In this section:
Windows 8 provides two useful ways to connect your computing devices and content together via the Internet by using the cloud.
You can sync your Windows 8 device to another Windows 8–based device. This essentially shares various settings such as:
Personalization of your desktop’s ease of access features
Access to apps you’ve purchased from Microsoft
Sign-in credentials for some sites
Some app settings
Syncing requires that the computer logs on with a Microsoft Live ID rather than using a local account. You can then sign into that Windows Live account from another Windows 8–based device, and you’ll have access to these settings.
The other way that Windows 8 takes advantage of the cloud is by enabling you to share files with others by using Microsoft SkyDrive. SkyDrive lets you share items, such as pictures and documents, with others. Using SkyDrive, you can essentially make all the contents of your computer available when you log on securely from other computers.
To sync any sign-in information for accounts or apps, you must first confirm your computer as a trusted Device.
Click Change PC Settings.
Under Users, click Trust This PC.
Enter your Microsoft Live account password.
Click Sign In.
Click Confirm.
Verify that your email address is listed correctly on the following screen and then click the Send Link button.
Go to your email account and click the link in the Windows Live Account Security Confirmation email.
To sync, you have to turn on the sync feature. When this is turned on and you sign in to your Windows Live account on another device, your settings are synced from the cloud to that device.
Press Windows logo key+I.
Click Change PC Settings.
Click Sync Your Settings.
Click the Sync Your Settings On This PC On/Off button.
Tip
Syncing works with app settings only for apps that you’ve purchased from the Windows Store. See Chapter 14, for more information about shopping for apps.
You don’t have to share all your settings when you turn on the sync feature; you can pick and choose only the items you want to share, from language preferences to browser settings and sign-in information.
Press Windows logo key+I.
Click Change PC Settings.
In the list of settings on the left, click Sync Your Settings.
Click the On/Off buttons, as preferred, for the available sync settings.
You can share files on your computer with SkyDrive directly from within certain apps, such as Music and Photos. This is especially useful when sending large files as email attachments is impractical. You can also open the SkyDrive app and add files to folders from there, which is covered in the Adding Files to a Folder task later in this chapter.
Just as files in the libraries on your computer are organized into folders, you can organize your shared files into folders on SkyDrive. You can then share individual folders with different people so that nobody has access to your entire SkyDrive content.
Click the Internet Explorer tile.
Right-click to display the address bar.
Enter https://skydrive.live.com in the address bar.
Press Enter.
Click Create and then click Folder.
Enter a name for the folder.
Click anywhere outside of the folder to save the name.
Tip
Folders in SkyDrive are displayed in columns such as the following: Name, organized alphabetically by file name; Date Modified, organized by the last added or saved file; or Shared With, which identifies those that aren’t shared with the words “Just me” or those that are shared with the words “Some people.” To change the view from a list of files to folder/file thumbnails, use the Thumbnails View and Details View buttons to the right of the search field.
After you have created a folder in SkyDrive, you can upload files to that folder. It’s often easier to share larger files by adding them to SkyDrive rather than attaching them to emails.
Right-click to display the address bar.
Enter https://skydrive.live.com in the address bar.
Press Enter.
Click a folder to open it.
Click Upload.
Drag the scroll bar to locate the file you need. (If it’s not displayed, click the Go Up button to display more folders on your computer.)
Click a file.
Click Open.
Tip
To delete a file from SkyDrive, locate it in a folder in the Files list and then right-click it. Choose Delete, and in the confirming dialog box that appears, click Yes. You can delete more than one file in a folder by selecting several check boxes in the file list and then right-clicking one of the selected files and choosing Delete.
One of the main functions of a file sharing site such as SkyDrive is, quite logically, to share content with others. You can share individual folders of content and allow people to edit the content or only read it.
