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This is the 2nd part of our look at Windows 8 Preview and we will now focus on the Metro Interface.

The usual desktop has now been replaced with Tiles that are called the “Main Metro Start Screen”. Don’t try looking for the “Start Button” as it dos not exist. Usually this screen is just referred to as the Start Screen.

The tiles are such that immediately you know that the interface has been designed with touch screens in mind. Perfect for a Tablet or a Touch Screen Monitor. However, with practice it does seem to work on a normal PC as well.

The next thing you notice is that the tiles are interactive. I.E. they can display information as well as used to launch an application.

The Tiles are grouped together in stacks keeping similar items together. The 1st tile you see is called “Store”. This allows you to find, download and install new applications. It also allows to download updates to existing applications.

If you move your mouse to the top left hand corner of the screen and drag it down, you will see a list of running/recently opened applications. To switch to one of them click on it with the mouse. To close one, right click over it and choose “Close”.

Right click on a tile and you will get a mini menu appear at the bottom of the screen. This allows you to change some of the properties on the application. For instance, you can change the size of the tile. If you right click on the background you will be able to see the full list of applications.

The Metro Interface does get some getting used to, but we all managed to convert from Windows 3.1 to the now common look and feel we all love and hate.

For the die-hards, one of the tiles is called “Desktop”. This takes you to a more familiar looking interface. However as mentioned before, there is still not a sign of a Start Button. Move your mouse to the bottom left corner of the screen where you expect the Start Button to be, and surprise, an option appears, but only to switch you back to the Metro Interface. If you right click here you will be presented with some advanced options. We will not be covering these in this initial series on Windows 8 Preview.

Towards the top right of the screen you will see your profile name. Clicking on this allows you to access various PC settings, including changing your username to a Microsoft Email account. If you did not use a Microsoft Email account at installation time, now is the time to change. Click on your name and select Change account picture. A series of options now appear. You should spend some time setting you computer and your account up before proceeding much further.

To change your account to a Microsoft email account select “Users” and then “Switch to a Microsoft Account”. A wizard will first ask you to confirm your current password. Comfirm the information and press the “Next” button. Enter your Microsoft email address and then press the “Next” button. Enter your password and press the “Next” button. Now you must provide some security verification information. Complete the information as applicable and press the “Next” button. If everything works you should now be able to press the “Finish” button.

Clicking on your profile name at the top right also gives you the option to log out.

Moving your mouse to the top right of the screen displays another set of options on the right hand side. These are referred to as “Charms”. Why? no idea, but it is a useful set of options. In particular the “Settings” charm is useful as when you have selected it, you find the option to power off your computer. Also within settings is another option called “Settings”. This one near the top allows you to enable “Administrative tools”. Suddenly loads more tiles appear on your desktop, but at least everything you expect to find in the “Control Panel” is now available.

There is also a charm  called “Start” that looks like a Window. This takes you back to the main “Start” or Metro screen.

In the next article we will see how to configure mail, and why having SkyDrive and a Microsoft account is a good thing.

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The first stage to install Windows 8 Preview, is to download a copy from the Microsoft website. The details you need are:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/download

We strongly recommend that you do NOT click the blue Download Windows 8 Consumer Preview but choose the ISO Format instead. This is located just under the main download. Ensure you choose the correct version that is compatible with your computer. Don’t forget to download the key as well! Burn the ISO image to a DVD. Should anything go wrong with the install, you have the media and can try again.

Important: If you decide to go back to your previous operating system, you’ll need to reinstall it from the recovery or installation media that came with your PC. This is typically DVD media. If you don’t have recovery media, you might be able to create it from a recovery partition on your PC using software provided by your PC manufacturer. Check the support section of your PC manufacturer’s website for more information. After you install Windows 8, you won’t be able to use the recovery partition on your PC to go back to your previous version of Windows.

We recommend using a spare computer or hard disk. Remember that the preview will time out eventually and you will need to reinstall from scratch once the official release is here. You really do not want to trash your main computer do you!

There is an upgrade option but we will only be covering a clean install from the DVD media you have just created.

Ensure that any data on your hard disk is backed up before starting the installation. You have been warned.

Switch on your computer, insert the DVD into the drive and choose to boot from the DVD. If you computer does not boot from the DVD you may have to change some settings in the BIOS. Refer to the manual with your computer.

The first screen you will see is the Windows 8 Setup. Here you must select the correct Language to install, the correct Time and Currency format and the correct Keyboard or input method. Here in the UK we obviously select the English options. When you have made the correct selections, press the “Next” button.

You then have the option to “Install Now” or to “Repair your computer”. This is a new install so we select the option to “Install Now”.

The product key is the next piece of information required. Hopefully you remembered to download the license key. Enter the key and press the “Next” button.

The license terms are then display and you must accept the license terms before you can press the “Next” button.

You will now be asked “Which type of installation do you want?” Upgrade or Custom if your hard disk already has information on it. If you have a clean disk, you will not be prompted. If you have existing data do ensure you have a backup of your information and you have checked the backup BEFORE proceeding. We have chosen the “Custom” option as our disk has data on it, but we do not want to upgrade it. This option will remove your current data on the disk.

If you have more than 1 hard disk you will now be prompted “Where do you want to install Windows?” Highlight the correct Drive and press the “Next” button. This is all of the information required at this point and the system will proceed to install Windows 8 Preview on your computer. At this point you can go away and do something else while it gets on with it.

2 reboots later and a total time of approx. 1 hour from inserting the DVD you will now be asked to “Personalize” your computer. You can pick a colour for the background and a name to identify your computer. We chose “Windows8″ just to identify it from the other computers on the network. Click on the “Next” button once you are satisfied with your selections.

Now you need to configure some settings. Given this is a Preview you should choose the “Use express settings” button. All the parameters set by this can be changed later anyway.

You will need to enter a valid email address as this now becomes your username. If you have a “Windows Live” or “Hotmail” account use this as it will enable you to access “SkyDrive” if you use it.

If you do not have a suitable account, the next screen will allow you to choose a more traditional username and password. You can then select a Microsoft email address later via the “Control Panel”.

Finally we have a very strange looking Windows interface.

In our next blog we will look at how easy it is to use and explain where your favorite icons etc. are now lurking.

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We have decided to post a series of articles on Windows 8 Preview from Microsoft. Please remember that Windows 8 is still at the preview stage. This means that the final version will be different in some areas.

These articles are in response from several questions about the upcoming release currently scheduled for later this year. Windows 8 is the most radical change to the interface yet seen. Already we are seeing that the most common problem is ‘where do I find xxx’ as everything now looks completely different. If it is better or worse only time will tell, but hopefully at the end of the series, you will be able to find your way around and make an informed judgement.

Each blog post will be dedicated to a particular area of interest of Windows 8 Preview. The first in the series will be the installation of Windows 8 Preview. We hope to cover most of the questions raised, and to get you thinking about when the time will be right to make the move. If you have a particular area of interest regarding Windows 8 Preview, let us know. We may even dedicate a post to your question! Do not be afraid to ask.

We hope to provide a viewpoint for the average computer user. Not a massively technical review that only engineers will understand. Please feel free to comment on these posts and to add your experiences as well.