windows

Microsoft's Steve Ballmer era has officially come to an end. The company's former chief executive officer, who stepped aside last year , has now announced that he will be resigning his position on Microsoft's board. Ballmer joined Microsoft more ... than thirty years ago, rising from the company's first business manager (hired by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates) to its chief executive in just under two decades. Ballmer was at Microsoft's helm for a number of important projects, including launches for Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, the Xbox video game console ... (view more)

It appears Microsoft's August Patch Tuesday, which began rolling out last week, didn't quite go according to plan. In fact, the firm was recently forced to pull several updates after reports indicated that some users were experiencing severe system ... errors. This month's Patch Tuesday security updates addressed a total of 37 vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows, Internet Explorer, and Microsoft Office. Within days, it became apparent there was a problem; users reported that after the updates were downloaded and installed, they received the infamous Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), which ... (view more)

A new report suggests that when it comes to Windows 8, consumers continue to be very hesitant about upgrading to Microsoft's latest operating system - even two years after its release. That has led some experts to suggest that there's no hope left ... for Windows 8, leaving Windows 9 to carry the slack (reportedly due in the spring of 2015). Windows 8 was released amid some controversy in the summer and fall of 2012. Perhaps the most debatable part of the operating system was its tile-based Metro user interface (now called "Modern"), which embraces touchscreen technology. It was part of ... (view more)

Patch My PC 2.4.0.1 Sometimes it can be hard to keep up with all of the patches available for the software installed on your system. Patch My PC helps to automatically patch / update third-party applications, thereby helping to reduce any potential ... security vulnerabilities. http://patchmypc.net/ Wavepad 5.81 Wavepad is a fully-featured audio editing software package for Microsoft's Windows operating system (including Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8). It supports a wide range of audio formats, including wav, mp3, ogg, wma, real audio, and flac. http://www.nch.com.au (view more)

Photivo 2014.01.18 This free and open source photo processor allows users to customize favorite images. It supports RAW files as well as TIFF, JPEG, BMP, and PNG and is compatible with Mac OS X, Linux, and Microsoft Windows. http://photivo.org ... Exportizer 5.3.9 This free database export tool allows users to export data to file, clipboard, or printer. A highly accessible program interface makes carrying out export operations very easy. This program is compatible with every version of Windows since Windows 98. http://www.vlsoftware.net (view more)

Earlier this week application analytics firm SoftWatch revealed a report which found that, at many businesses, workers rarely used the Microsoft Office software package . That prompted some experts to suggest companies move away from Office and ... instead use free business platforms, like Google Apps. Ditching Microsoft Too Costly, UK Official Says Now, the United Kingdom's Chief Information Officer (CIO) is defending the UK government's use of Microsoft products. In fact, Jos Creese says that the UK government has repeatedly explored the idea of abandoning Microsoft products, but always ... (view more)

Microsoft says the number of telephone scams involving fake Windows support technicians is on the rise. That means more criminals are executing schemes designed to dupe legitimate Windows users out of their hard-earned money. Most of the scams ... involve cold callers claiming to work for Microsoft. In this scenario, the victim is told that their computer is infected with some kind of damaging malware. Based on this author's experience, oftentimes the calls originate overseas - usually from India, with the caller having a thick accent. Scammers Sell One-time or Subscription-based "Solutions ... (view more)

Microsoft has revised its Hotmail / Outlook email privacy policy. It's in response to concerns after the company admitted to reading emails and instant messages of a blogger who allegedly tried to sell Microsoft intellectual property without ... permission. Former Microsoft employee Alex Kibkalo is currently being investigated for stealing Microsoft trade secrets. According to Microsoft, in 2012 Kibkalo acquired pre-release Windows 8 source code, which he emailed to a mysterious blogger who has not been named. It's the anonymous blogger who had his email and instant messages snooped. ... (view more)

Unreal Commander 2.02 (Build 982) Unreal Commander is a free file manager built for Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8. It features a two-panel interface, extended search tools, thumbnail mode, folder tabs, and customizable visual ... styles. http://x-diesel.com/ Efficient Sticky Notes 3.62.356 Never miss another important event by downloading and installing Efficient Sticky Notes. This completely free program allows you to create customized reminders and stick to your PC's desktop background. This program supports multiple languages. http://www.efficientsoftware.net (view more)

A leaked set of documents reveals some additional changes planned for Windows 8 due next month. The changes are aimed at making the operating system easier to use with a mouse and keyboard, but without returning to the traditional Windows desktop ... interface. The free Windows 8 update will be officially released in April through Microsoft's Windows Update system. It will be known as Windows 8.1 Update 1 , a sign that the changes won't be as major as the previous update from version 8 to 8.1 (which was released October 2013). The details became public as Microsoft briefly made the update ... (view more)