Tech Help and Discussions

On this day in 1983, Microsoft’s Bill Gates first unveiled the Windows operating system for PCs. It wasn’t actually until 1985, however, until the first version was officially released to manufacturing—that’s 29 years ago. The screenshot above is what the graphical interface of Windows 1.01 looked like. Colorful, flat, lots of white space. It kind of sounds like how you’d describe some popular mobile interfaces today. When it was presented at a swanky New York event, the first version of Windows required two floppy disk drives and 192KB of RAM. That sounds downright ancient compared to the specs we see in phones and tablets. Windows 1.0 offered dropdown menus, tiled wi…

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allheart55 Cindy E replied November 11, 201410 yr

If you're curious how old your computer is (or when you last did a clean install), this command line utility that can tell you when Windows was installed. The systeminfo command gives you all sorts of details about your computer. If all you want is the date Windows 8 was installed, open a Command Prompt and run: systeminfo | find /i "Original" For Windows 7, run: systeminfo | find /i "install date" The added parameters give you just the original install date. If you've reinstalled Windows it will give you that date instead, but it's still handy. Find your Computer Uptime and Installation date | Make Tech Easier

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Rich-M replied November 9, 201410 yr

Well 3 weeks later my GA-Z87M-D3H socket 1150 returns so paired with my Gen 4 i-5 4670 Cpu back in business. I booted to old Ssd which I thought had Intel OS on it but it was the changed Amd Fm2 system so this time a quick empty of Device Manager and a reboot and all is well. This time it worked probably because it had been Intel in the first place. I then cloned the Ssd to a 500 gb Wd drive and I have a rather new used pc for sale as I am done with Intel for me. I love my Amd build! I also came back after a sale to a regular client with a 6 year old socket 775 board with an 8400 Core 2 Duo cpu and a dead hard drive. Too old to sell as used I decided to replace the ha…

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IceMan37 replied November 8, 201410 yr

Since firefox now sucks, (at least for me) & pale moon was a disaster for me i'm now considering the Opera browser. Is there a means of transferring my firefox information onto opera? If i can't use Opera then IE will be my choice regardless of the ramifications.

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IceMan37 replied November 8, 201410 yr

For members of the Windows Insider Program, we wanted to do a little something to say thanks and let you show your pride about helping us build Windows 10. So we’ve created a few fun desktop backgrounds to show off your Insider status. Your feedback and help has been simply awesome so far, please keep it coming! We’re providing zip files for each background with the following sizes: 1280×1024 (Normal), 2560×1920 (Normal), 2560×1600 (Wide), 1920×1080 (HD), and 3840×2160 (4K). “Come in we’re open”- Download Now! “Build & Create”- Download now! “I Love PC” – Download now! Thanks, g Our lawyers want me to remind you that these desktop images co…

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DSTM replied November 8, 201410 yr

This is the Internet, so you shouldn't necessarily believe everything you read. That being said, the following facts are pretty mind-boggling. http://www.mandatory.com/2014/11/07/interesting-facts-about-modern-society-that-will-blow-your-mind/

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IceMan37 replied November 8, 201410 yr

Do you need a copy of Windows Vista, a rather poorly-received version of the operating system? We can’t think of any circumstances under which someone would need a copy of Vista, but maybe there is one. If there is, one Walmart store has got them covered. Remember, there have been two versions of Windows since Vista debuted. While there must be some reason why someone out in the world would need a copy (Software testing with different versions of Windows? Collectors?) this isn’t even a good price for an old copy of an outdated and reviled operating system. You can buy a copy for a still inexplicable $185.50 on Amazon right now, for example. Thanks to…

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IceMan37 replied November 8, 201410 yr

Connecting to Sql Server 2008r2 running on a Win 2008r2 via VB.Net 2012. I'm using Server explorer in VS2012 to make a connection to a Sql Database. It says it makes the connection, but then the connection is forcibly closed by the host. I have checked the firewall (turned 'em all off) etc. Is there a good way to determine what is killing the connection?

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AWS replied November 8, 201410 yr

So you're interested in trying out Windows 10? Well, you're in luck. Microsoft released a Technical Preview of the upcoming Windows operating system that is free for anyone to download and install. There are a few different options for getting Windows 10 on your device. You can simply install it on a secondary PC over your existing Windows operating system, you can use a virtual PC emulator to test it out or you can partition your hard drive and install it on your primary PC. This guide will show you how to do the last of the three. While using a virtual PC to install Windows 10 may be easier, performance may take a hit because you are splitting your memory between …

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IceMan37 replied November 7, 201410 yr

ADATA Premier Pro SP600 256GB Solid State Drive - 2.5", 7MM, SATA III - ASP600S3-256GM-C Item#: VDA-102301898 | Model#: ASP600S3-256GM-C ADATA Premier Pro SP600 256GB Solid State Drive The ADATA Premier Pro SSD comes as a great drive at an affordable price. This 7 mm. drive has a storage capacity of 256GB allowing you to store your files and documents. It has the read speed and write speed of up to 480 MB/sec and up to 250MB/sec respectively, transferring data at a very high speed ensures doing more work in less time. By utilizing its SATA III 6Gbit/s interface, you can integrate this device into your PC stably and easily. Order the ADATA Premier Pro SP600 256GB Sol…

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Rich-M replied November 6, 201410 yr

Here we go again....No hesitation please this is an unbelievable price! SanDisk Ultra II SDSSDHII-240G-G25 2.5" 240GB SATA Revision 3.0 (6 Gb/s) Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=20-173-011&utm_medium=Email&nm_mc=EMC-GD110314&cm_mmc=EMC-GD110314-_-index-_-Item-_-20-173-01

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Rich-M replied November 6, 201410 yr

For Jimmy Kimmel, Halloween is all tricks and no treats. As per tradition, the late night host dared parents to tell their children that they ate all of their candy and film it for millions to see. While some youngsters were more forgiving of their parents' Halloween faux pas, others had a harder time handling the news — one little girl even threw a chair mid-tantrum. From the hilarious to the uncomfortable, these children's reactions will make you think twice before grabbing one of your tot's coveted chocolate bars

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allheart55 Cindy E replied November 5, 201410 yr

Hey guys, we had DSL for many years, I have a detached garage about 30' from the back of our house, I always used to get good enough wireless signal strength from my pc in the garage. Last year we upgraded to Verizon FIOS and the wireless was working ok since then but for a few months now I am only sometimes able to get to the net with the same pc. First thing I am thinking I need to do is to see if anyone is logging on to our network which may be causing the low signal strength? If yes, how can I do so please or what should I do to get back the to the net please?

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AWS replied November 4, 201410 yr

A little more than a year after Windows 8.1 was made available, the update to Microsoft's PC operating system is finally seeing some progress. Microsoft The market share of PCs that run Windows 8.1 jumped to 10.9 percent in October, up from 6.7 percent in September and 7.1 percent in August, according to Net Applications, which tracks activity through analyzing the browser hits of specific websites. The share-gains suggest a small bit of momentum as Microsoft seeks to upgrade all users to the latest version of its marquee Windows operating system. Though consumers didn't respond to Windows 8, which was the first to emphasize tiles as part of its user interfa…

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Rich-M replied November 2, 201410 yr

This is getting interesting. A guy I know has been having a Cyber Affair with a woman in America for 2 yrs. She told him her husband was killed in a car accient. Was getting pretty serious as he was preparing to leave his wife here and move over there and live with her. Yesterday the dead husband contacted this guy. :funny:

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Rich-M replied November 2, 201410 yr

Is it me or are the graphics skewed?

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Rich-M replied November 2, 201410 yr

Humans are great at creating myths. From Marduk and Zeus to unicorns and mermaids, there's no end to what we can imagine. That's even true with technology. There's old tech advice that no one questions, half-remembered instructions you just keep doing, misunderstood terms and more that you believe to be true. I'm going to tackle some of these tech myths and set the record straight. 1. Just delete files you no longer want I'm sure you know that if you delete a file on a PC or Mac, it doesn't really go away. The file merely sits in the Trash or Recycle Bin until you empty it. However, even after you empty the trash, the file still isn't really gone. It's sitt…

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Rich-M replied November 2, 201410 yr

Since vulnerabilities in Flash are increasingly being targeted by exploit kits in order to distribute malware on vulnerable computers, it is important to use an up-to-date version. Here is a step-by-step procedure to check your current version and, if necessary, update Adobe Flash. Is my Flash plugin up-to-date? Adobe provides a page that will tell you which version is currently loaded in your browser by clicking on the “Check Now” button. http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player.html In the event that your Flash is out of date the page will show a warning like the one below. In this case follow the instructions on the page to download and install the latest ve…

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Rich-M replied November 2, 201410 yr

Good read here. http://www.howtogeek.com/183431/htg-explains-what-is-the-internet-of-things/ Hope my washing machine doesn't catch a Virus and turn my clothes bright Red.:yikes:

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AWS replied November 1, 201410 yr

Delivering on its promise to provide Windows Technical Preview users with frequent updates, Microsoft today provided the first new release of this pre-release Windows 10 version, build 9860. The new build includes Action Center (the Windows 10 notification center), new animations, and a way to more easily move apps between multiple monitors. "This is the first update build to Windows 10 Technical Preview, and we'll continue to deliver more as part of the Windows Insider Program," Microsoft's Gabe Aul writes in a new post to Blogging Windows. "Sometimes they'll be more frequent and sometimes there will be longer gaps, but they will always be chock full of changes and im…

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Rich-M replied October 31, 201410 yr

I was reading an article in Gizmo concerning the latest "Poodle Bug" threat. They sent me to a site to see if my browser is susceptable to this bug & it appears that it is. Should i remove SSL? https://www.ssllabs.com/ssltest/viewMyClient.html

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Rich-M replied October 31, 201410 yr

He wants to be a cop when he grows up! The 9-week-old German Shepherd Dog named Batman won the Internet Monday afternoon when a photo of him wearing an oversized bulletproof vest was shared on social media. Batman is a prospect for the Boston Police Department K-9 unit and will be featured in a calendar for Massachusetts Vest-A-Dog, a company that provides safety vets and first-aid kits to K-9s, CBS Boston reported. The subject of safety vests protecting K-9s from bullets and stabbings recently came up as Rocco, a K-9 killed while apprehending a suspect in Pittsburgh, was inducted into the local law enforcement hall of fame. A week after his death, a Massachusetts …

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Rich-M replied October 31, 201410 yr