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.