Windows 8 Hacks

Book description

Unlock the secrets of Microsoft’s new revolutionary operating system. This book helps you control all aspects of Windows 8, from Startup and Shutdown, System Performance to Social Networking and the Cloud, Networking, Security, Hardware, the Registry, and more.

Publisher resources

View/Submit Errata

Table of contents

  1. Windows 8 Hacks
  2. Preface
    1. How to Use This Book
    2. How This Book Is Organized
    3. Conventions Used in This Book
    4. Using Code Examples
    5. Safari® Books Online
    6. How to Contact Us
    7. Acknowledgments
  3. 1. Setup and Startup Hacks
    1. Hack #1. Disable Windows 8’s Lock Screen
      1. Hacking the Hack
    2. Hack #2. Hack Your Way Through the Lock Screen
      1. Change the Lock Screen Image
      2. Lock Down the Lock Screen Image
      3. Customize Which Apps Show their Notifications on the Lock Screen
    3. Hack #3. Speed Up Boot Time
      1. Hack Your BIOS for Faster Startups
    4. Hack #4. Speed Up Startup by Halting Startup Programs and Services
      1. Eliminating Programs that Run at Startup
      2. Cleaning Out the Startup Folder
      3. Using the Task Manager
      4. Using the Registry to Halt Programs Running on Startup
      5. Shutting Off Services That Run at Startup
      6. Hacking the Hack
    5. Hack #5. Reset and Refresh Your PC Instead of Doing a Complete Reinstall
      1. Create a Custom Refresh Point
    6. Hack #6. Installing and Running Windows 8 on a Mac
      1. Installing and Running Windows 8 Using Parallels Desktop
      2. Installing and Running Windows 8 Using VMWare Fusion
      3. Running Windows 8 Using VirtualBox
    7. Hack #7. Use Hyper-V to Install and Run Other Operating Systems Inside Windows 8
      1. Hacking the Hack
  4. 2. Hacking the Start Screen, the Windows 8 Interface, and Apps
    1. Hack #8. Create an Application Folder for Quick Launches on the Start Screen and the Desktop
    2. Hack #9. Put a Tile to Computer on the Start Screen
      1. Hacking the Hack
    3. Hack #10. Force Desktop Apps to Show up on the Start Screen
    4. Hack #11. Hack the Windows 8 All Apps Screen
    5. Hack #12. Add Folders and Other Objects to the Start Screen
      1. Hacking the Hack
    6. Hack #13. Run Windows 8 Native Apps Side by Side
    7. Hack #14. Hack Your Way Through the Start Screen
      1. Add and Remove Tiles
      2. Customize Tiles
      3. Create and Customize Tile Groups
      4. Change Your Theme
      5. Controlling Live Tile Behavior
    8. Hack #15. Access Windows 8’s Power Search Tools
      1. Mail
      2. Finance
      3. Maps
      4. Music
      5. More Search Hacks
    9. Hack #16. Use the Task Manager to Track App Use
      1. Delving into the App Innards
      2. Checking out an App’s Usage History
      3. Hacking the Hack
    10. Hack #17. Use Your Own Graphic for Your User Account
  5. 3. Hacking the Desktop
    1. Hack #18. Bring Back the Windows Start Menu to Windows 8
      1. Start8
      2. StartFinity
    2. Hack #19. Use the Built-In Mini Start Menu
      1. Hacking the Hack
    3. Hack #20. Bring the Quick Launch Toolbar Back to the Desktop
    4. Hack #21. Hack a Quick-and-Dirty Start Menu for the Desktop
      1. Hacking the Hack
    5. Hack #22. Turn on Windows “God Mode” on the Desktop
      1. Hacking the Hack
    6. Hack #23. Run the Desktop and Window 8 Native Apps Side by Side
    7. Hack #24. Put Helpful Navigation Icons on the Desktop
      1. Hacking the Hack
    8. Hack #25. Make the Desktop More Tablet-Friendly
      1. Make Everything Larger
      2. Make Only the Text Larger
    9. Hack #26. Hack the Notification Area Using the Registry Editor
      1. Hide Only Certain Icons in the Notification Area
    10. Hack #27. Change Folders in the Open Dialog Box
    11. Hack #28. Control the Control Panel
      1. Hide Unused Applets with the Registry
      2. Hide Unused Applets with the Group Policy Editor
    12. Hack #29. Hack the Taskbar
    13. Hack #30. A Power User’s Hidden Weapon: Improve File Explorer’s Context Menu
      1. Add “Copy To Folder” and “Move To Folder” Context Menu Options
      2. Add and Remove Destinations for the “Send To” Option
      3. Open the Command Prompt from the Right-Click Menu
      4. Clean Up the “Open With” Option
      5. Hacking the Hack
    14. Hack #31. Open an Administrator Command Prompt Anywhere in File Explorer
      1. Hacking the Hack
    15. Hack #32. Hack Your Way Through File Explorer
      1. Turn Panes on and Off
      2. Change Icon Sizes
      3. Add and Customize Columns
      4. Hidden Files and Folders…and More
      5. Using the Invert Selection Feature
  6. 4. Productivity and System Performance Hacks
    1. Hack #33. Three Quick System and Performance Hacks
      1. Schedule Windows 8 Maintenance
      2. Display Administrative Tools
      3. Perform a Memory Check
    2. Hack #34. Troubleshoot Performance Issues Using the Resource Monitor
    3. Hack #35. Track Performance and Reliability with the Reliability Monitor
      1. Hacking the Hack
    4. Hack #36. Peer Deep into Your System with the Performance Monitor
    5. Hack #37. Speed Up System Performance with the Task Manager
      1. Processes Tab
      2. Performance Tab
      3. App History Tab
      4. Users Tab
      5. Monitor CPU Use
      6. Give Program and Processes More of Your CPU’s Attention
    6. Hack #38. Windows 8 Keyboard Shortcuts
      1. Windows Key Shortcuts
      2. Other Keyboard Shortcuts
    7. Hack #39. Using Windows 8 Gestures
      1. Windows 8 Gestures
    8. Hack #40. Use File History to Recover Your Files
      1. Turning on File History
      2. Hacking File History
      3. Using File History to Recover Files
    9. Hack #41. Troubleshoot with the Action Center
    10. Hack #42. Track Down Windows 8 System Woes
    11. Hack #43. Save Money: Use These Free Alternatives to Microsoft Office
      1. LibreOffice
      2. Apache OpenOffice
      3. Google Docs
      4. Microsoft Office Web Apps
      5. Zoho Office
  7. 5. Cloud and Social Networking Hacks
    1. Hack #44. Use SkyDrive to Sync Your Files Everywhere
      1. Look for Colored Icons
      2. Access to All of Your Files from Everywhere
      3. Hacking the Hack
    2. Hack #45. Make SkyDrive Play Nice with Other Windows Folders
      1. Include SkyDrive in your Windows 8 Libraries
    3. Hack #46. Recover Deleted Files on SkyDrive
    4. Hack #47. More SkyDrive Hacks
      1. Make OneNote Notebooks Available on SkyDrive
      2. Scan Documents into SkyDrive
      3. Change SkyDrive Options
    5. Hack #48. Using Other Syncing Services
      1. Google Drive
      2. Dropbox
      3. Box (Formerly Box.Net)
      4. SugarSync
    6. Hack #49. Configure Windows 8 Syncing
      1. Hacking the Hack
    7. Hack #50. Create a Non-Syncing Windows 8 Account
    8. Hack #51. Power Hacks for Windows 8 Syncing
    9. Hack #52. Mastering the People App
    10. Hack #53. Share and Share Alike in Windows 8
    11. Hack #54. Other Social Networking Apps
      1. Tweetro
      2. Rowi
      3. MetroTwit
      4. TweetDeck
  8. 6. Music, Media, and Video
    1. Hack #55. Open Graphic Files In Photo Viewer Instead of the Windows 8 Native Photos App
      1. Hacking the Hack
    2. Hack #56. Add Facebook and Flickr to Your Windows 8 Photo Collection
      1. Hacking the Hack
    3. Hack #57. Hacking Through the Photos App
      1. Fixing SkyDrive Woes
      2. Tiles, Backgrounds, and Slide Shows
    4. Hack #58. Add Folder Locations to Photo and Video Libraries
    5. Hack #59. Improve DVD and TV Watching in Windows 8
    6. Hack #60. Using Windows 8 with Your Xbox 360
      1. Hacking the Hack
    7. Hack #61. Power Up Windows 8 with a Free Movie Maker, Photo Gallery, and More
      1. Hacking the Hack
    8. Hack #62. Organize Your Photos with Metadata
      1. Editing and Adding Tags to Photos
      2. Using Other Metadata
    9. Hack #63. Use RAW Photos in Windows Photo Gallery
    10. Hack #64. Get a Free Copy of Windows Media Center
    11. Hack #65. Play it Loud!
    12. Hack #66. Convert Vinyl and Tapes to MP3s
  9. 7. Networking, the Web, Wireless, and the Internet
    1. Hack #67. Make the Desktop Version of Internet Explorer the Default Rather than the Windows 8 Native Version
      1. Hacking the Hack
    2. Hack #68. Change Your Default Native Windows 8 Browser to Chrome
      1. Hacking the Hack
    3. Hack #69. Make Windows 8 Play Nice with Your Home Network
      1. Using Homegroup with Windows 8
      2. Using Windows 8 with Network Shares
    4. Hack #70. Hack DNS to Speed up Web Browsing
      1. Tell Your Entire Network to use OpenDNS
    5. Hack #71. Control Another PC with Remote Desktop
      1. Using the Windows 8 Native Client
      2. Control a Remote PC with LogMeIn
      3. Hacking the Hack
    6. Hack #72. Hack Windows 8 Wi-Fi, Wireless, and Network Settings
    7. Hack #73. Use Task Manager to Track Bandwidth Use of Individual Apps and Overall Network Use
    8. Hack #74. Map a Network Drive or Network Location
      1. Map a Network Drive
      2. Map a Network Location
    9. Hack #75. Troubleshoot Network Connections with ping, tracert, and pathping
      1. Troubleshoot TCP/IP Problems with ping
      2. Trace Your Network and Internet Data Path with tracert
      3. Troubleshoot Network Problems with pathping
    10. Hack #76. Troubleshoot Network Connections with netstat and ipconfig
      1. Use netstat to Get Information About Open Network Connections
      2. Use ipconfig to Troubleshoot TCP/IP
    11. Hack #77. Troubleshoot Wireless Interference Woes, and Extend Your Range
  10. 8. Security
    1. Hack #78. Keep Portable Storage Secure with BitLocker to Go
      1. Hacking the Hack
    2. Hack #79. Hide Folders and Files with the Encrypting File System
      1. Encrypting Files and Folders
      2. Decrypting Files and Folders
      3. Letting Others Use Your Encrypted Files
      4. Encrypting and Decrypting from the Command Line
    3. Hack #80. Tell Windows 8 Apps Not to Snoop on Your Location
      1. Hacking the Hack
    4. Hack #81. Turn off the Windows 8 SmartScreen Filter
    5. Hack #82. Protect Yourself with a Windows 8 Picture Password
    6. Hack #83. Create a Windows 8 Recovery Tool
    7. Hack #84. Hack Windows 8’s User Account Control
      1. UAC and Elevating Privileges
      2. Hack UAC with the Control Panel
      3. Hack UAC with Local Security Policy Editor and the Registry Editor
      4. Hacking the Hack
    8. Hack #85. Unlock Windows 8’s Super-Secret Administrator Account
    9. Hack #86. Punch an Escape Hole Through the Windows 8 Firewall
      1. Allow a Program Through the Firewall
      2. Opening Up Ports
    10. Hack #87. Track Firewall Activity with a Windows 8 Firewall Log
    11. Hack #88. Protect Your Privacy by Removing Windows 8 Metadata
      1. Hacking the Hack
    12. Hack #89. Impersonate Another Computer on the Network
      1. Understanding MAC Addresses
      2. Spoofing Your MAC Address
    13. Hack #90. Protect Your Home Wi-Fi Network
      1. Change Your Administrator Password
      2. Stop Broadcasting Your Network’s SSID
      3. Limit the Number of IP Addresses on Your Network
      4. Check and Filter MAC Addresses
      5. Check Your Router Logs and Traffic
  11. 9. Email
    1. Hack #91. Trick the Windows 8 Mail App into Using POP Mail
      1. Configure Outlook.com to Get your POP3 Mail
      2. Configure Windows 8 Mail to Get Mail from Outlook.com
    2. Hack #92. Use Different Live Tiles For Different Email Accounts
      1. Hacking the Hack
    3. Hack #93. Hack Your Way Through your Windows 8 Mail Accounts
    4. Hack #94. Understanding Windows Mail and Metered Networks
    5. Hack #95. Send Large File Attachments in Windows 8 Mail and Outlook.com Using SkyDrive
      1. Sending Large Files via Window 8 Mail
      2. Sending Large Files via Outlook.com
      3. Hacking the Hack
    6. Hack #96. Import Gmail Mail and Mail from other Web-Based Mail into Outlook.com
    7. Hack #97. Configure Outlook.com for Windows Phone, Android Devices, and iPhones and iPads
      1. Windows Phone
      2. Android Device
      3. iOS Devices
    8. Hack #98. Switch Fast Between Outlook.com Accounts
    9. Hack #99. Turn Outlook.com Into a Universal Inbox
      1. Getting Mail from Gmail
    10. Hack #100. Great Freebies for Turbocharging Gmail
      1. Smartr Inbox
      2. Find Big Mail
      3. Cloud Magic
      4. Privicons
      5. Minimalist for Everything
    11. Hack #101. Turn Gmail into a Universal Inbox
    12. Hack #102. Use Gmail as a POP3 Server
    13. Hack #103. Stay Off Spam Lists
    14. Hack #104. Prevent Your Newsletter from Being Blocked as Spam
    15. Hack #105. Block International Spam in Outlook
    16. Hack #106. Open Blocked File Attachments in Outlook
      1. Force Outlook to Let You Open Blocked File Attachments
    17. Hack #107. Instantly Compress Files You Send via Outlook
    18. Hack #108. Sync Calendar and Contacts Between Google and Outlook
  12. 10. Hardware
    1. Hack #109. To Infinity and Beyond with Windows 8 Storage Spaces
    2. Hack #110. Hack Windows 8’s Power Plan
    3. Hack #111. Two Screens Are Better than One
      1. Configuring Both Displays
      2. Configuring the Taskbar on Both Displays
      3. Moving Apps Around
      4. Multi-Monitor Slide Shows and Different Desktop Backgrounds
    4. Hack #112. Find Drivers for Windows 8 Fast
    5. Hack #113. Troubleshoot Hardware with Device Manager
    6. Hack #114. Get a Complete History of Troublesome Hardware
    7. Hack #115. Uncover Hidden Hardware with the Device Manager
      1. Hacking the Hack
    8. Hack #116. Get a Comprehensive List of All Your Drivers
      1. Hacking the Hack
  13. 11. The Registry and Group Policy Editor
    1. Hack #117. Don’t Fear the Registry
      1. The Five Logical Registry Hives
      2. Using Keys and Values
      3. Launching the Registry Editor
      4. Adding and Deleting Keys and Values
    2. Hack #118. Hack Away at the Registry
      1. Turn Off Mouse-Over Charm Launcher
      2. Auto Log On into Windows
      3. Disable Shutdown
      4. Change the Names of the Registered User and Company
      5. Change the Default Location for Installing Programs
    3. Hack #119. Safely Edit the Registry Using .reg Files
      1. Delete Registry Keys and Values Using .reg Files
      2. Protect the Registry by Changing the Default Action for .reg Files
    4. Hack #120. Better Registry Backups
    5. Hack #121. Hack Away at Windows with the Group Policy Editor
  14. Index
  15. About the Author
  16. Colophon
  17. Copyright

Product information

  • Title: Windows 8 Hacks
  • Author(s): Preston Gralla
  • Release date: December 2012
  • Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
  • ISBN: 9781449325756