computer science

List of features removed in Windows 8

List of features removed in Windows 8 is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand List of features removed in Windows 8 rather than just read about it. In short: Windows 8 is a version of Windows NT and the successor of Windows 7. Several features that originated in earlier versions of Windows and that were included in versions up to Windows 7 are no longer present in Windows 8.

Key takeaways

List of features removed in Windows 8 belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect List of features removed in Windows 8 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of List of features removed in Windows 8 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Windows 8 is a version of Windows NT and the successor of Windows 7. Several features that originated in earlier versions of Windows and that were included in versions up to Windows 7 are no longer present in Windows 8. The removed features are listed as follows (both original and Windows 8.1).

Windows Shell

Start button was removed from the taskbar (although it was added again in Windows 8.1). Replacement methods for invoking the Start screen include a hotspot in the lower left corner of the screen, where the Start screen tile pops up, and a Start button among "the charms". "Recent documents" menu is removed from Start screen. Unified search is removed. A category-specific search replaces the former. It can search "Apps", "Settings", "Files" or within an app-specific index (such as, for example, e-mails from the Mail app) but not all at once. The default category is Apps, but can be changed before or after performing a search. Windows 8.1 restores this feature partially although unified search still does not search keywords or metadata like scoped search. Windows Desktop Gadgets, introduced in Windows Vista and included up to Windows 8 build 8432 (fbl_loc), are removed due to security issues associated with the execution of compromised gadgets. Windows 2000, NT 4.0, Server 2003, and Server 2008 compatibility modes were removed. Internet Explorer no longer shares the same navigation buttons as File Explorer. This can also be seen with IE9 on earlier beta builds of Windows 8, and all later IE versions after 8 on Windows Vista and 7.

Appearance and personalization The Aero Glass theme is replaced by a new theme with a flatter visual appearance in line with the Metro design language. This was done to reduce the amount of skeuomorphism in the UI. Aside from the taskbar, the new theme uses fewer transparency effects than the previous Glass theme. Flip 3D introduced in Windows Vista and included up to Windows 8 build 8002 (fbl_dnt3_wireless) is removed. ⊞ Win+Tab ↹ now toggles between Windows Store apps and the desktop. The Windows Classic theme, first introduced in Windows 95 and included up to Windows 8 build 7785, is removed. High-contrast themes (which previously used the Classic appearance) are modified to use the new visual styles. "Advanced appearance settings...", once found in Personalization > Window Color and Appearance part of Control Panel is removed. Sample pictures, sample music clips, sample video clip and preset user account pictures (a form of avatar) are no longer available. The sound schemes that were first included with Windows 7: Afternoon, Calligraphy, Characters, Cityscape, Delta, Festival, Garden, Heritage, Landscape, Quirky, Raga, Savanna, and Sonata are all no longer available; only the folders remain in C:\Windows\Media, and they are empty. However, if Windows 8 is directly upgraded from Windows 7 instead of a clean install, the sound schemes and the files relating to the sound schemes that are included in Windows 7 will be retained.

File Explorer

The Briefcase option under New context menu is removed by default, but can be reinstated by editing the registry. Because of the Details pane being moved to the right instead of at the bottom, it can no longer be enabled at the same time as the Preview pane. If the Details pane was turned on permanently, turning on the Preview pane turns it off every time since only one of them can be enabled at a time.

Games Chess Titans, FreeCell, Hearts, Mahjong Titans, Minesweeper, Purble Place, Solitaire, and Spider Solitaire, as well as Internet Backgammon, Checkers, and Spades were removed. Updated versions of FreeCell, Mahjong, Minesweeper, Solitaire, and Spider Solitaire were available in Windows Store. The Games Explorer was hidden since Windows 8 build 8128. The feature itself and its command line shortcut (shell:games) remained until Windows 10 version 1709. The hidden shell was removed permanently in Windows 10 version 1803.

Networking For dial-up networking, some of the options under "Redialing options", such as "Redial attempts" and "Redial if line is dropped", are no longer available. Although dial-up networking using PSTN telephone line is becoming increasingly rare, this could affect users that still use it to connect to 2G, 3G and/or 3.5G mobile networks and also DSL subscribers that use the system's PPPoE dialer. The "Manage wireless networks" option on the task pane of the Network and Sharing Center control panel is no longer available, although some of its functionality is still available through the netsh command netsh wlan. Some of this functionality is reintroduced with the Windows 8.1 Update via the PC Settings app. Similarly, creating an ad hoc wireless connection via the "Set up a wireless ad hoc" option under "Set up a new connection or network" is no longer available through the GUI; users need to use the same netsh command or a third-party utility such as Connectify. One can no longer save a Wi-Fi connection to a flash drive from the Wireless Network Properties box under the Connection tab. Shortcuts for the Bluetooth File Transfer wizard, which are added by Windows 7 on a device with Bluetooth communication, are no longer provided. The utility itself (fsquirt.exe) remains available. The Bluetooth stack does not support Bluetooth A2DP sink role, so playing audio from other phones or other PCs using Bluetooth to a PC running Windows 8 is not possible. Windows 7 supported both A2DP source and sink roles. Network Map is removed from Network and Sharing Center

User accounts and security Windows CardSpace was removed. Windows Defender: Can no longer schedule automatic system scans; it is now part of Action Center's maintenance schedule No longer shows the currently processed item

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with List of features removed in Windows 8

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what List of features removed in Windows 8 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to List of features removed in Windows 8 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about List of features removed in Windows 8 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of List of features removed in Windows 8

In research: List of features removed in Windows 8 appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses List of features removed in Windows 8 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: List of features removed in Windows 8 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Computing-related lists, Microsoft lists, Software features, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for List of features removed in Windows 8 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study List of features removed in Windows 8 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what List of features removed in Windows 8 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain List of features removed in Windows 8 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is List of features removed in Windows 8 in simple terms?

Why does List of features removed in Windows 8 matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study List of features removed in Windows 8?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on List of features removed in Windows 8.