Windows 8 / 8.1 ~ Reduce the number of programs running at startup

Reduce the number of programs running at startup If your PC is taking too long to boot, it’s probably because you have far too many programs running at startup.
Reducing this is easy, it will make your PC launch noticeably faster and lighter upon first load. To change the items running at startup, go to Run using the hotkey Windows key + R, and type "msconfig." A small window will appear (see the screenshot below), select the Startup tab.
 From here you will be able to turn off many startup programs, which can shave several seconds (or minutes) off your boot time. (Note Windows 8 has moved this functionality to the Task Manager). Try to make sure you research what you are turning off as some processes might be needed by third party programs or drivers you have installed.

Below: System configuration window (msconfig)

 

Here is a link to an older post Disabling startup items using msconfig or Ccleaner.
http://durbangeek.blogspot.com/2013/05/disabling-start-up-programs-in-windows.html

Housekeeping with Ccleaner - How to Use the Cleaner and Registry options.

Lets do some Housekeeping with Ccleaner - Lets get started

1:Open CCleaner.

2: Lets Start off by cleaning your temp files, History Cookies Index.dat files etc. (By default the brush is already selected)

3:Uncheck the items that you'd do not want to clean out from your browser(s) and any suggested applications. Under Internet explorer check temporary internet files, cookies, and last download location. Most users don't really need this stuff. It is up to you if you want to clear the cache of  history and bookmarks Index.dat files. Leave Windows Explorer, System, and Advanced at the default settings.

4: Run CCleaner and it will start deleting files

 

 5:Click "Run Cleaner"  once again  until you get 0 bytes remove


Now that you have removed all the unwanted files you can move onto cleaning the registry

The Registry Cleaner

Use the Registry Cleaner after uninstalling programs, as the uninstalled programs will often leave behind incorrect registry entries. The registry cleaner is recommended for slightly more advanced users.
   
1:Click the Registry tab on the left hand side of the program window.

2:Check off the items want to clean.(leave at default if you are not sure)

3:Click the "Scan for issues" button at the bottom of the program.

 (Give the program a few moments to run and look for all potential problems with the registry.)
 

4: Click the "Fix Selected issues" button.
 

5: Create a backup copy of the registry file.  (I have never encountered a problem with ccleaner, its probably  one of the safest registry cleaners out there. Just create a back up for your peace of mind.)

6: Click the "Fix All Selected Issues" when a dialog box displays.
 

7: Now continue to repeat the process  from point 3 again until you get a message that reads "No issues found" ( Fixing one issue may create other issues so just repeat until you get the 'no issues found' )
 

8: You are now done and close your Ccleaner window.

Tools

Have a look at how to remove /disable unwanted start up items from your PC with Ccleaner.
Tools - Startup Tab

Win7 & Win8 Calculator in more detail

Windows 7 calculator looks just like Vista's version, but explore the Mode menu and you'll see powerful new Statistics and Programmer views. And if you're clueless about bitwise manipulation, then try the Options menu instead. This offers many different unit conversions (length, weight, volume and more), date calculations (how many days between two dates?), and spreadsheet-type templates to help you calculate vehicle mileage, mortgage rates and more.

Programmer Binary, Hex Values, Bytes

 

Scientific Calculator

Calculate, Angle, Area, Energy, Length, Pressure Temperature, Time, Velocity, Volume, Weight/Mass 

 Calculate Stats

Calculate Dates

Calculate Mortgages, Leases, Fuel Economy

Windows 8 Shortcuts

Making your way around Windows 8  can be a nightmare however remembering these windows key combinations will help you get around windows 8 more efficiently.

credits: http://makeuseof.com

• From the tiled layout the Windows key and D key will take you to the traditional Windows desktop.
• Pressing the Windows and M keys minimizes everything that is showing on the traditional desktop.
• Windows and E key opens Explorer for quick access to folders.
• Windows and Tab key opens a list of currently running programs.
• Windows and Print Screen key takes a screenshot and saves it in a Screenshots folder within your Pictures folder.
• Windows and Q key opens a global search menu. Type what you’re looking for and where you would like to look.
• Windows and R key opens the Run command which is useful for quickly launching apps and other routines using a command prompt.
• Windows and X key opens the Quick Access Menu, exposing system functionality such as the Command Prompt, Disk Management, File Explorer, Run, and more. Alternately, you can right-click on the bottom right corner of the screen to spawn the Quick Access Menu.
• Windows and I key opens the settings menu, giving you quick access to the Control Panel, Personalization, and your Power button, among other features

KB2821895 update for Windows 8 causes System File Checker to hang & eats up resources

 

During the June 2013 Patch Tuesday, which took place June 11th, Microsoft rolled out a high-priority non-security update KB2821895 via Windows Update. This "servicing stack update" was available for Windows RT, Windows 8, and Windows Server 2012. However, after installing the update, some users are experiencing some major resource consumption issues when it comes to the System File Checker.
After installing the update and running the System File Checker, the process hangs at 100% CPU utilization while eating more RAM than necessary. This process eventually ends after roughly 30 minutes and states that it was "unable to fix problems" while generating a large CBS.log file that repeatedly states "Cannot repair member file." Microsoft has not addressed this issue just yet so we will have to resort to an alternative means to bypass this update since we cannot manually remove it.
In order to fix this issue, run the following command as an Administrator and type at the command prompt 

DISM /Online /cleanup-image /RestoreHealth  [press enter]

If you have yet to install this, head over to Windows Update and find KB2821895. Make sure you right click on the update and select "Hide Update." The update weighs 9.5MB. We will update you as Microsoft issues a formal statement on this issue.

Missing the Windows 8 start button - waiting for windows 8.1?

Among the many new features will be added in Windows 8.1 will be the appearance of a Start Button ('orb'). This single news has bought smiles to many a Windows 8 users, who were missing the Window Start Button and Menu. The button features the redesigned, monochrome Windows logo, rather than the now-old-school multicolored orb, and when you mouse over it, it reportedly changes color to let you know that it's good for something.

However, even on Windows 8, when you take your mouse cursor to the bottom left corner and click on it , you get to see the Start Screen. Click again and you are sent back to the desktop. Yes the standard  windows menu - the whole point of having that start button ('orb')

The Windows 8.1 start button does just that and nothing more really. Click on it and you get to see the start Screen. Click again and you are sent back to the desktop. As an additional feature, Microsoft will also be adding an All Apps view which will appear when the Start Button is activated.
 the All Apps view will now be configurable so that users can group their icons by category, usage etc, which makes it the closest thing Windows 8 users will get to a Windows 7–style Start Menu, even if it is still a full-screen view.

I would love to hear your comments.....

How to add a Webpage shortcut on your Desktop

To add a shortcut to a webpage is really very simple. Below I will describe the  windows method & the easier browser method.

Windows method

Right click on your desktop a menu will appear select  'New' then select 'Shortcut'

Copy the URL from your browser address bar and paste it in the text box 'Location of the Item'

then click 'Next.'

Name the short cut to what ever name you want to call it then click 'Finish'


Browser Method
You can use your browser  whether it be Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Chrome to create a shortcut on your computer's desktop to a page you've visited:

1. Re-size your browser window so you can see both your computer's desktop and the browser window on the same screen.
2. Click on the site icon next to the location bar, i.e. where the web address (URL) is shown.
3. While still holding the mouse button down, move the pointer to the desktop, then release the mouse button. The shortcut will be created.
   
   

You can also drag and drop items to the desktop from the Bookmarks menu and the Bookmarks and History sidebar to create shortcuts.
You can then rename the shortcut to what ever you want and when you click on it your default browser will open and display the page for which you made the shortcut.

http://www.durbangeek.co.za | http://durbangeek.blogspot.com

Free Windows 8 update to address confusion

A planned Windows 8 update to address complaints and confusion with Microsoft's new operating system will be made available for free this year, the company says.
Not charging extra for Windows 8.1, previously code named "Windows Blue", is consistent with the company's practice of offering "decimal point" updates to operating systems for free. But when Microsoft announced the update last week, it didn't say that it would be free.

Read more: Windows 8.1 "Codename Blue"

http://www.durbangeek.co.za | http://durbangeek.blogspot.com

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Add a Quick Way to Shutdown Windows 8 from the Metro Screen

Its easy enough to shutdown in desktop mode - just press Alt +F4  however users in the Start Screen and similar Metro interface apps have to dig through the Settings Charm (Win+I) to get to the power button.
You can, however, create a DIY Shutdown button and place it on the desktop and Start Screen.
 To do so, go to desktop, right click, and create a new shortcut.

Type in "shutdown /s /t 0" (omitting quotes and using /r instead of /t if you want to restart instead).
click next

rename to any name you desire (you can remove the .exe extension)

 right click shortcut and select 'Pin to Start' from the pop up menu.

http://www.durbangeek.co.za  |  http://durbangeek.blogspot.com

Just type directly in Metro Start-up Screen

Many users are taken back by the completely new fangled screen that displays on first boot-up of Windows 8. But just thinking of it simply as a full-screen start button panel.

Just as with Windows 7's start button menu, you can simply start typing even though the search box is not visible, just type the name or a few letters of a program to display app names that match the letters you type. If what you're looking for isn't there, say, you want to run the control panel, switch the right-slide selector bar to Settings; if you're looking for a picture or doc, switch it to Files. Note that you can also search within any of the apps listed below these three choices.

Windows 8 Windows Key Shortcuts

• Win : switch between the Start screen and the last-running Windows 8 app
• Win + C : displays the Charms: the Settings, Devices, Share and Search options
• Win + D : launches the desktop
• Win + E : launches Explorer
• Win + F : opens the File Search pane
• Win + H : opens the Share pane
• Win + I : opens Settings
• Win + K : opens the Devices pane
• Win + L : locks your PC
• Win + M : minimises the current Explorer or Internet Explorer window (works in the full-screen IE, too)
• Win + O : toggles device orientation lock on and off
• Win + P : switch your display to a second display or projector
• Win + Q : open the App Search pane
• Win + R : opens the Run box
• Win + U : open the Ease of Access Centre
• Win + V : cycle through toasts (notifications)
• Win + W : search your system settings (type POWER for links to all power-related options, say)
• Win + X : displays a text menu of useful Windows tools and applets
• Win + Z : displays the right-click context menu when in a full-screen app
• Win + + : launch Magnifier and zoom in
• Win + - : zoom out
• Win + , : Aero peek at the desktop
• Win + Enter : launch Narrator
• Win + PgUp : move the current screen to the left-hand monitor
• Win + PgDn : move the current screen to the right-hand monitor
• Win + PrtSc : capture the current screen and save it to your Pictures folder
• Win + Tab : switch between running apps

Do i need to install an Anti Virus on my Windows 8 Operating System?

Windows users are now protected from viruses and other malicious software, right from the start, with Windows Defender .
Windows 8 combines the features of the Windows Defender found in Windows 7 with those of Microsoft’s Security Essentials software. It is a lightweight security solution, but many free and paid for Windows 8-compatible security products are available from the usual third parties. To avoid falling foul of antitrust laws, Microsoft disables Windows Defender if any other comparable security software is installed.

How do I get the start button back in Windows 8?

This is the most commonly asked question about Windows 8 since its release

The link below describes the how you can get the start button back through 3rd party software.
Although i am a power user and use the windows + x key, i did try out the classic shell 3rd party software and it worked well.

 http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch001374.htm

How to Increase the size of your Desktop Icons & Fonts

While on the Windows Vista,  Window 7 or Windows 8  hold down the Ctrl Key and scroll up and down using the wheel on your mouse. While scrolling up all the icons on the desktop will increase in size and while scrolling down all the icons will decrease in size. Note: that this acts as a zooming function  in a web browser or office document as well.