fine-tune our Windows 8 operating system. The
Control Panel is what we can call our toolbox. It is filled with tools
or “items” that we can use.
You might be familiar with the Control Panel,
as it has been an integral part of Windows since the beginning.
Starting with Windows 95, however, we saw the Control Panel take on its
modern form as a folder with shortcuts to applications (called applets in earlier versions of Control Panel).
You might recall as well that Control Panel
had different views to work with: a Classic view that showed all your
applet shortcuts and a default Home view that showed you categories of
options.
In Windows 8, the Control Panel offers your items in a Category view to start with (see Figure 1). You can adjust the size of the icons by clicking the View By down arrow in the upper-right corner. Figure 2 shows Large Icons selected.
Figure 1. Accessing the Control Panel using the Category view
Figure 2. Control Panel with Large Icon view
An alternative way to find Control Panel
items is to search for them by name. If you have forgotten the name,
simply type a letter or two of the name in the Search Control Panel
field in the upper-right corner and Search returns a list of several
items in the Control Panel—ideally what you’re looking for.
Opening the Control Panel
How do you get to the Control Panel in Windows 8?
1. From the Start screen right-click on the screen.
2. Click the All Apps button that appears on the lower-right corner of the screen.
3. Select Control Panel (you might need to scroll over to the right and find it under the Windows System heading).
Making Control Panel More Accessible
One thing you might want to do is have your
Control Panel more readily accessible. You can have the Control Panel
added as a tile on your Start screen or added to your desktop taskbar.
Adding Control Panel to the Start Screen
Follow these steps to add the Control Panel as a tile on your Start screen:
1. From the Start screen right-click on the screen.
2. Click the All Apps button that appears on the lower-right corner of the screen.
3. Find the Control Panel under the Windows System heading.
4. Right-click Control Panel.
5. Select the Pin to
Start option in the lower-left corner of your screen. (You will also
see a Pin to Taskbar option; this adds the Control Panel to your
desktop taskbar.)
6. Now once you return to your Start screen you see a Control Panel tile.
Using Jump Lists with Control Panel
If you add the Control Panel to your taskbar
it turns it into a jump list. Now when you right-click this icon on the
taskbar, a jump list of recently used Control Panel items appears. This
list dynamically changes depending on which Control Panel items you
frequently access.
Let’s say you do not want the whole Control
Panel added to your Start screen, just one of the items that you use
frequently. For example, you may want just the Administrative Tools to
be added to your Start screen. While in the Control Panel, follow these
steps:
1. Right-click Administrative Tools.
2.
From the menu that appears select Pin to Start. (You also see a Create
Shortcut selection; this adds a shortcut for the item on your desktop.)
3. Now when you return to your Start screen you see an Administrative Tools tile.
