Upgrading To The Windows 8 OS

Are you planning a software upgrade? Hoping to migrate to the new Windows 8 operating system? If you are planning to update the operating system on your computers to the latest Windows 8 OS, then you need to make sure that your machine meets all the hardware requirements of Windows 8. If you are planning to upgrade your system from the Windows 8 Preview version, then you only get to keep your personal files and nothing else. If you upgrade from Windows 7 then you can keep your Apps, Windows Settings and personal files. If you wish to know more, contact the Microsoft help line for answers to your queries.

How to upgrade to Windows 8?

Before you learn how to upgrade to Windows 8 see if your PC can handle Windows 8? As the Windows 8 operating system can run as intended only on a certain level of hardware using your old computer to run on Windows 8 may not be a great idea. Download the Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant and check if the Windows 8 operating system can run smoothly on your PC. This tool will look through your hardware, apps and other connected devices and see if it can handle running the Windows 8 operating system. After the scan is completed, the program will offer a compatibility report based on which you can see if getting Windows 8 is a good idea. If the compatibility report indicates that your PC is fit for Windows 8, you will get options to proceed, which involves buying, downloading and installing the Windows 8 OS.

The Windows OS comes in two versions: Basic version and the Pro version. You can opt for either operating system version for your computer.

The Windows 8 operating system is completely different from any OS released by Microsoft. It features a brand new metro display or tile screen that puts up shortcuts to all basic programs and favorites to a single screen. You can even pin your favorite programs to the Live tile screen. Most settings have been added to the Charms bar which you can pull out by placing the cursor over to the right side of the screen.

One of the key advantages of using Windows is its faster booting time which outstrips that of conventional loading by as much as 33 percent. Get the new Windows 8 OS on your laptops or your tablets.

Mozilla And Opera Announce Extension Of Support For Windows XP

Microsoft has announced the end-of support for Windows XP by 2014. However, now several competitors including Google have come forward to extend the support for their products that run on the aged operating system. Now, Mozilla has also announced about providing support for the 12-year-old platform after Microsoft stops it this year.

Mozilla is one of them. The main reason cited by the Mozilla support for them extending services, is that even after the release of modern operating systems, Windows XP still remains the most popular among Windows the OS versions. According to Johnathan Nightingale, the company is said to have no plans to discontinue support for XP. Interestingly, another major software firm, Opera, has also declared they’ll be providing support, after Microsoft pulls out. Google has assured to release regular updates and security patches for Windows XP until April 2015. However, while contacted the technicians at Mozilla support did not mention about the kind of service they would offer to the XP users. Still, what Microsoft saw as a strategy to promote Windows 8 and 8.1 may be looking to backfire.

According to the recent reports by NetMarketShare, Windows XP and Windows 7 remain the most preferred versions by the Windows users. As compared to these, Windows 8 and 8.1 lag far behind and can be termed as a failure. The interesting fact is that most of the IT firms prefer XP over newer versions, owing to its simple and advanced features. With Microsoft ending support, the only option available for these organizations was to upgrade their systems. However, now, with companies like Google, Mozilla and Opera extending their services, XP users can breathe better. Microsoft has already advised them to switch over to the latest versions to avoid issues regarding security threats. It is a fact that once Microsoft stops providing service to XP, the operating system would become an easy target for hackers across the globe. It would be easy to exploit the vulnerabilities of the operating system once it has no protection from Microsoft. But Google has offered several updates that would keep the operating system safe from security issues. With such options available, XP users would only stick on to their favorite OS instead of opting for an upgrade.

Such announcements from its competitors would definitely force Microsoft to take preventive measures in order to regain supremacy. But how far the software giant would be successful at this is to be seen.

How To Fix Outlook When It Fails To Start

One of the most common errors found in the Outlook program is the error preventing it from starting. Here we discuss simple instructions for fixing the issue.

Instructions

• If your Outlook email manager program shows you an error message stating cannot start Outlook, the first thing you should do is to disable the antivirus program installed in your system if you have any. Also make sure that you have disabled all of the spyware, anti malware and other protection and firewall programs installed on your system. Also make sure that all third party applications related to the Outlook program are also deleted from your system.
• Now start Outlook program in safe mode, however before proceeding to start Outlook in safe mode, be sure. For starting Outlook email client in safe mode, press the Windows and the R keys present in the keyboard simultaneously to open the Run dialog box and then type in the command Outlook.exe /safe in the text box and then press the OK button.
• Now test the Outlook program, usually the program will work fine in safe mode; however if you are still getting cannot start Outlook error, follow the steps provided below for fixing the issue. 
• One of the best ways to fix issues with Outlook is to create a new profile with the program and then try reconfiguring the program. Sometimes the issue might be related to the profile you have in your computer.
• Click on the Control Panel tab found in the Start menu and then click on the Mail tab in the Control Panel window.
• Click on the option named as Show Profiles found in the Mail section and then put a check mark in the option labeled as Prompt for a profile to be used found under the section When starting Microsoft Office Outlook, use this profile:.
• Click on the Add button in the window and then type in the name of the new profile that you would like to create in the box found next to the option Profile name. Remember not to give the same name as the old profile in this field.
• Click on the Next button after choosing the option named Add a new e-mail account. 
• In the fields found below that option, type in the necessary options required for configuring the account in the Outlook program.

If you follow the simple instructions given above, you will be able to configure an email account in your Outlook after fixing the error stopping Outlook from starting.