Quantcast
Channel: Help & How To
Viewing all 5861 articles
Browse latest View live

Here's how to use a Bluetooth Keyboard with Windows Phone 8.1 Update 2

0
0

Bluetooth keyboard on Windows Phone 8.1 Update 2

I'm writing this post in Microsoft Word on my Lumia 640. Absolutely nothing unusual about that. Except that I'm doing so without touching the Word Flow keyboard.

That's because Windows Phone 8.1 Update 2 supports Bluetooth keyboards. Here's how it all works.

You first need to first connect the keyboard as you would any other Bluetooth device like a headset. Open up the Settings app, scroll down to "Bluetooth," and after you've turned it on you should see your keyboard as a device to pair with. Just tap to connect, follow the on-screen prompts and you'll be connected in no time.

Once your keyboard is connected you don't have to do anything else. When you're in an app for typing in such as Outlook or Microsoft Word, the phone will recognize that a Bluetooth keyboard is connected and minimize the on-screen one. It'll still do autocorrect and offer predictions, but you've got about 75% of the display place for your typing.

You can also perform a few other commands that we've noticed so far. The Windows key to go back to the Start screen doesn't seem to work but you can turn the display off and lock the phone, turn it back on again to the lock screen, toggle volume up, down or off, even launch the camera. The key combinations will vary depending on your keyboard, on ours they don't match up to the labels on the keys.

It's pretty straight forward and it's not something that everyone will want. But it works. And it works pretty well. The big drawback right now is that it's limited to the Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL thanks to those being the only two phones with Windows Phone 8.1 Update 2. But, as the update to Windows 10 rolls out later this year, it'll open up to many more.


How to set up a Wallet PIN for Windows Phone Store purchases

0
0

Wallet PIN

You have a lock screen password on your Windows Phone, right? It's the smart thing to do in case you misplace your phone. Another layer of security is the Wallet PIN. This one is a little different. It's not required, but it's a good way to prevent accidental or unauthorized purchases by children or anyone else who has access to your phone. We'll show you how to set it up in our how-to video.

  1. Go to your apps list and tap Wallet.
  2. Tap the three dots on the lower right corner and select Settings + PIN.
  3. Turn on Wallet Pin and check the box that says 'Use Wallet PIN to protect music, app, and in-app purchases.'

Wallet PIN

That's it! Every time you try to buy something from the Windows Phone Store, you'll be required to enter the Wallet PIN. If you forget your Wallet PIN, you're allowed to try three times until you get locked out temporarily. If you need to reset your Wallet PIN, you'll need to reset your phone to its factory settings.

Will you be using a Wallet PIN? Let us know in the comments!

How to roll back from Windows 10 Preview to Windows Phone 8.1

0
0

Roll Back Windows Phone

Yesterday, Microsoft released a new update to the Windows 10 Preview for phone and you've probably realized that it is far from being finished. While you had fun checking out the Preview, you may want to go back to a more stable build. If you want to roll back to Windows Phone 8.1, Microsoft has made it really simple. You'll need a computer, your phone, a USB cable, and the Windows Phone Recovery Tool.

Watch our step-by-step instructions on video.

If possible, make sure that your computer and phone are charged. Are you ready? Continue reading for the next steps.

  1. Download and install the Windows Phone Recovery Tool to your computer.
  2. Open the Windows Phone Recovery Tool and connect the phone to your computer with the USB cable. If your phone is not automatically detected, disconnect it from your computer and press 'My phone was not detected' at the bottom and follow the instructions on the screen.
  3. If the phone is detected, tap the phone model on the screen to continue.
  4. The next screen shows software versions. Tap the reinstall button at the bottom
  5. There's a disclaimer that suggests to backup your phone. Tap continue at the bottom.
  6. The recovery tool downloads and installs the firmware. This may take a while depending on your network connection. The installation files are about 1.7 GB. Make sure not to disconnect the cable.
  7. If all goes well, you get a message that says, "Operation successfully completed."

That's it! You should now be back on Windows Phone 8.1. We'll let you know if a new build for Windows 10 Preview for phone shows up.

What's the main reason you want to go back to Windows Phone 8.1 from Windows 10 Preview? Let us know in the comments!

How to stream Youtube videos from Windows Phone to Google Chromecast

0
0

Tubecast

We know Google doesn't develop apps for the Windows Phone platform, but Windows Phone developer community fills in quite well. While we don't have an official YouTube app for Windows Phone, we've got terrific third-party YouTube apps like MetroTube and myTube since quite a while.

But my latest crush is Tubecast because it offers the ability to cast the YouTube video onto your TV screen using a Chromecast. Watch our video to see it in action.

Chromecast is a digital media player by Google that allows you to play audio/video content on a high-definition display by directly streaming it via Wi-Fi from the Internet or a local network. There isn't a native Chromecast app for Windows Phone users but Tubecast offers Chromecast support, along with Apple AirPlay.

All you need to do is, use Tubecast like any YouTube client, and while watching a video, hit the cast button and choose the Chromecast you wish to stream to. And that's that. You'll have the video from the app, playing on the external display. We've also shown you how to stream videos to the Xbox One.

While Tubecast is a free app, the support for casts is a paid in-app purchase for $1.99. You can of course try it out first since the free trial offers 20 casts. It is a fine app, and even supports budget Windows Phone 8.1 devices with 512MB of RAM.

Tubecast is a pretty versatile app, and is now available as a universal app for Windows 8 devices as well. Give it a whirl, and share your YouTube dope with family and friends!

Download Tubecast for Windows Phone (Free, with in-app purchases)

QR: Tubecast

How to dual-boot Windows 10 Technical Preview alongside Windows 8.1

0
0

Creating a dual-boot system will let you safely test Windows 10 Technical Preview using the full power of your PC's hardware alongside Windows 8.1. In Windows 10, Microsoft is doing something differently as it's letting customers download and install versions of the operating system early on, so users get a sneak peek of what is to come. But also it helps Microsoft to get more feedbacks and design an operating system that people will actually like.

However, because the operating system remains an unfinished product, it has numbers of bugs, and there are many features that don't work. As such it's not recommended to use it as your primary operating system.

Although, there are many ways to test a preview version of Windows 10 without affecting your current installation, using a dual-boot system is one of the best options. That is because it allows the operating system to take full control of your computer's hardware. That is something you can't achieve using a virtual machine.

In this guide, we're going to focus on creating a dual-boot system on PCs that only have one hard drive. For this reason, we are also going to use the Disk Management utility included in Windows to create a new partition to house Windows 10 Technical Preview.

It's worth pointing out that you could opt to create a dual-boot system using a virtual disk (using Microsoft's VHD or VHDX files), but there is one big issue... You won't be able to update to new releases of Windows 10 Technical Preview. It's not a supported option. Going this route will require you to delete and create a new installation for every new release of the operating system.

Having this information in mind, if you don't have a spare computer, you can install Windows 10 alongside Windows 8.1 using the following instructions:

Things you will need before beginning

  • A computer running Windows 8.1.
  • Around 20GB or more of free hard drive space.
  • A full backup of your PC running Windows 8.1.
  • Knowledge of using Microsoft's Computer Management console or a secondary hard drive.
  • A copy of the latest build of Windows 10 Technical Preview.
  • A USB flash drive.

Minimum system requirements

  • Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster
  • RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) (32-bit) or 2 GB (64-bit)
  • Graphics card: Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver

Make a recovery backup

Make sure to create a full system image backup before modifying anything in your system, which you can use to rollback if something goes wrong. For this part, you'll need an external hard drive with enough free space or network share location to save the backup files.

1- Right-click the Start button and go to Control Panel.

2- Go to System and Security, and then click on File History.

3- In the bottom-left corner of the screen you'll see the System Image Backup option.

4- Start the backup utility, connect an external hard drive, follow the on-screen directions, click Start backup, and let the process run.

Once full image backup of Windows 8.1 has completed, disconnect the external hard drive and keep in a safe place.

Getting the installation files

1- Register as a Windows Insider, if you have not done it already. You can use this link to register and you will also need to use your Microsoft account.

2- Once you have registered as an Insider, visit this page to download the latest ISO for the Technical Preview of Windows 10.

3- Select the correct language and architecture (32- or 64-bit), and then click the Download.

4- Once you have the ISO file, download and install the Windows USB/DVD Download Tool, to create a bootable USB or DVD installation media from the ISO file you have just downloaded.

Note: Remember that Microsoft only makes available ISO files for Windows 10 builds release to the Slow ring. If you want to run the bits from the Fast ring, you'll first have to install the bits from the Slow ring. Then go to Windows Update, change the Advanced options to Fast and update your current installation.

Making room for the new operating system

Now in this next part, we're going to adjust the Windows 8.1 partition to make room for Windows 10 Technical Preview.

1- Right-click the Start button and from the menu launch Disk Management.

2- Right-click the drive (C:) and select Shrink Volume.

3- The Disk Management utility will analyze the hard drive. It will show you how much space you can shrink in the hard drive (You can also enter the amount of space to shrink manually). In this step, make sure to allocate at least 20GB for the new partition. (For this example, I'm going to allocate 21000 MB).

4- Click Shrink.

5- Now, you'll see that you have new unallocated space. Right-click in the unallocated space. Select New Simple Volume to launch the utility to create a new partition. Make sure to follow all the on-screen steps, selecting all the default options, and choosing to create a new partition using an NTFS system file.

Changing the BIOS boot order

Before, you can install the new operating system without affecting your Windows 8.1 installation. You need to make sure your computer can boot from a USB flash drive or DVD drive. This process typically requires hitting one of the functions keys (F1, F2, F3, F10, or F12), the ESC, or Delete key.

Once, you have accessed the BIOS look for the Boot section as change it to the Windows 10 installation media.

If you have a computer using a UEFI BIOS, you won't be able to access the BIOS so easily. Go to PC Settings > Update and recovery > Recovery > Advanced Startup and click Restart now.

Windows will go to the boot menu, click Troubleshoot > Advanced options > UEFI Firmware Settings > Restart. Windows 8.1 will then boot into the BIOS, which will give you access to change the boot order of the system.

Installing Windows 10 Technical Preview alongside Windows 8.1

1- Connect the USB flash drive or DVD drive into the computer and reboot your system.

2- Press any key to start the Windows Setup, and then click Next, and Install now.

3- Accept the license terms for the Technical Preview software and click Next.

4- Click the Custom option.

5- Then make sure to select the new partition you have created. If you didn't assign any name, the label should read "New Volume". Also, it should be the partition with only 20GB of free space. Now, click Next to begin the dual-boot installation process.

6- During the installation process, you'll notice a new boot menu at the startup, which will give you the option to boot to the "Windows Technical Preview" or "Windows 8.1". Click on Windows Technical Preview to continue with the installation process.

7- Once the installation process completes, follow the Out-Of-Box-Experience (OOBE) to finish the installation process.

Windows 10 will try to install all the device drivers, but if you're having issues, try to install the latest drivers from your PC manufacturer's' website. Sometimes drivers designed for Windows 8.1 will also work in Windows 10.

Now you have completed the dual-boot system running Windows 8.1 alongside Windows 10 Technical Preview. Whenever, you want to boot into Windows 8.1 again, simple reboot your computer, and during the boot, choose Windows 8.1 from the menu.

Going back to only Windows 8.1

If you had enough of the beta version of Windows 10, and you want to delete the installation from your system, then follow these instructions:

1- Reboot your computer and boot into Windows 8.1.

2- Open the Run command, type MSConfig, hit Enter, and navigate to Boot.

3- Select "Windows Technical Preview" and click the Delete button. This step will remove the boot menu when you reboot your computer, and it will make Windows 8.1 the default operating system. Now, click Apply and OK.

4- Open the Disk Management as shown previously, right-click the volume that has Windows 10 Technical Preview installed and select Delete Volume and click Yes to confirm the deletion.

5- Now, all the unallocated hard drive space can go back to the Windows 8.1 partition. Right-click the Windows 8.1 partition and select Extend Volume. In the wizard use all default settings and complete the process.

Finally, reboot your system, and everything should work like you never installed Windows 10 in the first place.

How are you running Windows 10 Technical Preview? Let us know in the comments below.

How to make a full backup of a Windows 10 or Windows 8.1 PC

0
0

There is no such as thing as too many backups. If you can make a backup of the backup, do it. Luckily, Windows makes it super easy to make an exact copy of your entire computer using the System Image Backup utility.

Never used it before? We'll explain what it does and how to use it.

What is image backup?

The image backup feature in Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 includes a bit-by-bit copy of the entire system. This backup contains the full installation of the operating system, settings, desktop programs, Windows apps, and all your personal files.

The major benefit of this feature is that it offers a complete restore solution in case of a critical software error or hardware failure.

The downside is that you cannot choose to restore individual files. It's meant to restore everything, bit-by-bit to the same (or replacement) hard drive. (Though, you can easily access the backup files and extract documents, photos, music, and other files, if you need to.)

In addition, if you don't backup regularly and a system failure occurs, you could lose valuable documents, settings and software because you can only restore the data since the last backup.

For these and various other reasons, Microsoft introduced two new reset features in Windows 8 -- and they are still available in Windows 10. Use these features in combination with File History to keep an up to date copy of all of your documents offered a more robust backup solution.

Despite some drawbacks, it's a solid backup solution.

I use the System Image Backup to make a base backup of my PC, which includes the installation of Windows, all the latest updates, special configurations, and programs. For file backup, I use File History and OneDrive. Performing a backup this way will avoid duplicate files and an always up to date copy of all my documents.

If everything is working correctly on my computer, I use the backup feature in Windows for all those situations where I have modified something on my system that could ruin the installation. For example, testing an upgrade version to Windows 10 Technical Preview. In these cases, I plug an external USB drive, fire up the utility, and I'm good to go in less than 20 minutes. Then if something goes wrong after messing around with the operating system, I can easily rollback to the previous state.

The following instructions are to perform an image backup in Windows 10, but these steps work perfectly in Windows 8.1 as well.

How to perform an image backup in Windows 8.1 or 10

1- Right-click the Start button and launch Control Panel.

2- Click File History.

3- While in File History, click the System Image Backup link in the bottom-left corner of the screen.

4- Connect an external USB hard drive with enough free space.

5- In the backup wizard, you'll be prompted to choose from one of the three options to save the backup. For this example, we are going select the hard drive you just connected. However, keep in mind that you can backup to DVD blanks and a network share, but these options will slow down the backup process.

6- Click Next.

7- Confirm and begin the process by clicking Start backup.

The backup could take anywhere from 10 minutes to 2 hours, it all depends on the amount of data to be backed up.

And yes, during the backup process, you can use your computer as you would normally do.

After the System Image Backup utility completes the task, remember to keep the hard drive in a safe place.

Although, a lot of tech savvy users are aware of how to perform a full backup in Windows, you'll be surprised how many people fail to know the basics. Often times I get asked questions such as: "I upgraded my system and now Windows won't boot, how can I rollback?". Or "My hard drive is ruined, is there any way to recover my data?", and most of the times a simple backup could have saved them a lot of troubles.

How often do you do a full backup of your computer? What software do you use? Let us know your backup experience in the comments below!

Update: To restore your computer from backup, connect the drive with the system image backup and reboot your computer with the Windows installation media. During the Windows Setup, click Next, then click the Repair your computer link in the bottom-left corner of the screen. Click on Troubleshoot, click Advanced options, and select System Image Recovery. Now select the target operating system you want to recover, click Next and Finish.

How to customize the Personalization settings in Windows 10

0
0

Microsoft has just rolled out a new preview of Windows 10 (build 10061) and anyone enrolled to the Fast ring can download and install the new version immediately. The new build brings a number of improvements and features since the last official release (build 10049).

Among the new changes, Microsoft is adding a new Personalization section in the Settings app to let users customize the desktop background, color scheme, lock screen, and themes – all in one place.

Note: Personalization was first spotted in build 10056, but it is not until build 10061 that settings actually work.

While you can still access the Personalization settings through the Control Panel, moving forward, users will start personalizing Windows 10 from the Settings app. Eventually, Microsoft will retire the Control Panel because the software giant is unifying all versions of Windows 10, so users can access settings in the same way on every device.

Even more interesting, Microsoft is including new settings to let users enable or disable transparency across the Start menu, taskbar, and Action Center. You'll also notice a new animation effect on elements inside of each of the setting's sections.

How to access Personalization

Finding your way to Personalization is straightforward, just launch the Settings apps, and click Personalization. If you find yourself accessing these settings quite often, you can click the Pin icon in the top-right corner to pin a tile to the Start menu for quicker access.

Personalizing the Windows 10 desktop

The Personalization settings page contains four new sections: Background, Colors, Lock screen, and Themes.

Background

The Background section is self-explanatory. This area is the place where you can set a new desktop wallpaper, a solid color, or a slide show.

Colors

The Colors section is where all the interesting changes are happening. In Colors, you can adjust a variety of settings. Here you will find the Automatically pick a color from my background option. When this is enabled, the feature will analyze the background image extracting the primary color and setting it on the Start menu, taskbar, and Action Center.

If you notice that build 10061 also introduces a new dark theme in the Start menu, taskbar, and Action Center. This theme will be the default theme when the Show color on taskbar and Start menu is disabled. Sliding the switch to the On position will enable scheme color to flow from a custom color selection or the primary color coming from your current background.

Finally, Microsoft is adding the Make Start menu transparent option, which not only will enable or disable the transparency for the Start menu, but also controls the transparency for the taskbar and Action Center.

Furthermore, if you need to change the high contrast color settings, Microsoft has added a convenient link right into Colors as well.

Lock screen

In the Lock screen, under the Background settings, you can configure to show a picture or a slide show. You can also choose the "Windows spotlight" option, which apparently is a new feature that pulls random background from the internet.

From the Lock screen section, you can choose which apps show notifications, but this is nothing new.

Themes

Microsoft is also slowly moving the Theme's settings to the Settings app, but as build 10061, you'll only see the new section with a link to configure themes from the Control Panel style UI.

Wrapping things up

While there many changes new options to personalize Windows 10, there is still a lot of room for improvement. Currently, there is no way for users to customize the level of the transparency like on Xbox One.

The Themes section appears heavily under development, there are no settings to control the theme sounds, and there are no options to control Screensavers from the Settings app.

But hey, there are always more builds coming down the pike.

Are you running Windows 10? What do you think about all the new features? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Everything you need to know about alliance wars in Royal Revolt 2

0
0

Royal Revolt 2 alliance wars guide Windows Central Lumia 1520 photo

Royal Revolt 2 from Flare Games is one of the best raiding games on Windows Phone and Windows 8. Whereas most raiding games feature somewhat casual strategic attacks on opponents, Flare's take goes a different direction. Every raid is full of action, with the player directly running through other players' levels and attacking their troops and defenses head-on. I've been playing it daily for over a year, which speaks to its amazing addictiveness and fun factor.

Earlier this week we reported that Royal Revolt 2 had been updated to support Alliance Wars, an exciting new feature. Alliance Wars have finally gone live, and the Windows Central Alliance is right in the thick of things. Read on to learn how Alliance Wars work and find out how you can join our site's official alliance!

Royal Revolt 2 alliance wars guide

Royal Revolt 2 Alliances

Late last year, Flare added the Alliance feature to Royal Revolt 2. Alliances are the game's version of clans. After building an Alliance Tower, players can create an alliance or join an existing one.

Joining an alliance provides several advantages. You gain access to alliance chat, the only way to communicate with other players (besides attacking them). The chat feature has improved over time, and now displays notifications for when alliance members log in and out of the game.

Alliance members make more gold from attacking other players too. Every player has a trophy rating that determines his or her leaderboard position. The trophy ratings of an alliance's members are added up to determine the alliance's overall trophy rating. The higher the trophy rating, the greater the gold bonus that each member receives when raiding other players.

Royal Revolt 2 alliance wars guide

Of course, an alliance's members do have to contribute something other than trophies to the alliance. Each member must donate gold every day. That gold helps to level up the alliance, raising the member limit. Donated gold also helps fund Elite Boosts, temporary attack and defense boosts that alliance leaders and generals can purchase for the team.

Donation capacity is directly tied to your value as an alliance member, and the more you can donate, the more you help the alliance. Leveling up your Alliance Tower increases your donation size. It costs gems to level up the tower, so make sure you save any gems you get towards that purpose. In fact, if you find yourself donating less than 20K in gold, it's a smart idea to buy a gem package specifically to level up your tower.

Royal Revolt 2 alliance wars guide

Alliance Wars

The new Alliance Wars take place during seasons that last several days each. Presumably, once a season ends, there will be a resting period before the next season starts.

Once you're in an alliance with at least eight members, you can access the War interface from your base by tapping the "Go to war season" at the top center of the screen. From there, you can view your alliance's war History (wars won or lost) and Standing in the current war.

Each alliance is automatically matched up with five other alliances during each war season, and the goal is to come out on top of the other teams. At the end of the war, the top three alliances get exclusive free boosts that make it harder for other players to defeat them. Naturally Windows Central is currently on top, so we're on track to win the coveted Doom Gate boost when the war season ends!

Royal Revolt 2 alliance wars guide

During war season, the six competing alliances have access to a map made up of 18 hexagons called Fiefdoms. Each team starts out with a few Fiefdoms of its own, with the goal of taking Fiefdoms from the others.

Alliance leaders or generals can choose to attack a competing team's Fiefdom, initiating a war with that alliance. You can only attack one other alliance at a time, so choose wisely. Of course, another alliance can attack you as well, giving you double the chances to come out on top (or bottom) of the war season.

After declaring war on another alliance you can select the hex your team is attacking. From there you'll see the current contributions from your fellow alliance members. At the top of the screen, each side's score is measured in skulls.

Royal Revolt 2 alliance wars guide

Hunting for skulls

Hit the Attack button to view the list of enemy alliance members. Each member has a skull rating that represents how many points you can earn by defeating him or her. You also earn gold by attacking rival alliance members, but acquiring skulls is your ultimate goal. However, only the three highest skull ratings you earn during the war phase actually contribute towards the alliance's score for that war.

So you'll want to attack the three highest rated enemies that you can actually beat, thus earning and contributing the maximum number of skulls. After you've accomplished that, there's no need to continue attacking the enemy alliance during that phase. Only a negligible amount of additional skulls will be added to your alliance's total. Then again, you might want those few extra skulls if both team's scores are too close!

An offense isn't the only thing that matters during an alliance war, however. Just as your team can attack enemy players to earn skulls, so can they attack you. If somebody is great at attacks but has a weak base layout, they might end up giving a lot of skulls to the rival alliance. The game tracks both claimed (won) and lost skulls, so you'll know who the team's weakest links are.

Royal Revolt 2 alliance wars guide

Winning an alliance war provides another bonus besides exclusive Elite Boosts. It also gives your team a tax bonus. All of the Fiefdoms that your alliance conquers will contribute to the tax bonus. That includes not just the most recent war, but every war the alliance has ever fought! This tax bonus is applied to Gold donations from everyone in the alliance. So the more your alliance participates in wars and wins war phases, the more the team will earn towards leveling up and buying boosts in the future.

Not everybody gets to win the war, however. When an alliance loses all of its Fiefdoms to enemy teams, that alliance drops out of the war. Alliances must also maintain a minimum player count to participate in wars. You need eight players to gain access to wars, but you can keep participating in the current war with as few as four members.

Royal Revolt 2 alliance wars guide

Join the Windows Central Alliance!

Alliance wars add an exciting new dynamic to Royal Revolt 2, providing new goals and new rewards to active players. Of course, it helps to be in a strong alliance that has a decent chance of winning!

The Windows Central Alliance is always looking for new players. We are a high ranking alliance though, so our membership requirements are somewhat strict. To get in, you must:

  • Have a trophy rating of 2,000 or higher
  • Donate 50K gold or higher (level your alliance tower to increase donation capacity)
  • Be willing to play and participate in alliance wars daily

If you meet those qualifications, apply to join in the game and leave a comment here to let us know! We also have an alliance thread in our forums.

Royal Revolt 2 is one of the best free to play games on mobile Windows platforms. Check out our original review for more details!

512MB RAM devices supported

QR: Royal Revolt 2


How to use Microsoft OneNote to organize your receipts

0
0

The next Brain Candy productivity tip video has made its way onto the Microsoft Lumia channel, and this one is timely. With tax season upon us, I'm sure many of you (like me) are thinking about how you can easily keep more organized throughout the year so when it comes time to pay Uncle Sam you're not sifting through a shoe box full of crumpled receipts. The tip shown here is for Microsoft OneNote to be a potential solution. Within the native OneNote app, you can simply create a new note, take a photo of the receipt and even add additional information, such as an audionote for added context. It's a straight forward tip, that likely a lot of smartphone consumers out there are not necessarily aware of. Be sure to watch the video and share it, and we'll bring you the next Brain Candy video when it hits.

Previous Brain Candy Tips:

Source: Youtube, CrowdCentric

How to download and install the Microsoft Office 2016 public preview

0
0

Office 2016

Microsoft has announced the public preview of its latest version of one of its flagship software products, Office 2016. Public preview means exactly that, anyone can go ahead and load it up on their Windows PC and play around with it for a while.

There are a couple of different ways to go about getting your hands on it, and they hinge on whether you're an Office 365 subscriber or not. Here's what you need to do.

For Office 365 subscribers

If you have a current subscription to Office 365, you'll need to get the Office 2016 preview through your account management page. Here's where to look for it:

  • Log in to your Office "My Account" page
  • Look for "Language and install options"
  • Click it
  • On the next screen you'll want to click on "Additional install options"
  • In the dropdown box you'll see go ahead and select the Office Preview 32-bit or 64-bit installs as required.

By default Microsoft recommends installing the 32-bit version of Office regardless of whether you're on a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows as it helps lower the chance of issues with third-party plugins.

For everyone else

If you're not an Office 365 subscriber then you'll just need to download the package from Microsoft:

  • Visit https://products.office.com/en-us/office-2016-preview
  • You'll see download links for 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the Office 2016 preview
  • As above, Microsoft recommends the 32-bit version by default
  • Make note of the product key on this page, you'll need it to authenticate your install

What happens when the trial ends?

Microsoft describes both scenarios as such:

For Office 365 subscribers:

"This will install the Office 2016 Preview on your device. You will stay on the Office 2016 Preview track until you uninstall the Office 2016 Preview or until Office 2016 is released."

For non-Office 365 subscribers

"Once the trial period expires, you will have the option to purchase an Office 365 subscription or reinstall your current version using your original product key."

It's also important to note that installing the Office 2016 preview will overwrite any current Office installs on your machine. So, if you're not prepared to live with potential bugs, bear in mind you can't run both side-by-side. If you have a spare machine it'd be worth loading it up on that instead.

Here is how to enable the Dark Theme for Windows 10 build 10074

0
0

Dark Theme Windows 10

Microsoft is adding more polish to Windows 10 Technical Preview, including dark Start menus and more in the latest 10074 build for Insider.

Now, a new – and simple – registry trick lets you make even more of the OS dark. Specifically, the Settings, which is still a bright white that contrasts profoundly with the otherwise dark main screen.

The registry edit takes you 15 seconds and is completely reversible. A sample of the new look is provided here to get an idea of how it will look. From our perspective, we really like the black, contrasty look of Windows 10. Here is how it works.

Enable Dark Theme in Windows 10 build 10074

  1. Search for 'Regedit'
  2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize
  3. Create DWORD key: SystemUsesLightTheme
  4. DWORD Value = 0
  5. Reboot computer

If you wish to revert to the light theme, just toggle the DWORD value to '1' and reboot.

Overall, it is a great look, and we cannot wait to see how Microsoft cleans up future builds. For a quick look at what is in Windows 10 build 10108, check out our earlier article.

Thanks, Lingeshwaran R., for the tip!

How to manage your Office 365 account and installs

0
0

Office 365

With the amount of free subscriptions Microsoft is giving out of late to Office 365 there's a good chance there are a number of new users.

Office 365 offers a degree of convenience in that you can easily install the desktop and mobile apps to use with your account on a number of devices. But if you're new to the service, it's not immediately apparent how you go about managing what you've got installed and where.

Here's what you need to know.

How to install the desktop apps

Office 365

The first thing you'll want to do with any Office 365 subscription is install the desktop apps to your Windows PC or Mac. How many different computers you can use depends on which subscription you have. The personal subscription, for example, only allows one desktop install. The home subscription allows five. Here's how you go about getting the apps:

  • Navigate to Office.com in your browser
  • Click on "My account" and sign in with the Microsoft account your Office 365 subscription is attached to
  • Click "Install"

You'll then get an installer on your PC that will do all the work for you. Simple!

If you want to install the 64-bit version of Office (32-bit is the recommended default) or install it in a different language, simply click on "Language and install options" and choose your preferred language.

64-bit Office will then be found under "Advanced install options," available to select in the dropdown box presented. This is also where you'll see options to install the Office 2016 preview if you want that instead.

Managing installs

Regardless of your subscription tier you'll have an upper limit on how many times you can install the Office desktop apps. Your account management page will show you which devices you're currently using an install on and how many you have available.

If you're out of installs and need to install the desktop apps elsewhere, you first need to deactivate one of your current ones.

In the same screen you should see an option highlighted in blue next to each install, specifically beneath the date you installed on each computer. Just click it and follow any on-screen prompts to free up a slot to move to another computer.

Other devices

Office 365

Office 365 subscriptions also allow you to install on a certain number of tablets. This includes Android and iPad, with each taking up a "tablet" slot against your account.

Any activations on these devices can be managed in this section in much the same way as desktop installs.

Payment and billing

If you're using a free subscription then you won't have yet handed over any payment information. But, come the end of your 12-months you'll be asked to end or continue your subscription.

The payment and billing part of your account is where you keep track of exactly when your subscription year ends and whether or not you're set up for an automatic renewal.

Office 365

At any point in your subscription you can set up an auto-renewal option so you don't have to worry about remembering to pay if you intend to keep the service on for another year. Just look for "Set up an auto-renew subscription" towards the bottom of the page.

Just below this there is also an option to "Renew with an Office product key." If you have a key, perhaps through purchasing an Office 365 voucher in a store, this is where you'll need to redeem it. Click the link, enter the code in the box that appears and you're set.

Thankfully Microsoft makes managing your Office 365 subscription super easy. It can be a little confusing at first, but with everything well presented and in one place you'll soon get to grips with it.

Use this '60-second productivity hack' with Cortana to set location-based reminders

0
0

Tips and tricks are always good to learn, especially if you are new to Windows Phone. This one is aimed at those users and it was just posted to the Microsoft Lumia YouTube channel.

It is an oldie but a goodie and it has to do with Cortana's ability to use location-based reminders. In fact, this is one of those rare things that only a Windows Phone can do so it is worth it to show off again.

Location-based reminders are super simple to use if you have Cortana available in your region. Just tell Cortana things like "Remind me to grab some milk next time I am at the supermarket". Since "supermarket" is entirely vague, Cortana suggests nearby locations that fit the profile. You choose which one and the next time you are near that store, Cortana pops up a reminder. Of course, you could also specifically name the location too.

This feature can be used for the grocery store, pharmacies when heading to a friend's house, or just about anything. It just works by pinging your location in the background (aka 'geofencing'), and the OS pops up a reminder. No need to worry about battery life either, as this does not use any more power than normal.

Moment of humblebrag: We recommended to Brain Candy to make a video about this feature since it's so darn cool. Do you have a good tip that would make a great how-to video? Tell us in comments!

If you missed the rest, check out the video above or watch the other Brain Candy Tips below and see our own 'How-tos' right here.

Previous Brain Candy Tips:

Source: YouTube, CrowdCentric; Thanks, Jonathan F., for the heads up!

How to pair the Surface Pen with Surface 3

0
0

Surface Pen

Unlike the Surface Pro 3, Windows won't prompt you to pair Surface Pen with Surface 3 during setup. Instead, you'll need to pair Surface Pen with your Surface 3 manually. Don't worry, though. It's very easy to pair. Follow our step-by-step instructions and watch our how-to video.

  1. Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and tap or click Settings.
  2. Tap or click Change PC settings, tap or click PC and devices, and then tap or click Bluetooth.
  3. Make sure that Bluetooth is on.
  4. Hold down the top button on the Surface Pen for seven seconds, until the light in the middle of the pen clip starts to flash.
  5. When the pen appears in the list of Bluetooth devices, tap or click it, and tap or click Pair.

That's it! You should now be able to use the Surface Pen with your Surface 3. You can quickly confirm the connection by pressing the top button on the Surface Pen. This should automatically open OneNote.

The Surface Pen is sold separately from the Surface 3 while it is already included with the Surface Pro 3. Microsoft has released it in new colors, so you can grab it red, dark blue, or black, instead of the original silver one. The pen loop is also included, but there are actually other ways to attach the Surface Pen to your Surface 3.

Do you like the Surface Pen? Do you get a lot of usage from it? Let us know in the comments!

How to take a screenshot on the Surface 3

0
0

Surface 3

Taking screenshots is one of the most common tasks I need to know when using new devices. It's useful for how-to guides, troubleshooting, or sharing fun images with friends. Taking screenshots is very similar among Windows 8.1 devices. I've just received the Surface 3 and use six methods to take a screenshot.

Method 1: The easiest way to take a screenshot on the Surface 3 is by pressing and holding the Windows button and then pressing the volume down button. The screen dims for a second and the image is saved in the Screenshots folder of the Pictures library.

Method 2: Using the Surface 3 Type Cover, press and hold the Windows key, then press the PrtScn key. The screen also dims for a second and saves the image in the Screenshots folder.

Screenshots folder

Method 3: Using the Surface 3 Type Cover, you can also just press the PrtScn button. The screen does not dim briefly with this method or saves the screenshot in the Pictures library. It just copies the whole screen to your clipboard. You can then paste it to another application like Paint or Photoshop.

Surface 3 Type Cover

Method 4: Press and hold the Alt key then press PrtScn to copy just the active window instead of the whole screen. This method also does not dim the screen or saves the image your library. Instead, the screenshot is copied to your clipboard which you can paste to another application.

Method 5: Using the Surface Pen, double-click the top button. Select what you want to capture in the screenshot by dragging the tip of the pen from one corner to the opposite corner. When you lift the pen tip, your selection appears in a new page in OneNote. You can then add more notes or drawing to the image.

Surface 3

Method 6: In desktop mode of the Surface 3, there's a handy built-in app called Snipping Tool. Tap or click the arrow next to the New button, choose the kind of snip you want, and then pick the area of your screen that you want to capture. The screenshot is automatically copied to the Snipping Tool window, which you can save.

Snipping Tool

What is your favorite method of taking screenshots on Windows 8.1? Do you use something else that isn't listed here? Let us know in the comments!


How to power on and off the Xbox One with Windows Phone

0
0

Xbox One SmartGlass

One of my favorite features on the Xbox One is voice command. I love saying "Xbox on" or "Xbox, turn off" to power on or off the console. This isn't possible without a Kinect and it's not available in all regions. There's another way to power up the Xbox One in addition to pressing the power button on the Xbox One console or controller. You can use the Xbox One SmartGlass app on Windows Phone. This is very handy because our phones are usually already in our pockets.

How to power on and off Xbox One with Xbox One SmartGlass Beta

At the time of publishing this article, the regular version of the Xbox One SmartGlass app for Windows Phone is not able to power on or off the Xbox One. You need the public beta. Your phone and Xbox One must also be connected to the same network. For example, my Xbox One is connected to the router with an Ethernet cable, while my gold Lumia 930 is connected to the same router via Wi-Fi.

  1. When you open the SmartGlass app, tap the Xbox icon at the top center or the screen.
  2. The name of the Xbox with a moon and cloud next to it shows up in the list of consoles on your network.
  3. Tap the name of your Xbox One and tap the Turn On button.

When you want to power off the Xbox One:

  1. Tap the Xbox One icon at the top center of the screen
  2. Tap the name of your Xbox One in green
  3. Tap the Turn Off button

Xbox One Smartglass

That's it! Microsoft has mentioned in the May System Update that the Xbox One SmartGlass app for Windows, Windows Phone, iOS and Android are being updated to add this feature. You can try it now on the SmartGlass Beta app for Windows Phone and Android.

Will you be powering the Xbox One with your phone from now on? Let us know in the comments!

QR: Xbox One SmartGlass Beta

How to enable week numbers in Windows Phone 8.1 calendar

0
0

Windows Phone Calendar

Week numbers are important in some places especially in some European countries. Many Windows Phone users have requested to see week numbers in the built-in calendar, and it arrived earlier this year. If this is an important feature, then you probably already know how to enable it. If not, we'll show you how. Follow our step-by-step instructions and/or watch the how-to video.

  1. Open the Calendar app
  2. Tap the three dots on the lower right corner and tap settings
  3. Scroll down and tick the box that says 'Enable week numbers'

That's it! You can also set the first day of the week and first week of the year. The Week numbers option has received over 5,000 votes in the Windows Phone feature suggestions. The update with the new feature was released this January. The week number appears on top of the day view and week view of the calendar.

Calendar week numbers

Why do some people use week numbers? Some businesses use them as deadlines for projects. Some schools use them for class schedules. For example, students take class A if the week number is an even number and class B if the week number is odd.

Do you use week numbers? What do you use them for? Let us know in the comments!

How to upload a non-square photo to Instagram with Windows Phone

0
0

6tag non square

Sometimes the best Instagram photo isn't square. However, the popular photo-sharing service forces users to upload images in square aspect ratio. There are workarounds, and we'll show you the best way to do it on your Windows Phone. We'll use the popular third-party Instagram app, 6tag. Follow our step by step instructions and/or watch the how-to video.

The best way to upload a photo to Instagram that isn't square with 6tag

What 6tag is basically doing is adding white bars above and below the image to make it look rectangle.

  1. Open your Windows Phone camera roll and tap the image you want to upload
  2. Tap the edit button at the bottom and select crop, rotate, auto-fix.
  3. Tap the crop button at the bottom.
  4. You can crop the image to whatever you like, but we recommend using a narrower aspect ratio. Tap the aspect ratio at the bottom and select one. 4x3 is a good place to start.
  5. Drag the corners to crop the image to your liking and then tap done.
  6. Tap save and then share it to 6tag.
  7. Tap auto fit and then the check button. We recommend using the default white bars instead of black.
  8. We recommend uploading the image without any filters. Doing so can change the color of the white bars and ruin the effect of a rectangle image. If you want to add filters, use a separate image editor like Creative Studio before sending it to 6tag.

Non square instagram

Instagram wants you to post square images, but you don't have to follow the rules. Several people on Instagram use workarounds like the one mentioned above to give the illusion of non-square images. For example, most of the images that DarkBeautyMag share on Instagram aren't square. Take a look!

Do you like non-square images on Instagram? Are you going to start uploading non-square images? Sound off in the comments.

QR: 6tag

How to manage accounts in the new Mail and Calendar app for Windows 10

0
0

In Windows 10, Microsoft is including two new apps, Mail and Calendar, and while the company is bundling them as separate apps, they work very close to each other. The two apps will replace the same ones currently in Windows 8.1 and they both introduce a brand new look that follows Windows 10 modern design approach, and users will find that they are much easier to use.

Although, the Mail and Calendar apps are still in preview and they are only offer vary basic features, those running the latest public preview of Windows 10 can start testing the new apps. As such in this how-to guide, I will go over how users can setup multiple accounts, how to get around some of the issues you may encounter, and a few extra tips.

Unlike the Windows 8.1 equivalents, the Mail and Calendar apps for Windows 10 offer more options to setup different email services. For example, on the new apps, users can add services, such as the obvious, Outlook.com, Live and Hotmail, Exchange, Exchange ActiveSync, Office 365, Google, iCloud, and other messaging services using POP and IMAP settings. However, users will notice that the list of options to add new accounts are slightly different between the two apps.

The big news with the Calendar app is that users will now be able to sync and view their Google Calendar, which was something not supported in the same app for Windows 8.1. So it's a welcome addition.

Adding new accounts

When you first launch the Mail or Calendar app in Windows 10, while signed-in with your Microsoft account, both apps are smart enough to detect the account you're signed in with and add it automatically, and you can even add more accounts right from the beginning. However, after launching the app, adding accounts have a different procedure, but still quite as simple.

In both, the Mail and Calendar app, users will see a bar with a set of buttons in the bottom-left corner of the app to switch back and forth between apps, a button to send feedbacks, and a gear button to access the settings page. To add a new account, you want to click the settings button, which will bring the fly out pane from the right, click Accounts, which will list all your current accounts, and then click Add account.

You'll see a dialog box with the list of the available services you can connect to the app.

Now you may ask: Where are the options to add a new Outlook, Live and Hotmail accounts? Well, because the app is in preview a lot details are still not showing up in the apps, but users can add all the different Microsoft accounts by using the Exchange option.

Quick Tip: If for any reason your current account isn't syncing, you seem not to be able to add new accounts, or you add a new account, but emails will simply no show up. This could be cause by some issue with the first account that you have configured. I have seen this issue and deleting the first account and starting over solved the issue.

Next, for every service the page to enter the account information will look slightly different, but all them require the same information – your email address and password. Of course, if you adding a new service that isn't on the list, you'll need to provide the additional information such as POP and IMAP settings.

Once you completed including all the require information, click Sign in, and the new account will be added to the list in the left pane. Now emails should start downloading almost immediately.

Here are a few useful resources for those using Yahoo Mail and AOL: To set up a Yahoo mail using POP or IMAP settings use these instructions. For adding an AOL email account using a POP or IMAP settings use these instructions.

Renaming, changing settings, and deleting accounts

Now, you'll notice that depending on the account you added, you probably didn't get the option to name your account, which will make it very confusing if you have multiple email addresses from the same service, as they will be labeled with the brand name of the email service.

This behavior may change in future updates, but for now, you can rename your account by clicking the setting button from the left pane, click Accounts, and click the account you want to rename. You'll now see a new filed called Account name, simply add the name that you like (I personally like to use email address name, it makes a lot easier to identify the account, but that's just personal taste), and click Save.

Note that from the settings page, you can also change the account password as require, and you can change different settings as well, such as options for syncing, contacts, and calendar. You even control how often and how much new content gets downloaded (the default option is "based on my usage").

Finally, if you simply want to delete an account, you can go to the account settings, hit the Delete account button, and Delete one more time. (Please note that deleting an account from the Mail app will also delete the same account in Calendar and vice versa.)

Adding a new background picture in Mail

On Mail, you also noticed a new background image when you're not viewing an email message. What you probably did not know is that you don't have to stare at that same image over and over. You can actually change it for any image you like by clicking the settings button and clicking Options. Inside of Options, click Browse under "Background Picture", and choose any image you want.

Here is another tip: If you want to use an image from your current Windows Theme, open the Run command, navigate to this path "%LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Themes", and select a new image.

Keep in mind that this is a global background, you cannot set a different image per email account. (If you change the background picture and you don't see the change, simply restart the app and you should now see the new image.)

Although, the background is a global setting, the signature setting is not. If you want to show a custom signature per email account, you'll need to move between accounts, clicking the settings button, and change the signature under Options.

Wrapping things up

With the new Mail and Calendar app, you can manage virtually all your email accounts and calendars, including from Outlook.com, Yahoo, Gmail, and iCloud from a single user interface (with two apps). This means that you don't have to keep logging into different websites or extra apps, also Microsoft provides an environment without advertisements and cross platform.

Although, I can see the need to for Microsoft to have Mail and Calendar as separate apps, I still believe that they can be combined into a single app in the same way we have been using Outlook for so many years.

It's worth noting that all the configurations showed in this guide to manage accounts also work exactly in the same for the Calendar app.

Finally, remember that these apps are still in preview, as such settings and features may change in future updates.

Microsoft has already announced that there will be seven version of Windows 10, including Windows 10 Mobile and Windows 10 IoT, and the company has confirmed that various universal Windows apps will be bundled with the operating system, including Mail and Calendar.

Have you been using the Mail and Calendar apps in Windows 10? Have you come across any issues? Let us know in the comments below. And don't forget to use the Windows Feedback App.

How to roll back from Windows 10 Mobile preview to Windows Phone 8.1

0
0

Roll Back Windows Phone

Microsoft recently made available a new preview of Windows 10 Mobile (build 10080) through the Fast ring of updates with a bunch of new changes.

It's the first preview of the universal version of Office apps, and starting with build 10080 the operating system now expands to new phone headsets, including the Lumia Icon/Lumia 930, Lumia 640/Lumia 640 XL, and HTC's One (M8), which is the first non-Lumia phone joining the Windows 10 preview program.

Although, now more users can get access to Windows 10 Mobile preview and get their hands of on the new preview of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote, Microsoft warns that there is a significant number of bugs in this particular build for Windows phones, including a bug that could prevent users from receiving MMS messages.

So, if you happen to run into any problems or you simply are done testing the operating system, Microsoft has an application called "Windows Phone Recovery Tool" for PCs that will allow you to rollback to Windows Phone 8.1 from Windows 10 Mobile.

Windows Phone recovery tool

Below you'll find all the steps to help you go back safely to your previous version of the mobile operating system:

Note: Before proceeding it is worth pointing that with the release of Windows 10 Mobile build 10080, Microsoft has updated the Windows Phone Recovery Tool, now at version 2.0.3, and it is introducing support for the HTC One (M8) to Windows 10.

  1. Download and install the latest version of the Windows Phone Recovery Tool to your PC.
  2. Launch the recovery tool and connect your phone using a USB cable. If your handset isn't detected, click My phone was not detected to force the application to rescan for and detect the phone.
  3. In the next screen, click your phone, wait a few seconds, and you'll see your phone information and the software available for download to roll back to a previous operating system. To continue, click Reinstall software.
  4. Next, the recovery tool will warn you to backup all your data, settings, and apps before continuing, as the rolling back process will delete all the previous data in your phone. Click Continue to proceed.
  5. Now, the recovery tool will download the image from Microsoft's servers and replace Windows 10 Mobile that is currently on your phone. The process will take some time depending on your internet connection and the hardware in question.

After the tool completes the process, you will receive a message saying "Operation successfully completed". At this point, the phone will reboot and you will have to go through the Out-of-Box-Experience, like on any version of Windows. Then, you'll need to sign-in with your Microsoft account, select to restore your phone from backup (if this is something you prefer), and after a few additional questions, you'll be back to Windows Phone 8.1.

As you can see, Microsoft is making it very convenient to roll back to Windows Phone 8.1 from Windows 10 Mobile preview, and the company is starting to add support for non-Lumia devices, which is a big plus. So you don't have to spend time searching on the internet for different tools to go back to the previous operating system.

However, you have to remember that the operating system is far from complete. Not only will you find issues, but you might also stumble upon problems trying to roll back, as I hear many users reporting issues restoring Windows Phone 8.1 on their Lumia 930. As such, you should avoid using Windows 10 Mobile preview as your primary mobile operating system, at least until it hits RTM.

Did you have to roll back from Windows 10 Mobile to Windows Phone 8.1? If so, what was the reason? Let us know your experience in the comments below.

Originally published April 2015, updated May 2015

Viewing all 5861 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images