Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Microsoft To Stop Release Patches For Windows XP

Windows XP was one of the all time favorite operating systems of millions of users across the globe. It was the first operating system from Microsoft with numerous features and a simple user interface. For years, it remained on the top spot in the list of popular operating systems. Even Windows Vista that came with much hype could not make it to the first position and it was Windows 7 that was released after two years that took up this title.

However, Microsoft has decided that it is time to stop support for Windows XP. The software giant has made it clear that Windows support for the operating system will no longer receive windows updates or support after April 8, 2014. This date will mark the end of support for the operating system, which still remains one of the favorites of many users.

Windows XP was released 12 years ago on October 25, 2001. Since then, the operating system had ruled the market with its wide range of features. Microsoft also released three service packs for the operating system. The last service pack was released in 2008. Users were able to download and install various Windows updates for the operating system on a regular basis and this is going to end by 2014.

The decision by Microsoft is not a surprise as the software giant has already released four other operating systems since the release of Windows XP. These include Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1. Even now, studies show that 20 percent of the computers around the world still use Windows XP. It maintains the second spot next to Windows 7. This has forced Microsoft to end the Windows support for the operating system and with this, Microsoft hopes that more users would migrate to one of the latest operating systems.

With the end of support for Windows XP by 2014, Microsoft would stop releasing security updates and other Windows updates for the operating system. This means that the computers with Windows XP installed in them will be vulnerable to online attacks. This can pose great security issues, especially if your computer has sensitive or important files.

Therefore, it is a good strategy to migrate to any of the latest operating systems. You have many options to choose from. If you do not wish to upgrade to a Windows operating system, you can go for a Linux operating system or any of the operating systems from Apple.

Monday, November 25, 2013

How To Set Up Your Email Account In Outlook Express

Outlook Express is an email application that is usually integrated with the Internet Explorer. It was earlier known as Windows Mail, and then it came to be known as Windows Live Mail. Many users think Outlook Express is a version of Microsoft Outlook. However, both are entirely different applications developed by Microsoft, and comprise of different features. Outlook Express stores the information in Windows Address Books, whereas the Microsoft Outlook stores the contact information in Outlook Address Books. The Outlook Express help team provides ample assistance with fixing all the issues related to Outlook on your system.

You can follow the below-mentioned instructions to set up email in Outlook Express.

  • In the first step, click on the Start button and then open the Outlook Express application. Now, you can click on Tools on the toolbar, followed by Accounts in the drop-down menu.
  • Once you select the option, select Add, followed by Mail. Here, you would be asked to enter a name. For example, your name or your company name. Now, select the Next option.
  • In the following step, add your email address, for example, 2782...@vodamail.co.za and click Next. You would be able to see a screen asking you to confirm your incoming and outgoing email servers. Always make sure that you select your incoming email server as POP3.
  • Now, in the appropriate fields, enter the information as follows:
          Incoming mail server (POP3) i.e. pop3.vodamail.co.za
          Outgoing mail server (SMTP) i.e. smtp.vodamail.co.za
  • Fill the Account name field with your account username. Fill the Password field with the password that you had selected during signup. You can also contact Outlook Express help to get more information on setting up email in Outlook Express.
  • In the next step, click on Next and you would be directed to the Mail Logon Screen. Here, enter your username and password. Your username should be all lowercase letters, as well as case sensitive.
  • Make sure this information is correct, because if it’s wrong you would not be able to get to your email. Ensure that the Secure Password Authentication is not be ticked. Click Next.

You would now see the congratulations screen will now appear. Click on Finish to complete setup.
Therefore, these steps would help you to set up your email account in Outlook Express. However, to get more information on Outlook Express, check Microsoft’s official website.

Monday, November 18, 2013

What To Do When Outlook 2010 Is Slow And Unresponsive?

Many of us are using the Outlook 2010 program with IMAP server for the email service with Gmail. You may have noticed that the Outlook program is very slow and can become unresponsive for a specific period while using. You need not worry, as there are a few steps, which you can implement to ensure a good quality of service while using the Google Apps or Gmail through the Outlook 2010 program with the IMAP server. The steps to do this without encountering any Outlook problems are explained below.

Instructions

To get rid of Outlook becoming unresponsive issue, you will have to unsubscribe from the Gmail ‘All Mail’ folder. The steps to do this are explained below.

  • Removing the subscription to the Google All Mail folder will give the program some relief as with this enabled, everything in Gmail will be synced twice. To unsubscribe the All Mail, click on the inbox folder of the account for which you like to unsubscribe.
  • At the top of the Microsoft ribbon in the Outlook 2010 program, click on the Folder tab.
  • In the middle of the ribbon, you can find IMAP folders. Click on it
  • Change the middle box. To do this, click on All, select Subscribed and click on query.
  • Select the All Mail folder and click on the Unsubscribe button. You can do this to as many folders as you wish to unsubscribe.
  • Ensure that you disable Outlook program’s feature that saves mails in the sent folder. Gmail already does this and when you have both these enabled, it creates duplicates of the sent messages.
  • Click on the File menu in the Outlook 2010 program.
  • Click on Account Settings and select Account Settings again.
  • Select the account that you would like to change and click on Change. After that, select More Settings in the box that appears.
  • Under the tab labeled Sent Items, select the option that says Do not save copies of sent items.

By following these simple and easy to follow steps, you will be able to make the Outlook program run faster. If you follow these steps carefully, you will be able to fix the issue without getting any Outlook problems. If you have any more doubts regarding these steps, you can refer to the Outlook help module in the official Microsoft web site. 

Viewing The Programs Currently Running On Your Computer

When your computer is brand new, out of the box, and fully configured, everything seems to be perfect with it. You will be able to access the different application/programs swiftly and there will be almost zero lag. It will take only very little time for the computer to load. In addition, what can be seen is that system freezes and system crashes do not occur when the system is new. But as time passes, a number of files, applications/ programs and other utilities will be stuffed in your system and this takes a heavy toll on it.

The duration taken for a program to load will increase and constant system freezes and errors are bound to occur. Humans are able to multi task but when the number of tasks increases, we are not properly able to carry out the different tasks. The computer is also similar, as with the building up of running applications, the computer often tends to crash or freeze. When numerous numbers of programs are running simultaneously, it results in a slow computer. By making use of the Task Manager, you can see the active programs that are running on the system.

Instructions

  • To launch the Task Manager, you have to hit CTRL+SHIFT+ESC keys together. Also, in Windows XP, the Task Manager can be brought up by right clicking on the taskbar and a menu will pop up. From the menu, choose Task Manager and the task manager window will appear on screen.
  • The tab by the name Applications has to be clicked. The different applications/programs that are running on your system can be seen in the Applications tab. 
  • The tab next to Applications by the name Processes has to be selected. The Processes tab shows a list of processes that are running on the system. You can also see how much of memory each process is consuming.
  • If you want to end a process, you have to select a desired process and click the End Process button. Now the selected process will be stopped.

By following these steps, you can get access to the taskbar and see the different processes and applications that are running on your system. If you want tips on how to speed up a slow computer, you can contact our customer support desk and they will assist you with the required troubleshooting steps to speed up your PC.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Steps To Remove The Ask Toolbar From Your Computer


Toolbars can be helpful to users at times, but most of the times they are only an annoyance. There are many toolbars available for different web browsers. Ask toolbar is one among the common toolbars that is a major annoyance. Many of the software applications have Ask toolbar integrated to their installer. Software like Nero has integrated the installer of Ask toolbar with it. When users install these software with the default settings, the Ask toolbar also gets installed without the knowledge of the user.

If you find that the Ask toolbar is slowing down your computer, you can remove it quite easily. The steps to remove the Ask toolbar from your computer are easy and it can be done without the help of any tech support agent. There are many ways to remove the Ask toolbar from your computer. The methods to remove Ask toolbar from Internet Explorer and Firefox browsers are explained below.

How to remove Ask toolbar From Internet Explorer

  • Turn on the computer, click on the Start button and go to Run.
  • In the Run window, type in appwiz.cpl and press the Enter key.
  • This will open the list of the installed programs in your computer. Scroll down the list and locate Ask toolbar. Click on it and select Remove. This will remove the Ask toolbar from the Internet Explorer browser.

How to remove Ask toolbar From Firefox

  • Turn on the computer and open the Mozilla Firefox browser. Click on the Tools tab on the top of Firefox window.
  • From the list, click on Add-ons. This will open the toolbar list.
  • Select Ask toolbar from here and click on Disable or Uninstall button to disable the toolbar or uninstall it completely.

These are the two main steps to remove the Ask toolbar from the web browser in your computer. If the above-discussed steps do not work for you, then you can use the free application named Toolbar Uninstaller. This software allows you to remove a large variety of annoying toolbars from your computer and it can remove many crappy adware toolbars like the Ask toolbar from your PC.

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Importing Emails From Outlook Into The Email List Section

Microsoft Outlook is the most used personal manager program in the world that works as a top-class email manager program and an address book that lets you store email addresses in an orderly fashion. Outlook allows you to copy the details of email in Outlook to the email list from the contacts book. You can accomplish this task by following the simple instructions given below.

Instructions
  • Launch the Outlook program by clicking on its icon found in the Quick launch bar and then click on the Open tab found under the File menu. Now to open the import and export wizard, click on the option labeled Import found under the Open tab. 
  • Hover the mouse over the option named Export to a file to highlight it and then click on the Next button. 
  • Now highlight the label Microsoft Excel 97-2003 and then click on the Next button. 
  • Now select the Contacts tab and then click on the Next button in the page that appears. 
  • Now the system will ask you to select a location to save the file, click on the Browse button to select the location of your choice and name the file. 
  • Now click on the Next button and then on the Finish button to start the export process. 
  • Now you will have to arrange your email in Outlook in a column format so that the email addresses are arranged in the First column, First Names in the second one, Second Names in the third column and other additional data in the third column. 
  • Delete all other columns so that you will have only four columns and then save the file in .csv format. 
  • Now open the file you have created using Notepad and copy all the data in it to the import box in the email list you have created. 
  • Now click on the OK button for saving the list. You can also add the new list created to your address book easily. 
If you follow the simple instructions given above, you can easily create an email list with all your contact details. If you are having any difficulty while creating the list, feel free to contact the Outlook tech support team for further help and support.

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Steps To Check If Your Outlook Spell Check Is Working

Microsoft Outlook is one of the most widely used email applications and also has many advanced features such as calendar, note making, task manager, etc. These help the users to schedule and organize their important dates and events. The spell-check feature is always available in Outlook while sending an email as it helps the users to compose the emails correctly. The user can turn off the spell checker for text, which is handy if the person is sure that the content is correct and not something that the user wants Outlook to examine during a spell check. You can always check if this feature is turned on or, if you have already reviewed the text for errors and corrected or ignored all the potential mistakes. These issues occur, if the spell-check feature in Outlook does not work. It is always advised to check the spelling before sending an email and it may require additional corrections.

You can follow the below-mentioned instructions if the spell-check in Outlook not working before seeking assistance from the Outlook support:
  • In the first step, click the small arrow that you would find beneath the Spelling button in the Messages ribbon.
  • In the next step, select the option Set Languages in the drop-down menu that would appear there. Once you have selected the required option, it is advised to check the feature Do not check spelling or grammar. Always make sure to select this feature.
  • Now, in the upper left corner of Outlook you would find the Microsoft Office button. Select this button. At any point of time, you can contact the Outlook support if you are having error messages such as spell-check turned off, Outlook not working or some start up issues etc.
  • In the next step, make sure that you select the Editor Options, which is present in the lower corner of the drop-down menu.
  • In the final step, go to the Editor Options, click Proofing in the dialogue box, and select the Recheck E-mail button that you would find there.
  • Now after completing the whole procedure, again click Spelling and Grammar, the Microsoft Outlook would review the words as if they were brand new.
Hence, this set of simple instructions would help you to check if the spell-check option in Microsoft Outlook has been turned off or not. However, if you have any other issues, feel free to contact our technical support team.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

How To Sync Outlook With A Google Account

Google's new online suite of programs was expected to give much more than the traditional Office Suite, but it offers almost the same. Calendar, Word processing and of course, Email capability are the features that we are talking about.

One of the amazing facilities it gives the user is that you are not required to have a web browser in order to use some features. You can sync your Google account and G-mail with your Outlook and use it as comfortably as ever. Once you link all of them, then the synchronization happens automatically. I bet you wonder how! Given below are the steps that will help you accomplish the same.

Google Apps Sync

You can download Google Apps and sync it with Outlook if you happen to have a Google Apps account as a member of a business or an educational institution. Once logged in to Google Apps, you can download the Google App Sync Software from "Resources". Run the Google App Sync after the installation and Login to the Google App account with your Id and password. The software will transfer your entire calendar and mail detail to the Outlook account. Now, to sync all your data from Gmail, including the Inbox to Outlook, Click Continue To Outlook.

Authorize Gmail

Even if you do not use the Google Apps account, you can still sync your Google account with Outlook. However, in this case you need to do the synchronization process manually. First of all, you need to enable Gmail for POP/IMAP, which are the Protocols used by Outlook. Enable IMAP after you login to your Gmail account and this allows you to sync with several service providers at the same time.

Configure Outlook Email Setup

Once you enable the POP/IMAP on your Outlook email setup, your Gmail account will be able to sync with Outlook. Open Outlook and select Add Accounts or Email Accounts option, which you can find in the Tools menu. Here, you can also select your Display name. As you select this, your Outlook will be configured for your email.

Advanced Settings

In order to sync all the emails and calendars from Gmail with your Outlook account, Outlook requires server specific information. On setting up the new account, enter the given information in the respective cells.

Incoming Mail: Enter port 993 and “imap.gmail.com.”

Requires SSL? : Choose “Yes”

Outgoing Mail: port 465 or 587 and enter “smtp.gmail.com”

Requires SSL? : Choose “Yes”

Requires Authentication: Choose “Yes” When you are done with the rest of the prompts, your Outlook account would have been synchronized with the Gmail account.