Troubleshooting Issues With Windows Update

One of the best methods that you can follow to keep your computer safe and secure is to update your computer at regular intervals. It is better that you configure your Windows operating system to download and install updates automatically. Since more and more threats are released to the industry day by day, you need to have the latest updates installed in the system for keeping it safe and secure from malicious programs and users. However, installing some updates might lead to malfunctioning of the computer. Here we discuss some simple instructions that anyone can follow to troubleshoot issues with Windows update.

Instructions

• First thing that you need to do is to review the updates installed with your system recently. This can be done by navigating to the Control Panel window and by choosing the System and Security option found in the window. From the options shown on the screen, click on the View Installed Updates found under the Windows Update heading. Now you will be able to view all the updates installed on your system. 

Now for removing an already installed update from your computer, Windows support team advises you to follow the simple instructions given below.

• Launch Control Panel and then select the System and Security option found in the window if you are using Windows 7 operating system. However, if you are using Windows Vista operating system, choose the option labeled as Security. 
• Click on the option named as View Installed Updates found under the Windows Update tab found in the window. The system will now show you all the installed updates as a list. You can sort the list according to the date of installation of update by clicking on the Installed On heading found at the right side of the list. 
• Now from the list of updates populated on the screen, select the update that you would like to remove from the system by clicking on it. When you select the update, a new button named Uninstall will appear on the screen, Windows support centre advises you to click on it to remove the installed update from your system. 
• Follow the instructions shows by the un-installation wizard to remove the update. When the removal process is completed, restart the computer to make the changes permanent. 

If you follow the simple instructions given above, you will be able to review and remove installed updates from your system with ease.

How To Rip An Audio CD In Mp3 Format Using Windows Media Player?

You can’t always get your favourite MP3 songs online. Occasionally, you will have to buy a CD or DVD that contains your favourite songs from outside. If you want to copy these songs from these CDs or DVDs to your smartphone or iPod, you will need to rip the songs on the CD/DVD in MP3 format. Windows Media Player lets you do this with ease. But one thing that needs to be kept in mind while ripping your DVD songs in MP3 format using Windows Media Player is that you need to choose a different format other than WMA.

Being a built-in application in Windows OS, Windows Media Player is integrated with Windows Live help. So, you can seek real time assistance from the support desk in case of any unexpected issues during ripping. Here are the simple steps you need to work out to rip your CD/DVD in MP3 format in WM Player.

Instructions

• Turn on your PC and navigate to the Start button. 
• Choose the Search option and enter Windows Media Player in the type field. Hit the Enter button on your keyboard to proceed. 
• Locate Windows Media Player in the search results and click it to open. 
• When the application is loaded, take the audio CD and insert it in the drive. 
• Wait for the application to recognize the CD that you have inserted. It might take a few seconds because the application has to gather track information and display it in the main pane. Once it is completed, the CD will start completing itself. 
• Now, navigate to Rip Settings and choose MP3 format. Hereafter, every CD you rip will be made in the selected format, that is MP3. 
• After that, go to the menu bar that is found on top of the track listing and choose Rip CD option. Windows Media Player will start ripping the songs now. Once all the songs in the CD are ripped, the media player will move them to the default Music folder in your PC. You can send them to your portable music player, mobile phone or iPad. 

With the help of the above instructions, you must have successfully ripped your CD using Windows Media Player. Now, buy audio CDs of your favourite songs, rip them, copy them to your music player and enjoy. For any assistance, get support from the Windows Live help desk.

Choosing Between A Laptop And A Tablet

The evolution of computers has gone from basic calculators to computers and from handy laptops to tablets. With the advancements made, the outer size of the device has diminished, but the capacity has significantly increased. So if you are looking forward to buy a new computing device, this comparison between tablet vs laptop will help you decide.

Latest tablets are able to do multiple tasks as a laptop or desktop computers can do. However, this does not make a laptops outdated. Instead, there are certain restrictions with tablet PC when compared to a laptop.

When looking at the input methods, we can see that the physical keyboard is missing in tablet devices. When it comes to creating presentations and typing documents it is easier in a laptop. However, you can connect an external keyboard to a tablet, if you have the provision to do so.

When it comes to storage, tablets are not as efficient as the laptop. Laptops can have hard disk space with as much as ten times the memory size of a tablet. Therefore, you can only opt to store data locally in a tablet, and the rest you will have to store either online or in a laptop or PC.

Some of the limitations in a tablet are when you use websites like booking a ticket or banking websites. The interface of such websites is easier to navigate when on a laptop than with a tablet. You would stumble upon some of the drop down menus in these websites while browsing them on a tablet, due to their non-adaptive interface.

As most banking websites make use of a lot of JavaScript, it will be much better to browse the website on a laptop. When flash is being used on the website, then there would not be many issues in a tablet, but you would not find it as easy as on a laptop.

To come over these limitations in a tablet, various apps developed by banking websites and shopping websites are designed in such a way that allows a user to work with ease, but if there are issues with the app, using it on a laptop will be the only way out.

Each device has its own pros and cons. When talking about portability, tablets would be easier to carry around than the laptops, but when comparing printing options in tablet vs laptop, we can conclude that it is easier in a laptop.

There are many other dimensions that set tablets and laptops apart. So it is better to settle upon a device that suits better as per your needs.

Windows Tech Scammers Continue Haunting Customers

Scammers pretending to be Microsoft Tech support technicians continue to haunt people on phones and off late have become very bold and aggressive.

An alarming thing about these scammers is that they do not find any signs of slowing down, says the executive head of Microsoft’s customer service and support group, Kirsten Kliphouse. She also added that they have been hearing about the scammers through friends and family and the tier one technicians, that the scammers are getting stronger every day. It is not only individuals that they are targeting but also business people.

They call up customers and scare them talking about a possible viral attack, befriend them and offer to help with the issue. Later when they get into the customer's computer, they mess up with things leaving the customers helpless but express their grief and concerns to Microsoft.

These scammers are good at convincing the customers about the vulnerability of their computer system to viral attacks with the help of Windows logs. Since these Windows logs usually show the scores of errors with less impact, the scammers are able to convince the customers with the same and urge them for buying their product.

The helpless customers are charged with the worthless services. They are cunning enough to slip in malwares and spywares while they still have the customer’s system under control. Thus, with this, a good system turns into a useless electronic device. 

Back in the year 2010, these swindles were common and slowly picked up pace in the year 2011, with more and more such events occurring in the same year. Microsoft immediately warned the customers on this regard and asked them to be aware of such issues. In October 2012, Microsoft impelled FTC, federal trade commission to file charges against six fraudsters. Then later with the investigations, FTC found out that the virtual turmoil has reached another level because of the scammers.

In the year 2013, FTC settled with three alleged swindlers, imposing a judgment of 964,000 dollars in one of the instances and a 14,000 dollars fine in another one. Nevertheless, the investigations, penalties and the accusations could not do much to stem the tide of fraud calls.

This has affected the customers so adversely that they are not ready to even rely on genuine Microsoft tech support representatives. The tech support representatives find it difficult convincing the customers in order to gain access into the computer to render support. 

Microsoft Offers Gift Cards And Special Offers To Ditch XP

Windows XP was recently removed from the list of supported products by the software maker Microsoft. But, fact is, nothing much has changed, there are millions still using this aging operating system.

The major problem for upgrading is the cost involved in migrating to newer versions. Identifying this problem, the software giant offered $50 gift cards to any Windows XP user who buys a new Windows 8.1 device. As per the latest data, more than 18 percent of the computers in this world are powered by Windows XP. This means a staggering number of Windows users have not yet moved on to newer versions. This is quite surprising when the company has already pulled the plug on the 13-year-old operating system software.

Their reluctance to move on to newer versions is quite understandable, especially when we start analyzing various problems. Many SMBs depend on Windows XP for their various projects or works. Many accounting software programs run only on Windows XP. Moreover, upgrading to newer versions and the training to be given to the personnel, is a costly affair. Not many SMBs would be willing to invest time, effort and money. Another possible reason for the reluctance is confusing interface of Window 8 or Windows 8.1. The new metro style is too modern for their taste. Some of the basic features are absent or not easily accessible. The most surprising one is the absence of Start.

Whatever may be the reason there are some stubborn users not willing to move to later versions of Windows. Experts over Microsoft live chat highlight that the tech giant is trying to do everything possible to convince Windows them to switch to upgraded Windows operating system. In order to get users to ditch Windows XP, they’ve revealed that users who purchased any one of 16 different Windows 8.1 powered machines were offered a $50 gift card (it was valid till April 30). This gift card is valid for future purchases at the software company’s e-store.

Another offer (much more recent), consists of $100 rebate on new systems and tablets for anyone who trades up from Windows XP. However, it is not for all systems. It is valid only for select computers priced at $599 or above.

Microsoft seems desperate to get rid of Windows XP. Even for users, there are not many options left other than migrating to newer and better versions of the Windows OS. I’d say that this is better now while the offer is valid. And so would many others.

For more news related to Windows XP, you can get in touch with experts over Microsoft live chat.

Activating Windows 7 Online

Windows 7 is considered to be the most user-friendly operating system that also comprises of several advanced features. Now, since Microsoft has ended the services of Windows XP, most of the XP users are also in the process of switching over to Windows 7. This is because this operating system provides the most comfortable computing experience among other versions. If you face any kind of issues while installing Windows 7 online, the best option is to call up the Windows online support team.

However, you can also follow these instructions provided by the same technicians to manually activate Windows 7 OS in your system:

• In the first step, you can click on the Start Menu. This will open up a list of programs existing in your computer. Now, you can right click on the Computer button, and then click on the Properties option.
• Next, you can check the Windows activation section at the bottom. Under this, you will find the 30 days to activate option. Click on this option and then activate the Windows now link. Now, you can select the Activate Windows online now option.
• If you get prompts by UAC, make sure to click on Yes. You need to enter your valid Windows 7 product key number, and then click on the Next button. However, if you have already entered your product key number during the clean installation or Upgrade installation of Windows 7, you won’t see this screen.
• If it is successful, you need to click on the Close button. Sometimes, you may get error message that says the product key you have entered is non-genuine, or not valid. In some rare cases, the message may also indicate that the product key is either being used on another computer or is counterfeit. In such cases, the best option will be to contact the Windows online support and the technicians here can surely help you out with the correct product key.
• Once you get the correct product key and enter it, Windows 7 installation gets started in your system. Now, wait until the operating system gets activated.
• You can restart your computer to make it adjust to the Windows 7 settings.

These steps can help you to successfully activate Windows 7 online in your system. To get more information on the advanced features in Windows 7 operating system, you can always dial our 24/7 Windows technical support number.

The Release Of New Chromebooks Poses Major Threat To Windows

Microsoft could soon find a tough competitor to its Windows operating systems, as we would see a new range of Chromebooks this summer. It is expected that the new Chromebooks will pose a major threat to the existing Windows dominance in the segment. The latest version of Chromebooks released boast of consuming lesser battery power and runs on Intel microprocessors. Most of the major PC manufacturers like ASUS, Acer, Dell, Lenovo and Toshiba will be releasing Chrome based desktops soon. The pricing for these PCs could be in the range of 300 to 400 dollars. It is interesting to note that most of the PC manufacturers getting ready to release Chromebooks have released numerous versions of Windows based PCs earlier.

Experts believe that one of the factors that might have tempted the PC makers to release new models with a different operating system could be the decline in PC sales, which in turn is attributed to the increasing popularity of other devices like tablets and Smartphones. Another factor could be the release of Surface tablets by Microsoft, which competes with the tablets from these manufacturers. Therefore, the new move by the PC makers can also be seen as a payback.

One of the worries for the software giant is that one of it’s major partners, Intel, is now expanding aggressively. The chipmaker is already building hardware for Smartphones and other technologies. Besides, the company is currently developing processors for 20 Chromebook designs. Keep in mind that this number was only 4 last September.

One of the drawbacks of Chromebooks was that there was no hard drive in it. This made Chromebooks look inferior to other PCs. On the other hand, Windows based PCs have this feature, according to Windows support. However, Google has been working rigorously to remove this perception form the users. There have been many additions in the new Chromebook so that it keeps the users entertained even if there is no internet connection.

Even though there has been a wide support for Chromebooks over the past few months, the number of PCs running on Chrome operating system is still very low. According to the reports, the number of Chrome books sold last year does not even account for one percent of PC shipment around the world. Windows is still running strong and about 80 percent of the PCs shipped had Windows operating systems installed in them. Windows support and its features still support the Windows operating systems.