Create A Windows 8 Recovery USB Drive

If you've just bought a Windows 8 laptop, you might have noticed that it does not come with a COA (Certificate Of Authenticity). That's the blue sticker on the bottom of the laptop with the Windows key printed on it.

The authenticity key for Windows 8 is now more commonly encrypted on the recovery partition, which is usually hidden to prevent accidental deletion.

This state of affairs can have serious ramifications should the hard drive fail  terminally. If it does, the key is lost along with the recovery partition and the user will have to buy a fresh copy of Windows 8. Good news for Microsoft but very bad news for the user.

Luckily, Windows 8 allows the user to back-up the operating system and the recovery partition on to a USB memory stick. We recommend all users carry out this procedure as soon after buying a new Windows 8 laptop as possible.

Here's how to do it :-

1) In the Search utility type: create a recovery drive  and click on the result.

2) Say 'Yes' to the User Account Control warning.

3) Make sure 'Copy the recovery partition from the PC to the recovery drive' is ticked and click Next -

4) At the next screen, you will be advised how large your USB drive should be (usually about 8Gb).

5) Insert a USB drive of the recommended size and once recognised, click next

6) You will be warned that everything on the USB drive will be deleted. Click Create -

6) Copying will now take place. Do not disturb the computer during this time.

7) Click finish, DO NOT DELETE the recovery partition if offered, remove the USB drive, label it, and store it in a safe place.

8) You can make as many Recovery USB Drives as you wish, BUT each one is matched to the computer you created it on. Do not try to use it on another computer.

Turn Off Data Harvesting in Outlook.com

Microsoft have recently been complaining publicly about Google's practice of gathering data from Chrome and Gmail so that advertising can be targeted for  the individual user preferences. How noble.

Wait a minute, not so noble. Guess who's now doing exactly the same thing? Yep, Microsoft!

With the transference of Hotmail accounts to Outlook.com, Microsoft has turned on all the data harvesting tools by default.

But, at least this can largely be disabled by the user, even though the link to the menu is tiny and most people would miss it altogether.

We're going to tell you how to turn off nearly all the data tracking -

Open your account in Outlook.com. In the bottom right-hand corner, you will see a tiny cogged wheel. Click on that and you will be taken to a page called My Data.

Click the link at the top of this page called My Choices. All the data gathering tools will be turned on as indicated by a green tick. If you click on the top tick, you will change them all to a red cross.

However, if you click on the More Services link, you will see that Microsoft are collecting even more data on you through Windows, MSN and XBox.

This does not mean you will be advertising free on the Outlook.com site, just that your browsing data, email content, etc., will not be collected...for the time being anyway!

Check these settings regularly as they could easily be turned back on by an Outlook.com update.

Microsoft Office 2010 Starter Edition Retired for Windows 8

If you are running Windows 7 or Vista, you may be using Microsoft Office 2010 Starter Edition. Briefly, it gives you a fully featured Word and Excel package in return for a small square of advertising. All for free.

This has proved very useful for ordinary folks who want to write the occasional letter or create a small speadsheet without having to pay huge amounts of money for the full edition of Office.

But this small act of generosity is against all that Microsoft believe in and the bean counters at MS have decided that they can bear it no longer and Office Starter Edition for Windows 8 has been withdrawn. Microsoft cite incompatibilities with Windows 8; which is strange as the full edition of Office 2010 works just fine with the latest operating system.

So, if you're running Windows 7 and Office Starter Edition, do not be tempted to upgrade to Windows 8, or you will lose your Starter Edition and have to find an alternative.

Talking of alternatives, why not try Open Office. It is fully functional and compatible with all the MS Office incarnations. We highly recommend it. You can download it Here.

The Memory Stick Massacre

Many of our customers have accumulated a drawer full of USB memory sticks, most of them broken. When I say broken, I mean they no longer function as they should, rather than being simply smashed to bits.

Is this memory stick massacre necessary? Are they of such poor design that they inherently stop working after a few weeks?

The answer to both questions is no. By taking a few simple precautions, you could extend the life of your memory sticks considerably and save some money into the bargain.

Memory sticks require power (5 volts) and it gets this from the USB slot. Each time the stick is inserted and withdrawn, a tiny arc of current is formed across the contacts. Under normal circumstances, this has little effect on the electronics within, but when the stick is withdrawn whilst being written to, the arc is powerful enough to short across the neighboring contacts. The result...a blown memory stick! 

If that last paragraph made you glaze over, it doesn't matter. Just follow these few guideline for extended memory stick life:

1) Always use the 'Safely Remove Hardware' feature on the bottom right of the screen, near the clock.

2) Never remove a memory stick whilst it's still writing or receiving information.

3) Never use a faulty memory stick after it has failed. It could kill the USB socket. Throw it away.

4) Always make sure the memory stick is pushed fully into the socket.

5) Blown USB sticks will rarely work normally again. Don't collect them, recycle them responsibly at your local recycling facility.

6) Always make a backup of your memory stick information.

7) And finally, if you have a faulty memory stick with information on it that needs to be recovered, don't keep putting it into different pc's or laptops to see if it might magically spring into life....it won't, and you might destroy the information beyond recovery. Take it to a reputable Data Recovery company like PC Partners to be assessed.

FREE Website Design Software

Compared with 5 or even 10 years ago, there are now very few free website design programs; especially highly specified ones.

Kompozer is one such program. It's fully WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get), with a raw HTML tab and a split tab of the two. It boasts a markup cleaner and a W3C call function to validate your HTML against current standards. Available to suit Windows, Mac, and Linux, it has a strong focus on standards compliance and clean code.

That is not to say Kompozer is easy to use if you've never designed a website before. It would certainly require plenty of homework on how to use its facilities properly. But, it is free and on an almost comparable level with many of the design packages costing many hundreds of pounds.

Let's have a look at some screenshots:

You can download the full, free version from here:-
Kompozer Download

FREE Movie Software

Avidemux

Avidemux is a name you may not have heard of but if you're interested in video editing and want to make things easy for yourself, then it's a name you want to become familiar with.

This free video editor is designed for simple cutting, filtering and encoding tasks. It supports many file types, including AVI, DVD compatible MPEG files, MP4 and ASF, using a variety of codecs.

As can be seen from the screenshots, the interface is easy and there is plenty of support via the online documentation.

As always, if you don't like it, just uninstall.

If you do like it, there are forums to give you help and advice. Download from this page Avidemux Download

Secure Your Wireless Router

Most people sigh a breath of relief after they have successfully logged their laptop/tablet/smart phone onto the home router...and then forget it. Forgetting it could get you a criminal record! Let me explain.

It is possible IT savvy criminals to hack into your router and visit illegal websites, or perform illegal acts over the web using YOUR internet connection!
As your router has a unique identifying code linking it to you and your address, any illegal activity will be traced to you. Not a very pleasant thought, especially as this could result in an early morning call by the Police!

Can this scenario be avoided? Absolutely. Here's how...

1) Make sure your wireless router has a password. If unsecured (without a password) anyone within range can log in to your router and, at the very least, use your internet connection for free.

2) Your router password should be changed regularly, say once every six months.

3) The password should be cryptic with letters and numbers. Make it 8 characters or more. Avoid using common names.

4) Keep an eye on the router lights. You will notice that several of the lights will flicker madly when you are using the internet. When nobody is accessing internet, the lights should calm down to an odd flicker now and then. If the lights are still very active 30 minutes after the last user has logged off, you may have a hacker.

5) If your internet connection is unusually slow, you maybe sharing the router with an unknown third-party.

6) If you live in our area, PC Partners can help you secure your wireless network. Otherwise, call your ISP (Internet Service Provider) and they will advise you.