Posts Tagged ‘Microsoft’
As most PC users (and readers of this blog) know, Microsoft released an update to their Windows operating system last November. The new version of the market-leading OS marked a significant departure from the old way of doing things, employing a less hierarchical organization and touch-friendly interfaces instead of the mouse-and-keyboard /point-and-click world of the past.
The new Windows looks very different from the last five or six versions of the system — and change is sometimes hard. (At the time of the OS’s release, we published a series of posts here to help users get a sense of how to cope with the changes.)
One of the most significant changes is the way the OS handles applications. They are closer to the apps you buy for your smartphone – less expensive, lighter, and more visually-oriented. Windows 8 apps are available from the App Store that is built in to the system.
Agent Tufts (from our United Kingdom branch) put together a blog post highlighting the most useful Windows 8 apps. We hope you enjoy it:
Top Windows 8 Apps You Didn’t Know Existed
Agent Ron G. has been battling the forces of unruly technology run amok since 2001, prior to Geek Squad’s acquisition of Best Buy. When not busy creating video & technical training content for Geek Squad Agents in the field, Agent Ron enjoys home brewing, international travel, and learning how to cook new cuisines.
The day we’ve all been waiting for – October 22 – is almost here, and Geek Squad has a great offer to make it even better. Geek Squad Agents have pledged to deliver full upgrade service for customers moving to Windows 7 from Windows Vista or Windows XP for a mere $39.99, heavily discounted from the standard Geek Squad Operating System Install price of $129.99, and designed to make the upgrade faster and easier.
It has come to Geek Squad’s attention that a Microsoft Windows Update released on August 25, 2009 is inadvertently causing x64 processor based computers with Windows Vista x64 SP1 to crash with a blue screen (BSOD) and the error message “STOP: 0x0000007E”.
This update, update id: KB973879, was pushed to install on computers via Windows Update. The update has been temporarily removed from Microsoft’s Web site and Windows Update.
Computers with Service Pack 2 installed prior to August 25, 2009 are not affected by this issue.
If you have a computer that is affected by this issue, please use the following directions to resolve it:
FROM NORMAL MODE OR SAFE MODE:
If this does not resolve the issue visit your local Best Buy or call 1-800-GEEKSQUAD (1-800-433-5778).
The update includes:
And more… You can read about the details at xbox.com.
This year at E3 Microsoft announced some new additions to the XBOX360 video game console that will make it a more social experience for players. One of the fastest growing social platforms on the web right now is Facebook. Microsoft announced an add-on that uses Facebook Connect to allow XBOX360 players to take gameplay photos and upload them to their Facebook account automatically.
With innovations like this, it begs the question: are personal computers going to become obsolete?
Steve, we’re going to miss you. You have two left feet, but you gave hope to all of us geeks out here. Bravo for taking the risk on Dancing with the Stars. You stood in front of millions and confirmed what many of us knew — geeks can’t dance and that’s okay. You accomplished more than many of us thought was possible. Criticism of your performance was harsh, and you kept going. They’re probably right about your dancing, but when one of the networks launches Technology with the Stars (and one will), nobody will stand a chance against you. We salute you, Steve — thank you for standing up for the geeks.
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