Thursday, February 20, 2014

Windows 8 Spared The Fate Of Vista

When the initial euphoria surrounding the release of the Windows 8 died down, many tech experts started comparing the Windows 8 to Vista. You might remember the older OS, which was released with much fanfare, with its new radical graphical user interface and functions. It did not do well in the market; actually it did worse than Windows 8 is doing now.

Why Windows 8 probably won’t share this fate

It seems Microsoft had learned a lesson at the time or two from their Vista debacle. What supports this is that they quickly launched an update for Windows 8. Windows 8.1 came out almost at its heels, bringing along many changes in design and functionality.

After the release of Windows 8, the Windows 8 help and support website had received many complaints about the absence of a Start Menu and the hard-to-discern features in the new OS. Microsoft, therefore, added the Start button – though not the Start menu – to the Windows 8.1 update.

With the Metro UI, Microsoft was attempting to create a uniform OS interface for all its operating systems, for tablets, smart phones, laptops, etc. Their hesitation at re-introducing the Start Menu in full indicates they still do not want to deviate from this strategy.

They are hoping that with the popularity of the touch screen operating systems on the rise, Windows 8 users would eventually get used to the tile-based UI and might not even use the markedly less touch-friendly, menu-based UI. Of course, Microsoft has also provided the Desktop UI mode in Windows 8, for those who prefer to use the old fashioned menu-style UI.

Did all these changes result in any improvement in Windows 8 sales?

Microsoft’s strategy of tweaking the new OS based on customer feedback, seems to be working. After the release of the Windows 8.1 update, sales have marginally improved. There is a possibility this is due to the fact that Microsoft has stopped the Windows 7 sales. So, if you want to buy a new Windows OS PC, you have no choice but to buy one that comes with Windows 8 pre-installed.

On the other hand, this might be because Windows users now approve of the changes Microsoft made to the new OS. Whatever the reasons, Windows 8 has now officially crossed the Windows Vista market share. I guess Windows 8 would not be joining the Windows Vista club as a failed product. For more information about the Windows 8.1 update, visit the Windows 8 help website online.

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Enable Flexible Working Using Microsoft Cloud Technology

Shulmans, the award winning commercial law firm is engaged in offering a broad array of services to people and businesses in the UK and in the other parts of the globe. To provide remarkable customer service is among the most essential elements of what they offer; they are a class apart from other firms and as such, a significant business is promoted by means of ‘word of mouth’ recommendations.

Armed with around 1120 staff personnel, the IT infrastructure is the staple of the service delivery and is essential for making sure that people have the capacity to work flexibly from any given location. Over the past few years, there has been a rising proportion of the growth pouring in from international business, bringing in its wake, the added complication of having to work in varying time zones yet having to access information and data at any given point of time.

Base 13, Microsoft’s partner has been enlisted for carrying out an entire technology refresh. To be equipped with cutting edge, cloud based technology environment is making use of the newest versions of Microsoft products, which includes Office 365. Office 365 promises innumerable benefits for their business - more advanced tools for users, which support mobile, not to mention, flexible working, reduced management requirement, guaranteed availability, and immense security of the Microsoft help line service. The licensing that is offered is also straightforward.

The experience and knowledge, which Base 13 is equipped with, will also prove invaluable in helping a person to migrate quickly to Office 365. The breadth of advanced functionality in Office together with the extra applications like Lync, which is included in the suite of applications are overwhelming. Ever since it was installed, it has been able to fit into the day-to-day operations and allows Office 365 to be used on smart phones as well as in tablets.

Many options are offered in order to quicken and sufficiently simplify the daily tasks. Lync is likely to be launched which shall get automatically integrated with the dictation software. This is just one of the ways in which it proves helpful to the people to do their jobs efficiently.

Not much time is needed for the system to manage and the IT team no longer need to spoon- feed the servers. This allows you to save around 20% of management time on a weekly basis. Being user-friendly, the staff could easily help the clients as required.

You may contact the Microsoft help line for more information about how the Microsoft Cloud services would help your business.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

How To Troubleshoot The ‘Unable To Access Outlook Inbox’ Error

Outlook users often come across some problems in their email application. Often, the causes of these problems are simple and can be fixed by anyone with some minimum knowledge of the application. An Outlook issue that I came across recently is the error while trying to access the inbox.

Upon my research about this particular problem, I came to know that the application requires all the files in it to be in a standard format, which is the PST format. I learnt that converting the OST files in the application to PST format is a simple but quite useful way to deal with some of the Outlook problems. Well, one thing to keep in mind at this point is to locate the exchange files that have OST extension and convert them to PST extension. Here are the instructions.

Instructions
  • To convert Outlook files with OST extension to PST extension, you need to have the utility software called Recovery Toolbox. If you do not have the software in your computer, download it from a software download centre online.
  • Once the software is downloaded, install it by double-clicking on the setup file. Follow the on-screen installation prompts to complete the installation.
  • After the installation of the software, open it and locate the button titled Search for .pst& .ost files. Now the tool will display the folder or drive where the OST files that you want to convert are stored. If you wish to specify your search, press the button labelled Search Now. Select all OST files so that you can convert them together.
  • Once the conversion of the files is completed, locate the folder where the converted files are stored and select it.
  • Select the Microsoft Outlook storage folder as the location to save the files in the disk drive. Press the Save button. The utility software will now save the converted files in the specified location. 
  • After that, restart your Microsoft Outlook 2007 application. Go to the Inbox and try to open the emails. The email messages should open now without any glitches.
If you notice that the problem with your Outlook application persists, it is recommended that you contact the Outlook support personnel for detailed examination of the issue and troubleshooting it. Meanwhile, visit the Outlook help forums that deal with such common Outlook problems and fixes.