As many of you have heard by now Windows has been working on their new operating system “Windows 8”. While I still do not feel this is going to be a very business friendly operating system due to drastic changes in the layout/design, I do think Microsoft is coming up with some good ideas to build off of.

As the title states, once of the new technologies Microsoft is testing for possible release with the new operating system is the use of picture passwords. These “Passwords” can be personalized using your own pictures rather than a predefined group of pictures. Being able to use your own personal pictures, such as a family portrait, allows users to make unique and hard to guess picture passwords.

The way the password is designed to work at this point is by allowing a user to draw three separate images (either tapping on the screen, drawing a line, or drawing a circle) on the picture with their finger for touchscreen devices or with the mouse for computers to allow access to the computer. Users can use this alongside a normal password to make their computer more secure. This not only records what you have drawn on the image but the order you did it in as well as the direction of your drawing strokes.

One thing is for sure, Microsoft is developing some great technology that will improve overall security (though I still have my doubts about the operating system as a whole).

If you’re interested in reading more click here.

Are you eager to try out the newest installment of Windows?  Well now you can try out a preview of Windows 8.  Microsoft has released a “Developers Preview” of their new OS to help developers create new apps, and updating current applications.  With over 500,000 downloads since yesterday’s release, it looks like a lot of people are interested in trying it out.  Some of the new features of Windows 8 include a new start menu called “Metro” that runs on-top of the Desktop that will load up by default.  Metro is where you will find all of your apps; it will handle your social media needs including Facebook and Twitter.  You can also visit the Windows Store (Microsoft’s take on an app-store)and download Metro-style applications build for the new OS, including apps for productivity, photos, entertainment, and of course, games.

This is only a preliminary release and by no means is it available for use on your primary everyday machine.  If you want to give Windows 8 a try, you might want to consider dual-booting the OS alongside your current Operating System because if you upgrade your current OS, there is no way to uninstall Windows 8 if you do not like it.  You will have to format your hard drive and start over with a clean installation of your previous OS.

For more information click here.

Since Windows XP’s Release it has been and still is currently the most used operating system. Surveys are beginning to show that XP’s hold on that market share is slipping. Windows XP was at its highest usage ever roughly one year ago peaking out at about 62% of the operating system market share. Since then however, XP’s market share has been dropping several percentage points each month. This month XP is sitting right around 51%.

So what does this mean to you? Absolutely nothing…unless of course you want to have a more secure operating system and want to have support for it if something goes awry. The current operating Windows 7 has been shown to be more than five times as secure as XP. With Microsoft discontinuing Windows XP’s extended support in a little less than three years (4/8/2014) it’s time to start planning that upgrade.

If you are interested in reading more click here!

Also if your curious when support for your various Microsoft products will end click here!

Netbook specialist Acer is apparently pleased with the idea that it was the first to introduce a netbook that lets users run either Windows 7 or Android. The company announced yesterday that it will continue this strategy and use the dual-boot feature on all upcoming dual-core netbooks.

Regardless of whether or not Windows Phone 7 becomes a huge success among the average Joes, Microsoft has already written the next step in its playbook, trying to woo the nearly impenetrable enterprise market. With its social media integration and the ability to connect to Xbox Live, it is being geared toward everyday consumers more than any Microsoft mobile platform before it.

Software giant Microsoft has released the Beta version of the all new Internet Explorer 9.  IE9 has really set some impressive benchmarks with the new browser working with the language of the future HTML5.   Speed and performance seems to be one of their primary focuses, as now the browser utilizes the power of your computer’s graphic processor, or GPU, to handle graphics-heavy tasks like video streaming or online gaming.  By tapping into this technology, IE9 gives you a more immersive web experience, and delivers faster loading pages, with minimal if any lag what so ever.  If you want to check it out, you can download it here (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/internet-explorer/help/ie-9/whats-new-in-internet-explorer-9) 

Hackers have managed to crack an Intel-developed encryption code that is currently used by a number of industry heavyweights to secure HD video content and devices. In order for someone to use this information to unlock anything that would have to implement it into silicon-make a computer chip.

Whether you want to launch an application when your computer goes idle or you just simply want to mute your speakers that way when you leave the office your email notifications do not annoy your fellow coworkers, System Silencer can help. System Silencer has a set of stock toggles such as turning off your monitor, muting your sound, and locking your workstation, all of which can be activated by your computer sitting idle for a specified number of minutes. This is a really nice program and works on most Windows based Operating Systems. 

Looking for a nice tool to install to manage other applications and tools on a flash drive? LiberKey is software that installs on a flash drive and allows you to have many portable applications that can be taken to any computer and used without installing them. Basic version has only 12 Apps, standard has 90 Apps, Ultimate has 168 Apps and then is also a Platinum version for people who would like to customize which apps are installed. http://www.liberkey.com/ 

Software GIANT Microsoft(R) is reportedly going to be making hundreds of job cuts to its workforce in efforts towards the industry moving towards cloud computing, according to various reports.  A very “insignificant” amount of jobs are going to be diminished when compared to Microsoft’s 88,000+ workforce.  I sense similar trends in the IT industry as more and more solution providers begin to embrace and implement what seems to be the inevitable; cloud computing.

Samson, Tedd. "Microsoft Cuts Jobs as Part of Core Shift to Cloud ". InfoWorld.

http://www.hpcinthecloud.com/news/Microsoft-Cuts-Jobs-as-Part-of-Core-Shift-to-Cloud-98030954.html.

If you are suffering from a slow startup on your Windows based machine then I would give StartUpLite a try.  Malwarebytes has created a safe, easy, and efficient way to eliminate those unnecessary applications that automatically start when you turn on your computer. The program allows you to disable or remove unnecessary startup entries from your computer which in return will dramatically help shorten the startup time of your computer.

StartUpLite is a free application that works on most Windows based machines and can be found at http://www.malwarebytes.org/startuplite.php.

Ford Motor Co. and Google have joined forces to make it easier to get where you’re going. Ford announced on Tuesday that it plans to add Google Maps to in-vehicle Ford Sync communications systems installed in select Ford and Lincoln Mercury vehicles. The Google maps update is designed to let people send Google Maps from their computer or smart phone straight to their vehicle.

You can expect to see the new Google Maps update on all models equipped with Sync by July 1^st on all 2010 and 2011 models.

Cryogenic FileSplitter is a simple file splitter program with a real easy to use drag and drop interface. You can specify how many sections you want the file to be split into. It also displays each segment size so that you can see how big each segment is going to be before you split it.

Cryogenic FileSplitter is a free portable application and will work on most Windows Operating Systems. I personally tested it on Windows 7 and had no issues.  

Most of us have experienced grazing the touchpad on our laptop as we are typing up a long story, then looking up at your screen and realize that the cursor has jumped around several times. Yes it is very frustrating and there is a easy fix for it. Touchfreeze is a free open-source utility that disables your touchpad as soon as you start typing, and then it will re-enable it as soon as you stop typing. Yes you can go into your Control Panel and disable your touchpad, but when you want to use it next time you have to go back in there and re-enable it. This tool saves you alot of time and no longer will you have to worry about that cursor moving around on you when you are typing.

 Touchfreeze sits in the system tray and you can have it auto start when your system boots up. Touchfreeze works with Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003/2008, and Windows 7.

There are alot of great Anti-Virus programs out there that help to keep your computer safe from viruses, but what happens when it just isn't enough and your computer is now infected with tons of Trojans and you can't use it. Well thats when you would use a Rescue CD, and the free AVG Rescue CD would be your best bet. The AVG Rescue CD comes as an ISO Image that can be burned to a disc or you can download a compressed version that can be installed on to a bootable flash drive. Then you would boot the computer from the CD or Flash Drive, which ever you prefer.

Once you decide on how you want to boot the program up you will see a menu like the one I have below, from here you can simply scan for viruses, edit files, and even edit the registry.

The AVG Rescue CD is free to download directly from AVG's website at http://www.avg.com/us-en/avg-rescue-cd#tba1. This is a great tool for any IT Professional and something you should add to your tool kit. If you have any problems installing the AVG Rescue CD you can find a complete walk through on AVG's website. They even have video tutorials to walk you through the whole process.

JDownloader is a JAVA based tool that works on Windows, Mac, and even Linux. This tool completely automates the downloading process from popular downloading sites such as (RapidShare and MegaUpload) and makes them more tolerable. You can feed links, or you can add links for multi-part downloads and insert them into JDownloader and it will automate the process, tweak wait times, auto-recoonect if you happen to get disconnected, or you can even set a schedule on it.

 JDownloader works on a stand-alone application or you can integrate it into FireFox with the popular FlashGot extension.

With Apples recent release of the iPad, that seems to be changing the tablet market as we know it, comes a new tablet style wonder being released by HP that could possibly be the "iPad killer."  This tablet will have the following specs: 1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor, an 8.9-inch, multi-touch display, 32 or 64 GB of Flash storage, and 1 GB of DDR RAM, according to Engadget.  This tablet will also run Microsoft's latest operating system Windows 7 Home Premium, feature a built in VGA web cam, and support full 1080p, high definition resolution thanks to an Intel UMA graphics chip.  HP has not officially released the specs, but be on the lookout for this to debut soon.

LookInMyPc is a great tool to dig down deep in your computer to find specs and details about the computer. Anywhere from chipset details to how big your computer hard drive is. LookInMyPC is designed to work with Windows 2000, 2003, XP, and Vista, but I ran it on Windows 7 with no issues. This utility does not make any changes to any system files or programs installed on the computer.

Toshiba has just released their new portable hard drive lineup that is mainly used for easy to use computer backups.  This USB drive weighs in at only 6.3 ounces, and stacks up to be 3.1 inches wide and 4.7 inches long.  Five colors and four storage capacities are currently available which include: 500GB, 640GB, 750GB, and 1TB which start out at $120 and goes to $200.  The drives comes pre-loaded with Windows NTI BackupNow EZ software which allows users to make backups of their system and/or files, as well as better file searching and a simple solution to restore "lost" or deleted files.  The option to completely backup your Windows system, allowing users to restore selected files even if Windows becomes corrupt and will not start is probably my favorite feature.  Way to go Toshiba! 

Microsoft's super popular mail client Outlook will now have some new integration with social networking sites.  For all you Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, and LinkedIn junkies, you can now read those precious updates right from Outlook.  "The Outlook Connector brings together communications, history, contact information, and professional and social networking information into the Outlook experience," Microsoft spokesperson Dev Balasubramanian stated.  Some of the sites will even provide the ability to transfer contact data right into an Outlook contact card.  For a little taste of what's to come, you can download the LinkedIn Outlook connecter at http://blog.linkedin.com/2010/02/17/linkedin-microsoft-outlook/ for Outlook 2007. 

Spyware removal tool SUPERAntiSpyware has released a portable version of their application, and, just like the installed version, it easily removes most infections on your computer.

When you go to download the application you will notice the funny filename… SAS234543.com . The file name will have SAS and then some random characters. This is because many infections while stop you from running known AV’s or even exe files to prevent you from removing the infection. Then by clicking on it you still have the ability to update it to make sure the application is up to date so no need to keep downloading a new copy everyday just to keep updated.

SUPERAntiSpyware Portable is a free download for Windows users.

As most of you have come to discover, email is the lifeline we all cling to.

But what do you do when you buy a new system, or change computers and you need your email. Well, if you have a web based email account such hotmail or yahoo, those accounts are web based and reside on a server. Those emails will always be accessable from any computer that has Internet access. The email accounts you have up set up through Outlook or Outlook Express, require an expert to transfer them. We at Tech Experts have trained professionals to handle your email needs. Call us, or email us....

Windows operating system has a utility called system restore that allows you to restore your computer to a previous day and time.

The only thing most users do not know, in the event that your system becomes infected, chances are the system restore files are infected as well. The latest malware infections that claim that your system is vunerable, and you must protect it, can be hidden on your system for an extended period of time. To just restore the system to an earlier day and time will not remove the infection. It will more times then not be restored along with all the other files. Your best bet is to have a Tech Expert remove the infection.

From the sounds of it, Microsoft is planning to release a new Windows based smartphone at the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA) conference in March that is held in Las Vegas.  This phone, possibly named the "Zune", gets its name from the not so popular Ipod competitor Zune MP3 player.  The device will feature all of todays latest and greatest platform and application supports, with talks of a built in HD video recorder, and 4.3 megapixel camera.  And, for all of who were impressed with the latest operating system from Microsoft known as Windows 7, well then you should be in for a treat.  The "Zune" will most likely feature Windows 7 Mobile, according to some interviews conducted by BusinessWeek earlier this week.  This could be Microsoft's push into the mobile phone market, as they've watched Apple's success with the Iphone, and now Google with the Nexus One, but RIM still is controlling over 20% of the market with the ever so popular Blackberry aka "crackberry."