Windows 8: Administrator Command Prompt Shortcut

If you do a lot of troubleshooting or system diagnostics you will end up working in the administrator command prompt often. Most people might right-click the Command Prompt shortcut icon and then select the Run as administrator option.

Other tricks for starting the command prompt in administrator mode include, from the Run... command or the Start screen you can type CMD and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter.

However, there is an easy way to modify the command prompt shortcut so always start administrator mode.

• Right-click the Command Prompt icon shortcut and select Properties.
• On the Shortcut tab and press the Advanced... button.
• Check the Run as administrator checkbox and then press the OK button.
• Press the button again.

When this shortcut is used it will start the Command Prompt with administrative permissions.

Windows 8: Windows Keyboard Shortcuts for the Taskbar

Below are Windows keyboard shortcuts for the taskbar that work in Windows 8 desktop mode (this tip is backwards compatible with Windows 7).  These shortcuts allow you to access items pinned to the taskbar or any desktop application that is currently running that has its icon in this area.

• WinKey + (Number): Windows automatically assigns keyboard shortcuts to programs in the taskbar on the desktop. To access them, use the WinKey+the number position of the program in the order it appears there.
•  For example, if Internet Explorer is the first icon in your taskbar by pressing WinKey+1 it will open it. If the Windows Explorer is the second icon in your taskbar by pressing WinKey+2 it will open it. 
• WinKey + Shift + (Number): Opens a new instance of the program associate with the WinKey + number position. So if you had one instance of Internet Explorer running this would open up a new copy of the application in memory. 
• WinKey + Ctrl + (Number): Switches to the last instance of that program associated with that WinKey + number position. 
• WinKey + Alt + (Number): Opens the jump menu of the program associated with that WinKey + number position. 

More: Windows 8 Keyboard Shortcuts

Video: Get To Know Windows 8

Video description: "New to Windows 8? This video has all you need to get up to speed."

Video: Windows 8 Leap Motion in Action

I have been following Leap Motion for what feels like forever.  I wonder if it has the potential to help Windows 8 really take off.

Using Windows 8 is okay when using it with a mouse, but its even better with a touchscreen.  With a Leap Motion type of device you have the possibility of having a user interface like 'Minority Report'.

Although, I am prepared to be underwhelmed, but I would like to hope for the best.  It seems these days that most products can't live up to our expectations, but it doesn't make the technology any less cool.

Video description: "It's what we've always envisioned for Leap Motion — to break down the barriers between people and technology. Here's a video to show you how close we are. With Leap Motion technology, Windows OS is natural, easy, and fun to use. You'll navigate your desktop, browse the web, flip through photos, and do everything you do everyday in extraordinary ways —all with the wave of a hand or lift of a finger."

Windows 8: Charm Keyboard Shortcuts

Native Windows 8 applications don't have the traditional drop-down menus (such as File, Edit, etc.) like older desktop applications. Windows 8 apps use the "charms" side menu and the application bar (swipe up from the bottom on a touch screen or press the WinKey+Z) for these features.

The charm menus can be accessed sliding your finger to the left from the right-side of the touchscreen display, or by moving the mouse to the lower or upper right corner of the screen. There are also keyboard shortcuts for accessing these charms directly:

• WinKey + C: Displays the Charms menu on the right side of the screen. 
• From here you can access the Search, Share, Start, Devices, and Settings menus. 
• WinKey + F: Performs a file search.
• Windows will search for all documents that match the keywords entered.
• WinKey + H: Opens the Sharing charm menu.
•  Allows the sharing of content with people or applications that support this feature.
• WinKey + I: Opens the Setting charm menu. 
• Modify the current application or Start screen application and feature settings.
• WinKey + K: Opens the Device charm menu. 
• Allows you to send content to another device such as a printer.

More: Windows 8 Keyboard Shortcuts

Article: Which browser is safest? The answer may surprise you

Below is an article that I found this morning: "Web browsers are one of the main ways that malware finds its way onto your machine. Tests carried out by NSS Labs looked at the five major players, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera and Internet Explorer to see which offers the best protection against more than 700 examples of real-world malware.

And the safest is... (Drum roll and a long, reality TV-style pause...) Internet Explorer 10, blocking 99.96 percent of known malicious downloads." (read the rest of the article)

For years Internet Explorer has been lambasted by the press for being insecure. Unfortunately I will have to let its "track record" speak for itself.

Over the last few years Microsoft  put in a lot of energy to improve this application.  What is interesting is that Firefox and Chrome were considered more secure then IE for a long time, but unfortunately over the last few years their security enhancements have been falling behind.

Windows 8: Built-In Applications

Windows 8 comes with several new built-in applications that provide access to a variety of different types of content (news, sports, and weather) and services (email, storage, and more).  The following is an excerpt from the article: "Windows 8 comes with the following built-in touch-optimized applications out-of-the box (meaning that they're installed by default). These apps can perform several different types of functions from managing your digital communications (email, IM, etc.) to browsing the different types of content (movies, videos, pictures, etc.) on your local system.

As I talked about in an earlier article, there are two types of applications available for Windows 8. There are the older desktop applications that are installed by using optical media or by downloading it off the Internet. Then there are the native Windows 8 apps that are written to take advantage of the new Windows UI." (read the rest of the article)

Windows 8: New Features of the OS

As I stated in a previous post, I am working on a series of articles about Windows 8.  This is my second article in the series that briefly explains most of the major new features of the operating system.

Below is an excerpt from the article: 

• "Secure Boot: This is one of the more controversial features of the new operating system especially for Linux users who dual boot their system. This feature is only available on Windows 8 certified computers. The way the UEFI secure boot feature works is that it only allows signed operating systems to boot, this prevents unauthorized code from loading which could contain malware.
• Faster Booting: Windows 8 boots faster because it uses a technique of partially hibernating the system kernel when the computer is shut down. When the system is booted, the ‘memory state’ of the previous session gets reinitialized more quickly."  (read the rest of the article)

Windows 8: Introduction to the New OS

I am going to be doing a series of articles on Windows 8, and this is my first article that explains how to use the new Windows operating system. This article focuses on providing a brief background of the product and an explanation of the two different platforms and versions of Windows that are available.

Below is an excerpt from the article: "If you're a new user to Windows 8, one of the first things you might ask is, "where's the Start menu". Microsoft had to do away with the Start menu and create the Start screen because the world is become more reliant on mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, and touchscreen laptops. ...

The traditional Windows metaphor such as the Start Menu (and several others: such as windowed applications, drop-down menus, etc.) don't lend themselves well to the newer mobile device technologies like high resolution touchscreens that don't support a standard keyboard and mouse. " (read the rest of the article)

Deal: Get a Free Month of Hulu Plus

Hulu Plus gives you more access to popular movies and TV shows on Hulu. For a limited-time, the site is offering a one month free trial of the Hulu Plus service to new customers.  Normally the free trial is only for one week.

It's important to note a credit card is required to complete the sign up, and according to the site the offer is only available for a few more days.

Article: Integrate a custom Shutdown menu into the Windows 8 Desktop context menu

I found this tip on another site, and I thought it was too cool not to share. This article discusses how to create a custom context menu for shutting down (restarting, hibernating, etc.) your computer. Its also a pretty good introduction to creating your own customized context menus for other tasks.

Note: This requires modifying the registry, so this tip is not for those who don't know what they're doing. So use this information at your own risk.

The image below is an example of what the context menu looks like (note: the menu wording, commands and the icons are customizable) .  Read the article to understand how it works.

Towards the bottom of the article there is a link to some registry files that will install (or uninstall) the menu.  See the "Using the Reg files" section of the article for more information.

Software: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5 (Free Beta Download)

Are you a photographer that uses Adobe Photoshop Lightroom?  If you work with RAW image files (uncompressed image files that contain all the color data from the camera's CCD sensor) this tool is a must have.

Its also one of the best photo management suites available.  It provides great tools for managing your images, and making corrections or other adjustments to your photographs.

Adobe is offering a free download of the Lightroom 5 beta.  If you don't know what a beta is, its a pre-released version of an application that's generally incomplete, which means it could have a lot of bugs in it.

Company's release beta versions of their applications to allow people to try out the next generation version of their software. This also helps them find bugs in it before its released to the general public.

Windows 8: Microsoft Movie Maker

Do you have some videos from your smartphone or from another device that you would like to edit into one continuous video?  Maybe you want to add titles, video effects or a sound track to a movie that you created.

Microsoft Movie Maker (download) is an easy to use application that allows you to import create or edit picture slide shows and videos.  You can move things around, speed it up or slow it down, edit the soundtrack and add a theme Movie Maker also adds transitions and effects automatically so your movie looks more professional.

Then once it's finished, the application makes it easy to post it online via Facebook, YouTube or other social networking and video sharing sites.

Windows 8: Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT)

If you manage Windows servers in a small lab or a large data center, then you need the Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 8 (download). This tool enables system administrators to manage roles and features that are installed on remote computers that are running Windows Server 2012, 2008 R2, and 2008 (all versions).

NOTE: In this release of Remote Server Administration Tools all the tools are enabled by default. There is no need to enable them by using the Turn Windows features on or off dialog in Windows 8.

To remove tools that you don't want to use, follow the instructions below:

• On the desktop, hover in the upper right corner of the screen, and then click Settings, then click the  Control Panel.
• Click Programs, and then in Programs and Features, click the Turn Windows features on or off link.
• In the Windows Features dialog box, expand Remote Server Administration Tools, and then expand either Role Administration Tools or Feature Administration Tools.
• Clear the check boxes for any tools that you want to remove. Press the OK button, and then close the Control Panel window.

Article: Choose the right password manager to protect your accounts

One of the first rules to securing your accounts today is having a unique password for all of them.  With so many unique credentials it's next to impossible for the average person to remember them. This is why a good password manager is so important, it allows you to safely store and retrieve these electronic credentials.

I have been meaning to write an article about password managers. I recently came across the following article in BetaNews.  Here is an excerpt, "Here’s the contradiction: you need secure, unique and hard-to-remember passwords to protect your online (and offline) accounts from being hacked. However, remembering those secure, unique and hard-to-remember passwords is another matter entirely. Thankfully there is a solution, and it’s called a password manager." (read the rest of the article)

One piece of advice, whatever password manager you choose make sure that your data file is backed up.

Browsers: Identify Resource-Hogging Add-ons

Extensions and add-ons, can both enhance and cripple your browser. The right ones can extend the functionality of the browser, but too many bog it down.

To help identify resource-hogging extensions Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome include built-in utilities for troubleshooting these add-ons.

Depending on the browser you're using, type the following command into the address bar:

• Mozilla Firefox 
• about:addons-memory 
• Google Chrome 
• chrome://memory-redirect/

Windows 8: File History

Have you ever accidentally deleted or over-written a file that contained important information?  Windows 8 has a feature called "File History" that automatically saves older versions of your files so that they can be restore later.

Unfortunately, this feature is not enabled by default.  To turn it on you have to open the System and Security control panel.  This feature does require a second drive (such as an: internal, external or a network drive) in order to use it.  Open Advanced settings, set how often you would like the system to back up your files and how long it should keep them.

After the feature is enabled, Windows will backup the files in the background.  If you need to recover a file, open the File History control panel click the Restore personal files link then select the file from the list.

Internet: How fast is your ISP (Netflix ISP Speed Index)

Have you ever wondered how fast your ISP really is compared to others? Check out Netflix's ISP Speed Index to find out.

There probably are other sites that offer this information (to be honest I didn't really care to check), but Netflix is one of the few sources I think can give impartial and accurate information.

So if you want to see how well your current ISP rates compared to others.  Or, if you're looking to find or change ISPs, I would check out this site.

Windows 8: Downloading the Windows 8 ISO File

Windows 8 was the first version of Windows that I upgraded and I didn't preform a clean install.  I utilized Microsoft's online upgrade offer that allowed you to install the upgraded version of the OS over the Internet.

The only problem with this option was I didn't get a copy of the media. I at least wanted a copy of the ISO file (a file that contains a image of the CD or DVD that can be burned to a physical disk with the right optical drive and media) so I can make a DVD if I need to.

If you want to download the Windows ISO, go to the following page (Upgrade to Windows 8 with only a product key).  Press the Install Windows 8 button on the web page, and download the Installer.

Make sure to have your Windows 8 product key ready, enter the information into the field and then press the Next button.  The application will display the version of Windows that your eligible to download, and press the Next button.

After a few minutes of downloading and processing files, the installer will ask you how you want to install the OS.  Select the Install by creating media option, and then press the Next button.  Select the ISO file option, and then press the Save button.

Article: Leap Motion Controller starts shipping May 13th, hits Best Buy on the 19th

Excerpt from article: "If you were still thinking that the Leap Motion Controller was going to turn into vaporware, it looks like you were wrong. Just less than a year after the company first made waves with its tiny gesture recognizing box, a finished product is getting ready to ship." (read the rest of the article)