Tag Archive for windows 8

5 Alternatives to Windows 8

Posted on April 10, 2013 by

Windows_8_Start_ScreenWindows 8 is very cool but it is not the only operating system worth using. There are many alternatives. Here are five alternatives which are worth giving a try.

Android

Android is the most popular mobile operating systems. It also runs on tablets and there are many cheap Android tablets in the market today. If your computing needs are minimal, you can consider ditching your laptop or desktop altogether and switch to an Android tablet. By pairing your tablet with a Bluetooth keyboard and a mouse, you can get more out of your tablet.

Mac OS

A Mac is a very good alternative to Windows based PCs. Mac OS has a better user interface and is perceived to be more secure. However, the downside is the cost. Macs don’t come cheap.

If you are a geek, you can run Mac OS on PC hardware (see www.osx86project.org) but it is not exactly legal to do so. But you could give it a try as it is an interesting experience.

Ubuntu

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Ubuntu is more secure than Windows and is quite easy to install and use. It is also free. The default distro comes with almost all the applications you will ever need. The software management system is also very easy and powerful once you get used to it.

The main downside is that it takes consideration amount of time to learn everything. Please backup all your data before installing or you can lose it forever. If you are used to the Windows interface, it can be a bit daunting to make the switch. Nevertheless, Ubuntu is a good alternative to Windows 8.

Chrome OS

If you use your computer mostly to access the Internet, Chrome OS is a good option. It is very light on system resources and runs well even on older hardware. Essentially, Chrome OS is just the Chrome browser running atop a Linux kernel. Thus, it has minimal system requirements.

The major disadvantage with Chrome OS is that it is not a full-fledged operating system. There are many things that you can’t do on it. But if you use your computer only for Internet access, you can give it a try.

Windows 7 and Xp

There is no rule which says that you should use the latest and greatest. Windows 7 is good and Windows Xp still works. Windows Xp is still a good OS, especially on older hardware. If your old computer is still working fine, why upgrade? However, it is essential to have a good antivirus installed. Microsoft will totally stop supporting Windows Xp after April 8th 2014 and you will have to upgrade sooner or later.

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How to Create a Restore Point in Windows 8

Posted on August 26, 2012 by

Windows 8 is an upcoming operating system which is expected to be released somewhere in the month of October this year. It is the next version of Windows and comes with many new features. Windows 8, just like prior versions of Windows comes with the System Restore feature. This is a very handy feature because you can undo your actions just in case a problem arises because of them. For example, if you install a third-party customization tool or an application which has resulted in errors, you can probably recover from these errors by performing a system restore. In this post, I’ll provide instructions to create a restore point in Windows 8.

Let us start with the simplest method to create a restore point. Right-click on My Computer and click on Properties. When the Properties window opens up, choose System Protection. You can open this by using the Control Panel as well.

Click on Create button to create a restore point for the devices that are turned on in the Protection Settings. Normally, protection is turned on for the system drive by default.

Enter the name of the restore point which you just created. You can enter any name. However, it is a good idea to enter a name that makes some sense. For example, if you wish to install a new antivirus after creating the restore point, you can name the restore point "antivirus", etc.

It will take some time for the restore point to be created, and you will be notified with the message "The restore point was created successfully".

You can create as many restore points as you wish. Many applications also create restore points by default during the installation process. I have at least three or four restore points on my computer. I also create restore points whenever I install new software. This is a good security feature just in case something goes wrong.

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