Windows Tools, Help & Guides

As promised last week I would publish the results of our little poll on Windows 8. Thank you for participating. From what I can see, our readers are early adopters. 52% Have installed Windows 8, and 39% use it as their only OS. Only 13% reported to have deleted the OS all together. Here’s a summary of what you think:

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What are your inital thoughts on the new and improved OS? Do you like it? Love it? Hate it? Did you delete it?

We would love to hear your thoughts on the new OS. I’ve put together a short survey that I hope you will take your time to fill out. All answers will be published (anonymously of course) next monday.

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By Sandro Villinger, Technical Product Consultant, TuneUp

The imminent release of Windows 8 has us all on the edge of our seats, and wondering how big the performance and power enhancements will be. Will the new operating system actually live up to its hype?

Test scenario: 150 programs. 2 months

In conducting preliminary benchmarks, we found that Windows 8 managed to beat Windows 7 in the performance department in almost every discipline. With our interest peaked, we decided to take our tests one step further to identify how the installation of third-party applications, or crapware, affect the new operating system’s performance. To do this, we added 150 programs [Figure 1] to our solid 2009 Core 2 Duo with 3 GHz, 4 GB RAM and a 256 GB SSD drive using the RTM version of Windows 8, and measured the impact on resource usage, boot time, application launch speed and battery life, among other areas, over a two-month period. So, how did Windows 8 fare under the stress of the 150 programs?  Let’s check it out!

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You can upgrade to Windows 8 Pro, released on October 26th, 2012 in a number of ways. This guide will show you your options and show you how to upgrade based on your choice:

• Upgrade from Windows XP, Vista, or 7 via upgrade Disc
• Upgrade from Windows XP, Vista, or 7 via online purchase
• Upgrade a Windows 7 PC purchased between June 2, 2012 and January 31, 2013
• Order a PC with Windows 8 Pre-installed
• Try before you buy

Note: Prices listed are in USD and will vary by locality.

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Do you disable Autorun on your PC? Many viruses execute malicious code by running automatically on your PC via a thumb drive, network drive etc. If you haven’t yet disabled Autorun, I recommend you do. This guide will show you the easiest way to disable Autorun in just a few minutes and will potentially save you from getting an avoidable PC virus that takes time (or money) to clean.

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This is a guest post written by Kelly, from Barton Technology; find out more about Kelly at the conclusion of this post.

Microsoft’s latest version of the venerable Windows operating system is Windows 8. Unlike many other previous releases, such as Vista and Windows 7, Windows 8 is a major refresh of the operating system and appears quite different than the previous few versions; the biggest revamping since Windows 95.

Touchscreen technology has taken off of late with the introduction of several tablet PCs and the ever-popular iPad, and Windows 8 is designed primarily for use with a touchscreen, be it a tablet or some of the fancier new machines that offer touchscreen monitors.

However, not every user that is planning to upgrade to Windows 8 or purchase a new system is going to have the capability or desire to use a touchscreen. Fortunately, Windows 8 have anticipated this scenario and have included a number of keyboard shortcuts.

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