Windows Tips

Here's a question we recently received from an Infopackets subscriber in beautiful Montana, "Dear Infopackets team, I'm thinking about buying a Windows 8 computer. But I'm not sure if I should buy one with Windows 8 or Windows 8 Pro? And what's ... Windows RT? Can you please explain the differences to me? Thanks for the assistance, Molly C." My response: Technically speaking, Molly, those are the three different versions of Microsoft's newest operating system (OS), Windows 8. Windows RT is a trimmed-down version of the OS specially designed for portable devices with ARM chips. We're talking ... (view more)

Here's a question of increasing importance that recently came to us from a loyal reader in California: "Dear Infopackets, I really appreciate the helpful Windows 8 tips I've been getting from you. But there's one issue I am struggling with: Linux, ... and specifically installing it on my Windows 8 computer. I haven't been able to get Linux to install properly, and I really don't know why. One of my techie friends told me it has to do with a new Secure Boot feature in Windows 8. Is this true? I am really frustrated by this and would appreciate your telling me how to by-pass the problem, if ... (view more)

Joe in Arizona, for many years a subscriber to Infopackets, recently sent us this question about Windows 8: "Hi there, I recently signed on to my Windows 8 computer and found the system time to be off by an hour. I'm based in Arizona, where we use ... Mountain Time but not daylight saving time. How can I get my system to properly update the time? Thanks for your help, Joe G." My Response: Thanks for bringing this issue to our attention, Joe. It turns out many users are having much the same kind of problem. Synchronizing with a Time Server Windows 8 is set up to get its time from an Internet- ... (view more)

In recent days, Infopackets.com has received several inquires like this one: "Dear Infopackets team: I recently made the switch to Windows 8 and love most of the new features. I understand that Microsoft occasionally releases patches and updates as ... part of their continued improvement to the operating system. Are these updates even important? Is there any way I can stop these updates from automatically downloading and appearing on my system without my knowledge? Love your site! Christopher D." My reply: You might be able to stop the patches, but you really don't want to. Regularly updating ... (view more)

If you've been stymied by the intricacies of email in Windows 8, you're not alone. An Infopackets subscriber asks: "Dear Infopackets, I just got Windows 8 and am interested in trying out the new Windows 8 Mail program. But I can't figure it out. It ... seems things have changed a lot since I last used Outlook in Windows 7. Do you have any tips on how to use this software properly? Thanks, Brian D." My response: You're right, Brian. Windows 8 Mail is a lot different from Outlook, Windows Live Mail, or any other email client you've used before. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. Microsoft has ... (view more)

This question recently came to us from several readers, including one in Colorado: "Hello Infopackets team, I recently purchased a Windows 8 PC and want to move my files from my old computer -- a Windows 7 machine -- to the new one. Since you seem ... to know so much about Windows, I thought I'd ask you for the best way to do that. Thanks very much, Mona S." My Response: When buying a new PC, transferring files from our old computer is one of the first things we think to do. Thankfully, the process has now become really straightforward. Using Windows Easy Transfer Begin by going to the desktop on ... (view more)

Here's a question from a long-time Infopackets reader with a fairly common problem: "Dear Infopackets team, I recently updated to Windows 8 Professional and find that I now have a mouse problem. I'm left handed. When using Windows 7, I easily ... configured the mouse so the right-side button operated as the main clicker. Now with Windows 8, I find I must reset the mouse buttons every time I boot up the system. It just doesn't remember. Is there a way to make it stay the way I want it? Thanks a bunch, Werner V." My response: Dear Werner, You can solve this mouse problem. One way is to ... (view more)

Looking for a program that puts the popular Start Menu back in Windows 8? Then you might want to check out Pokki, which offers its very own app store in addition to that much-missed Start Menu. Pokki was released earlier this year for Windows 7. Now ... that Windows 8 is out, Pokki offers users of that new operating system a great-looking Start Menu and a number of other useful features. Access Gmail, Facebook, Angry Birds from the Taskbar At the top of Pokki's features list is a handy app store jammed with many useful programs. When it first launched, Pokki gave users access to one-click taskbar ... (view more)

Here's a great question from an Infopackets subscriber who has written to us before: "Dear Infopackets Team: I've recently upgraded my computer from Windows Vista to Windows 7. While most of the software I have for Vista works well on Win 7, some of ... my Windows XP applications don't. For example, the auto-installer for Quicken 2000 doesn't work on Windows 7 64-bit. I heard that Windows has a compatibility feature that will allow me to run Windows XP programs on Windows 7. Can you please explain what this feature is and how to use it? Thanks for your helpful information, Jennie B." My ... (view more)

Here's another probing question from an Infopackets.com reader: "Dear Infopackets Team, Have I missed one of your informative reports? I don't seem to know how to play DVDs in Windows 8? Actually, I can't even find Windows Media Center anywhere, and ... without it I'm stuck! I like Windows 8 so far, but I'm going to feel very frustrated if it won't let me play DVDs on my laptop. Thanks for your help, Frank G." My response: Frank, you're right: Windows Media Center is entirely missing from the new Windows 8 operating system. Fortunately, you can still find a way to play DVDs. Microsoft chose to ... (view more)