Windows 7 Slated For Extended Support From Next Year

According to Microsoft, many services in their roster will reach the end of their support cycle soon. This bears out that Windows 7 will enter its extended support term from January next year.

All versions of Windows 7 OS, including Embedded Handheld 6.5, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Storage Server 2008, will be shifted to extended support by 13 January 2015. However, this is not the same as the ‘End of Life’, which was handed to Windows XP in April. Windows 7 users will merely cease to enjoy benefits of active development, and will receive only security patches from now on, rather than enhancements and features.

Meanwhile, two other products from Microsoft, Forefront Unified Access Gateway 2010 Service Pack 3 and Visual Studio 2012, will need the latest service packs installed in order to receive further updates. There are many other products, which will also get to End of Life on the same day as XP, such as Host Integration Server 2004, Systems Management Server 2003, Virtual Server 2005 and Visual FoxPro 9.0.

Many other products will undergo the same treatment as soon as by 14 October, which includes Windows CE 5.0, and Internet Security and Acceleration Server 2004. Meanwhile, Office 2010 and SharePoint Server 2010 will need to be updated from SP1 to remain supported.

Last in the line is Windows Phone 7.8, which comprised of a package specifically aimed at fixing problems in Windows Phone 7.5, and will enter extended support on 9 September.

Microsoft has asked users to upgrade or update any product bound to enter the extended support phase in the near future, or get in touch with their system administrator for clarifications. This has prompted a barrage of postings on Windows 7 help desk around the web.

Most end users, however, will remain unaffected by these disclosures. But with things being the way they are around Windows 8, and that the company no longer supports Windows XP they will need to watch how they announce these proceedings. Windows 8 has been widely sauce-panned for the decidedly alien UI it brought in, so how could repeat mention of plans to scrap Windows 7 help? The latter is the one other OS in the line that users favor as much as XP, and may be even more.

Managing The Contacts Sorting Order In Outlook Address Book

Microsoft Outlook is a personal manager program that is widely known for the phenomenal email managing features offered in the software, even though it has a contacts manager, and a calendar program for managing your meetings. The Outlook contacts manager will help you in inserting the email address of the contacts to your email easily. When you click on the To: field in the email, the Outlook program will show you a set of contacts that you usually contact with. The program will show you the contacts in a specific pre-set sort order.

You need to be careful while changing the sorting order, as an improper sort technique will mess up all your contacts. It is better to set the contacts in a First Last method. However, you can easily change the sorting order by following the simple instructions given below.

Instructions 

• Double click on the icon of the Outlook email manager program that is found in the desktop of the computer. When the application window appears on the screen, click on the File tab and then on the option named as Info. Click on the Account Settings tab in the drop down menu and then on Address Books found in the context menu. Click on the button named as Change found under the Outlook Address Book tab. 
• Now you will be able to see the options to change the sort settings of the contacts in the Outlook address book. Change the sort settings to your choice. 
• The default sort method is the File As (Last, First). This can be changed by following the instructions given below. 
• Click on the Tools tab that is found in the top side of the application window and then on the Options tab found under the drop down menu. 
• You will be able to see a button that is labeled as Contact Options, click on it for changing contacts settings in the File As section. This can also be changed for an individual contact basis by editing the File As field of the specific contact. 

If you follow the simple instructions given above, you will be able to change the sorting order of contacts in the Outlook email manager program. If you are not able to change the sorting order, feel free to contact the Outlook help and support site for further help and support.

Microsoft Releases Updated Xbox One SmartGlass App

The SmartGlass app converts your smartphone into a second screen or remote control device for the Xbox One console you are using. This app was first released back in 2012 for the Xbox 360 consoles. With the release of the Xbox One console, Microsoft has introduced many new features to the SmartGlass app.

About the new features in the Xbox One SmartGlass app

Microsoft released SmartGlass app versions for Apple iOS as well Google Android. This has clearly increased the popularity of the SmartGlass app with more and more Xbox users now downloading this app online. The latest updated to this turns it into a universal remote, which you can use with your cable or satellite set-top box. The update also adds the TV guide feature to the SmartGlass app.

Also, Microsoft has added options in the SmartGlass app for comparing the gaming scores and other achievements of your fellow Xbox Live members. With this new update, you can watch Twitch online broadcasts using the SmartGlass app. Also, the app home screen has been updated.

Microsoft also has a whole list of Xbox gaming titles that now supports the SmartGlass app. You can find more information about the SmartGlass-compatible games at the official Xbox SmartGlass website or by contacting Windows Live chat support online.

Netflix and Hulu Plus apps now available to all Xbox One users

Microsoft also released some updated for the Xbox One operating system. With this update, the Netflix and Hulu Plus apps will be available to all Xbox One users. Until now, these apps video streaming apps were only available to the Xbox Live Gold service members. With more and more users now using video streaming apps like Netflix and Hulu for watching TV programs, movies, etc, Microsoft has decided to make these apps available to all Xbox One users.

With the new update, it is now possible to add external hard drives to the Xbox One gaming console. You have to use USB 3.0 supported hard drives of minimum 256 GB storage capacity. This option will surely help the Xbox One users stores all their gaming and entertainment content on external hard drives and also for creating backups. An automatic sign-in option has also been included in this update.

For details about Microsoft’s Xbox One updates visit the Microsoft Xbox website or contact Windows Live chat support online.

Speeding Up The Windows 7 Operating System

Windows 7 operating system is fast becoming the most popular operating system as Windows 8 continues to become even more ghastly after every update. Microsoft 7 is both stable and features a faster booting cycle than most previous versions of Windows. A system with a faster boot cycle itself gives an illusion of running a faster system! Even after 6 years of its launch and release of a successor, users continue to make a beeline for the Windows 7 operating system!

To know how to speed up your Windows 7 operating system, you can either contact our Windows tech support team or read and follow the instructions written below.

Instructions

• By default, Windows 7 only uses a single core to boot up. If you have a multi-core processor system, you can significantly increase the boot speed just by altering this setting. The process to change this setting is very easy as well. You just have to click on the Start menu, which normally lies at the bottom left corner of the screen, and then click on Run. When the Run command prompt window is displayed, type in msconfig into the box and press Enter. Inside the newly displayed window, press the Boot tab and then click on Advanced Options. Among the list of advanced options, you will have to locate the Number of processors, click on it to enable it and specify the no. of cores needed to do the task. Next, click OK and then apply to save this setting.

• Remove every unwanted feature you would not be using because they merely take up a lot of space and never contribute in anyway. For better performance, it is better to remove unwanted fonts from your computer. Many TrueType fonts are built-in to your operating system, fonts that you will never be using in your life. In such scenarios, it is better to trim down these fonts. To do so, open the Control Panel from the Start menu and then click to open the Fonts folder. Move away the fonts that you don’t need to a temporary directory.

•  If you rarely every use the Search feature in your Windows 7 system, it is better to turn off the  Search Indexing feature. Go o Start menu and type in services.msc. Find Windows Search and right click to choose Disable in the Startup type field.

• Reduce the number of unwanted Startup programs. Many applications like Java, Acrobat, QuickTime and iTunes are preset that execute right on startup. To do so, enter the Msconfig window again and then click on the Startup tab. You will see a list of applications from which you can deselect the unnecessary.

Hopefully, you will notice a remarkable improvement in the system speed by following these tips promptly. If you have any queries, feel free to contact our Windows tech support team.

Setting Up Mailboxes In The Outlook Client

Microsoft Outlook is an email manager program that is widely used all around the world for managing email accounts effectively. Here we discuss simple instructions for setting up an email account in the Outlook email manager program.

Instructions

• Open the Outlook email manager program by double clicking on its shortcut icon found in the desktop. If you are not able to find the icon of the program on the desktop, click on the Start menu and locate the program under the All Programs tab. When you find the program, click on it for launching the Outlook email client. 
• When the application menu appears on the screen, click on the Tools tab located at the top left corner of the application window. From the drop down menu that appears on the screen, click on the Accounts tab or Email Accounts tab according to the version of Outlook program you have installed in the system. 
• When the new window appears on the screen, select the option for adding a new account to the application and then click on the Next button to continue with the configuration process. 
• In the window that appears on the screen, you will be able to see different fields required to setup email in Outlook client. Fill in correct details in appropriate sections so that there will not be any issues while configuring the program. Make sure that you select the server type from the drop down list as POP3, IMAP, or Exchange. 
• If you choose POP or IMAP as the server type, you will have to input the details of the account like name, email address, password for logging in to the system etc. While you go on to setup email in Outlook, make sure that you have provided the correct incoming and outgoing mail server details in the fields provided for them. However, in the case of Exchange accounts, Outlook needs to know only your Name and email address for auto configuring your account. 
• If the email server you are using requires additional server settings, make sure that you enter them too in the fields provided, like changing the port numbers or configuring additional server authentication settings. 

If you follow the simple instructions given above, you will be able to configure an email account with the Outlook email manager program.

Windows 8.1 Supports 3D Printing With Native Support

In the fall of last year, Makerbot, the market leader in desktop 3D printing, announced that they have started supporting computers running on the Windows 8.1 operating system. Microsoft too acknowledged the support and they highlighted Windows 8.1’s built-in support for making 3D printing in the annual Build Conference. According to the reports we get from Windows support number technicians, with the latest support for 3D printing by Windows 8.1 devices, users will be now able to just plug and print any objects from their computers running the Windows 8.1 operating system.

If you install the latest drivers from Makerbot on your system, you will be able to access the #D print pipeline in Windows 8.1. With this new update in place, users will be able to print 3D images directly from any application. Both the companies have agreed on a reseller agreement and so from now on, you will be able to get MakerBot® Replicator® 2 Desktop 3D Printer from selected Microsoft stores. The printer is now also available on the online Microsoft store. Each of the MakerBot® Replicator® 2 Desktop 3D printers comes with the MakerBot's MakerCare service.

If you visit the store, you will be able to get live demonstration of the 3D printing with Makerbot 3D printer. As of now, the 3D printing can be experienced from the Palo Alto facility of Microsoft and according to the news we get from Windows support number team, it will be expanded to the Westfield San Francisco Centre Microsoft store too in no time. MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer is the most popular 3D desktop printer as it provides quality printing in an affordable pricing.

Bre Pettis, CEO of MakerBot commented on the support for Windows 8.1 on the Microsoft support site saying, "MakerBot is about creating the MakerBot 3D Ecosystem that makes 3D designing and printing more accessible. We want to empower more people to create and make things, and working with Microsoft helps our mission. Giving people the tools to innovate and invent just by hitting 'print' and sending it to your MakerBot Replicator 2 is an exciting part of fueling the Next Industrial Revolution. I am excited about the opportunities this combination will bring to our current and future customers."

So if you are looking for a 3D printer for your system running on the Windows 8.1 operating system, stop your search and get MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D printer today!

Games For Windows Live To Be Shut Down By Microsoft

Microsoft is a Redmond based company that is well known for the production of applications and products that are helpful for both business and personal users. Like all other apps, Windows Live is one of the sets of services and products from Microsoft. By using Windows Live, a user will be able to play a number of games, which will make your life easy and relaxed. Recently, the tech giant released a note saying that they are going to end the support for games that are available for Windows Live.  

This was announced just after the tech giant decided to end the games for the Windows marketplace. The announcement regarding this came in the Microsoft support page. The message appeared on the Age of Empires according to the Polygon. Some of the support notes for the game were taken out of the support page for Xbox.com a little later. The message that came in the support site also stated that at the same day, the support for the game called Age of Empires would also be shut. However, the company did not confirm whether only some aspects of the game will be shut or the entire game. 

Microsoft stated, “Continue to enjoy all the features of Age of Empires Online as the service will remain 100 percent operational until July 1, 2014 when the server will shut down.” However, the doubt still remains regarding the release of this message in the support pages. Sometimes, it might have been posted accidently or unknowingly. The official statement regarding this is yet to be released by Microsoft and is expected to come soon. 

With this decision, it is clear the Microsoft is not happy with the things are associated with present PC gaming offering. Because of the drop in popularity, many of the developers across the world are pulling back from this service and are opting for other consoles. This is a big drawback and it will affect the quality of apps and games. However, the decision to eventually replace games for Windows by Microsoft may be the start of a new one. The former Steam director of business development Jason Holtman was hired by the Redmond based company to focus on a new strategy called PC gaming and entertainment strategy.

With the appointment of a person who has been in the PC gaming industry for years, the tech giant is really trying to give more time and focus on the new platform, which will change the PC gaming experience. For more news and updates, refer the Microsoft support page.