windows

Tue
20
Jan
John Lister's picture

Free Windows 10? PCs Could See Big Price Drop

Early last year, Microsoft released a free version of Windows for manufacturers that produced tablet computers with screen sizes smaller than nine inches. Known as "Windows 8.1 with Bing," the forecast was to make a big difference to the economics ... for manufacturers weighing up which operating system to use on its devices. Analysts are now speculating whether Microsoft will do the same with Windows 10 and, if so, whether the offer will apply on traditional PCs. It also raises the possibility that Microsoft could face accusations of unfair behavior in promoting its search engine . ... (view more)

Thu
15
Jan
John Lister's picture

Windows 7 Mainstream Support Ends

As expected and according to Microsoft's Windows lifecycle page, Windows 7 mainstream support officially ended on January 13, 2015. It means there will be no more significant updates to the Windows 7 operating system, other than security updates. ... The end of mainstream support is in line with Microsoft's general policy of offering support for its operating systems five years after being released, followed by extended support for a further five years. The only exception to this policy was Windows XP, where the total support period lasted for 13 years. That was largely because the system ... (view more)

Tue
13
Jan
John Lister's picture

Google Exposes Severe Windows Flaw Before Fix Due

Microsoft has publicly lashed out at Google for revealing a severe security flaw in Windows 8.1 before it was able to release a fix. The public disclosure has reawakened a longstanding dispute about how to go about reporting security flaws. Comments ... on Google's website suggest that the same bug also affects Windows 7 Professional 64bit, with Service Pack 1; if true, it's equally likely the bug also affects other earlier versions of the Windows operating system, including Windows XP, which is no longer supported by Microsoft and will therefore remain unpatched. The bug involves the way ... (view more)

Thu
08
Jan
John Lister's picture

Intel Tops HP With Windows 8.1 'Stick PC'

The CES (Consumer Electronics Show) is in full swing, with Hewlett Packard (HP) unveiling its $180 Windows 8.1 PC that's less than six inches square. Now, it appears that Intel is upping the ante with its Windows 8.1 computer that's just slightly ... larger than a USB thumb drive. Dubbed 'The Compute Stick,' the computer-on-HDMI is just four inches long. While the exact size is not yet confirmed, pictures suggest it's about an inch wide and around half an inch thick. Despite its tiny form factor, the device is as powerful as some entry level PCs seen in the market today. The ... (view more)

Wed
07
Jan
John Lister's picture

HP's Tiny Windows 8.1 PC Is $180

HP has unveiled a Windows 8.1 mini desktop computer that's only two inches tall and costs under $200. It's part of an ongoing campaign to battle Google by producing cheap Windows computers. The Stream Mini Desktop is just under six inches square and ... weighs only 1.6 pounds. It's a small, self-contained box with two USB ports, video outputs for HDMI and DisplayPort, an audio socket, an SD card reader, and an Ethernet port for connecting to a network. At the time of writing, it does not appear to have a wireless (Wi-Fi) connection, though one could easily add a USB Wi-Fi dongle to ... (view more)

Tue
06
Jan
John Lister's picture

Windows 10 Upgrade May Be Cheap, Or Free

Unconfirmed rumors suggest Windows 10 may be free of charge for people already on Windows 8.1. An announcement may be coming later this month to clarify the pricing structure. Meanwhile, Microsoft has confirmed that only people on Windows 7 or later ... will be able to upgrade to Windows 10 directly, while those users running Windows XP or Vista will need to carry out a fresh install. The pricing rumors stem from a report by the Softpedia website. It's generally considered credible, but is only citing its source on the pricing structure as "some people close to the matter." ... (view more)

Fri
02
Jan
Dennis Faas's picture

YouTube Sound Stops Working: How to Fix

Infopackets Reader Tim G. writes: " Dear Dennis, Sometimes when I try and play a YouTube video, the sound doesn't work. If I try and 'Play Test Sound' on my sound device via Control Panel -> Sound, Windows says 'Windows failed to play test tone'. ... The only way I know how to fix the sound is to reboot the computer, but that means I need to reload my browser and tabs every time. Do you know how I can fix my sound without rebooting? " My Response: This problem happens to me too every once in a while, and I have a sneaking suspicion it might be related to Adobe ... (view more)

Mon
29
Dec
Dennis Faas's picture

How to Remove Encryption Virus?

Infopackets Reader 'Frank' writes: " Dear Dennis, I was wondering if I can hire you to fix a laptop with a ransom virus infection. The reason I'm asking is because as soon as the system boots up, the virus is there [with a message stating the ... computer has been locked down]. There is no desktop, meaning I can't open anything. What can I do? " My response: Unfortunately, if you cannot boot into the Windows desktop, then I cannot dial into the laptop to fix it via remote desktop support . The virus you have may be repairable depending on what you're infected with, and whether or not the virus is ... (view more)

Fri
26
Dec
Dennis Faas's picture

How to Write Bootable .ISO images to USB drive?

Infopackets Reader 'Craig F.' writes: " Dear Dennis, [Further to your discussion on how to download and reinstall legitimate Microsoft Windows on USB or DVD for free ], I just wanted to be sure you were aware of [a freeware utility program that can ... take an .ISO file and create a bootable USB disk in place of CD or DVD ROM drives. The name of the program is called Rufus ] ... It is by far the simplest, most foolproof method I've found for installing Windows, Office, or whatever on computers that [require an .ISO to install something, but] lack a working optical CD / DVD drive. I have no ... (view more)

Wed
24
Dec
John Lister's picture

Microsoft Unveils Windows 10 Preparation Tool

Microsoft has released a Windows 10 Preparation Tool designed to integrate Windows 7 and 8 computers for testing Windows 10 more easily. The tool also coincides with a big update to Windows 10 Technical Preview which is due January next year, and ... will include many features that are most important to home computer users. (Source: winbeta.org ) Currently, Windows 10 is in its Technical Preview stage. That means many features are new and being tested by thousands of people, and the operating system itself is not fully functional. In all likelihood, the Technical Preview is full of bugs and has ... (view more)

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