CNIT 345 Proj 11x: Win 8 Intro (20 pts.)

Windows 8 Developer Preview is out! I have DVDs to hand out in class, and you can also download it here:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/home/

There are three ways to use Windows 8 that I know of:

When you install it, you will have to either create a normal Windows local user account, or log in with Windows Live.

The New "Metro" Desktop

When Windows 8 starts, you see the new desktop, which some people are calling the "Metro Desktop". Other people say Metro is the programming language used to create it, not the desktop itself.

Whatever you call it, it is very different from the traditional desktop, using square tiles instead of a Start menu, as shown below:

The Normal Desktop

From the "Metro" desktop, click the "Desktop" tile. A desktop similar to the Windows 7 desktop opens, as shown below.

Notice that the Start button, in the lower left corner, looks different. In fact, the Start button is gone. That button just takes you back to the "Metro" desktop. Click it and see.

From the "Metro" desktop, click the "Control Panel" tile. It's very simplified, like a cell phone panel, as shown below:

Picture Password

On the left side of Control Panel, click Users. On the right side, click "Create a picture password". The Picture Password explanation appears, as shown below.

Navigating and Full-Screen Apps

Control Panel fills the whole screen, so how can you exit from it? There are several ways.

If you move your mouse to the bottom-left corner of the screen, a menu pops up showing the new Start button, as shown below:

Click the new Start button to return to the Metro Desktop.

Now hold down the Alt key and tap Tab to return to Control Panel.

Move your mouse to the bottom-left corner of the screen, and click the new Start button to return to the "Metro" desktop.

Click the light blue Weather tile. A full-screen Weather app should open. If you are using a virtual machine and the app won't open, try maximizing the window. Windows 8 apps seem to launch better on larger desktops.

The Weather app should open, as shown below. Right-click the city name (by default, Anaheim). A gray bar appears at the bottom of the screen so you can adjust the settings.

At the bottom of the Weather screen, click the "Remove City" button. Then click the "Add City" button. Type in San Francisco and press the Enter key. The weather report for San Francisco should appear.

Move your mouse to the bottom-left corner of the screen, and click the new Start button to return to the "Metro" desktop. You should see the Weather tile, showing the weather in San Francisco, as shown below:

Saving the Screen Image

Make sure you can see the San Francisco weather as shown in the image above on this page.

Save a screen image with the filename Proj 11x-a from Your Name.

Integrated Search

Click on a blank portion of the "Metro" desktop. Press the letter n. A "Search Apps" screen appears, as shown below:

Find Notepad and click it.

SmartScreen Filter

Windows 8 now includes antivirus by default, called the SmartScreen Filter. To see it work, we will create a special, harmless test file that is detected as malware by most virus scanners.

Copy and paste the following line of text into Notepad:

X5O!P%@AP[4\PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!$H+H*

Make sure there are no extra characters in the file, not even a carriage return at the end of the line.

In Notepad, click File, Save. In the "Save As" box, enter a filename of eicar, as shown below on this page, and click Save.

A message pops up saying "Detected threats are being cleaned" as shown below:

On the lower left, click the new Start button to return to the "Metro" desktop. Click the "Control Panel" tile.

In "Control Panel", on the left side, scroll to the bottom and click "More Settings". A Windows 7-style Control Panel opens.

In the upper right corner of Control Panel, in the Search box, type def

The results should show "Windows Defender" found, as shown below on this page:

Click "Windows Defender". In "Windows Defender", click the History tab. Click the "All detected items" button, as shown below:

At the bottom of the Windows Defender box, click the "View details" button. as shown below on this page:

You should see "Virus:DOS/EICAR_Test_File" detected, as shown below.

Saving the Screen Image

Make sure you can see the "Virus:DOS/EICAR_Test_File" message, as shown in the image above on this page.

Save a screen image with the filename Proj 11x-b from Your Name.

Turning in Your Project

Email the images to cnit.345@gmail.com with a Subject line of Proj 11x from Your Name.

For More Information

Windows 8 Images

What you need to know about Windows 8 app compatibility

Windows 8 Has A Friendlier Blue Screen Of Death

Windows 8 will run from USB thumb drive

New global hotkeys Windows 8

SkyDrive on Windows 8

Windows 8: A visual tour of what we now know


Last modified: 8:45 pm 9-15-11