Install or upgrade to Windows 8

Microsoft’s latest Windows OS version, Windows 8, has been finally released. With Windows 8, Microsoft intends to open a new dimension to advanced technology with its modern metro touch screen interface.

Whether you are upgrading from windows 7 to windows 8 or just bought a new PC or Laptop, installing windows 8 is a breeze. The following step by step guide will help you in installing the all new Windows 8 onto your system

Upgrade Windows 7 to Windows 8

Microsoft gives the Users an opportunity to upgrade to Windows 8 from their existing Windows 7 operating system while retaining their existing Windows settings, personal files and applications.


1. Preparation

• Run Windows update to install the perquisite updates and setting for Windows 8 installation (This step will require an internet connection).
• Press Start Button → All Programs_Search “Windows Update” and open

• Click “Check for updates” to download the necessary updates.

• Windows will check for required updates and inform you.

• Install updates for your system. Some of the updates will require you to restart the computer.

2. Installing Windows 8

• Insert the Windows 8 Installation Disc.
• Wait for the AutoPlay windows to pop up.
• Click “Run setup.exe” to continue.

• Windows 8 Installation will be prepared.

• Click on Install now to begin the installation process.

• Setup your preferred language

• Type in your Windows 8 product Key mentioned on the disc.

• Check the “I accept the license terms” to continue.

• Choose whether you would like to keep your original windows files and settings or not and click “Next”.

• Windows will check if your system is ready to upgrade.

• The Windows 8 upgrade assistant will help in checking system compatibility of the OS

• If there are some programs that might not be compatible with Windows 8, the setup will notify you.

• When the setup confirms that you are ready to install, Click on Install

• Windows 8 will now be installed

3. Completing the Windows 8 Installation

• Please wait while Windows 8 loads on your system

• Setup will take you to profile screen, where you can sign into your account using Windows live ID or local username/password.

• Enter your desired username and password

• Windows will create your account

• Login using the username and password you created at the profile screen

• The setup will take you to the desktop personalization screen, where you can edit the name for your system and choose its color.

• Once the Windows 8 desktop shows, your upgrade is complete.

Welcome to Windows 8!

A New Version Of Microsoft Windows: Windows 8

Windows 8, the long awaited version of Windows operating system series was finally released on 30th October 2012. With Windows 8, Microsoft intends to open a new dimension to advanced technology with its modern metro touch screen user interface.

After the catastrophic failure of Windows Vista, Windows 7 became the savior for Microsoft and the main motivation behind its consistent improvements and innovations. The improvements in its latest version of Internet Explorer were a proof to the world that the Microsoft was not going to hang up its hat just yet.

Now the main question that comes into the mind of windows users: will Windows 8 be able to replace Windows 7 become the next success story in Microsoft history? Let’s find out.

Here are some of the key differences between Windows 7 and Windows 8 that might help you decide if you need to upgrade your operating system.

Windows 7 v/s Windows 8

• Interface

Windows 7 employs the traditional desktop interface which include start button, start menu, icons, windows explorer and control panel. These features have either been removed or replaced in Windows 8.

The most notable feature of windows 8 is its innovative Metro touch screen interface. This interface has been mainly designed for tablets but will also be available for PCs and laptops. Its design and functionality is similar to Windows Phone OS found in Nokia Lumia devices.

• Start Button

In Windows 7, we can easily recognize the iconic start button that has been deployed in every version of Windows. When we click on it we can see the start menu along with shortcuts to various computer services pinned in it.

In Windows 8, Start button is hidden. It now only appears when you hover in the bottom left corner with your mouse.

• Start Menu

In Windows 7, the familiar start menu, popped up when we clicked the start button, which has now been replaced with a Start Screen.

In Windows 8, the start screen uses dynamic app tiles instead of static computer icons which the user must touch to perform its function. The same kind of live tiles and data have been used in Windows Phone's home screen.

• Theme

The Aero Glass theme of Windows Vista and Windows 7 has been replaced with a Metro-style theme in Windows 8.

• Windows Desktop Gadgets

Popular desktop gadgets which were used in Windows 7 such as Calendar, Clock, Shutdown, CPU meter, Feed Headlines, Notes etc. will be no longer available.

Most of these gadgets will appear on Windows 8 Start Screen.

• Update Notifications

In Windows 7, we got our update notifications via system stray icon and balloon messages.

In Windows 8, all system and update messages will be shown on login and lock screens, so you might not even see them if you automatically log into your PC.

• Backup & Restore

In Windows 7, the Backup and Restore feature that allowed users to create system and files backups and restore from them.

In Windows 8, this feature has been replaced by a new feature called File History.

• Searching Files & Folders

In Windows 7, searching for files and folders was done through the search bar embedded in the start menu and windows explorer. The search bar allows users to find anything, anywhere on the computer by revealing its original file location.  There is an easy shortcut to Control Panel, where you can view and modify computer settings. The start menu has shortcuts to access various document, music and videos folder in one click. It simply takes one click to shutdown the computer, lock or hibernate system, or switch to another user.

In Windows 8, the only way to locate files and folders on the system is the charms bar that remains transparent on the home screen and lets you access to all the key features. These appear when you mouse to the right side of the screen or swipe in from the right on a touch screen. The Settings charm gives you quick access to basics such as volume and brightness controls, as well as putting your PC to sleep or restarting it.

• New Dialog Box For Copying

The new version of Windows Explorer in Windows 8 brings all of your file copy/ file move jobs into a single window, instead of managing multiple windows. You can also pause or stop copy jobs, easily manage file-name collisions  and get more details about the copy job, such as the speed of data transfer, more accurate estimate of time remaining etc.

• Personalization

In Windows 8, you can extend your home screen personalization. You can re-organize tiles, add tiles, group tiles, or remove tiles that you don’t need. You can configure the tiles to be live or not.

Conclusion

Wrapping up this post we would like to state that whether or not a user should upgrade to Windows 8 depends entirely upon their choice. Windows 7 is still powerful and popular. If the user feels that they aren’t impressed with Windows 8 they can continue using Windows 7.

Windows 8 is beautiful, it’s fast, and most importantly, it’s easy to use. It offers something for everyone from simple users who just want to check their email, surf the Web, and watch videos, to advanced users who need to manage multiple external hard drives.

Windows 8 will confuse you the first time you use it, but give it some time and chances are that you might not want to go back to Windows 7.

AKAL Achieves Microsoft Gold Partner Certification

Akal, a leading provider of IT support & solutions since 1999 today announced that it has achieved the prestigious Microsoft Gold Partner Certification for the year 2012 – 2013.

This is yet another achievement for AKAL as well another proof of their dedicated & experienced support and superior customer service.

By achieving the Microsoft Gold OEM competency, AKAL can now demonstrate greater value to its customers by showcasing best-in-class capabilities that have undergone a rigorous and auditable approval process. Now AKAL is in a perfect position to benefit most from the current market trends. With the Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 operating systems, AKAL has an unprecedented opportunity to capitalize on the demand for new PCs and server services it specializes in.

Combined with Microsoft’s ongoing commitment to research and development and to innovation, AKAL’s membership in the OEM competency can help open new markets for the PCs and server services it delivers. AKAL can also demonstrate its capabilities to its customers when supporting & servicing hardware systems & solutions for the Microsoft platform.

Cannot send email through Windows Mail

Windows Mail is the desktop mail client created by Microsoft for Windows Vista. It is an upgrade to Outlook Express and was superseded by Windows Live Mail in Windows 7.

Windows Mail is better than Outlook Express in every way. You can easily use your contacts from Outlook Express as well keep an archive of messages which you imported from Outlook express. Windows Mail is better, faster and more secure than its previous mail client versions. Windows Live Mail brings together multiple e-mail accounts, calendars, and more into one easy-to-use program. You can get multiple e-mail accounts in one program - Hotmail, Gmail, and Yahoo.

Although Windows Mail is a powerful and reliable email client, it can sometimes run into various problems. Sometimes email won’t open. At other times we are unable to send or receive email from our address book contacts. We want to send an important email but our email settings are not correctly configured. At these times we need a Microsoft certified Windows live customer service that can help us provide us Windows live email help and fix our email problems.

Common Email Problems

Some of the common email problems faced by the web users are: -

• Problem in sending/receiving email messages.

• Unable to send attachments in email.

• Unable to download or save attachments received in email.

• Problem in adding new contacts in the address book.

• I can’t view email messages in other email accounts attached with Windows Mail.

• Why does my browser redirect me to the site of my ISP instead of my mail program.

• My address book contacts are receiving a lot of spam from my account.

• My firewall/antivirus is not letting me open my email program.

There are a few reasons why this might happen:

• Your email server is offline.

• Your email server address is incorrect.

• Your email server requires authentication.

• You have to activate your inbound email first to initiate the outbound mail server.

• Your ISP won't let you send email through a third-party SMTP server.

• The attachment on your email is too large in size.

• Your internet gets disconnected.

• The server times out before the email can be sent.

Following tips can help you fix most of your windows mail problems:-

• Check whether you have a good Internet connection. If you can receive mail and surf the Web with your web browser, the internet connection is not the problem area.

• Check to make sure your SMTP server address is correct.

• In order to prevent misuse of their servers by spammers, some ISPs require that you log in to their network server before sending email. If this is the case, ensure that your Windows Mail is set up to do that.

• Large attachments can cause problems with SMTP servers. Often they time out before an email can be sent, especially if you have a slow Internet connection.

• Third-party security applications, including antivirus scanners and anti-spyware scanners, can sometimes block email activity. Software firewalls can also cause serious problems.

If all else fails it is highly advised that you contact Microsoft certified Windows Live email support to help you fix your email problems and clear away all the problem causing elements so that you can check your email and send and receive emails smoothly.