Windows 8: How to access "My Computer"

I've recently upgraded my computer to Windows 8, and I am the sort of person who keeps all of their files in organised folders - sort of. Since the introduction of the new operating system from the team at Redmond, aka Microsoft, I've found that accessing these files is not easy to do like it used to be. Either I'm not taking the right steps, or the options just aren't immediately accessible.

I have found a solution that works in the interim. On the right, is a picture of the task bar, with the familiar icons (the first two anyway) that come as standard with a Windows 7 installation. As I upgraded from Windows 7, I am unsure if they are standard with Windows 8, but this guide is going on the assumption that you either upgraded from 7 or they are standard in 8.

Clicking the folder icon will bring up the "Libraries" window which shows your documents, pictures, videos etc. On the right is a navigation pane, which you can use to view different folders on your computer. You'll notice that there is the "Favourites" section up the top, then the Libraries section, then Homegroup and finally Computer. The "Computer" section is the one we are interested in for this guide.

Right clicking it will give you a number of options, look for the one that shows "Pin to Start".

This will create a tile in your start menu, which you can access from literally any program simply by hitting the Windows key on your keyboard.

You can move this tile around by clicking and dragging it to the desired location in your start menu screen, giving you instant access to your hard drive, devices and network locations attached to your computer.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post in the comments section below.

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How do I get the battery percentage my iPhone?

Sometimes the little icon in the top right hand side of the screen just isn't enough to know how much juice your battery really has.

If your like me, and you find charging the phone annoying, or you'd rather avoid it if you can, a good way to check to see if the battery is going to last you the rest of the day is to use a percentage value to find out how much charge your battery has left in it, which can be the difference between having a usable phone later in the day if you go out somewhere that evening, and might need your phone.

Apple don't have this option turned on by default, and to the extend of my knowledge, it's only available as an option from the iPhone 3GS models and newer, so if you have a 3G, your sweet out of luck, and you may as well stop reading here.

To set up the battery percentage meter, follow these steps.

1. Go to settings
2. Click General (you may have to scroll down a bit)
3. Choose usage
4. Scroll right down to Battery Usage heading
5. Slide the switch to "ON"

You'll notice that the battery's charge value, in percentage has appeared next to the battery icon. This will indicate to you the amount of battery remaining and will permanently be displayed there until you turn the switch to "OFF"

Hopefully this will help you manage how much battery you've got and help decide whether you need to charge again sooner rather than later. It may also help you see how much usage your phone is actually taking up during the day, and allow you to kill any unnecessary apps running in the background.