Windows 8: Show the administrative tools in Start

The Windows 8 Start screen looks great with all those tiles. One for Mail, one for Calendar, one for Internet Explorer and so on. You can display all your apps and programs by right clicking the Start desktop and clicking All Apps. But there is even more, although the extra tools are for advanced users only.

Move the mouse up into the top right corner of the screen and a panel slides in from the right. Move the mouse down the panel and click Settings (the icons are called charms by the way). A new panel appears and if you click Settings at the top there is an option to display administrative tools. Click the switch to change it from No to Yes, then click the desktop to hide the panel.

Back at the Start screen, use the scrollbar at the bottom of the screen to scroll to the right. You will now see a new collection of tiles. Disk Cleanup is the simplest of the tools and one that you should use regularly. Some of the others are quite complicated, but they do have their uses if you want to delve into the inner workings of Windows.

You probably won't want to access these tools on a daily basis, so it is a good idea to keep them hidden and then just show them and use them when you need them.