Windows
Should You Consider Alternative Windows Shells?
If you’re reading this, you’re probably either brand new to the world of Windows shells, or simply want to find out more about changing the Windows operating environment to match something more suited to your needs. The first question you need to ask yourself before undertaking the task of applying an alternative desktop environment to [...]
Why Regular People May Not Like Windows 8 Consumer Preview
Over the past week and a half, I’ve been writing about Windows 8 from a first-hand point of view. I still intend to use Windows 8 in a production capacity, though my primary system has been restored and is now back on Windows 7. I began my adventure with Windows 8 during the Developer Preview, [...]
Five Big Changes in Windows 8 That Benefit Desktop Users
Windows 8 has been my primary operating system for about a week now, and it seems that every day a new feature or method of getting something done presents itself. Undoubtedly, the programmers at Microsoft have been working overtime since the launch of Windows 7 to create something that redefines the Windows experience. Microsoft set [...]
How to Bring Back the Old Start Menu in Windows 8
Windows 8 has received a lot of press surrounding the “missing” Start button and its replacement with the Metro UI. Over the past week, tutorials and third-party software developers have been working hard to remedy this problem. Today, we can recreate much of what the Start Menu once was through the use of third-party software [...]
Five Reasons Windows 8 Could Be a Success
Windows 8 has been in beta for almost a week now, and after having read countless blog posts and user comments about the pros and cons found in the consumer preview, it became clear that Microsoft is doing everything it can to reinvent the way people think about desktop and mobile operating systems. Whether or [...]
Three (Free!) Ways to Clone Windows XP in 2012
In my last article I promised to return with a review of my experiences testing two or three imaging (and cloning) solutions for Windows XP. (For a description of imaging or cloning, please see the aforementioned article.) Over the past few days I tested Clonezilla (a free and open source solution), Todo Backup (the free [...]
How to Organize and Name App Groups in Windows 8
Windows 8 introduces the Metro user interface to the desktop environment. With a reputation for being quick and powerful on Windows Phone 7, can this productivity-boosting UI really benefit desktop users? One way Windows has set out to improve Metro’s efficiency is by allowing users to create groups of tiles for easier navigation. To further [...]
How to Close Apps in Windows 8
Windows 8 introduces a new way of doing things for the desktop environment. Aside from traditional Windows programs, you can also take advantage of an app-based program structure that works a lot like apps found in Android and iOS. Because Windows 8 doubles as a mobile platform, this change was inevitable. The question remaining for [...]
13 Things Microsoft Should Improve in Windows 8
Microsoft is undoubtedly taking a huge gamble with Windows 8. Changing the user experience almost entirely, Windows 8 is expected to be the first truly cross-device operating system outside of the heavily customized Linux environment. The same OS is expected to work on everything from a desktop computer to a smartphone, giving the user a [...]
How to Use the Start Screen in Windows 8
Much of the buzz around Microsoft’s upcoming release of Windows 8 surrounds the replacement of the Start menu with an entire page of tiles known as the Start screen. This new page presents your applications as tiles, giving you at-a-glance functionality with compatible programs, and quick startup with others. For many Windows users, the experience [...]
