Staying in Desktop Mode

On the Start screen, find the Desktop icon and tap it to switch. Right-click the taskbar at the bottom (or tap and hold there for a second to bring up the menu), and click Properties > Navigation. Under Start screen, check the “When I sign in or close all apps on a screen, go to the desktop instead of Start” option, then OK. Now when you boot Windows or when you close a program, the PC will default to the Desktop and not the Start screen.

Charms are Windows 8 menus that you can reveal by swiping in from the right edge or down from the top of the screen. You can also activate them with the keyboard and they can make life easier and accessing internet phone systems more pain free.

• Windows Logo key + C to bring up the right edge Charms menu
• Windows Logo key + H to open Share
• Windows Logo key + I to open Settings (general and app-specific)
• Windows Logo key + Z to open app commands (same as swiping down from the top)