How good or necessary (or not) was the Start Screen and the move away from Start Orb was for the future of Windows as an operating system, is a rather different debate, but ground reality is that it has been done. It’s out there now, and you can either take it or leave it, but it won’t change. Now, there is a number of tools that will bring back the good old Start Orb and menu for you under Windows 8, and some of them are completely free, too, but if you start using the new Modern UI screen, it begins to grow on you. While it remains a matter of personal aesthetics, it can’t be denied that there is always room for improvement in almost everything, and in that sense, the Metro Start Screen isn’t perfect. That’s what the Start Menu Modifier application aims to target.
The Universal Serial Bus interface, more commonly known as the USB, is perhaps the most useful invention in the world of computers and technology after the floppy disk. The bus provides a standardized media and input/output interface that has truly revolutionized how removable devices and other peripherals connect and interact with computers all over the world. Today, USB-interface is used not only for removable storage media, but also for the likes of printers, human interface devices (like mice and keyboards), gamepads, speakers, device connections, and lots of other cool gadgets that you’d just like to have sitting around on your desk while you work. If you really think about it, you’ll hardly find yourself using any other port on your PC or laptop more than the USB ports.
Troubleshooting a Windows based PC has many steps. You may try System Restore if you need, or play around with MSConfig utility, or try system recovery, depending on the nature of problem that you’re facing. Among all the commonly-used troubleshooting steps, Safe Mode is one of the most frequently-used ones. Booting your computer up in Safe Mode is something you’d always try if facing some issue with normal start up, even if you don’t know much about what you’re doing. This has been the norm for PC users for years, until Windows 8, where the Safe Mode went missing all of a sudden. Similar to wireless ad-hoc connection in Windows 8, it’s not like this start up mode has been taken out; it’s just been buried deep, and requires some steps to be activated. In this post, we’ll guide you how to boot up a Windows 8 PC in Safe Mode.
Windows 8 isn’t just missing the Start Orb or the ability to easily restart/shut down the PC; there are certain other elements that Microsoft either decided to bury deep within the settings, or omit altogether, when compared with Windows 7 and earlier iterations of the operating system. Among them is also the ability to easily create ad-hoc wireless networks using your current internet connection and wireless adapter. Essentially, an ad-hoc wireless connection turns your PC into a virtual Wi-Fi router, allowing other devices to connect to the internet through a shared internet connection, each with its own unique IP address. Until Windows 7, ad hoc connections were a breeze, since there was an option to create one right in the Network Management utility. With Windows 8, the ability does exist; it’s just a little hard to achieve. In this article, we’ll guide you how to create a wireless ad hoc connection under Windows 8.
Considering that Windows 8 is still relatively new, and that a lot of people are still trying to adapt to the new operating system with its unorthodox design and layout changes, problems are nothing surprising. One of the issues, apart from the subjective criticism that the operating system has been receiving, is certain folders slowing down under Windows 8. More specifically, this complaint has been lodged repeatedly against the Downloads folder, whereby users claim that clicking the Downloads directory from the sidebar, to the actual folder’s contents loading up, can take up to 10 minutes in worst cases. While I haven’t personally encountered the problem, there are some steps that you can take to remedy the situation, not just for Downloads, but for any folder that slows down under Windows 8.
With the Surface RT struggling to pick up momentum and sales in the tablet market, Microsoft desperately needs to call upon plan B, and in a move that'll no doubt inject a little life into the Surface brand, the software maker has revealed pricing details of the upcoming Surface Pro. Unlike the current slate, it will run on Windows 8 Pro rather than the - for lack of a better phrase - watered-down offering in Windows RT. Legacy apps will be supported on the Intel-powered device, meaning those looking to really get some use out of the Surface won't need to rely on the very, very slim pickings over at the Windows Store.
As any software developer specializing in UI elements will vouch, the journey from early concept stage to final design can be as time-consuming as it is frustrating. As with any creation, the initial idea sees many changes as caveats and design constraints mean an idea or concept doesn't work, doesn't look write, or isn't workable. In getting to the final Metro design of Windows 8, Microsoft - the world's foremost software outfit - had to go through this stage of trial, error and deliberation to get to the final look, and Jensen Harris, a member of the Windows design team, has given a glimpse of some of the company's earlier Windows 8 concepts in a presentation for UX Week.
With Windows 8 having just been released to the public, Microsoft now has the test of selling not only to consumers, but to businesses worldwide. Emirates, a renowned high-end airline, has already adopted the platform as a means to improve the inflight experience to its customers, and while staff are better able to communicate thanks to "knowledge-driven" inflight service app by the name of KIS, but those flying with Emirates are also enjoying a slicker experience.
When Microsoft first inducted itself into the tablet market by announcing the Surface earlier this year, many were torn about which configuration they'd be going for. The Redmond company revealed the Surface RT - powered by an ARM processor - would be releasing first along with the big Windows 8 launch, and so has been the case, and while many have already snapped up their Microsoft tablet and are already familiarizing themselves with Windows RT, others have held their ground, waiting for the fully-powered Surface Pro running Windows 8 and powered by Intel's Ivy Bridge chips.
Now we know what you're thinking! You can't compare a desktop operating system to that of smartphones and the odd tablet! You just can't, it's utter madness and you should be mocked for even suggesting such a thing! Well, read on!
