A while back, I wrote an article on left-hand keyboard shortcuts for Windows. I like to use them, so I don't have to take my right hand off the mouse. With the release of Windows 8, Microsoft added in more shortcuts, primarily for the Start screen. So here is a list of Windows 8 keyboard shortcuts for just your left hand.

The desktop and laptop versions of the Windows 8 Power User command menu

Left-hand keyboard shortcuts for Windows 8

Press	To
Windows shortcuts
	Show the Start screen. If you have the Desktop running, you can also use this key to toggle back and forth between the Start screen and the Desktop.
+ D	Show just the Desktop (all running applications will be minimized). You can also use this combo to start the Desktop.
+ E	Start a new instance of Windows Explorer / File Explorer.
+ C	Open the Charms bar. When you open the Charms bar inside of a Windows RT app and select Settings, it displays the options for that app.
+ F	Open Files in the Search charm.
+ Q	Open Apps in the Search charm.
+ W	Open Settings in the Search charm.
+ X	Open the Power User command menu. There are over a dozen different apps you can run from this menu.
ALT + TAB	Switch between open apps using Task Switcher.
Application shortcuts
CTRL + A	Select all
CTRL + C	Copy
CTRL + S	Save
CTRL + V	Paste
CTRL + X	Cut
CTRL + Y	Redo
CTRL + Z	Undo

Check out these related articles:

A complete list of Windows 8 keyboard shortcuts

General Windows keyboard shortcuts

Being organized is a necessity when you are an IT consultant. You have to know where things are, so when you need them, you can find them. The same is true for the Windows 8 Start screen. If you can't find it, you can't use it. So here's how to organize the Start screen in Windows 8.

Here's a video on how to organize the tiles on the Windows 8 Start screen. The complete instructions are below.

How to pin tiles to the Start screen in Windows 8

Windows 8 Start screen with tiles and groups organized

Using a mouse

1. Go to the Start screen.
2. Right-click the Start screen background to bring up the app commands.
3. Select All apps.
4. Scroll to and right-click the app tile you want to pin to the Start screen.
5. On the app command bar at the bottom of the screen, left-click Pin to Start.

Using a keyboard

1. Go to the Start screen.
   
2. Press the Windows logo key + Z to open the app commands.
3. Press Enter to select All apps.
4. Use the arrow keys to navigate to the app tile you want to pin to the Start screen.
5. Press the Application key to bring up the app commands.
6. On the app command bar at the bottom of the screen, use the arrow keys to navigate to Pin to Start and press Enter.

Using touch

1. Go to the Start screen.
2. Swipe up from the bottom of the Start menu to bring up the app commands.
3. Select All apps.
4. Scroll to the app tile you want to pin to the Start screen and press and hold it to bring up the app commands.
5. On the app command bar at the bottom of the screen, tap Pin to Start.
   

How to unpin tiles from the Start screen in Windows 8

Using a mouse

1. Go to the Start screen.
2. Scroll to and right-click the app tile you want to unpin from the Start screen.
3. On the app command bar at the bottom of the screen, left-click Unpin from Start.

Using a keyboard

1. Go to the Start screen.
2. Use the arrow keys to navigate to the app tile you want to unpin from the Start screen.
3. Press the Application key to bring up the app commands.
4. On the app command bar at the bottom of the screen, use the arrow keys to navigate to Unpin from Start and press Enter.

Using touch

1. Go to the Start screen.
2. Scroll to the app tile you want to unpin from the Start screen and press and hold it to bring up the app commands.
3. On the app command bar at the bottom of the screen, tap Unpin from Start.

Moving tiles on the start screen in Windows 8

Using a mouse

1. Go to the Start screen.
2. Click and hold the left mouse button on the tile you want to move and drag it to the location you want.

Using touch

1. Go to the Start screen.
2. Press and hold the tile you want to move and drag it to the location you want.

Move groups on the start screen in Windows 8

Windows 8 Start screen zoomed out with tiles and groups organized

Using a mouse/keyboard

1. Go to the Start screen.
2. Hold down the Control key (CTRL) on the keyboard while using the mouse wheel and zoom out to view all of the Start screen groups.
3. Press and hold the left mouse button on the group you want to move and drag it to the location you want.

Using touch

1. Go to the Start screen.
2. Pinch two fingers on the screen and zoom out to view all of the Start screen groups.
3. Press the group you want to move and drag it to the location you want.
   

Rename groups on the start screen in Windows 8

Using a mouse/keyboard

1. Go to the Start screen.
2. Hold down the Control key (CTRL) on the keyboard while using the mouse wheel and zoom out to view all of the Start screen groups.
3. Right-click on the group you want to rename and select Name group from the app command bar.
   

Using touch

1. Go to the Start screen.
2. Pinch two fingers on the screen and zoom out to view all of the Start screen groups.
3. Press and hold the group you want to rename and select Name group from the app command bar.

Other related articles:

How to create a shortcut on the Desktop and Start menu in Windows 8

How to create log-off restart and shutdown shortcuts on the Start screen in Windows 8

Have you ever opened a filing cabinet just to find the folders just scattered around? The files are all over the place, and you cannot find what you're looking for. The same thing can happen to the folders/files on your Windows based computer. Windows does come with a disk defrag program, but its options are minimal. If you're looking for something more in a disk defrag program, check out Defraggler by Piriform.

Drive view inside of Defraggler

With Defraggler, you can do much more than just defragment your hard drive. You can do a quick or full defrag, defrag only free space, and my favorite, boot-time defrag. And it uses the same technology as Windows built-in defragmenter to read and write files. You can even have the option to replace the Windows built-in defrag program with Defraggler.

Block detail view inside of Defraggler

Defraggler also has something that has been missing from Windows built-in defragmenter for years, a drive map showing the status of files on your hard drive. And what is cool is that you can left-click on a block, and Defraggler will tell you what file(s) are located in it. And best of all, it's free. Here's a quote from the Piriform website:

Defragment exactly what you want
Most defrag tools only allow you to defrag an entire drive. Defraggler lets you specify one or more files, folders, or the whole drive to defragment.

Safe and Secure
When Defraggler reads or writes a file, it uses the exact same techniques that Windows uses. Using Defraggler is just as safe for your files as using Windows.

Compact and portable
Defraggler's tough on your files – and light on your system.

Interactive drive map
At a glance, you can see how fragmented your hard drive is. Defraggler's drive map shows you blocks that are empty, not fragmented, or needing defragmentation.

Quick Defrag
Give your hard drive a quick touch-up with Quick Defrag.

Defragment free space
Organizes empty disk space to further prevent fragmentation.

Scheduled defragmentation
Defragment while you sleep - and wake up with a faster PC. Set Defraggler to run daily, weekly or monthly.

Multi-lingual support
No matter what your native tongue is, Defraggler speaks your language. It currently supports 37 languages.

For more information on Defraggler, just follow the link below:

Defraggler - File and Disk Defragmentation

There may come a time when your Windows-based computer starts to run improperly. Installing and uninstalling software, viruses, and malware are just a few things that can corrupt the integrity of system files. When it comes to computer repair on a system running Windows, I always like to check for corrupt system files. You can too with Windows built-in System File Checker (SFC).

System File Checker running in Command Prompt inside of Windows 8

SFC scans the integrity of all protected system files and replaces incorrect versions with correct Microsoft versions. Everything SFC does is documented in the CBS.log file. If SFC finds any files that it cannot repair, check the CBS.log for more information. See the bottom of command-line syntax(s) and parameter(s) for details on how to view the CBS.log.

Running SFC in Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8

To ensure that SFC runs with administrator privileges on Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8, you will need to run it at an administrative Command Prompt.

1. Open a Command Prompt with Administrative privileges
   
   

   How to open a Command Prompt with Administrator privileges in Windows Vista and Windows 7

   How to open a Command Prompt with Administrator privileges in Windows 8

2. Use the following command line syntax(s) and parameter(s) to run SFC:

sfc [/scannow] [/verifyonly] [/scanfile=<file>] [/verifyfile=<file>] [/offwinddir=<offline windows directory>/offbootdir=<offline boot directory>]

You can view the CBS.log file in Notepad using the following code at the same administrative Command Prompt used to start SFC.
notepad %systemroot%\Logs\CBS\CBS.log

Running SFC in Windows XP

To use SFC, you will need to open a Command Prompt.

1. Click the Start button, then Programs, Accessories, and click on Command Prompt
   or
   Press + R. This will bring up the Run dialog box. Type CMD and click OK
2. Use the following command line syntax(s) and parameter(s) to run SFC:

sfc [/scannow] [/scanonce] [/scanboot] [/revert] [/purgecache] [/cachesize=<x>]

When SFC is done, you can view the log file in Notepad using the following code at the same Command Prompt used to start SFC.
notepad %systemroot%\Logs\CBS\CBS.log

Did you know that you can use your voice to control your Windows 8 computer? With Speech Recognition inside Windows 8, you can start programs, open menus, click buttons and other objects on the screen, dictate text into documents, and write and send e-mails. Just about everything you can do with your keyboard and mouse can be done with only your voice. All you need is a microphone.

Speech Recognition interface inside of Windows 8

Starting Speech Recognition in Windows 8

1. Swipe in from the right side of the screen or press the Windows logo key + C to bring up the Charm bar.
2. Left-click on Search button in Charm Bar.
3. Left-click on Apps in Search.
4. Type Speech Recognition in the Search field on the Search pane.
5. In the results on the left-hand side, left-click on Windows Speech Recognition.

or

1. Go to the Start menu.
2. Right-click the Start menu background to bring up the app commands.
3. Left-click on All apps.
4. Scroll to the Windows Speech Recognition tile and left-click on it.

The first time you run Speech Recognition, you will get the setup wizard. After completing the setup wizard, It is recommended that you go through the Speech Recognition Voice Training.

Using Speech Recognition to control your Windows 8 computer

You can use simple, short commands to control your computer. The following table shows some of the most commonly used Speech Recognition commands. Words that look like this (italic) indicate that you can replace the example word or phrase with similar words and get useful results.

Note: Any time you need to find out what commands to use, say "what can I say?"

For more information on Speech Recognition and a complete list of commands, just right-click the Speech Recognition icon on the Desktop Taskbar and select Open Speech Recognition Reference Card.