Windows 8 Start Button

So, in Window 8 Consumer Preview the Start Button/Pearl is hidden and here you thought it was removed! Just move the mouse to the lower left corner of the display to reveal the Start Button. It looks like:

 If you right-click on the Start Button you will get this handy shortcut menu:

 Allegedly you can change the shortcut menu by adjusting the contents of C:\Users\Name\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\WinX. I have added several different types of shortcuts but have not seen any additional shortcuts in the menu (even after a restart). Please let me know if you have any success adding shortcuts to the menu.

 

How to create a Windows 8 “Windows to Go” Bootable USB 3 Drive

Here is what you need to create the mobile “Windows to Go” USB Drive that boots Windows 8 Consumer Preview:

 - A PC running Windows 8 Consumer Preview (32 or 64 bit)
 - Windows 8 Consumer Preview ISO image 32-bit
 - Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) for Windows® 8 Consumer Preview
 - A USB 3.0 disk at least 32GB or larger - Don’t worry you don’t need a USB 3.0 port on the computer where you will use “Windows to Go”.

Install the Deployment Tools feature when running the Windows ADK installation onto PC running Windows 8 Consumer Preview.

Prepare the USB 3.0 disk using DiskPart:

 - Open a Command Prompt (Admin)
 - Run DiskPart from the Command Prompt
 - Run List Disk
 - Select the USB disk, run Select Disk X (where X is the USB Drive #)
 - Wipe the USB disk clean, run Clean
 - Create a partition on the USB disk, run Create Partition Primary
 - Format the partition, run Format FS=NTFS Quick
 - Make the partition active, run Active
 - Exit DiskPart, run Exit

Right-click the ISO and select Mount to mount the Windows 8 ISO.

I’m running 64-bit so I run CD C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\8.0\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Deployment Tools\amd64\DISM to change the command prompt to the directory that contains the AIK Tools.

To install the files from the wim, run imagex.exe /apply X:\sources\install.wim 1 Y:\ (Where X is the mounted ISO image and Y is the USB disk drive letters.

To make the USB disk bootable, run bcdboot.exe X:\windows /s X: /f ALL where the two Xs are the drive letter for the USB disk.

You are finished; you can now use this USB disk to boot into Windows 8 from any capable computer. This is a fairly locked down version of Windows 8, so some features won’t be available.

Windows 8 Shortcut Keys

Here are some really helpful key combinations if you are using Windows 8 Consumer Preview.

Key Combinations	Description	Where
Windows	Toggles between the Desktop & Start or between Start & the foremost Metro app.	Both
Windows . or Shift .	Move the split to the right or left.	Desktop
Windows + or -	Magnifier	Both
Windows Arrows	Aero Snap	Desktop
Windows Enter	Narrator	Both
Windows Pause	System Information	Desktop
Windows PgDn or PgUp	Move tiles (Metro) or taskbar (Desktop) to the right or the left.	Both
Windows PrintScreen	Takes Screenshot and saves as PNG in Pictures Library	Desktop
Windows Spacebar	Switch the input language and keyboard layout	Both
Windows Tab	Toggles between other open apps and Start	Both
Windows #	Launches the nth shortcut on the Desktop taskbar. Windows + 1 will launch the first application in the list (from left to right). From Start the screen first switches to the Desktop.	Desktop
Windows B	Select the tray notification area. From Start the screen first switches to the Desktop.	Desktop
Windows C	Charms and Time, Date & Notifications.	Both
Windows D	Toggles Show Desktop. From Start the screen first switches to the Desktop.	Desktop
Windows E	Windows Explorer with Computer view displayed. From Start the screen first switches to the Desktop.	Desktop
Windows F	Search Files.	Both
Windows G	Cycles between Gadgets on the Desktop	Desktop
Windows H	Share.	Both
Windows I	Settings for the Start or Desktop screens and provides access to Networks, Volume, Screen Brightness, Notifications, Power and Language.	Both
Windows K	Displays Connect for Devices.	Both
Windows L	Lock PC.	Both
Windows M	Minimizes all open windows and takes you to the Desktop.	Desktop
Windows O	Toggles the orientation on slate and tablet PCs.	Both
Windows P	Project or Second screen controls.	Both
Windows Q	Search within Apps.	Both
Windows R	Run. From Start the screen first switches to the Desktop.	Desktop
Windows T	Shows thumbnail preview of the applications on the Taskbar. From Start the screen first switches to the Desktop.	Desktop
Windows U	Ease of Access Center. From Start the screen first switches to the Desktop.	Desktop
Windows W	Search within Settings.	Both
Windows X	Windows Mobility Center. From Start the screen first switches to the Desktop.	Desktop
Windows Z	App Bar in Start or a Metro-style app.	Start
Ctrl Shift Esc	Task Manager	Desktop
Ctrl Windows F	Find Computers	Desktop
Shift Right-Click on a file	Adds Copy As Path to Right-Click Menu	Desktop
Shift Right-Click on a folder	Adds Command Prompt to Right-Click Menu	Desktop
Shift Right-Click on a grouped Taskbar App	Opens Right-Click Menu for Group	Desktop
Shift Right-Click on a Taskbar App	Opens Advanced Right-Click Menu for App	Desktop