Gain a productivity advantage with Windows 8 and multiple monitors

Up until recently, I have been using Microsoft Windows 8 Release Preview on a system with a single monitor. In that type of configuration I was constantly confronting the Metro Start Screen and feeling like my familiar desktop was playing second fiddle. However, when I installed Windows 8 on a system with a multiple-monitor configuration, I definitely began seeing the operating system in a totally different way. Read more

Disable the Lock screen in Windows 8 forever

In last week’s blog post, Make the Windows 8 Start Screen work like the Start Menu, I showed you how to get rid of all the tiles on the Start Screen and populate it with application shortcut icons so that you can essentially use the Start Screen as a replacement for the Start Menu. What I didn’t tell you was that I had initially begun my search for reviving the Start menu in the Local Group Policy Editor. Alas, there is no setting for disabling the Start Screen or enabling the Start menu.


However, I did find a setting that will allow you to do away with another possibly annoying feature designed for touch screen tablets and not necessarily for desktops - the Lock screen. Read more

Microsoft Metro Bob

 

Has Windows 8's new Metro user interface got you flummoxed?

Well then you need Microsoft Metro Bob!

Troubleshoot instantly with the Windows 7 System Diagnostic Report

You can delve into the Microsoft Windows 7’s Event Viewer to track down issues you are having with hardware and software, but doing so requires effort as well as an understanding of what you are looking at. Fortunately, Windows 7 comes with a host of troubleshooting tools, such as Event Viewer, Resource Monitor, and Reliability Monitor, that you can use to help diagnose all sorts of problems.

One of the other tools that you can use is called the System Diagnostic Report, which is a part of Performance Monitor and can display the status of hardware resources, system response times, and processes on your computer along with system information and configuration data. The neat trick with the System Diagnostic Report is that you can use it to gather troubleshooting information on-the-fly while the problem is occurring. Read more.

Augment your data storage options with Windows 7 Live File System format

If you are looking to augment or expand your existing data storage options and you have a CD- or DVD-burner on your Microsoft Windows 7 System, then you need to investigate the Live File System format. This new system will allow you to essentially use a CD-RW or DVD-RW disk just like a USB flash drive. In other words, you’ll be able to incrementally add individual files or groups of files to the disc over time. Read more.

Explore the benefits of the Multiple Local Group Policy feature in Windows 7

If you have ever been responsible for managing stand-alone or workgroup Windows XP systems with multiple user accounts, chances are you wished you could have used Group Policy to set different policies for different users. Unfortunately, Windows XP’s Local Group Policy doesn’t work that way. Fortunately, Microsoft realized that something more was needed and developed the Multiple Local Group Policy system. This new system, available for Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate, and Enterprise editions, will allow you to configure different policies for different users. Read more.

Troubleshoot Windows 7 with the built-in Problem Steps Recorder

There is still a large number of Windows users who are still running Windows XP. That started me thinking about all the great new Windows 7 features that those folks still running Windows XP are missing out on. For instance, that means that more than half of all the Windows users in the world won’t be able to take advantage of the extremely handy Problem Steps Recorder for helping to solve technical support problems. When started, this new tool will essentially record each and every step a user takes and document the entire operation in both screen captures and step-by-step details. When stopped, the Problem Steps Recorder will save the recorded information as a compiled HTML file and package it up in a ZIP file that an end user can then e-mail to a technician. Read more.