Get Start Menu For Windows 8 [Quick Tip]

Old time Windows users are accustomed to the “Start Menu” which gives access to document, programs installed and shut down option. One of the most talked about change in Windows 8 was the disappearance of ‘start menu’. In fact many users were left wondering how to turn off Windows 8.

With time you might get accustomed to the new Windows look but if you still miss the ‘start menu’ and think you must have it, then you must try from IObit. It is a free to use tool that puts back the start menu in Windows 8.

Windows 8 start menu

Start Menu 8 is easy to use and easy to customize. It brings back the start menu and button both and also gives you the option to skip Metro start screen. You can download Start Menu 8 from this .

Solve Windows 8 ‘PC ran into a problem and needs to restart’

I have recently upgraded my Windows 7 to Windows 8 on my HP TM2 laptop and since then the learning curve has been pretty steep and I have learned my new things within windows 8 along with the hidden issues of it. One of the most annoying and recurring was the issue while shutting down my PC. The error I was getting was pretty simple, most of the time while shutting down, windows used to crash and I was getting following error screen:

Windows 8 restart problem

The error reads as:

Your PC ran into a problem and needs to restart. We’re just collecting some error info and then we’ll restart for you.

A similar error was this one:

Windows 8 restart problem

Which reads as:

Your PC ran into a problem. This problem caused your PC to restart. You can send info to Microsoft about what went wrong to help us improve Windows.

Initially when I was taken unwillingly to this screen by the great windows OS, I didn’t try to fix it and I thought, may be it’s just a replacement screen for the great blue screen of previous versions of Windows but then I started getting this screen very often and finally I decided to look for a solution and after googling, I found a fix which is pretty simple.

Step 1:

Open power option either by clicking on the battery icon if you are on a laptop else by using shortcut “Window Key + X” and then choosing “Power Options”:

Opening power option on Laptop.
Opening power option on Laptop.
Opening power option on Laptop/PC.
Opening power option on Laptop/PC.

Step 2:

Choose “Change what the power buttons do“.

change what power button does

Step 3:

Once you are on Power Button page, click on the “Change settings that are currently unavailable” text in blue color.

chnage what power button does
Activate unavailable options

Step 4:

If the “Turn on Fast start-up” is unchecked then check it and if its checked then uncheck it and save the changes and you are done.

Activate or deactivate fast shut-down to resolve the issue.
Activate or deactivate fast shut-down to resolve the issue.

Hopefully, if there is no other hidden surprise in windows 8, you won’t see this message again [fingers crossed].

How To Free Up Space By Deleting Previous Windows Installation

bleach bit logo clean driveWhen I first installed Windows 8, the first thing I wondered was how to shutdown Windows 8. Anyways, that was a quite easy. While exploring Windows 8, I found that my C Drive is pretty much full. I have a 100 GB space allotted for C drive and I did not expect it to be full. As you know, a full C drive leads to a slower computing experience, it was my foremast task to clean up the C Drive.

As I see later, my C Drive was full thanks to previous Windows installations. I had previously upgraded Windows 7 to Windows 8 Consumer preview and thus it was taking lots of space (almost 50 GB, can you believe it?). Lets see how you can clean up your C Drive to free up some space on your computer.

Step 1:

Search for Disk Space in Metro. To do that use the Windows key (the one with Windows sign on it) and start typing disk space. Click on Settings from right column to redefine your search. And then choose Free up disk space by deleting unnecessary files to open the disk clean up tool.

Windows Settings

Step 2:

In the disk clean up tool, you won’t see the option to delete the files from previous Windows versions. To see this option, click on the Clean up system files.

Windows 8 clean Up

Step 3:

Choose the drive where you install Windows. Usually its C drive.

Windows 8 clean Up

Step 4:

It will take some time to scan your system for removable files. Just wait here for some times.

Windows 8 clean Up

Step 5:

Now it will show you the option of deleting previous Windows installations and temporary Windows installation files. The previous Windows installation will delete all your documents, pictures, music etc that might be present there. So make sure that you have backed up all the things. In case you are not sure, you can check Windows.old folder in C drive to see what it is going to delete.

 Windows 8 clean Up

That’s it. Click on OK to delete the previous installation of Windows. You will have much more free space now on your C drive for a smoother Windows 8 experience.

The Biggest Tech News Stories of 2012

Tech Events 2012

Like last year, the stories that captured the attention of all the major tech news websites this year were mostly about Apple and Google. After following hundreds of stories, we are presenting here ten biggest news stories of 2012 for us tech geeks.

Angry Birds Space NASA announcement (8 March)

Rovio unveiled a new version of Angry Birds called “Angry Birds Space” this year in the most unique way possible. The company enlisted National Geographic and NASA as their launch partners for Angry Birds Space and released a video where we saw the first ever game announcement and gameplay footage from space.

Samsung Galaxy S3 (May 3)

If you are into smartphones or technology in general, then you might already know that this year was all about Samsung smartphones. The Samsung Galaxy S3 has been a blockbuster hit since its launch back in May and broke sales record by reaching 20 million in just 100 days. The company also released Galaxy Note 2 and Ativ S this year but when it comes to the “biggest news stories” of this year, the Galaxy S3 takes the cake. The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 has sold more than 5 million units worldwide.

LinkedIn Hacked (July 3)

2012 is considered as a bad year for online security breaches as we saw some high-profile security breaches in big companies like LinkedIn, Yahoo and Last.FM. The security breach at LinkedIn resulted in 6.46 million user passwords leaked and the security breach at Yahoo! Resulted in over 450000 account password leaked.

Google Glass: Live Video Skydiving (June 27)

Google demoed its Project Glass with a crazy stunt that is considered as one of the most insane thing done at a tech event. The company showed live video skydiving with Google Glasses during their Google I/O event. Our next big news is also related to this event.

Google Nexus 7 (June 27)

Google Nexus 7, the best-selling Android tablet ever is our big news no 5. Google unveiled this cool tablet at its I/O developers conference and released it in July. The 8GB version was available for only $200 earlier but now the 16GB version is available for the same price. The device comes with Tegra 3 quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage for only $199. Google also released the Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 this year but the Nexus 7 is a complete package with an affordable price tag.

Ouya Android Gaming Console (July 3)

Ouya is a new Android based gaming console that is planning to enter in the gaming console market soon with an attractive price tag of only $99. Julie Uhrman, CEO of Boxer8 announced Ouya on July 3 and started a Kickstarter campaign on July 10 to see how many people are actually interested. The project was an instant hit and the fundraising goal was raised within 8 hours.

Microsoft changes logo after 25 years (August 23)

Microsoft released their very own tablet this year, Surface and a new operating system, Windows 8. But we are not counting those as a big news story as the company also did something surprising, they changed their logo after a long 25 years. The new logo matches with their new tile-centric Metro interface.

Apple vs. Samsung Patent Case (Verdict August 24)

Apple has filed a number of lawsuits against Android device manufactures like Motorola and HTC but the company’s patent case against Samsung is considered as the patent trial of the century. The case began on April 15, 2011 and the verdict came out this year on August 24. The jury found Samsung guilty of infringing Apple’s patents intentionally and awarded Apple $1.05 in patent case.

Apple iPhone 5 and iPad Mini

Apple released the long awaited iPhone 5 and the 7-inch tablet, iPad Mini this year. The internet was filled with iPhone 5 and iPad Mini rumors before the release of these devices and now they are creating news by breaking sales record.

Google’s October 29th Tech Event Cancelled

After Google I/O’s keynote presentation, we were really looking forward to see what Google has in store for us this time. However, Google cancelled the big Android event due to Hurricane Sandy. They unveiled all the new gadgets and Android 4.2 “Key Lime Pie” in a blog post.

Less Known Windows 8 Keyboard Shortcuts You Should Know

Windows 8 Shortcuts Tips TricksIf your job involves using your keyboard and PC (of course), you know how tiresome it can be working straight hours tapping on your keyboard. Thanks to a high speed internet, you have come across some keyboard shortcuts that can make your life simpler. Knowing keyboard shortcuts won’t only improve your speed in navigating your PC, it can also lessen wrist fatigue. Here are Windows 7 keyboard shortcuts that most people don’t know yet.

Shortcuts for Windows Explorer

These Windows 8 keyboard shortcuts are made for Windows Explorer which can help you minimize using your mouse or touchpad.

  • F10 opens the “File” menu in an open Windows Explorer.
  • F6 rotates within options in an open window. In Word and other Office applications, it will give shortcut keys for various options such as Save, Undo, Redo, Home, Insert, etc. In Windows Explorer, it will rotate within different options.
  • F3 selects the search bar on your Windows Explorer if you have one that’s already open. If you don’t have a Windows Explorer window open, it will open the explorer and highlights the search bar. It will open the search dialogue in order for you to search inside the program.
  • F2 lets you rename a folder or file.
  • Alt+Up will let you go up one folder level.
  • Alt+Enter lets you open a file’s properties.
  • Ctrl+Shift+N lets you create a new folder within your present directory.
  • Shift+F10 opens the “right click” option of a folder or file. It can be really helpful for improving speed particularly when you know which one you will choose. Press the underlined letter in each choice for speedier access.
  • Shift+Del lets you delete a file permanently.

Shortcuts for Global Windows

  • Alt+Space lets you launch the window system menu. This can be used for maximizing, minimizing, closing or moving the window. This can be really helpful for windows that do not respond to the Alt+F4 shortcut.
  • Alt+Esc is similar to Alt+Tab only it changes windows in the order that they were opened and is not in the same window preview.
  • Ctrl+Esc also lets you open the start menu just like your Windows key.
  • Ctrl+Shift+Esc lets you open the task manager without having to use Ctrl+Alt+Del.
  • Win+B lets you select the system tray.
  • Win+T will let you go through the programs in your taskbar. You can then open the program using Enter or Space.
  • Win+Home lets you minimize all programs excluding your current window.
  • Win+Up/Down lets you maximize and restore down your present window provided that it isn’t maximized yet.
  • Win+Pause/Break lets you open the system properties window.
  • Win+1, 2, 3, etc. will let you open each program according to its position in your taskbar. It is therefore helpful to place your most used programs near your task bar so that you can simply launch them one after the other. This shortcut is also applicable for Windows Vista (quick launch icons).
  • Win+Alt+1+2+3… will let you open the jump list for every program within your task bar. Then, you can use your arrows to choose which jump list option you want.

About The Author: Daphne enjoys writing on all things technical for . Her daily routine consists of drinking coffee, keeping up on the latest news in technology, as well as blogging and guest posting.

Refresh desktop increases the computer speed [Explained]

Most of the Windows users are habitual of refreshing the desktop by choosing it from desktop context menu (right click) or by pressing F5. Some people just get so accustomed to it that they keep on refreshing their desktop. Most of the time, when the user is waiting for the response of an application or program, he/she tries to refresh several times hoping that it will increase the processing speed. It is “believed” that using this “refresh” functionality refreshes the RAM and releases the memory and hence it speeds up the (stuck) computer.

What does refresh desktop do?

Honestly, in today’s world refreshing the desktop does nothing but redrawing the icons on the desktop. Then why do people use it so often, you may ask. Well it’s mostly habit but this habit has its history. The history that has become the essential part of present Windows user (quite uselessly).

Around 2 decades back when personal computers were expensive and high RAM was a luxury, computers were mostly out of memory. Obviously a 4MB or 6MB RAM was not good enough. Also, the programs written back then did not concentrate much on memory and usually had generous memory leaks. In those time, refreshing the desktop display helped (to a lesser extent) in reclaiming free RAM after closing a process.

Those days and the present days. RAMs are no more the same but habit remains indifferent. Now a days when we have RAMs in GBs, refreshing the desktop means nothing. It is just a foolish habit.

Hope you liked this informative article. We will come up with more myth-buster articles. Cheers :)

Must Have Software Programs for Your New Windows PC

You have purchased a new Windows PC system and want to make the most of it. What can you do? Installing good software programs gives you the option to use your PC system to its best. You might argue that huge array of tools are present with Windows 7 OS. But that is not enough at all. If all those software programs could suffice the need, then software vendors would not be required anymore. Isn’t that so???

Take a look at the 7 free of charge software programs listed below. These softwares are a must for your Windows PC. These are considered to be the first and foremost tools to be installed in your new PC. Let’s start the list.

1. PC Decrapifier

Useless softwares flood majority of the branded desktops and laptops. You must chuck out all these programs to ensure that your PC system functions at its best in future. Therefore, PC Decrapifier, the trusted and old software is a MUST for your newly bought Windows PC. This software weeds out software junk and makes space in your PC system for better stuffs. Get this software and clean your computer with it!

2. EASEUS Partition Master

If you want to make and manage your disk partitions in the Windows PC, you should have this software. Partitions might have been created at time of setup, you might also know to use the management console for creating the partitions – whatever might be the case, you are recommended to download this tool at once in your system.

Install this software and you can enjoy certain amazing features such as conversion from NTFS to FAT, resizing, splitting or merging partitions, converting logical partition to primary partition and so on.

3. Ninite

While installing some new program or stuff in your PC, you might face problem. So, have Ninite in your PC to resolve any issue during the installation process. This installer allows you to not only choose from diverse selections but also install a software in one chance.

4. Windows Backup and Restore or Macrium Reflect

Creation of a system image is important and for this purpose you have to make use of Windows Backup and Restore Center. But the bad news is this is not accessible in all Windows versions. Hence, it is advisable to have Macrium Reflect, a powerful alternative for creating the system image.

5. CCleaner

Don’t miss CCleaner from the list of must-have software. No better tool has yet been discovered that can clean up the temporary data and files from your system. With regular updates, this tool is perfect for PC maintenance.

6. Revo Uninstaller

This software is the choice for those who like to completely clean up uninstall programs and applications from the Windows computer system. If you are using the Add/Remove programs application, change it. Use this software instead.

7. Recuva

This is one excellent free software for recovering deleted files. Files often get deleted accidentally and for this purpose, this is software is of utmost necessity. Install this software in your new PC and recover any of your deleted files with ease.

Having known about these software programs, you can easily maintain your new PC the way you wish to. Install these softwares and enjoy high-end computing!

Author’s Bio: Kevin has years of experience in providing the best technical support monthly packages. Get in touch with him for any kind of assistance.

Cloud Computing: A Comparison of Apple, Chromium and Windows 8

Cloud computing is becoming a more important part of the IT world, although unless you understand how it is being implemented you may not realise that you are using it at all. Here is a look at how Apple, Google and Microsoft are harnessing the cloud in current and future projects.

iCloud:

Apple launched its first cloud computing service in 2011, sensibly calling it iCloud in order to fit in with other devices it produces, like the iPhone and iPad. iCloud is largely focused on keeping your media files accessible across multiple devices by storing them remotely and synchronising them seamlessly. The idea is that you can purchase a music track or eBook via your iTunes account on your PC and when you pick up your iPhone or iPad it will already have been added to your collection. This eliminates the annoying process of wired synchronisation from the equation, because the files are stored neatly on the cloud and passed on to each device that needs them.

Media files are not the only thing you can synchronise with iCloud, as you typically get a 5GB allocation of storage space and you can transfer across contacts, bookmarks, calendar settings and even email direct to your Apple devices from a Mac or even a Windows-based computer. You will need to activate iCloud on all of your devices in order to get each one talking to the service, but this, like many of Apple’s software processes, is relatively simple.

Chrome:

Google Chrome is a web browser based on the open source Chromium source code and has been around in various forms since 2008. There is also the Chrome OS from Google, which is based on Linux and operates almost entirely via applications which run over the web, powered by cloud computing.

Both Chrome and the Chrome OS are unlike traditional web browsers and operating systems because they rely less on the resources which are available from local hardware and are instead based on having high speed web access to make features and functions operate smoothly. The result is that there is less strain put on your computer and the overall experience is one which feels faster and slicker than some rivals, simply because the back end of the number crunching is being handled in the cloud.

on internet providers in your area so that you can work out which package to choose in order to support the fast connectivity that will allow Chrome to flourish.

Windows 8

Windows 8 is the next operating system from Microsoft and it will be targeted not only at desktop and laptop computers but also at the tablet market, which is an area in which Apple has become dominant since the 2010 launch of the iPad. Microsoft has enacted a number of features for Windows 8 which will make it more reliant on cloud computing, following in the footsteps of Chrome to a certain degree although still retaining more independence than Google’s web-centric software.

For example, Windows 8 will have native support for HTML5 and Javascript applications. This means that you will be able to run web-based software within the operating system itself, independent of the web browser. The benefit of this is that companies will be able to produce smartphone and tablet-style apps for their services which will be free from the shackles of a web browser and thus able to take full advantage of all the processing grunt of a Windows 8 machine.

Social networking giant Facebook was one of the first to announce its intentions to build a Windows 8 application that takes advantage of this setup, so expect many more to follow once it is available to the general public.

Cloud Adoption:

Tech companies are making it easier and easier to start using cloud computing platforms, although it is necessary that users have decent internet connections to take full advantage of what is on offer. Those in areas of limited coverage could be left behind. Chances are that you have been using some kind of cloud computing service without actually knowing it. So educating yourself on the topic will help you to make the most out of the emerging platforms.

About the Author:
The above article is written and edited by Roxie, who is a freelance writer for various blogs and communities related to technology. In her free time she writes articles related to Windows 8 info and Microsoft Office 2010 or anything that is related to them.

WMI Settings on Windows Client

1 Common Settings for all versions of Windows:

1.1 Services:

Following Services must be set to Startup Type Automatic and Status Started:

  • COM+ Event System
  • Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
  • Windows Management Instrumentation
  • DCOM Server Process launcher

1.2 Windows Firewall Exceptions:

Windows Management Instrumentation must be allowed through the Windows Firewall.

1.3 Ports:

Following ports are required to be opened:

  • 135/tcp open msrpc
  • any port > 1024

These ports will automatically be opened once the above two settings are set.

2 Additional Settings for different versions of Windows:

2.1 Windows XP Service Pack 3:

A little tweak in registry is required for Windows XP SP3 in a WORKGROUP setting because all the connections coming from the networks will be authenticated as Guest User. The registry value (ForceGuest) associated with this behavior is set to 1 by default and is needed to be changed to 0. The ForceGuest registry can be found at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa.

2.2 Windows Vista and Windows 7:

Starting with Windows Vista, under User Account Control (UAC) access-token filtering can affect which operations are allowed in WMI namespaces or what data is returned. In a workgroup, the account connecting to the remote computer is a local user on that computer. Even if the account is in the Administrators group, UAC filtering means that a script runs as a standard user. So, UAC needs to be disabled for scanning Windows Vista and Windows 7 in a WORKGROUP setting or

(i) Optionally UAC can be disabled for remote administrator only:
Start “regedit.exe”
Go to key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\system
Create new Dword value: LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy
Set LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy to “1”

(ii) Set Classic security model:
Start/run “secpol.msc”
Navigate to Local Policies\Security Options
Network Access: Sharing security model for local accounts – Set to Classic
Restart the computer.

3 Settings for Non-admin user:

3.1 WMI Settings:

  • Go to Control Panel-> Adminstrative Tools -> Computer Management -> (In Left Side Bar)
  • Services and Applications -> WMI Control
  • Right Click on WMI Control for properties and Select Security Tab
  • Select Root and the Namespace (in our case CIMV2) and then click on Security
  • Here, Add the non admin user and Allow all the permissions to it
  • Save/OK

3.2 DCOM Settings:

  • Run dcomcnfg.exe
  • From Left Side Bar, choose Component Service -> Computers -> My Computer
  • Right click on My Computer, go to COM Security Tab
  • In both Access Permission and Launch and Activation Permissions Edit Limits and add the non-admin user and Allow all the access to it
  • Apply/OK/Save

B.1 Common Settings for all versions of Windows:
B.1.1 Services:
Following Services must be set to Startup Type Automatic and Status Started:
• COM+ Event System
• Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
• Windows Management Instrumentation
• DCOM Server Process launcher
B.1.2 Windows Firewall Exceptions:
Windows Management Instrumentation must be allowed through the Windows Firewall.
B.1.3 Ports:
Following ports are required to be opened:
• 135/tcp open msrpc
• any port > 1024
These ports will automatically be opened once the above two settings are set.
B.2 Additional Settings for different versions of Windows:
B.2.1 Windows XP Service Pack 3:
A little tweak in registry is required for Windows XP SP3 in a WORKGROUP setting because all the
connections coming from the networks will be authenticated as Guest User. The registry value
(ForceGuest) associated with this behavior is set to 1 by default and is needed to be changed to 0. The
ForceGuest registry can be found at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\
Control\Lsa.
B.2.2 Windows Vista and Windows 7:
Starting with Windows Vista, under User Account Control (UAC) access-token filtering can affect
which operations are allowed in WMI namespaces or what data is returned. In a workgroup, the
account connecting to the remote computer is a local user on that computer. Even if the account is in
the Administrators group, UAC filtering means that a script runs as a standard user.
So, UAC needs to be disabled for scanning Windows Vista and Windows 7 in a WORKGROUP
setting or

Optionally UAC can be disabled for remote administrator only:
Start “regedit.exe”
Go to key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\system
Create new Dword value: LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy
Set LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy to “1”
• Set Classic security model:
Start/run “secpol.msc”
Navigate to Local Policies\Security Options
Network Access: Sharing security model for local accounts – Set to Classic
Restart the computer.
B.3 Settings for Non-admin user:
B.3.1 WMI Settings:

Go to Control Panel-> Adminstrative Tools -> Computer Management -> (In Left Side Bar)
Services and Applications -> WMI Control
• Right Click on WMI Control for properties and Select Security Tab
• Select Root and the Namespace (in our case CIMV2) and then click on Security
• Here, Add the non admin user and Allow all the permissions to it
• Save/OK
B.3.2 DCOM Settings:
• Run dcomcnfg.exe
• From Left Side Bar, choose Component Service -> Computers -> My Computer
• Right click on My Computer, go to COM Security Tab
• In both Access Permission and Launch and Activation Permissions Edit Limits and add the non-
admin user and Allow all the access to it

Apply/OK/Save