Electronics Internet Misc Mobile Networking Programming Security Servers Softwares Default Environment variable Values of Windows 7 / XP

Windows XP  Environment variables

Variable	Windows XP
%ALLUSERSPROFILE% (%PROGRAMDATA%)	C:\Documents and Settings\All Users
%APPDATA%	C:\Documents and Settings\{username}\Application Data
%COMPUTERNAME%	{computername}
%COMMONPROGRAMFILES%	C:\Program Files\Common Files
%COMMONPROGRAMFILES(x86)%	C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files
%COMSPEC%	C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe
%HOMEDRIVE%	C:
%HOMEPATH%	\Documents and Settings\{username}
%LOCALAPPDATA%	Not available
%LOGONSERVER%	\\{domain_logon_server}
%PATH%	C:\Windows\system32;C:\Windows;C:\Windows\System32\Wbem;{plus program paths}
%PATHEXT%	.COM;.EXE;.BAT;.CMD;.VBS;.VBE;.JS;.WSF;.WSH
%PROGRAMFILES%	C:\Program Files
%PROGRAMFILES(X86)%	C:\Program Files (x86) (only in 64-bit version)
%PROMPT%	Code for current command prompt format. Code is usually $P$G
%SystemDrive%	C:
%SystemRoot%	The Windows directory, usually C:\Windows, formerly C:\WINNT
%TEMP% and %TMP%	C:\Documents and Settings\{username}\Local Settings\Temp
%USERDOMAIN%	{userdomain}
%USERNAME%	{username}
%USERPROFILE%	C:\Documents and Settings\{username}
%WINDIR%	C:\Windows
%PUBLIC%
%PROGRAMDATA%	Only available in Windows Vista and newer versions
%PSModulePath%

Windows 7 Environment variables

Variable	Windows Vista/7
%ALLUSERSPROFILE% (%PROGRAMDATA%)	C:\ProgramData
%APPDATA%	C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming
%COMPUTERNAME%	{computername}
%COMMONPROGRAMFILES%	C:\Program Files\Common Files
%COMMONPROGRAMFILES(x86)%	C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files
%COMSPEC%	C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe
%HOMEDRIVE%	C:
%HOMEPATH%	\Users\{username}
%LOCALAPPDATA%	C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local
%LOGONSERVER%	\\{domain_logon_server}
%PATH%	C:\Windows\system32;C:\Windows;C:\Windows\System32\Wbem;{plus program paths}
%PATHEXT%	.com;.exe;.bat;.cmd;.vbs;.vbe;.js;.jse;.wsf;.wsh;.msc
%PROGRAMFILES%	C:\Program Files
%PROGRAMFILES(X86)%	C:\Program Files (x86) (only in 64-bit version)
%PROMPT%	Code for current command prompt format. Code is usually $P$G
%SystemDrive%	C:
%SystemRoot%	C:\Windows
%TEMP% and %TMP%	C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Temp
%USERDOMAIN%	{userdomain}
%USERNAME%	{username}
%USERPROFILE%	C:\Users\{username}
%WINDIR%	C:\Windows
%PUBLIC%	C:\Users\Public
%PROGRAMDATA%	C:\ProgramData
%PSModulePath%	%SystemRoot%\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\Modules\

Identify Unkonw device driver mannally

If you find a diver conflicted device in the device manager, It is difficult to identify the device. Most time it will be names as “Unknown device” “PCI Device”. There are some softwares to identify the device manufacture. Here I explained how to identify this device manually



Open Device manager
Run command (devmgmt.msc)
Take the properties of the device which you want to identify
Go to “Details” tab and select Hardware-id’s
Here you can see some code like below
PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_8168&SUBSYS_81681019&REV_01
Find the highlighted text. There you can see Vendor and Device



Now go to http://www.pcidatabase.com
And find out the device information by giving that 4digit value to the site and you can find make and model from there.





Once you find out the device you can directly download all divers from OEM (Original equipment manufacturer) site itself. See OEM driver download links.

Create a simple web base file server

HFS is an open source application to create a simple file server. It is a lightweight file server with file size of 600 Kbyte. This is a standalone application. So you can setup your web based file server in minutes. Good for small offices / instant file sharing. This server can be used as anonymous or with user accounts. File uploading feature help your friends to share their files without uploading in public file sharing servers.

By default HFS application is listening TCP port 80. You can change if you are already using this port for some other application. Read this  article if you have port conflicts. HFS is supported by Wine, so linux users can use the advantage of HFS. Inbuilt DNS updater is one of the interesting features of HFS. So that you can configure your DynDNS account with HFS and assign public domain name for your file server. It is helpful for internet connections with dynamic IP address.

You can see connected users in  the application bottom panel. Full control over connected users in terms of bandwidth and access list. It will also log the IP address of connected users.

Security Feture of OpenDNS

OpenDNS is one of the public DNS Servers. Open DNS provides many useful features like security caching and web filtering. Comparing to other Public DNS services, security is the main feature of open DNS. Here we listed some security features of Open DNS

• Web Content Filtering

Cloud-based, award-winning Web content filtering from OpenDNS with more than 50 categories of content. No appliance necessary. Effective against proxies, P2P, Web 2.0, adult and more.

• Anti-Phishing

OpenDNS provides real-time phishing site interception, Industry-leading anti-phishing powered by PhishTank, the most authoritative source of phishing data on the Internet. Protects your network, organization and its employees from fraudulent phishing scams.

• Malware Site Protection / Botnet Protection

DNS layer security protects the most vulnerable level of your network against the latest threats, including viruses, worms and zero-day vulnerabilities.

• White list / Blacklist

Lets you decide where your users can navigate on your customized Internet. White list-only functionality available.

• Smart Cache

OpenDNS’s proprietary DNS caching technology finds and locates the last known good IP address for Web sites that are experiencing difficulty, making Web sites that are down for the rest of the Internet load for OpenDNS users.

OpenDNS IPs : 208.67.222.222  & 208.67.220.220

Windows 8 Feature for Business

Windows 8 sports some fundamental user interface changes. However, Windows 8 also offers a variety of new features that have been rarely mentioned in the media so far. This post is an attempt to list all new Windows 8 features with a short description and reference links.

1. Laptop power plus tablet convenience

It’s no secret Windows 8 is designed to rival the Apple iPad and Android tablets. Right now, Windows is nonexistent on tablets, while iOS dominates with 68 percent market share, according to research firm Strategy Analytics. Android-based tablet devices have around 29 percent of the tablet market.

But what isn’t often discussed is the enhanced functionality Windows 8 affords users who want to navigate between a laptop and a tablet — all without switching between two pieces of hardware.

The list of Windows 8 hybrids that transform from a laptop to a finger-ready tablet include systems with detachable keyboards such as the HP Envy x2 and Acer Iconia W510, sliding convertibles such as the Sony VAIO Duo 11 and systems with back-bending displays such as the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga.

Such versatile designs are sure to appeal to job sectors where tablets are popular. According to studies by NPD and Vertic, the financial, health care, education and government industries are increasing their tablet usage, thanks to the need to take quick notes, make presentations on the fly, execute research online and send emails. The Vertic study also shows that converting workflow to a slate interface improves employee response time, increases team decision-making time and quickens resolution of critical issues.

A Windows 8 device puts that performance enhancement into business users’ hands, while simultaneously giving them a device that can easily transition into a laptop for traditional productivity assignments.

2. Office, evolved

As of press time, Microsoft Office 2013 didn’t have an official release date, but we know the new lineup — Microsoft Access, Excel, OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint, Publisher and Word 2013 — will be identically available for both Windows 7 and Windows 8. Via previews, we also know that the new suite includes plenty of touch-friendly interface tweaks for Windows 8 machines. Those perks join much improved tools for better workflow management and team collaboration too. That is, if managers opt into Microsoft’s new yearly subscription prices, which include local installs of Office software and access to cloud-based syncing services.

communications client Lync or via Skype).

For teams with a roster of road warriors or work-anywhere employees, Microsoft Lync includes the ability to host audio and video meetings complete with screen sharing and high-definition video streaming.

Designed for organizations with one to 10 employees, the Office 365 Small Business Premium subscription package costs $149 per year and includes all Microsoft’s software, even Lync. Each user can install Office on up to five Windows 8 PCs or tablets as well as Mac computers.

3. Better virus protection and security

 

In Windows 7, Microsoft Defender guarded against invasive spyware and pop-up ads, but it lacked protection against anti-virus threats such as trojans, worms and bot-net attempts. With Windows 8, Defender gets a bolder shield to protect against all of the above, right from the operating system’s first launch.

The new Defender (shown) provides only basic anti-virus defense, but will likely save IT managers or small business owners the time to pay for and install third-party virus protection from McAfee or Norton. Plus, when paired with Windows 8’s new SmartScreen technology for verifying downloads against a list of reputable files, viruses and other malware are sure to have a harder time cracking IT-deployed devices.

Under the adage, “You can never be too safe,” Microsoft added other defensive weaponry to Windows 8’s arsenal. Namely, there’s Trusted Boot and Measured Boot, two new protections against rootkits that attack during the PC boot process.

A third tool is Enhanced BitLocker. This encryption weapon can now render whole hard drives unreadable to uncredentialed users, which moves beyond scrambling particular pockets of data such as previous versions of Windows. Plus, BitLocker now supports Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) for encryption, making it a trustworthy tool for government office workers.

4. Improved performance and smarter backups

Gone are the days of twiddling your thumbs, grabbing coffee or doing your taxes while waiting for Windows to load. Windows 8 not only launches much faster than its Windows 7 forebear, it uses a new boot-up bridge called the Unified Extensible Interface (UEFI) to access graphical drivers before the operating system is fully active. Earlier access to visual graphics helps replace old-school boot visuals with a more interesting — and shorter — sequence of visual cues. In our tests, a Lenovo ThinkPad T430 running Windows 8 booted in 25 seconds, half the time it took the same notebook to land on the Windows 7 home screen.

When it comes to restoring a Windows PC to factory settings, Microsoft eliminated the need to back up files, data and settings. With a new tool called Refresh, Windows users can essentially reinstall the OS while maintaining their own settings, document libraries and customizations. After the OS is restored, all saved data, settings and Metro apps are automatically reinstalled. Only desktop apps must be restored manually.

Windows 8 also borrows a strong backup tool from Apple. A new feature called File History saves a running timeline of all files — just like Mac OS X’s Timeline feature — to make backing up important documents and data an automated process. That’s sure to save IT managers time.

5. More efficient wireless connection management

When it comes to wireless connections, Windows 8 is vastly improved. First, the new Wi-Fi manager is smarter and faster. Rather than simply search out the nearest Wi-Fi network, the manager measures each signal’s throughput and chooses the source with the strongest bandwidth instead.

There’s also a Connection Standby mode, for updating data while a Windows 8 laptop or tablet is asleep. Those worried about battery life drain can place the device in Airplane Mode, just like most smartphones.

For employees who use mobile broadband to connect to get online, Windows 8 builds in a data meter to keep track of your usage. This is a great way to save the company money if you’re worried about overage fees. Last but not least, drivers for plug-and-play mobile broadband devices are built into the OS. Now, rather than downloading third-party broadband software to connect to the Web, devices that connect over 3G/4G data networks should work automatically. Their networks should appear in the same Wi-Fi manager as other wireless connections options.

6. Exchange ActiveSync built-in

 

Email accounts are a cinch to set up on Windows 8 PCs. That’s because for the first time ever, Outlook 2013 has built-in support for Exchange ActiveSync, the email solution that makes it very simple to connect email accounts to Android, iOS or Windows Phone devices. With ActiveSync ingrained in the OS and Outlook, savvy end-users or small business managers should have no problem connecting multiple email inboxes, syncing calendars and managing contacts on Windows 8 laptops or tablets.

7. Windows to Go makes Windows 8 plug-and-play on any PC

Imagine how happy business travelers would be if they could carry a Windows PC in their pocket instead of their laptop bag. Windows to Go, available only in Windows 8 Enterprise, allows just that by putting all the power of Windows 8 on a USB key, allowing users to plug into any Windows 7 or Windows 8 machine to access their system. The bootable OS image includes support for any apps added to the image by support staff.

There are some caveats, though. You won’t be able to access the Windows Store due to strict hardware licensing (so no downloading new apps). You’ll also love hibernation mode and access to the host computer’s storage drive.

8. Better Support for Virtualized systems and remote desktop support

If you’re an IT manager juggling loads of Windows XP legacy apps, you probably loved the Virtual PC feature in Windows 7. That’s because that tool lets users run a full, virtual install of Windows XP in a window within the Windows 7 environment, which meant fleet managers didn’t need to upgrade tons of dated machines.

For Windows 8, Microsoft offers multiple virtualization options, including a tool to use Windows XP as a virtual OS on a Windows 8 machine. The PC-within-a-PC tool is useful in other ways as well. For instance, with Microsoft Server 2012 and a technology called User Experience Virtualization, employees can access a remote, server-side and virtual copy of their Windows 8 desktop, even if the local machine runs Windows 7. Another example uses what Microsoft calls Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) to create multiple virtual PCs on one physical computer. So, if an office has an equipment crunch, one laptop can be assigned to several users, each with their own distinct virtual desktop that is complete with independent customizations, settings and personal setups.

Plus, because Windows 8 runs Hyper-V, the evolutionary upgrade to Windows Virtual PC (via Microsoft Server 2012), there’s roughly no slow-down between the actual interface and the virtual one. That means even a virtualized version of Windows 8 running on a touch-screen device can be used with all the touch and gesture controls native to that OS.

Upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7

Windows XP does not allow you to perform an in-place upgrade to Windows 7. In fact, if you try to perform an in-place upgrade, you'll see the following error message.

Instead, you'll need to use a built-in utility on the Windows 7 Setup DVD called Windows Easy Transfer to transfer your documents and settings from your XP-based PC to a backup location first. Then, you will perform a clean install of Windows 7 and then use Windows Easy Transfer on the new install to copy over all your settings and data. This process is called a migration.

The downsides to a migration are many but not insurmountable. If you intend to install Windows 7 on the same computer as Windows XP, essentially replacing Windows XP with Windows 7, then you will need to be very careful to backup all of your data first. You will also need to reinstall all of your applications after you finish installing Windows 7. Here is a quick rundown of the steps.

1) Backup all of your data and, preferably, the entire hard drive just in case. (Why? Many applications store data in hidden locations and you may discover after the fact that you've wiped out two years of email or whatever.) You should do this even if you are using the Windows Easy Transfer utility as outlined below.

2) If you are installing Windows 7 on the same PC as Windows XP, consider installing it on a different hard drive or partition so that you can keep your XP install in place. This way, you can dual boot between both Windows XP and 7, copy files between the two environments as needed, and fall back to XP if it doesn't work for some reason.

3) Use the Windows Easy Transfer utility (described below) to backup your XP-based documents and other data.

4) Make sure you have access to the application installers you will need.

5) Install Windows 7 over XP or in a different partition or hard drive. (Or, on a different PC all together, which is preferable.)

6) Use the Windows Easy Transfer utility (described below) to restore your XP-based documents and other data to your new Windows 7-based PC.

7) Reinstall your applications.

OK, let's get started.

Secret: Windows Easy Transfer is a way to bridge the 32-bit/64-bit divide as well. While you cannot perform an in-place upgrade between any 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows, you can use Easy Transfer to move your settings and documents from a 32-bit version of Windows to a 64-bit version (and vice versa).

Backing up your XP-based settings and data

To run Windows Easy Transfer on your XP-based PC, insert the Windows 7 Setup DVD and navigate to D:\support\migwiz (assuming D:\ is your optical drive). Then, run the migsetup.exe application. You'll step through a simple wizard that provides both automatic and manual ways to pick the data you'll back up.

Windows Easy Transfer explains what it can backup.

You can backup from PC-to-PC with an Easy Transfer cable, or use a network share or USB-based storage device.

When you run the wizard, Easy Transfer scans each user account for settings and data.

When it's done, the wizard will tell you how much space the data will consume.

You can globally accept the backup, or dive into the file system to manually choose (or un-choose) data to backup.

The resulting Easy Transfer file requires a password.

Once you've provided the information the wizard needs, your files are backed up.

Backup complete.

Restoring your XP-based settings and data in Windows 7

Once you wiped out Windows XP by clean installing Windows 7 (a straightforward process I will soon document here on the site), you can re-apply your XP-based settings and data. (Alternatively, you can simply apply these settings to another PC running Windows 7.) To do so, run the Windows Easy Transfer wizard on the new Windows 7-based install--this time, it's available via the Start Menu--and step through it, locating your saved Easy Transfer file and re-applying the settings and data to the new system.

After locating the Easy Transfer file, you must unlock it by entering the password.

You can choose which parts of the backup to restore.

Advanced Options lets you map old user accounts and drives to different locations on the target PC if needed.

The items are then transferred over...

... resulting in a bizarre hybrid-look Windows 7.

Reinstalling your applications

Unfortunately, the migration process does not include a seamless way to reinstall your applications. So once your data has been copied over to your new Windows 7 install, you will need to manually reinstall those applications.

Afterwards, you can view the Easy Transfer Reports for information on previously installed applications that you may want to install now in Windows 7.

Final thoughts

Obviously, Microsoft should have provided a way for its largest group of customers--Windows XP users--to upgrade more seamlessly to Windows 7. (And after all, this process was provided in Windows Vista.) On the plus side, a migration does offer a truly clean install of Windows 7, and one that can easily include all of your previous documents and other data. Better still, the migration process can be used by other users to move to Windows 7. For example, even Windows Vista users can use this process to migrate from an old Vista-based machine to a new Windows 7-based PC. And anyone hoping to make the change from a 32-bit version of Windows to a 64-bit version of Windows 7 can use the migration process described here to make it happen. Criticism is cheap. But the Windows 7 migration is a multi-faceted useful technique for getting from one version of Windows to another.

Continue to Part 3: Upgrading from Windows Vista to Windows 7...

In-Place Upgrade: From Windows 7 to Windows 8

From Windows 7 to Windows 8: The in-place upgrade

In Windows 7, insert the Windows 8 Upgrade media--typically a DVD or USB media key with the installation files--and click through Auto Run to launch the Setup application. After a brief Windows 8 splash screen, Setup begins.

First, choose whether to get any install updates via Windows Update.

Next, enter your 25-digit Product Key. This is required, unlike with Windows 7, though it's unclear if that will be the case in the final version of the product. If you forgot to copy the Product Key that Microsoft provides, you can copy and paste this: It's DNJXJ-7XBW8-2378T-X22TX-BKG7J.

Next, agree to the End User License Agreement, or EULA.

Next, you'll be asked what you'd like to keep. Since you're running Setup from Windows 7, the available choices include "Windows settings, personal files, and more," "just personal files," and "Nothing."

This part of Setup is comprised of technologies that were previously available in the separate Windows Easy Transfer utility. Choose the first if you want to retain (compatible) applications, your personal documents and other data files, and most customizations, and perform what I call an in-place upgrade. Choose the last option if you want to wipe the whole thing out and perform what is essentially a clean install.

Next, Setup will check your system to see whether you need to do anything before proceeding. (Some applications, especially Microsoft Security Essentials, may need to be uninstalled before you can proceed.) If not, Setup will communicate that it's ready to install and verify which things you wanted to keep.

Next, Setup upgrades Windows 7 to Windows 8.

There will be a couple of reboots during which Setup prepares the system, updates the Registry, configures device drivers, applies user settings, and so on.

When this process is complete, Setup will boot into the Out of Box Experience (OOBE), where you make your final system configurations.

First, personalize the Start screen with a color scheme.

Then, choose Express or Custom settings. I've already thoroughly documented the various settings that are applied with the Express choice in other articles in this series, but the short version is that most users should simply choose Express. (I do.)

Then, logon to your previous, Windows 7-based user account.

Here, Setup will allow you to change this logon to an existing (or new) Microsoft ID. I recommend doing so, but if you'd rather not, you can retain your previous local account by clicking "Don't want to sign in with a Microsoft account?"

 

Supply the password for your Microsoft account.

Enter (or, more likely, confirm) your security verification info, which includes your mobile phone number and an alternate email address.

Then, Setup creates your account, finalizes your settings, prepares Windows, and logs you onto to your upgraded, Windows 8-based PC. Congrats, you're done.

How to Shut down, Restart, or Sleep Windows 8

To shut down Windows 8 or perform the other power-related functions, you can use one of the following methods:

Keyboard: Type CTRL + ALT + DEL at any time and then tap the Power button in the lower-right corner of the screen to access Sleep, Shut down, and Start options. Or, type WINKEY + I to display the Settings pane and then tap the Power button from there.

Mouse: Activate the Charms bar by moving the mouse cursor to the lower-right or upper-right corner of the screen and then move the cursor along the right edge of the screen towards the middle of the ridge edge. Click Settings and then Power.

Touch: Activate the Charms bar by swiping in from the right edge of the screen. Click Settings and then Power.

Hardware button: Tap the Start key button or the power button on a Windows device to activate Sleep. Or, on a traditional PC, tap the machine's power button to activate Shut Down. (Be careful: This will happen immediately and without warning, regardless of which applications are running.)

(That last bit about the hardware button assumes you're using the default power scheme, Balanced, and that you have not customized what happens when the power button is pressed.)

Customizing what happens when you press hardware button(s)

You can of course customize what happens when you press a power button. This can be very useful, especially if the PC's or device's power button is in easy reach.

To change what happens when the power button on your PC or device is pressed, launch the Power control panel. (There are many ways to access this control panel. I recommend Start Screen Search or the power user menu that appears when you right-click on the new Start tip thumbnail.) From this interface, click the link on the left titled "Choose what the power buttons do" or "Choose what the power button does."

In the resulting interface, you can choose what happens when the Power (and possibly Sleep) button does when pressed. Available choices include Do nothing, Sleep, Hibernate, and Shut down. Portable devices will further allow different actions based on whether the device is plugged in or on battery power.

You might be able to similarly customize other related actions. For example, on a typical portable computer, you will see an option titled "Choose what closing the lid does."

Making these options more accessible in Windows 8

You may not be thrilled with the placement of the lock/sign out and power options in Windows 8, and maybe configuring a power button to do your bidding isn't cutting it either. Short of using a silly utility to return the old-school Start menu to Windows 8, is there some way you can surface these commands in a more elegant and usable fashion?

Of course there is.

The key is to make a shortcut to the relevant command and then make that shortcut visible where you want it: On the taskbar, the Windows desktop, or even on the Start screen. And doing so is simple enough because, as any power user or IT pro can tell you, Windows has long support a command line utility, shutdown, that offers all of these options.

To see this command, open a command line window by typing WINKEY + R (for "Run") to display the Run box. Then type cmd and hit Enter. In the command line window that appears, type the following to display all of the options associate with the shutdown command:

shutdown /?

You should see something similar to this:

Given this information, you might consider using the following commands to accomplish the relevant, lock/sign out and power-related options...

Shut down immediately (with no warning)

shutdown.exe /s /t 0

Restart immediately (with no warning)

shutdown.exe /r /t 0

Sign out

shutdown.exe /l     <- That's a lowercase "L", not a one.

Armed with this information, you can make a shortcut to any one of these commands. To do so, right-click on the desktop and choose New and then Shortcut from the menu that appears. In the Create Shortcut wizard, paste one of the above commands into the text box. (I'll use shut down in this case.) Then tap Next.

In the next page of the wizard, give the shortcut a name, something like Shut down, and then click Finish.

The resulting shortcut has a plain icon, so right-click it and choose Properties. In the Properties window that appears, click the Change Icon button and then click OK in the warning dialog that appears. In the next window, select an appropriate icon.

Click OK and then OK again to close out the windows. Your new shortcut now has a useful new icon. Repeat these steps for each shortcut you wish to create and then move them somewhere easy to find. (I put them in a folder I created, C:\Program Files\Shutdown.)

Now you can place them where you want them. I recommend choosing a spot between the following:

Taskbar. You can drag the shortcuts, one by one, to the Windows taskbar for quick access. Note, however, that this can be dangerous since these shortcuts act immediately with no warning. So if you tap the Shut down button by mistake, your PC will shut down immediately whether you want it to or not.

Taskbar, in a new toolbar. Alternatively, you can create a new taskbar toolbar that points to the folder that contains the shortcuts and then position that toolbar on the right side of the taskbar where you may be less likely to click one inadvertently. Remember that you can unlock the taskbar and choose various toolbar options to make it look the way you want. A few possible configurations are shown below.

There are other configurations, but you get the idea. To get started, right-click the taskbar and choose Toolbars then New toolbar from the menu that appears.

Start screen. To place tiles for these options on the Start screen, right-click each in turn and choose Pin to Start from the menu that appears.

Then, navigate to the Start screen and position the tile(s) where you'd like them. Optionally group them and give the name a group.

Desktop. Finally, you can do it the old-fashioned way: Simple copy the shortcuts to the desktop and access them from there.

Download Free Windows 8 e-book from Microsoft

Everyone knows about Microsoft's new OS "Windows 8" which comes with many new features, enhancements and UI updates. It comes with a brand new Start Screen which has replaced the good old Start Menu. It comes with Office 2013 style Ribbon UI in Windows Explorer. It comes with new hot corner feature which helps you in accessing system tools quickly and easily by moving the mouse cursor to screen corners.

There are so many new features in Windows 8 and its possible that you might have missed a few of them. Today we are going to share a free e-book released by Microsoft which will help you in learning all new features of Windows 8.

"Introducing Windows 8: An Overview for IT Professionals" is a free Windows 8 e-book from Microsoft press which provides detailed tutorials and instructions to find and use new features present in Windows 8.

Following are some areas covered by this e-book:

• Hardware requirements
• Windows 8 editions or SKUs
• Using Start Screen and Metro apps
• Using Metro UI and hot corners
• New features of Windows Explorer (which is now known as File Explorer)
• New features of Task Manager
• Customizing and configuring Windows 8
• Client Hyper-V
• Windows PowerShell 3.0
• Networking enhancements
• Windows To Go feature
• Deploying Windows 8
• Group Policy and Security in Windows 8
• Developing Metro apps for Windows 8
• Windows 8 recovery (Refresh or Reset PC)
• Using Internet Explorer 10

Above are only a few selected points which we noticed while checking the e-book. There are many other useful points given in this e-book which will definitely help you in using and tweaking Windows 8.

The e-book also tells you why should you use Windows 8 and why is it better than Windows 7 or other previous Windows OS? You'll also learn many keyboard shortcuts and methods to use the new Start Screen and other Metro UI features on a touch enabled device such as Tablet like a professional.

The e-book also contains information about new Windows Server 2012 so if you are using the Server edition, you should also give a try to this e-book.

You can download this free e-book using following link:

Download Free Windows 8 e-book from Microsoft

Also check out:

Download Free Windows 8 and Windows RT Product Guide

Speed comparison between Win 7 & Win 8

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After Microsoft has already owned success of users using windows 7. Now Microsoft will be releasing Windows 8 which is much more interesting.

Here’s win7 and win8 comparison that users has compared because there were much rumours that Microsoft has revealed. This is only the testing of speed in different sectors such as booting speed, shutdown speed, rendering file video.

Lets see who’ll win, Windows 7 OR Windows 8.

Devices for testing the comparison of Windows7 and Windows8

Windows 7 Ultimate (64-bit)
Toshiba Portege R835-P88 laptop

2.5GHz Core i5-2450M chip, 6GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive, and an Intel HD Graphics 3000 integrated graphics processor.

Windows 8 (64 bit)
Toshiba Portege R835-P88 laptop

2.5GHz Core i5-2450M chip, 6GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive, and an Intel HD Graphics 3000 integrated graphics processor.

Speed Tests: Windows 8 Vs. Windows 7

From above table, we have seen that which operation system is faster amount Windows 8 and Windows 7. So judges here decided that Windows 8 is much faster than Windows 7.

Windows 7: Installing and Using Windows XP Mode

Windows XP Mode on Windows 7 (Professional, Ultimate, and Enterprise versions) simplifies running applications on Windows XP by utilizing a virtual environment. While you can run the guest OS in the Virtual PC window and execute your applications from there, you can also run them from the Windows 7 Start Menu (or Desktop). XP Mode is great for running older applications and for testing new ones that you aren’t ready to put on your Windows 7 system.

1. Make sure that your system will run Windows XP Mode.

2. Download the Windows Virtual PC Beta for Windows 7 and the Windows XP Mode Beta. Use the drop-downs to select the Windows 7 type and language.

3. After both files have downloaded, install the Virtual PC Beta. The installation will require a reboot, so make sure to save and close any open applications.

4. After you have rebooted your system, install the Windows XP Mode Beta. After you accept the license terms on this install, you will need to specify a password for Virtual Windows XP. Remember the password, you will need it later.

5. Upon completion of the installation, you will see a small box on your screen that says Setting up Virtual Windows XP for first use. This will run for a few minutes.

6. You will now see a window that asks for your credentials. Input the password you used earlier in step 4.

7. Virtual Windows XP will open. Install the desired applications as you normally would. You will find that your host PC’s drives are located in the Other section of My Computer.

You can run applications that you install on the Virtual XP from the Virtual PC window.

A cooler and easier way to run these apps is from Windows 7 itself.

Close the Virtual Windows XP window by clicking the X in the upper right corner of the window. Now go to the Start Menu on your Windows 7 machine.

Click on All Programs and scroll down to Windows Virtual PC. Click on it.

Click on Virtual Windows XP Applications. You will see the applications that you installed on your Virtual XP.

You can open the application from here or copy the shortcut to anywhere on your Windows 7 system and execute the app from there.

Note: The Virtual PC window must be closed in order to run the Virtual XP Applications from Windows 7.