Windows Tools, Help & Guides

Windows Forums member, Shane, lists four new features set to come with Windows 8:

1. Windows Explorer Ribbon UI
2. Webcam.exe
3. TaskUI
4. Modern PDF Reader

In his guide, he shows you how to enable these features in build 7850 of Windows 8. For example, to enable the PDF reader:

1. Run regedit and go to HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Paint\Capabilities
2. Make string value called “CLSID” – “{D3E34B21-9D75-101A-8C3D-00AA001A1652}.”
3. Start using the built in PDF reader to open your PDFs.

Windows 8 Fluent UI, Webcam + 2 more | Windows Forums

Want more news about Windows 8? Bookmark the Windows 8 News & Rumors [Rolling Updates] page.

Device drivers act as an interface (or communication channel) between your operating system and your hardware. To learn more about drivers, read computer drivers: the basics.

It’s important to keep your drivers updated to take advantage of code fixes, reliability improvements, and security; Intel have made it even easier to keep your drivers up to date with the Intel Driver Update Utility.

Read more…

Screenshots from the installation process of Windows 8 M3 have been leaked online and over at Chris123NT’s Corner, you can see shots of what looks to be the entire process.

If you’re considering downloading Windows 8, be sure to check out this list before you download a fake build:

Windows8 Fake Builds | My Digital Life Forums

The current fake builds on the list are (as of April 25th at 11:12AM ET):

• Windows 8 build 6 2 7922 0 winmain win8m2 110202-1840 2.25 GB
• Windows 8 build 6.2.7968.0.winmain_win8m3.110318-1830 4.79 GB
• 7971.0.110324-1900_x86fre_client_en-us_OEM_Ultimate-GRMCULFREO_EN_DVD 2.75 GB
• Windows 8 build.7973.0.110329.torrent.rar Windows 8 build.7973.0.110329.torrent.7z
• 7980.6.2.7980.0.110407-1832.rar 2.78 GB

Disclaimer: I won’t be downloading Windows 8 until it’s made available to me. If a friend picks up a copy at a conference and it’s not NDA (highly unlikely) or if Microsoft decide to send me an early Beta, I’ll install it.

In an unsurprising turn of events, the “Windows 8 App Store” leaked screenshots are of a program named Appmart and are not the “Windows Store” that’s coming with Windows 8. The Windows store is locked down, for now.

I don’t imagine the store being much different, interface-wise than this. It would be nice if applications were recommended to you based on anonymous (and opted-in) computer usage. Some will say it would be a major violation of privacy to monitor usage trends, but it would be a great way to find useful software to help you be more productive.

Alleged Windows 8 App Store screenshot is fake: third-party app “Appmarts”| i started something

In my last article (An Explanation of the Pros and Cons of Using RAID on Your Computer), we discussed the problem of heat build-up during the very hot Auckland summer months and how a RAID 5 configuration with 4 disks can sustain the failure of a single disk. RAID protections provide one part of what should be an overall strategy to protect your data and your computer from heat.

In this piece we divert a bit from our standard hardware/software fare and look at the computing environment as a whole. We will postulate that a tidy workspace is, in fact, a happy workspace and suggest a few tricks to make your work-space more productive and more comfortable.

The three biggest factors driving the design of my workspace are heat, noise and clutter. If I can minimise these three and maximize my computing power and productivity (all within family budget constraints, of course), I will have archived the objective.

Read more…