Windows 8 Fundamentals

Quick Facts

Delivery Method Online
Professional Certificate
24hrs Suggested Study Time
3 Months Access
Tutor Support
Study On Any Device
1511 Students

Learn how get the most from the Microsoft Windows 8 operating system, including managing apps, programs, photos, files, and folders.

Welcome to the world of Microsoft Windows 8! It's a robust, powerful operating system that gives you an efficient way to manage all the apps, programs, files, and folders you use regularly. In this course, you'll learn the basics so you can make the most of this operating system for both work and fun.

You'll start by exploring how to move around within Windows 8 with the new Start screen, Charms bar, and desktop. You'll find out how to manage apps and programs on the Start screen and how to customise the Start screen and desktop areas.

Finding files and folders on your Windows 8 system is easy, and you'll learn how, whether you're looking for files stored on your hard drive or on an external drive. You'll also see how to create basic text documents using WordPad and discover how to organise, manage, and edit photos in Windows 8. Finally, you'll gain an understanding of how to protect your files, update Windows 8, and access the Internet with Windows 8's new Internet Explorer browser.

By the time you finish this course, you'll be ready to have more fun with Windows 8 and be more productive in your work.

Course Revised January 2014

Courses are delivered to you through expertly executed lessons, online instruction and interaction with like-minded students. Our courses are designed to deliver all of the benefits of studying in a classroom whilst giving you the flexibility to study at a time and place to suit your needs. You can access your classroom 24/7 from any device with an internet connection.

This course has a 3 month duration. You'll complete comprehensive lessons, quizzes and assignments before submitting your final exam at the end of the course to achieve your certificate. Courses must be completed within the 3 month access period.

<P>Learning to use your PC well starts with learning to use Windows. In this first lesson, we'll start with the basics that every computer user must know in order to use a computer with minimal frustration. If you've been working in "frustration and aggravation" mode for a while, this lesson will take care of that. We'll start by talking about what Windows 8 is and why you want to learn it. Then, we'll get right into the most important skills and terminology that allow you to control what you see on your screen at all times. And that's important, because the first step to using anything that's in your computer is getting it on the screen where you can see it! </P> </H1> </H1>

In this lesson, you'll explore the new Windows 8 Start screen. This new area gives you access to all the apps, programs, files, and more that exist on your computer. You'll find out how to manage the Start screen, work with apps, download and update apps, and customize the Start screen so that it looks the way you want. Get ready to have some fun and learn new stuff because the Windows 8 Start screen is brand new!

In today's lesson, you'll have fun personalizing your computer by choosing your own desktop pictures, window colors, and sound scheme. Along the way, you'll learn about the important Control Panel window in Windows 8 and tips for using dialog boxes and those occasional mysterious dimmed options that do nothing when you click them. The skills you learn in this lesson will go a long way to helping you gain complete control of your computer.

<P>No matter how you intend to use your computer, there'll be times when there's some typing involved. It might be for writing email messages, memos, or letters, or it might be for taking notes in a course, or for chatting with others in a website. Whatever the reason, today's lesson will teach you all the tricks for making typing (and editing) quick and easy. And you'll also discover how to save your work in files and folders, so it'll always be there when you need it! </P> </H1> </H1> </H1> </H1>

<P>Everything that's in your computer is stored on its hard drive. The hard drive is like a filing cabinet containing files organized into folders. Finding things you've saved in the past is a matter of opening the filing cabinet, so to speak, and then locating the correct folder. You'll use the File Explorer program to accomplish this. And in this lesson, you'll learn how it all works so you can start gaining complete mastery of your own files and folders. </P> </H1> </H1> </H1> </H1> </H1>

<p>Today it's time to have some fun with photographs. In today's lesson, you'll learn to use Photo Gallery to get pictures from a camera into your computer. You'll learn some tips for organizing those photos. And you'll also learn how to rotate pictures that are sideways, delete any awful pictures you'd rather nobody ever see, and print all your favorite photos on paper.</p>

In this lesson, we'll have even more fun with photos. Today, you'll learn how to further organize your photos by renaming them, rating them, and adding captions and tags. You'll also learn how to search for photos with tags. And you'll learn about Photo Gallery's editing tools for adjusting brightness and contrast, straightening crooked pictures, correcting red eye, and cropping.

<P>The Internet is home to popular websites like Facebook, Twitter, Google, ed2go, and many others. I'm sure many of you have seen reference to .com sites in ads and elsewhere. If you don't have a lot of computer experience, you might find it difficult to get to the many things you hear about on the Web. But not after this lesson! Today, I'll teach you how to use Internet Explorer, the program that provides access to all of those popular websites.</P> </H1>

<P>Managing files and folders is one of those computer skills that every computer user needs to know. In many work and school environments, people just assume you know how to manage files, and they rarely provide any details on how to accomplish things like copying, moving, or renaming files and folders. Today's lesson will explain how to do those very things that others assume you already know how to do. </P> </H1> </H1>

<p>In this lesson, you'll expand your file management skills by learning how to delete and recover files. You'll learn how to select multiple files to work with so you don't always have to manage your files one at a time. And we'll discuss how to copy files to and from removable media like flash drives, CDs, and DVDs.</p>

<P>Your computer is an investment of money, and the pictures and other files you store on your computer are an investment of time. You might even have some photos or other files that are so precious the thought of losing them causes you anxiety. What you need to do is protect those files. And that's just what this chapter is all about—how to use the tools and techniques that are built right into Windows to help you protect your valuable time and files!</P> </H1>

<P>In our final lesson, you'll learn some more techniques for protecting your computer, including using resources for free protection from viruses and spyware. You'll learn how to remove programs you no longer want or need. You'll learn how to copy and paste text and create screenshots. And you'll discover some great timesaving tips and shortcuts, as well as resources for helping yourself so you don't have to be so dependent on others. </P> </H1> </H1> </H1>

Curt Simmons

Curt Simmons, M.Ed, MCSE, MCSA, CTT, is a best-selling author, technical trainer, and multi-media expert. Curt has written more than 50 computing and technology books on a variety of topics, including How To Do Everything with Windows Vista, How t... Read more

Read Curt Simmons's Profile

Frequently Asked Questions

Once you've made the payment, we'll send you a confirmation email with a link to start your course. Feel free to get started whenever you're ready!

You'll have 3 months access to your course. In that time you are free to study at your own pace. The course duration is 24 hours.

Online learning is a flexible way to study that fits around your schedule, giving you the freedom to learn at your own pace from anywhere in the world. You'll have 3 months to complete the course and can take the multiple-choice questions and final exam whenever it suits you.

If you need help, you can contact us anytime. You can also join the discussion area where you can interact with other students. The discussion area for each lesson is open for the entire duration of the course.

Of course! We offer a 7-day money back guarantee. As long as you haven't completed the course, you can get a full refund within 7 days of enrolling.

We do not offer extensions or transfers for this self-paced course. However, you will have 3 months to complete the course, and if you need to cancel within the first 10 days of enrolment, we offer a money back guarantee.

What people are saying about our courses

Thank you for teaching this course. Excellent job! It was very well organized and detailed. I have learned a lot, enough to know how to get around Windows 8.

Verified Student

I have taken several classes and as always this one was excellent. The instructor presented the lessons in a very professional manner, which held my attention from the beginning to the end of the course. When a course is taught in this manner the retention of knowledge is long term, something not easy forgotten in short span of time. Thanks once again and keep up the professional and excellent method in presenting a great learning environment.

Verified Student

I certainly value this course because I am new to Windows 8 and a laptop. Now I can keep up [smile] with my 10 year old granddaughter. Also, this was my first online course and the instructor and material made it less intimating and so enjoyable. I look forward to developing and growing with MS Windows 8. Please keep on making these kinds of online courses. Thank you.

Verified Student

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The Learning Environment

From the moment that you enrol in the Windows 8 Fundamentals you will become an integral part of our learning community. You'll find yourself with the freedom to learn at a speed that suits you, on any device, from anywhere in the world. Achieving your career goals no longer has to mean compromising family and work commitments.

Our Values

Learn At Your Own Pace

We believe in personalised learning. That's why we provide all the tools and support you need to succeed at your own pace. With flexible learning, you'll stay motivated and retain more information. Plus, you can balance your studies with work and family commitments to make your dreams a reality.

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Education should be accessible to anyone who wants to learn. That's why we offer some of the most competitive prices in the industry with payments plans for just $25 per week. Investing in your future is a smart choice and doesn’t have to break the bank.

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There's no better way to learn than from experts with years of experience in your field. That's why each of our 200+ industry-led courses are designed to give you a real-life perspective on your industry. With our expert mentors, you'll learn from people who have a wealth of knowledge and experience, and who are passionate about sharing it with you.

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At Vibe Learning, we're real people who are dedicated to providing you with personal support every step of the way. Our industry experts are not only professional and knowledgeable but also incredibly passionate about sharing their expertise with you. With their guidance, you'll gain invaluable insights and practical knowledge to help you succeed.

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Windows 8 Fundamentals

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Microsoft Access 2007 Intermediate

Quick Facts

Delivery Method Online
Professional Certificate
24hrs Suggested Study Time
3 Months Access
Tutor Support
Study On Any Device
3097 Students

Expand your Microsoft Access 2007 skills to build better, more user-friendly Access databases.

Microsoft Access 2007 database developers need the technical knowledge and skills to design databases that use multiple related tables. At the same time, good developers must know how to hide some of these underlying complexities so their completed products are pleasant to use.

In this course, you'll master the tools and techniques required to create user-friendly Access 2007 databases. You'll learn to design one-to-many and many-to-many databases and create queries, forms, and reports to reflect those relationships. You'll find out how to create a switchboard form, change database settings, and use macros to make a database easy and intuitive enough for even a computer novice to use.

A database is a collection of data organized into multiple tables. In this lesson, you'll learn the importance of recognizing one-to-many relationships among the data your database will manage. You'll also discover how to create tables that reflect those relationships and create the first table for a sample working database that we'll build together throughout the course.

Today, we'll dig deeper into database design and the natural one-to-many and many-to-many relationships among your data. You'll discover the importance of primary, foreign, and composite keys, and how to create them in your own databases. You'll get plenty of hands-on practice as we create more tables for our working sample database.

While tables provide a means of storing data, they don't offer much in the way of making a database user-friendly. For that, you need forms. In this lesson, you'll create a form for our working database and learn about the three ways to view forms: Form View, Layout View, and Design View. You'll start learning the tools and techniques the pros use to create attractive forms that are easy to use.

Today's lesson will expand on the skills you learned in Lesson 3. Here you'll learn to move, size, and position multiple controls, choose colors and fonts, and more. You'll also find out how to test your forms and fix common problems. All of these skills will allow you to produce more professional-looking forms that make it easy to work with data in your database.

Today, we'll return to the topics of one-to-many and many-to-many relationships among tables and explore how they relate to forms. You'll build on the skills you've already acquired to create more complex one-to-many forms that reflect the one-to-many relationships among your data. You'll also discover the value of lookup queries and combo boxes, which make it easy for users for select data for fields without having to type it in from memory.

Virtually everything you create in Access is an object, and all objects have properties. Understanding that is key to successful database design and development. In this lesson, you'll discover what that's all about and see how you can use properties to gain more control over every aspect of your database. Along the way, you'll add more enhancements to our working database, making your forms more attractive, usable, and user-friendly.

Sorting and Searching are key ingredients of any database. Today, we'll cover new techniques for sorting form data without the complexities of creating queries. You'll give your form a Search Box that allows users to quickly locate data without the need for complex filters or queries. As an added bonus, you'll learn how to create links in a table for sending e-mail messages with a simple mouse click. And you'll find out some of the secrets of SQL, the Structured Query Language that makes all your queries work the way they do.

Storing text and numbers in a database is easy. But what if you want to also store pictures, Word documents, or other external files? You can do that too, thanks to the Attachment data type. In this lesson, you'll learn all about attachments, including ways to use them in forms.

Forms are great for interacting with data on a computer screen, but sometimes you have to print data on paper, too. That's where reports come in. In today's lesson, you'll learn the tools and techniques for creating and formatting reports. You'll see how to control margins, spacing, page breaks, page orientation, and other important formatting features. And you'll get plenty of hands-on practice in using the report Layout View and Design View.

Today, we'll keep working on the skills you learned in Lesson 9, creating a more complex one-to-many report. You'll see how to use a query to combine data from multiple tables, and you'll learn about calculated controls on reports. You'll also discover some important skills for showing subtotals and totals on your one-to-many forms.

By now, you've created many database objects. Eventually, you may have to hand that database over to less knowledgeable users who won't know what to do with all those tables, queries, forms, and reports. Fortunately, they don't need to. As you'll discover in this lesson, you can hide all the complexities from those users. You'll learn to create a switchboard form that's so easy to use, your database users won't need any database expertise at all!

In this, our final lesson, you'll discover still more tools and techniques for making your database more user-friendly. The star of this lesson will be Access macros, which pre-define actions that you can tie to a button click or other event to simplify things for your database users. You'll also learn how to create custom messages that explain things to users so you don't have to. You'll come away with a fully functional database that's easy enough for even a computer novice to operate.

Alan Simpson

With over 100 published books to his name, award-winning author Alan Simpson is widely regarded as a computer and Internet guru. His books have been published throughout the world in over a dozen languages. Alan is a seasoned veteran of the comput... Read more

Read Alan Simpson's Profile

Frequently Asked Questions

Once you've made the payment, we'll send you a confirmation email with a link to start your course. Feel free to get started whenever you're ready!

You'll have 3 months access to your course. In that time you are free to study at your own pace. The course duration is 24 hours.

Of course! We offer a 7-day money back guarantee. As long as you haven't completed the course, you can get a full refund within 7 days of enrolling.

The Learning Environment

From the moment that you enrol in the Microsoft Access 2007 Intermediate you will become an integral part of our learning community. You'll find yourself with the freedom to learn at a speed that suits you, on any device, from anywhere in the world. Achieving your career goals no longer has to mean compromising family and work commitments.