Like Windows 7—Only better

Windows 8 uses the same management tools that you already use to support Windows 7
in your organization. Tools like System Center 2012 Configuration Manager, Microsoft
 Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2012, and the Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset (DaRT)
have been updated for Windows 8—not just updated, but really enhanced.
Additionally, Windows 8 contains all of the security and reliability features that you’ve
come to expect from Windows. As you’ll learn in this book, the changes in Windows 8 are
 incremental from Windows 7. For an IT pro, these changes enhance supportability and
 security. For example, there are new refresh and recovery options available with Windows 8.
This means that you’ll spend less time supporting Windows 8.
The Windows 7 desktop features you love, like Jump Lists, the Taskbar, and Snapping,
are still there in Windows 8. You can pin items to the taskbar in Windows 8 and you can use
thumbnails in Windows 8 too. The desktop experience is just like Windows 7.
To provide a no-comprise tablet experience, the Windows 8 user interface is optimized for
touch. But the keyboard and mouse are still first-class input methods in Windows 8. Figure 2-1  
illustrates how you can perform the same tasks with both the touch interface and by using
the mouse. The important thing to remember about the Windows 8 user interface is:

•    Touch is about the edges.
•    Mouse is about the corners.

To be more specific, you can swipe in from the top, bottom, left, or right edges of the
screen to perform tasks. But you can also click the corners of the screen with the mouse to
accomplish the same tasks. For example, to search for a file, you can swipe in from the right
edge and tap the Search icon or you can click the top-right corner of the screen and click the
Search icon. Whereas you swipe in from the top edge of the screen to display app commands,
you simply right-click with the mouse ( just like you do in Windows 7).

 

 Using Windows 8 is intuitive and easy. However, Windows 8 provides excellent Help
that you can use to learn about the gestures, mouse, and keyboard shortcuts available. The
 following sections provide a brief hands-on tour of the Windows 8 user interface, which can
help you get up to speed quickly if you follow along on your own PC running Windows 8.