There is good news for all Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 users. The November 2014 update rollup is out and available for download. This update rollup is a big package and brings some improvements to Windows 8.1 besides resolving a number of issues. It also includes all previously released updates since the last major update in April 2014. Let's see what the change log includes for this update rollup.
Tag: Windows 8.1
How to pin Games to the taskbar or the Start screen in Windows 8.1
With Windows Vista, Microsoft introduced the Games folder which was a special location to manage your installed games. This folder also offers game updates, statistics, rating information, RSS feeds, and more. It acts like a central repository for all recognized games you have on your PC. However, in Windows 8.1, although this folder still works, it is hidden from the end user. In this article, we will see how to bring it back and pin the Games icon to the taskbar or the Start screen.
How to pin Applications to the taskbar or the Start screen in Windows 8.1
Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 come with a secret hidden folder which contains all installed apps including Modern apps along with classic desktop app shortcuts. It provides a fast way to open Modern apps from the Desktop environment, however, it has no shortcut to launch it, only a special shell command. Let's see how to create a shortcut to that folder to open it directly and pin it to the Start screen or to the taskbar.
How to pin Favorites to the taskbar or the Start screen in Windows 8.1
The Favorites folder in File Explorer is a very useful way to visit your favorite hard drive locations quickly with one click. It is a folder located at the top of the Navigation Pane of the File Explorer window. The user is able to add folders to Favorites by dragging the select folders to the Favorites icon or clicking the 'Add current location to Favorites' context menu item of the Favorites icon in the Navigation Pane. Here is how you can pin the Favorites folder to the taskbar or the Start screen in Windows 8.1.
How to pin Switch between windows to the taskbar or the Start screen in Windows 8.1
Switch between windows is a special button which can open the same dialog as you see when you press the Alt + Tab shortcut keys together on the keyboard. Using that dialog you can quickly preview all of your open windows (for example, open files, folders, and documents) without having to click the taskbar. It displays your open windows in a table. To switch between windows, you can press Alt + Tab the required amount of times. In Windows 7 and above, the Switch between windows button is gone with the Quick Launch toolbar. It is possible to get that button back again. Here is how.
How to disable the Aero Snap feature in Windows 8.1, Windows 8 and Windows 7
Since Windows 7, the operating system allows you to control the size and positioning of open windows better by dragging them to the edge of the screen. If you drag a window using its title bar to the top edge of the screen, it will be maximized. With the mouse pointer touching the left or right edges of the screen when dragging a window, it will be snapped to the left or right side of the screen respectively. However, this can trigger accidental resizing or repositioning of the window. If you don't like this snapping feature of the window manager, you might want to disable it completely.
How to make Windows 8.1 show the last logon information at every logon
One of the interesting features of all versions of Windows, including Windows 8.1 and Windows 8 is the ability to show detailed information about your previous logon. Every time you sign in, you will see an information screen with the date and time of the last successful logon. The same information will be displayed even if the previous logon was unsuccessful. This feature can be turned on with a simple Registry tweak.
How to enable or disable CTRL + ALT + DEL logon requirement in Windows 8.1 and Windows 8
Early Windows versions like Windows XP or Windows 2000 came with the classic logon dialog, for which the user could turn on the requirement to press CTRL + ALT + DEL shortcut keys together before logging on. In modern versions of Windows, the classic logon dialog was removed, however, it is still possible to enable the CTRL + ALT + DEL requirement. If you turn this on, you must press these keys before you sign in or unlock your PC. Follow these simple instructions to turn on this feature.
All ways to open the command prompt in Windows 8
In my articles, I often refer to command line tools and console utilities. Previously, I showed you how to open an elevated command prompt, but today I would like to share with you all the ways to open a regular command prompt in Windows 8.1 and Windows 8.
