Keeping In Touch With The Microsoft Outlook Updates

If you use Outlook email client, you know it serves as a single channel to access all your emails. Sending and receiving emails is a major part of our job and hence, it is crucial to maintain and use Outlook email client to the best of our needs. The best way to do so is to install all the updates that come along the way. To know which updates are necessary, contact our Microsoft tech support team.

In theory, the process is easy. You regularly check for any possible updates, and then download and install them, when they are available. Although you might be tempted to cancel certain updates, for example, a language update that lets you support an unwanted language, it is better to leave it as it is

The best solution is to install any and every update that comes along your way. Moreover, it shortens the time needed by eliminating the need to evaluate each update and select the most appropriate one. Hence, it would be better to check for updates once a week, preferably on Thursday or Friday to keep in tune with the official update cycle. The standard update cycle is normally update release once a month. However, you do not want to delay updating any important security patches that may be sporadically released by Microsoft.

This suggestion should be followed only for home systems or office workstations that do not have their own update policy. Your company might have its own update guidelines, in which case it is better to follow them.

There is some notion that only the original program will run the fastest and any further updates to it will only slow it down further. However, this notion is false, since you will have a more efficient program that does not have junk mail, if you maintain frequent updates. Frequent improvements in the junk mail filter help your inbox remain clutter-free the entire time.

Here is how you update:

• Go to Microsoft Office Downloads home page using your preferred web browser.
• Select the link that automatically scans your computer and figures out, which updates are necessary.
• Click to select the updates you want and then download them.
• Install the updates and close the browser. Restart your PC, if you need to.

If you follow the instructions, you will be able to install any updates as they come. Contact our Microsoft tech support, if you need further assistance.

Chrome Browser Does Away With Windows Technology

Search mogul Google has already announced plans to ditch the Windows technology used in Chrome browser, which mainly displays fonts on web pages. They revealed this while discussing some of the new changes in version 37 of Chrome, which reached the Beta build channel at the time. The preview, according to them, uses the DirectWrite technology from Microsoft instead of the old format.

The DirectWrite technology API was first introduced with Windows 7, the penultimate operating system that released in 2009. Microsoft then back-ported DirectWrite to Windows Vista SP2, concurrently with a platform update for Vista. But what posed a problem is that Windows XP – which comprises a fourth of the operating systems run on computers around the world – did not support DirectWrite.

Before switching over to DirectWrite, Google’s Chrome browser employed the Graphics Device Interface (GDI) from Microsoft, which has been a central part of Windows ever since in came out in 1985. The company had been working on it at least two years prior to that. The previous edition of Chrome, version 36, still uses the GDI to render text on web pages.

The reason of the great lag between the appearance of DirectWrite and its implementation in Chrome was that the latter required intensive relining and streamlining of the browser’s font renderer. Most of the problems came from the sandboxing, which is meant to run untested programs with a controlled set of resources. Doing this to the rendering engine stretched the process out until February this year, when the company announced they had finally integrated DirectWrite into Chrome.

This technology was one of the main factors in Microsoft’s refusal to add the popular Windows XP operating system to the roster of those with Windows support for IE 9. Incidentally, the tech giant was the first browser manufacturer to ditch support for Windows XP.

DirectWrite is a technology that is used by the ClearType Text Tuner applet inside the control panel in Windows 7, and by the XPS viewer application. It supports fonts that conform to OpenType specification version 1.5, which includes fonts with TrueType and CFF outlines. So if the extension of a font is TTF, OTF or TTC, DirectWrite supports it. Bitmap and vector files are still not supported, and neither are the Adobe Type 1.PFM and .PFB fonts.

That was some information on the new technology used in Chrome version 37 for Windows. For help with your browser issues, call our Windows support number.

Windows 7 Support To End By 2015

Microsoft has warned its customers that the end of support for the Windows 7 operating system is soon coming, the same way it came for the Windows XP operating system earlier this year. Microsoft will be ending free mainstream support for the Windows 7 OS on Jan 13, 2015, but the users of Windows 7 will be getting security updates until 2020. This move will largely affect the consumers. Businesses that pay for the extended Windows 7 support will be supported for another five years until Jan 14, 2020.

This is very much important as many businesses are right now in the process of upgrading their old Windows XP computers but they are moving to Windows 7, not to Windows 8. There are some speculations that given the popularity of the Windows 7 OS, Microsoft may change its mind as the date nears and may continue to support Windows 7 a bit longer as they had done for the Windows XP OS. Microsoft had supported the Windows XP operating system for about 13 years. This was confirmed after contacting the Microsoft support team.

It seems like Microsoft will not extend the support date this time. Windows 8 OS includes a full version of Windows 7, which is called as Desktop mode. With Windows 8.1, it is possible to run a Windows 8 computer in Desktop mode and almost avoid the new and confusing Windows 8 part of the operating system. Microsoft really has to nudge users into buying Windows 8 computers. More Windows 8 computers means that more developers will wish to develop software for the Windows 8. This will make more and more users want to buy the OS.

Windows 7 operating system has been a great source of income for Microsoft Corporation. This operating system has a very good market share even now and it is much liked by its users, unlike the Windows 8 OS. Let us hope that Microsoft will provide a period of extended support for the Windows 7 operating system, after the end of mainstream support.

By the way, Microsoft has also set an end of support for the Windows 8 OS also. The end of mainstream support date for the Windows 8 Os is Jan 9, 2018. After this date, Windows 8 may enter the extended support period. This can be considered as another hint that Microsoft may have its next version of Windows in 2015, code named Threshold. If you wish to know more on this news, you can contact our Microsoft support number. 

About Media Player Apps In Windows 8 OS

If you have just upgraded to the new Windows 8 OS from Windows 7 or XP, then you are likely to see a whole lot of different options and functions and a brand new interface in the new platform. With Windows 8, Microsoft has gone for a radical makeover in their flagship software product line. It is assumed that they were forced to come up with an innovative OS design by the popularity of the touch screen operating systems like Android and iOS, but that did not go the way Microsoft wanted.

The new Windows 8 Metro UI will require some getting used to. Microsoft has updated their OS by ditching the old desktop UI and the Start Menu, and has followed an app-centric approach in designing the new Windows 8 interface. Many of the OS functions works as an app and can be pinned to the Start Screen for easy access. If you have any problems locating the different OS options, you can visit the Windows 8 support webpage or use the Help and Support app included in the operating system itself.

Using the Media Player apps in Windows 8
Microsoft has made some changes to the Media Player application in Windows 8 as well. In the previous OS versions up to Windows 7, Microsoft included DVD support and live streaming option in the Windows Media Player application. However, in Windows 8, Microsoft has removed these two options from the app entirely. You can use the latest version of Windows Media Player 12 for playing audio and video files in Windows 8, but nothing more.

For DVD playback and live streaming options, you will have to use the Media Center app in Windows 8. This app comes preinstalled in the Windows 8.1 Pro edition. However, this app is not included in the standard Windows 8 edition. It seems as if Microsoft expects Windows 8 users to buy the Media Center app from the Windows Store or go for Windows 8 Pro upgrade to enjoy these additional features.

Media Center app comes with all the bells and whistles of the standard WMP application that was there in the older Windows operating systems. You can attach a TV tuner card to your system and use this app to watch live TV programs, and even browse through the different channels.

For more information about the different media player apps available for Windows 8, get in touch with the Windows 8 support team right away.

Importance Of Windows Vista Registry Repair

Windows Vista was launched by Microsoft as a successor to Windows XP, in 2007. The company had included several advanced features in the operating system to make it easier to operate than its earlier versions. However, the operating system did not get as much acceptance as that of Windows XP.

If you’re running Windows Vista operating system in your computer, you need to keep the registry free of problems to ensure the efficient running of the system. According to the Windows Vista help team, the Vista registry maintains the address of all the files and the programs that run in the operating system. This is because whenever the software programs and applications are installed in your Vista system, the details of these are automatically registered and updated in the Windows registry. In short, the Windows registry functions as a storage space that maintains the complete information of the files that are loaded up in your system.

Gradually, a number of files are found to be left behind in the Windows registry. Among these, the corrupted files can lead to various issues in the system and can even make your computer to crash down. Other problems include frequent restarts of your Vista computer, slow system performance and error messages being displayed. In such cases, you need to take necessary measures to clean up the Windows registry. In such cases, you can always call up the Windows Vista help number to get assistance. Alternatively, you can also resort to various registry repair software programs. The best part of using such programs is that most of them are available online free of cost.

But yes, to use an efficient and advanced registry cleaner, you would require purchasing the product. While doing so, make sure that you check the features of the tool and also some of the customer reviews. Sometimes, you may also install the wrong version of the Windows Vista registry. This can create more issues to your system because the program may not be compatible to run in a Vista system. To avoid such issues, you can first check the version that is suitable to run in your system by browsing the internet.

So, if you face any issues in your Vista computer related to the Windows registry updates, make sure to install an advanced registry cleaner at the earliest. To get more information on Windows registry cleaner tools, you may also get in touch with our technical support team.

Fixing Cannot Start Error Message In Outlook

Sometimes, while trying to open your Outlook 2003 application, you may get the following error, which can block you from further accessing the application:

Cannot start Microsoft Outlook. Unable to open the Outlook window. The set folders could not be opened. The server is not available. Contact your administrator if this condition persists.

According to the Outlook technical support team, such error messages usually occur when you use Outlook 2003 along with Microsoft Office 2003 Custom Installation Wizard. This is because here, the users might mention about a PST (personal storage table) file folder in the Windows Installer transform, by using the Default location for the PST files path option. So, the main reason for the Cannot start Outlook error is that users often specify a file name instead of a folder path.

You can use the Custom Installation Wizard to fix the issues for the future installations of Office:

• In the first step, you need visit the Change Office User Settings page and expand Microsoft Outlook 2003 followed by Miscellaneous. Now, you can click on the PST Settings.
• Next, move onto the right pane and double-click on the Default location for PST files. Here, you need to enter the path you want to have in the location box. One of them can be like this: enter %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\.
• Once you have typed in the specific path, you need to click on OK. Now, you can follow the steps to complete the wizard. After correcting the MST file, you can arrange Microsoft Office by using this file.

For resolving the Cannot Start Outlook error for an existing installation of the application, you need to mention the PST file by using the Mail icon in the Control Panel option.

• While running the Custom Installation Wizard in Outlook, you have the option to make necessary changes any Office user setting on the computer where this MST is arranged.
• First, you can click on the Miscellaneous PST Setting and then specify a default location for the PST files. While doing so, you can also use environment variables such as %USERPROFILE% in the Default location for PST files box. You can give the location as %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\.

These steps can help you to fix the common error message in Outlook. To know more about the Outlook features, feel free to contact our 24/7 Outlook technical support number.

200 Million Windows 8 Licenses Sold

The market share of the Windows 8 operating system can be categorized as anemic, especially when compared with the popularity of Windows 7 and Windows XP operating systems. This does not mean that Microsoft has not sold many copies of the tile based Windows 8 operating system. As per a Microsoft Executive Vice President of Marketing Tami Reller, Microsoft has sold over 200 million Windows 8 licenses after the official release of the operating system on Oct 26, 2012.

A Microsoft spokesperson told ZDNet, “Windows 8 has surpassed 200 million licenses sold, and we continue to see momentum”. “… Windows is a central part of life for more than 1.5 billion people around the world, and we are looking forward to the future.” 200 million sales of Windows 8 OS are impressive but it is well behind the pace of Windows 7 operating system. We can notice that it took 15 months for Microsoft to sell 200 million Windows 8 licenses. Meanwhile in just 12 months, Microsoft was able to sell 240 million licenses of the Windows 7 operating system.

The 200 million figures is a sell in number that includes sales of all the computers and laptops that are sold with the Windows 8 OS pre-installed together with the stand-alone Windows 8 upgrades. Despite reaching the 200 million mark, it is very much clear that the Windows 8 OS has a long way to go if it hopes to achieve the levels of popularity that is comparable to those enjoyed by both of its predecessors, Windows XP and Windows 7. Microsoft is planning to make some changes to the Windows 8 OS with the upcoming Windows Updates. This was confirmed after contacting the Windows support team.

Though an important Windows 8 update is on the way, and should be available soon, it is unclear whether that will be enough to boost the market share of the Windows 8 operating system. Many of the conventional Windows users were not satisfied with the Tile interface in the Windows 8 operating system. Also, there were many complaints about the missing Start button in the latest Windows operating system.

If you wish to know more on downloading Windows 8 and installing it to your computer, you can contact the Microsoft support team. You may also refer to the Windows 8 help modules that are posted in the official Microsoft website to know more on downloading Windows 8 OS.