I saw this video tonight and had to share it with you all.
Very thought provoking and it makes you wonder about a future with all types of machines working and thinking for us.
It actually kinda ties in with our Windows 10 Internet of Things article I did the other day. If you missed that, you can read it here.
The video describes a future where machines may end up taking ALL our jobs. Fascinating.
Check out the video below.
Join the forum discussion on this post 
Welcome to our Windows 10 tutorial series.
We will be spending time walking you through the ins and outs of Windows 10.
Let’s take a look at how Windows 10 manages user accounts.
Depending on how many people use your computer, the Accounts screen in Settings is one of the more important features of the operating system.
Just see how lacking other mobile operating systems like Android and iOS are in this regard.
Not Windows, though.
Microsoft has traditionally presented very comprehensive account management options in all versions of Windows, and Windows 10 is no different. If anything, it goes beyond what previous iterations of the platform had to offer.
So anyway, in a typical family there may be a computer that more than one person uses.
It could be a PC for your children, or a tablet for your parents — or a device that the whole family uses.
If this is the case, then it is best to create a user account for each person. This ensures that settings, files and folders don’t get mixed up. Plus, with user accounts, everyone can personalize and customize the Windows environment however they want, with their apps and settings.
This screen is easy to follow, with options to manager local accounts as well as Microsoft accounts, formerly called Windows Live ID.
These accounts can either have administrative privileges, and those that don’t are usually considered standard user accounts. There’s also a third type of user account, which is the guest account.
Your workplace and Sync settings are the two new additions in Windows 10. Other user accounts screen allows you to manage or add new user accounts.
Anytime a new Microsoft account is created, the first time that person logs in, he or she will go through a brief configuration wizard along with the introductory tutorial for Windows.
After a new user account is created, Windows also creates a new folder with the new account name in the C:Users folder. This is where all the personal files of this new user are kept. Only that user, and administrators have access to this folder.
And finally, changing the name of a user account is only possible for local accounts in Windows 10.
Join the forum discussion on this post Thanks to the recent Lenovo debacle, more of the consumer industry has become aware of the unwanted applications that come preinstalled on almost every available PC. This is not a new thing, by any means. Who remembers when it started exactly? In the early days, the software would come in the box on CDs and you could install them if you wanted. I think that's where most of the AOL CDs ended up. But, somewhere along the line, manufacturers started preinstalling those applications. At first, it was in the form of desktop shortcuts. The installation bits were included on the PC hard drive, and when you clicked on the desktop shortcut the application would allow you to opt-in to install or opt-out to have it removed. Then, the situation took a sharp spiral downward and manufacturers would just go ahead and build the PCs with images that already included the application installed. Even the recovery CDs (and later just recovery partitions on the hard drive) had the applications embedded, so that if you ever needed to restore a clean PC due to problems, those applications would reappear. So, in reality, customers never got a truly clean Windows experience. There are very few that have ever experienced a completely clean Windows environment – and that's sad. Crapware is one of the primary reasons why Windows gets a bum rap. Eliminate the crap and Windows runs great. It runs like Microsoft intended.
I've read, even recently, articles outlining how to walk through long processes to take a PC that contains crapware, wipe it clean, and then install a pristine copy of Windows. That's admirable. But, that doesn't work for the majority of people that use Windows. I would never (ever) hand those instructions to my Mom. I can do it, but I can't honestly say I know anyone in my family that could do it successfully.
Whenever I've acquired a new PC over the years, I spent the first few hours removing the crap I didn't want. But, most people don't do that. They unbox, make connections, power on, and if Facebook loads, the task is done. They see those strange applications, but just believe they are part of the system they bought and should be left alone. Plus, manufacturers make it ridiculously difficult to remove them and most consumers aren't comfortable enough digging through Windows to figure out what's good to keep and what's not.
Like I said, this is not a new situation. This type of manufacturer villainy has been happening for years. Lenovo, which actually makes great hardware, has become the poster child for "what not to do," though almost every manufacturer is guilty. So what does a normal PC user do to obtain a superbly performing PC that is free of crap?
There are three options that I'm familiar with and have used at some point in time during my PC life. They can be used to eliminate known crapware from PCs, and help create that perfect computing environment. Before you dig into a long, laborious process of wiping a PC and starting over (scary!), or suggest the process to family members, try one of the following.
Free for personal use, PC Decrapifier identifies all the programs installed on the PC, including sifting through and displaying applications that run when the computer boots, and then allows you to choose which ones to remove. Additionally, it makes recommendations which ones to remove, based on what it knows is crap and what is slowing down the computer.
For those situations where an IT admin needs to use PC Decrapifier for an office full of PCs, there's also a Pro user subscription for $25. The subscription is for one license for each IT person that wants to use it, not for each PC. So, one Pro license can be used to manage all the PCs in the entire organization.
Except for a "favorites" feature, there's literally no difference between the free and Pro versions. Both versions function the same, but if you're going to use PC Decrapifier in a business setting, supporting the developer through a subscription is just the right thing to do.
Web site: http://ift.tt/S12AS2
Malwarebytes has to be one of the more popular decrapping solutions. I've used this application probably more the rest and have had great success with it. When a PC was running slow or weird things were happening, Malwarebytes was the first application I turned to and it always located and eliminated the problems.
Malwarebytes is easy to use and does a great job searching the nooks and crannies to shine a spotlight on pieces of crapware that elude even the best applications. Granted, there are some malware that are extremely difficult to remove because they reinstall themselves on every PC boot. Malwarebytes eliminates these, too, by running during the boot process to catch the sneaky miscreants.
There's a free version and a Premium version. The Premium version costs $24.95 for 1 year/3 PCs. And, unlike PC Decrapifier there's differences between the Premium and free versions. The Premium version offers these enhancements over the free version:
Web site: http://ift.tt/pOF8UJ
Ad-aware is probably the oldest solution in the decrapping market, and was one of the first one's I ever used. Until Malwarebytes became available, I used this. Like PC Decrapifier and Malwarebytes, Lavasoft offers a free version and paid versions of Ad-aware. But, unlike the others, Ad-aware also includes real-time antivirus as part of the overall package. So, if you're not happy with your current antivirus application, you can combine antimalware (and crapware) and antivirus.
Ad-aware comes in four different versions: Free Antivirus+, Personal Security, Pro Security, and Total Security. Each version has different features. Of course, the free version has the most basic feature set which should be good enough for removing crapware, but if you need it for multiple PCs, and need additional features like file shredding and banking safety, you'll want to review the other versions.
There's a good version comparison here: http://ift.tt/JkIHOp
Of course, as you add more features, there's pricing creep that ranges from $24 to $48.
Since Lavasoft has been around for so long, you have to expect that it has the most experience in crapware removal.
Web site: http://ift.tt/nbUBnh
P.S. Per Petabites, the Lavasoft Web Companion software may suffer from the same problems introduced by Lenovo's SuperFish application. So be careful there.
@rodtrent@SSforWindows@WinObs web companion software from Lavasoft now sneaks in http://t.co/mCXdB5Fx9F Komodia SSL-interception. #AdAware
— Petabites (@WithReplies) February 28, 2015
The great thing about a free offering for each of the three products I mentioned is that you can try out each one to see if it does the job for you. The other great thing with a free solution is that you can send the download link to a family member and have them decrapify their own PC.
You can probably tell from my descriptions that my favorite is Malwarebytes. I've just had such great experiences with it, but as always l leave it to you to decide.
Know of one I'm not familiar with that you believe is the best choice? I'm always open to testing out new options that could potentially work better. Let me know.
It has been a solid week for Microsoft’s popular wearable.
The week began with last Monday’s big update that added cycling as an activity, a very functional virtual keyboard, Cortana based dictation for text replies and a Software Development Kit (SDK) for developers to build Band based apps.
With all the focus on the Band's updates one that you might have missed is an update to the desktop sync app which is also available to sync your Band’s data to the Microsoft Health portal.
In order to get the update you must attach your Band’s charging cord to your desktop computer and then attach your Band to start the charging/sync process. Once you have signed in and started a sync then you will get a prompt to update the desktop sync software.
After the update is applied your Microsoft Band Desktop Sync app will be updated to version 1.3.10218.1.
The main screen looks very much like the former one with two exceptions:
The Dashboard menu item on the left takes you to the new web based Microsoft Health portal that was announced alongside all the other updates this past week. Then, if you look closely at the image of your Band’s screen in the center, you will see a pencil/edit icon in the lower right hand corner.
Clicking that takes you to the new Personalize Band options screen to customize your Band's default colors and wallpaper. Previously these options were only available through the Microsoft Health app on Windows Phone.
This is a solid update to the desktop sync tool which makes customization very easy.
Someday I would like to see access to the Microsoft Health dashboard directly integrated into this app for even more ease of access. Who knows – maybe there is a Universal App coming soon to cover all the platforms – that would most certainly be nice addition to the suite.
Download the Microsoft Band Sync app for Windows
This week I want to highlight another Universal App that is available on Windows and Windows Phone called Tweetium for Windows.
I suspect many of you will already know about Tweetium but I wanted to highlight it for a couple of reasons.
First, it is the tool I use to interact with Twitter across all of my platforms. It is truly a Universal App in that it is pay once and use on all devices plus settings sync across your different installs as well.
Second, it was the first third party Twitter app to come up with a creative way to work within the user constraints Twitter places on them. This method will insure its development continues when Tweetium comes up against the 100,000 user token limit placed on third party apps by Twitter.
More on that later though.
Let’s get started with a look at Tweetium for Windows.
As a Universal App available through the Windows and Windows Phone app stores you pay $2.99 once and have access to the app on your phone, desktop and tablets.
Using a common code base you can see as new features or tweaks are introduced in one version of Tweetium those same features make their way to the other platforms in a very short period of time. Although Tweetium for Windows Phone has unique enhancements for a touch only device the functionality of the app is similar across all platforms. For me – that is a true hallmark of a Universal App – and something Microsoft showed off about Universal Apps during the big Windows 10 consumer event back in January.
The Tweetium for Windows apps are also one of the most actively maintained of any I have ever seen.
The developer, Brandon Paddock of B-side Software , is always interacting with users and taking onboard feedback and issues to keep the product innovative and moving ahead. There have been over 50 updates since the software was released in December of 2013 including two major version releases.
Tweetium for Windows Features:
Now – time to circle back to the innovative way Brandon is working to insure that Tweetium for Windows will continue if it hits the dreaded Twitter user token limit.
There are already numerous Twitter apps that are no longer being developed across all of the mobile platforms because they hit that token limit and their source of revenue (new users) dried up. Some of the more popular ones were Tweetro (Windows Phone), Falcon (Android) and Tweetbot (iOS).
Brandon decided early on that he would offer a universal pro subscription and bring extra features to those subscribers with the primary reason being related to the fact those features require extra cost to deliver but it also means he is diversifying the apps income stream by not being tied purely to new users which proved to be the demise of the popular Twitter apps I mentioned earlier.
Of course, in our current environment where so many people expect things for free, especially in the app world, I have seen folks protest against Brandon using a pro subscription like this but there is a reality to be understood here. For independent developers like Brandon and so many others this is their lively hood. If they put in all of these hours of work and do not get compensated for it then good developers are not going to spend their time producing quality apps.
Big companies can afford to pay a team of developers to produce apps for them and offer those apps at no cost. Unfortunately, this is part of the problem with a perception that apps should be free in all circumstances.
I am a fan of paying developers for their efforts that result in great app experiences and in my opinion Tweetium for Windows is one of those well worth the initial purchase price and the pro subscription.
Download Tweetium for Windows
Download Tweetium for Windows Phone
After my morning run, I spent my Saturday doing two things.
The first, and most important, was to give homage to Leonard Nimoy by watching all manner of Spock appearances on Netflix. The wife and I were on the way home Friday from our wedding anniversary trip when I heard the news of Nimoy's passing. Spock's character was a real influence on my life, as I know it was for many of you. The news saddened me greatly.
The second thing I did, all while keeping Star Trek TV episodes and movies streaming end-to-end, was to test out a new gadget that arrived at my doorstep early Saturday morning: the Inateck USB 3.0 to SATA External Hard Drives Docking Station.
And, I'm glad I did. It took some of the sharp edge from my sadness. Inateck makes some great products. I've reviewed no less than 10 of the company's offerings over the course of the past year which you can find littered about here on SuperSite, on myITforum.com, and over on WindowsITPro. Of all of those reviews, I've only found one I didn't like or for which I couldn't find a real world use.
The Inateck USB 3.0 to SATA External Hard Drives Docking Station is a small, light, toaster-like gadget that accepts SATA hard drives. It accepts both 2.5" and 3.5" standard SATA hard drives. It's been a long while since I've actually purchased an actual hard drive, but I'm actually now considering picking a couple up. For my testing, though, I had a couple dead laptops with the 2.5" hard drives still intact. I removed both hard drives (and manufacturer-specific mounts and guiderails) and used those.
As most of you know, I'm an avid Surface Pro 3 user (it's my only computing device), so I decided to use the Microsoft tablet so I could see how the HD docking station would work with my daily configuration.
As shown in the following image, the included items are the bare minimum. In the box is the HD docking station, a USB 3.0 cable, an AC adapter, and a very short instruction manual.
Installation is easy – no drivers needed. Connect the power supply and USB cable to the back of the HD docking station…
…connect the other end of the USB cable to the USB port on your PC or device (the Surface Pro 3, in my case)…
…push the power button on the front…
…insert a supported hard drive, and Windows recognizes it automatically.
Like I said, no drivers needed. Windows treats a docked hard drive just like any other attached USB storage device. Recognition is immediate, meaning you don’t have to wait for Windows to do anything but add a logical drive letter. And, as you can see in the image above, it even recognizes all partitions available on the hard drive. In my case above, the hard drive is from a dead HP laptop. That's why it shows a HP_RECOVERY partition.
Using the Inateck HD docking station is easy. Hard drives can be hot-swapped, but to remove each hard drive make sure to use the build-in Windows "Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media" option.
This ensures that data doesn't get corrupted. Because SATA drives still contain moving parts, it takes a bit for Windows to close data connections. Each of the two hard drives I tested with had different "shutdown" times. One was quick (less than 5 seconds) while I had to wait almost 30 seconds for the other.
Once Windows gives you the "all clear" message…
Tap the Eject button at the back of the HD docking station to expel the hard drive from the housing like a piece of toast.
I mentioned earlier that the HD docking station is light. It's almost too light and that may be my only "ding" against this gadget. Obviously, the lighter a gadget is, the easier it is to travel with, but in this case the construction is very thin plastic. I wouldn't feel comfortable carrying this in a carry-on bag and if I did travel with it, I'd make sure to pack it in cushiony material in my checked luggage. And, I definitely wouldn't want to drop this thing on anything but soft, forgiving carpet. Still, I'm not sure a device like this is intended for travel, but for moving around an office, or sitting permanently on a desk somewhere.
Obviously, an HD docking station like this has some real benefits.
First off, you can buy massive SATA hard drives for next to nothing. With the coming onslaught of devices with low on-board storage, but an available USB port, you can increase your storage easily and cheaply. The Inateck HD docking station supports up to 4TB. Here's some Western Digital prices for examples:
Another use, and one that worked great in my case, is as a data savior. Laptops and PC hardware can fail for a number of reasons and it's always at the wrong time and almost always the day after warranty expires. End-users have a real fear of performing proper data backups for some reason, and, of course, expect the local IT folks to be able to raise the dead. In the past, I'd have to send the hardware out to a 3rd party for data retrieval, but with the Inateck HD docking station, I could just remove the hard drive and retrieve the data.
Another potential benefit, is to create a local Cloud-type storage location where more sensitive files must exist. It's easy to use the Cloud for storage these days, but a lot of companies can't due to regulations. Or, they can use the Cloud for some things, but not for truly sensitive information. The Inateck HD docking station provides a real solution that could allow companies to take a Hybrid Cloud approach to storage.
There's a myriad of other uses, but I'll leave that to you to figure out. It's easy to realize how useful a device like this can be in a multitude of scenarios.
The Inateck USB 3.0 to SATA External Hard Drives Docking Station is a great product, with a multitude of potential uses. When I first heard this device was headed my way for testing, I thought "Meh," sounds nice, but it's not something I'll use often. But, after using it for a couple days already, the gadget has sparked my imagination and I intend on figuring out new ways to incorporate it into my daily schedule.
But, wait until you see the price.
The HD docking station is a steal for only $23.00 on Amazon. You can find it here:
Inateck USB 3.0 to SATA External Hard Drives Docking Station for 2.5 Inch & 3.5 Inch HDD SSD SATA (SATA I / II / III) Support Up to 4TB, Including USB 3.0 Cable, Optimized For SSD
Make sure to check out my other Inateck reviews and also visit Inateck's web site to learn about upcoming products: Inateck web site
Microsoft held their annual opening press conference for Mobile World Congress 2015 in Barcelona today but overall most watchers will be disappointed with the lack of substantial news.
The event kicked off with Stephen Elop, Microsoft’s Executive VP for the Devices and Services unit, who trotted out the familiar theme of One Microsoft and One Windows experience that we have been hearing a lot of lately.
It is of course right in line with Microsoft's new focus as an apps and services company and we have certainly seen that in the way they are making all of their services available cross platform.
He mentioned very familiar phrases such as:
- Windows is our home
– Serve our customers where they work and bring them back to Windows
– Windows 10 will deeply connect it all together
– One Microsoft – work across all our products to maximize our services for customers
He did reveal that the Windows Insider program has now grown to over 2.8 million members and that more than 900,000 pieces of feedback have been submitted to Microsoft relating to Windows 10.
Next he told everyone about a new collaboration between Microsoft and AT&T called the AT&T Mobile Office Suite that brings centralized management of your Enterprise mobile connectivity. This new cloud based integrated office includes:
- Access to Office 365 including Lync, Exchange, SharePoint and Office online.
– Initiate and receive calls while using any Office 365 application
– Streamlined collaboration on nearly any device
– Choose from leading mobile devices
– Predictable costs and low-maintenance
Download the AT&T Mobile Office Suite (PDF)
Download the AT&T Voice Connection with Office 365 (PDF)
Then the official reveal of the Microsoft Lumia 640 happened with a very deliberate comment from Stephen that the phone was blue and not gold or silver. This was an obvious knock on the gold and silver devices that were announced by competitors.
Device specifications:
Lumia 640 (640 XL)
- 1GB RAM
– Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core CPU (1.2GHz)
– 5 inch screen (5.7 inch on 640 XL)
– 2500 mAh battery (3000 mAh on 640 XL)
– Dual cameras with LED flash (640 is an 8MP and 640 XL is 13MP with ZEISS optics)
– Includes Windows 8.1 but will be upgradeable to Windows 10 when it is released later this year
– LTE support on dual SIM models including Smart Dual SIM feature
– Includes 1 year subscription to Office 365 Personal (1TB of OneDrive cloud storage; 60 free Skype Unlimited Worldwide calling per month also included)
The Lumia 640 XL will be available globally starting later this month in matte cyan, orange and black along with white in both matte and glossy. Lumia 640 will be available in April and comes in glossy Cyan, orange and white along with matte black.
Both devices will be available in single and dual SIM LTE and 3G versions plus the 640 XL will have a single SIM 3G variant.
Pricing is estimated as follows:
Lumia 640
3G – 139 Euros ($155)
LTE – 159 Euros ($178)
Lumia 640 XL
3G – 189 Euros ($211)
LTE – 219 Euros ($245)
Microsoft News Center – Microsoft Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL: keeping you prepared for anything
Stephen did state that Microsoft’s plans include upgrading all Lumia phones that run Windows Phone 8.1 to Windows 10 but there will be variations in the available features depending on the hardware. He also confirmed that new hardware in the flagship category would be announced later this year.
Frankly, new high end devices will not come soon enough but it makes sense to have those be brand new Windows 10 devices instead of Windows Phone 8.1 handsets that can be upgraded to Windows 10. Otherwise users will view the device as not being true Windows 10 flagship handsets.
The next item on the agenda was a Windows Phone 10 demo by Neil Boradley including the first look at the mobile version of Project Spartan the new browser in Windows 10. The demo showed off Reading Mode that gives a distraction free experience much like that of Modern IE on Windows 8.1 or IE on Windows Phone 8.1. I did notice that all the browser controls are at the top of the screen which might make them hard to access with one hand.
Cortana was then demoed and shown how she can sync information across your various Windows devices – nothing new in this area as we have seen these things before. The universal Maps app was also shown off to emphasize the ability to sync your data and experience across devices. The mobility of the experience is a big talking point for Microsoft these days.
Next up was an Office demo from Julia White who apparently had to compete against the very loud music from Sony’s press conference next door. She did reveal a new universal mobile keyboard from Microsoft Hardware that is foldable, uses Bluetooth and can connect to all of your devices including Windows, iOS and Android. This is a nice confirmation that Windows 10 on phones will support keyboards unlike Windows Phone 8.1 and its predecessors.
The demo included things we had seen before during the January consumer event for Windows 10 including the cross platform experience with the universal apps.
She also gave a brief demo of the new Surface Hub.
Stephen returned to the stage and showed the Hololens video, most of which we have already seen back in January, and then closed things out by letting every know that a steady stream of announcements and reveals will continue throughout the year leading up to the release of Windows 10.
Just 40 minutes and it was over. In case you blinked and missed anything or maybe you did not venture out of ned early in the morning to watch the event live you can see the On Demand version of the Microsoft MWC 2015 Press Conference for yourself.
So what did you think? Are you excited about anything that came out of the press conference?
