Microsoft Support & Discussions
Free PC Help Forum microsoft products support and discussions. If you need help with Microsoft Windows, Windows Server software, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Azure or any other Microsoft product you can post here. If you want to discuss Microsoft and their line of products you can do that here also.
82,245 topics in this forum
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Our favorite photography accessories for iPhone
by Guest Allyson Kazmucha- 0 replies
- 47 views
If you want to take your iPhone photography to the next level, there's lot of accessories out there to help you do just that. As iPhone optics and the software behind them get better and better, it's becoming easier than ever to leave our DSLRs and point and shoot cameras at home. Whether you want to stabilize your shots, add some beefier lens options, or take better selfies, here are some of the iPhone photography accessories we're using around iMore! Glif The Glif has been around for quite a while and serves as a tripod mount for your iPhone. The universal Glif will fit almost any iPhone you throw at it and has standard size threads, meaning it should f…
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Is the mid-range Mac mini worth the extra money?
by Guest Peter Cohen- 0 replies
- 31 views
Going from the $499 Mac mini to the $699 Mac mini buys you a faster processor, faster graphics, and more RAM. If you're on a budget, however, is that extra $200 money well spent, or money you're better off no spending? If every dollar counts. If you're on a limited budget, will you get your mid-range Mac mini money's worth? In today's Mac Help column, a reader asks us just that. K.F. writes: I'm on an extremely limited budget, and even $699 is a lot to spend on a computer. Is the mid-range Mac mini worth the money? Mac Help Every Tuesday our Peter Cohen brings you Mac Help — a column where you can get your OS X questions answered and problems sol…
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Should you get AppleCare+ for the Apple Watch?
by Guest Rene Ritchie- 0 replies
- 41 views
Every Apple Watch comes with AppleCare but also with the option to upgrade to AppleCare+ The free level of AppleCare includes a one year limited warranty on hardware repairs, and 90 days of free technical support. AppleCare+ extends the hardware warranty and technical support to two years and adds coverage for up to two incidents of accidental damage — though there's an additional service fee for those. So, is it worth it? AppleCare vs. AppleCare+ To make sure everyone understands the difference, anyone and everyone who buys an Apple Watch from Apple automatically gets the free level of AppleCare, which includes: 1 year limited hardware warranty (2 year…
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'Becoming Steve Jobs' now available on iBooks, Kindle, Audible, and more
by Guest Rene Ritchie- 0 replies
- 42 views
Becoming Steve Jobs, the unofficial biography of Apple's co-founder that even in pre-released gained accolades far beyond the official one, is now available for purchase. Written by Brent Schlender and Rick Tetzeli, the book covers the life of Steve Jobs, and includes interviews with Apple executives like Tim Cook. $12.99 - iBooks - Download now $15.60 - Kindle - Download now $35.00 - Audible - Download now Becoming Steve Jobs takes on and breaks down the existing myth and stereotypes about Steve Jobs. The conventional, one-dimensional view of Jobs is that he was half-genius, half-jerk from youth, an irascible and selfish leader who slighted friends and fam…
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On the Apple Watch and OLED displays
by Guest Rene Ritchie- 0 replies
- 58 views
All Apple has said about the Apple Watch display is that it's 'flexible Retina', yet it's widely believed to be OLED. That's interesting because Apple has thus far eschewed OLED (organic light-emmitting diode) displays for iPhone and iPad due to what the company said were the compromises needed to produce the panel at those sizes. A look back at things like PenTile and over-saturation in generations past makes that point hard to argue. Modern OLED, however, has improved considerably. At Apple Watch size, where power efficiency is the priority, those compromises start to fall in OLED's favor. How much of a challenge developers will face designing for small OLED scree…
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Announcing the availability of Azure App Service
by Guest Bill Staples- 0 replies
- 52 views
In a mobile-first, cloud-first world, companies are using apps to connect with and better engage their customers, partners, and employees anywhere, and on any device. They are relying on developers to build those apps with increasing speed –that can connect to popular services and on-premises systems and autoscale as the business needs. Today, I’m excited to announce Azure App Service, a unique new service which helps developers deliver cross-platform, cloud-connected apps faster than ever before. App Service is a one-of-a-kind cloud service which allows developers to easily build employee, partner and customer-facing apps for any platform or device. This solution inte…
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Third part of 'Game of Thrones' game series due March 24 for Mac, March 26 for iOS
by Guest John Callaham- 0 replies
- 38 views
The third episode of Telltale Games' six-part adventure game based on the Game of Thrones HBO TV series from HBO is due for the Mac March 24, followed by the iOS version March 26. The third part is titled "The Sword in the Darkness" and Telltale has released a quick story summary of what to expect in this episode: Asher, the exile, heads to Mereen in search of an army to take on the Whitehills. Meanwhile, far across land and sea in Westeros, Mira must deal with the lethal politics of King's Landing. Her family's safety is paramount and she will do anything to protect them, but nothing is given freely, and her choice of allies may soon come to haunt her. To the …
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Twitter will soon allow specific location tagging with help from Foursquare
by Guest Jared DiPane- 0 replies
- 52 views
Twitter is working with Foursquare to turn your location from a town name to a specific location. Users will soon be able to tag locations on Twitter with more information than just a generic location thanks to Foursquare. Previously Twitter only allowed for locations to be tagged with the name of the town you were in, which wasn't always helpful. Foursquare has a huge database of locations, and many would rather tag their tweet with an exact location than just a city or state that they happen to be in. Twitter users will soon be able to select from a list of actual locations, such as Burger King, Target, Home Depot, or where ever they may be at the time. The additi…
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Apple seeds new OS X 10.10.3 build to developers and public testers
by Guest Joseph Keller- 0 replies
- 34 views
Apple has released another build of OS X Yosemite 10.10.3, both for developers, along with members of the AppleSeed public beta program. Developers can get this latest build from the Apple Developer Center, or by going to the Updates section of the Mac App Store on a Mac already running the latest developer beta. There, developers can also find the latest Yosemite Recovery Update. AppleSeed testers can also download the latest build from the Mac App Store. OS X 10.10.3 contains the new Photos for Mac app. The app will let you view, manage, and edit your iCloud Photo Library on your Mac, and will replace Apple's current iPhoto and Aperture applications when it …
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Instagram introduces 'Layout': it's like collages, but for Instagram
by Guest Derek Kessler- 0 replies
- 66 views
Social photos network Instagram has launched a new app — Layout — that makes it easy to combine multiple photos into one collage. Layout offers the option to combine multiple photos in your own custom layouts. Well, "custom" as far as arraying them left-to-right, top-to-bottom, or mirroring are considered to be custom. Within each frame of the layout, though, you'll have full freedom to resize and rotate your images, as well as dragging to adjust the size of each frame. As you'd be working with multiple photos, Layout only works with photos you've already got on your phone (it'd be a pain trying to do that all in-app with the camera). In addition to making colla…
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New Apple Wireless Keyboard with backlight controls pops up in Online Store
by Guest Joseph Keller- 0 replies
- 36 views
A new version of Apple's wireless keyboard seems to have popped up on a number of the company's online stores around the world. The new keyboard, like those found on Apple's MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops, now seems to have backlight controls on the F5 and F6 keys, indicating that the standalone keyboard could be backlit, though there are no other signs that this is the case. Previously, those keys were blank, with no pre-assigned function. The keyboard also appears to have a power button taking place of the eject key, which now has little purpose on most Apple devices. Images of the keyboard have been spotted on Apple's Online Store for the Czech Repub…
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Microsoft expands partnerships with leading device manufacturers
by Guest Peggy Johnson- 0 replies
- 50 views
When I joined Microsoft last September, it was evident I joined a company with bold ambitions and one eager to rethink business norms and foster a new culture of creation. This was motivating given my charter to drive business deals and strategic partnerships across various industries. In the past year, Microsoft has made a series of moves to win over the hearts and minds of customers. We’ve re-engineered many of our flagship products to be more modern, we’ve acquired companies that are rethinking traditional categories of productivity, and we’ve made some of our most popular services more readily available than ever. Our aspirations are simple: continue to grow and bu…
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Apple says 'Becoming Steve Jobs' reflects 'the Steve we knew'
by Guest Joseph Keller- 0 replies
- 32 views
It took 18 months to for authors Brent Schlender and Rick Tetzeli to get Apple executives on board with their new biography, Becoming Steve Jobs. The book explores the personal and professional evolution of the late Steve Jobs. Drawing Schlender's 25 years of reporting on Jobs, the book also features several interviews with Apple executives, including Jony Ive and Tim Cook. However, Apple initially declined to participate, according to The New York Times: Apple's cooperation wasn't easily won, Mr. Schlender and Mr. Tetzeli said in an email interview. When the veteran tech journalists first approached the company about the book in 2012, both were told executives w…
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Fashion magazine Elle offers tips for looking good with the Apple Watch
by Guest Rich Edmonds- 0 replies
- 27 views
April's issue of fashion magazine Elle will not only feature the Apple Watch, but provide guides on looking good with the smartwatch. The Apple Watch has yet to go on sale, but that hasn't halted fashion sources from prepping helpful tips and guides as to how purchasers can integrate their upcoming investment into their personal style. The smartwatch starred in a photo shoot with Elle fashion editor Sara Smith. Various styles are covered, including fashion for the workplace, as recommended by Smith herself: "Wear a sexy silk Equipment shirt, buttoned down low with a black silk camisole underneath, and add a sharp tailored blazer and man-style pants. Mean busine…
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How to update Flash on your Mac safely and avoid malware
by Guest Peter Cohen- 0 replies
- 119 views
Got a message on your Mac that says you have to update Flash? Make sure it's not a malware hijack, and update Flash safely! Adobe frequently updates its Flash software with security improvements and other changes. Seeing update messages has become routine enough that some malware developers have started using "Flash updates" as a way of infecting your computer. Learn how to safely update your Mac to the latest version of Flash without worrying about malware or adware getting on there too. What is Flash? Adobe's Flash multimedia software remains very popular for web content. Apple no longer pre-installs Flash on the Mac, but many of us have put it on on so we ca…
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HTC One M9: Can it compete with the iPhone 6?
by Guest Rene Ritchie- 0 replies
- 36 views
The iPhone 6 debuted in September 2014 and the HTC One M9 is just about to hit the shelves, but for the next 6 months they'll be going head-to-head. That means a lot of people are going to be comparing them and wondering which to go home with. As luck would have it, Phil Nickinson and the team at Android Central have just posted their complete HTC One M9 review. Both have great build-quality, great screen quality, and more. But they also have a lot of differences, including the differences between Android and iOS. If you're a longtime HTC owner, the One M9 might just be enough to keep you. If not, it might give you reason to switch to iPhone. Either way, here's what yo…
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How to fix 'iTunes Store unavailable' error on Apple TV
by Guest Rene Ritchie- 0 replies
- 58 views
Apple TV has a problem with errors. It gives them when they don't really exist. Luckily, once you know the system is broken, you can work around it. One of the biggest things that complicates Apple TV — and iTunes in general — is the content delivery networks that serve up all the movies, TV shows, music, apps, and podcasts. Which individual server has what and when can lead to search results not populating and purchased content not showing as available. It can even lead to the dreaded 'iTunes Store currently unavailable' for some TV shows when it's perfectly available for others. Here's how to fix it. How to work around an 'iTunes Store not available' error on Appl…
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Regarding web ads redirecting to the App Store
by Guest Rene Ritchie- 0 replies
- 34 views
You land on a web page in mobile Safari and all of a sudden you're torn away and dumped into some game on the Apple Store. We've gotten complaints about this — and experienced it ourselves — for what feels like a couple years. Something causes a web page, when opened, to immediately redirect you to the App Store, almost always to the listing for a popular game. Maybe the perpetrators are hoping you're so enticed by the game you download it even after being hijacked, so they'll get some revenue, direct or affiliate. But it deplorable and, even after a couple of years, it's unclear how and why it keeps happening. Apple patched Safari iOS 8 in an effort to prevent just…
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Save over 60% today on these protective skins for iPhone 6
by Guest Brent Zaniewski- 0 replies
- 37 views
The Amzer Jelly Case is made out of 100% premium silicone and is a great, lightweight option for protecting your iPhone 6. It comes in five colors with access to all the ports and buttons of the device. Get yours today for only $4.95 Continue reading...
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"This War of Mine" developers talk Mac
by Guest Peter Cohen- 0 replies
- 42 views
Many game developers don't bother with Mac support, but 11 bit does. Here's why. 11 bit Studios is the game developer behind the popular Anomaly series and This War of Mine, a powerful new game that casts you in the role of a survivor of a civil war trying to scavenge to live in the ruins of a city under siege. I recently took a look at the game and came away impressed. Turns out they have a pretty good attitude about supporting the Mac, too. In an interview with MacGamerHQ, the developers explain that money isn't the big reason they support Mac and Linux alongside Windows. It really makes sense to build connection with Linux and Mac gaming community. They'r…
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Banks refute 'fraud' allegations linked to Apple Pay
by Guest Joseph Keller- 0 replies
- 35 views
Despite ongoing attempts to spread fear, uncertainty, and doubt, banks still bullish on Apple Pay. A curious cluster of articles appeared in the newspapers over the last two weeks attempting to link Apple Pay to heightened levels of fraud. The sensationalist headlines and narratives never matched the facts, however, and now we know why — the facts didn't support them. . CNNMoney did some actual reporting: But CNNMoney spoke to the nation's largest banks, an association of community banks and Apple. The takeaway? This high level of fraud isn't really widespread. Banks also make this point: Banks get stuck with fraud costs. Yet dozens of small banks are in a lon…
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Which Apple Watch band should you get?
by Guest Rene Ritchie- 0 replies
- 141 views
[/url] Bands, loops, classic and modern buckles, or link bracelets — the Apple Watch collection offers a wide range of straps for you to choose from. That gives you a lot of choice, but it also means you might have a harder time making a choice. There are bands for active lifestyles, for casual comfort, and for elegant occasions. There are bands with pins, with magnetic fasteners, and with traditional buckles. There are bands with earth tones and made of metal. There are... a lot of bands! If you're having trouble deciding, here's some help! Two case colors, fourteen bands The Apple Watch collection comes in two different case colors — stainless steel and di…
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How to fix a blown loud speaker in your iPhone: The Ultimate guide
by Guest Allyson Kazmucha- 0 replies
- 32 views
Step by step instructions on how to replace a broken loud speaker in your iPhone The loud speaker in your iPhone is what makes it possible for you to talk on speakerphone, play music, and hear alert notifications for text messages, phone calls, and more. If the loud speaker is defective or blown, you may experience symptoms such as no sound at all except through the earpiece, crackling audio, or intermittent audio issues. If any of that sounds like something you're experiencing, your loud speaker will most likely have to be replaced. If you're out of warranty or own an older iPhone, a DIY repair can save you some money if you aren't yet ready to purchase a new iPhone. …
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Save 55% today on these thin hard cases for iPhone 6
by Guest Brent Zaniewski- 0 replies
- 36 views
Not looking for multiple layers of protection? This durable hard case from Wireless One is a great solution for your iPhone 6! The quick and easy snap-on application is a breeze, and even leaves openings for all your ports and buttons. Pick your favorite color today for only $8.95 Continue reading...
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Play legendary drum machines in your web browser
by Guest Peter Cohen- 0 replies
- 36 views
Never mind GarageBand. Here's a drum machine that works in a web browser! Roland's TR-808 is the legendary drum machine responsible for some of hip-hop and electronica's most recognizable sounds. Now it's emulated on an HTML5-based web site, along with other popular drum machines. HTML5 Drum Machine operates in a web browser. I couldn't get it to work in Safari 8.0.5 on my Retina MacBook Pro running a beta version of 10.10.3, but Firefox worked just fine. The site features not only the TR-808 but also Roland's TR-909, Elektron's Machinedrum, the LinnDrum and plain old acoustic drums too. Just choose the "Drum Kit Select" menu to cycle through the different opti…