Windows 8

As we anticipated, Steven Sinofsky’s departure from Microsoft has opened the floodgates for insider anecdotes chronicling the ways that the former Windows president allegedly failed as a “team player.” The latest tidbit comes from the New York Times, which reports that Sinofsky one time failed to prepare a presentation at an important company retreat and Continue Reading →

Microsoft shocked the tech world this week when it announced the immediate departure of Steven Sinofsky, the company’s president of Windows, who oversaw the development and recent launch of Windows 8. With Sinofsky gone, the Windows ship now officially has a new captain: Julie Larson-Green. So who is she? Like Sinofsky before her, Larson-Green is Continue Reading →

We hope there weren’t too many PC gamers clinging to Windows 7 for dear life, because Microsoft isn’t about to rescue them with a near-term DirectX update. The company’s Daniel Moth (and supporting documentation) states that DirectX 11.1 is exclusive “for all practical purposes” to Windows 8-based platforms, including Windows RT and Windows Server 2012 Continue Reading →

We’ve known for some time that Microsoft was working on bringing Internet Explorer 10 to Windows 7 — in fact, the company published a blog post promising the preview version would be ready sometime in mid-November. Then, we heard it could be available on Tuesday. Well, looky here! It is! The Release Preview is indeed Continue Reading →

Key to Windows 8 are its new user interface elements, and its added touch-powered features. However, while these fresh capabilities open doors, at the same time they represent challenges; users need to be trained in the new features of Windows 8. To that end, Microsoft has invested heavily in opening stores, and new ‘pop-up’ stores Continue Reading →

[wpaudio url=”https://media.shellypalmer.com/wp-content/images/usrn/121105_SHELLYPALMER_GEN_BED.mp3″ text=”Click to play … ” dl=”0″] Windows 8 has been out for about a week and a half now, which means you’re still probably pretty lost. There’s a whole bunch of tips and tricks I’ve posted at ShellyPalmer.com, but here are some of the most helpful. If you want to view all your Continue Reading →

Windows 8 is rife with features and behaviors that conspire to perplex even the most experienced PC users. Not all of them are bad, per se, but few of them are immediately intuitive. Making matters worse, the OS was primarily designed for touch control, and as a result, many mouse and keyboard commands feel like Continue Reading →

The free games that have been included with the various versions of Windows over the years occupy a unique position in the video game landscape. No one would include them on a list of the best or most influential games of all time, and it’s unlikely any of them have ever acted as a “system Continue Reading →

Windows 8 is finally here, and if you’ve ever started with a brand-new operating system, you know that one of the first things you do is download the apps that make your life easier and maybe even a little more fun while you’re at it. The Windows Store is pretty new and is not stocked Continue Reading →

Home theater PC enthusiasts weren’t too thrilled when Microsoft announced that it was stripping Media Center and its codecs for DVD playback and broadcast TV from Windows 8 in favor of a paid add-on. The folks from Redmond are offering a temporary reprieve, in an effort to reward early adopters. Windows 8 Media Center Pack Continue Reading →