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Tutorials, how-to guides, and blog posts about using Windows. How to use laptops, tablets, PCs, and other gadgets with Windows.

How to Share and Synchronize Content in Windows 8.1's Reading List App

  • tutorial
  • Radu Tyrsina
Today we're going to take a look at two important features of the Reading List app: share and sync. They might be either a deal breaker or a deal maker in using this app. Reading List allows you to share the content you add to it with your friends. It also allows you to synchronize the its content across Windows 8.1 devices, so you can add an article to Reading

Simple Questions: What is Hands-Free Mode in Windows 8.1?

  • tutorial
  • Radu Tyrsina
If you have used Windows 8.1 or at least read about it, you might have encountered a feature named Hands-Free Mode. As the name implies, it is about using your Windows 8.1 device without your hands. But how does it work? Is it any good? Let's find out from this guide. [DC-SUMMARY-BREAK] What is Hands-Free Mode in Windows 8.1? This feature is designed for tablet or hybrid devices that have

The Complete Guide to the Weather App in Windows 8 & 8.1

  • tutorial
  • Radu Tyrsina
Knowing the weather is essential to planning anything from an upcoming weekend away to which route to drive to work. While many users watch the news for their weather information and others might check the Internet, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 provide a great alternative with their bundled Weather app. Once configured, this app provides extended forecasts, hourly forecasts, weather maps and even historical data. This is a very useful

How to Remove Content & Categories from Windows 8.1's Reading List App

  • tutorial
  • Radu Tyrsina
In this third episode of our series about the Reading List app in Windows 8.1, I will guide you through the process of removing categories and content from this app. If you want to reorganize the way content is classified or you just want to clean up some less interesting content, this guide will be useful to you. [DC-SUMMARY-BREAK] If you need to refresh your memory on how to add

How to Add & Categorize Content in Windows 8.1's Reading List App

  • tutorial
  • Radu Tyrsina
In this second episode of our series about the Reading List app in Windows 8.1, I would like to share how to add content to this app, how to read it and how to categorize it, so that you keep everything well organized. As you will see, this app is quite versatile and can be a great tool for storing and organizing what you want to read later. [DC-SUMMARY-BREAK] If

The Toshiba Encore Review - Is it a Good Windows 8.1 Tablet?

  • review
  • Radu Tyrsina
Until I got my hands on the Toshiba Encore, I had not used a Windows device that is made to be a tablet, except the Surface Pro 2. While testing the Toshiba Encore I have learned a lot about what it truly means to use a Windows 8.1 tablet and the strengths and weaknesses of this device. If you want to learn more about the Toshiba Encore, what it offers

What the Reading List App in Windows 8.1 is & Why You Should Use it

  • tutorial
  • Radu Tyrsina
Let's face it, no matter how much the Internet has improved and eased the way you get informed, it is still full of recycled, misunderstood or erroneous information. You will likely need to carefully filter through all the information you find on the web in order to read the news, blog posts or any other kind of content that is both useful for you and correctly written. Fortunately, Microsoft included

Stop Autocorrect & Keyboard Sounds While Typing on a Windows 8.1 Tablet

  • tutorial
  • Radu Tyrsina
Are you using a Windows 8.1 tablet like the Surface 2 or a hybrid device with a touch screen? Then, while typing, you might have noticed some issues with the way the touch keyboard works in Windows 8.1. If that's the case for you, then read this guide on how to set up the touch keyboard, so that it works the way you want to. [DC-SUMMARY-BREAK] Go to PC Settings

How to Set a Proxy Server on Windows 8.1 Tablet or Hybrid Device

  • tutorial
  • Radu Tyrsina
One of the small but good improvements in Windows 8.1 is that it provides a touch-friendly way to set a proxy server. This proxy is then used by Internet Explorer and modern apps from the Windows Store that need to access the web. In Windows 8, even if you had a tablet or a hybrid device like Microsoft Surface, you had to use the desktop version of Internet Explorer to

How to Learn the Countries Where Windows Store Apps are Available

  • tutorial
  • Radu Tyrsina
Even though each app in the Windows Store has its own webpage that can be found using a search engine, Microsoft doesn't offer a full web version of the Windows Store. Also, in the Windows Store app, you cannot view apps that are not available in your region. This raises an interesting issue: you can't learn the countries where an app is available. It can happen that an app that

How to Use Windows Defender in Windows 8 & Windows 8.1

  • tutorial
  • Radu Tyrsina
Guess what Windows 8 & Windows 8.1 users: when you're using Microsoft's newest operating system you don't need to install virus protection... Oh god, we sound like those Mac elitists, don't we? Well, we aren't saying this due to an over-confidence in virus coders lack of interest in a comparatively small market share. We're saying this because Windows 8 & Windows 8.1 have a baked in antivirus that is sufficient

How to Set AutoPlay Defaults for Media & Devices in Windows 8.1

  • tutorial
  • Radu Tyrsina
In Windows 8.1 you can also set the AutoPlay settings for your media and devices, directly from PC Settings. There you have access to almost the same customization options found in the Control Panel. This tutorial shares where to find the AutoPlay settings and how to fiddle with them. [DC-SUMMARY-BREAK] Where to Find the AutoPlay Settings in PC Settings? Open PC Settings. Then, click or tap PC and devices. AutoPlay,

How to Set How Much Data Tiles Use in Windows 8.1

  • tutorial
  • Radu Tyrsina
If you are a tablet user with Windows 8.1 and you have a poor data plan, then you will want to limit how much data is used by the operating system, including the tiles. Depending on the apps you have installed and what updates they display on their tiles, they might end up consuming a lot of data. Luckily, Windows 8.1 provides a way for you to control how much

How to Work with File History in Windows 8.1, from PC Settings

  • tutorial
  • Radu Tyrsina
One of the minor but welcome changes in Windows 8.1 is that it allows users to use the File History from PC Settings. If you have a tablet or a computer with touch, you can quickly turn on this feature, select the drive where your data is backed up and perform manual backups. Here's how it works. [DC-SUMMARY-BREAK] NOTE: Before you enable File History, plug in an external hard drive

Introducing Windows 8.1: What are the Charms & How to Use them

  • tutorial
  • Radu Tyrsina
One of the most important features in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 are the Charms. "Charms"... in Windows? It sounds strange! Right? Actually, they are not that hard to understand. To help you out, we will share how to access them, what they do and how to use them. [DC-SUMMARY-BREAK] How to Access the Charms Simply put, Charms are a set of shortcuts to common tasks, available anywhere in the system. There

Introducing Windows 8.1: Change the Start Screen Wallpaper & Colors

  • tutorial
  • Radu Tyrsina
Windows 8.1 offers more personalization options than Windows 8 and Windows 7 do. One of the things that can be configured in more detail is the Start screen itself. For example, in Windows 8.1 you have more options for setting the wallpaper (background image), background and accent colors. You can even set it to use the same wallpaper as the Desktop, which changes every couple of minutes with something new.

Change the Location of a Network from Private to Public in Windows 8.1

  • tutorial
  • Radu Tyrsina
When connecting to a new network in Windows 8.1, you are asked whether you want to find PCs, devices and content on the network. If you answer Yes, the location of the network is set as Private and if you answer No, the location is set as Public. But what if you have made a mistake and you want to change the location from Private to Public or vice-versa? Here's

How to Use the Action Center in Windows 8 & 8.1 to Keep Your PC Secure

  • tutorial
  • Radu Tyrsina
The Action Center was first introduced in Windows XP Service Pack 2 and, since then, it has been constantly updated. In Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 it offers many of the old and familiar options but also some exciting new ones, aiming to further increase the security and stability of your system. In this tutorial I will show how to open the Action Center in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1,

Introducing Windows 8.1: Configure the Action Center & its Messages

  • tutorial
  • Radu Tyrsina
The Action Center in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 has an important role in keeping safe your computer or device and having it run well. This feature has received many improvements and it is now more powerful than ever before. In this article, I will show how to access its settings window and how to configure the way it works and how it notifies you. [DC-SUMMARY-BREAK] The Action Center Keeps

How to Add, Change or Remove VPN Connections in Windows 8.1

  • tutorial
  • Radu Tyrsina
Windows 8.1 provides a more complex PC Settings panel that, for some tasks and settings, it is better and more complete than the traditional Control Panel. One of the surprising things you can do with it is that you can create VPN connections, configure them in detail and remove them when you no longer need to use them. Here's how it all works: [DC-SUMMARY-BREAK] How to Start the Add VPN
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