Three Windows 8 tips

Make a Windows 8 app tiles larger or smaller

Right-click the tile you want to change. (If you’re using a touchscreen tap and hold the tile.) This adds a check mark to the upper-right corner of the tile and displays the options bar at the bottom of your screen. Now click or tap Smaller to make a large tile smaller, or click or tap Larger to make a small tile larger.

Photo Viewer

You’ve probably noticed by now when you click an image in Windows 8, it opens in the full-screen Windows 8 photos app. This might be really cool on a small tablet or smart phone screen, but it isn’t so cool on a 21″ monitor.

If you want to change this, open Control Panel and go to Programs, then Default Programs and choose “Set your default programs”. Now scroll down the list and find Windows Photo Viewer and select it. Now click “Set this program as default” and click OK. That’s it. No more full-screen Windows Photo App whenever you open an image.

Virtual Machines

If you’re an intermediate or advanced user, you’re probably familiar with virtual machines – they’re like having a computer within a computer, so whatever happens in a virtual machine stays in a virtual machine, sort of like Las Vegas.

Windows 8 comes with Microsoft’s Hyper-V, which enables you to create and run virtual machines. Check it out. Press the Windows Key + the R key, and type OptionalFeatures.exe and press OK or Enter. Now check Hyper-V and click OK to enable it. Once you’ve enabled Hyper-V, go to your Windows 8 Start screen, scroll to the right and click the Hyper-V Manager tile to learn how to use it.