Sunday, December 21, 2014

Choosing A Tech Support Service Provider Online

When you are running an organisation, you cannot afford to have some technical issue shutting down your online business. This will surely lead to loss of revenue and also, you are sure to lose a number of customers on account of this. In fact, if you run a small business, your company’s reputation might never recover.

Get quality round-the-clock tech support service

This is why you need to hire the services of a tech support firm. Many small businesses look at the idea of subscribing to a tech support service as an unnecessary expense. They prefer to hire such a service only when they need to fix some issue. However, a tech support service not only fixes the various tech problems, but also makes sure that such issues do not happen in the first place.

Another concern is the prevalence of tech support scams online. Even a reputable tech support firm like Omni Tech Support has to deal with many Omni Tech Support scams websites online. The hackers setting up these fake websites are becoming so sophisticated that first-time visitors are finding it difficult distinguish the fake website from the real ones.

There are many benefits to hiring the services of a tech support firm like Omni Tech Support. As already mentioned, they will work to reduce the chances of any tech problems affecting your systems. However, it is impossible to completely eliminate such problems. But, in the event of any such a tech problem, they will ensure that the issue is fixed in the shortest time possible.

For this, you need to make sure that you are hiring the services of a quality tech service provider like Omni Tech Support. Steer clear of any Omni Tech Support scams websites you come across online. Make sure that you are indeed contacting the official Omni Tech Support service by checking their contact information displayed on the Better Business Bureau website.

Your search engine might also display the fake Omni Tech websites in the search results. But, the BBB website will only show one result for OmniTech Support. So, if you cannot remember the URL for their official website, this is the best way to avoid the other similar sounding websites set up online by hackers.

Their tech support services are available at affordable rates and you can choose between their annual and half-yearly plans. Their qualified and experienced technicians can fix any tech issue that you are dealing with. So, sign up for their service today itself.

Sunday, December 14, 2014

Microsoft Patch Causes BSOD For Some Of The Users

Recently, some of the patches from Microsoft have not been treating all the computers properly. Some of the users have complained that the latest updates from Microsoft have caused BSOD or Blue Screen Of Death. Hence, it has steered up concern and panic among the users, said one of the OmniTech support reviews.

The alleged update MS 14-045 was the one that caused this issue in most of the computers. This update was one among the nine patches released as a part of Patch Tuesday. However, these patches were supposed to fix three different issues. This includes a fix for font vulnerability, a vulnerable feature in the Windows kernel and other security flaws. Microsoft support page was flooded with complains and concerns within hours after the release of the Tuesday patch. Windows users reported that the update MS 14-045 generated Stop 0×50 error on most of the systems. Windows 7 64-bit was one among the affected systems.

One of the users took it to the support page and explained how the patch worked. He said that the installation was smooth, as he did not find any issues during the process. After Reboot, everything seemed to be working fine. When the system was shut down and turned on later, he found that the system came up with BSOD or the Blue Screen Of Death issue along with Stop 0×50 in Win32k.sys.

This was not the case with just one user. There were around 380 threads that followed the moment the first post appeared on the support page. This had almost 50000 viewers, which was one of the longest posts in Microsoft support forum, as per the reports from Computer World. Microsoft was quick to respond and find a fix for this issue. An investigation team was launched immediately to remove the link to download the patch and was also updated with a new patch for the users. The same information was put up in the Microsoft support page as well.

Microsoft also informed users that some of the issues known related to security patch update 2982791 installations were addressed and the solutions for the same were also posted. Moreover, Microsoft is planning to investigate issues that are related to security of update installation in different computers. More information and the other details related to the update will be posted in the support page so that people come to know more on the same. According to OmniTech support reviews, it is better to have the 2982791 update uninstalled.

Monday, December 8, 2014

Having An Unfixable Computer Related Problem? Call OTS!

Since computers are used for near about all purposes and human activities, the number of issues and the complexities of it have changed over the years. Today, near about every house has at least one computer. Having a computer means using it for various things. You may not have the time to look at some of the issues that might occur while using the electronic device. Not everyone may be good at resolving computer problems on their own. If someone is really good at it, he may not have the time to work on the resolution and troubleshooting the problem. This is where a tech support or a technician becomes useful and essential

The tech support industry has become prominent and popular because there are so many people, companies and activities utilizing computer systems, problems with the devices can cost a lot of dollars worth of money. If the issues are left unresolved, it can effectively reduce the efficiency, productivity and above all, profitability, if the computers are being used for business purposes. So, it becomes really important to fix all sorts of issues occurring in the computers as soon as possible for many organizations.

Omni Tech Support is the genuine kind of tech support you need. This is because there is all kinds of support features available for your computer. Moreover, the cost or price is reasonable and won’t break the bank.

Remember not to get swindled by some of the OmniTech Support scam companies, who are just rip offs of the original Omni Tech Support. OTS is a Los Angeles based technical and computer repair services company having immense experience is providing first rate IT solutions to thousands of customers. The company has hundreds of qualified and certified engineers for dealing with a variety of computer related problems.

Unlike some of the OmniTech Support scam and rip off companies, OTS offers some of the best tech support. The best thing about OTS is the fact that there is a proactive computer protection, which is always on and ongoing. This reduces the number of potential computer related issues that can occur. When the issues are resolved then and there, the number of instances issues occur is significantly reduced.

Omni Tech Support is the right choice, if you believe in quality and affordability of the IT solutions being offered. The choice is yours, why opt for mediocrity when OTS offers excellence!

Monday, November 17, 2014

Procedure To Schedule Emails In Outlook

Microsoft Outlook is often regarded as the best email application. The soaring popularity of the email client is owed to the numerous advanced options present in the program. Along with being an excellent email application that enables the users to send/receive emails easily, Outlook also serves as the perfect personal information manager for the users.

With secure options to store the personal and contact information of the users in specific folders and files, Outlook rightly deserves to be called as the most complete email application. For any issues that pop up in this program, the users can also contact the Omni Tech support service. The technical support team is considered to be the best in fixing the Outlook issues, as it is evident from several OmniTech reviews posted by users.

Microsoft Outlook comprises of a set of applications that enable the users to schedule their emails easily in the program. However, sometimes, the users face certain issues in the program because the email client needs to be running at the time that has been scheduled by the user for the emails to be sent to the recipients. This is one of the major reasons why many people face issues in Outlook, especially while scheduling emails for their professional purposes.

There are several online email service providers available nowadays that remain always connected to the internet and the users can send out the email anytime. For this, they only need to offer the ability to schedule emails. Hence, one can even resort to these third party email services in situations where using Microsoft Outlook for scheduling emails becomes somewhat a tedious task, especially due to the occurrence of issues.

As per several OmniTech reviews posted by users, Outlook provides several simple options for this purpose. The Outlook user just needs to create a new email message and then access the Options menu at the top of the screen. Now, he would need to click on the delay delivery button under More Options in the program. This opens up a new menu with the option to set up a delivery time and date. Once this has been set, the program won’t send the emails before the specific delivery date and time. The email can thus be written as usual and then sent. Outlook would put the email in the Outbox folder for the time being.

These are some of the aspects of the scheduling emails feature in Microsoft Outlook. To know more about this, you may contact the OmniTech support team.

Monday, November 10, 2014

Microsoft Works With Google Kubernetes To Streamline Docker Container Support On Azure

Microsoft had earlier announced that it was co-operating with Docker Open source community to introduce Docker containers on its upcoming Windows server. The software giant had previously worked with Docker to introduce the same on its Widows Azure services. Now, another report has just come out from Microsoft. It says that the software giant is discussing with Google’s open source Kubernetes to improve Docker container features for Azure. The news has excited the Azure users although some of the Omni Tech support ripoff articles have highlighted the downsides of the integrated service. Furthermore, through this decision, Microsoft has once again proved that it is committed to living up to its promises.

Sources privy to Microsoft Open Technology, a subsidiary of the software giant that manages open source solutions and initiates meetings with other open source communities, said that a lions part of the collaborative work with Kubernetes has already been completed.

Azure team builds separate dashboard for Kubernetes setup visualization

Although the Kubernetes has a default dashboard for the visualization of its setup, it won’t be used for the Docker container on Windows Azure. An independent dashboard for the same has been designed by the Azure team. Experts at Microsoft Open Tech said that the Azure Kubernetes Visualizer project was aimed at simplifying the experiment with Kubernetes on Windows Azure. They hoped that the project would not disappoint users in any manner.

Benefits of Kubernetes and Docker on Azure


Although there have been much talks about the integration of Docker container and Kubernetes solution on Windows Azure from media across the world, it appears that not many stories have examined or reported the advantages of the same for the users. The primary advantage is that the integration enables developers to make containers and avail them on the storage service of Azure. It also helps developers to manage Azure clusters, for instance configuring, deleting or updating them. Furthermore, by means of the container images stored on Azure, developers can organize their Azure clusters at wish.

Once the Kubernetes is published on Windows Azure, the developers will be able to use the tools from the former to deploy Docker containers both on Google Compute Engine as well as Azure. Obviously, this is one of the odd collaborations that Microsoft has ever done during its tenure hitherto.

Although the deal is being criticised by some media and Omni Tech support ripoff reports, it opens new horizons for Windows Azure users in using Docker containers more systematically and effectively.

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Steps To Add Application To The Windows Context Menu

If you are using a computer that runs on Windows operating system, you’d be very much familiar with the Windows Context Menu. This context menu offers the users a limited set of choices that are available in context of the operating system.

One can also term the context menu as a graphical control element. Here, one can press the Application key or press Shift+F10 keys to open a context menu for the system. For any issues related to the Windows OS, the users can contact the Omni tech support team to get the best technical assistance. But then, one needs to ensure that he is calling up the correct tech support number to avoid being trapped in the Omni Tech Support Scam issues.

You can also make any application accessible in the desktop context menu. For this, all you require is to follow the instructions mentioned below.
  • In the first step, move onto the regedit.exe in the Start Menu. You can also press Windows Key + R and then type regedit.exe and then navigate to this key: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT > Directory > Background > shell. 
  • Once you are at the location, you need to right-click shell and then select New followed by Key. Here, you need to name the key of the application that you want to add to the context menu. 
  • In the next step, you need to right-click the new key you have just created and then again select New followed by Key. Make sure you enter the key command all in lowercase. 
  • Next, in the new command key folder you just made, you need to double-click the (Default) key located on the right-hand side of the window. Now, move on to the Value data section and then put the path to the executable file for the application, which you want to add to the context menu and then press OK. 
  • Meanwhile, you can also contact the Omni tech support team for getting expert assistance anytime. The Omni Tech Support Scam alerts also warn the customers to use genuine versions of Windows to avoid facing issues later on. 
  • Once you right-click the desktop, you'll be able to run the application that you had added earlier by selecting it with a simple click. Also, you need to remember that by pressing Shift + Right-Click the executable file and selecting Copy as path, you can make the context menu much simpler. 
These steps can help you to access any application from the Windows Context Menu. To get more assistance, you may also contact the OmniTech support service.

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Omni Tech Support: Necessity Of Technical Support For Your Small Business

Computers and computing devices are everywhere, used for everything conceivable. Actually, it is surprising that a few decades ago having a computer was considered a luxury. Only large organizations, scientific and government institutions had them. Now, you see these devices used for everything. Humans have become increasingly dependent on the computers for various purposes. With the advent of modern technology, computers nowadays are powerful and capable of doing a variety of things decreasing the burden of humans in many activities.

Computers are used in huge as well as small businesses. With the increasing complications of the computers, errors happening to the devices are also becoming equally complex. This requires technical assistance to resolve. Most users are not trained to handle the issues themselves. Even if they know, they may not have the time to spend repairing the computer. This is where technical support comes into picture. Large organizations have the luxury to afford an IT department dedicatedly handling computer related issues. This may not be the case with small businesses that may not be able to afford having a separate department for dealing with computer related issues.

This is why most small businesses prefer hiring tech support services either on demand or on a contract basis. This Omni Tech Support scam warning article, would like to inform users that there are many online support scams out there. This Omni Tech Support scam warning is intended to alert users to avoid getting lured into availing some of the technical support scams. The problem is that some tech support providers offer shoddy quality support. At the same time, when the quality is good, the charge for the service is mostly exorbitant.

Omni Tech Support (OTS), without a shadow of doubt, is one of the best tech service providers available. The great thing about OTS is the fact that, there is no compromise whatsoever, when it comes to quality. Moreover, the computer repair service is provided at an affordable price.

There are three main steps in delivering the technical support. The first one includes the chat initiation. In this step, the customers chat with the support person describing the problem. In the next step, the customer will be able to have a telephonic conversation with the support person. The final step involves the support person resolving the issues the customer is facing with the help of Remote Management Services.

Moreover, the services provided won’t break the bank. Try it yourselves and know the difference.

Monday, October 20, 2014

Omni Tech Support Offers Advanced Virus Removal Support

Among the people who contact Omni tech support desk, about half of them happen to be people who have virus threats on their computers. Viruses, spyware and adware create the most number of issues on PCs. They can essentially compromise the overall performance of a PC. Their treat would be more intense if the PC accesses internet often.

How to get rid of a virus threats on PCs?

Omni tech support guides, world’s number one PC support experts, offer the best virus removal support out there. The company offers two types of support in helping a person get rid of virus threats on his PC; removing the viruses that have infected the files and setting up an effective antivirus program.

Most people believe that installing an antivirus program would do. But this is not true. Unless you remove the existing virus threats in your PC, there is no use in installing an antivirus program. And most of the free antivirus programs out there do nothing in eliminating dangerous Trojans and viruses. The best step to take to end a virus threat in a PC is to remove the existing virus threats. This can be done in two different ways, by formatting the entire PC or by using sophisticated virus removal tools. I am sure you wouldn’t want to erase all your valuable data in the PC to get rid of a few virus threats but leaving them there would eventually put all the data at risk. Therefore, the best thing to do is to contact an expert and get rid of the virus threats.

Omni Tech support desk boasts to have hundreds of Certified System Engineers who are capable of troubleshooting all types of PC issues. The company has a highly experienced and professional virus removal team equipped with sophisticated virus removal tools. The virus removal experts at Omnitech support desk are capable of removing dangerous viruses and Trojans from customers’ infected PCs without causing any damages or changes to their personal data.

In addition to the virus removal support, the team assists customers in setting up effective antivirus programs. The antivirus program offered by Omni Tech support contains latest antivirus definitions. They fight most virus threats and safeguard the PCs.

Omni Tech support guides can be contacted by customers at anytime from anywhere in the world. However, the company offers onsite support only for customers located in select regions.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

An Overview Of Omnitech Support

Support services have become an area of great competition these days and without providing satisfactory support solutions, none of these firms could get business. There are many support service providers round the globe and many of these companies outsource their support services to third party tech support firms. These firms handle their customers courteously and help them find solutions to their technical issues in the shortest time. We all know that time is money and there is no point in wasting time getting connected to a tech support agent.

Customers who contact these tech support firms do not wish to waste their time on the telephone line or chat window waiting to be connected to the technician. Long wait queue is one of the most popular complaints about these tech support companies that decreases the rating of the business. This is the reason why many of the firms concentrate on offering prompt services in the shortest time. One such tech support firm is Omnitech support. This is a tech support firm that offers fast resolutions to the technical issues faced by the customers.

Technicians at Omnitech support are well trained and professional. They are capable of diagnosing the issues and fixing them in the shortest time. Usually the agent will access the computer of the user to look further into the issue and find solutions. This will be done through a remote connection and the connection will be initiated only after getting permission from the customer. The best feature of this tech support firm is that it offers options for testing Omnitech support services. The customers can make use of this feature to know about the quality of the support services that are offered by the company.

We offer a free fifteen minutes session in which the customers can analyze the service that is offered. If you are satisfied by the service that is offered, you can opt for the paid support. This is the best method of testing Omnitech support. The services that are offered by Omnitech support include Windows support, Outlook support, Computer Optimization services, Wireless Internet support, Virus removal assistance, printer support, monthly computer maintenance and many more services.

If you wish to know more on the support services that are offered by Omnitech support, you can visit the official website. More details on the services that are offered are shared in the website. The website also features self-help modules that you can refer to while troubleshooting issues.

Monday, September 29, 2014

The Outlook 2010 Email Client

There is not much you would want to do with email, which you can’t on Outlook 2010. You can easily configure spam and phishing filters to take care of any junk mail that finds its way in Outlook email client application. The folder setup in Outlook is designed especially to deal with searching, flagging, and grouping needs you would encounter. No matter the amount of data you have on your hands, it can be sorted in a proverbial heartbeat. There are shortcut buttons on the toolbar that allow fast access to email from frequent senders as well.

Outlook 2010 features

The RTSS feed reader is a simple affair, but performs admirably in terms of automatic feed discovery, and this is a very useful setting. Another thing about Microsoft Outlook 2010 is social networking, which draws out news in a similarly helpful way. You only need to set it up to the network connection you are using, and the Outlook Social Connector tool will pick photos and status updates, as well as relevant prior email messages, meetings, and attachments automatically.

You cannot do much more with the Junk filters than you would at first. This is true for the other options in Outlook as well, because apparently, there is no pattern learning programmed in. Nothing actually changes between the time you sort your mail once, and the next time you do it.

Another major concern with Outlook has been that viruses easily breach it. This is probably why they have gone to such lengths to make this version more secure. S/MIME message encryption is a characteristic security feature, and with this, you can view all your email in plain text. There is also a more secure version of the HTML view available.

The filters in Outlook 2010 are powerful, and can be programmed to perform many functions automatically, with even more possibilities available via add-ons. It would have been a lot better if customizable templates could be drawn up for messaging, with boilerplate replies.

The email editing is a delight, and offers you all the comfort you have grown used to on Microsoft Word. Larger messages, however would have jumbled text because of this. The way to avoid this is using exclusively plain text in the content. This would of course mean doing away with rich formatting, and many users hate the thought of such constraints.

This was some information about Microsoft Outlook 2010, and some of the features that make it a popular version of the email client. For more on the email client, check out similar posts here.

Sunday, September 28, 2014

How To Get Windows 7 Activated On Your PC?

Although Windows 7 is no more the latest operating system from Microsoft, it still dominates the Windows market share, claiming more than half of it. Reports suggest that many a number of PC manufacturers prefer Windows 7 to Microsoft’s latest operating systems such as Windows 8 and Windows 8.1. Experienced users say that Windows 7 is the best operating system to use on a PC because it is compatible with almost all latest applications from Microsoft as well as third parties. Moreover, the operating system has integrated many traditional Windows features in it.

How to activate Windows 7 on a PC?

If you are using an older operating system, say Windows XP or Vista on your PC, it is high time that you ditched it and moved on to any of the latest Windows operating systems. As long as traditional Windows users are concerned, Windows 7 is the best choice. It has a very simple user interface and higher compatibility with applications. Microsoft’s Windows Live support desk claims that Windows 7 offers high level security against viruses and Trojans. There are different options to get Windows 7 activated on your PC. If you are with an old PC, you can get a copy of Windows 7 from a retail shop and install it directly on the PC. Nonetheless, it is good that you check the hardware configuration of your PC before the installation.

If you are certain that your old PC is good enough to support Windows 7, you can proceed with the OS migration. When you buy a physical copy of Windows 7 from a retail shop, you will get a product key. You can find the product key in the box. Now, backup the data in your PC before you install Windows 7 in it.

Windows 7 from Microsoft

Microsoft allows users to get a digital copy of Windows 7 from its official website. Before being able to download the digital copy, users are supposed to purchase it. After downloading the digital copy, follow the on-screen directions to complete installing the OS on your PC.

If you are buying a new PC, you will definitely have Windows 7 or Windows 8 preinstalled in it. Confirm with your PC vendor regarding the operating system preinstalled in the new PC you are purchasing. You can get in touch with our Windows Live support desk for all product related enquiries regarding your Windows 7 OS.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Try Windows 8 Developer Preview Before You Make The Full Upgrade

The new Microsoft OS, Windows 8, must be their most controversial OS yet. Many Windows 8 and XP users are hesitating when it comes to downloading Windows 8 because of the poor user reviews Windows 8 has received so far. Microsoft’s attempts to make a smooth transition to the next generation of touch-screen operating systems, it seems, have met with a major setback.

Use the trial version Windows 8 before purchasing the full version

However, if you already have a touch screen monitor in your home, then switching to Windows 8 might not be a bad idea after all. Most of the criticism about Windows 8 has to do with the fact that the new UI design makes a big departure from the very user-friendly Desktop UI. In fact, recently, Microsoft rebranded this Windows 8 UI as ‘Modern UI’ instead of the name ‘Metro UI’ that was in use before.

Unfortunately, just calling it ‘Modern’ instead of ‘Metro’ is not going to make any difference. Most Windows 7 and XP users still see it as a poor UI design. So, if you are a Windows 7 or XP user, there is a very good chance that you will hate the new ‘Modern UI’. But, Windows 8, being the latest OS, is technologically superior to Windows 7. So, try using the Windows 8 Developer Preview version and see if you can get used to this so-called Modern UI.

There are two or three Windows 8 Preview versions available. The one released for software developers called Windows 8 Developer Preview comes with many additional options and tools, which they will find to be very useful. Of course, you can go for this version, since it is available free of cost. But, remember that this is just a trial version limited to about 60 or 90 days validity. So, keep the old OS partition as it is and install this preview version on a separate partition.

Whenever you start the system, you will get two boot options to choose from and the Windows 8 Preview version you just installed, will be one of them. So, you can easily switch from one OS version to the next simply by restarting the OS to access the boot menu. Later, you can delete this Preview OS partition, if you do not like the OS.

Downloading Windows 8 Preview version and using it like this would help you decide whether Windows 8 OS is actually worth the money.

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Tips To Speed Up Your Windows 7 PC

Most of the Windows 7 computers today come with 3 GB to 6 GB of memory. The 64-bit version of the operating system can make use of more than 6 GB memory. Many of the application programs are mostly written to use not more than 4 GB of RAM. This means that if you install 16 GB of RAM in your Windows 7 powered computer, most of the 16 GB will go unused. It is always possible to improve the responsiveness of your computer with a faster disk drive. This will need disk drive replacement. Two drives can help you improve performance, Solid State Drives (those without any moving parts) and High RPM drives (more than 10,000 rpm).

Both these types of drives are expensive and the Solid State Drives are the most expensive ones. The Solid State Drives (SSDs) will also wear out over time depending upon the use. The smaller the Solid State Drive, the quicker it wears out. These drives are the fastest, as they do not have any mechanical parts. One strategy is to get a small 128 MB SSD that holds Windows and the application programs and then place the remaining data on some other large SATA drive. Windows operating system supports the Windows paging file and temporary file area. These are the areas that are constantly used by Windows to store and retrieve data while the user is working on the computer.

Making the storage and retrieval process faster will make the Windows OS more responsive. Pictures, Music, Word, Excel and other files that are stored on another slower drive do not make the Windows PC less responsive as we expect some delay each time we try to retrieve one of those files. You can check the experience index of your computer to know if the PC is working fine. The Windows Experience Index is not published for drives as it depends partly on the motherboard and CPU to which the drive is connected.

Another area that can help you speed up your computer is with graphics cards. Graphics cards are advertised with high performance chip sets from Nvidia or ATI typically. If you wish to have more tips to speed up your PC and make it more responsive, you can contact the Windows help and support number. The technician will be able to help you make your computer faster and more responsive.

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Combining The Use Of GoToMeeting With Outlook

Very few Microsoft Outlook tools are as useful as GoToMeeting. There is also a toolbar for the email client, which allows for easy use of GoToMeeting app’s functionalities within the Outlook program. The provision stands for Windows computers with Office 2002 or later installed.

Adding the toolbar to Outlook
  • After you have installed GoToMeeting in your pc and launched it, there will be a daisy icon in the system tray area of the task bar. Right-click on the icon and select the Preferences option.
  • Go to the Integrations tab, and from there, choose the Use GoToMeeting with option. Then select Microsoft Outlook, and choose any other applications that you want to extend support to.
  • When you are done with the above steps, click on the OK button. Then you will be asked to restart the computer, after which the settings will be in effect, and the toolbar will show up.
Using the toolbar with Outlook

After adding the toolbar to the email client, launch the latter. For some versions of Outlook, you will get the toolbar right in the ribbon. Otherwise, you will have to go to Add-Ins from the main menu, and repeatedly choose the items on the toolbar, as and when needed. If the add-in is not shown, then enable Add-Ins in Outlook first.

If you want to join or host an online session, there are many provisions to use for that too. You can host a meeting or instance, or else join one easily. You can even schedule meetings for later, and be reminded of these.

Allowing the Add-Ins feature in Outlook 2007
  • Launch the program. Go to Tools menu. From there, select Trust Center. When that window comes up, hit the Add-Ins option.
  • You will get a dropdown there; from this, choose GoToMeeting Outlook COM Add-in, and then hit on the Go button.
  • While in the COM Add-Ins area, check the box next to GoToMeeting Outlook COM Add-in, and then confirm by hitting OK.
Allowing the Add-Ins feature in Outlook 2010
  • Launch the program, and go to the File menu. From there, select Help. Go to the Tools for Working with Office section, and from here, choose Options. Select Add-Ins from the left side of the window.
  • Go to the Inactive Application Add-ins section, and choose GoToMeeting Outlook COM Add-in. Confirm this, and do the same in the COM Add-Ins window.
These are the steps to set up GoToMeeting with Microsoft Outlook. For help with other such Microsoft Outlook tools, contact our tech support team for assistance.

Monday, September 1, 2014

Free Test Patch Fix Addresses Issues With Automatic Update To Windows 8.1

Reports indicate that the latest update that Microsoft released for Windows 8.1 is causing problems. The update that was designed to allow Windows 8 users to enable their operating system to upgrade to the latest Windows 8.1 was flawed and is causing undesirable problems- the report says. Interestingly, the tech giant has rolled out a test patch, aimed at addressing the issues caused by the failed update.

According to the Microsoft support page, the test patch addressed flaws with the automatic update that affected users who tried to upgrade their Windows 8, Windows 8 RT and Windows Phone 8 OS versions to Windows 8.1, Windows 8.1 RT and Windows Phone 8.1 respectively. We have not received any reviews from customers yet regarding the effectiveness of the test patch fix.

Test patch fixes issued to select areas
Microsoft announced that the free test patch fix is issued only to a few select areas now. It seems now that the tech giant is waiting to hear from users before it makes the availability of the patches to other regions. Visit Microsoft support page if you want to know whether your region is included in the select regions.

How to download the patch fix update?

If you are a Windows 8 user, launch your Internet Explorer web browser and load the Windows Update page. You can find the link to download the test patch in the Windows Update page. Remember, you will not find the link if you are not in the select regions where Microsoft has availed the test patch fixes. If you find the link, click it to download the patch and run it. If it ran without any problems, you would be able to upgrade your OS to Windows 8.1. You can choose either manual update or automatic update to proceed.

Things to remember before upgrading your OS to Windows 8.1


Microsoft has allowed all Windows 8 users to upgrade to Windows 8.1 for free. You need to have a valid Windows 8 product key to be able to make the upgrade possible. Therefore, before you start upgrading your PC, make sure that you have the product key at hand. Another thing to keep in mind is backing up your valuable data.

Although it is said that the upgrade to Windows 8.1 from Windows 8 does not erase the data stored in your PC or change the PC settings, it is advisable to back up all the data to avoid any unwanted risks.

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

About The Exchange Online Outage Error

Several Outlook users were affected by Exchange Online server outage happened a few months ago that rendered their Outlook accounts incapable of accessing emails for duration of nine hours. Microsoft took its time to repair the fault causing substantial number of users to get frustrated, and prompting many to let off their steam online in social media sites and discussion forums. Although the company has not released a true count of the number of people, who were affected, the volume of complaints registered indicates this is one of the biggest outage of all times. Many annoyed users contacted the Microsoft help forum without any positive results since the fault was from the Microsoft’s side.

Apart from the sheer number of people who were affected by the outage, Microsoft received a lot of flak for the delay in rectifying the issue and the timing of the disruption during the peak office hours in US. Not only did Microsoft lose face because of this fiasco, this event does not bode well in its fight with Google over the cloud communication and collaboration software market.

Exchange Online, as you may know, is a component of Office 365 service and has been sold as a standalone service for long. It has been Microsoft’s popular cloud communication and collaboration suite applications for businesses, schools, government agencies and nonprofit organizations.

Although Microsoft was reluctant to give updates about the disruption while the repair was going on, Microsoft representative updated the discussion thread on the Office 365 support forum, where it noted that the service has been restored after about nine hours.

David Zhang, Microsoft support official wrote in the support forum, “Investigation determined that a portion of the networking infrastructure entered into a degraded state. Engineers made configuration changes on the affected capacity to remediate end-user impact.”

As expected, Outlook users were not impressed with all this and complained online about its slow pace in acknowledging the outage and lack of communication with the big user base when fixing the issue. Any interested user can log into Twitter and check the complaints that were addressed to Microsoft Office 365 Twitter account during that afternoon.

The frustration of employees and employers alike is understandable considering that enterprises that shut down their local server and networks and switched to vendor-hosted Office 635 cloud service in the last few months were brought to a complete standstill. If you want to know more about Office 365 and the risks involved, feel free to check out the Microsoft help forum.

Monday, August 25, 2014

Adding Your Email Account To MS Outlook

You may have never bothered to set up an email client application in your computer. But do you know that by setting up an email client, you will be able to access your mail messages both offline and online? An email client downloads all the mails and messages in your inbox and stores it in your system hard drive, which you can easily access any time, even when there is no active internet connection.

How to setup email in Outlook

If you have the MS Office suite in your system, then you will already have MS Outlook installed and ready to use. All you have to do is to setup email in Outlook and start accessing your account from the email client, instead of using a web browser as you normally do.

Microsoft has designed a user-friendly wizard for their MS Outlook application to make the setup process simpler. You are required to fill in the fields with proper information to configure your email account with Outlook. Just enter your display name, full email address, account name and password in the designated text fields and you are good to go.

However, for setting up some of the third party email accounts, you may have to use the manual setup mode. This means that you will have to enter all the details for establishing the connection manually, such as the incoming and outgoing server addresses, port numbers, etc.

In the automatic mode, Outlook client downloads such details from the mail server automatically. But here, you will have to collect relevant data from your internet service provider beforehand. Select the Manual account setup option in the first and enter the server address details as collected from your ISP.

If you have to add even more details than the options provided there, especially when you have to add security settings, click on the More Settings button. This will launch a separate wizard for configuring the other settings needed with your email account. After you have finished entering all these details, go back to Outlook account setup wizard and click on the Finish button to complete the account setup.

When done, your email client application will be ready to use, and you can start accessing the configured email account instantly. For any further help with the procedure, contact our tech support team right away.

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Setting Up IMAP For Windows Live Mail

A free email client that was released by the tech giant Microsoft is called as Windows Live Mail. In the Windows Vista operating system, it is called as Windows Mail, whereas in Windows XP, this version is called as Outlook Express. Setting up IMAP account in Windows Live Mail is easy. All you have to do is to perform the below instructions given by the Windows Live support team.

Instructions
  1. The Add an E-mail Account wizard will start automatically in your system if it is first time that you are using Windows Live Mail. Click the link called Add email account if you already have an email account in Windows Live Mail. 
  2. Next, you need to type the information that is given below 
  • E-mail Address- here you should enter your complete email address
  • Password- Type the password for the email address entered
  • Display name- Type your first and last name. In fact, it is this name that will be seen by the recipient when you send any messages.
   3.  Now, you need to click the button called Next.
   4.  Again you need to enter the information that is given below
  • My incoming server- here, choose the option IMAP
  • Incoming mail server- Type your secure server name
  • Login ID- type your complete email address
  • Outgoing server- type the name of the secure server, i.e. secure.emailsrvr.com
  • Port- 465 as the secure outgoing port
  • Check mark the box that is labeled My outgoing server requires authentication.
    5.  Again, check mark the box that is labeled My outgoing server requires authentication followed by                  clicking the button called Next.
    6.  Finally, click the button called Finish.

It is necessary to verify that you are using the appropriate authentication setting if the Windows Live Mail does not connect after following the above said procedure. In order to do that,
  • Choose your email account from the Windows Live Mail
  • Click Properties from the Accounts tab
  • Also, make sure to check mark the box that is labeled Log on using clear text authentication seen on the Servers tab of the Properties page for your account.
These instructions from the Windows Live support team will help you to set up an IMAP account for Windows Live Mail. For more information and doubts, contact our Microsoft support number.

Monday, August 4, 2014

Microsoft Reaffirms Their Support To Online Pc Gaming Service

We have been hearing rumours about a possible shutdown of the Games for Windows Live service for over a year now. These rumours started with an inadvertent blog on the Microsoft support page that denoted July 1, 2014 as the last date for Games for Windows Live. Microsoft, realizing the mistake, soon removed this blog post.

How all this rumours started in the first place?

Back in August 2013, Age of Empires Online game made an announcement regarding the end of their service on the Game for Windows Live platform and the subsequent move to Steam, the rival and more popular online gaming service. But, in their blog post, it was mentioned along with this statement that this would coincide with the end of Games for Windows Live service.

The very enthusiastic online gaming community was paying attention to all these blogs and announcements on Microsoft support page. Therefore, though Microsoft quickly removed this untrue post, many of the gaming enthusiasts had already read it, and the news quickly spread to the online tech magazines and other gaming forums.

In addition, these rumours led many game developer teams migrate from the Games for Windows Live to rival platforms before this unofficial deadline. Interestingly, one of these game developer teams that made this migration is actually owned by Microsoft.

Games for Windows Live service still online


However, on July 1, the Games for Windows Live service did not go offline as expected. Yes, the Age of Empires Online game title officially ended their service on the platform as announced, but the Games for Windows Live service is still available.

It is now clear that the information mentioned in the initial blog post was not true. However, you cannot blame the online gamers and game developers for assuming that Microsoft was indeed going to shutdown their online gaming service. Microsoft has been neglecting their online gaming service for long, focusing more on Xbox gaming consoles and the Xbox Live gaming service, both of which are more popular than the Games for Windows Live service.

Nevertheless, this is all set to change. Microsoft recently released a statement reaffirming their support to online PC gaming. Therefore, PC gamers do not have to worry at all about the end of Games for Windows Live. If Microsoft indeed shuts down this online PC gaming service, it will only be to replace it with a new revamped one.

Friday, July 11, 2014

How To Re-Enable Search Option In Outlook?

Outlook is an unparallel email client application. It has the most number of users across the world. It is widely used by business organizations, enterprises and government offices for internal communication. It has a sizable number of individual users too. Despite its huge popularity, the application fails occasionally, frustrating its users. Microsoft receives complaints from millions of Outlook users through its Outlook problems and help desk every day.

What could be behind all these Outlook problems? According to the experts, Outlook problems could arise from minor causes like slow internet connection to grave causes like corruption of the PST files. Outlook stores all data it receives in the form of PST files in the hard drive. This locally stored data could get corrupted easily by changes in the Outlook settings, virus infections or when exceeding the inbox storage limit.

Outlook search not working

Outlook is integrated with a search option. It allows you to look for any email messages you have in the inbox of the application. Occasionally, Outlook search does not function. In fact, there is nothing wrong with the search utility. The problem occurs when the PST file gets corrupted. Corruption of the PST files could literally paralyze your Outlook application. What can be done to repair the Outlook search? It is pretty simple. Repair the corrupted PST files.

Re-enable Outlook Search by repairing corrupted PST files
  • Close your Outlook application if it is currently running. 
  • Go to the Search option in your computer and enter scanpst.exe in the type field and hit Enter. 
  • The result will contain the Outlook Inbox repair tool (scanpst.exe). Double-click the file to open it. 
  • Locate the corrupted PST files now. Use the Browse button on the Inbox Repair tool to locate the files. 
  • After choosing the corrupted PST files, select the Start button on Scanpst.exe to begin scanning your PST files for errors. Once the scan is completed, you will be notified about the errors. Choose the appropriate action to proceed. Specify whether you want to replace the faulty PST file with good ones or repair them instead. Once Scanpst.exe completes the Outlook repairing, restart your Outlook application. You should be able to use the search utility without any faults now.
You have successfully repaired the problem with the search option in Microsoft Outlook. If similar or graver Outlook issues surface, get in touch with the Outlook problems and help desk.

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Adding Images To The Windows Live Mail Signature

Did you recently come across an e-mail with an image signature? You can have one too! To add an image signature to all your outbound e-mail you can either contact your Windows Live support, or follow these instructions to do it yourself.

Instructions
  •  Start by composing a new e-mail. If you are using Outlook Express or Windows Mail make sure rich-text format is selected.
  • Design your signature in the empty message column, writing the text to be displayed and editing it by making use of the rich-text compatible formatting tools. You can change the font face, size, color and alignment.
  • Assign space to insert the animation or image of your choice. You can even add a website link to the image if you wish to. Click to bring the pointer to that space.
  • Click on the Insert tab and then click on Single photo. It is preferable to edit your image to the required size before you insert it. The most suitable extensions when selecting an image are jpg, png or gif.
  • If you want to add a website link to the image, click on the image and then press Ctrl+K. A pop-up dialog box will appear on the screen. Copy and Paste or type the full URL into the box and then press Enter to embed the link to the image.
  • Press F12 to save the file as an HTML file. Navigate to a location to save this file in, and type in a relevant file name.
  • Before you proceed any further, you need to copy the file location of the image you want to upload to your clipboard.
  • Next, you need to open the file you just created, using a Notepad or an HTML editor. Browse to the file in your file browser and right-click it. Select Open with, and choose your preferred Notepad application from the list.
  • Even if you do not know HTML and the file looks like complete gibberish to you, look through the file and locate src=”Some_gibberish”. Select the value inside the quotes and press Delete. Since the file location is already in your clipboard, paste this value instead. Make sure the file location of the image lies inside double-quotes. Press Ctrl+S to save this file and then close it.
  • Open Windows Live Mail and click on Ctrl+Shift+O to open the Options menu. Click on the Signatures tab, click New, and then File in succession. Browse to the file location of your HTML file and press Enter.
If you have any queries, or are facing problems creating the image signature, feel free to contact our Windows Live support!

Monday, June 23, 2014

Fixing The Outlook Not Opening Error

Over the years, Outlook users have reported many errors that they encountered in the mail client. Sometimes Outlook will not load when you try to launch it in the system. Sometimes the messages will remain stuck in the Outbox folder, and will never be sent to the recipient addresses. These problems can be easily resolved by following the troubleshooting instructions provided at the Outlook support website.

How to fix the Outlook will not load error?

Microsoft has put in place some software repair tools in the MS Outlook application itself. You can execute some commands to access these tools. Also, the Outlook Inbox repair tool called Scanpst.exe will be there in one of the Outlook or MS Office folders. You just need to run a system search to find this tool.
Running the Scanpst tool will fix most of the PST errors in Outlook. PST or Personal Storage Table is the data format used for saving the Outlook files in the system. Errors and file corruption among PST files are quite common. This might be why your Outlook application is showing all these errors.

So, running a scan using the Scanpst tool every now and then will detect most of the PST errors in time, and repair them before resulting in any major Outlook errors. If you are experiencing some Outlook errors, then resetting the Outlook folders and the calendar reminders might sometimes fix the issue.

Microsoft has provided such an option for resetting the Outlook folders, which can do from the OS command prompt or the Run command execution box. Here is how to do it. First, make sure that you have closed the Outlook application. Check the task manager to see if the application is running in the background.

Now, go to the Start Menu and launch Run command execution box you see there. Here, you need to enter the following command – outlook/resetfolders. This will ensure that the Outlook files are reset, and all the corrupt files are removed from the Outlook folders. But it does not mean that you will lose any of the data stored in these Outlook folders.

Similarly, you can run the outlook/cleanreminders command for resetting the Outlook Calendar reminders. Sometimes Outlook errors are caused by the corrupt calendar or reminder entries. This command will clear out those corrupt files from the Outlook folders.

These are just some of the tips for fixing the Outlook errors. For more information, visit the Outlook support website.

Sunday, June 22, 2014

How To Configure Outlook With UIC ID

Microsoft has released various email client programs and Outlook is one of them. This email client will help you add internet email accounts and then use the same to download emails to the computer. Now, if you have a UIC netID, then you can configure emails with it so that you can download the emails received on your UIC netID to your computer. Let us now go through the steps involved.

Steps Involved
  • Go the desktop window and double click the icon for Microsoft Outlook. 
  • When Outlook comes up, choose the option File and then select Account Settings. The Account Settings option might be present under the option Tools in some versions of Outlook. 
  • In the window for Account Settings, select the option Mail. 
  • Click the option Add in the window. 
  • Mark the option Microsoft Exchange, POP3, IMAP or HTTP and select Next in the first window. 
  • Check the box for Manually configure server settings or additional server types and click Next. 
  • Choose Internet Email in the subsequent window and click the button Next. 
  • Under the heading Login Information, enter your UIC netID. Keep in mind that you should not enter the part @uic.edu here. 
  • Type the ACCC password in the field for password. 
  • If you are using a personal computer, mark the option Remember password. 
  • Leave the option for Secure Password Authentication (SPA) unchecked. 
  • Select the button More Settings and click the tab Outgoing Server. 
  • Under Outgoing Server, mark the option My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication. 
  • Choose Use same settings as my incoming mail server. 
  • Go to the tab Advanced. Here, select SSL for the option, Use the following type of encryption connection: for your Incoming server. Once you choose SSL, the port number for Incoming Server will change to 993 from 110. However if you are using POP, the port number will be changed to 995. 
  • For IMAP users, the port number is 587. 
  • In the option for Use the following type of encryption connection, select TLS. 
  • Choose the button OK. 
  • Choose the button Test Account Settings to test the entered Outlook setting. 
  • Select Next in the window for Add E-mail Account and then Finish completing the setup. 
With the above steps, you can configure Outlook with your UIC netID. For further assistance on Outlook setting or configuration, contact our technical support team.

New Features In Microsoft Outlook.Com

Popular free email service Outlook.com from Microsoft gets a slew of new features that include Advanced Rules, a new Undo option and in-line reply starting this May. These features are designed to make your inbox and consequently, your work, more organized.

“Starting today, we are releasing Advanced Rules and three other features, all to help you keep your inbox in top shape and make it even easier to see the email that matters to you,” reads the Official Microsoft Office blog post announcing about the new updates. Hence, if you were planning to get Microsoft Outlook email client, think again!

True to their word, these new features give more control in the hands of the user in terms of arrangement of the mails in the inbox. The new Advanced Rules feature enables the user to create multi-condition, multi-action rules that include time constraints, email tallying, checking read/unread email state and more. The prior existing rules can now be clubbed together and customized in a way that suits you. For example, you can set the rules in such a way that any e-mail from your contact that is yet to be opened three days after receiving will automatically be flagged as important.

Microsoft finally added the in-line reply feature that was standard in Google mail stating “Almost 8 million times a day” use of the Reply button. This feature saves a lot of time by allowing Outlook.com users the ability to reply to an email in the same view.

Apart from all these features, the new Undo option, which is similar to the Ctrl + Z function, helps you undo an accidental move. Let us say you accidentally moved an e-mail into the wrong folder. You would have to enter that folder and move it back to the folder you originally planned to send. But using the undo function, you can revert your action with the press of a button. Some of the actions that can be undone by this feature are categorization, flagging, moving emails to junk, and moving back an email that was moved to a wrong folder.

Apart from these features, Microsoft eased up the process to start a conversation in the chat system. You can just click on the user you want to start the conversation with from the tilted view box in the bottom left corner of the screen.

With all these features and updates in Outlook.com, it would not make logic to get Microsoft Outlook client instead of using the Outlook.com web service for regular uses.

Thursday, June 19, 2014

How To Import Gmail And Hotmail Contacts In Outlook?

Organizing contact lists in multiple accounts is a difficult task. If organizing the contact list on multiple accounts has perplexed you, then it will be better to import all the contacts in the Outlook 2010 program as it provides a very easy way to manage the contact list. With the help of the Outlook import wizard, you will be able to instantly import Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo contacts to the Contact folder of the Outlook program and then organize them under one window. This article discusses the ways to import Hotmail and Gmail contacts list to the Outlook program. The Outlook setting steps to be done are same for all the other email services.

Exporting Hotmail Contacts
  • Turn on your computer and open the Hotmail window. Click on the Contact list that is located on the left sidebar. 
  • This will open the Contacts main window. In the contact list, check the box that is located near to Name title to select the complete contact list. From the Manage drop-down list, you can select Export. 
  • Type in the Captcha correctly and then select the Export button to save this file on the local drive. 
Exporting Gmail Contacts
  • Open your Gmail account and select Contacts from the left sidebar.
  • In the main Contacts window, select the Export option located under the export window. Select Everyone (All Contacts) checkbox and from Which Export format, select the Outlook CSV format option.
  • Click on the Export button to save the contacts list on the local drive.
Importing Contacts In Outlook
  • Open the Outlook 2010 program. In the File menu, select Open and then finally click on the Import button. This will bring up the Import and Export Wizard. Choose Import from another program or file option from the list and then click on the Next button. Select Comma Separated Values (DOS) and select the Next button. 
  • Click on the Browse button to select Gmail contacts CSV file and then on the OK button. Enable Do not import duplicate items to prevent duplicate contacts from being imported and click on Next button. You may then Map the contact list by selecting Map Custom Fields. Click on the Finish button to end the wizard. 
These are the Outlook setting steps to import Gmail and Hotmail contacts in the Outlook program. For further help, you can contact our tech support team.

Monday, June 16, 2014

Microsoft Office Features

Google and Microsoft are competing with each other over the provision of more products and services than you’d care to count. With Google offering document editing, cloud storage and many other free applications, Microsoft has now introduced its own online free streaming suite of business applications, which goes by the name, "Office Website Apps". These useful applications provide users free versions of popular desktop applications like Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, etc. What is most exciting is Microsoft’s SkyDrive system, which provides 25 Gigabytes of free storage online, for storing files on the software giant’s SkyDrive system.

But, it is not all good as some of the online designs do not have all the features that you see in the Microsoft Office 2013 products you operate in your PC. It is now obtainable to users located around North America, the United Kingdom etc. You can use it with the help of IE7 and later, Firefox 3.5 etc. It supports a huge range of mobile devices such as Blackberry, Nokia S60, iPhone, etc.

In order to get documents through your computer system into the Office Website Apps, you need to send them through the SkyDrive system. It can be done, but the problem is that the functionality should be available in the many Office applications.

The new Microsoft Office 2013 has introduced many refinements and user-interface enhancements for connected users. The layout design features are much better in this version. Now, it is possible to directly embed films or photos into Word documents. There are various additional features in Office 2013, including extended file format assist, UI updates, etc. Office 2013 works on IA-32 and x64 units, but it requires Windows mobile 6, Windows Server R2 or newer versions of either. There is a version of Office 2013 that works fine on Windows RT devices. It is interesting to note that Office 2013 is more “cloud-based’ than all the past versions. Since cloud computing and mobility figures a lot in the future of business, Microsoft is getting geared up for the future. This is why there is more focus on “cloud based” technology. The Redmond-based giant is pushing for integration between its desktop based applications, and your data stored on Microsoft servers.

For more Office related news, you can go to the official Microsoft website. You can also learn such news from Microsoft help forum. Microsoft help forum has various threads discussing a variety of technical and news related topics.

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Google Offers Discounts On Chromebooks To Lure In XP Users

If you are still using Windows XP, then you need to realise that all the Microsoft support services for XP – the XP support website, the Windows support number phone-lines, etc – have officially expired. Now, Microsoft wants you and all the other Windows XP users to upgrade to one of their latest Windows operating systems, preferably Windows 8.

Google presents Chrome OS as an alternative to the XP OS

So, it is no longer practical or safe to use Windows XP OS in your systems, especially if you are running an organisation or a business. However, upgrading to Windows 8 or 7 from Windows XP is going to very expensive, as you would have to upgrade all the old hardware to meet the system requirements of the new generation operating systems.

So, naturally, most of the XP users are hesitating to make this upgrade. Now, Google sees an opportunity here and they are trying to lure in as many XP users as they can in to buying their Google Chrome OS systems. They are doing this by offering big discounts of $ 100-200 on Chromebook purchases.

About the Chrome OS

Now, you might not be familiar with the Chrome OS from Google. Google released the Chrome OS back in 2009. But, this OS did not make that much of an impact in the market because of the fact that it was more of a browser-based web client OS, rather than a full-fledged OS. This means that the Chrome OS would provide access to a variety of applications and programs, all stored in the online cloud.

So, if you do not have an internet connection, the Chrome OS would become almost useless. This disadvantage was the main reasons why Google Chrome OS did not do well in the market. However, the idea of cloud computing is becoming very popular these days.

Many corporate houses are actually considering subscribing to the software-as-a-service and infrastructure-as-a-service cloud services, instead of setting up the IT infrastructure and purchasing software applications for their organisation. A browser-based OS that provides most of its applications through the online cloud service might actually be a good option for these firms.

With this in mind, Google has introduced the Chromebooks for Business program, mainly targeting the Windows XP users. Under this program, the business switching to Chromebooks would receive up to 200$ in discounts as well as many free software applications and services.

But, if you want to upgrade to a Windows operating system instead, contact the Windows support number.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Windows 8.X Acquires 10% Market Share

According to the latest survey results from Net Applications, Microsoft has achieved a new Windows 8 milestone with Windows 8.X operating systems gaining about 10% of the total PC market. Even though the company had hoped that the operating system Windows 8 alone would take that much or more market share when it was launched with dynamic changes in the user interface, it did not work out as they had hoped as most of the traditional PC users hated the product for its complexity.

Most of the users found it difficult to use the program as it had a completely revamped user interface with no Start menu button. However, all that changed when Microsoft launched their Windows 8.1 operating system in late September. The main reason for the acceptance of the operating system was the return of the Start menu button in its rightful place that is in the left bottom corner of the system. Ever since the new operating system was launched, Windows 8 milestone of reaching 10% of PC industry sales seemed easy as more and more people started to migrate to the operating system.

Making the Windows 8.1 update free for Windows 8 customers was a good move from Microsoft and if you ask me, it is this benevolent act that attracted customers to try the Windows 8.1 operating system. Another important factor that helped in creating such a milestone is the end of support for Windows XP. Ever since Microsoft announced that they are going to recall the support provided to their oldest and most popular operating system, the sales of the new operating system started growing.

With the End of support for Windows 7 operating system, which is to come by in two years time also made the new users to upgrade to Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 operating system. The operating system has already outsmarted the sales of the Windows Vista operating system, which is the predecessor of its predecessor. However when you compare the sales with that of Windows 7, it is nowhere near its predecessor's sales, as Windows 7 had about 20% of market share just within a year of the introduction of operating system to the market.

However, with over thirty-five percent of market share for the Windows XP operating system about to be free with the option to use Windows 8 in the near future, we could see a lot more Windows 8.1 devices coming.

Monday, May 5, 2014

How To Remove The Search Helper Extension From Firefox

Most of the users who are using the Mozilla Firefox browser have noticed a new surprise extension named Search Helper Extension. This extension might affect the browsing speed and can affect the overall performance of the browser. It is not possible to remove Search Helper Extension completely from the system. However, it is possible to disable it. Most of the Mozilla Firefox browser users are surprised by seeing this new extension as they were unaware about how it got installed in the Firefox browser.

Usually, there are two ways, in which the Search Helper Extension would be added to your Firefox browser. The first way of getting this extension installed in the browser is when you install the Windows Update KB 982217. This is an update released to improve the homepage functionality of MSN Toolbar and Bing bar. Second way of getting this extension installed in the browser is when you separately install the Bing bar on your computer or as a part of Microsoft's Live Essentials program suite.

Bing toolbar is linked to the Search Helper extension and therefore, one of the easiest methods to remove Search helper Extension is by uninstalling the Bing Bar from your Windows computer. Now, let us look at the steps needed to uninstall the Search Helper Extension from Mozilla Firefox. This is very similar to the solution for how to remove Search Here toolbar
  • Navigate to the Windows Start menu and click the option called Control Panel. Then, from the Control Panel, click Add or Remove programs and locate Bing toolbar from the list of installed programs. After that, select it, and click the button called Uninstall. Before the un-installation is completed, you are asked to close the Mozilla Firefox browser.
Another option to uninstall Search Helper extension is by removing the add-on from the Firefox by keeping the Bing toolbar on your Windows computer. You can locate the files in either C: \Program Files\Microsoft\Search Enhancement Pack\Search Helper or in C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Search Enhancement Pack\Search Helper. The Firefox extension will be removed once you delete that folder. Sometimes the system will ask the Administrative permission to delete that folder from your system. This method will help you to uninstall the Search Helper Extension by keeping the Bing toolbar on your machine.

These above-mentioned tips would surely help you to remove Search Helper Extension. To know about how to remove Search Here toolbar, contact our customer care center online.

Steps To Search For A Person On Bing

Bing, the famous search engine developed by Microsoft, was earlier known as Windows Live Search, Live Search and MSN Search, at different times during its transition. The users can easily use this search engine to look for information on people by typing queries in it. For any information regarding the issues in Bing, users can dial the Windows online support to get assistance from the technicians.

You can use the following instructions to do a Windows Live Search for people on Bing:
  • In the first step, you need to gather maximum information on the person you are searching for on Bing. For example, if you known the first and last names of the person, it would be pretty much easier for you to search.
  • According to the Windows tech support, you can use other valid information such as an address, schools attended, place of work, etc. to make the search easier. You can also consider compiling information that includes the person’s notable accomplishments, books written by them, or other identifying facts that can help the search engine to provide you a more compacted search result.
  • Once you have the information, you can go to www.bing.com, which is the name Microsoft uses for the search engine. As mentioned earlier, Bing was formerly known as Windows Live Search.
  • Now, you can type in the person’s name in the search box and then initiate the search by clicking on the magnifying glass icon. Once you get the search results, go through it carefully. As stated by the Windows online support, the search engine will return results from both social networking sites such as Facebook and Linked In, as well as from general results from an Internet-wide search. This way, you will be able to find relevant information on the person with just one search.
  • However, in cases where you did not get the required search results, it is better to include additional search terms to get more results. This includes adding the name of the educational institution the person studies to his/her spouse’s name as well as the person’s address.
  • Other options in Bing include searching for pictures of the person. For this, you need to click the Images tab and check for the results.
By following these steps, you can easily search for a person on Bing. To get more information on the features of the search engine, feel free to dial our 24/7 technical support team.

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Remove Ask Toolbar From Windows Registry

Ask toolbar is a search engine utility application designed for web browsers. The toolbar is released by Ask.com. Usually, the toolbar gets installed in a user’s web browser when they download and install any applications or programs from online.

Uses of Ask toolbar

Ask toolbar allows users to access the Ask search engine without opening a separate tab for it in the web browser. This enables users to look for important information while surfing online. Usually, the toolbar is safe enough. However, if you have a slow internet connection, the toolbar can further slow down your browser performance. If you want to remove the Ask toolbar from your PC owing to any specific reasons, you can do so without too many difficulties. You can either remove it from the Control Panel or from the Windows registry. Removing the toolbar from the Control Panel is the easiest method. However, it leaves chances for the toolbar to reappear in the browser. On the other hand, if you remove the toolbar from Windows Registry, you can be assured that it won’t reappear.

How to remove Ask toolbar from Windows Registry
  • Navigate to the Start button and select the Run option.
  • Enter regedit in the type field, and press the OK button. Windows Registry Editor will be launched now.
  • Locate the following registry key in the left pane of the window.
           HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\appdatalow
  • Now, go to the right pane of the window and locate askbardis and bar respectively. Right-click each one and select Delete from the resulting dropdown menu.
  • After that, go to the following registry key in the right pane
           "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\classes\appid
  • Locate the genericasktoolbar.dll which can be found in the right pane and delete it by right-clicking and selecting the Delete button from the dropdown menu.
  • Following that, go to the left pane of the window and select the following Registry Key
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Installer\Folders\C:\Program Files. Now, go to the left pane and right-click Ask.com and delete it by selecting the Delete button from the dropdown menu.
  • Exit the Registry Editor window and restart your PC. Ask toolbar would no longer be there in your web browser.
The above instructions on how to remove Ask toolbar from Registry Editor would have helped you get rid of Ask toolbar from your PC. When you remove Ask toolbar via Registry Editor, you need to be extra careful as any mistake made in the Windows Registry Editor could leave your computer with more complicated problems.

Monday, April 21, 2014

Google Vs Windows Competition Taking A New Turn

As far as technology is concerned, competition is always tough. Unlike small business firms, competitions faced by big software giants are unpredictable. They need to be focused and should have foresight to anticipate the moves from their competitors and only this strategy could help them to face the risks.

As you are aware, Microsoft and Google are competitors and it is quite obvious if the competition is taking a new turn. As per the recent news, people using Windows Phone could bid goodbye to the Google Voice apps as Google has decided to bring something new and the terms and services of Google are new as well.

As per recent updates, May 15, 2014 will be considered as the last date of usage of Google Voice apps on Windows Phone. But there are other loopholes for accessing Google Voice on mobile web even though it is not a preferred method. Even though the new move from Google is due to their competition spirit, they have a different explanation regarding the same.

According to Nikhyl Singhal of Google, “Finally, we want to make Google Voice as secure as possible. There are a few third-party applications that provide calling and SMS services by making unauthorized use of Google Voice. These apps violate our Terms of Service and pose a threat to your security, so we’re notifying these app developers that they must stop making unauthorized use of Google Voice to run their services and transition users by May 15, 2014.“

The new decision of Google will definitely affect the people using Windows Phone for accessing Google apps and they might treat Windows Phone as a less secure platform due to the initiative taken by Google. There are people who dial Windows support number and enquire about the credibility of Windows phone.

Normally, a single number is offered to users by Google Voice, which you can share with your family and friends. You could use this number for any type of phone no matter whether it is your landline or cell phone. Your number will also be secured by Google Voice if you do not want it to be displayed.

Other than ending support for Google Voice over Windows Phone, Google is also dropping Exchange ActiveSync. From all these moves, we can definitely get to a conclusion that the competition is quite tight and Microsoft should have to think about new plans to face the competition. We can definitely expect more people to contact Microsoft by dialing the Windows support number and they would definitely enquire about the fate of Google Voice in Windows phones.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Recalling An Email Message In The Outlook Program

Many of us know the feeling of sending an email message and then realizing that we have forgotten to add some important information, sent the email message to a wrong person, or said something that we did not intend to say. If you have sent this email message from the Microsoft Outlook 2010 program, you have the option to recall the message so that you will be able to make the intended changes in the message. The user can also choose to delete the message completely to replace it with a new one. You should understand that these things could be done only if the recipient has not opened the email that you have sent.

The steps to retrieve Outlook email messages are explained below in this article.

Instructions
  • Turn on your computer and then launch the Microsoft Outlook program.
  • In the Outlook program interface, click on the Sent Items folder from the folder list that is located in the left side of the window.
  • Double click on the email message that you wish to recall.
  • Now you can click on the Message tab that is located at the top of the window. 
  • Click on the Actions drop-down in the Move section of the ribbon that is located at the top of the window.
  • You may then click on the Recall this message button. 
  • Click on either the Delete unread copies of this message option or on the Delete unread copies and replace with a new message option.
  • Check the box that is located on the left of Tell me if recall succeeds or fails for each recipient  if you wish the be informed about the status of your recall or you may remove the check mark if you do not wish to be told.
  • You may now click on the OK button to finish the recall process.
These are the steps to retrieve Outlook email messages. These steps can be used to get back the message only if the receiver has not opened the email that you have sent. Even if you recall the message, edit it, and resend the message, your receiver will know that you have sent an email and then recalled it. You will have to keep an answer ready to the question of the receiver regarding recalling of the message.

Microsoft Plans Kinect Integrations With Windows Computers

Looks like the age of hands free applications may soon become a reality, all thanks to Microsoft. Microsoft announced today that they will bring in the Xbox Kinect to Windows based machines. This change could have a huge impact especially for the healthcare and engineering industry.

Microsoft has launched the Kinect in 2010 as a "controller-free gaming and entertainment experience" designed for their Xbox gaming console platform. The Kinect sensor is a unique device which allows users to interact and play games using physical gestures, as opposed to pressing multiple buttons on a gaming controller.

Microsoft has now decided to expand on the Kinect platform by integrating it with their Windows operating systems, indicated information week. Microsoft is keen on launching the software out for developers to create applications and programs that are integrated seamlessly with the Kinect and continue running on Windows based desktops, laptops and possible even touch devices. The Microsoft research team has high hopes of this integration and look forward to the Kinect platform becoming a useful tool for manipulating machines and computers. "When we first saw the Kinect it became completely obvious that what we wanted to do was control the universe with our fingertips. We believe that Kinect can be more than just a great platform for gaming and entertainment. It opens up enormous opportunities that span everything from delivering new personal experiences to addressing societal challenges in the fields of healthcare and education."

The new Kinect platform could really be a huge change in the computing world but Microsoft better do it with perfection. Of late many of their innovations have caused many issues, and annoyed users have been pestering the Windows tech support team for days. Either way the Windows tech support team may still have lot on their hands when this entire integrated platform comes out.

Overall, however, this move sees the software giant taking a huge leap forward in the computing world, and involving themselves more into hardware – a wonderful sight to see. As Windows-based computers dominate most PCs and laptops across the globe, this new platform integration could impact many more than just the healthcare and engineering industries. The Kinect sensor support had been bought out successfully on the Xbox 360 gaming console for the Netflix application which lets users use voice or gesture to control the Netflix interface. It is one of the fastest selling gadgets, and probably one of the coolest. Looks like JARVIS from Iron Man may soon become a reality.

Simple Steps For Getting Rid Of Ask Toolbar

Normally speaking, Ask toolbar is a benign toolbar that just helps its users access the Ask.com search engine, without having to open a separate tab for the same while surfing other web pages. Nevertheless, the toolbar is highly vulnerable to attacks from malwares causing, it to assume the features of a malware application. If the Ask toolbar that has been installed in your web browser is infected, it will alter your default browser settings like replacing the default web page or search engine with malicious ones. If you doubt that the Ask toolbar that you have is infected due to any strange changes that you notice, it is recommended to remove the toolbar right away. Here are the instructions to help you out with this.

Instructions to remove Ask toolbar

The steps of removing Ask toolbar vary depending on the web browser you are using. For instructional sake, we list down the steps for uninstalling the toolbar from Internet Explorer web browser.

Steps
  • Launch your IE web browser.
  • Go to the arrow button that you can see on the right side of the Search option. This will display a dropdown menu with multiple options. Select the option titled Manage to display the toolbar options.
  • Now, go to the left side of the panel and locate the option titled Search.
  • Press the option. This will display a new page titled Search Options.
  • Select the box before the link that states Set and keep Google as the default search engine.
  • Press the Save button in order to save the changes you have made in the settings and exit the screen.
If you are using Mozilla Firefox as your default web browser, you need to work out a different set of steps to remove Ask toolbar from your web browser. Here they are.

Steps
  • Launch Firefox web browser.
  • Go straight to the arrow button located at the left side of the address bar and press it. A dropdown menu will be displayed now.
  • Press the option titled Manage Search Options from the dropdown menu. A new screen listing all the search engines installed in the web browser will be displayed now.
  • Locate Ask.com in the list and highlight it.
  • Press the Remove button located at the side of the screen.
  • After ensuring that that the search engine is removed, press the OK button to save the changes you have made and exit the window.
You have learnt how to get rid of Ask toolbar from Internet Explorer as well as Mozilla Firefox browsers. To know how to remove the toolbar from other browsers, visit the help forums of the respective browser.