Q: In Windows 8, I often use programs like Word, Excel, Photoshop, and Adobe Premiere.

I know from Windows 8 For Dummies how to pin those programs’ icons to the taskbar along the desktop’s bottom edge.

But how can I pin their icons to the desktop itself?

My taskbar is getting a little crowded.

A: Windows 8 removed the desktop’s traditional Start button, and replaced it with a tile-filled Start screen.

To launch a program, you switch to the Start screen, scroll through its tiles until you find your program, and then launch it with a click.

But finding your program on a crowded Start screen can take a lot of time, so many people take a shortcut: They right-click their favorite program’s Start screen tile and click the Pin to Taskbar icon, which adds the program’s icon to the desktop’s taskbar for easy access.

It’s not so easy, though, to place the program’s icon on the desktop. But if your taskbar’s running out of room for more icons, follow these steps to place a favorite program’s icon directly on the desktop: Click to read more »

Q: I am considering purchasing a Windows 8 laptop. Being a senior and not as savvy as these young whippersnappers, do you think it’ll be too difficult to learn?

I’m presently using Windows XP, and I have used a computer for the last ten years.  But I understand that Windows 8 is a different animal altogether.

I’d appreciate your input.

A: Having written three books on Windows 8, I’m very well-acquainted with Microsoft’s newest operating system. And you’re right. Compared with Windows XP — or any other version of Windows, for that matter — Windows 8 is a completely different animal.

It’s a two-headed beast, and that upsets many people.

Why two heads? Well, half of Windows 8 is the traditional desktop that’s been around for years. The desktop works fine with a mouse and keyboard. In fact, you need a mouse and keyboard to navigate the desktop. If you’ve used earlier Windows versions, you’ll find Windows 8’s desktop to be quite familiar.

Windows 8’s second half, though, is a new tile-filled Start screen and apps —  miniature programs. And the Start screen only shines when you can control it with your fingers on a touchscreen. Click to read more »

Q: How do I delete a birthday from Windows 8’s Calendar app?

Unlike regular appointments, birthdays don’t have a delete button.

I don’t want to delete any of these people, but I don’t want everybody’s birthday cluttering up my computer’s Calendar app.

What can I can do?

A: Windows 8 harvests a lot of information from your social networks, which can be a huge timesaver.

Tell the People app about your Facebook account, for example, and the app automatically stocks itself with your friends’ information: names, photos, contact information, and even Facebook posts.

However, most people also list their birthdays on Facebook. The People app passes those dates to your Calendar app, which immediately lists everybody’s birthday among your own appointments.

This works fine for people who limit their Facebook friends to their immediately family. Realistically, though, your Facebook friends include dozens of casual acquaintances. The result? Your Calendar becomes cluttered with the birthdays of strangers.

To remove those birthdays without unfriending any Facebook friends, follow these steps: Click to read more »

Q: How do I make a Recovery Drive for my Microsoft Surface RT?

A: Microsoft’s Surface RT runs Windows RT, which looks like Windows 8 but behaves slightly differently in often unexpected ways.

For example, the Surface RT includes a traditional Windows desktop, but it can’t run traditional Windows desktop programs. And since the operating system comes pre-installed, there’s no way to boot an ailing Surface RT from a DVD.

So, after you’re through admiring your new Surface RT’s flashy colors, create a Recovery Drive: A USB flash drive of at least 4GB that contains the files Windows RT needs to run, even if its system files are missing or damaged. (A 4GB USB drive costs about $5 on Amazon.)

To create a USB Recovery Drive on a Surface RT, follow these steps: Click to read more »

Q: I love your books, and I’m awaiting Samsung Galaxy Tab for Dummies. I am not able to download Adobe Flash for my tablet, and I wonder if you can help.

I can stream videos on my desktop, but I’m devastated I cannot do the same on my Samsung Galaxy Tablet. It runs Android version 4.0.3.

A: I didn’t write Samsung Galaxy Tab For Dummies. (This page lists most of the books I’ve written.) But I did write Motorola Xoom For Dummies, so I’ve kept up on Android tablets.

And unfortunately for you, Adobe stopped supporting Flash after version 4.0.x. Since your tablet runs Android version 4.0.3, Adobe doesn’t support Flash on your tablet.

Oddly enough, Flash still works on older Android tablets that haven’t been updated to Android’s latest operating system.

Adobe’s Flash is dangling from the edge of technology’s ever-turning treadmill. Desktop computers are slowly moving to other video standards. And portable devices never offered much support, either: Click to read more »