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How To Upgrade To Windows 8.1 Preview & What To Expect
Anyone using Windows 8 can now upgrade to a preview version of Windows 8.1 for free. This update refines Windows 8, giving keyboard and mouse users important interface improvements and making the Modern interface more powerful. Note that you can't downgrade back to Windows 8 without completely reinstalling your operating system from Windows 8 installation media or a recovery drive. Windows 8.1 Preview is thus best confined to computers you can afford to experiment with and virtual machines.
3 Ways to Disable Windows 8 Gestures
Windows 8 is full of gestures and shortcuts. In addition to touch-screen gestures, there are swipe gestures you can perform with your laptop's touchpad and mouse gestures that involve moving your cursor to the corners of the screen. However, there are ways to disable all of these gestures. This is particularly useful if these gestures get in your way while using your touchpad or mouse. You can even disable a Windows 8 device's touch screen entirely -- we don't recommend it, but it's something you can do if you want.
2 Tools and Ways to Manage Your Windows Libraries
Microsoft has made some aspects of managing Windows libraries rather difficult -- what if you want to add removable drives or network shares to a library? What if you want to choose a custom icon for your libraries? To do these things, you'll need a third-party tool for managing your Windows libraries. These tools are useful on Windows 7, but they can be even more useful on Windows 8, as Modern apps don't have access to the file system and can only see files in the appropriate library.
6 Safest Ways to Backup & Restore Your Files in Windows 7 & 8
By now, we're sure you've read the advice over and over: Everyone needs to back up their files. But deciding to back up your files is only part of the process. There are so many different ways to back up your files, and it can be hard knowing where to start. We'll cover all the best ways you can back up your files and help you find the method that's right for you. The most important thing is having several copies of your files -- either on an external drive or in the cloud somewhere.
How To Restore, Refresh, or Reset Your Windows 8 Installation
In addition to the standard System Restore feature, Windows 8 has features for "refreshing" and "resetting" your PC. Think of these as ways of quickly re-installing Windows -- either keeping your personal files or deleting them from your hard drive. In addition to functioning as troubleshooting features, Refresh and Reset are similar to the "restore to factory defaults" option found on many simpler devices. We'll explain how to use these features, but we'll also explain what they do and when you'd want to use them.
10 Common PC Maintenance Errors That You Can Avoid
PCs still require maintenance, as much as we wish they were magic boxes that did all the work for us. Unfortunately, many people make mistakes when it comes to maintaining their PC. These mistakes could result in hardware damage, security breaches, data loss, and general system instability. We generally cover lists of things you should do, but knowing what not to do can be even more important. Here we cover some of the most common mistakes so you can avoid them and keep your PC running like new.
Every Windows 8 Shortcut - Gestures, Desktop, Command Line
Windows 8 is all about shortcuts. People with touch-enabled PCs use touch gestures, users without touch devices must learn the mouse shortcuts, power users use keyboard shortcuts on the desktop and novel command-line shortcuts, and you can even use special swipe gestures on your laptop's touchpad. Here we collected all the shortcuts you need to master Windows 8. If you've upgraded to Windows 8 or bought a new PC that came with Windows 8, you'll find that a lot has changed.
5 Ways to Add Touch to a Windows 8 Computer
Windows 8's Start screen and "Modern" apps can feel awkward to use on a non-touch PC, but they really start to make sense when paired with a touch PC. If you're not ready to go out and buy a new Windows 8 laptop with touch, tablet, convertible, or all-in-one PC, here are some ways you can add touch support to your existing system. There is a reason Microsoft is pushing hard to integrate touch support into all future PCs. None of these methods is as ideal as having a PC that comes with native touch support.
Better Than a Notepad: The 3 Fastest Ways To Jot Down Notes on Android
Whether you need to jot down ideas for your next project or items you want to pick up at the store, it's always good to have something ready for taking notes. Many people carry around a pen and paper in addition to their smartphones -- a pen and paper is just faster than many note-taking solutions. We'll try to beat a physical notepad by looking at the fastest way to take notes on Android.
How To Sync Your Windows 8 Settings Via The Cloud
Logging into your Windows 8 computers with a Microsoft account enables access to the Windows Store and other Modern apps, but it's also used to sync Windows 8 settings with the Cloud. Your settings will be synced between all your Windows 8 computers and tablets, or backed up with your Microsoft account. Syncing is enabled by default. However, you can choose to disable sync entirely or sync only certain types of settings between your computers and tablets.
Has Windows 8 Failed in the Market, or Only in Your Mind?
Is Windows 8 a failure? People who dislike Windows 8 generally say it is. But has Windows 8 really failed in the marketplace, or do we just think Windows 8 has failed? One thing's for sure: Windows 8 definitely hasn't succeeded in the short term. However, Microsoft is playing the long game with Windows 8 -- they're laying the groundwork for future success. Whether they'll succeed is unclear, but Windows 8 hasn't failed yet -- it's preparing for the battle to come.
How To Do Your Research Before You Download Free Software
Before downloading a free program, you should be sure it's trustworthy. Determining whether a download is safe is a basic skill, but one everyone needs -- particularly on Windows. Use these tips to ensure you download only trustworthy and safe free software, not bad software that will infect your computer with adware, spyware, or maybe even something worse.
Avoid Window Overload: 5 Great Tools To Manage Multiple Windows
Using the Windows desktop involves managing windows. Some people may use full-screen windows, but power users know that the key to being productive is having multiple windows visible at a time, whether you're using multiple monitors or the side-by-side Aero Snap feature in Windows. Sadly, the Windows desktop still lacks many useful window-management features. However, you can get many great new Windows desktop features by installing third-party utilities.
8 Features Missing in Windows 8 and How to Get Them Back
Microsoft removed a variety of features from Windows 8. Many of them aren't great losses to most people, but they are if you depended on them. Luckily, Windows 8 isn't yet a locked-down mobile operating system, no matter how hard Microsoft is trying to make it into one. Most important features can be restored with high-quality alternatives, but replacements for other features are nowhere near as polished as Microsoft has removed the necessary theming code.
The Clean Droid: How To Bulk Uninstall Android Apps You Don't Use
If you're like me, there's a good chance you install lots of Android apps to try them out. From the latest popular mobile games to new and potentially useful utilities, these apps build up over time. They eventually begin to clutter your app drawer with icons you never tap and fill your storage with app data you'll never use. Luckily, there's a fast way to uninstall multiple apps at once.
Is the Microsoft Fix It Service Really Any Good? [MakeUseOf Tests]
Have computer problems? Microsoft's Fix It service attempts to fix them for you. If you've browsed Microsoft's help pages, you've probably seen a variety of "Fix It" programs you can run to quickly fix a problem without walking through a complicated troubleshooting process. We've covered the Fix It Center in the past, but now we're really going to put Microsoft's Fix It service to the test.
Did You Know Windows 8 Has a Built-In Time Machine Backup?
We sometimes forget with all the focus on Windows 8's new "Modern" interface, but Windows 8 has a variety of great desktop improvements. One of them is File History, a built-in backup feature that functions similarly to Apple's much-loved Time Machine. Enable File History and Windows will automatically back up your files to an external or network drive. You'll be able to restore previous versions from these backups.
Connect Your Xbox 360 Controller To Your Linux Gaming Rig
Linux gaming rigs? Yup, they’re happening. With Valve’s Steam on Linux and a forthcoming Valve Steambox using Steam to run Linux games, the future is looking up for gaming on Linux. You can even install Ubuntu and Steam on a computer today, plugging it into your TV and using the big picture mode interface. The missing piece of the hardware puzzle is a controller. Luckily, Microsoft’s ubiquitous Xbox 360 controller functions well with Linux.
How To Resolve Windows 8 Boot Issues
Windows 8 uses a new "hybrid boot" feature to improve boot times. When you shut down, your computer doesn't actually shut down normally - it performs a sort of limited "hibernate" that stores a state with drivers, services, and other software loaded into memory. When your computer boots, it doesn't need to reinitialize all your hardware, load drivers, and load services - it simply loads the state from your hard drive and continues the boot-up process.