allheart55 Cindy E

I think the one that came with XP (IE 6) looks vaguely similar but definitely not the same. :D

I just found by searching Google images this screenshot of IE 1.

Oh, C'mon Rich. IE 1 didn't look anything like the current internet explorer versions. (Not even close). MSIE has come a long way since the days of '95. :D

There's been much made already over Microsoft's Spartan browser project. If you're just tuning in, Microsoft is building a new browser that is much different than Internet Explorer. It will sport a new name (Spartan is just the codename), offer better performance, provide a cleaner and more streamlined interface, contain OneDrive integration for web markups, enable Cortana functionality, and support browser extensions, much like Google's Chrome web browser. But, I think it's also important to remember that boring, old Internet Explorer will still be around. In fact, when Windows 10 releases, it will come with both the as-yet-officially-named Spartan and Internet Explorer. Microsoft has yet to give Internet Explorer an official number scheme (the current version is 11), but let's assume it will be IE12. Microsoft has been playing around with potential names for Spartan, things like IE Edge, EVO Entourage, or IE Evex. Personally, I wish they'd stick with Spartan. Spartan is much cooler. So, if you look at this logically, Spartan is for consumers and Internet Explorer is for business users. But, will Spartan be a Windows 10-only browser? Will Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users be able to eventually install Spartan? Incidentally, though a full Spartan version is not part of the most current Windows 10 Build (9926), you can enable what's there. Microsoft has been working on Spartan for a while, so some of the bits are already part of the Windows 10 Builds. Build 9926 has the rendering engine cobbled together, and you can turn it on for testing. To get the full experience, do this… Open IE11. In the address bar type about:flags and hit enter. Change the Custom User Agent setting to Enabled. Change Enable Experimental Web Platform Features to Enabled. Change Standard Document Scroll Properties to On. Click Apply Changes and restart IE11. http://winsupersite.com/windows-10/windows-10-two-web-browsers-different-focuses

Microsoft is planning to support extensions in the successor to its Internet Explorer browser. Currently codenamed Spartan, the new browser will be included as part of Windows 10 across PCs, phones, and tablets. Spartan’s extension support isn’t clear, but Microsoft’s browser development team confirmed the feature on Twitter by noting that "we're working on a plan for extensions for a future update to Project Spartan." Spartan's extensions could look a lot like Chrome's Internet Explorer 11 currently supports add-ons, but they’re not similar to the popular extensions found in Chrome and Firefox. The Verge understands Microsoft is currently testing ways to allow Chrome extension developers to easily port their work across to Spartan. While the extension support might not be identical to that of Chrome, the results could be close. Internet Explorer has lacked fully functional extensions for years now, and Microsoft has relied on its ageing ActiveX technology to extend the functionality of its browser. The new extensions support is likely linked to Microsoft’s plans to separate out Spartan from Internet Explorer. While some versions of Windows 10 will ship with Internet Explorer and Spartan for compatibility reasons, the new Spartan browser will use a new rendering engine named Edge. It’s similar to Microsoft’s existing Trident engine that powers Internet Explorer 11, but it’s clear the company is moving away from having to support legacy document modes. We’re still waiting to hear a lot more about Spartan, but Microsoft did reveal that the new browser also includes an inking mode to annotate web pages, Cortana digital assistant integration, and reading mode features. Microsoft will ship Spartan as part of Windows 10, but the company has not yet revealed whether it will also become available to Windows 7 or Windows 8 users. http://www.theverge.com/2015/1/27/7925007/microsoft-project-spartan-browser-extensions

It looks as if there are screws on the sides, Mike.

The weathermen had it wrong. lol It seems there were too may variables to be able to predict this storm correctly. The snow has pretty much eased up now and it looks as if we only got about eight inches. That works for me. :D

There's been a lot of discussion around who will be eligible to take advantage of the Windows 10 free upgrade plan when Microsoft's new OS releases later this summer. If you're already unfamiliar with what I'm talking about, take some time to read our coverage on Microsoft's announced Windows 10 upgrade plan in, Windows 10 Free for a Year for Windows 7, Windows 8.x, and Windows Phone 8.1 Upgrades. I won't go into that here, but instead have cobbled together some notes from a recent discussion with Microsoft that should prove interesting to some, but valuable to most. Keep in mind that this is the "unofficial" plan right now, and things most certainly could change before the final release. However, this is the framework that Microsoft is currently working from, so no matter what it will eventually look like, it will resemble it in at least some small part. So, the "unofficial" plan at this point is to offer the upgrade to any Pro or Core machines that connect to Windows Update. This, right here, confirms that the Windows 10 upgrade will deliver through Windows Update to Windows 7 and Windows 8 PCs. Enterprise computers, though, will not be upgradeable through Windows Update. And this makes perfect of sense, considering most organizations require control over updates and upgrades. Instead of pushing the upgrade from Windows Update, Enterprise SKU computers can be upgraded using normal methods such MDT, Configuration Manager, task sequences, standalone media, or other customer deployment processes. Software Assurance is where things get a bit sticky. Enterprise customers can upgrade Windows 7 and Windows 8 computers "for free" if still covered under SA. This means companies need to ensure that licensing hasn't expired by the time Windows 10 releases. For example, say SA expires on May 1st and Windows 10 hits general availability on July 1st. In this case, Windows 10 Enterprise will not be a free upgrade. Bottom line: take the effort now to ensure your SA contract is current or will be current when Windows 10 releases. Most are saying Windows 10 will officially release at the "end of summer," meaning sometime in September. But, Microsoft is intending to start releasing new Builds quicker, and if things go well, GA could happen a lot sooner. Of course, there is a real life hack here if the SA contract did expire and you wanted to upgrade anyway – just downgrade the machine to Pro, connect to Windows Update and let the upgrade commence. There are those companies that allow employees to get updates from Windows Update, but may still want to keep Windows 10 from performing the upgrade. Microsoft is looking into ways of providing blocking mechanisms (probably a registry value) so even those utilizing Windows Update for security patches in businesses can still control Windows 10 upgrades. http://winsupersite.com/windows-10/how-windows-10-upgrades-might-work

With any new Windows operating system, there's always a bevy of features and customizations that aren't notably accessible. Windows 10 is no different, and probably even more so. In the latest Windows 10 release, Build 9926, a few hidden gems have been uncovered that can be accessed after making some registry modifications. If you're part of the Technical Preview program for Windows 10, you should already be familiar with the Windows registry. If you're not someone who has experience modifying registry values, take caution when applying the values presented here. Messing with the Windows registry can have extremely negative effects, sometimes trashing the entire operating system. But, of course, Windows 10 is not a final product yet, so you should expect some pains along the way including having to reinstall at some point. Here's the list of what's been identified so far. If you uncover new secrets, let us know and we'll add them to the list. Restore Pre-Build 9926 Start Menu Functionality Key path: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\ Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced New Value Name: EnableXamlStartMenu Type: DWORD (32-bit) Default Data Value: 0 New System Tray Clock and Calendar Key path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\ Windows\CurrentVersion\ImmersiveShell New Value Name: UserWin32TrayClockExperience Type: DWORD (32-bit) Default Data Value: 0 New Logon Screen Key path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ Authentication\LogonUI\TestHooks Existing Value Name: Threshold Change Data Value: 1 http://winsupersite.com/windows-10/windows-10-registry-tweaks-hidden-features

They are closing all of the roads here, effective 6 pm. Any vehicles left on the residential streets will be towed.

It's been snowing like crazy here and now they are calling for 18" to 24". Enough! :real_anger:

If you're a Windows 8.1 tablet user and have installed Windows 10 Build 9926, you may have noticed a somewhat frustrating turn of events. I admit, I'm a Windows 8.1 fan, and surprisingly, I'm not the only one. Over the last couple years I've gotten used to Windows 8.1. Don't hate me, but I enjoy how it works. That said, I've seen and heard from folks who are a bit dismayed over the missing Charms bar in Windows 10. It's a big change for sure, but I'm slowly getting accustomed to it. In fact, after using Windows 10 Build 9926 over the weekend, I'm starting to finally envision a final product that will actually be useful to me. Microsoft is doing good things here. Today, in Windows 10 Build 9926, swiping from the right on a touchscreen produces the new Notifications Center instead of the Charms bar, allowing you to view and manage the accumulated notifications but also give you quick access to commonly customized settings. Notifications Center has replaced Charms completely. Here's a tip for those longing for the missing the Charms bar that should make the Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 transition a bit easier. If you use a Windows tablet, such as a Surface Pro 3, swipe to reveal the Notifications Center and select to keep Windows 10 in Tablet Mode. Tablet Mode is what Microsoft has been referring to as Continuum, which is a semi-intelligent way for Windows 10 to identify your preferred working environment. Tablet Mode essentially just forces the new Start Menu and all applications to run in full screen mode to make it easier to use touch. It doesn’t bring back the Charms bar, but it does seem to make long-time Windows 8.1 users feel a bit more comfortable in the new Windows 10 interface. I'm still not digging the combination of All Apps with the Start Menu, but I'm sure Microsoft will work that out with my feedback. http://winsupersite.com/windows-10/windows-10-build-9926-charms-dead-long-live-notifications-center

It is a well-known fact that Windows 8's biggest perceived/documented flaw was the Start Screen and how it was implemented. This fact was well documented by reviewers and many users. Even after the release of Windows 8.1, which allowed you to boot your system straight to the familiar Windows Desktop, I regularly heard from people that they hated Windows 8/8.1. Whenever I would ask why a majority of the time the response was simply I heard or read about it. Well we have seen over the last 3-4 months that Microsoft is making a significant effort to bring back familiarity to the more than 1.5 billion users of Windows around the world by building Windows 10 in a way that merges the Start Screen of Windows 8/8.1 and the Start Menu of Windows 7. In their initial release of the Windows 10 Technical Preview last October and the additional builds we saw before the end of 2014 the new merged Start Men/Screen on Windows 10 was well received. It was very customizable and you could remove every pinned Live Tile from it and just have the regular vertical Start Menu or expand the size of the Live Tile area in the Start Menu by adding/resizing app tiles. Fast forward to last week and Microsoft’s big consumer related announcement leading up to the release of their latest build of Windows 10 Technical Preview (Build 9926). In this latest build we see not only the Start Menu/Live Tile combination that is familiar from last year’s Windows 10 Technical Preview builds. We also finally get to put our eyes on the revised Start Screen that can go full screen and into what Microsoft has labelled Tablet Mode. This option can be invoked through Continuum, the Tablet Mode button in the new Notification Center or by simply clicking the expand button in the upper right hand corner of the Start Menu. This new iteration of the Windows 10 Start Screen is also customizable as you can add/remove whichever Live Tiles you want however, it comes with two new additions compared to the Windows 8/8.1 version of the Start Screen. As you can see in the above image your Windows 10 Start Screen no longer contains just your layout of Live Tiles which can be panned horizontally but also has the vertical menu of items similar to the Start Menu and the familiar desktop Taskbar. Under the Taskbar Properties there are only options for the Start Menu and those options are to display recently opened programs in the Start Menu alone or to also show them in the Taskbar. It looks like Microsoft has not only brought back the Start Menu but they have brought it back in two sizes. One familiar to anyone who has used Windows 7 and earlier versions of Windows and then a full screen version of the Start Menu. Windows 8/8.1 may have been perceived as having crossed too far into the touch based world but the one area I think they got right in touch was the Start Screen. The Live Tiles made great tap targets however, keeping the vertical menu list and the taskbar on the full Start Screen is contrary to those advances made in Windows 8/8.1. I understand the desire to re-assure desktop customers on both the consumer and business side of the road that they are bringing back familiarity but I hope they do not go too far in the other direction and erase the gains and innovations that Windows 8 did bring to the OS. Luckily this is a technical preview and not its final version so maybe this is a test to try out the waters for this new iteration of the Start Screen. http://winsupersite.com/windows-10/microsoft-taking-windows-10-start-screen-wrong-direction

Everyone is buying milk, bread etc. before the major snowstorm really hits.

They are forecasting another 16 to 20 inches of snow between now and Tuesday afternoon. We already have almost five inches and I'm not looking for more. Enough is enough. People are getting stocked up. I guess everyone had the same idea as me. No surprise there.....

If you're be looking for information about Windows Update processing in Windows 10, you should know about a change that is introduced with Build 9926. In the past, the WindowsUpdate.log file (location: %windir%\Windowsupdate.log) provided information about updates downloaded and installed, and whether update installations were successful or not, among other things. If you open the WindowsUpdate.log file in Windows 10 Build 9926, you'll be met with a placeholder message: The "go" link (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=518345) in the WindowsUpdate.log file message points to a non-existent KB Article (though it currently lands on the Windows Insider front page), but that article should go live eventually to describe the how to troubleshoot Windows Update issues in Windows 10. In the interim, you can get a good understanding of Event Tracing for Windows, in a Microsoft blog post from 2009, entitled: ETW (Event Tracing For Windows) – what it is and useful tools. Obviously, what will be introduced in Windows 10 will be a much improved version of ETW than what was presented in 2009. Thanks to Susan Bradley (MVP, and Patching maven) for the heads-up. http://winsupersite.com/windows-10/windows-update-logging-change-windows-10-build-9926

If you've installed Windows 10 Build 9926 and find that some apps work and some apps don't, the fix could be as easy as registering the apps. In particular, some early testers have found that apps like Cortana, the beta Store, and others either won't launch at all, or start to launch but hang on the app's splash screen. The potential fix goes back to similar issues experienced during earlier Builds, which includes executing a PowerShell command at an elevated command prompt. The PowerShell command: http://winsupersite.com/windows-10/fixing-windows-10-apps-wont-launch-or-hang-apps-splash-screen

Absolutely.

It's not usually the smartest thing to do. Dell and HP are actually known for pulling this. They will sell the RAM to unsuspecting customers as "backwards compatible". Many times it will work for a period of time until all of a sudden, it doesn't. :D

Thanks for letting us know, Bob. I have noticed some mild quirks but nothing to be concerned about.

Microsoft this week, at its Windows 10 extravaganza in Redmond, announced that Windows 10 will be a free upgrade for users of Windows 7 and Windows 8 systems once the new operating system releases. And, even though Terry Myerson clearly said that the upgrade is free, the details of the statement continue to be parsed out in excruciating and annoying detail. Here again, is exactly what Terry said, and even reiterated later in a blog post: This is more than a one-time upgrade: once a Windows device is upgraded to Windows 10, we will continue to keep it current for the supported lifetime of the device – at no additional charge. Many are spending just too many cycles trying to figure out which word in Terry's statement to emphasize, believing that Microsoft is trying to sneak one over on them – basically offering a free upgrade in one hand but hiding a bombshell in the other. The bottom line is that this is a free upgrade, no strings attached. Note that this offer is only good for consumers – it doesn’t apply to businesses. And, that's where this actually gets a bit sticky and where folks should be spending concerns. I'll be spending some time over the next week deciphering some new business licensing rules for Windows 10, how it will be offered as an upgrade, and what it will cost going forward. Stay tuned for that. Windows 10 Build 9926 rolled out yesterday. Both Fast ring and Slow ring users received it at the same time. This is a first since Microsoft instituted the two ring deployment process. Windows Insider chief, Gabe Aul, stated the reason is simply because a new Build didn't deliver in December and Insiders were both hungry for a new Build and hankering to get their hands on the new features announced this week at the Windows 10 event. We'll be digging into some of the more important new features this next week. I forget the exact number, but this week's Windows 10 event caused around 200,000 new signups to happen for the Windows Insider program. That means there's a lot of Windows Insider newbies wanting to install the new Build, most of which are running Windows 7 and Windows 8. So, with this and Microsoft professing the free upgrade deal, Build 9926 comes with an upgrade feature which will be used for testing the final upgrade process. Access to this feature is available for Windows 7 and Windows 8 users inside the Windows Update component in Control Panel after you install a special preparation tool from the Windows Insider web site. Of course, you must first be a member of the Windows Insider program. If you choose this option, let us know how it works for you. I tested on a single, Windows 8.1 machine and the process was clean. It did take a considerable amount of time to complete, requiring the download and a reboot before the upgrade actually kicked off, but it worked just fine. Upgrading means you retain your settings and applications versus a brand new installation that wipes out everything and leaves you with a stark, pristine Windows 10 environment. Please note that Windows 10 is still very much a beta product. Unless you're a technical guru, install any Windows 10 Build on a test machine, not one you count on for everyday use. There are a number of issues already reported by testers and even some known issues already communicated by Microsoft. One of the issues important to know for the upgrade is that Windows 10 does not yet support installing on a compressed drive. http://winsupersite.com/windows-10/upgrade-windows-7-or-8-latest-windows-10-build