Bring Back Windows Classic Start Menu in Windows 8 with StartW8

With the release of Windows 8 and the lost of the classic Start Menu, many companies and developers have stepped in to help you bring back that old classic Start Menu that’s currently in previous versions of Windows, like Windows 7, Vista and XP. One such is company is SODATWS. They have introduced a nice looking Start Menu for Windows 8 called StartW8. This tool is a start menu replacement for Windows 8 and helps you bring back that classic Start Menu experience of Windows 7 and Vista. This brief tutorial is going to show you how to install and configure it in Windows 8. This program is a free yet powerful tool for Windows 8 users who prefer to sign directly to the desktop instead of the Metro Start screen in Windows 8. For more information about this tool, please click here. This full-functional Start Menu will allow you access your folders and system’s settings with greater ease in Windows 8. If you like the Start Menu found in Windows 7, then you’re going to like this. So, without wasting too much of your time here, let’s get going. To get stated, go and download a version for your Windows 8 system. A copy can be downloaded from here. After downloading, double-click it to begin the installation. When you’re prompted with this screen below, it’s best to choose ‘Typical’ startw8_windows8_start_menu Next, click ‘Install’ to start the installation. startw8_windows8_start_menu_1 After installing, you’ll be prompted to configure StartW8 to your likings. The menu items below should just be enough to replicate your Windows 7 experience. startw8_windows8_start_menu_2 Finally, enjoy your new start menu. As you can see, StartW8 provides Widows 8 looks and feel but Windows 7 functionality. startw8_windows8_start_menu_3 Enjoy!

How to Automatically Backup Your Personal Files in Windows 8

Windows 8 comes with several tools that help you protect your files and folders by backing them up automatically, but one feature that’s most useful is File History. The new File History can automatically backup all your documents, browser favorites, music and videos, desktop icons and more to either an external USB drive or a network location. It can also be started manually if you wish to do so. If you want to protect yourself from accidental deletion and the lost of important documents, you may want to configure this feature to automatically backup your critically important folders to external devices like USB Flash drives or a network locations. In this brief tutorial, I’m going to show you how setup File History in Windows 8 so that your documents are protected. This is important in that when your computer crashes, you can go back and restore the most recent files and documents from File History. To get started with File History, insert an external USB drive into your computer then press the Windows Key + X to open Windows 8 Tools Menu. When that opens, select ‘Control Panel’ from the list. windows8_filehistory_4 Then, choose ‘Save backup copies of your files with File History’ from the System and Security group. windows8_filehistory_5 When File History opens, make sure the external device is visible, then click ‘Turn on’ to turn on File History. windows8_filehistory After turning on, you can choose to immediately run it to begin backing up your files. It is also configured to automatically backup your file at a chosen time and date. To change the backup time and date, click ‘Advanced settings’ from the left. windows8_filehistory_1 On the advanced settings screen, choose how frequently you want to backup your data and how long to keep it. When you’re done, click Save. windows8_filehistory_2 That’s it. To restore your data in the event that it is missing or deleted, go back to File History and select Restore personal files on the left. Then click the restore button to restore the recent backup copies of all the files. You can choose which file to restore by selecting. windows8_filehistory_3 Enjoy!

How Enable or Boot Into Safe Mode in Windows 8

Safe Mode is one of the many tools in Windows 8 that’s used to bypass logging in to your normal Windows Desktop. Since Safe Mode in Windows only let you have access to basic files and system’s drivers, its used mainly to troubleshoot and repair Windows. For example, if your system is infected with a nasty virus that automatically launches and prevents you from doing anything while you’re singed in, you can you Safe Mode to sign in with just the bare minimal of system files and drivers . This will prevent the virus and other harmful files from starting up. You can than use this opportunity to repair and get rid of the virus. Now Windows 8 comes with Safe Mode option, but Microsoft made it very difficult to access. In previous version of Windows, one could only press the F8 key on the keyboard while Windows is booting to access Safe Mode. In Windows 8, you must not only press Shift + F8 Keys, but also navigate through series of settings in order to access it. This brief tutorial is going to show you how to enable Safe Mode in Windows 8 if you wish to boot into it. To get started, power on your Windows 8 machine, then hold down the Shift key while pressing the F8 key on your keyboard. If you’re successful, you’ll see the screen below. If don’t see this screen, restart try again Keep doing it until you see the below screen. safeboot_windows8 Next, choose ‘Troubleshoot’. This option is also used to refresh or reset your PC. safeboot_windows8_1 Then select ‘Advanced Options’ to continue. safeboot_windows8_2 Next, select ‘Startup Settings’ safeboot_windows8_3 Finally, select ‘Restart’. As you can see, it’s not easy as pressing F8 key anymore. But this is the way to access the Safe Mode option in Windows 8. safeboot_windows8_4 After Windows restarts, you’ll have the option to boot into Safe Mode. safeboot_windows8_5 Enjoy!

Sync Your Files, Photos, Documents Across Computers via SkyDrive in Windows 8 / 7

If you want to sync your files across multiple devices, including Windows 8, 7, Vista, Mac and Android devices, you may want to install Microsoft SkyDrive application. This brief tutorial is going to show you how to install it in Windows 8, 7 or Vista. For those who don’t know about SkyDrive, it is an online storage service provided by Microsoft which gives you 7GB of free storage to securely store your data which may include, files, photos, videos and other important documents. Instead of just a storage location, you can also use SkyDrive application to share and access your content from anywhere on almost any device, including PC, Mac and Android mobile phones. Your data isn’t limited to any single device. Just install SkyDrive application on the device and sign in, and all your files and documents will be available to you. To get started, go to the website and download SkyDrive on Windows 8 or 7 and Mac machines. If you’re on an Android mobile device, go to Android Play store and search for then install SkyDrive. In Windows, continue below to install it. skydrive_windows8 Next, enter your Microsoft Online account email address and password. If you don’t have an account, click ‘Sign up’ to register for one. skydrive_windows8-1 After signing in, click ‘Next’ to continue with the installation wizard. If you wish to change where SkyDrive is stored on your local machine, click the ‘Change’ button. In most cases, you may want to leave it as is. skydrive_windows8-2 Next, you can choose to sync all files currently stored on your SkyDrive storage online or choose to select the files to download on the local computer. Click ‘Next’ to continue. skydrive_windows8-3 Finally, click ‘ Done’ to complete the setup. skydrive_windows8-4 File Explorer should automatically open in Windows 8. On the left you’ll see SkyDrive storage location. Use it to store and share content with friends and family. skydrive_windows8-5 Enjoy!

Refresh Windows 8 PCs to the Default Settings After a Virus Attack

One nice thing about Windows 8 is that you can now refresh or reset your PC to the default settings without actually affecting your files and documents, although some programs you installed from other sources will be lost. This can come in handy if you changed some settings and your computer becomes unstable, and you want to reset to the default settings. This feature is also important in the event that your PC is infected by a virus and going though it to get rid of it is taking too much time, you can now refresh your PC and completely remove the virus. If your PC becomes to slow and unbearable, you can now refresh it to increase performance. So, you can see all the good things about Windows 8 refresh and reset feature, but here are some things you may want to keep in mind before refreshing and resetting your PC. Your personal settings and files will not be removed or changed after refreshing All applications installed from other sources will be removed, except the ones installed from the Windows 8 apps store All system’s settings will be reset to the default. This means all system’s settings that were changed prior to resetting your computer will be removed set to the default settings. You will need Windows 8 installation DVD in order to perform the refresh This brief tutorial is going to show you how to do it in Windows 8. To get started, power on your Windows 8 machine, then hold down the Shift key on your keyboard and begin pressing F8 key. Windows should boot up Recovery Mode. When it opens, select ‘See advanced repair options’ reset_windows8_default Next, select ‘Troubleshoot’ reset_windows8_default_1 Then select ‘Refresh your PC’ reset_windows8_default_2 Select the administrator account you wish to use to and sign in. Then click ‘Next’ to begin. reset_windows8_default_3 Insert your Windows 8 DVD into your computer and continue. Wait for the process to complete. reset_windows8_default_4 After refreshing, your PC will reboot, sign in and enjoy! Alternatively, you can perform the same by signing into Windows 8 and press the Windows Key + C to show the Charms bar. When it opens, select Settings –> Change PC settings –> General. From there you can also refresh your PC. reset_windows8_default_6 Enjoy! reset_windows8_default_5 You may also like -

Manually Change the Date And Time in Windows 8

We recently showed you how to change the time zones in Windows 8 PCs. If you want to view that post then please click here. Most modern computers and devices today are designed to automatically acquire their correct date and time information from Internet Time Servers. This is done so that your system is always synchronized with time servers which always have the current date and time information for your timezones. In some cases, computers and devices fail to acquire the correct date and time data from Internet Time Servers and thus are set to the wrong time to timezones. This can happen if your computer loses Internet communication or the Internet Time Servers in your region are not functioning and can’t communication with your devices. If your system is unable to sync with the correct Internet Time Server or has the wrong time, then you may have to manually configure the date and time yourself. In this brief tutorial, I’m going to show you how to manually set the correct date and time in Windows 8 computers if you have to. To get started, press the Windows Key + D keys on your keyboard or click Desktop tile from the Start screen to show Windows 8 Desktop. When it opens, right-click the clock at the bottom right corner of your display then select ‘Adjust date/time’ date_time_windows8 Next, click ‘Change date and time’ button. If you want to configure the time zone you may select ‘Change time zone’ button. date_time_windows8_1 Finally, select the correct date and time for your machine and save. This is how to manually configure the date and time for Windows 8 systems. date_time_windows8_2 That’s it!

Change Internet Explorer Search Provider From Bing To Google in Windows 8

By now you probably already know that Bing is Microsoft Search Engine and comes with Windows 8 as the default search engine for Internet Explorer. It’s not bad, and really have some cool features, like Facebook integration and cool images as backgrounds that are not yet available in Google Search Engine, but many still prefer Google Search Engine over Bing. This brief tutorial is going to show you how to switch your default search provider in Internet Explorer using Windows 8. If you prefer Google Search over Bing, then you might want to change to it in IE. I am not recommending that everyone go and begin changing their default search provider in Windows 8. I personally prefer Google over Bing and I think Google does a better job providing results for my searches. Some out there might disagree with me, and that will be just fine. This tutorial is not going to fight the battle between Google Search Engine and Microsoft Search Engine. That battle will be fought by others. All I am going to do here is show you how to switch from Bing to Google if you want to. And if you’re fine with Bing as your default search provider for Internet Explorer, then more power unto you. You can skip to the next tutorial below. To get started, open Internet Explorer from your desktop. I am not referring to the Internet Explorer from Metro. Press the Windows Key + D or click ‘Desktop’ from Windows 8 tile to show your desktop. From there launch Internet Explorer. When it opens, select ‘Tools –> Internet Options’ from the menu. internet_explorer_bing_to_google Next, select Programs tab and click ‘Manage add-ons’ button shown below internet_explorer_bing_to_google_1 After that, look at the bottom of the screen and click ‘Find more search providers’ link shown below. internet_explorer_bing_to_google_2 When it opens, choose and click on Google from the list of providers. internet_explorer_bing_to_google_3 Then click ‘Add to Internet Explorer’ button to add Google. internet_explorer_bing_to_google_4 Finally, check the box to make Google search the default provider and click ‘Add’ internet_explorer_bing_to_google_5 That’s it! Restart Internet Explorer and enjoy!

Change The Location Where Windows Apps Get Installed In Windows 8

Installing programs from other sources in Windows 8 is the same as in Windows 7. You’re given an option to choose where to store the program’s content on your local computer. By default, programs get stored in C:\Program Files or C:\Program Files (x86) for 64-bit machines. That’s how it’s always been. In Windows 8, that has changed, especially when installing apps from Windows store. They’re automatically installed in a pre-defined location on your local computer. That location is always going to be C:\Program Files\WindowsApps. To view this location you must enable hidden file view because that folder is hidden. To learn how to enable hidden files in Windows 8, please read this post. This brief tutorial is going to show you how to change that location to something else. If you’re running out of storage space on your location machine and you want to make sure all new installations of Windows apps are installed somewhere else, then changing the default location is the best solution. To get started, press the Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog box. When it opens, type the commands below and press Enter. windows8_store_location Next, expand these folder: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Appx windows8_store_location_1 By default the administrator doesn’t have full rights to this folder’s registry keys. You must take ownership of it before you can make changes to it. To take ownership, right-click the folder and select ‘Permissions’ windows8_store_location_4 Next, click Advanced button windows8_store_location_6 Then click the Change link as show below windows8_change_store_location Next, type your username and click ‘Check Names’. If it’s correct click OK to take ownership of the folder. windows8_change_store_location_2 After taking ownership of the folder and clicking ‘OK, the windows should close and bring you back to the previous screen. On this screen, select the Administrators group and give it full control as shown below and click OK. windows8_change_store_location_3 Next, right-click ‘PackageRoot’ and select Modify. windows8_change_store_location_4 Finally, change the location to whatever you want it to be. Mine is W:\WindowsApps. windows8_store_location_8 Now all you have to do is go and copy the WindowsApps folder from C:\Program Files and copy WindowsApps to the new location. You must enable hidden file before you’ll be able to see it. After that, reboot and try installing programs. If everything works, then you’re good. If you have time you can go back to the registry and make TrustedInstaller the owner of Appx folder. It won’t break the change you already made. NT SERVICE\TrustedInstaller Enjoy!

How To Disable The Start Screen In Microsoft Office 2013

Microsoft Office 2013 is a suite of desktop productivity applications that include Word, Excel, OneNote, PowerPoint, Publisher and Outlook. It is the newest Office Suite from Microsoft and comes with many new features and enhancements. With all the cool features that include, a fluid interface that shows you your most recent documents, a new way to browse with your keyboard, SkyDrive integration that allows you to save your documents and share your files easily via SkyDrive online and new social networks and connects features, there’s one feature that comes with Office 2013 suite that keeps bugging me. Every time you open Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote or Publisher you’re met with a start screen. The startup screen shows you most recent documents as well as template that you can use to create new documents. I don’t know about you, but this is annoying and this tutorial is going to show you how to disable it in Microsoft Office Suite 2013. While it can be disabled entirely in Office 2013 at once from the registry, the easiest way to do it is by individually opening each program and turning the feature off. To get started, open each Office program (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote) and when prompted with the start screen, choose a Blank Document. microsoft_office_2013_startup Next, click File from the top left corner of the program and select ‘Options’ as shown below. microsoft_office_2013_startup_1 Finally, on the General screen scroll down and uncheck the highlighted box to disable the Start screen when this program starts’ microsoft_office_2013_startup_2 You must do this for each of the Office program. It can be done from the registry as well but this is the easiest way to turn this feature off.

VidShot Capturer Helps You Capture and Record Your Desktop Activities In Windows

VidShot Capturer is a screen capturing or screencaster program that helps you quickly capture and record your desktop session, then convert it into a video file that can be shared and viewed online or via popular media players. We discussed similar program in Ubuntu not too long ago called Kazam which helps accomplish the same goal. This is a great program for those who want to be able to create video tutorials, or teach others using video presentations. Video tutorials are superior to screenshots because they show you how stuff are done while it’s being done on the screen. VidShot is very lightweight and easy program to use. It supports Windows XP through 7. Here are some of the features in VidShot. It allows you to capture videos from your desktop, program windows, region of your desktop, automatic video options, frame rate settings and has a cool interface. To get started, go and download VidShot Capturer and run it. Choose the default installation options. On this screen, click ‘Install’ to begin the installation. vidshot_installation After installing, choose where to save the video files and what and where you wish to capture. Desktop, Region or Window. When ready click ‘Start’ vidshot_installation_1 To stop the recording, press F9 on your keyboard of click on VidShot icon from the tray at the bottom right corner. Here’s a sample video I recorded using VidShot.