Hassle-Free PC Need help? Microsoft Stores offer free tech support, PC tune-ups, malware removal

Windows users without a hefty dose of technical knowledge always have a tough time getting help. If you don't have a geeky friend handy, PC problems often mean dragging your computer down to the Geek Squad or local PC shop, where you'll be charged a crazy amount of money to have malware removed or speed up a slowing PC.

No more!

If you live near a Microsoft Store some of the peskiest PC problems can now be fixed in-person for free. Microsoft's retail locations recently started offering their Windows-focused answer to Apple's Genius Bar: the Answer Desk.

Longtime Windows users may remember the name Answer Desk as a website that debuted in 2011, offering live 24/7 technical support. The Microsoft Store's Answer Desk is an extension of that original service.

But instead of getting help online, you can now bring your virus-laden PC into the Microsoft Store and the retail outlet will fix it for free, as Lifehacker points out. It also doesn't matter if you bought your PC at the Microsoft Store, Best Buy, or Staples. If it runs Windows, Microsoft will try and fix it.

Microsoft Answer Desk website

An overview of the Microsoft Answer Desk's free in-person help options. (Click to enlarge.)

Currently, Microsoft's free tier at the in-person Answer Desk includes extended diagnostics on any device, software repair or support, virus and malware removal, and PC tune-ups for improving performance.

If your problem is a little more severe, Microsoft will charge $49 to help with warranty issues, hardware upgrades/installations, app installs, Windows 8.1 upgrades/installs, data backup migration, and OneDrive setup across all your devices.

Okay, so maybe Microsoft is still gouging PC users a little bit—almost $50 to set up OneDrive, really?—but it's not nearly as bad as you'll find at other places. Best Buy's Geek Squad, for example, will charge $200 just to remove viruses and spyware from your PC via an in-store drop off. And some of those premium tech support areas—such as OneDrive setup—are free if you buy a new PC from the Microsoft Store.

Even if you're not a Microsoft Store shopper, the next time you have a problem with your PC that no one else can help you with, consider scheduling an appointment with the Microsoft Store's Answer Desk.

Cisco, Oracle find dozens of their products affected by Shellshock

Cisco Systems and Oracle are hard at work identifying networking and other products in their portfolios that are affected by the critical Shellshock vulnerability.

The Shellshock vulnerability and several related ones found over the past week stem from errors in how the Bash command-line interpreter for Unix and Linux systems parses strings passed to it by external scripts. The flaws allow attackers to trick certain processes running on vulnerable machines to pass malicious strings to Bash that would then get executed as commands on the underlying OS.

Security researcher Rob Fuller has put together a collection of Shellshock proof-of-concept exploits gathered from various sources. The most well-known attack vectors are through Web servers that run CGI scripts and through SSH (Secure Shell) daemons, although other applications that interact with Bash are also potential targets.

Cisco has identified 71 products so far that are exposed to the vulnerability. These products serve various purposes, including network application, service and acceleration; network content and security; network management and provisioning; routing and switching; unified computing; voice and unified communications; video, streaming, TelePresence and transcoding.

The number of Cisco products vulnerable to Shellshock and related bugs far exceeds the 38 confirmed not to be vulnerable. The company is reviewing an additional 168 products and hosted services, so the list of vulnerable products is likely to increase.

“The impact of this vulnerability on Cisco products may vary depending on the affected product because some attack vectors such as SSH, require successful authentication to be exploited and may not result in any additional privileges granted to the user,” Cisco said in its advisory.

Oracle is also in the process of identifying which of its products are vulnerable. So far the company has released Shellshock patches for nine products: Oracle Database Appliance 12.1.2 and 2.X; Oracle Exadata Storage Server Software; Oracle Exalogic; Oracle Exalytics; Oracle Linux 4, 5, 6 and 7; Oracle Solaris Operating System 8, 9, 10 and 11; Oracle SuperCluster; Oracle Virtual Compute Appliance Software and Oracle VM 2.2, 3.2 and 3.3.

An additional 42 products use Bash in at least one of their versions and are likely to be vulnerable to Shellshock, Oracle has found. No patches are currently available for those products. Four other products are currently being investigated to determine if they’re using vulnerable Bash versions.

“Oracle has not assessed the impact of this vulnerability against products that are no longer supported by Oracle,” the company said in its advisory.

Other vendors with products built on top of Linux, whether those are hardware appliances, SCADA platforms, specialized servers or embedded devices, are likely to release Shellshock patches in the near future.

The overall impact of the Shellshock vulnerability and the related Bash bugs is hard to quantify given the ubiquitous nature of this basic component in the Unix and Linux world and the fact that all Bash versions going back to 1993 are likely vulnerable. The multiple attack vectors only add to the complexity of determining which systems are at risk.

Fix: Battery Icon is Missing in Windows 8, 8.1

Have you just installed your Windows 8 operating system and your battery icon is missing from your desktop? For this particular issue we have some steps that we need to take to bring back your battery icon. Having your battery icon missing from the system tray can get pretty annoying seeing that you might be at work or on a vacation and you don’t have access to the power outlet to charge your laptop.

Not being able to see how much power is left to the battery of your laptop in Windows 8.1 you might lose everything you worked on because of an unexpected shutdown. You won’t have to worry about the battery icon anymore because you will see below four methods on how to fix it and go on with your everyday activity in Windows 8.1.

How to fix battery icon if it is missing in Windows 8

Method one:

1. In the start screen of Windows 8 you will need to left click on the “Desktop” icon to take to the desktop mode.
2. Left click on the small arrow you have in the lower right side of the screen that is pointing up.
3. Left click on the “Customize” button you have there.
4. Now you will have a list with options, look in there for the “Power” option.
5. Left click on the drop down menu next to “Power” and select the “Show icon and notification” option.
6. Left click on the “OK” button you have in the lower side of the screen.
7. Reboot the Windows 8 device and check if your battery icon shows up now.

Method two:

1. Press and hold the buttons “Windows” and “R”.
2. After the Run window pops up you need to type in there “devmgmt.msc” and press the “Enter” button on the keyboard.
3. In the window that opens up you will have on the left an option that says “Batteries”. Left click on that option.
4. In the “Batteries” list you will be presented with a “Microsoft AC adapter” icon.
5. Left click on the “Microsoft AC Adapter” icon and choose the “Uninstall” feature.
6. You will get a pop up message where you will need to left click on “ OK”.
7. Left click on the “Action” tab you have in the upper side of the “Device manager” window.
8. Left click on the “Scan for hardware changes” option presented in the “Action” menu.
9. Reboot the Windows 8 device and see if after the startup your battery icon shows up.

Method three:

1. In the menu presented in the start screen you will need to type “cmd”.
2. After your Windows 8 system finds the “cmd” icon you will need to left click on it and select “Run as administrator” feature.
3. In the “Command Prompt” window you need to type “sfc /scannow” and press the “Enter” button on the keyboard.
4. After the verification is completed you will need to reboot the Windows 8 system and check again for the battery icon.

Method four:

Note: Do this only if the three methods above did not work for you.

1. Move the mouse cursor to the lower right side of the screen.
2. Left click on the”Settings” icon you have in that menu.
3. In the “Settings” feature left click on “Change PC settings”.
4. In the “PC settings” feature left click on the “General” tab.
5. Left click on “Refresh your PC without affecting your files” and left click on the “Get started” button under that topic.
   Note: this feature will uninstall any apps you installed after the installation of the Windows 8 system but you will be able to see a list of the apps that were uninstalled on the desktop and copy them again to your system afterwards.
6. Left click on the “Next” button to proceed.
7. After the process is finished you will have to press on the “Refresh” button.
8. After the process is complete check to see if you have your battery icon back to your system tray.
9. If it doesn’t show try another reboot of the Windows 8 PC.

So here you have it, four easy methods that you can do to bring back your battery icon in Windows 8 and carry on your work. For any questions or misunderstandings regarding this subject please write is below in the comments section .

READ ALSO: How to backup Windows 8.1 settings

Tasked with promoting Office 365? Microsoft has a website for you

Aware that the “if you build it, they will come” principle doesn’t always apply to newly deployed IT systems, Microsoft has developed a website to help companies promote Office 365 usage among employees.

The optimistically titled Office 365 Customer Success Center is aimed at the designated “champions” within businesses entrusted with driving adoption of the suite. It’s public and freely available.

“To really get the most out of an investment in a new technology, you have to help people understand what they can do with it,” Jared Spataro, general manager of Enterprise Social at Microsoft, wrote in a blog post on Monday.

Obviously, Microsoft also has a vested interest in making sure that, after the ink dries on the Office 365 sales contract, the suite gets used heavily and for more than the basics of email and calendaring.

In its most expensive bundles, Office 365 includes not only Exchange Online but also SharePoint Online, Lync Online, OneDrive, Yammer, Office Online and the right to download the full-featured Office productivity apps to users’ devices, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Project and Access.

Office 365 is sold via a per-user, per-year subscription model. So if, when renewal time rolls around, CIOs feel they’re paying for a fully stocked version of the product that is getting under-used by their employees, they’re likely to decide to downgrade to a less expensive edition or to move to a cheaper alternative, such as Google Apps.

The risk of lax adoption is especially high in cases where the customer migrated from a non-Microsoft system, since employees will be facing a steep learning curve as they start using Exchange, Outlook and the other tools for the first time.

The Office 365 Customer Success Center provides documents, templates, methodologies, discussion forums and other resources to help companies create awareness of the different Office 365 applications and of how they work.

How to Backup Windows 8.1 Settings

You might come to a point in time where you will have issues regarding your Windows 8.1 operating system. And if it is an unrecoverable issue then the settings that you made will normally get lost. But Windows 8.1 has the great feature that allows you to make a backup copy of your settings thus even if you get a blue screen for example or an error that you cannot get rid of you can anytime use the backup copy you created in Windows 8.1.

In the tutorial posted below you will see a detailed step by step introduction on how to backup your Windows 8.1 settings. You should always be aware that even if you have this feature in Windows 8.1 it won’t start automatically and it will not record every modification that you make to the system settings unless you program it to do so.

Detailed tutorial on how to backup Windows 8.1 settings for your device:

1. For this tutorial to work you will need to reboot the Windows 8.1 device, log in with the administrator user and follow the simple steps below.
2. On the start screen in Windows 8.1 you will be presented with a “Desktop” icon, you will need to left click on it.
3. Move the mouse cursor to the lower right corner of the screen to open the menu available in Windows 8.1.
4. Left click on the icon that says “Settings”.
5. In the “Settings” window you opened look for a “Control Panel” icon.
6. Left click on the “Control Panel” icon.
7. In the next window that opened up left click on the feature that says “System and Security”.
8. In the “System and Security” window you opened you will need to left click on the “File History” feature present in the right side of the window.
9. After you left clicked the “File History” feature you will need to look for the “Windows file recovery” option.
10. Left click on the “File recovery” feature.
11. In the “File recovery” feature you opened up left click on the “Create a system image” option in order to start the process of backing up your settings.
12. From the menu and options you are presented In this window you will have to choose the location where you want your backup settings to be stored.
    Note: preferably store backup image to another partition or to an external storage device.
13. Once you have selected to destination you only have to left click on the “next” button in the lower side of the screen.
14. Left click on the “Start backup” button you will have on the screen.
15. Now the process will start and it will take up to one hour depending on what you have installed on your Windows 8.1 device.
16. After the process is completed left click on “Close”.
17. Reboot the Windows 8.1 device and check if your backup has been created.

So now perhaps you can sleep a little bit better tonight knowing that you have a full backup of your Windows 8.1 settings ready to use whenever you have an issue with the system. Write us below in the Comments topic for any input regarding this article.

READ ALSO: File History not Working in Windows 8, 8.1 [Fix]

How to Backup Windows 8.1 to USB: Easiest Guide You Need

It is always a safe bet to create a backup of your Windows 8.1 operating system just in case something goes wrong and you would like to have your Windows 8.1 back to the way it was. For you to create a backup of your Windows 8.1 to your USB stick you will need to have a big enough USB to support everything you have on your Windows 8.1 system. But fortunately for us we only need approximately 6 GB of free space on our USB or less therefore we shouldn’t have any issues with this.

Another good feature in Windows 8.1 is the the fact that it offers us the possibility to save directly to an external USB thus making the process a lot easier for us. So if you used your internal hard drive to save the backup image of your Windows 8.1 operating system you can now transfer it to your very own USB stick and free up some space for other stuff. For a detailed explanation about how to backup Windows 8.1 to your USB follow the tutorial below.

Steps on how to backup Windows 8.1 to USB

1. Move the mouse cursor to the lower right side of the screen.
2. A menu bar should show and you will need to left click on “Search”.
3. In the search box you are presented in that menu you will need to type in there “recovery drive”.
4. An icon with “Create a recovery drive” should pop up on the screen.
   Note: You will need to be signed in as administrator in order to access this Windows 8.1 feature.
5. Left click on the “Create a recovery drive” icon.
6. You will need to check the box right next to “Copy the recovery partition from the PC to the recovery drive”.
7. Left click on “Next” button you have in the lower side of the window.
8. You will be presented on the Windows 8.1 window with the necessary size needed on the USB.
9. If you have the necessary space needed for the recovery partition on the stick then insert the USB stick.
10. Left click on the USB drive to select it.
11. Left click on the “Next” button in the lower side of the screen.
12. Left click on the “Create” button.
13. You will have to wait up to one hour depending on the transfer speed.
14. Left click on the “Finish” button after the process is completed.
15. Remove the USB stick from your Windows 8.1 device.
    Note: keep this USB stick only for your Windows 8.1 recovery; you should not place anything else on this specific USB stick.

Also another thing you need to keep in mind is that if you upgraded to Windows 8.1 from a previous Windows 8 version you will need to upgrade again your system after you use the USB stick as a backup.

With all of these being said you now have a workable backup copy of your Windows 8.1 system ready to use whenever you have any issues with your operating system. You can write us below for any questions regarding this article and we will reply in the shortest time possible.

READ ALSO: How to Move Windows 8.1 to a New Computer

Microsoft Indonesia president: Windows 9 will be free to Windows 8 owners

We already know quite a bit about Windows 9 (or whatever Microsoft decides to call it). Thanks to the president of Microsoft Indonesia, we might now know another detail about Microsoft’s upcoming OS—its price.

According to Indonesian news site Detik.com (via BGR), Andreas Diantoro, the president of Microsoft Indonesia, confirms that Windows 9 will be a free upgrade for all Windows 8 users.

Why it matters: Users are becoming more accustomed to free operating system updates, given the fact that even major iOS, Android, and OS X updates are gratis. And after the negative reception Windows 8 received, Microsoft has some added incentive to earn back its users’ trust. With that in mind, Windows 9 is just as much a chance to change the tenor of discussion surrounding Windows as it is a new version of the OS.

Taking cues from Windows 8.1, OS X

According to BGR, Windows 9 will be available as a free download, much like Apple’s updates to OS X–and much like Windows 8.1, which was a free update provided to Windows 8 and Windows RT users through the Windows Store. 

We don’t yet know if Windows 9 will be free to users of earlier versions of the OS, such as Windows 7 or Vista. A free upgrade for all would make sense, though, in that it would make it easier for Microsoft to entice as many of its users as possible to upgrade to the latest and greatest.

Microsoft has yet to announce a release date for Windows 9—let alone an official name—but we should find out more at the company’s September 30th media event.

How to Move Windows 8.1 to a New Computer

Migrating Windows 8.1 to a new computer can be easy enough but before you start the process you should think a bit if you have the necessary hardware specs to run the Windows 8.1 on the new computer and also if you have the necessary space in your new computer to support everything you had on the Windows 8.1 device.

Another important thing is the Microsoft account, if you are using a Microsoft account on the old computer then it should be pretty easy to migrate to a new PC with the Windows 8.1 operating system you had before and the specific customizations you made to the system. For a more detailed explanation please follow the tutorial below and get your new computer up and running in Windows 8.1.

Tutorial on how to migrate Windows 8.1 to a new PC:

First method:

If the new computer has the same hardware or similar hardware to the old computer you can make a backup of the system using Ghost program or Acronis program and install it directly to the new computer.

If the new computer has a different setup then the old one follow the second method posted below.

Second method:

For this method you need to have:

1. A Microsoft account from the previous computer.
2. A File History backup of the previous computer.
3. A backup of your files on the OneDrive feature.
   Note: If you don’t have any of these and your old computer is not damaged you can make them before starting the migration process.

Steps for migrating:

1. Place in the Windows 8.1 CD in the new computer and start the computer.
2. During the startup process you will be asked for a Microsoft account. The Microsoft account you need to enter there should be the same one you had on your previous Windows 8.1 computer.
3. You will get to a point in the setup process where you will be prompt to choose how to set up the computer, here you will have to write the same name as your previous computer.
4. Now after the Windows 8.1 system boots up you will have to use the File History feature for restoring all the files you had on the new PC.
5. By restoring the file history you only need to plug in the external drive you used to make the backup from the old computer and run the File History feature.
   Note: Everything you had when you last made the File History will be back in the new computer with Windows 8.1.
6. The File history process will take around one or two hours depending on how many backups you had on the external drive and how much space they take.

You can see above how easy it is to migrate Windows 8.1 to a new computer. You just have to be sure to make the proper backups before you do the migration and everything should work as it did on your previous computer. For any thoughts and ideas on this article write us below in the comment section of the website.

READ ALSO: How to Download and Install Windows 8.1

How to Migrate Windows 8.1 to SSD: Easy Guide

Have you been wondering if you can migrate your Windows 8.1 operating system from a regular hard drive to a SSD? Well the answer is yes, you can switch very easily to a SSD drive but you have to keep some things in mind like if your SSD drive has enough space on it to support your Windows 8.1 operating system and the whole programs you have stacked in the Program Files of your Windows 8.1 system.

You can easily check how much space your Windows 8.1 system takes by right clicking the partition where you have the Windows 8.1 and selecting properties. After that you will know the space you need to have on your SSD drive in order to properly migrate your Windows 8.1 over and the programs you have installed in the system. You can follow the tutorial below for a quick understanding on how to migrate your Windows 8.1 to SSD.

Tutorial for migrating Windows 8.1 to SSD

Well the SSD has a lot more of advantages then the regular hard drive, the most important advantage is the speed of which it operates. The only disadvantage so far is the price seeing that these SSD’s cost a bit more than the regular drives.

The hardware and software necessary to do this is listed below:

1. First you will need a USB to SATA adapter.
2. Second thing you will need is a software capable of cloning your operating system. You can download this software by accessing the link below (this software supports Windows 8.1).
   Click here to download EaseUS

The steps to do in order to migrate to SSD:

1. First backup your whole Windows 8.1 system or the programs you have installed on it by copying them to an external hard drive. If any system error occurs during the migration it would be very good to have a copy of the original Windows 8.1 somewhere.
   Note: For a system backup you can use either “Ghost” program or “Acronis” . Both programs work fine for Windows 8.1.
2. Connect the SSD drive via the USB to SATA adapter to your laptop or to the PC.
   Note: If you have a Windows 8.1 laptop you have to plug it in the power socket to prevent any power downs during the migration.
3. Now if you have installed EaseUS program from the link above double click on the executable of the app.
4. Left click on “Clone” feature in the EaseUS program.
5. After you left clicked on “Clone” you will have to select the HDD you would like to clone
   Note: The HDD should be the one you have the Windows 8.1 installed .
6. Now the next thing is to select the “Destination disk:” which will be the SSD drive you have connected.
7. In the lower left corner of the “Disk/Partition clone” window you need to check the box next to “Optimize for SSD”.
8. Left click on “Proceed” button in the lower right side of the “Disk/Partition clone” window to start the cloning process.
9. When the cloning is finished you can close the program and shut down the Windows 8.1 PC or laptop.
10. After the shutdown is completed you can unplug to old HDD you were using and plug in the new SSD drive.
11. Now after your Windows 8.1 starts you will need to type in the start screen “Command”.
12. A search should pop up for command prompt. Left click on it to open the feature.
13. After the command prompt window is opened type In there “fsutil behavior query disabledeletenotify” without the quotes and press “Enter”.
14. If you get a “0” as a return value then your SSD drive should work good, if you do not get a “0” value then do the steps below.
15. Write in the Command Prompt window the following command:
    “fsutil behavior set disabledeletenotify 0” without the quotes and press “Enter” on the keyboard.
16. Now write the following command: “fsutil behavior query disabledeletenotify” and press ‘Enter”.
17. You should now get a “0” value.
    Note: The commands we have put in the “Command Prompt” window allows you to verify if TRIM feature is set to enable.
18. Also we will need to check if Windows 8.1 recognizes the SSD Media by typing in the start screen of Windows 8.1 the word “Optimize”.
19. Left click on the icon “Defragment and optimize your drives”.
20. Now in the window that opened you will need to check if your SSD drive is recognized as a “Solid State Drive”.
21. If it isn’t recognized as a “Solid State Drive” then do another reboot of the system and check again the status.

So here it is, you now know how to migrate your Windows 8.1 operating system to a brand new SSD. For any questions on this article write us below in the comments sections and we will reply as soon as possible.

READ ALSO:How to Change Window Color in Windows 8, 8.1

Karbonn Windows Phone 8.1 Titanium Wind W4 Launched in India at Rs 5,999 Karbonn Titanium Wind W4 Specs:

Karbonn, one of the India’s top positioned cell phone player, has formally discharged its first ever Windows Phone 8.1 fueled handset in India. Karbonn Titanium Wind W4 is currently accessible from Amazon at a cost of Rs. 5,999.

Value savvy, the Titanium Wind W4 is an executioner cell phone, however it doesn’t accompany top of the line particulars. The gadget offers a 4-inch show with a determination of 480×800 pixels. It is controlled by a 1.2ghz double center processor ( well on the way to be a Qualcomm-made processor), matched with 512mb of RAM, 4gb of local stockpiling and microsd card help.

Karbonn Titanium Wind W4 Specs:

• Rear Camera 5 MP with LED Flash
• VGA quality front-facing shooter
• 3G/2G connectivity
• Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
• Dual-SIM
• GPS
• FM Radio and more.
• Runs on Windows Phone 8.1 mobile OS
• Available in Three Colors: Black, White and Red colors.

The new Karbonn Titanium Wind W4 will be competing with the popular Nokia Lumia 530 Dual-SIM, Motorola Moto E, Asus Zenfone 4, Samsung Galaxy Star 2, Micromax Unite 2 among others.

via gizbot

Microsoft Windows Phone 8

• Pros

  Well-designed interface. Excellent Microsoft Office, Outlook, and Windows 8 compatibility. Top-notch social network integration.

• Cons App selection is different from, and less than on other mobile platforms. Poor Mac compatibility. Few GPS navigation options on non-Nokia phones.
• Bottom Line

  Windows Phone 8 is a good-looking, well-designed, easy-to-use mobile operating system, but with a very different set of apps compared with other platforms, it's still for mavericks.

By Sascha Segan

Windows Phone 8 (WP8) is elegant, personable, and different. It absolutely shines for those who use their smartphones for a lot of calling, texting, and Facebooking, and especially people who connect to Microsoft anything—whether that's Outlook, Hotmail, Exchange, Skydrive, Office 365, or Xbox. If iOS bores you and Android intimidates you, Windows Phone will likely dazzle you.

But pick up a Windows Phone 8, and you'll be a maverick. There's significantly less of a selection of apps here than for Android and iOS, and the apps are different. The odds are good that you'll find what you need, but the goods are odd. That makes a Windows Phone less of an easy purchase than it could be.

Launched in 2010, Windows Phone 7 wasn't much of a competitor to iOS and Android in large part because it ran on uninspiring hardware, but Windows Phone 8 will help fix that. While WP8 still only supports Qualcomm processors, at least it supports current Qualcomm processors, along with high-resolution screens and the latest wireless specs. So Windows Phone 8 devices like the HTC 8X and the Nokia Lumia 920 will do a better job facing off against the iPhone 5  and the Samsung Galaxy S III  on power than, say, the HTC Trophy managed to pull off at the end of its long lifespan. (There's one perplexing lack, though: No decent QWERTY handsets yet.)

I reviewed WP8 on an HTC Windows Phone 8X. We'll have a full review of the phone when U.S. carrier models appear early next month, but for now see our hands-on story from when the device was announced.

If this is your first time even thinking about Windows Phone, take a look at our reviews of Windows Phone 7 and Windows Phone 7.5. While it's built on completely different underpinnings, Windows Phone 8 works much like its predecessors.

The Underpinnings
The familiar interface of Windows Phone 7 hides a radical change under the hood. Windows Phone 8 now runs on the same kernel as Windows 8, including the NTFS file system and the ability for third-party developers to write native code rather than having to go through Silverlight or XNA. It's still compatible with the 125,000 Windows Phone 7 apps, but it's potentially much more powerful because there are more ways to develop for it.

That's mostly potential, though, because Microsoft didn't release the Windows Phone 8 SDK to most developers in advance. So far, it's hard to find Windows Phone 8-only apps that use the new development strategies. Hopefully, they'll start showing up soon.

I'm very excited by an invisible feature called Data Sense, which works like our Editors' Choice Android and iPhone app Onavo Extend. It compresses your data using Microsoft servers, letting you get more out of limited data plans. It also keeps you updated on how much data you've used.

Unfortunately, until sometime next year it's a Verizon exclusive. In the name of "carrier differentiation," consumers won't likely be able to get what they want. Want a Nokia Lumia 920? It's AT&T only. Want a phone with data compression and monitoring? Verizon only. Want a Lumia 920 with Data Sense? Nope.

Windows Phone 8 also backs up your settings, data and apps into the cloud, just like Android and iOS do. You can find, lock, or erase a phone remotely, too. That makes it easy to move between Windows Phone devices or to restore a lost or stolen phone.

The Lock Screen, Tiles, and Hubs
To understand why you would want to use Windows Phone 8, you have to understand tiles. Like icons, but not quite, tiles are squares you plonk on the home screen representing the items you want to access easily. Apps, sure, but also contacts, places, collections of apps called "hubs," media items, or Web pages, among other things. Right now I have a map to my hotel and a FlightStats page about my flight pinned to my home screen, for instance. You can do that on Android, but it's not nearly as simple.

Tiles can be "live," which means they flip around automatically to show new information. Your Me tile is constantly pinging you with new social-networking updates. A FlightAware tile would flip around if your flight were, say, cancelled; a Photos tile usually shows the latest pictures you've taken. (None of this seems to affect battery life much.) You can make tiles in three different sizes, 20 different colors, and snap them together in various ways, so what you end up with is a visually coherent but constantly shifting landscape of relevant data. 

The Lock screen is "live," too. Apps can feed data to the Lock screen, ghosting the latest news, weather, or your travel information behind the standard date and time. You can also set which apps send alerts to the lock screen.

The result is just as configurable as Android, but much more visually striking. Live tiles display information the same way widgets do, but the enforced visual uniformity makes a Windows Phone 8 home screen look smartly configured, rather than like a yard-sale jumble.

Along with tiles, Microsoft's second central concept is Hubs. The People hub, Games hub, Photos hub, and Music & Video hub are places where content, apps, and social networking all come together. In the Photos hub, for instance, you see not only your gallery but your friends' galleries and any photo-editing apps you might have. In Music & Video, you see not only your own videos, but YouTube and Vevo content. The new Wallet hub combines real credit cards, loyalty cards, and local deals. It's all more natural than Apple's fragmented system of apps and activities.

Microsoft's very attractive parental control system, dubbed Kid's Corner, is excellent for small children. Kid's Corner lets you select a certain set of games, music, videos, and apps for your kid to use; they then show up as bold, non-resizable tiles. Kids can't use the phone, browser, or messaging, so it's really more for handing your device over to a smaller child, than for offering a sandboxed experience for tweens. But it's simple, clear, and good-looking.

(Next page: Contacts, Phone, Email, Calendar, and Web Browsing)

How to Change Window Color in Windows 8, 8.1

Have you ever wondered if you can change the window color in Windows 8? You will be pleased to know that this feature has been available in Windows operating systems since the very first of the Microsoft Windows. Changing the window colors in Windows 8 can be done for all kinds of reasons, take for example your desktop theme, if you have a desktop color similar to the window color in Windows 8 it will be very difficult to do your work .

The steps posted below will show you everything you need to know about how to change the color of the borders in a window, the buttons colors, the text colors and the taskbar color in Windows 8. It will only take 5 minutes of your time and you will have your personalized window in Windows 8.

Steps for changing window color in Windows 8 systems.

1. Open up the desktop feature in your Windows 8 device.
2. Move the mouse cursor to the right of the screen on the Desktop to open the “Charms” bar.
3. Left click on the “Settings” icon you have present in the charms bar.
4. You have in the “Settings” window a feature that is called “Personalization”; you will need to left click on it.
5. In the “Personalization” window that appeared you have in the lower side of the window an icon that is called “Color”; left click on it.
6. From the “Color and Appearances” window you can choose the color you want for your window borders or for your task bar.
   Note1: if you choose the “Automatic” color which is the first icon on the left, Windows 8 will automatically choose a color for your border and task bar depending on the desktop theme you have.
   Note2: if you already have a high contrast theme you can also set the border of the window, the button colors or the color of the text from the features available in that theme.
7. Left click on the “Save changes” button you have in the lower side of the “Window color and Appearances” window.
8. Reboot the Windows 8 PC and see if your window changed to the settings you set up for it.

You can see how easy it is to change the color of the border, button , task bar by just doing a few clicks. Now you can go try it for yourself and give us a feedback on this article by writing us a few words below.

READ ALSO: How to Disable Microsoft Confidential Watermark in Windows 8, 8.1

Fix: ‘Microsoft Account Service is Unavailable at the Moment, try Again Later’ Windows Phone Error

Just like with the desktop and tablet version of Windows 8, the mobile Windows Phone 8 can also give a lot of headache. We try to provide some working fixes for the ‘Microsoft Account Service is Unavailable at the Moment, try Again Later’ error.

There’s an annoying Windows Phone 8 store error for many users out there which gives the following explanation: ‘Microsoft Account Services unavailable at the moment, try again later’. Here’s how one of the complaints sounds like – “I’m using a windows 8 phone try to access the windows apps but now getting microsoft account services are unavailable please try again later. I have been able to download apps before. Any suggestions or is there any way of checking store status?”

How to fix Microsoft Account Service is Unavailable at the Moment, try Again Later’ error

We will try to provide a set of potential fixes. Let us know by leaving your comment in the box at the end of the article if they worked out or not. They are independent solutions from each other:

• Try to set the clock and date again properly
• Try changing your account password
• Switch from Wi-Fi connection to cellular connection
• Go to settings and choose email+accounts; then update and synchronize all account you are using

You can also try this:

You can use soft restart for mobile. Hold the power button + Volume down button at the same time for few seconds. The Phone will restart. [go to setting -> email+account].

Try to update the in case password changed for windows phone first account. Check the registered account is active. To do this, just go to windows live login & just enter the user name as shown in the first windows account [email+account in setting] & password. In case you forget the account password, use “I forget password” wizard & reset.

Check Date of Windows Phone. If in correct, change to current zone. Sync first windows account registered in the mobile. Check it is working. [go to setting -> email+account]. Try to update the in case password changed for windows phone first account.

And the following:

I fixed this on my phone! The problem was that my phone was new and my Microsoft didn’t recognize the device I was logging in from. So, they were blocking me from the store as a security thing. I went into my Microsoft account on the web and answered some security verification questions and verified my email address with a code. Then I was able to access the store and download apps no problem!

Let us know by leaving your comment if this solved them.

Read Also: Funny: Windows Phone 8 Users Ask How to Download Google Play Store on their Phones

What the WinHEC? Microsoft revives Windows engineering event

Microsoft, which recently announced the consolidation of several of its conferences, is now going in the opposite direction and resurrecting WinHEC, which was last held in 2008.

WinHEC, first held in the early 1990s, was an annual engineering conference aimed at Microsoft hardware partners, with the goal of helping them better integrate their devices with the company’s operating system and other software.

However, the new WinHEC will be different. For starters, it will not be a big annual event, but rather a series of smaller conferences and workshops held more frequently. The events will be tailored to the different parts of the world in which they will be held.

To highlight this change in scope and purpose, the WinHEC acronym no longer stands for Windows Hardware Engineering Conference, but rather for Windows Hardware Engineering Community.

“WinHEC will bring the hardware engineering community together in one place, providing a unique opportunity to interact with technical and business experts from Microsoft, other partners, and customers, facilitating exchange of ideas, best practices, and opportunities,” wrote Microsoft official Matt Perry in a blog post on Friday.

WinHEC events will feature executive keynotes, “deep technical” training sessions, hands-on labs and question-and-answer sessions, all focused on Windows-based hardware, according to Perry.

The target audience includes executives, engineering managers, engineers and technical product managers at hardware companies that are working or want to work with Windows technologies.

The first WinHEC conference will be held March 18 and 19 of next year in Shenzhen, China, where a variety of electrical design, software engineering, system integration and hardware manufacturing companies are based, according to Microsoft.

The decision to bring back WinHEC clashes with Microsoft’s announcement in July that it will fold several conferences into one, including Management Summit, TechEd and individual events for Exchange, SharePoint, Lync and Project.

That umbrella conference will be held in May of next year in Chicago, and its scope will include products like Lync, Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Exchange, Office 365, Project, SharePoint, SQL Server, System Center, Visio, Visual Studio, Windows, Windows Intune and Windows Server.

Next week, Microsoft will hold a press conference in San Francisco where it is expected to provide more details about the next version of Windows, and specifically about new features relevant to enterprise customers.

The last major release of Windows—Windows 8—came out in October 2012. However, Windows 8 wasn’t well-received, particularly by enterprise customers, due to its radically redesigned interface, optimized for touchscreen devices like tablets. A revision, Windows 8.1, was released about a year later and addressed many of the main complaints lobbed at Windows 8, but many critics felt it didn’t go far enough.

With the next major version of Windows, reportedly code-named Threshold, Microsoft is expected to make the OS much more friendly to users of desktop PCs, while maintaining the touchscreen features. Microsoft has also said it is in the process of unifying the Windows code base so that it will be easier for developers to create applications that run on Windows smartphones, tablets, PCs and other devices with little need for modification.

Lumia 730 will be available in Vietnam from October 1

At Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Microsoft officially announced the smartphone named Lumia 730 with attractive price and sold out within weeks. In the event that you didn’t have even an inkling, the Lumia 730 is a mid-range Windows Phone next Microsoft brings Lumia More occasions 1 month prior.

Image Source: Wpcentral

Microsoft said the Lumia 730 will be a solid concentrate on the client question needs representation toward oneself, in both equipment components and programming. On the off chance that the equipment, the Lumia 730 is furnished with a front cam 5mp determination wide point, then in programming, applications Lumia Selfie preset possesses different altering gimmicks and emphatically upholds most extreme photographs “masturbation” client. Lumia 730 design:

• Dimensions: Height 134.7mm, Width 68.5mm, Thickness 8.9mm, Weight 134.3g.
• Support 2 SIM 2 waves.
• Processor: Snapdragon 4’s 400, running at 1.2GHz.
• Ram: 1GB.
• Internal memory: 8GB, allowing expansion with MicroSD memory cards of up to 128GB.
• Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, wireless charging, WiFi, USB 2.0.
• Display: OLED wide 4.7 “HD resolution (1280 x 720), Integrated ClearBlack technology.
• Camera follows: 6.7MP resolution, LED flash.
• Front camera: a wide-angle HD 5MP resolution.
• PIN Capacity: 2220mAh.

Software:

• Support Double Tap.
• Preinstalled Windows Phone 8.1 update and Lumia Denim .

According to information from Microsoft Vietnam, the Lumia 730 is expected to be available from next 01/10, for 4,999,000 VND.

Source: Windows Phone Vietnam Community;

Nokia Lumia 830 White Factory Unlocked on eBay for $379, ships to U.S. by next week

Nokia Lumia 830 with factory unlocked is available on Ebay for US $379. It will ship to US next week. It comes with 16GB of storage and 10 MP Camera. This Lumia 830 will also ship in the U.S. before the end of the month. Three have already been sold, with ten remaining in inventory.

You can only use your RM-985 device on the LTE 700 (17), 850 (5), 1700 (4), 1900 (2), 2600 (7); WCDMA 850, 900, 1900, 2100; and GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz networks. You need a subscription with a service provider.

Using some features and downloading content require a network connection and may result in data costs. You may also need to subscribe to some features.

Important: 4G/LTE might not be supported by your network service provider or by the service provider you are using when traveling. In these cases, you may not be able to make or receive calls, send or receive messages or use mobile data connections. To make sure your device works seamlessly when full 4G/LTE service is not available, it is recommended that you change the highest connection speed from 4G to 3G. To do this, swipe left on the start screen, and tap Settings >cellular+‎SIM. Switch Highest connection speed to 3G.

Lumia 830 is launched at IFA 2014 with two best selfie phones Lumia 730 and Lumia 735.

The Lumia 830 offers the best of Lumia and the most recent from Microsoft in a pocket-accommodating outline and cost. The Lumia 830 catches astounding pictures and features, day or night, with a 10-megapixel Pureview cam with ZEISS optics, Rich Recording and the most slender optical picture adjustment framework to date on a Lumia.

ebay merchant truedigital (99.5% positive criticism) is offering a plant opened 16 GB Lumia 830 in white. The asking cost is $379.98, which is short of what the normal cost of $443 that was given when the gadget was declared a couple of weeks back. The dealer expresses this is a GSM-proficient Lumia 830, however hit up the posting page to view the groups to check whether your bearer is upheld. Upgrade: A couple of hours after the fact the posting merchant expanded the cost to $399. Still less expensive than what Microsoft published, however a little increment since we posted the story. Simply a little heads up.

You can also have Lumia 830 on AT&T.

source

How to Change Windows 8.1 Product Key

You will get to a point in your Windows 8.1 usage where you might have to change your product key. If you skipped the product key section when you first installed Windows 8.1 on your PC, laptop or other devices you might be asked for it again after a while. There are some consequences if you do not activate your Windows 8.1 with a product key and one of them being the disabling of the customization of the start screen in Windows 8.1.

We have posted a few options below that you can take in order to change the Windows 8.1 product key for your device. As a side note you should be very careful and type in the correct product key when you are asked for it as it may lead to some system issues if you miss-type the product key . Also you don’t need to worry anymore about this issue because you will see below a very easy fix and you can go on with your everyday activities on your Windows 8.1 device.

Steps for changing Windows 8.1 Product key

First option:

1. In the Start screen of your Windows 8.1 device you will need to start typing “cmd admin”.
2. After you have the “cmd admin” icon in the search result left click on it.
   Note: If only the cmd icon appeared you can right click on it and select the option “Run as administrator”.
3. Now that you have the command prompt with administrative privileges in front of you type in there the command “slmgr.vbs -ipk ACTIVATION KEY”.
   Note: in the command above instead of “ACTIVATION KEY” you need to type you activation code.
4. After you’ve written the command above hit “Enter” button on the keyboard.
5. A “Windows Script host” window will pop up and you will need to left click on the “OK” button in the lower side of that window.
6. Now in the command prompt window you need to type “slmgr.vbs -ipk ACTIVATION KEY”.
   Note: in the command above instead of “ACTIVATION KEY” you need to type you activation code/key.
7. After you’ve written the command above hit again “Enter” on the keyboard.
8. Now another “Windows script host” window will appear saying that your product activated successfully.
9. Reboot the Windows 8.1 operating system.
10. After the reboot your product should be activated and the Microsoft watermark will no longer be on your desktop.

Second option:

1. Again like in the first step type in the start screen of Windows 8.1 “cmd admin”.
2. Left click on the icon that shows in the search box.
3. Type in the command prompt window the following line “slui 3”.
4. A window will pop up where you will need to type in the product key of the Windows 8.1 operating system.
5. You will need to left click on the “Activate” button you have in that window or just hit the “Enter” key after you typed the key in.
   Note: For this option to work you will have be have an internet connection.
6. Reboot the Windows 8.1 device.
7. See if your Windows 8.1 activated correctly and the watermark disappeared from your desktop.

So here it is, two options that you can try to change your Windows 8.1 product key and activate your Windows 8.1 operating system. Write us in the comment section below for any question you might have on this article.

READ ALSO: Not Able to Open or Install Apps and Games on SD Card After Windows Phone 8.1 Update [Fix]

Download Documents, Pictures From OneDrive [How to]

Microsoft OneDrive on Windows 8 is a good feature that you can use to save your Documents and pictures on it having a maximum capacity of 25 GB of free space. Seeing that many of Windows users are using this feature these days I have decided to explain in a short tutorial below how you can very easily and in just a few minutes download your documents and pictures from your Microsoft OneDrive storage center.

You can either download your documents and pictures from the OneDrive desktop client or from SkyDrive if you do not have in Windows 8 the OneDrive desktop client. I will explain below the second method because this is the method where most users are having issues with.

Tutorial on downloading documents and pictures from Microsoft OneDrive On Windows 8

1. First you will need to access the link below to take you to the Microsoft OneDrive where you can sign in or create an account
   Click here to get to Microsoft OneDrive
2. On the first page of OneDrive you will have access to all the files or albums you wish to download.
3. Right click on the specific file or album that you wish to download.
4. Left click in the menu that appears on the “Download” feature.
5. It depends on your internet connectivity and the size of the downloaded objects to determine the time in which the files or albums are downloaded.
   Note: It can take up to several hours depending on the size of the files.

So you have above in just a few short steps the method on how to download any files like documents and pictures to your Windows 8 PC from the Microsoft OneDrive server. This feature is very useful due to the fact that you wont have to worry about your files being lost in your Windows 8 device as long as the files are saved to OneDrive as a backup.

Please write us below for any issues you encounter during this tutorial and we will see what we can do to improve your Windows Microsoft experience.

READ ALSO:Fix Windows Phone 8 Update Issues With These Solutions

How to Turn off Touchpad in Windows 8, 8.1

Are you using a mouse for your Windows 8 operating system laptop? Well you will see that if you are using a mouse and you also have your touchpad active it can get pretty difficult when you are trying to work on the laptop and suddenly the mouse cursor jumps all over the screen. I will show you a quick method on how to turn off the touchpad on your Windows 8 laptop and get rid of this inconvenience once and for all.

A lot of Windows 8 users while working on their laptops are accidentally touching the laptops touchpad thus making the mouse cursor move. By following the tutorial below you can learn how to turn off the touchpad and also from where you can activate it again if you ever want to switch from the classical mouse to the touchpad again in Windows 8.

Tutorials for turning off touchpad in Windows 8

First method:

1. Usually and on most if the cases on the laptops keyboard you should have a “Fn” button and a “Touchpad” button situated in the upper side of the keyboard.
2. Press and hold on the “Fn” button and the”Touchpad” button in order to turn off the touchpad or turn it back on.

Second method:

1. You can download an app for turning off your laptops touchpad by accessing the link below:
   Download here program for disabling touchpad
2. After the downloading is finished go in the location where you placed this program and double click (left click) on the executable file present there.
3. After the installation is complete an icon will appear in your system tray. This program will disable your touchpad but only when it detects typing on the keyboard.

Third method:

1. You can find on your Windows 8 start screen a “Control Panel” icon; left click on the icon to open it.
2. Now you will have to left click on the “More settings” feature to open it. You can find this on the left of the screen after you clicked on “Control Panel”.
3. A window with “Control Panel” will open. In that window double click (left click) on the “Mouse settings” feature.
4. After you get in the “Mouse settings” window left click on the “Change mouse settings” feature presented there.
5. A “Mouse Properties” window will show.
6. You will have to left click in the upper side of the window on the “Buttons” tab.
7. Now next to “Left button” you need to choose the option “None” from the dropdown menu.
8. Next to “Right button” you need to choose the option “None” from the dropdown menu.
9. Left click on the “OK” button in the lower side of the screen.
10. You should now have the touchpad buttons disabled and properly use your mouse.

Forth method:

A forth option would be to try to uninstall the touchpad driver from your “Device Manager” but be sure to have it saved somewhere in case you ever want to activate the laptops touchpad again.

You have above four quick methods to turn off the laptops touchpad in a Windows 8 operating system environment. For any questions on these methods don’t hesitate to write us below in the comment section of the page.

READ ALSO :After Forced Update to Windows 8.1, Computer Keeps Shutting Down [Fix]

Shellshock vulnerability roils Linux server shops

A long-standing vulnerability unearthed in the GNU Bash software, nicknamed Shellshock, has disrupted the daily activities of the Linux system administrator community, as Linux distributors, cloud vendors and end users grapple to understand the full scope of the potential damage it could cause.

“It’s a very subtle and complicated vulnerability,” said Owen Garrett, head of products for Nginx, a provider of server software.

The vulnerability “is trivially easy to exploit if you know what you are doing, so it really is a potentially serious problem,” Garret said. “The upside is that the remedy is quick and easy.”

The vulnerability is a flaw in the open-source GNU Bash shell found in nearly all Linux distributions, as well as in the Apple OS X operating system.

Thursday, researchers found a second, related vulnerability in the shell.

A shell is an interface for users to interact with computers, by way of either a graphical environment interface or—in Bash’s case—a text-based command line interface. The vulnerability allows a malicious user to issue commands to the operating system.

In one sense, the vulnerability is not a serious one, noted Wolfgang Kandek, chief technology officer of IT security firm Qualys. A user with access to Bash already can access all the commands that the operating system offers to routine users. But it can be dangerous insofar as Bash is also used by other programs to complete their own tasks, and thus may offer a backdoor into some systems.

For instance, it could be used with the CGI (Common Gateway Interface), Kandek noted. CGI is a legacy, but still widely used, technology used in the early days of the commercial Internet to provide user interactivity to websites. CGI uses Bash to manipulate the server’s OS.

A malicious user could inject commands into a CGI request that would get processed by the server, Kandek said. An attacker, for instance, could use Shellshock to take advantage of some other vulnerability that could not otherwise be executed from over the network, perhaps a vulnerability that would allow the attacker to then gain control of the machine.

Administrators are encouraged to patch their systems as quickly as possible. This is the easy part. In most Linux distributions, updating the system software can usually be done through a single command, Kandek said.

Fortunately, all the major Linux vendors quickly issued patches, including Debian, Ubuntu, Suse and Red Hat.

Red Hat also posted a one-line command that could easily test if a machine is vulnerable to the attack.

And not a second too soon, given that software programs that exploit the vulnerability quickly surfaced after the news of the vulnerability broke.

Running a honeypot server, IT management firm AlienVault has also found that multiple parties are already scanning the Internet to find machines with the vulnerability.

A honeypot is a machine placed on the Internet with the intent to characterize how much and what kind of malicious activity is taking place online, usually by using unpatched software that attackers can use to gain access.

Cloud infrastructure services providers that offer stock Linux distributions as virtual images, which are used based on the latest stock release of a distribution, could have unpatched versions of Bash. Some may have already mitigated the issue: Amazon Web Services, which maintains its own version of Linux, automatically updates any Linux virtual machines with the latest patches before they are deployed.

As a general best practice, however, anyone deploying a virtual machine for the first time should immediately update the software, Kandek said.

Not Able to Open or Install Apps and Games on SD Card After Windows Phone 8.1 Update [Fix]

Not only Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 users are affected by numerous glitches and bugs, but also Windows Phone users. So, starting from today, we have decided to speak about some of these common errors, as well.

Recently, on the Microsoft community support forums, one frustrated users has been saying that he is not able to install apps and games on his SD card after installing Windows Phone 8.1 update. He mentions that he has updated this Lumia 820 to Windows Phone 8.1 and right after making the update, the apps and games on SD card no longer work and it’s also impossible to reinstall. Here’s what he said:

i’ve just updated my lumia 820 to wp8.1. after updating to wp8.1, non of the apps/games are working. i tried to transfer themto sd card but not working. even i tried to uninstall an reinstall apps to sd card but still for every app/game same error comes as:
“we are having problem installing this app. If you are trying to update an app and the problem continues, you might need to uninstall the app and then install it again.” everything else on card is working fine, like music, videos and pictures.

How to solve apps, games not installing on Windows Phone 8.1 SD card

This is a fresh issues, so there aren’t too many solutions out there. If you happen to know something, do let us know and we’ll be swift to update this article with new information. I’ll also be keeping an eye on the problem and will report once there are new replies worthy sharing. Here’s what you can do for now:

1. Make sure the date and time are correct on the phone
2. Check If Microsoft account is synced on: settings->email+account (tap and hold the account)
3. Check If you can see your gamertag on the phone: in the app list click in games->flick right, then you should see an avatar with a name on the top or you will have the option to sign in

Let us know with your comment below if you too are having this problem and we’ll try to escalate it to Microsoft and will update with new info once they are available.

Read Also: Fix ‘System Restore Did not Complete Successfully’ Error in Windows 8

Touchpad Disabled on the Logon screen in Windows 8.1 [Fixed]

As part of the most recent rollout of updates, we now have an offical solution for those who have a computer that is running Windows 8.1, Windows RT 8.1, or Windows Server 2012 R2 and the touchpad becomes disabled on the logon screen.

From time to time, usually once per month, during the Patch Tuesday release, Microsoft rolls out a good number of fixes that solve annoying problems. Now, as part of its September rollout, Redmond has issued one update that takes care of the problems with the disabled touchpad on the logon screen of Windows 8.1

Touchpad problems on Windows 8.1 fixed by recent update

So, in order to resolve this issue, you will need to install the update rollup 2984006. The 2984006 update is part of the September 2014  rollup for Windows RT 8.1, Windows 8.1, and Windows Server 2012 R2. So, you just need to go ahead and perform the Windows Update function, just in case you’re not running the latest version. This should solve your touchpad problems when first logging in. This fix applies to the following operating systems:

• Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter
• Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard
• Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials
• Windows Server 2012 R2 Foundation
• Windows 8.1 Enterprise
• Windows 8.1 Pro
• Windows 8.1
• Windows RT 8.1

READ ALSO: Windows 8: Disable Apps to Improve Performance

Fix Windows Phone 8 Update Issues With These Solutions

When updating your Windows Phone 8 device to a newer version, such as Windows Phone 8.1 or an even newer one, you might be getting a ton of error codes that won’t let you complete the install.

If you are seeing a message like 801881cd, 80188265, or 801881d0 when you update your Windows Phone, the obviously you have a problem. It’s possible to solve it with some basic troubleshooting in order to get rid of these annoying updates. Microsoft has officially provided fixes and we’re going to put them all together so that you could get help for your problems.

How to solve Windows Phone 8 update problems

Fix error code 801881cd

This error appears when you don’t have enough storage space on your phone to install the update. So here’s how to fix it:

Remove some media files (videos, music, and photos) or apps to make room for the update. You can connect to your computer and move your media files there, and you can always reinstall apps from the Store. Keep in mind that deleting an app, even temporarily, will erase app data, such as saved progress in a game.

Fix error codes 80188264, 80188265

This issue arises when you haven’t agreed to download the update over a cellular connection. Here’s the solution:

The best thing to do is connect to Wi-Fi so you can download without having to worry about possible cellular data charges. If you can’t connect to Wi-Fi and want to update using cellular data, tap Download when prompted to download using cellular data.

Fix error code 801882cb

This particular error is caused by  troubles connecting to a network. Here are some potential workarounds:

Make sure that your phone has a good connection to the Internet. The best thing to do is connect to Wi-Fi so you can download without having to worry about possible cellular data charges. If you can’t connect to Wi-Fi and want to update using cellular data, tap Download when prompted to download using cellular data.

Fix error codes 801881d0, 8018822a, 80072f30, 80072ee7, 80072ee2,
80072efd, 80072f76, 80072efe

All these appear because there was a temporary issue with a server or your Internet connection during the update. Here is the solution:

Make sure you’re connected to the Internet and try again. It’s best to connect to Wi-Fi so you can avoid possible cellular data charges.

Fix error codes 80188d1, 80188d2

There was an error installing the update and this caused the problem. Fix:

Restart your phone and try downloading the update again.

These are mostly common fixes, but these are official solutions provided by Microsoft. Also, the company suggests to pay attention to the following things, as well:

• Power up – If your battery charge is low, you may have to plug in and wait before you can finish installing your update.
• Check yourself – You don’t have to wait for us to tell you there’s an update: in the App list, just go to Settings Settings icon> Phone update, and then tap Check for updates.
• Wait a bit – Many errors are temporary. If you try again, there’s a good chance the error won’t repeat itself.
• Restart your phone – If your phone freezes during an update, you can restart your phone to get your update back on track.
• Make way – If your phone’s storage space is maxed out with apps and all of your media, remove some files that you can do without.

Read Also: How to Disable Microsoft Confidential Watermark in Windows 8, 8.1

Nokia Lumia 1020 Freezes Randomly After Windows Phone 8.1 Update [Fix]

Nokia Lumia 1020 owners have had a lot of problems when trying to make the jump to Windows Phone 8.1 update. While some of them have managed to do this in the end, many are still being affected. Here are some potential workarounds.

Recently, quite an outrage has started on the Microsoft community forums, after several Nokia Lumia 1020 owners have been complaining that their handsets are freezing or just acting out after the Windows Phone 8.1 update. We go through some of their complaints and also present some of the working fixes. Hope this solves problems that you might have been encountering.

How to fix Nokia Lumia 1020 problems with Windows Phone 8.1 update

First of all, here’s what one affected user has been saying, after fiddling for quite a long time with the problem:

Lumia 1020’s have been freezing when in stand by mode (glance mode), while charging and not charging. The only way to get the phone to respond is by performing a soft reset (hold volume down + power down for 15 seconds). Upon restart, some users report additionally to get one or both errors:
1) Phone date and time will revert back to date of May 22nd and will not auto update to present.
2) Get an error message: Try again in 140040 minutes.
Users who have received 1020 replacements report that the problem is still present. One user received a 1520 replacement, and reported that model did not have the problem. Freezes range from multiple times a week (some users reported as high as 10), to only a few times a week (once to twice a week).

And here are some potential fixes:

• Disable: Glance Screen
• Disable: Bluetooth, NFC
• Auto-On: Glance Screen
• Always On: Glance Screen
• Disable: Store Auto-Update
• Hard Reset Phone, restore back up
• Hard Reset Phone, but do not restore back up
• Remove Cortana Icon from Start Screen
• Remove Apps from Lock Screen
• Installing Lumia Cyan Update
• Installing all ATT approved Updates
• Uninstalling FB and FB Messenger
• Battery Saver Usage
• Disabled WIFI + Store Auto-Updates + Battery Saver: Store
• Enabled Kids Corner > Go to LockScreen > Disable Kids Corner, Enabled WIFI + Store Auto-Updates + Battery Saver: Store

In the end, most of the affected Nokia Lumia 1020 have received replacements, here’s what the same user says:

I received a 1020 replacement yesterday from Microsoft and just finished shipping the old head set to them now. Should get there by Friday. When setting up the 1020 yesterday the phone already came with Cyan and 8.1 (8.10.12393.890) installed. The phone has not frozen or acted out in any way.

He also compared the phones and realized that the one he received from Microsoft has a newer hardware version. Sound off in the comment below and let us know what you think of this.

Read Also: Talisman Prologue Adventure Board Game Comes to Windows 8, Phone 8

Fix ‘System Restore Did not Complete Successfully’ Error in Windows 8

It’s hard to keep up with the growing amount of troubles that Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 users are receiving, but we’re doing our best in order to help out affected users. Today we’re trying to solve the System Restore problem.

The System Restore function has been slightly revamped in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, but it remains just as useful as before. However, there are some unlucky Windows 8.1 users that have been reporting various problems with this option. We discuss one of them and try to address it with some potential fixes. The main problem is that the System Restore is not completing no matter what restore point is selected, according to the affected users.

How to fix ‘System Restore Did not Complete Successfully’ problem in Windows 8

Here’s how the complain of this Windows 8.1 users sounds like and if it is similar to yours, read lower for some potential fixes:

I have tried running system restore on my windows 8.1 PC but no matter what restore point is selected, system restore always fails. The message that is diplayed is- System Restore did not complete successfully. Your computer’s system files and settings were not changed. Details:
System Restore failed to extract the file(C:\Windows\WinStore\AppxSignature.p7x) from the restore point.

The restore point was damaged or was deleted during the restore. You can try System Restore again and choose a different restore point. If you continue to see this error, you can try an advanced recovery method. Is there anyway this issue can be resolved and I can continue with system restore?

Solution 1: Keep the computer in a clean boot status and check

Here’s how to perform a clean boot to troubleshoot a problem in Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8 –  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135. You need to look for the section: “how to reset the computer to start as usual after troubleshooting with clean boot”.

Solution 2: Run the System Restore in the Safe Mode and check the issue status

Here are the Windows Startup Settings, including safe mode – http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/windows-startup-settings-including-safe-mode

Solution 3: Perform System Restore from Advanced Options screen

1. After you boot your computer using Windows DVD or System Repair Disc, a black screen appears with gray text “Press any key to boot from CD or DVD”. Press any key
2. Select the correct time and Keyboard type
3. Click Repair your computer in the lower left corner
4. Select Troubleshoot from Choose an option screen
5. Click advanced options in Troubleshoot screen
6. Select System Restore

READ ALSO: How to Fix 0xc00001 Error in Windows 8, 8.1

After Forced Update to Windows 8.1, Computer Keeps Shutting Down [Fix]

Fresh from the Microsoft Community forums is one error where the Windows 8.1 computer keeps shutting down, after the user was forced to make the update to 8.1. We try to come up with a fix.

As much as Microsoft wouldn’t try, there are plenty of errors that keep piling up especially for those that have made the upgrade from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1. It’s even more annoying the fact that some of them have been forced to upgrade and after that, they have started getting errors. No wonder why some many have started to hate Windows 8. Here’s what somebody has been recently saying on the support forums with regards to his Windows 8.1 PC shutting down after Windows 8.1 update:

I want to throw this computer with its Win 8 through the window.  How on earth does Windows get so complicated that it basically forces us to install 8.1 – which we didn’t want because we HATE Win 8. And now…  the Win 8.1 install won’t finish. The computer just keeps shutting down. This has been going on for over a day.  At some point in the 8.1 update it said the computer would need to restart to finish. It didn’t say You will need to restart it OVER and OVER and OVER…>

When we start it, it sits at an HP logo for a while, then it just SHUTS down. No message, no error, no nothing.  Like I said, we’ve done this over and over and over.  I tried to research starting it in Safe Mode. Hm, found out some more interesting information about the wonderful Win 8 – i.e. you can’t just hit F8 (or shift-F8) and boot up in Safe Mode. The detailed instructions on how to get it to boot in Safe Mode from pcsupport.about.com are cumbersome and take you to several more “links”. I’m beyond frustrated.

How to try and fix ‘Windows 8.1 PC keeps shutting down’ error

I’m trying to come up with some solutions that will help out those affected. If they won’t work, then I’ll keep looking for other fixes, but for now, this is all I know.

First of all, you will have to disconnect all the unnecessary external devices connected to the computer and check if the installation proceeds further. If you still have issues during the installations, try these steps:

Step 1:  If you are using any third-party antivirus software, you may uninstall it and check if you can upgrade to Windows 8.1.
Note: Even if you disable third party antivirus, Defender will still be running in the computer. This will guard your computer from malware and virus.
Step 2: Install all the available updates.
Step 3: Install the updated drivers for the hardware.
Step 4: Perform clean boot and then start the upgrade. Refer to this link – http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135

Also, after checking the functionality in clean boot, follow the suggestions under “How to reset the computer to start as usual after troubleshooting with clean boot”.

READ ALSO: How to Disable Microsoft Confidential Watermark in Windows 8, 8.1

Microsoft exec: 'Windows 9' to be announced next week

WinFuture.de

Although Microsoft is widely expected to reveal Windows 9 next week, the company is staying tight-lipped on its exact plans for the September 30 press event.

Unfortunately, Microsoft France President Alain Crozier didn't get the memo. Speaking at a press event on Tuesday, Crozier said Microsoft would reveal “Windows 9” next week. His comments were first spotted by WPCentral, and TechCrunch confirmed that the translation from French was accurate.

Microsoft's official line about the September 30 event is that relates to “what’s next for Windows [including] information geared toward technical and enterprise customers.”

But given the high volume of leaked screenshots and videos over the last several weeks, it's highly unlikely that Windows 9 isn't the topic of conversation. As for the name of the operating system, there's been some speculation that Microsoft might ditch the number scheme and go with plain old “Windows,” but Crozier's comments suggest otherwise.

Of course, Microsoft is officially backpedaling on his remarks, telling ZDNet France that there isn't a name yet. That can't be true, but what else can you say when carefully-laid PR plans go awry?

How to Disable Microsoft Confidential Watermark in Windows 8, 8.1

If your Windows 8 operating system is making your updates automatically is because you chose to do this when you first installed Windows 8. Unfortunately if the operating system is making the updates automatically you might end up with a Microsoft confidential watermark on your desktop. Seeing that this can get pretty annoying sometimes we will see how you can disable this and get on with your work.

The tutorial below will show you exactly how to disable the Microsoft confidential watermark you have on your Desktop by accessing the Registry Editor feature you have in Windows 8. From the “Registry Editor” feature we will make the proper adjustments in the system to make the Microsoft watermark disappear but be sure to follow the instructions in this tutorial very carefully because if we modify other options it might cause errors in Windows 8.

Steps for disabling Microsoft confidential watermark for Windows 8

1. Press and hold on your keyboard the buttons “Window” and “R”.
2. A “Run” window will pop up and in the run window type “regedit” without the quotes.
3. Press the “Enter” button on the keyboard”.
4. You will get a pop up from “User Account Controls” where you need to proceed by left clicking on “Yes”.
5. Left click in the left side of the “Registry Editor” window on “HKLM”.
6. In the “HKLM” folder left click on “Software”
7. In the “SOFTWARE” folder left click on “Microsoft”.
8. In the “Microsoft” folder left click on “Windows NT” to open it.
9. In “Windows NT” folder left click on CurrentVersion”
10. And finally in the “CurrentVersion” folder left click on “Windows”
11. On the right side you will need to create a new “DWORD” file with the name “DisplayNotRetailReady” and double click on it to open.
12. After you are in the Edit DWORD window of the “DisplayNotRetailReady” you created write in the “Value data” the number “0” without the quotes or just leave it blank.
13. Left click on the “OK” button you have in the “Edit DWORD” window.
14. Close Registry Editor.
15. Now after a reboot of the Windows 8 operating system your watermark will be gone.

You can see above that in just a few minutes you managed to disable the Microsoft confidential watermark In Windows 8. For any other questions on the subject write us below a few words and we will reply in the shortest time possible.

READ ALSO How to fix file history issues in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1