Technical information

Windows 8 For Dummies, Dell Pocket Edition
12
Even while locked, as shown in Figure 1-3, your
computer’s screen displays current information in
its bottom-left corner. Depending on how it’s con-
figured, you can see the time and date; your wire-
less Internet signal strength (the more bars, the
better); battery strength (the more colorful the
icon, the better); your next scheduled appoint-
ment; a count of unread e-mail; and other items.
Keeping your account private
with a password
Because Windows 8 lets many people use the same
computer, how do you stop Rob from reading Diane’s
love letters to Jason Bieber? How can Josh keep
Grace from deleting his Star Wars movie trailers?
Using a password solves some of those problems.
In fact, a password is more important than ever in
Windows 8 because some accounts can be tied to a
credit card. By typing a secret password when signing
in, as shown in Figure 1-5, you enable your computer
to recognize you and nobody else. If you protect your
username with a password, nobody can access your
files. And nobody can rack up charges for computer
games while you’re away from home.
To set up or change your password, follow these
steps:
1. Summon the Charms bar and click the Settings
icon.
You fetch the Charms bar differently depending
on whether you’re using a mouse, keyboard, or
touchscreen:
 •Mouse: Move the mouse pointer to the top-
right or bottom-right corner of your screen.
These materials are the copyright of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and any
dissemination, distribution, or unauthorized use is strictly prohibited.