Chapter 9. Help at the Desktop

In Windows 8, you get two Help systems for the price of one—TileWorld and the desktop each have their own online Help mechanisms. The TileWorld Help can be sparse or, in some apps, nonexistent. But the full desktop Help system has little videos, links to Web articles, and even links that do certain jobs for you. It may take all weekend, but eventually you should find written information about this or that Windows feature or problem.

This chapter covers not only the Help system, but also some of the ways Windows can help you get help from a more experienced person via your network or the Internet.

Navigating the Help System

To open the Help system, choose File→Help in any Explorer window, or press +F1. The Help and Support window appears, as shown in Figure 9-1. From here, you can home in on the help screen you want using one of two methods: using the Search box or clicking your way from the Help home page.

Search the Help Pages

By typing a phrase into the Search Help box at the top of the main page and then pressing Enter (or clicking the tiny magnifying glass button), you instruct Windows to rifle through its thousands of help pages—and many more that reside online—to search for the phrase you typed.

Here are a few pointers:

  • When you enter multiple words, Windows assumes you’re looking for help screens that contain all those words. For example, if you search ...

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