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[Windows 8] How to enable or disable app notifications

Hoàng Tú December 11, 2012 0

As you already knew, there are many and many new features in Windows 8. Most of them are focused on touch and mobile experiences. If you have used a smartphone, you problem know about “notifications,” which is the way your apps notify you of something. In Windows 8, there is [...]

[Windows 8] How to completely disable spell check and auto-correct on your PC or tablet

Hoàng Tú December 10, 2012 4

Like mobile operation systems, Windows 8 provides a spell check feature throughout the entire system. Once you have turned on this feature (actually, it is on by default), the system checks your spelling everywhere you enter text — even in the desktop mode. Just like Microsoft Word, misspelled words are [...]

[Windows 8] Two tweaks to make Windows 8 faster

Hoàng Tú December 8, 2012 2

Despite Windows 8 having a lot of new features to the improvement in speed, you even speed it up further with two simple tricks. In this article, I will show you how to increase the speed of Windows 8 by making menus appear quicker. Of course some may argue that [...]

[Windows 8] How to enter Safe Mode

Hoàng Tú December 6, 2012 14

Safe Mode is a necessary feature to rescue your computer when it doesn’t work well, especially when it is affected by malware. The reason Safe Mode is so effective in fixing computer issues is, in Safe Mode, only the necessary system/Windows services and apps will start ensuring anything that causes [...]

[Windows 8] News Bento is a beautiful news reader that syncs with Google Reader

Jerry December 4, 2012 0

I love reading, and I know a lot of people do too. The internet is such a great way to find great articles to read, and that’s where dedicated news readers come in. These applications allow people to aggregate all of their favorites sites and read articles in one app, [...]

Web traffic stats show Windows 8 is not being as quickly adopted as Microsoft claims

Ashraf December 3, 2012 4

Last week Microsoft dropped a bombshell letting the world know not only has Windows 8 sold 40 million copies in a month, but it is being adopted faster than how quickly Windows 7 was adopted in 2009. Turns out that may not be exactly true.

Based off 15 billion web [...]

[Windows 8] How to create a recovery USB flash drive or CD/DVD to fix your PC or tablet

Hoàng Tú December 2, 2012 10

Since I have become familiar with troubleshooting Windows problems, the scariest thing I sometimes face is that my Windows can’t boot up. What can I do in such a situation? In my experiences, using a bootable CD or USB to try fixing or reinstalling Windows is the only solution. But [...]

[Windows 8] Where is the startup folder and how to make apps or processes to run automatically at Windows boot

Hoàng Tú December 1, 2012 5

Windows 8 brings huge changes to user experience such as Start Screen, Windows Store apps, and Modern UI. Beside that, it also changes many small things that you won’t notice until you need them. In another article, I showed you how to manage startup apps via Task Manager. But how [...]

[Windows 8] Official Evernote app brings uncluttered notetaking to Windows 8

Jerry December 1, 2012 2

When people think of note-taking, there is always one service that people always think of — Evernote. Evernote is usually regarded as the best in its class, and it has reason to be. With apps spread over every platform, from OS X to Windows to even the now less [...]

Microsoft’s $899+ Surface 8 Pro tablet will have roughly… four hours of battery life

Ashraf November 30, 2012 2

In a previous post today, I revealed Microsoft’s Windows 8 Pro Surface tablet will cost $899+. In my commentary, I mentioned the tablet is more of an Ultrabook than a tablet due to four main factors: full Windows (Windows 8 Pro), price ($899+), weight (2 lbs), and thickness (0.53 inches). [...]

Windows 8 Pro Microsoft Surface tablet is confirmed to cost $899 and up, available in January

Ashraf November 30, 2012 4

Feel the $499 and up price tag for Surface RT is outrageous? You may throw a fit after hearing what Surface 8 Pro is going to sell for. I’ll give you a hint — it starts at $899.

Microsoft has officially confirmed the Windows 8 Pro version of Microsoft Surface [...]

Microsoft plans on releasing one new Windows version every year, starting with ‘Windows Blue’ in 2013

Ashraf November 30, 2012 12

Until now, Microsoft and Apple have had different ways of updating their desktop operating systems, Mac OS X and Windows. Apple works off a 1-2 year release cycle and prices each consecutive update $30-$50. Microsoft, on the other hand, has no set release cycle. Microsoft releases new version of Windows [...]

The perfect revenge: installing Windows 8 on someone’s PC [Comic]

Ashraf November 28, 2012 4

Time and time and time and time (and time) again we have heard about experts and regular people alike attesting to the fact that Windows 8 sucks for non-touch, traditional PC users. And how Windows 7 is still the best Windows operating system. So, if people shouldn’t upgrade their Windows [...]

[Windows 8] How to decrease data or bandwidth usage (by using ‘metered connection’), and how to turn on ‘airplane mode’

Hoàng Tú November 28, 2012 3

Windows 8 is the first version of Windows that is designed to support mobile devices, such as tablets and hybrid laptops. From the user interface to the core of Windows 8, there are thousands of elements that focus on mobile users. The Start screen and Windows Store apps are great [...]

Windows 8 is doing well: 40 million copies sold in one month, upgrades are faster than Windows 7

Ashraf November 27, 2012 12

Despite all the Windows 8 hate and doomsday predictions, Windows 8, as it turns out, is doing very well. Tami Reller, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Marketing Office of Microsoft, has revealed Windows 8 has sold 40 million copies since it was released on October 26, 2012. In other words, [...]

[Windows 8] How to disable AutoPlay and AutoRun

Hoàng Tú November 27, 2012 3

Since Windows XP, Windows comes with ‘AutoPlay’ and ‘AutoRun’ features. AutoPlay will show you a popup dialog whenever you insert external media (drive, CD, DVD, etc.) to choose what to do with your inserted media. AutoRun, on the other hand, allows a file on your removable media to automatically run [...]

[Windows 8] How to set or change default programs for different file types (and stop Windows Store apps from doing everything)

Hoàng Tú November 25, 2012 2

Although Windows 8 provides two completely different environments (desktop and Modern UI/Start screen), it seems Microsoft wants Windows Store apps to take advantage of all user actions by default… even if a user is in desktop mode. For example, when I open a MP3 file or a video clip, Windows [...]

Usability expert deems Windows 8 as “weak, terrible, and disappointing”

Enrique November 23, 2012 7

After the unveiling of Windows 8, there has always been the question of whether or not Microsoft could successfully create an essentially all-new form of Windows that is both fresh stylistically but also usable in multiple form factors, such as the tablet and more traditional desktop. Jakob Nielsen is a [...]

[Windows 8] How to create a custom Refresh point or Windows Installer Image

Hoàng Tú November 22, 2012 8

In another article I introduced you the Refresh and Reset features in Windows 8. These features are very helpful of your Windows 8 tablet or PC ever malfunctions, either crashing or displaying errors. (Refresh is the one that restores settings to default and deletes all non-Windows Store apps but does [...]

[Windows] Split large files into smaller pieces with inSplitter Files

Justin November 21, 2012 6

There are a lot of programs out there that can split files into smaller, more manageable pieces. However, one of the easiest ones I have used in a long time is inSplitter Files. This program can easily split big files and allows you to rejoin them without having to [...]

[Windows 8] How to speed up boot time — by disabling unnecessary startup programs, apps, and services

Hoàng Tú November 21, 2012 2

Startup speed in Windows is always a concern for many users. Step by step, each newer version of Windows has improved in this arena. According to a test by PGMag, Windows 8′s startup speed is over two times faster than Windows 7. This is a good improvement, yes, but it [...]

These are mockups of Windows 8 (by Microsoft) from 2010

Ashraf November 21, 2012 1

How long do you think companies work on products before releasing them? A month? Two months? Six months? A year? Two years? It actually depends on what company and what product you are talking about. In the case of Microsoft and Windows 8, we know the company was working on [...]

[Windows 8] How to disable the Lock screen

Hoàng Tú November 20, 2012 2

As you already known, Windows 8 brings a ton of new features. One of them is the Lock Screen — much like what is found on mobile devices. Just like Windows Phone, Lock screen in Windows 8 is filled with a photo, a clock, and app notifications. However, while such [...]

Malware targeting Windows does damage in a novel way — using Google Docs

Enrique November 20, 2012 0

Backdoor.Makadoc — a trojan that has been floating in the wild for a while now, attacking Windows, and has recently been updated to target Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 — is a clever piece of malware. What makes this malware clever, you ask? Simply the way it goes about [...]

Windows 8 is hacked by security firm, details about the hack can be had… for a price

Enrique November 20, 2012 1

Some companies, and individuals, find and disclose vulnerabilities — may those be on websites, operating systems, programs, whatever — for the betterment of society. Others do it for a “finder’s fee”. VUPEN does it so they can sell the secrets to whomever wants them.

VUPEN is a security research firm [...]

[Windows 8] How to enable Aero Peek and transparent windows

Hoàng Tú November 19, 2012 1

One of the big changes to Windows since Windows XP is the Aero interface, which not graphically enhances the look of Windows by making windows glassy and transparent but also adds functionality such as Aero Shake, Aero Snap, and Aero Peek. (Aero Shake allows you to shake a window to [...]

Google and Bing autocomplete show how much people dislike Windows 8

Ashraf November 19, 2012 2

Google and Bing both have an ‘autocomplete’ feature that attempts to predict what you want to search for. The predictions provided by Google and Bing depend on two factors: what other users searched for and your past search history, if you are logged in. If you head over to Google [...]

[Windows 8] How to open Windows Store apps from the desktop or taskbar

Hoàng Tú November 17, 2012 0

In Windows 8, you can only open a Windows Store app from Start screen. As I work mostly in Windows 8′s traditional desktop environment, I really needed a way to open Windows Store apps from the desktop instead of having to go to Start screen to launch them. I found [...]

[Windows 8] How to setup a Picture Password to protect your tablet or PC

Hoàng Tú November 17, 2012 0

Beside Start screen, live tiles, and Modern UI, Picture Password is another cool feature of Windows 8. Essentially Picture Password allows you to pick a picture and draw a pattern on the picture; that pattern then becomes your unlock pattern/password for your PC or tablet.

This feature is very useful [...]

Microsoft is being sued for false advertising of Surface tablet’s internal storage space

Enrique November 16, 2012 8

If you purchased a 32GB tablet, I’m sure you weren’t expecting exactly 32GB to store all your music, photos, and files. But I’m also sure you were expecting it to at least be around the neighborhood of 32GB. Maybe 30GB — 28GB even. What if you were only get half [...]

Majority of people won’t upgrade for Windows 8 but do think it is safer than previous Windows, according to massive survey of over 350,000 computer users

Ashraf November 16, 2012 7

Do you use avast!, either the free version or their paid offerings? If so, last month you probably were prompted with popups asking you to take part in a Windows 8 survey Avast was conducting. Well those survey results are in and it is a mixed bag for Microsoft.

Avast [...]

[Windows 8] How to enable Hibernate on your computer or tablet

Hoàng Tú November 15, 2012 8

Hibernate is a very usable feature that was introduced in Windows XP. It helps you save your current tasks and documents and windows in their current state prior to shutting down your computer or tablet; therefore the next time you start Windows, all your tasks and documents and windows are [...]

[Windows 8] How to always open mouse-optimized Internet Explorer when on computer or touch-optimized Internet Explorer when on tablet or touch-enabled PC

Hoàng Tú November 15, 2012 1

Windows 8 is, in a general sense, a hybrid system that caters to touch-enabled tablets and PCs, and traditional mouse and keyboard computers. As such, Windows 8 has two parts — Modern UI (e.g. the Start screen) and the traditional desktop. As such, Internet Explorer 10 also has two versions. [...]

Internet Explorer 10 is now available for Windows 7, currently in Release Preview edition

Ashraf November 15, 2012 1

Windows 8 comes with Internet Explorer 10. Now Windows 7 users can also enjoy a taste of Internet Explorer’s latest upgrade, Internet Explorer 10 — Microsoft has just released Internet Explorer 10 Release Preview for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008.

Internet Explorer 10 on Windows 7 is, for the [...]

[Windows 8] How to switch between local offline account and Microsoft online account, and vice-versa

Hoàng Tú November 13, 2012 1

When you install Windows 8, it allows you to choose using between using a local account and Microsoft account. A local account is the traditional one which has been used in previous versions of Windows. Using a Microsoft account is new to Windows 8; you can sign in to your [...]

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