Enable Safe Boot Before You Need It (Or It'll Be Too Late) (And You'll Be Sorry)
If you have a computer running Microsoft's 'new' Windows 8, I strongly recommend you take the following (quick and easy) action - promptly. Don't dilly, or dally, do it now! Take it from a computer technician, you want to undo (one of) the incredibly stupid thing(s) Microsoft did to Windows 8 and, restore this advanced recovery and troubleshooting feature.
Tech Paul at Tech - for Everyone (a computer tech by trade) is telling us to make this adjustment to help preserve our sanity with Windows 8. If you need to get to "Safe Mode" in Windows 8, it is not an easy task, as in the past. Tech Paul provides easy steps to make getting into Safe Mode (when needed) the same way we always have. I can tell you Windows 8 is a great operating system; however, I am still trying to figure Microsoft's thinking on some of the features added and removed in this version of Windows... Thanks to Tech Paul for this heads-up! I know my readers (and visitors) will appreciate this.
The ASUS VivoBook S400CA-DH51T featuring a 14.1" LED Backlight HD (1366X768) capacitive touch panel with multi-touch functionality, Windows 8 Home Premium, 3rd Gen Intel® Core i5-3317U processor, the ASUS VivoBook S400CA-DH51T, puts life at your fingertips.
Today I decided to do something a little different; more or less, as an experiment of sorts. Since the release of Windows 8 I have had the opportunity to see where people stand when it comes to Windows 8. Most of these people are people who were finally just becoming comfortable with Windows; as it was in Windows XP, Vista and 7. What I am witnessing is that Windows 8 really does have the home-based computer user, more or less; confused, discombobulated, disoriented, thrown for a loop, and just plain frustrated. From my personal experience of using Windows 8, I did find it initially confusing (different); however, in the end I am finding it to be a very stable operating system that I actually like. Some people are comparing it to the release of Vista, which is far from the truth.
What I decided to present today, on the blog, is a poll of sorts to see where you stand when it comes to Windows 8. I have never posted a poll here before so this will be an interesting experiment. I also encourage you to post your opinion via the comments section, as well.
Another sad day in the United States. Two bombs exploded in the crowded streets near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday, killing three people and injuring more than 130 in a bloody scene of shattered glass and severed limbs that raised alarms that terrorists might have struck again in the U.S. – Source (AP)
I started thinking is there a service out there that can provide us with breaking news as it happens and push it out there to our computers, smartphones and tablets? Sadly, in today’s world, getting the news as fast as you can is important toward maintaining one’s safety.
The service I came across that pushes the biggest breaking stories as they happen, 24 hours a day, is called just that, Breaking News.
Breaking News is part of the of the NBC News Digital Network; however, the service is a fully independent, agnostic news organization that brings you the biggest stories as they happen, 24 hours a day, from more than a 160 news and eyewitness sources across the globe. Breaking News also is available as an app that will work off of the Android, Kindle Fire, iPad, iPhone, Windows Phone, Windows 8 and Samsung Smart TV platforms.
Going back to this tragic event, my heart goes out to anyone that was a victim of this senseless act and I pray that the people of this country, who feel there is division, show the world that we are truly one nation under God that can come together in time of need.
What many of you do not know is that I often use the blog to document tips, that I come across, for my own future reference. Today’s post is a good example of this. Recently I discovered that I can create a Windows 8 desktop shortcut that will launch the Windows 8 GUI (graphical user interface) menu for all of the apps and software that I have installed on my computer.
As you well know, if you are a Windows 8 user, there is no Start Menu. This shortcut, in essence, will go to serve the same purpose of the Start Menu; however, in appearance it does not look like the Start Menu you have been accustomed to. The good about this is, that once you click the shortcut and you get to the apps screen, you can simply start typing to search for the app or software program you are looking for. For example, let’s say I want to launch the calculator that is built into windows. I simply click on the shortcut that will launch the Windows 8 GUI menu or apps screen, then start typing calculator and very quickly the tile to launch the calculator will appear.
To create this desktop shortcut, here is what you have to do:
Right click on desktop and click New -> Shortcut
A dialog box will appear prompting for a location of the item. Copy and Paste the following into the dialog box, then click Next:
After you click on Next, another dialog box will launch prompting you to give the shortcut a name. In this case, I named the shortcut Windows 8 Apps. After you enter the name for the shortcut, click on Finish.
Click on your newly created shortcut, to launch the Windows 8 Apps Screen (menu)…
What I am finding, by using this shortcut technique, I am using the Windows 8 GUI menu (or apps screen) on a regular basis.
I recently came across various types of x-ray art and started wondering if there were any x-ray art wallpapers for the computer. I came across this really neat wallpaper to show you as an example…
Windows 7 (and 8) Users: If you are using Windows 7 (or 8), did you know you can create a desktop background slideshow to show off your pictures and wallpaper images? To learn how to use this feature[CLICK HERE].
Stardock is currently working on a Windows 8 application called ModernMix, that is a must have application for Windows 8. ModernMixis in Beta; however, it has been released for public use.
We all know that Windows 8 has been challenge for most users due to the interface change. We have been trained, by Microsoft, for over 20 years; to open, close and minimize applications via the windows controls in the top right corner of a window. When you boot to the Windows 8 Start Screen, which is host to and the launching point for Windows Apps, your first instinct is to try and close an app by looking for those controls; only to find out that they do not exist. ModernMixchanges all of that.
After you install ModernMixyou will notice that any App you open there is now a set of controls. These controls, located in the top right corner of the app you have open, allows you to toggle the app into a Windows mode, toggle the app back to the Start Screen Mode, or close the app. When you are at the desktop level and you have a Windows App open you can open, close and minimize the window (containing the app) just as you always have. Another cool feature is that you can pin the app to the Windows taskbar.
Once the app is open in a Window it will act as it normally does. For example, using the screenshot above. I opened a news app on the Windows 8 Start Screen, toggled the control to the Windows mode (which took me to the desktop) and was able to scroll horizontally through the news articles.
ModernMix is currently $4.99, and typically I only promote FREE software; however, this is one exception. ModernMix is the missing link to Windows 8 and I highly recommend it. Stardock has once again pushed the envelope and came up with a very useful software application that will make your Windows 8 experience a good experience.
The best description I can give for Microsoft Surface Pro is that it is a laptop in tablet form. It will run the same programs that you have been running with Windows 7; BUT, will this be enough to standup to the competition (the Android Tablets and iPad)?
I am a Windows user, always have been, but there is two things that is holding me back from the Surface Pro, and has me questioning Microsoft’s strategy:
The price of $899+ is too salty for my pocketbook. For 899+ I can get a pretty decent Ultrabook with a touch screen. Granted the Surface Pro is comparable to the full Windows desktop and notebook computer experience that I have always been used to; however, after personally using and experiencing the simplicity of the Android Tablet (at a much lesser price), and the iPad, I cannot see existing home based computer users or the new generation of users (our kids and grandkids) going for Microsoft’s flavor of the tablet (Pro or RT Models).
For example, I have two elderly friends of mine, one owning an Android Tablet and the other owning an iPad. Both have expressed how easy it was for them to use these devices in comparison to their Windows based computers. As a matter of fact, they are spending less time at the keyboard.
The Surface Pro (best model) ships with a 128 GB of space and from what I am reading this space can drop dramatically to around 89 GBs with Windows 8, Microsoft Office and the built in Windows apps installed (click here). Also, I have noticed that many of the Windows Store apps can be quite large in file or install size compared to the typical apps installed on the Android OS and iOS (iPad) platforms.
I don’t want to sound too negative about Microsoft Surface, because I am a true Windows based user who has lived in the operating system for years; BUT, that has been my passion, my hobby, my life blood… Most people I know could care less about computers or Microsoft Windows. All they want is an easy computer (internet) experience and they want it at a reasonable cost; whether it is Android, iOS (iPad) or Microsoft. In other words, I am starting to realize that the writing may be on the wall and that myself, desktop computing and Microsoft is becoming old school pretty fast.
I would love to hear insight on this from the experts in the field and from the everyday computer user at home. (see a related article here, called Rethinking Tablets, at TTC Shelbyville - a Tennessee Tech School).
Get the manufacturer specs on Microsoft Surface Pro -[ HERE ]
Customer Reviews: See what other people are saying about Microsoft Surface Pro – [CLICK HERE]
Product Features
i5 processor with Intel HD Graphics 4000
4GB Ram Dual Channel Memory
Windows 8 Pro
128 GB
10.6″ ClearType HD Display
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