Showing posts with label windows8. Show all posts
Showing posts with label windows8. Show all posts
Friday, June 7, 2013
Tips: Simple Computer Tips
 6 out of 10 People Ignore These Simple Computer Tips
You might be a rockstar of PC tips and trick, but there is a large, really large group of people who don’t know few simple PC tips that can save time or effort on a daily basis. Few people are just ignorant and don’t use them. Here are some common but not so common tips shared for you which you can apply for productive computing.
 1. Automate Scrolling Facebook Timeline
When you are browsing your Facebook timeline, you keep scrolling down using either the down arrow or the mouse wheel. Simply clicking the mouse wheel, you can set autoscroll, set the scroll speed by placing the pointer away from the scroll point. It is very useful for reading long form articles or just browsing through Facebook.
You may also try pressing Space bar to scroll down.
2. Find anything on Webpage Instantly
Many people still try to find a particular word by reading out the whole page of text. Ctrl + F works on any kind of document file and can save a huge amount of time and effort.
 3. Browser Based Keyboard Shortcuts
It surely does take a lifetime to switch between tabs in browsers but a simple shortcut (Ctrl + Tab) can make it easy when you are on a laptop and the touchpad isn’t very convenient. There are other shortcuts like Ctrl + T opens new tab, Ctrl + W closes the current tab and so on.
4. Sending .exe Files in EmailFew email services don’t allow attaching .exe files, and you stop trying further. But if you change the extension of your file to something else, say .jpg or .png, you can send it over email and instruct the recipient to change the file extension back to .exe. Or you can also zip the file using Winrar or Winzip. You can also send multiple files at once by zipping them together. 5. Favorite or Most Used Programs on TaskbarIf you use few programs very frequently, it is a good idea to pin them to taskbar so that you can get them without leaving the app you’re working on. What many people do is, minimize the app they are working on, go to desktop or start menu and launch the program. Launching another app from taskbar just takes one step. 6. Take Full Control of Small Screen LaptopsAssuming you do not use a 17 inch laptop, just a simple trick will get you little more screen space. Taskbar is very important, the reason I have mentioned above, but you don’t need to see it all the time, better to auto hide it. 7. Stop Typing Google.com to Search
There are people who still type google.com in Google Chrome address bar and then do a search, I am on a mission to tell everyone that they can directly search from the address bar, this is now being offered by other popular browsers as well.
 8. Using Google More than Search Engine
You can save so much time by using this, many people know about it but they still don’t use it, type Movies in ‘city name’ and you get the movies playing in cinemas, You can also get currency conversions (‘$23 in rupee’) , simple and complex calculations ( type ‘calculator’) and so on.
 see my post 10 Tricks to Use Google Search like Ninja for some advance tricks to use Google search.
There are many more tips which can make your tech life easy but are not being used by many people, if you know any such tip which you want to share with other readers, please leave them in the comment below.
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Thursday, June 6, 2013
News : Windows 8.1 (New Features)
Windows 8.1: News and features
Windows 8.1 will be released for public preview at Microsoft's Build conference on 26 June. Here we reveal the new features, screenshots and videos of the first major update to Windows 8.
Windows 8.1 is the first update to be released under the new "Windows Blue" scheme, and will mark a shift to annual updates, similar to how Apple releases versions of OS X.
Change log
This feature was updated on 5 June 2013 with confirmation of several new features from Microsoft and a new video Frank X Shaw, Microsoft's corporate vice-president of communications, said the "continuous development cycle" introduced by Windows 8.1 will become "the new normal across Microsoft", confirming the update model will apply to products beyond Windows 8 and RT, including Windows Phone and Server.
Windows 8.1 will be a free update available from the Windows Store, for both Windows 8 and Windows RT.
New features video
Microsoft has provided a brief video overview of some of the new features in Windows 8.1, which we've embedded below. Click here to watch the Windows 8.1 preview video if you can't see it below.
Start button returns
Developer builds of Windows 8.1 have confirmed that the much-missed desktop Start button will return - although not in the form many have hoped for.
The Windows logo will now appear in the bottom left-hand corner of the desktop, sporting exactly the same appearance and behaviors as the Start charm that zooms in from the right-hand side of the screen. In fact, leaked screenshots look almost identical to the Start 8 add-on created by Stardock (pictured below).
Pressing the Start button on the desktop will simply send users back to the Windows 8 Start screen. It won't open an old-fashioned Start menu, like the one that comes with Start 8. However, reports suggest that users will be able to tweak the Start button to jump to the All Apps screen instead, which might make it slightly easier to find an application that's not already pinned to the task-bar.
Direct to desktop
Windows 8.1 will also feature an option to bypass the much-maligned tile-based Start Screen.
The new Start Screen has proven controversial, with many desktop and laptop users bemoaning the fact that they can't simply skip straight to the more mouse-and-keyboard friendly desktop of old.
According to Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows, boot straight to desktop is included in developer builds of Windows 8.1, although not switched on by default.
The new "larger" desktop tile that appears on leaked builds of Windows 8.1 (see below) is a further indication that customers want easier access to the traditional desktop.
Start screen wallpaper and lock screen
Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 8.1 will allow users to set their own wallpaper on the Start screen. Currently, users are merely allowed to choose from a selection of preset "accents" and to select a colour scheme.
The Settings charm includes a new Personalize option that provides more granular control over the appearance of the Start menu backgrounds and colors, including the accent color of the Start charm itself.
Windows 8.1 also includes new "motion accents" - animated wallpapers that move as you scroll through the Start screen.
The lock screen can now be used as a digital photo frame, displaying a slideshow of images stored on the user's PC or in cloud services such as SkyDrive.
New tile sizes
Windows 8.1 will offer support for more tile sizes. Windows 8 supports two - "smaller" and "larger" - but Blue throws another two sizes into the mix. App tiles can now be reduced down to thumbnail size, occupying only a quarter of the space an existing "smaller" tile occupies.
There’s also a new super-sized tile, the size of two of Windows 8’s "larger" tiles. This allows you to display more live information on tiles such as Mail and Weather, providing a detailed synopsis of recent messages in your inbox or a long-range weather forecast, for example.
Revamped search
One of the biggest criticisms of Windows 8 was that the search menu had been hobbled, only returning results for apps by default. Windows 8.1 reverts to a unified search menu, which as you can see from the screenshot above, returns results for apps, settings and files as you begin to type.
Search results will also be presented in a new screen, which Microsoft is rather cheesily dubbing "heroes". These provide a graphical, app-like screen that combines Wikipedia-style facts, previews of internet search results, images and videos, as well as relevant files stored on the PC itself.
Split-screen apps
Windows 8 allowed you to put two "Metro" apps on the same screen, but only with one at almost full-size and the other running down a thin strip. Blue now allows you to give both apps equal billing, in an echo of the familiar snap-to-edges style of the Windows desktop.
Internet Explorer 11
A leaked Windows 8.1 build gave us the first sighting of Internet Explorer 11, in both Metro and desktop modes. The appearance of the browser remains largely identical in both versions, but there are a couple of intriguing new features.
The Settings menu in the Metro version of IE11 now includes a "Show synced tabs" option. This suggests Microsoft will allow users to synchronise tabs across devices, and possibly even from Windows Phone 8 devices, although the feature wasn’t functional in the leaked build.
SkyDrive integration
SkyDrive looks set to become much more tightly integrated into Windows 8.1, with its own entry in the main Settings menu, allowing you to view the amount of free space you have in your account.
There are also new options to automatically upload photos and videos to your SkyDrive at either "good" or "best" quality. SkyDrive can also be set as the default save location for a variety of different app files. Perhaps the most intriguing option is to use SkyDrive for online backups of the device.
Business features
Microsoft showed off a selection of business features that will arrive in Windows 8.1 at TechEd in New Orleans.
That includes networking features, such as support for wireless secondary displays, auto-triggered VPNs that turn on automatically when security is required, and NFC pairing with enterprise printers, letting users tap their device to a printer to connect. "No more hunting on your network for the correct printer and no need to buy a special printer; just attach a NFC tag to your existing machines," Microsoft said.
Windows 8.1 devices with mobile broadband will also be able to act as personal WiFi hotpots.
New security features in Windows 8.1 include "modern access controls" - such as fingerprint authentication - and the addition of network behavior monitoring to Windows Defender, the antivirus included with Windows 8.
Windows 8.1 will feature improvements to admin controls, too. IT departments will be able to control the Start Screen to keep key apps front and center and ensure consistency across company devices. PCs can be set up to show a set app only, such as a customer service tool for a store.
Bring your own device will be encouraged by making it easier to wipe business data from personal computers.
New app settings
There are also new settings for apps, allowing you to set quiet hours, so notifications don’t chime and wake you at 2am. There are options to allow incoming calls during the quiet hours, and let calls switch on the homescreen, suggesting Microsoft is looking to beef up the telephone features of Windows, possibly in conjunction with its Skype subsidiary.
There’s a new App Sizes listing, making it easier to work out which Windows Store apps are stealing your disk space, and a new option to set app defaults for web browsing, email, music, video and photos, which indicates Microsoft is wary of another EU fine for app bundling.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
New Updates For Windows 8 Bing Apps
New Updates For Windows 8 Bing Apps
Source :- BING BLOGS
Back in October Microsoft launched six Bing Apps for Windows 8 including News, Finance, Weather, Sports, Maps and Travel to help you explore your world with a set of immersive vertical experiences. The apps were designed from the ground up to embrace speed and touch providing you with a fast, fluid and consistent way to delve into your interests and get things done.
Starting today they are rolling out a significant set of updates across the apps that make it easier to customize and personalize them to best suit your needs. Let’s take a look at what’s new:
News– Interested in politics, but not very interested in entertainment? Or the other way around? Now you can customize the Bing News app to keep tabs on specific story categories, topics, or news sources that matter to you. Plus, we’re now supporting RSS feeds and offline reading so you can make the news truly your own and take it with you.
Maps– With more features to help you find the best the way to get there faster, the Bing Maps app now supports improved driving, transit and walking directions, as well as up-to-the minute traffic incidents notifications including construction and accidents. Want a more convenient way to save the places you visit the most often? Save common places as favorites or pin them to your start screen so that they roam across your Windows 8 devices.
Finance: Keep tabs on your portfolio and gauge performance of your stocks at a glance with the Bing Finance app which now includes an updated watch-list, real-time US stock updates and customizable interactive charts.
Sports– From in-game NBA statistics to Chinese Super League soccer results, the Bing Sports app is a one-stop shop to keep up with your favorite team. We are adding 29 additional sports leagues, with a total of 65 covering Soccer, American Football, Basketball, Rugby, Cricket, Tennis, Motor Sports, Baseball, Ice Hockey and Golf.
Travel: Now with additional travel content from Lonely Planet, Frommer’s and Fodor’s, the Bing Travel app is the best place to plan your next vacation. Check out attractions, restaurants and activities, including huge photos and 3D panoramas. Book flights and hotels directly within the app filtering by price, amenities and more.
Weather* – Want to know the forecast 100 miles west in 4 hours? Now you can stay a step ahead with dynamically moving weather maps for your city or region in a number of categories including satellite, temperature, precipitation, cloud cover and radar. Also get weather conditions at ski resorts in 24 countries around the world.
Whether you’re looking for news from your favorite source, conditions at a nearby ski resort, or highlights from last night’s Scottish Premier League matches, the Bing Apps for Windows 8 are there to help you find what you are looking for and quickly get things done.
To make sure you have the latest versions of the Bing Apps, visit the Windows Store from your Windows 8 device and click on the text notification for updates in the upper-right of the screen. From there, select the Bing Apps and hit ‘Install Updates’.
- The Bing Team
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Extend Your Office 2013/365 Trial to 180 Days
How to Extend Your Office 2013/365 Trial to 180 Days
In recent years it has become common for Microsoft to release trial or preview versions of its big-name products. This has been the case with Windows 8 as well as Office 2013 giving consumer the chance to try before they buy. If you downloaded the trial version of the suite, you can gain some extra try-out time with this handy hack.
The trial version of Office 365 is only meant to be used for 30 days. After this time you are expected to by a license or stop using the software. In practice, Office does not become unusable, but instead enters a ‘reduced functionality’ mode.
But if you are not sure about committing to the purchase, you can extend you trial period so you can test drive the office suite for a little longer.
It is possible to ‘rearm’ the trial version of the software five times – essentially giving you six 30-day trial periods, or 180 days in total.
While there are various tools that can be downloaded that can do this job for you, there’s no need – everything you require is already available to you. The only thing you need to remember is to run through the rearming process before you trial periods run out; make sure you do it on the thirtieth day of the trial.
Open up an Explorer window and navigate to one of the following folders. If you are using a 32-bit version of Windows, head to:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\
If you are working with the 64-bit release, you should go to:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\
Hold down the Shift key, right click the folder called OfficeSoftwareProtectionPlatform and select the ‘Open command window here’ option.
Type:
OSPPREARM.EXE
Press Enter, and you’re done.
You can also navigate direct to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\OfficeSoftwareProtectionPlatform or C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\OfficeSoftwareProtectionPlatform and type OSPPREARM.EXE into Explorer’s address bar before hitting Enter.
That’s all there is to it. It’s not quite a free copy of Office, but you do get to use it for a little longer.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Use Reset in Windows 8
How to Use Reset in Windows 8 to Easily Re install Your PC
Sick of formatting? Then learn how to breathe new life into your machines without formatting using the new Refresh and Reset features present in Windows 8.
When you breathe new life into your machine using the “Reset” method, think of it as restoring it to the state that you received your PC in when you bought it from the shop. Here is what will happen to your current data and configuration:
- Any personal files will be deleted
- All configuration changes will be reset to defaults
Resetting your PC can be done either through the new Metro Style control panel or through the classic control panel. We will do it from the Metro Style control panel, as that is that is the new way in which configuration is done. So to get started launch the Control Panel application.
Once the control panel has opened scroll through the list on the left hand side, until you can select the “General” category. This will load snap the “General” settings panel in, on the right hand side. Navigate to the bottom of the settings on the right. From here we can reset our PC. Click the Get Started button to initiate a Reset.
Once you have clicked the Get Started button a banner will be displayed across the screen, explaining what will happen to your data and applications. Since we have already explained this you can just click the next button to move on.
If you have more than one drive, you will be asked which drives you want to remove files from. You can choose either all drives, or just the drive which Windows resides on.
You will be prompted for confirmation that you want to reset your PC. Click the Reset button to get started.
Your PC will then reboot.
Once it starts up again Windows will commence the Reset process.
Once it has finished, your PC will reboot once more, this time once it restarts it will appear as you are booting the PC for the first time ever, it will load drivers and appear to be in a generalized state, where you have to create your user account, etc.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Use Refresh in Windows 8 to Easily Reinstall Your PC
How to Use Refresh in Windows 8 to Easily Reinstall Your PC
Sick of formatting? Then learn how to breathe new life into your machines without formatting using the new Refresh and Reset features present in Windows 8.
After a while your PC becomes slow, and you wish you could format. The problem is that you have to much data, spent hours customizing your Windows installation to meet your needs, as well as downloaded and installed application. Now is the perfect time to do a refresh of your PC. When you do a refresh here is what will happen:
- Your personalization settings as well as all your files will not be removed or changed
- Your PC’s settings will be restored to there defaults
- Any application that were not installed through the Windows Store will be removed, however those that were installed through the Store will remain.
Refreshing your PC can be done either through the new Metro Style control panel or through the classic control panel. We will do it from the Metro Style control panel, as that is that is the new way in which configuration is done. So to get started launch the Control Panel application.
Once the control panel has opened scroll through the list on the left hand side, until you can select the “General” category. This will load snap the “General” settings panel in, on the right hand side. Navigate to the bottom of the settings on the right. From here we can refresh our PC. Click the Get Started button to initiate a Refresh.
Once you click the “Get Started” button, a banner will inform you on what will be changed.
After clicking the “Next” button, you will be informed that Windows will reboot your system.
When you ready you can click the “Refresh” button which will restart your PC.
When your PC, boot back up it will start Refreshing your system.
Once it has finished, your PC will reboot once more, this time once it restarts it will appear as you are booting the PC for the first time ever, it will load drivers and appear to be in a generalized state, where you have to create your user account, etc.
