Upgrade From Windows XP Or Get Ready To Face Infinite Zero Days

The Redmond based software giant Microsoft is intensifying its efforts to make users get free from the twelve year old Windows XP operating system saying that they are going to stop the support provided for the oldest Windows operating system in use now in a few months time. What follows that is infinite zero days, i.e days without any security patches and software updates for Windows XP. One could check these measures to make the users scrap the Windows XP operating system as a drastic effort from Microsoft to increase the sales of their failed operating system Windows 8.

The director of Microsoft Trustworthy Computing Tim Rains stated in the latest Microsoft support page blog about the Windows XP situation saying, "There is a sense of urgency because after April 8 [2014], Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) customers will no longer receive new security updates, non-security hot fixes, free or paid assisted support options or online technical content updates. This means that any new vulnerability discovered in Windows XP after its 'end of life' will not be addressed by new security updates from Microsoft."

Rains also said that when the operators fix vulnerability in the software by releasing a patch, the hackers or malicious users reverse engineer the patch in an effort for finding trapdoors and for creating exploits. Once they have found what they needed, they make use of the exploit on users who have not installed the update. The developers will be forced to release a new patch for fixing the new exploit created by the hackers. The scenario that may come into view if Microsoft stops the support for Windows XP will be catastrophic since there will not be any security updates or patches to be released, the hackers will have a free reign over the operating system.

According to the latest statistics from Microsoft support page, over 64% of enterprise companies still have not migrated from the age-old Windows XP operating system. Microsoft warns these companies that when they stop the support provided to the Windows XP computer, the system may become highly susceptible to outside attacks and no protection software will be able to resist the attack.

Therefore, it will be in your best interests to upgrade to the newer and better operating system released by Microsoft, Windows 8.1. It has been proved that Windows 8.1 is the most secure operating system available in the market now. So why wait, go ahead for a newer and better computing future. 

Steps To Unlock A PC Without A Password Reset Disk

Locking the computer is very essential to ensure the privacy of the contents stored in your PC. If you are not using a password to lock the computer, anyone can access your personal files and can use the Internet connection. Therefore, it is always good to use a password to lock your computer. There are a few things that you should keep in mind while selecting the password. The password should be easy to remember, should contain digits and special characters and so on.

You may forget the password you have set for your computer and a locked computer can make you frustrated to the core. There are many ways to unlock a locked up computer and it may even cost you hundreds of dollars. This article discusses the ways to unlock your computer without the help of a password reset disk. This can be done from the default Administrator account by entering the Safe Mode and unlocking the computer through the console commands. The Windows support number tips explained below will help you to unlock your PC from Safe Mode.

Instructions

• Restart the PC and while the computer restarts, tap the F8 key until the computer enters the Advanced Boot Menu. This menu will give you a list of options. Select Safe Mode With Networking from the list of options.
• As the second step, click on the Administrator account.
• On the lower left hand side of the desktop screen, you will be able to see the Start button. Press on this button.
• In the text field that appears, type in control userpasswords2 and hit the Enter button. Uncheck the box next to Users must enter a username and password and then reboot the computer. When the computer restarts, it will be unlocked.
• If these steps do not solve the issue, press the Start button and then select Control Panel from the menu that appears. Click on the arrow in the Control Panel to open a drop-down menu. From the options, choose All Control Panel Items. Go to User Accounts and then select Manage Another Account. Choose the account that you want to change and select the option to edit it. As the next step, choose Remove the password. Repeat this step for all the accounts that are accessible through the Control Panel.

These are the steps to unlock a computer without using the password reset disk. If you have any more doubts, you can contact the Windows support number for further help.

Microsoft Introduces New Help And Tips App In Windows 8.1

Microsoft had lost most of its users to other operating systems, as Windows 7 and its predecessors were not compatible with the touch screen computers and smart phones. Hence, Microsoft decided to launch a new version which boasted of some of the sophisticated features that were missing in its earlier versions. The main attribute of the new OS was that it supported the modern touch screen devices. However, as is the case with almost every new product in the tech field, Windows 8 too had many of its features facing severe reproof from users.

Several programmers panned the new version, saying that the Windows 8 provided a clunky user experience. This even forced some of the users to contact the Windows 8 help, for help with uninstalling Windows 8 from their systems. And then Windows 8, which was Microsoft’s biggest ploy to retain its customers, backfired. However, now Microsoft is tackling the criticism, with a new update, and features that are borrowed from Windows Phone, which help the users to figure out what is what in the dramatically different software, thereby solving the confusion. According to Verge, in Windows 8.1, which is the latest update to Windows 8, Microsoft has included a Help and Tips app to get to know Windows 8.1. The new update includes the little row of three dots that a user would see in Windows Phone, for bring up extra options in an app and in the desktop software; the three dots bring up settings and options in selected apps, starting with built-in tools such as Mail, People and Calendar.

It has been a year since Windows 8 revealed a new, advanced, touchscreen-focused look for Microsoft's operating system. It has also certainly been a big change for anyone who used to run Windows 7, Vista or XP. With Windows 8.1, it is certain that Microsoft is trying to make things much simpler. The first striking change in Windows 8.1 is the inclusion of some of the features that were omitted from Windows 8. According to the Windows 8 help techs, Windows 8.1 sees the return of the Start button, as well as the option to start up straight to your desktop, avoiding the colorful but controversial home screen altogether.

Hence, it is clear that Microsoft is leaving no stone unturned in making the Windows 8.1 update the most convenient and user-friendly version of the operating system. However, how far the software giant would be successful in retaining its customers, is yet to be seen.

Microsoft Releases New PST Tool With Sophisticated Features

Although Microsoft Outlook is defined as an email application that is used by many people in the world, it also serves as a personal information manager for the users. This is accomplished due to the fact that Outlook comprises of an array of advanced features such as calendar, journals, event manager etc which enable the users to organize and schedule their important tasks and events. The personal information of the users is stored in files known as personal storage tables or PST files. Sometimes, when such files become corrupt, you would not be able to fix these issues and do the Outlook repair.

According to Microsoft tech support, the Outlook 2007 application is said to be vulnerable to corruption, and might become corrupted due to some malfunction. The corruption sources can be many, and could make your PST files corrupt and inaccessible. You may notice that sometimes, even the inbuilt scanpst.exe repair tool is ineffective at dealing with such corruption. Hence, Microsoft has released the professional Outlook 2007, with some of the advanced features that can fix the corrupted PST files, irrespective of the cause of corruption. With the release of the professional Outlook 2007 Repair tool, Microsoft has provided an amazing solution to the Outlook PST errors. As mentioned earlier, this tool has been updated with the sophisticated features and functionality that deals with all kind of corruption issues, and comprehensively restores from any kind of loss that includes deletion, or even loss while in the corruption mode.

According to the Microsoft tech support, one of the main features of the software is that it restores data in the same original file formats and content. The new tool is very efficient at Outlook repair, and works with the earlier versions, which include Outlook 2000, 2002, 2003, and a later version as well - Outlook 2010. The tool is compatible with all versions of Windows, which include Windows XP, Vista, 7 and even Windows 8. As soon as the release of this professional repair tool happened, most users downloaded this application, and got the outlook 2007 PST files repaired. As a result, issues related to the corruption of the PST files were sorted out.

Therefore, with the updated outlook 2007 PST Repair tool, it is certain that it is the most efficient replacement of the inbuilt scanpst.exe tool, with added features to deal with the complex corruption issues.

Bug In Over Clocked Windows 8 PCs

Windows 8 is the latest version of the Microsoft Windows operating system. Microsoft hopes that the Windows 8 OS will help them to improve the sales of tablet computers and notebooks. There are not much Windows 8 problems reported in the Microsoft support forums. This article deals with an overclocking bug that is reported in the Windows 8 operating system.

A bug has been reported in the Windows 8 OS. This bug is related to the real-time clock and is said to cause inaccurate benchmarks in over and under clocked computers. Clock frequency is a factor that determines the performance of the CPU. When the clock frequency of the computer is adjusted from within the OS, the software timekeeper no longer keeps track of the time and reports the time inaccurately. This will result in slowing down with an underclock and speeding up with an overclock.

The HWBOT team found that after a 6% CPU base clock decrease, the time in the computer after five minutes lagged behind the actual time by 18 seconds. In case of benchmarks, this translated to a 5 to 7 percent score boost, when compared to a computer of equal clock speed that is modified only through multiplier adjustments. Likewise, a base clock increase caused the score to decrease in the same benchmarks.

After finding out this problem with Windows 8, HWBOT is no longer accepting the benchmark results in the operating system. They are planning to invalidate all the previous Windows 8 results. The problem with this bug is that there is potential for the overclockers to use this bug for their advantage. The HWBOT wants to make sure that there is no scope for cheating.

The real-time clock is a hardware feature of almost all the computers. Its duty is to keep track of the current time. In certain low cost and embedded systems, the RTC circuit is removed. This is done to save costs and in the Windows 8 OS, Microsoft has made many changes to preserve the time-keeping compatibility in these machines. Now that it has been found that these changes affect the benchmark in some situations, Microsoft will look for solutions to patch this issue at the earliest.

Let us hope that Microsoft will come up with a fix for the overclocking bug soon. If you would like to know more on the overclocking bug and other Windows 8 problems, you can refer to the Microsoft support forums.

Features Of Windows 8.1 Preview Version

Microsoft released the Windows 8.1 preview so as to address and fix many criticisms and flaws of the Windows 8 operating system. Microsoft released the Windows 8 operating system with the Surface tablets with an intention of helping the users work on an operating system that can be viewed on both mobile and desktop computers at the same time. But the sales did not go as Microsoft planned, as the system was too modern and retro for the traditional PC users. They found many Windows 8 problems including the lack of Start menu button in the desktop, which was not at all acceptable for the traditional PC users. Below we discuss some of the main features of Windows 8.1 preview.

Desktop

Most of the Windows 8 users without a touch screen display found it very difficult and rather irritating to use the new Windows 8 operating system with its Metro user interface that showed all features and applications as tiles in the desktop. They were not ready to migrate from the classy interface provided by the Windows XP through Windows 7, which allowed them simplicity for access. Most companies that migrated to the new Windows 8 operating system had to give training to their employees for familiarizing with the Windows 8 user interface. This problem is well dealt in the new Windows 8.1 Preview, as you can toggle easily to the Windows 7 desktop view with a single click.

Start button

Start button in Windows 7 and previous operating systems released by Microsoft provided easy access to many time saving functions and actions. By removing this button in Windows 8, Microsoft made performing certain tasks difficult. This is well taken care of in the Windows 8.1 preview operating system by getting back the Start button at its position in the left bottom corner of the screen. In addition, the Control Panel menu is also back with its full features. Now, it is known as PC settings and includes many set of options and sub options for personalizing your computer.

File Explorer

The new retro File Explorer in the Windows 8.1 preview has dealt with almost all Windows 8 problems related with the file explorer and has additional functionality features. The File Explorer is now more like the Windows Explorer program found in the previous versions of the Windows operating systems.

Overall, Windows 8.1 preview dealt with almost all Windows 8 issues and optimized the overall experience of the PC usage. 

Deleting Toolbars From The Internet Explorer

Toolbars are essentially designed to ease and enhance your browsing experience. Many toolbars flourish the internet and it is hard to choose the best one suited for your needs. Sometimes, toolbars are automatically downloaded and they can prove to be a huge annoyance for users. The toolbars get automatically downloaded when you try to download software or utilities from the internet. When people find that toolbars are more of an irritation rather than of any use, it is essential to get rid of them.

By following the below provided how to remove toolbars tips, the annoying toolbars can be easily removed from your system.

Instructions

• Access the Internet Explorer browser in your system. In the Internet Explorer window, choose the Tools menu and select Add-Ons. For the menu to appear in Windows Vista/Windows 7, users can make use of the Alt key.
• Below the Add-On Types from the Manage Add-Ons window, choose Toolbars And Extensions.
• Below the Show menu, verify that all add-ons are selected.
• The toolbar that you need to remove has to be selected. Click on the option labeled Disable.
• A window containing details such as services and features of the toolbar will be disabled sometimes and may appear on screen. If a window like that appears, all the items have to be check marked and then select the OK button.
• In order to close the add-ons window, click the Close button.

Now onwards, the toolbars that you have removed will not haunt you when you use Internet Explorer and you will have a pleasant experience while surfing the web. However, you can also access the Control Panel to remove toolbars from the system.

• Click in the Start button that is housed at the extreme bottom left of the taskbar and the Start menu will pop up. From the menu, click on Control Panel.
• Now the Control Panel window containing many icons will be present.
• Open the Programs And Features option.
• Search and locate the toolbar that you want to uninstall from the uninstall window and choose the Uninstall option.
• The instructions that appear have to be followed in order to remove the toolbars completely.
• After the uninstall process is complete, you can see that the toolbar is no longer present in your web browser.

By following these how to remove toolbars tips, the toolbars can be easily removed from your system. Make use of our tech support feature for any further assistance.