Microsoft’s newest update for its Windows 8.1 caters to traditional mouse-and-keyboard users instead of a touchscreen by introducing a few things you’ll find familiar with previous Windows operating systems, such as the ability to pin applications to the Taskbar, pressing “X” to close out a Metro app, and being able to shut down without having to open the Charms Bar.
As reported Engadget , depending on the manufacturer of the PC/laptop you own, your system may boot straight into the desktop by default. You can also choose to go straight into the Start Screen by unchecking a box in the Taskbar settings.
With the update, you can now pin Windows Store apps to the Taskbar, along with other traditional programs. The Windows Store will also have its own shortcut pinned to the Taskbar by default on every Windows machine, but you are able to the remove this if you wish. The Taskbar’s default is so that it doesn’t show Windows Store apps, which can be pinned to the Taskbar manually.
You’re now also able to shut down or restart your system, as well as utilize the system’s search function, via the Start Screen instead of opening up the Charms Bar. What’s more, right-clicking has been implemented. You will now be able to right-click on programs to access additional selections instead of traversing to the bottom of the screen to access said selections.
When using the Windows Store, you’ll find that when you’ve opened up an app a Title Bar will appear when you hover your mouse at the top of the screen, which features the name of the app you have open, and an options menu to the left and an “X” to close the app at the right. You’ll also be able bring up the Taskbar at the bottom of the screen.
Finally, the update will come with additional performance improvements to the operating system. Regardless of what hardware you may be using, the operating system’s Process Lifetime Manager will more aggressively suspend background apps into more of a deep sleep in order to reclaim system memory, while also keeping said apps ready to be reopen again. Compatibility with Internet Explorer has also been tweaked, and Microsoft will be shipping future iterations of the Windows 8.1 operating systems to manufacturers as compressed images, thus making the OS take up less space on the system’s memory.
These new features will be added to all Windows 8.1 users via an automatic downloadable update on Tuesday, April 8.
Source: Engadget .