indulgences into my geek side
Have you ever wondered why different folders have different layouts in Windows, or how to apply your preferred layout to all folders? Windows actually allows you to push a folder view down to all subfolders using Folder Types (templates), but it’s not very discoverable.
Enable deep searching inside files in all folders, even if the search system hasn’t indexed the location. Searches in these places might take longer because they haven’t been scanned ahead of time, but this will provide consistent search experience everywhere.
With this tip, you can tell your Libraries to save to SkyDrive for seamlessly enabling any app to save to the cloud. SkyDrive lets you keep your files in the cloud and your computer in constant sync, and allows for access anywhere from your smart phone or any browser. You can even remotely fetch files that you didn’t sync as long as the remote computer is powered up. To have your files on your computer automatically sync up to the…
Did you know the Xbox on-screen keyboard can be placed in different orders to suit your preference? If you’re a touch typist that already knows the positions of keys as they exist on a standard keyboard, you might be slowed down when typing on the default Xbox keyboard that places keys in alphabetical order. Or you might be the opposite entirely. Here’s how to switch it up. On your Xbox home screen, go to Settings, System Settings, choose Language and…
Need to find some code, script, or other text in non-standard files? Let Windows Search index and provide instant results for CSS, JavaScript or other file types by setting up content indexing for more file types in Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8.
Have you ever wanted to bypass the Windows login screen? Believe it or not, auto-login has been available in Windows for decades, but the options to enable this feature are hidden with good reason: carelessly enabling automatic login can be risky
Among the top features called out by any gmail fan is the archive button, which acts as a simple dismissal of a message. Archiving removes an entire email conversation thread from your inbox, while keeping it accessible under all mail, or any number of labels. It’s an extremely efficient hybrid method between piling and filing, because it rescues the user from obsessive organizing, and later, searching… ‘where did I put that message from the boss, his folder or the one for the…
If you’re looking for a new PC, you can ask any geek and they’ll tell you to build clean. Their reason is simple: the manufacturer’s cripple their own products before they ever send it to you. Even if you buy direct, original equipment manufacturers make money by pre-installing trials, games, bundles, even spyware on to their computers. Resellers from BestBuy to Walmart are even worse. Make no mistake: you’re being sold out before you even buy.
Many of even the most infrequent of Internet users has experienced instant searches by now, where search suggestions (or even full results) appear live while you type, before you even press Enter. It seems like magic, searching the entire world as fast as you can type. But did you know your Windows PC has the same power?
I’m thrilled and honored to have been re-awarded as a Microsoft MVP for 2012. My award date is April 1, so you’ll understand the delay my boasting — would you have believed me last week? The award box arrived yesterday evening, where I promptly ripped the box apart like a kid on Christmas morning. Here’s a look at what’s inside: There’s the new certificate and ID badge for the new year, along with a 2012 year disc to stack into…
Has this ever happened to you? At best an annoyance, this can be a real productivity killer as you hunt around to find the user that has the file locked. You could save a copy of the file and try to clean up or reconcile later, and while collaboration solutions like SharePoint limit these cases, most businesses still rely heavily on network storage that makes this impractical. So, help make the word — or at least your office — a better…
I just finished installing Windows 8 natively using a VHD, as discussed in my previous post, and while exploring I noticed some fonts were not quite as crisp as I would like. Others may not notice this subtle nuance, but it is likely that in aggregate you’ll be affected by stretched images, poor font and color quality, and even poor performance without proper hardware accelerated graphics. Let this post serve as a reminder to update your drivers and check your resolution so that you can…
In this post, I’ll discuss why you should avoid using virtual machines for evaluating the new Windows 8 Consumer Preview, and how you can test drive this new OS the way it (and you) deserve, by fully booting into it.
Hey fellow MVPs, I’m sure most of you have downloaded your itinerary from the schedule builder and probably added the events to Outlook. For those of you that either don’t have Exchange Active Sync capabilities or wish to keep these events off their Outlook Calendar, you can still sync your schedule with your smart phone using subscriptions in the cloud (such as Hotmail or Google Calendars). Unlike importing the downloaded .ics file, the method below will allow your phone to…