Monday, March 31, 2014

Fixing The Outlook Restart Problem

The Outlook program is widely used around the world as an email management program. Once in a while, you may receive an Outlook bug that can make the program restart even though the email message is harmless and opens without any problems in some other computers.

While the attachment in the email is still downloading, Windows informs the user that the Outlook program has incurred a problem and needs to shutdown. There will also be a check box that gives the user of the program the option to restart the application. If you try restarting the program, the same problem will repeat. This is one of the common Outlook problems and the steps to resolve this issue are explained in this article. You may follow these steps carefully to get rid of the issue.

Instructions

After the Outlook program has restarted, immediately do the following steps before the send/receive process completes. You should take care to do these steps very quickly. If you fail to be quick enough, you may face the error again and will have to start over again.
  • Open the Outlook program, go to Mail Setup and locate the Send/Receive button.
  • Click on the Send/Receive button to get all the email messages.
You will now get the email messages. The emails that you receive are actually the Subjects of those emails. You can then try to find the particular email message that is causing the issue and then delete it. Most probably, you may have received the message a number of times, but the Outlook program insists on receiving it again.
  • Once you have found the email message that is causing the issue, you can delete the message and its all instances. After doing this, you can click on the Send/Receive button again.
  • You can return to the setting to what it was before to resume your work with the Outlook program. 
These are the simple steps to get rid of the Outlook program restarting over and over again. By following the above-discussed steps clearly, you will be able to get rid of the Outlook restart issue without encountering any Outlook problems. If you have any doubts in any of the steps that are discussed above, you can contact our technical support team. They will be able to clear all your doubts and will help you to finish the steps successfully without getting any errors.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Cleaning Out The Ask Toolbar

Anyone who has used the internet must have heard of the Ask toolbar. Most of you might even have it installed on your web browsing applications. This toolbar is quite notorious for bundling in with and opting in with third party software. In addition it also sets the homepage to Ask.com, automatically replacing your regular Google search page. Among other it also changes a lot of your internet settings.

One might think the only way to get rid of this annoying toolbar is to delete it from your browser. But you couldn’t be more wrong. The Ask toolbar is very clingy, and it is a hard and tedious job to get rid of it. You could attempt getting rid of it like you would other programs. Click on Start then select the Control Panel in the Start menu. In the Control Panel use the Windows default Add/remove feature to delete the toolbar. And still it’s a fat chance that you will get rid of the Ask toolbar so easily.

Another alternative is to use the application developed by AutoClean to make sure you remove every last bit of Ask toolbar. This is a great way to get rid of Ask as it usually has a lot of components stored separately in the system which remains just deleting the Ask toolbar will not suffice. AutoClean is a pretty good Ask toolbar removal tool and it gets rid of Ask in the following way: First it checks for the Ask Installer, then it executes the uninstaller using a silent switch. After that removes the install directory for the toolbar to make sure that it eliminates all traces of the toolbar. In addition it then checks up for Ask in your Internet Explorer’s homepage URL. If found it immediately reverts it to Google.

The Ask Toolbar Remover is another powerful Ask toolbar removal tool which works for 4.0.x series, 4.1.x series, and OEM 1000 series Ask Toolbars.

This tool works equally well on Mozilla Firefox as t does on Internet Explorer. It is actually a program designed specially designed to get rid of the pesky Ask toolbar. There are other great toolbar removal tools available on the internet that you can employ to get rid of Ask toolbar and other annoying add-ons.

Toolbar Uninstaller is also a pretty decent utility to get clean the system off unwanted malicious toolbars. Most importantly however users should exercise caution when installing toolbars as more often than not they can lead to decreased browser performance and also act as harbingers for malicious software and viruses.

Monday, March 24, 2014

Exclusive Features Of Windows 8

Windows 8 is one of the latest operating systems from Microsoft that was released in 2012. This futuristic operating system comes with numerous changes from its predecessors. The operating system also powers many tablets around the world.

Citing the various features of the tablets running with Windows 8 operating system, the Scottish government has decided to provide the government servants in the country with the tablet in the hope of enhancing the efficiency of their services.

So, what are the features that make Windows 8 operating system a favorite among many users? In this post, we will take you through some of the most interesting features of the operating system.

Lesser boot time

The shutdown process of Windows 8 operating system is similar to the hibernation process, according to Windows 8 help center. With this, the boot time has been reduced considerably and you reach the metro interface in less than a minute after turning on the computer.

Metro interface

The metro interface would be something that you will not find on any other version of Windows operating systems. Unlike logging into the traditional desktop window, Windows 8 takes you directly to the metro interface, which is loaded with applications. With an active internet connection, these applications are updated often to bring you the latest status. For example, you can receive current news feeds, weather reports etc. through their respective applications.

Search functions

Most of you might be a bit disappointed with the absence of the Start menu. The start menu in the earlier versions of Windows included the Search field, where you could search for any programs or files in the computer. Microsoft decided to avoid the Start button and search field since you will find most of the programs and features in the metro interface.

However, where will you find the Search field in the operating system? It is quite simple. All you have to do is simply type the file name or program and the search field appears automatically. The search results are quicker in Windows 8 compared to its predecessors.

Windows To Go Feature

This is one of the most interesting features of Windows 8 by which you can take the operating system and its settings with you in an external media and use it on any other computer that has Windows 8 installed.

We have mentioned only a few of the important features of Windows 8. For additional information on the operating system and its features, you may contact Windows 8 help center or our technical support team.

Procedure On How To PC Call On Windows Live Messenger

Windows Live Messenger is an instant messaging application or client developed by Microsoft Corporation. It is one of the first messaging clients. The messaging application was first released as MSN Messenger, and kept the name until 2005 when it was rebranded under the present name Windows Live. This amazing service attracted one millions of users, making it one of the most popular instant messaging clients in the world.

Windows Live Messenger now has a feature, which is called Live Call, allowing Messenger users to make calls right from their personal computers. With rates at less than two cents a minute, it may be well worth your time to check it out. Here are some Windows tech support instructions though which you can learn how to PC call on Windows Live Messenger.

Windows tech support instructions
  • You need to open Windows Live Messenger. After that, you can enter your username and password into the appropriate boxes and sign in. Then, you will be taken to the main Messenger page.
  • After that, you can click on the telephone icon present on top of the Windows Live Messenger box. Then, you need to click on the traditional telephone, and not the cell phone. You will see that another window will now pop up, which resembles an open flip-phone.
  • Then, you need to click on Learn More for examining Verizon Web Calling’s current domestic and international rates for prepaid minutes. The Live Call actually works only with Verizon Web Calling. On this page, you will also learn what equipment, such as a microphone or speakers, is needed to make a PC call.
  • Subsequently, you can sign up for a Verizon Web Calling account. Then, you need to fill in all the required information, and set your billing preferences and buy your prepaid minutes. You should not forget to read the terms and conditions of your account.
  • You can now make a call. Then, when after your credit card and account information has been approved, then the dial pad that was opened earlier will now allow you to click on the keypad for making call. Punch or tap in the number and click on Call.
We hope that this article provided useful information to help PC call on Windows Live Messenger. In case, you find difficulties in following the above instructions you can search for official Microsoft support Windows live support articles to clarify your doubts.

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Dealing With The Auto Restart Issues After Installing A Windows 8 Update

Microsoft releases regular patches and hotfixes to update Windows operating systems and maintain its performance at the optimum level. If you are using Windows 8, you can install the recommended and important updates via the pre-included Windows Update utility in your computer.

When you install Windows 8 update from the Windows Update center, a notification message pops up on the login screen prompting you to restart the device. The notification says that you will have to restart the Windows 8 system manually for three days, and after that, Windows will automatically perform the task. After the designated period of three days, Windows 8 system shows a countdown timer for 15 minutes and reboots automatically.

However, some users cite that if the computer is locked with a password, Windows 8 does not start the countdown and neither restarts until they log in. Yet as soon as they unlock the computer, the timer starts and the system reboots after 15 minutes. Though this might not seem to be much of a problem to an individual user, most system administrators, who need to work on several computers within their organization, sense this issue troublesome.

Addressing the user grievances, Microsoft recently issued a patch to fix the problem in Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012. The new update features a Registry key, which forces Windows system to restart automatically even when the device is locked. Microsoft help center highlights that after installing the update, users are required to edit the Windows Registry and enable the added feature. Follow the below given set of instructions to alter the Registry settings.

Steps to follow
  • Use the Windows + R shortcut key combination to open the Run command. Type in regedit in the command box and press Enter on your keyboard to launch the Windows Registry Editor window. 
  • Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Policies > Microsoft > Windows > WindowsUpdate > AU. If you do not see the AU or WindowsUpdate subfolders under Windows, create them manually.
  • When in the AU directory, locate DWORD AlwaysAutoRebootAtScheduledTime key on the right pane. Note that if you have created the AU directory manually, you will have to create the DWORD AlwaysAutoRebootAtScheduledTime key as well.
  • Double click over the DWORD key and change its value to 1.
  • When done, close the Windows Registry Editor dialogue box and restart your computer.
When your system reboots, it will be set to restart automatically whenever you install Windows 8 update, and there will be no three days notification period as well.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Microsoft Plans To End Old-Fashioned Windows Platforms

Microsoft recently revealed that it would end all sorts of official technical support for Windows Vista by April 2017. The tech giant added that the mainstream support for the five-year-old operating system was ended in April last year, and Vista is already under its extended support for a period of five years. According to Microsoft delegates, “in April 2017, this extended support will also end, and both consumer and commercial users will be on their own, without security or other updates; although security fixes may be offered in special cases.”

Windows Vista was launched in 2007 with an advanced user interface and a unique design. Yet, traditional users found Vista confusing and the operating system could not survive in the market for long. Microsoft had to introduce Windows 7 a couple of years later to calm down the user grievances about Vista. Interestingly, Windows 7 was welcomed in the desktop operating systems community in a friendly way, and is still the most successful of all Windows platforms.

On the other hand, Windows XP served the community for more than a decade despite of its old infrastructure and incompatibility with modern applications. It is fascinating to note that the user community is much bothered about the termination of Windows XP rather than the end of Microsoft support for Vista. The tech giant is terminating all sorts of technical support for XP by this April regardless of the fact that it still holds around one-third of the total desktop operating systems market share.

The Windows Phone community has also adopted the same strategy of providing mainstream support of five years as for Windows operating systems. In a press conference, Microsoft unveiled that the official support for Windows Phone 7.8 and Windows Phone 8 will be stopped by the end of this year, which is pretty sooner than what users expected earlier. Nevertheless, experts say that this change in the strategies indicates Microsoft’s plans to include Windows Phone into an annual release sequence.

Experts also say that with the end of Microsoft support for Vista and XP, the tech giant has made it clear that it is looking forward to focus on developing futuristic platforms, rather than spending time and resources on old Windows versions. Yet when Windows XP was attacked with malware recently, the tech giant offered another extended security support until 2015, proving that Microsoft actually cares for its user community.