MS WINDOWS 8: TIPS AND TOOLS

 

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OCTOBER 05, 2011

Windows 8: 7 handy tips and 4 cool tools

From getting back your Start menu to tweaking the Metro UI, here's how to play better with Windows 8

By J. Peter Bruzzese | InfoWorld

Follow @JPBruzzese

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Although it isn't even in beta, the Windows 8 Developer Preview edition is already getting tweaked and having its hidden features exposed by fanboys (and girls) and developers alike. Here are eight tips, tricks, and tools that are worth knowing about if you plan on playing with Windows 8 today.

Tip 1: Get back your Start menu
If you are like me, you installed the preview on a desktop (in my case, I installed it in a virtual environment) and not a tablet. On a touchless PC, the new Metro UI may not be the most comfortable method of working with Windows 8.

[ Want to run Windows 8 on your PC (or virtual machine on your Pc or Mac)? J. Peter Bruzese has a video that explains how to install Windows 8, and another video touring Windows 8's key features. | Stay abreast of key Microsoft technologies in our Technology: Microsoft newsletter. ]

But you can install the traditional look in two steps:

1. Launch Regedit and browse toHKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer.
2. Double-click RPEnabled and change its value from 1 to 0 to remove Metro and get back to the desktop Windows you are used to.

Tip 2: Use Windows 8's keyboard shortcuts
To launch Regedit, you may need to use a shortcut key. Here are some of the keys that can help you in Windows 8:

• Pressing the Windows key and R simultaneously brings up the Run box.
• Pressing Windows+I brings up your settings from the side panel.
• Pressing Windows+Q brings up an application search.
• Pressing Windows+C brings up the simple Start menu and time and date.

Many of your "old" shortcuts still work, too. But keep in mind that some of these shortcuts won't function the same if you turn off the Metro UI through the registry as described in the first tip.

Tip 3: Setting SmartScreen filtering
If you've played around a bit with Internet Explorer, you know that IE utilizes a feature called SmartScreen to filter and protect your system from harmful elements. In fact, Windows 8 uses SmartScreen to filter the entire Windows system, not just IE. You can find these settings in the control panels and in the Action Center under the Change SmartScreen Settings heading.

There are three options: Require approval from an administrator before running unrecognized programs from the Internet (recommended); give a warning before running unrecognized programs from the Internet, but don't require administrator approval; or turn off Windows SmartScreen.

 

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Tags: microsoft windows, windows tools, Windows 8

LAYOFFS SURGE 212% OVER LAST YEAR!

Private Job Creation Beats Estimates But Layoffs Loom

Published: Wednesday, 5 Oct 2011 | 8:19 AM ET

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By: CNBC.com staff and wire

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The private sector added a better-than-expected 91,000 jobs even as the amount of expected layoffs hit their highest level in more than two years, separate reports showed.

Andersen Ross | Stockbyte | Getty Images

The monthly survey from ADP and Macroeconomic Advisors showed that the service sector added 90,000 positions, goods-producing rose just 1,000 and manufacturing fell by 5,000.

Economists had expected the ADP report to show 75,000 jobs created.

"We had a good pop in manufacturing employment and goods production early in the recovery. That has stalled a little bit of late," Joel Prakken, chairman of Macroeconomic Advisors, told CNBC. "But we could never have a full-fledged recovery in the job market without the service sector kicking in. So I think those are very encouraging things."

While the ADP numbers offer some hope that Friday's monthly nonfarm payrolls report will show some improvement, the primary damage to the jobs market appears to be happening in the public sector, where governments and the military are scaling back on staffing.

Indeed, the ADP number was almost identical for August—it was revised from 91,000 to 89,000—and the governments report subsequently showed a net zero overall job growth for the month, and the unemployment rate actually ticked higher to 9.1 percent. Government job losses have been averaging 67,000 a month.

Compounding uncertainty around the jobs market was a report earlier in the morning that showed the number of planned layoffs at U.S. firms in September jumped to its highest in more than two years due to heavy cutbacks by the military and Bank of America.

Employers announced 115,730 planned job cuts last month, more than double August's total of 51,114, according to the report from consultants Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

The figure was the highest since April 2009 when 132,590 layoffs were announced.

September's job cuts were also much higher than the same time a year ago, tripling from the 37,151 job cuts announced in September 2010.

For 2011 so far, employers have announced 479,064 cuts, up 16.5 percent from the first nine months of 2010.

"It is important to keep in mind that 80,000 cuts, or nearly 70 percent of last month's total, came from just two organizations: Bank of America [BAC  5.76        ]and the United States Army," John A. Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, said in a statement. "Neither of these cuts is directly related to recent softness in the economy."

Bank of America's 30,000 planned cuts stemmed from continued fallout from the U.S. housing market collapse and restructuring efforts to remake the bank into a smaller, more efficient company, Challenger said.

The 50,000 military cuts were the result of drawing down forces in two wars and cost-cutting efforts in all areas of the federal government. September's cuts followed an announced 17,500 reduction in August, he added. These military personnel might face tough times finding jobs with companies.

"Perhaps the biggest challenge is taking the often specialized skills and experience gained in the military and translating it to the private sector," Challenger said.

On the hiring front, employers announced plans to add 76,551 workers in September, down from 123,076 a year ago, the firm said.

It predicted seasonal hiring would be about the same as 2010 when retailers hired more than 600,000 holiday workers in the last three months of the year.