Technical information

Chapter 2: The Traditional Desktop
33
The desktop, with its tiny buttons and thin bars,
works best with a keyboard and mouse. If you’re
using Windows on a touchscreen tablet, you’ll
probably want to buy a portable mouse and key-
board for desktop work.
The Windows 8 desktop will run nearly all the
Windows programs that ran on your old Windows XP,
Windows Vista, or Windows 7 computer. Exceptions
are antivirus programs, security suites, and some util-
ity programs. Those don’t usually transfer well from
one Windows version to another.
Touching the Desktop
on a Touchscreen
Fingers work well for tapping the Start screen’s
extra-large tiles. And if you grimace enough, your
touchscreen’s touch controls will still work on the
desktop’s tiny buttons and thin borders. Here’s
how to control the desktop with your fingers:
✓ Select: To select something on the desktop, tap
it with a fingertip; the pad of your finger may be
too large.
✓ Double-click: To double-click something, tap it
twice. Again, your fingertip works best.
✓ Right-click: To right-click an item, press your
fingertip gently on it and wait for a small square
to appear onscreen. When the square appears,
remove your finger, and the pop-up menu stays
on the screen. Then you can tap your desired
option on the menu.
If your fingertip seems too wide for delicate desktop
window maneuvers, you may yearn for an old-fashioned
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