When Windows breaks: How to fix it, piece by piece

<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Windows is so customizable, it's tempting to tinker. Don't like Internet Explorer's default feel? There are settings for that! Hate the way<a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/224146/windows_8_to_replace_your_toolbar_with_a_ribbon.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Windows 8's Ribbon UI</a> looks? Tweak away! And if you're feeling truly adventurous, a veritable universe of change awaits within <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/240491/9_easy_and_powerful_windows_7_registry_tweaks.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">the easy-to-bork Windows Registry</a>.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">But there's a dangerous downside to all that freedom: You can really, <em>really</em>mess things up. And yes, that includes some very vital things.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Don't swear off your courageous exploration just yet, though. Microsoft's built a slew of granular controls into Windows that let you reset all sorts of individual aspects of the operating system. There's usually no need to hit an irritating fly with that great, big "clean install" sledgehammer! Read this before you burn your installation to the ground and start all over.</p> <h2 style="font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Reigniting IE</h2><a href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/reset-ie-100067128-orig.png" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="345" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/reset-ie-100067128-medium.png" style="border-width:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:auto;min-height:auto;max-width:100%;float:left" width="300"></a>That's the metaphorical BIG RED BUTTON. (Click to enlarge.)<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> More than any other part of Windows, the Internet Explorer browser is most likely to suffer from excessive tinkering—especially if you're the type of person who likes to install lots of free software, which all too often comes bundled with tacked-on toolbars and settings that hijack your homepage.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">If you've managed to trash the desktop version of your browser beyond repair, click the gear icon on the right side of the IE toolbar, then select <em style="line-height:1.45em">Internet Options</em>. In the new window, open the<em style="line-height:1.45em">Advanced</em> tab and click the <em style="line-height:1.45em">Reset</em>button all the way at the bottom of the screen. Decide whether you'd like to clear personal settings (like your homepage) as well, then click <em style="line-height:1.45em">Reset</em>once more to blast your browser back to its origins.</p> <h2 style="font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">File History</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> If you've made the jump to Windows 8 or Windows 8.1, Microsoft's insurance extends beyond the system itself to protect your oh-so-precious personal files—<em>if</em> you make a point of enabling<a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2026546/how-to-activate-windows-8s-file-history-feature.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">the new File History feature</a>.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">File History periodically backs up your Windows Libraries, desktop, contacts, and favorites folders to an external drive, network drive, or some other storage location that isn't the primary Windows drive. By default, the feature saves once per hour. Even better, each save is stored as a different version, which means you can dive back multiple steps in time to restore an older state.</p> <a href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/windows-file-history-100067132-orig.png" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="199" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/windows-file-history-100067132-large.png" style="border-width:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:auto;min-height:auto;max-width:100%;float:left" width="580"></a>File History won't work unless you have some sort of auxiliary drive connected to your PC. (Click to enlarge.)<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> To enable File History, make sure another drive is connected to your system, then head to <em>Control Panel > System and Security > File History</em> to set it up. Advanced options can be found in the left-side menu pane.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">There are some key caveats to this otherwise awesome feature, however—mostly stemming from its reliance on Libraries. (Why no SkyDrive backup option, Microsoft?)</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">First and foremost, Windows 8.1 hides Libraries by default, so <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2056291/how-to-bring-back-libraries-in-windows-8-1.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">you'll want to re-enable them</a>. And what if you want to save a folder that isn't part of one of the default Windows Libraries? Simple: Add it to one. Just right-click the Library you want to absorb the folder (Documents, Music, etc.) and select<em>Properties > Add…</em>, then point the system to your chosen location.</p> <h2 style="font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Reset your Libraries</h2><a href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/reset-windows-libraries-100067130-orig.png" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="165" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/reset-windows-libraries-100067130-medium.png" style="border-width:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:auto;min-height:auto;max-width:100%;float:left" width="300"></a>Wiping the slate clean with a borked Library is easy. So easy, in fact, that Windows won't ask if you're sure about wiping the Library associations. (Click to enlarge.)<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> But wait! What if you wind up turning your Libraries into a cluttered, nigh-unusable mess in the midst of all that File History preparation? Fear not. Simply right-click  the <em>Libraries</em> listing in Windows File Explorer and select<em>Restore default libraries</em> to wipe the slate clean. You can also restore individual Libraries to their pristine states by right-clicking them and selecting <em>Properties</em>, then clicking the<em>Restore defaults</em> button at the bottom of the window. Or, you could just hit the<em>Restore settings</em> button that appears in the Manage tab of Windows 8's Ribbon UI when you're looking at a Library in the File Explorer.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Be warned: Windows doesn't ask if you're sure about your decision when you're rebooting Libraries, so don't click that button unless you're committed to action.</p> <h2 style="font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Reset the Ribbon UI</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> Speaking of the Ribbon UI in Windows 8's File Explorer, it's much more customizable than the traditional file menus found in Windows 7 and earlier. As with many of Windows' forays into flexibility, though, it's almost too easy to wipe the slate clean.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Open Windows File Explorer in the desktop, then browse to the <em>View</em> tab and click the <em>Options</em> button on the right side of the Ribbon menu. Each of the three tabs hidden within the Folder Options window that appears contains its own <em>Restore defaults</em> button, and each does exactly what you'd expect. Once again: There's no turning back once you click that button.</p> <h2 style="font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Reset the taskbar and Start menu</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> The Windows taskbar is a wonderful thing, providing at-a-glance info about your open programs and popping up system notifications as necessary. Windows being Windows, however, you have the option of muting or hiding individual software in the taskbar and system tray to cut down on the cacophony.</p> <a href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/reset-taskbar-icons-windows-100067129-orig.png" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="337" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/reset-taskbar-icons-windows-100067129-large.png" style="border-width:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:auto;min-height:auto;max-width:100%;float:left" width="580"></a>I long to see your face again, dearest taskbar icons. (Click to enlarge.)<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> If you've decided that you've hidden too much, right-click an empty section of the taskbar and select <em>Properties</em>. Open the <em>Taskbar</em> tab, then click the<em>Customize</em> button. Underneath the scrolling list of options is the blue link you're looking for: Restore default icon behaviors.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">And while you're poking around the taskbar properties, you can restore the Start Menu's defaults (assuming, of course, you're using Windows 7 or another version of Windows that still sports the Start Menu). Just open the<em>Start Menu</em> tab—remember, this doesn't apply to Windows 8—and click the <em>Customize</em> button, then press the<em>Use default settings</em> button at the bottom of the Customize Start Menu pop-up that appears.</p> <h2 style="font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Mr. Microsoft, tear down this firewall!</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> Firewalls are finicky. If you accidentally block a needed program (or accidentally <em>allow</em> a malicious program) then connectivity havoc can ensue. Microsoft's baked-in Windows Firewall is as user-friendly as firewalls can be, but it, too, has a reset button in case everything goes pear-shaped.</p> <a href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/reset-windows-firewall-100067133-orig.png" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="339" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/reset-windows-firewall-100067133-large.png" style="border-width:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:auto;min-height:auto;max-width:100%;float:left" width="580"></a>That's the ticket. And by "ticket" I mean "option," of course. (Click to enlarge.)<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> Head to <em>Control Panel > System and Security > Windows Firewall</em>, and click<em>Restore defaults</em> in the left-hand pane. Confirm you want to do so, and poof! Sweet stock setup achieved. (Be more careful this time around.)</p> <h2 style="font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">System Restore</h2><a href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/system-restore-windows-options-100067136-orig.png" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="336" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/system-restore-windows-options-100067136-medium.png" style="border-width:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:auto;min-height:auto;max-width:100%;float:left" width="300"></a>The buttons you're looking for. (Click to enlarge.)<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> The venerable System Restore acts kind of like File History, but for your system files and programs: It lets you return your PC to a previous, workable state if things go wonky. (Personal files aren't touched.)</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> System Restore points are automatically created once per week, or whenever you install a new app or update. To manually create a snapshot of your system—like say, before you<a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2056292/windows-8-1-launch-weekend-plagued-by-some-show-stopping-installation-issues.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">attempt to install a crucial system upgrade</a>—head to <em>Control Panel > System and Security > System</em> and then select <em>System Protection</em> in the left-hand pane. Click the <em>Create</em> button at the bottom and you're backed up.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">If you ever need to actually make use of the feature, head to the same place and click the <em>System Restore…</em> button. A wizard will walk you through the straightforward feature from there.</p> <img alt="" border="0" height="462" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/windows-system-restore-100067135-large.png" style="border-width:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:auto;min-height:auto;max-width:100%;float:left" width="580"><h2 style="font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)"> Refresh and reset</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Now on to the more dramatic options! Windows 8 includes <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/247360/windows_8_reset_and_refresh_microsofts_new_ways_to_restore_your_pc.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">new "refresh and reset" options</a> that restore core aspects of Windows to their native state.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Of the two, Refresh is the kinder, gentler option. It <em>won't</em> touch your personal files, but it <em>will</em> wipe everything else. Settings, apps, desktop programs, you name it: All gone, replaced by the stock settings and apps that shipped with your PC. Watch out: Any personal files stored in your PC's Program Files folders will be plunged into the abyss, too.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Reset is the nuclear option, the tool of last resorts. Kill it, burn it, clean-install it into the ground. Everything you've installed, created, or changed on your computer disappears, replaced by a fully factory-fresh Windows installation. Make sure <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/170688/7_backup_strategies.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">those important files are backed up</a>!</p> <a href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/windows-refresh-and-reset-100067134-orig.png" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="441" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/windows-refresh-and-reset-100067134-large.png" style="border-width:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:auto;min-height:auto;max-width:100%;float:left" width="580"></a>This is it. Pure annihilation. Pure redemption. Game over, man, game over. (Click to enlarge.)<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> If you've managed to break or clutter your operating system to those dire levels, you can find the Refresh and Reset options in Windows 8's Settings Charm. Open it, click <em>Change PC Settings</em> at the bottom, then select<em>General</em> in Windows 8's PC Settings menu, or <em>Update and recovery > Recovery</em> in Windows 8.1. Back up your data, kiss your kids, and select the option you'd like to use.</p> <h2 style="font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Go forth and tinker</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> And now you know all the ways Windows has your back. Install all those <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2052820/20-free-pc-apps-to-ease-daily-tasks.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">dazzling, incredibly useful desktop programs</a>! <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2046046/how-to-fix-your-pcs-worst-annoyances.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Tweak those annoying PC irritations</a>! Heck, hack your Registry to <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/228071/6_registry_hacks_to_make_your_pc_faster.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">make Windows leaner, meaner and faster than ever before</a>! Even if you manage to wreck things completely, restored sanity is merely a reset button away.</p>

When Windows breaks: How to fix it, piece by piece

Windows is so customizable, it's tempting to tinker. Don't like Internet Explorer's default feel? There are settings for that! H...

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When Windows breaks: How to fix it, piece by piece

<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Windows is so customizable, it's tempting to tinker. Don't like Internet Explorer's default feel? There are settings for that! Hate the way<a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/224146/windows_8_to_replace_your_toolbar_with_a_ribbon.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Windows 8's Ribbon UI</a> looks? Tweak away! And if you're feeling truly adventurous, a veritable universe of change awaits within <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/240491/9_easy_and_powerful_windows_7_registry_tweaks.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">the easy-to-bork Windows Registry</a>.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">But there's a dangerous downside to all that freedom: You can really, <em>really</em>mess things up. And yes, that includes some very vital things.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Don't swear off your courageous exploration just yet, though. Microsoft's built a slew of granular controls into Windows that let you reset all sorts of individual aspects of the operating system. There's usually no need to hit an irritating fly with that great, big "clean install" sledgehammer! Read this before you burn your installation to the ground and start all over.</p> <h2 style="font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Reigniting IE</h2><a href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/reset-ie-100067128-orig.png" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="345" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/reset-ie-100067128-medium.png" style="border-width:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:auto;min-height:auto;max-width:100%;float:left" width="300"></a>That's the metaphorical BIG RED BUTTON. (Click to enlarge.)<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> More than any other part of Windows, the Internet Explorer browser is most likely to suffer from excessive tinkering—especially if you're the type of person who likes to install lots of free software, which all too often comes bundled with tacked-on toolbars and settings that hijack your homepage.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">If you've managed to trash the desktop version of your browser beyond repair, click the gear icon on the right side of the IE toolbar, then select <em style="line-height:1.45em">Internet Options</em>. In the new window, open the<em style="line-height:1.45em">Advanced</em> tab and click the <em style="line-height:1.45em">Reset</em>button all the way at the bottom of the screen. Decide whether you'd like to clear personal settings (like your homepage) as well, then click <em style="line-height:1.45em">Reset</em>once more to blast your browser back to its origins.</p> <h2 style="font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">File History</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> If you've made the jump to Windows 8 or Windows 8.1, Microsoft's insurance extends beyond the system itself to protect your oh-so-precious personal files—<em>if</em> you make a point of enabling<a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2026546/how-to-activate-windows-8s-file-history-feature.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">the new File History feature</a>.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">File History periodically backs up your Windows Libraries, desktop, contacts, and favorites folders to an external drive, network drive, or some other storage location that isn't the primary Windows drive. By default, the feature saves once per hour. Even better, each save is stored as a different version, which means you can dive back multiple steps in time to restore an older state.</p> <a href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/windows-file-history-100067132-orig.png" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="199" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/windows-file-history-100067132-large.png" style="border-width:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:auto;min-height:auto;max-width:100%;float:left" width="580"></a>File History won't work unless you have some sort of auxiliary drive connected to your PC. (Click to enlarge.)<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> To enable File History, make sure another drive is connected to your system, then head to <em>Control Panel > System and Security > File History</em> to set it up. Advanced options can be found in the left-side menu pane.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">There are some key caveats to this otherwise awesome feature, however—mostly stemming from its reliance on Libraries. (Why no SkyDrive backup option, Microsoft?)</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">First and foremost, Windows 8.1 hides Libraries by default, so <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2056291/how-to-bring-back-libraries-in-windows-8-1.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">you'll want to re-enable them</a>. And what if you want to save a folder that isn't part of one of the default Windows Libraries? Simple: Add it to one. Just right-click the Library you want to absorb the folder (Documents, Music, etc.) and select<em>Properties > Add…</em>, then point the system to your chosen location.</p> <h2 style="font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Reset your Libraries</h2><a href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/reset-windows-libraries-100067130-orig.png" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="165" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/reset-windows-libraries-100067130-medium.png" style="border-width:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:auto;min-height:auto;max-width:100%;float:left" width="300"></a>Wiping the slate clean with a borked Library is easy. So easy, in fact, that Windows won't ask if you're sure about wiping the Library associations. (Click to enlarge.)<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> But wait! What if you wind up turning your Libraries into a cluttered, nigh-unusable mess in the midst of all that File History preparation? Fear not. Simply right-click  the <em>Libraries</em> listing in Windows File Explorer and select<em>Restore default libraries</em> to wipe the slate clean. You can also restore individual Libraries to their pristine states by right-clicking them and selecting <em>Properties</em>, then clicking the<em>Restore defaults</em> button at the bottom of the window. Or, you could just hit the<em>Restore settings</em> button that appears in the Manage tab of Windows 8's Ribbon UI when you're looking at a Library in the File Explorer.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Be warned: Windows doesn't ask if you're sure about your decision when you're rebooting Libraries, so don't click that button unless you're committed to action.</p> <h2 style="font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Reset the Ribbon UI</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> Speaking of the Ribbon UI in Windows 8's File Explorer, it's much more customizable than the traditional file menus found in Windows 7 and earlier. As with many of Windows' forays into flexibility, though, it's almost too easy to wipe the slate clean.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Open Windows File Explorer in the desktop, then browse to the <em>View</em> tab and click the <em>Options</em> button on the right side of the Ribbon menu. Each of the three tabs hidden within the Folder Options window that appears contains its own <em>Restore defaults</em> button, and each does exactly what you'd expect. Once again: There's no turning back once you click that button.</p> <h2 style="font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Reset the taskbar and Start menu</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> The Windows taskbar is a wonderful thing, providing at-a-glance info about your open programs and popping up system notifications as necessary. Windows being Windows, however, you have the option of muting or hiding individual software in the taskbar and system tray to cut down on the cacophony.</p> <a href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/reset-taskbar-icons-windows-100067129-orig.png" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="337" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/reset-taskbar-icons-windows-100067129-large.png" style="border-width:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:auto;min-height:auto;max-width:100%;float:left" width="580"></a>I long to see your face again, dearest taskbar icons. (Click to enlarge.)<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> If you've decided that you've hidden too much, right-click an empty section of the taskbar and select <em>Properties</em>. Open the <em>Taskbar</em> tab, then click the<em>Customize</em> button. Underneath the scrolling list of options is the blue link you're looking for: Restore default icon behaviors.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">And while you're poking around the taskbar properties, you can restore the Start Menu's defaults (assuming, of course, you're using Windows 7 or another version of Windows that still sports the Start Menu). Just open the<em>Start Menu</em> tab—remember, this doesn't apply to Windows 8—and click the <em>Customize</em> button, then press the<em>Use default settings</em> button at the bottom of the Customize Start Menu pop-up that appears.</p> <h2 style="font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Mr. Microsoft, tear down this firewall!</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> Firewalls are finicky. If you accidentally block a needed program (or accidentally <em>allow</em> a malicious program) then connectivity havoc can ensue. Microsoft's baked-in Windows Firewall is as user-friendly as firewalls can be, but it, too, has a reset button in case everything goes pear-shaped.</p> <a href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/reset-windows-firewall-100067133-orig.png" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="339" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/reset-windows-firewall-100067133-large.png" style="border-width:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:auto;min-height:auto;max-width:100%;float:left" width="580"></a>That's the ticket. And by "ticket" I mean "option," of course. (Click to enlarge.)<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> Head to <em>Control Panel > System and Security > Windows Firewall</em>, and click<em>Restore defaults</em> in the left-hand pane. Confirm you want to do so, and poof! Sweet stock setup achieved. (Be more careful this time around.)</p> <h2 style="font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">System Restore</h2><a href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/system-restore-windows-options-100067136-orig.png" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="336" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/system-restore-windows-options-100067136-medium.png" style="border-width:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:auto;min-height:auto;max-width:100%;float:left" width="300"></a>The buttons you're looking for. (Click to enlarge.)<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> The venerable System Restore acts kind of like File History, but for your system files and programs: It lets you return your PC to a previous, workable state if things go wonky. (Personal files aren't touched.)</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> System Restore points are automatically created once per week, or whenever you install a new app or update. To manually create a snapshot of your system—like say, before you<a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2056292/windows-8-1-launch-weekend-plagued-by-some-show-stopping-installation-issues.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">attempt to install a crucial system upgrade</a>—head to <em>Control Panel > System and Security > System</em> and then select <em>System Protection</em> in the left-hand pane. Click the <em>Create</em> button at the bottom and you're backed up.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">If you ever need to actually make use of the feature, head to the same place and click the <em>System Restore…</em> button. A wizard will walk you through the straightforward feature from there.</p> <img alt="" border="0" height="462" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/windows-system-restore-100067135-large.png" style="border-width:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:auto;min-height:auto;max-width:100%;float:left" width="580"><h2 style="font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)"> Refresh and reset</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Now on to the more dramatic options! Windows 8 includes <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/247360/windows_8_reset_and_refresh_microsofts_new_ways_to_restore_your_pc.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">new "refresh and reset" options</a> that restore core aspects of Windows to their native state.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Of the two, Refresh is the kinder, gentler option. It <em>won't</em> touch your personal files, but it <em>will</em> wipe everything else. Settings, apps, desktop programs, you name it: All gone, replaced by the stock settings and apps that shipped with your PC. Watch out: Any personal files stored in your PC's Program Files folders will be plunged into the abyss, too.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Reset is the nuclear option, the tool of last resorts. Kill it, burn it, clean-install it into the ground. Everything you've installed, created, or changed on your computer disappears, replaced by a fully factory-fresh Windows installation. Make sure <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/170688/7_backup_strategies.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">those important files are backed up</a>!</p> <a href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/windows-refresh-and-reset-100067134-orig.png" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="441" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/windows-refresh-and-reset-100067134-large.png" style="border-width:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:auto;min-height:auto;max-width:100%;float:left" width="580"></a>This is it. Pure annihilation. Pure redemption. Game over, man, game over. (Click to enlarge.)<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> If you've managed to break or clutter your operating system to those dire levels, you can find the Refresh and Reset options in Windows 8's Settings Charm. Open it, click <em>Change PC Settings</em> at the bottom, then select<em>General</em> in Windows 8's PC Settings menu, or <em>Update and recovery > Recovery</em> in Windows 8.1. Back up your data, kiss your kids, and select the option you'd like to use.</p> <h2 style="font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Go forth and tinker</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> And now you know all the ways Windows has your back. Install all those <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2052820/20-free-pc-apps-to-ease-daily-tasks.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">dazzling, incredibly useful desktop programs</a>! <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2046046/how-to-fix-your-pcs-worst-annoyances.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Tweak those annoying PC irritations</a>! Heck, hack your Registry to <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/228071/6_registry_hacks_to_make_your_pc_faster.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">make Windows leaner, meaner and faster than ever before</a>! Even if you manage to wreck things completely, restored sanity is merely a reset button away.</p>

When Windows breaks: How to fix it, piece by piece

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Build this killer AMD-based Windows 8.1 PC for less than $1000

AMD lovers, we hear ya. After building a killer Intel-based Windows 8.1 PC for $1000, we're starting with a cheaper, more powerful AMD CPU this time around. And we won't just walk you through the different steps in building a PC with AMD hardware—we'll also determine whether an Intel processor or an AMD processor can give you a more powerful PC for the same budget. Let's dive in!<p>What does choosing AMD mean?<p>Building a system around an AMD processor means making a couple of concessions. Although their performance is still very good, none of AMD's current processors offer nearly the same IPC (instructions per clock) performance as Intel's processors do. Clock for clock, or core for core, Intel's processors simply offer better performance—at this time. Intel's processors are also more power-efficient, though I doubt that most desktop users care much about a few watts here and there.<br>On the flip side, choosing an AMD processor (and an accompanying AMD-compatible motherboard) will typically be less expensive. If you don't intend to purchase a discrete graphics card and you hope to rely on integrated graphics, AMD's current APUs (accelerated processing units) offer greater game compatibility, better driver support, and superior overall GPU performance versus Intel's on-processor HD graphics products.<p>To sum up: In general, AMD CPUs are less powerful and require slightly more juice than competing Intel CPUs do, but they offer better built-in graphics performance and usually come at a lower price.<p>Choosing your components<p>With my $1000 budget burning a hole in my pocket, I set out to choose parts that were roughly equivalent to those in the powerful Haswell-based PC I put together a few weeks back.<p>Selecting the right processor for this build is easy: AMD's current top-of-the-line APU, the A10-6800K, is selling for only $140 as of this writing. With a 4.1GHz/4.4GHz base and boost frequencies, the A10-6800K is the best-performing quad-core APU in AMD's lineup. It also offers better single-threaded performance than the majority of AMD's processors do. Some of the beefier eight-core FX-Series products provide better multithreaded performance, but they cost more, use way more power, and require more expensive motherboards as well. Considering our dwindling budget and our goals with this build, the A10-6800K makes the most sense.<p>Next I sought out the most affordable motherboard—from a reputable manufacturer—that also featured the proper FM2+ socket. I spied Asus's A88XM-A in stock on Newegg for only $85, and snapped one up immediately. The A88XM-A is a micro-ATX motherboard, which limits expandability in comparison with its full-size ATX counterparts, but this build won't require you fill all of its slots anyway. Plus, in my experience Asus does excellent work with motherboard BIOS/UEFI, and it offers stellar support for high-speed memory on AMD's platforms.<p>To achieve peak performance, you should pair your new AMD CPU with two sticks of dual-channel 2133MHz RAM. The most affordable option I could find was an 8GB kit from G.Skill for $82. The memory modules boast hefty heat-spreaders and a capacity high enough for all but the most demanding multitasking. More memory would be nice, but we're on a budget.<p>Now that the foundation of your PC is complete, the next step is to pick out some storage. For my build, to this point I'd spent about $307. Windows Pro 8.1 ate up another $140, bringing the total to $447. That left a little over $550 for the rest of the system, and I wanted to dedicate as much money as possible to a fantastic graphics card.<p>A solid-state drive is one of the best ways to ensure high performance and a good user experience. As of this writing, Samsung's 120GB 840 EVO drive, at about $101, is one of the more affordable, higher-performing SSDs around, so I picked it up. I paired that with a spacious, $55 1TB Western Digital Caviar Blue 7200-rpm hard drive for bulk storage, and I finished things off with a cheap DVD-R drive from Asus for a little less than $20.<p>A fast Samsung solid-state drive, a spacious 1TB WD 7200-rpm hard drive, and an affordable Asus DVD-R optical drive are the pillars of this PC's storage configuration.<p>As with the other $1000 PC, I compromised a bit on the case and power supply. Normally I recommend a high-quality chassis and a PSU (power supply unit) from a respected brand name with a track record, to ensure an easy build and long-term stability. This time I didn't have the budget to splurge, so I settled for an affordable case with a good-sized PSU. Rosewill's $50 FBM-01-450P fit the bill: It's a relatively attractive micro-ATX case that includes a 450-watt PSU. That's a somewhat modest power capacity, but in light of the other components in this build, it should be plenty.<p>With about $670 of the budget gone, I had enough cash left over for a relatively powerful GPU. I picked out an XFX Double D R9-280X-TDFD Radeon R9 280X card, which cost just under $310. Although it isn't in the same class as one of Nvidia's or AMD's flagship cards, the Radeon R9 280X is still a powerhouse, and XFX's custom, dual-fan cooler is nice and quiet. Saving money on the APU and motherboard allows you to use a larger portion of the budget on graphics, which should help to offset the performance difference between the A10-6800K and Intel's pricier Core i5-4670 CPU with some workloads—mostly gaming.<p>Here's the complete breakdown of the parts and prices for this build.<p>Processor: AMD A10-6800K APU — $140<p>Motherboard: Asus A88XM-A Socket FM2 — $85<p>Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 — $82<p>Graphics: XFX Double D R9-280X-TDFD Radeon R9 280X — $310<p>Primary storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB SSD — $101<p>Secondary storage: WD 1TB Caviar Blue 7200-rpm — $55<p>Optical drive: Asus SATA DVD-R — $17<p>Chassis: Rosewill FBM-01-450P Case with 450-watt PSU — $50<p>Operating system: Windows Pro 8.1 64-bit — $140<p>Total cost: $980<p>Putting it all together<p>I won't bore you with the minutiae and explain how each component connects where. If you follow the directions in the packages, it's hard to screw anything up too badly. The biggest mistake to avoid is trying to force something into place where it's not supposed to be. CPUs, memory sticks, SATA cables, graphics cards, and power connectors are all designed to fit in only one way. Stick to PCWorld's PC-building best practices, and you shouldn't have any trouble piecing together your new machine.<p>I ran into two minor issues: First, the power supply included with the Rosewill case had only a single, supplemental PCIe power lead. The Radeon R9 280X needs two. I had to adapt a pair of peripheral connectors to get the second lead necessary for the graphics card. XFX included one of the adapters right in the box, so it wasn't a major problem. A bigger challenge was the fact that the case lacked intelligent cable-management features. It offered minimal room behind the motherboard tray—only a single cutout—and none of the PSU cables were modular. The micro-ATX case also gave me less room to work with than normal, so corralling all of the cables was a chore.<p>Getting the most from your new PC<p>My build fired up on the first try. Once I was sure that the components were working properly—the fans were spinning, the LEDs and switches were connected correctly, and everything had power—I entered the system BIOS and loaded its optimized defaults. Doing so would ensure that all of the motherboard's on-board peripherals were enabled and that the board was configured properly for the A10-6800K APU. I confirmed that AHCI mode was enabled on the storage hub to maximize the performance of the drives, and then I set the memory speed manually to 2133MHz (by default it was set to only 1866MHz.)<p>The Windows 8.1 installation went without a hitch. And once the operating system was installed, I had to run only a single installer to take care of the AMD-based chipset and graphics card drivers. From start to finish, I went from blank drives to a fully functional Windows installation in under a half hour. For tips to ensure a smooth software installation, read through our best practices for setting up software on a new PC.<p>After installing the OS and drivers, I immediately set out to benchmark the rig. If you remember my last Haswell build, you know that the system earned a score of 6516 in PCMark 7 and generated 30.81 frames per second in Crysis 3 with the game running at 1920 by 1080 pixels with high-quality settings and 4X antialiasing enabled. At similar settings, Bioshock Infinite ran at 64.72 fps. After a little tweaking and overclocking, however, the Haswell system's frame rates in Crysis 3 increased by over 10 percent, to 34.46 fps, and in Bioshock Infinite it hit 67.97 fps.<p>Those are pretty good numbers. But with no tweaking whatsoever, my newly built AMD rig managed a score of 5035 in PCMark 7, and its Crysis 3 frame rate reached 32.64 fps. Bioshock Infinite ran at 67.56 fps. The PCMark 7 score suggests that its overall system performance is lower than that of the Haswell-based PC, which you'd expect considering Intel's CPU performance advantages. Gaming performance, however, was a bit better on the AMD rig thanks to the more powerful R9 280X.<p>AMD makes boosting the performance of its APUs and graphics cards very easy, thanks to a few buttons and sliders in the Catalyst Control Center software's performance menu. Users can overclock both the APU and GPU.<p>Overclocking the APU is particularly simple because AMD automates the entire process. Just enable overdrive and click a single button, and CCC will try higher frequencies and test for stability along the way. With our setup, the automated tool was able to take the APU up to 4.6GHz. By moving a couple of sliders, I was also able to increase the frequencies on the GPU's core and memory, from its stock frequencies of 1000MHz (GPU) and 1500MHz (memory) to 1080MHz and 1600MHz.<p>In all likelihood I could have gone even higher, but power consumption increases sharply at the higher clock speeds, and I didn't have that much faith in the power supply unit. Here's what I mean: In my testing this PC idled at only 68 watts, and power consumption peaked at only 326 watts. After I overclocked it, though, power consumption shot up to 381 watts, which was about as close as I was comfortable getting to the power supply's 450-watt rating.<br>I reran the benchmark tests after overclocking this PC and saw its PCMark 7 score increase to 5154. Its Crysis 3 and Bioshock Infinite frame rates also increased, to 34.73 fps and 69.51 fps, respectively. I couldn't beat the Haswell PC's CPU speed advantages, but the faster GPU and overclocking gave the AMD system a clear advantage in the game tests.<p>In the end, I'm very pleased with the performance of our AMD-based rig. Although its overall performance in day-to-day computing tasks isn't quite as high as that of the similarly priced Haswell-based system, it's still plenty fast. Plus, dedicating less money to the CPU and more to the GPU affords superior gaming performance.

Build this killer AMD-based Windows 8.1 PC for less than $1000

AMD lovers, we hear ya. After building a killer Intel-based Windows 8.1 PC for $1000, we're starting with a cheaper, more powerful AMD C...

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How to change users in Windows 8

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Mr. Reddy recently moved to Windows 8, and can't figure out how to log off as one user and log on as another.<br />If you share your PC with another person, you know that logging off one account and logging onto another is faster than rebooting. You also know that switching between accounts is even faster.<br />But in Windows 8, the option isn't where experienced Windows users would expect it to be. It's yet another case of Microsoft making things easier for novice users at the expense of everyone else. The company renamed and moved these options in a way that actually makes sense. But for experienced Windows hands, there's a slight learning curve.<br />Log off is now called Sign Off. There's no longer an option called Switch user, but there doesn't have to be; the users' names are right there to switch to. And rather than putting these options in the Power section, they're at the user icon.<br />You'll find your name, and maybe your picture, in the top-right corner of the Start screen. Click or tap it. If there are other user accounts on this computer, you can select one and switch. As with earlier versions, your existing account will remain open, so you can switch back and pick up where you left off.<br />Of course you'll have to enter your password.<br />To completely log off of one account and log onto another, click or tap your name or picture and select Sign out. You'll be prompted to log on (or perhaps I should say "sign in") as another user.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div>

How to change users in Windows 8

Mr. Reddy recently moved to Windows 8, and can't figure out how to log off as one user and log on as another. If you share your PC with ...

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Build this killer AMD-based Windows 8.1 PC for less than $1000

AMD lovers, we hear ya. After building a killer Intel-based Windows 8.1 PC for $1000, we're starting with a cheaper, more powerful AMD CPU this time around. And we won't just walk you through the different steps in building a PC with AMD hardware—we'll also determine whether an Intel processor or an AMD processor can give you a more powerful PC for the same budget. Let's dive in!<p>What does choosing AMD mean?<p>Building a system around an AMD processor means making a couple of concessions. Although their performance is still very good, none of AMD's current processors offer nearly the same IPC (instructions per clock) performance as Intel's processors do. Clock for clock, or core for core, Intel's processors simply offer better performance—at this time. Intel's processors are also more power-efficient, though I doubt that most desktop users care much about a few watts here and there.<br>On the flip side, choosing an AMD processor (and an accompanying AMD-compatible motherboard) will typically be less expensive. If you don't intend to purchase a discrete graphics card and you hope to rely on integrated graphics, AMD's current APUs (accelerated processing units) offer greater game compatibility, better driver support, and superior overall GPU performance versus Intel's on-processor HD graphics products.<p>To sum up: In general, AMD CPUs are less powerful and require slightly more juice than competing Intel CPUs do, but they offer better built-in graphics performance and usually come at a lower price.<p>Choosing your components<p>With my $1000 budget burning a hole in my pocket, I set out to choose parts that were roughly equivalent to those in the powerful Haswell-based PC I put together a few weeks back.<p>Selecting the right processor for this build is easy: AMD's current top-of-the-line APU, the A10-6800K, is selling for only $140 as of this writing. With a 4.1GHz/4.4GHz base and boost frequencies, the A10-6800K is the best-performing quad-core APU in AMD's lineup. It also offers better single-threaded performance than the majority of AMD's processors do. Some of the beefier eight-core FX-Series products provide better multithreaded performance, but they cost more, use way more power, and require more expensive motherboards as well. Considering our dwindling budget and our goals with this build, the A10-6800K makes the most sense.<p>Next I sought out the most affordable motherboard—from a reputable manufacturer—that also featured the proper FM2+ socket. I spied Asus's A88XM-A in stock on Newegg for only $85, and snapped one up immediately. The A88XM-A is a micro-ATX motherboard, which limits expandability in comparison with its full-size ATX counterparts, but this build won't require you fill all of its slots anyway. Plus, in my experience Asus does excellent work with motherboard BIOS/UEFI, and it offers stellar support for high-speed memory on AMD's platforms.<p>To achieve peak performance, you should pair your new AMD CPU with two sticks of dual-channel 2133MHz RAM. The most affordable option I could find was an 8GB kit from G.Skill for $82. The memory modules boast hefty heat-spreaders and a capacity high enough for all but the most demanding multitasking. More memory would be nice, but we're on a budget.<p>Now that the foundation of your PC is complete, the next step is to pick out some storage. For my build, to this point I'd spent about $307. Windows Pro 8.1 ate up another $140, bringing the total to $447. That left a little over $550 for the rest of the system, and I wanted to dedicate as much money as possible to a fantastic graphics card.<p>A solid-state drive is one of the best ways to ensure high performance and a good user experience. As of this writing, Samsung's 120GB 840 EVO drive, at about $101, is one of the more affordable, higher-performing SSDs around, so I picked it up. I paired that with a spacious, $55 1TB Western Digital Caviar Blue 7200-rpm hard drive for bulk storage, and I finished things off with a cheap DVD-R drive from Asus for a little less than $20.<p>A fast Samsung solid-state drive, a spacious 1TB WD 7200-rpm hard drive, and an affordable Asus DVD-R optical drive are the pillars of this PC's storage configuration.<p>As with the other $1000 PC, I compromised a bit on the case and power supply. Normally I recommend a high-quality chassis and a PSU (power supply unit) from a respected brand name with a track record, to ensure an easy build and long-term stability. This time I didn't have the budget to splurge, so I settled for an affordable case with a good-sized PSU. Rosewill's $50 FBM-01-450P fit the bill: It's a relatively attractive micro-ATX case that includes a 450-watt PSU. That's a somewhat modest power capacity, but in light of the other components in this build, it should be plenty.<p>With about $670 of the budget gone, I had enough cash left over for a relatively powerful GPU. I picked out an XFX Double D R9-280X-TDFD Radeon R9 280X card, which cost just under $310. Although it isn't in the same class as one of Nvidia's or AMD's flagship cards, the Radeon R9 280X is still a powerhouse, and XFX's custom, dual-fan cooler is nice and quiet. Saving money on the APU and motherboard allows you to use a larger portion of the budget on graphics, which should help to offset the performance difference between the A10-6800K and Intel's pricier Core i5-4670 CPU with some workloads—mostly gaming.<p>Here's the complete breakdown of the parts and prices for this build.<p>Processor: AMD A10-6800K APU — $140<p>Motherboard: Asus A88XM-A Socket FM2 — $85<p>Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 — $82<p>Graphics: XFX Double D R9-280X-TDFD Radeon R9 280X — $310<p>Primary storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB SSD — $101<p>Secondary storage: WD 1TB Caviar Blue 7200-rpm — $55<p>Optical drive: Asus SATA DVD-R — $17<p>Chassis: Rosewill FBM-01-450P Case with 450-watt PSU — $50<p>Operating system: Windows Pro 8.1 64-bit — $140<p>Total cost: $980<p>Putting it all together<p>I won't bore you with the minutiae and explain how each component connects where. If you follow the directions in the packages, it's hard to screw anything up too badly. The biggest mistake to avoid is trying to force something into place where it's not supposed to be. CPUs, memory sticks, SATA cables, graphics cards, and power connectors are all designed to fit in only one way. Stick to PCWorld's PC-building best practices, and you shouldn't have any trouble piecing together your new machine.<p>I ran into two minor issues: First, the power supply included with the Rosewill case had only a single, supplemental PCIe power lead. The Radeon R9 280X needs two. I had to adapt a pair of peripheral connectors to get the second lead necessary for the graphics card. XFX included one of the adapters right in the box, so it wasn't a major problem. A bigger challenge was the fact that the case lacked intelligent cable-management features. It offered minimal room behind the motherboard tray—only a single cutout—and none of the PSU cables were modular. The micro-ATX case also gave me less room to work with than normal, so corralling all of the cables was a chore.<p>Getting the most from your new PC<p>My build fired up on the first try. Once I was sure that the components were working properly—the fans were spinning, the LEDs and switches were connected correctly, and everything had power—I entered the system BIOS and loaded its optimized defaults. Doing so would ensure that all of the motherboard's on-board peripherals were enabled and that the board was configured properly for the A10-6800K APU. I confirmed that AHCI mode was enabled on the storage hub to maximize the performance of the drives, and then I set the memory speed manually to 2133MHz (by default it was set to only 1866MHz.)<p>The Windows 8.1 installation went without a hitch. And once the operating system was installed, I had to run only a single installer to take care of the AMD-based chipset and graphics card drivers. From start to finish, I went from blank drives to a fully functional Windows installation in under a half hour. For tips to ensure a smooth software installation, read through our best practices for setting up software on a new PC.<p>After installing the OS and drivers, I immediately set out to benchmark the rig. If you remember my last Haswell build, you know that the system earned a score of 6516 in PCMark 7 and generated 30.81 frames per second in Crysis 3 with the game running at 1920 by 1080 pixels with high-quality settings and 4X antialiasing enabled. At similar settings, Bioshock Infinite ran at 64.72 fps. After a little tweaking and overclocking, however, the Haswell system's frame rates in Crysis 3 increased by over 10 percent, to 34.46 fps, and in Bioshock Infinite it hit 67.97 fps.<p>Those are pretty good numbers. But with no tweaking whatsoever, my newly built AMD rig managed a score of 5035 in PCMark 7, and its Crysis 3 frame rate reached 32.64 fps. Bioshock Infinite ran at 67.56 fps. The PCMark 7 score suggests that its overall system performance is lower than that of the Haswell-based PC, which you'd expect considering Intel's CPU performance advantages. Gaming performance, however, was a bit better on the AMD rig thanks to the more powerful R9 280X.<p>AMD makes boosting the performance of its APUs and graphics cards very easy, thanks to a few buttons and sliders in the Catalyst Control Center software's performance menu. Users can overclock both the APU and GPU.<p>Overclocking the APU is particularly simple because AMD automates the entire process. Just enable overdrive and click a single button, and CCC will try higher frequencies and test for stability along the way. With our setup, the automated tool was able to take the APU up to 4.6GHz. By moving a couple of sliders, I was also able to increase the frequencies on the GPU's core and memory, from its stock frequencies of 1000MHz (GPU) and 1500MHz (memory) to 1080MHz and 1600MHz.<p>In all likelihood I could have gone even higher, but power consumption increases sharply at the higher clock speeds, and I didn't have that much faith in the power supply unit. Here's what I mean: In my testing this PC idled at only 68 watts, and power consumption peaked at only 326 watts. After I overclocked it, though, power consumption shot up to 381 watts, which was about as close as I was comfortable getting to the power supply's 450-watt rating.<br>I reran the benchmark tests after overclocking this PC and saw its PCMark 7 score increase to 5154. Its Crysis 3 and Bioshock Infinite frame rates also increased, to 34.73 fps and 69.51 fps, respectively. I couldn't beat the Haswell PC's CPU speed advantages, but the faster GPU and overclocking gave the AMD system a clear advantage in the game tests.<p>In the end, I'm very pleased with the performance of our AMD-based rig. Although its overall performance in day-to-day computing tasks isn't quite as high as that of the similarly priced Haswell-based system, it's still plenty fast. Plus, dedicating less money to the CPU and more to the GPU affords superior gaming performance.

Build this killer AMD-based Windows 8.1 PC for less than $1000

AMD lovers, we hear ya. After building a killer Intel-based Windows 8.1 PC for $1000, we're starting with a cheaper, more powerful AMD C...

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How to change users in Windows 8

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Mr. Reddy recently moved to Windows 8, and can't figure out how to log off as one user and log on as another.<br />If you share your PC with another person, you know that logging off one account and logging onto another is faster than rebooting. You also know that switching between accounts is even faster.<br />But in Windows 8, the option isn't where experienced Windows users would expect it to be. It's yet another case of Microsoft making things easier for novice users at the expense of everyone else. The company renamed and moved these options in a way that actually makes sense. But for experienced Windows hands, there's a slight learning curve.<br />Log off is now called Sign Off. There's no longer an option called Switch user, but there doesn't have to be; the users' names are right there to switch to. And rather than putting these options in the Power section, they're at the user icon.<br />You'll find your name, and maybe your picture, in the top-right corner of the Start screen. Click or tap it. If there are other user accounts on this computer, you can select one and switch. As with earlier versions, your existing account will remain open, so you can switch back and pick up where you left off.<br />Of course you'll have to enter your password.<br />To completely log off of one account and log onto another, click or tap your name or picture and select Sign out. You'll be prompted to log on (or perhaps I should say "sign in") as another user.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div>

How to change users in Windows 8

Mr. Reddy recently moved to Windows 8, and can't figure out how to log off as one user and log on as another. If you share your PC with ...

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McAfee study reveals perils children face online

<div dir="ltr"><div class=""> <h2><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFm81VyI1DDBqPtt7AJJO750vF_qfTboIMVE8K6sSfQTJxSk6J9VHEiu-VcGkW-O3RQUJHLfGWy4jW1Qi2M2R3C2vxDU2tPcDENjA1bKsc6jSOD9QHvXCBKuAHxlmUKTNlhwKRdGRJ7VQW/s1600/cyber_bullying_rag_1667668g-796128.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5952453571709721922" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFm81VyI1DDBqPtt7AJJO750vF_qfTboIMVE8K6sSfQTJxSk6J9VHEiu-VcGkW-O3RQUJHLfGWy4jW1Qi2M2R3C2vxDU2tPcDENjA1bKsc6jSOD9QHvXCBKuAHxlmUKTNlhwKRdGRJ7VQW/s320/cyber_bullying_rag_1667668g-796128.jpg" /></a><br></h2><h2><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc8pM2QDR9UJKUd8E9r-bWpuZGt_slETrVqMHNNDhVPNHoe2pg7iCpOwqRmGvp_Pv9NCaiTuvzDEzkQ0OrymIr2N9QQgZTyM-GB9b6kTfeAEcUl2eJRHFrmF5xXknkoN0MXbZkTEIFH8_c/s1600/TH_28_city_COL_eps_1666982g-798349.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5952453580617619698" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc8pM2QDR9UJKUd8E9r-bWpuZGt_slETrVqMHNNDhVPNHoe2pg7iCpOwqRmGvp_Pv9NCaiTuvzDEzkQ0OrymIr2N9QQgZTyM-GB9b6kTfeAEcUl2eJRHFrmF5xXknkoN0MXbZkTEIFH8_c/s320/TH_28_city_COL_eps_1666982g-798349.jpg" /></a><br></h2><h2>8 to 12 year olds surveyed; cyber bullying, chatting with strangers some of the risks</h2> </div> <p class=""> The youngest digital natives of the country — those in the age group of eight to 12 with access to the Internet via multiple devices — are prone to the dangers of cyber bullying and getting drawn into malicious social engineering schemes, a study has warned. </p><p class="">Online security solutions provider McAfee on Wednesday released its 'Tweens and technology report 2013' in the city, and followed it up with a panel of educationists and technologists discussing the problems children face while browsing the web. </p><p class="">The report was based on a detailed survey of 1,000 children in tier-1 cities of the country. </p><p class="">Some of the study's findings indicate that new-age parenting will have to walk the tightrope of providing access and at the same time ensuring that youngsters don't become victims. For instance, nearly 36 per cent of all online tweens (defined in the study as those between 8 to 12 years) have chatted with a stranger online, the report said. </p><p class="">Nearly 45 per cent of online tweens had access to the internet post 8 p.m. Nearly 91 per cent of them were either playing games or chatting with friends. Most accessed the internet through mobile smart devices. </p><p class="">Despite Facebook, the world's largest social network, having mandated 13 years as the minimum age for setting up an account, in several instances parents themselves had set up accounts for their children, McAfee representatives told media persons. Three in four respondents to the survey admitted to having Facebook accounts.</p><p class="">"Sometimes, when children receive friendship requests from strangers, they don't know how to process them," Anindita Mishra, online child safety evangelist with McAfee, said at the panel discussion. </p><p class="">Ms. Mishra tweets on behalf of McAfee regularly through the company backed account, @Cybermum_India on issues relating to child safety online.</p><p class="">Meeta W. Sengupta, educational consultant, and Melanie Duca, consumer marketing director (APAC region), McAfee, said cutting off access to the internet or strict policing was not an option as children would find ways to circumvent complete bans. </p><p class="">A better way to deal with safety online would be to make children aware of what to do and what not to do. "Think of it like teaching the child how to cross the street," Ms. Sengupta said. "You cannot be holding their hand all the time."</p><p class="">Psychiatrist Dr. V. Jayanthini noted that in some cases of serious problems because of cyber security, counselling was required not just for the child but for the entire family.</p><p class="">McAfee addresses some cyber security problems through its software suite. There are other third-party solutions as well as pre-installed software that come with some of the more established hardware manufacturers.</p></div>

McAfee study reveals perils children face online

8 to 12 year olds surveyed; cyber bullying, chatting with strangers some of the risks The youngest digital natives of the country —...

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McAfee study reveals perils children face online

<div dir="ltr"><div class=""> <h2><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFm81VyI1DDBqPtt7AJJO750vF_qfTboIMVE8K6sSfQTJxSk6J9VHEiu-VcGkW-O3RQUJHLfGWy4jW1Qi2M2R3C2vxDU2tPcDENjA1bKsc6jSOD9QHvXCBKuAHxlmUKTNlhwKRdGRJ7VQW/s1600/cyber_bullying_rag_1667668g-796128.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5952453571709721922" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFm81VyI1DDBqPtt7AJJO750vF_qfTboIMVE8K6sSfQTJxSk6J9VHEiu-VcGkW-O3RQUJHLfGWy4jW1Qi2M2R3C2vxDU2tPcDENjA1bKsc6jSOD9QHvXCBKuAHxlmUKTNlhwKRdGRJ7VQW/s320/cyber_bullying_rag_1667668g-796128.jpg" /></a><br></h2><h2><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc8pM2QDR9UJKUd8E9r-bWpuZGt_slETrVqMHNNDhVPNHoe2pg7iCpOwqRmGvp_Pv9NCaiTuvzDEzkQ0OrymIr2N9QQgZTyM-GB9b6kTfeAEcUl2eJRHFrmF5xXknkoN0MXbZkTEIFH8_c/s1600/TH_28_city_COL_eps_1666982g-798349.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5952453580617619698" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc8pM2QDR9UJKUd8E9r-bWpuZGt_slETrVqMHNNDhVPNHoe2pg7iCpOwqRmGvp_Pv9NCaiTuvzDEzkQ0OrymIr2N9QQgZTyM-GB9b6kTfeAEcUl2eJRHFrmF5xXknkoN0MXbZkTEIFH8_c/s320/TH_28_city_COL_eps_1666982g-798349.jpg" /></a><br></h2><h2>8 to 12 year olds surveyed; cyber bullying, chatting with strangers some of the risks</h2> </div> <p class=""> The youngest digital natives of the country — those in the age group of eight to 12 with access to the Internet via multiple devices — are prone to the dangers of cyber bullying and getting drawn into malicious social engineering schemes, a study has warned. </p><p class="">Online security solutions provider McAfee on Wednesday released its 'Tweens and technology report 2013' in the city, and followed it up with a panel of educationists and technologists discussing the problems children face while browsing the web. </p><p class="">The report was based on a detailed survey of 1,000 children in tier-1 cities of the country. </p><p class="">Some of the study's findings indicate that new-age parenting will have to walk the tightrope of providing access and at the same time ensuring that youngsters don't become victims. For instance, nearly 36 per cent of all online tweens (defined in the study as those between 8 to 12 years) have chatted with a stranger online, the report said. </p><p class="">Nearly 45 per cent of online tweens had access to the internet post 8 p.m. Nearly 91 per cent of them were either playing games or chatting with friends. Most accessed the internet through mobile smart devices. </p><p class="">Despite Facebook, the world's largest social network, having mandated 13 years as the minimum age for setting up an account, in several instances parents themselves had set up accounts for their children, McAfee representatives told media persons. Three in four respondents to the survey admitted to having Facebook accounts.</p><p class="">"Sometimes, when children receive friendship requests from strangers, they don't know how to process them," Anindita Mishra, online child safety evangelist with McAfee, said at the panel discussion. </p><p class="">Ms. Mishra tweets on behalf of McAfee regularly through the company backed account, @Cybermum_India on issues relating to child safety online.</p><p class="">Meeta W. Sengupta, educational consultant, and Melanie Duca, consumer marketing director (APAC region), McAfee, said cutting off access to the internet or strict policing was not an option as children would find ways to circumvent complete bans. </p><p class="">A better way to deal with safety online would be to make children aware of what to do and what not to do. "Think of it like teaching the child how to cross the street," Ms. Sengupta said. "You cannot be holding their hand all the time."</p><p class="">Psychiatrist Dr. V. Jayanthini noted that in some cases of serious problems because of cyber security, counselling was required not just for the child but for the entire family.</p><p class="">McAfee addresses some cyber security problems through its software suite. There are other third-party solutions as well as pre-installed software that come with some of the more established hardware manufacturers.</p></div>

McAfee study reveals perils children face online

8 to 12 year olds surveyed; cyber bullying, chatting with strangers some of the risks The youngest digital natives of the country —...

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Microsoft Leans to Mulally, Nadella in CEO Search

<div dir="ltr"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq1RBVRaQ_8ExROQ6r9moRVkWAWeDryOmPwkOGpLP6OIcMLYJXFxNIaB948mScrSE5JsO3bagCtjN-k31cxRbYPex9k-mfN4yJCrBuKbxNfbyp1DurOwzRieXlh5TSgJ2ZEZ37f0pMxJT5/s1600/i5TVH7JLWu6Y-707717.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5952448034952952898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq1RBVRaQ_8ExROQ6r9moRVkWAWeDryOmPwkOGpLP6OIcMLYJXFxNIaB948mScrSE5JsO3bagCtjN-k31cxRbYPex9k-mfN4yJCrBuKbxNfbyp1DurOwzRieXlh5TSgJ2ZEZ37f0pMxJT5/s320/i5TVH7JLWu6Y-707717.jpg" /></a><br><br><p><span class=""><span itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Corporation"><span itemprop="name">Microsoft Corp.</span></span> (<a class="" href="http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/snapshot/snapshot.asp?ticker=MSFT:US">MSFT:US</a>)</span>'s board is focusing on Ford Motor Co. Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally and internal executive Satya Nadella as part of a group of more likely candidates to become the next CEO of the world's biggest software company, according to people familiar with the matter. </p> <p>While internal candidate Tony Bates and former Nokia Oyj CEO Stephen Elop remain in the mix, they're currently considered less likely to be offered the job, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are private. Preferences remain fluid and other people are being considered and could emerge as front-runners, said one of the people, without identifying any. </p> <p>The board is aiming for a quick replacement for longtime CEO Steve Ballmer, who said in August that he will retire within the next 12 months. The Redmond, Washington-based company has seen its software leadership decline amid a shrinking of the personal-computer market, which was its core business. Microsoft is shifting strategy to focus more on hardware and Internet-based services and away from its software roots as it competes with Apple Inc. and Google Inc. </p> <p>Frank Shaw, a spokesman at Microsoft, declined to comment or to make any executives available yesterday. Susan Sheehan, a spokeswoman for Nokia, which is still Elop's employer, declined to comment. </p> <p>"There is no change from what we announced last November," said Jay Cooney, a spokesman at Ford. "Alan remains completely focused on executing our One Ford plan. We do not engage in speculation." </p> <h2>Board Meeting </h2> <p>The board met on Nov. 18 about the CEO search, Microsoft chairman and co-founder Bill Gates said at a shareholder meeting last week. Gates said he and other directors have met with "a lot of CEO candidates." He declined to give a timeline for the decision, adding that "it's a complex role to fill." </p> <p>Ballmer was all smiles at the shareholder event, calling it a "fun meeting," compared with the teary goodbye message he gave to employees at an internal companywide meeting in September. </p> <p>The board is aiming to have a CEO decision this year, though an announcement could be pushed back until early next year, said one of the people with knowledge of the matter. </p> <p>A document prepared by the board for the CEO search describes the ideal candidate as one who has an "extensive track record in managing complex, global organizations within a fast-paced and highly competitive market sector; track record of delivering top and bottom line results. Proven ability to lead a multi-billion dollar organization and large employee base," people with knowledge of the document have said. </p></div>

Microsoft Leans to Mulally, Nadella in CEO Search

Microsoft Corp. ( MSFT:US ) 's board is focusing on Ford Motor Co. Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally and internal executive Saty...

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New technology lets you control paper airplane with smartphone

<div dir="ltr"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq69AESwJ3lyZbSt4UFaQLNpeAjMHMyn2whbynT6KEinihcf-kRqbJtoTyp4QxMxLKfIf_98nwqJGm-bEN2j93HbvJ5VjvF7QsQGuFuzgUHsAkf0dpQb_tfonNCrsL7B_gnQU60IKeS8-3/s1600/new-technology-lets-you-control-paper-airplane-with-smartphone-700314.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5952446718924030434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq69AESwJ3lyZbSt4UFaQLNpeAjMHMyn2whbynT6KEinihcf-kRqbJtoTyp4QxMxLKfIf_98nwqJGm-bEN2j93HbvJ5VjvF7QsQGuFuzgUHsAkf0dpQb_tfonNCrsL7B_gnQU60IKeS8-3/s320/new-technology-lets-you-control-paper-airplane-with-smartphone-700314.jpg" /></a><br>Power Up 3.0, built by US-based designer Shai Goitein, promises to give the basic paper model an upgrade, using a small attachable propeller and rudder for a little more speed and steering control.<br><br><br>Researchers have developed new <a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/topic/technology" target="_blank">technology</a> that turns your self-made <a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/topic/paper-airplane" target="_blank">paper airplane</a> into a <a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/topic/smartphone-controlled-flying-machine" target="_blank">smartphone-controlled flying machine</a> capable of twisting and turning through open skies. <br> <br> <a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/topic/Power-Up-3.0" target="_blank">Power Up 3.0</a>, built by US-based designer Shai Goitein, promises to give the basic paper model an upgrade, using a small attachable propeller and rudder for a little more speed and steering control. <br><br> PowerUp 3.0's wireless communication is based on Bluetooth Smart technology. <br><br>Bluetooth connectivity allows the user to control the paper airplane via their smartphone with an accompanying app. <br> <br> Tilting the phone to the left or right allows users to turn their airplane as it flies a whopping 60 yards. The app also includes a compass, controls for thrust and readouts for battery life and range, 'Mashable' reported. <br><br> To begin, a user has to simply fold a piece of copier paper into a paper airplane. Then, they have to attach the smart module to their paper plane with the patented clips underneath the Smart Module. <br><br> Starting the app connects the Smart Module with their cell phone. <br><br> Users can then push throttle to full and launch the paper airplane high up into the sky, <br><br></div>

New technology lets you control paper airplane with smartphone

Power Up 3.0, built by US-based designer Shai Goitein, promises to give the basic paper model an upgrade, using a small attachable propell...

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New technology lets you control paper airplane with smartphone

<div dir="ltr"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq69AESwJ3lyZbSt4UFaQLNpeAjMHMyn2whbynT6KEinihcf-kRqbJtoTyp4QxMxLKfIf_98nwqJGm-bEN2j93HbvJ5VjvF7QsQGuFuzgUHsAkf0dpQb_tfonNCrsL7B_gnQU60IKeS8-3/s1600/new-technology-lets-you-control-paper-airplane-with-smartphone-700314.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5952446718924030434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq69AESwJ3lyZbSt4UFaQLNpeAjMHMyn2whbynT6KEinihcf-kRqbJtoTyp4QxMxLKfIf_98nwqJGm-bEN2j93HbvJ5VjvF7QsQGuFuzgUHsAkf0dpQb_tfonNCrsL7B_gnQU60IKeS8-3/s320/new-technology-lets-you-control-paper-airplane-with-smartphone-700314.jpg" /></a><br>Power Up 3.0, built by US-based designer Shai Goitein, promises to give the basic paper model an upgrade, using a small attachable propeller and rudder for a little more speed and steering control.<br><br><br>Researchers have developed new <a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/topic/technology" target="_blank">technology</a> that turns your self-made <a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/topic/paper-airplane" target="_blank">paper airplane</a> into a <a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/topic/smartphone-controlled-flying-machine" target="_blank">smartphone-controlled flying machine</a> capable of twisting and turning through open skies. <br> <br> <a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/topic/Power-Up-3.0" target="_blank">Power Up 3.0</a>, built by US-based designer Shai Goitein, promises to give the basic paper model an upgrade, using a small attachable propeller and rudder for a little more speed and steering control. <br><br> PowerUp 3.0's wireless communication is based on Bluetooth Smart technology. <br><br>Bluetooth connectivity allows the user to control the paper airplane via their smartphone with an accompanying app. <br> <br> Tilting the phone to the left or right allows users to turn their airplane as it flies a whopping 60 yards. The app also includes a compass, controls for thrust and readouts for battery life and range, 'Mashable' reported. <br><br> To begin, a user has to simply fold a piece of copier paper into a paper airplane. Then, they have to attach the smart module to their paper plane with the patented clips underneath the Smart Module. <br><br> Starting the app connects the Smart Module with their cell phone. <br><br> Users can then push throttle to full and launch the paper airplane high up into the sky, <br><br></div>

New technology lets you control paper airplane with smartphone

Power Up 3.0, built by US-based designer Shai Goitein, promises to give the basic paper model an upgrade, using a small attachable propell...

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New Linux worm targets routers, cameras, “Internet of things” devices

<div dir="ltr"><h2 class="">Too many Internet-connected devices run code that's woefully out of date.</h2><br><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrckraQDiLM4YSnKbGtBwrbGYmW0ogG9DrOwB-aL79MzrKqUBru9GiIHUU9_NA729SdIWW4SPVr2aUmeUIzjpwyY8hre_aFJTs-BJeFy73ghNuCx-WN7BFCrs6PMqbFrrYCHjRWRjjULY_/s1600/router-password-778665.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5952444477435900370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrckraQDiLM4YSnKbGtBwrbGYmW0ogG9DrOwB-aL79MzrKqUBru9GiIHUU9_NA729SdIWW4SPVr2aUmeUIzjpwyY8hre_aFJTs-BJeFy73ghNuCx-WN7BFCrs6PMqbFrrYCHjRWRjjULY_/s320/router-password-778665.jpg" /></a><br><p>Researchers have discovered a Linux worm capable of infecting a wide range of home routers, set-top boxes, security cameras, and other consumer devices that are increasingly equipped with an Internet connection.</p> <p><a href="http://www.symantec.com/security_response/writeup.jsp?docid=2013-112710-1612-99">Linux.Darlloz</a>, as the worm has been dubbed, is now classified as a low-level threat, partly because its current version targets only devices that run on CPUs made by Intel, Symantec researcher Kaoru Hayashi wrote in a <a href="http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/linux-worm-targeting-hidden-devices">blog post published Wednesday</a>. But with a minor modification, the malware could begin using variants that incorporate already available <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executable_and_Linkable_Format">executable and linkable format</a> (ELF) files that infect a much wider range of "Internet-of-things" devices, including those that run chips made by ARM and those that use the PPC, MIPS, and MIPSEL architectures.</p> <p>"Upon execution, the worm generates IP addresses randomly, accesses a specific path on the machine with well-known ID and passwords, and sends HTTP POST requests, which exploit the vulnerability," Hayashi explained. "If the target is unpatched, it downloads the worm from a malicious server and starts searching for its next target. Currently, the worm seems to infect only Intel x86 systems, because the downloaded URL in the exploit code is hard-coded to the ELF binary for Intel architectures."</p> <p>The researcher went on to say the attacker behind the Intel version is also hosting ELF files that exploit the other chip architectures.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju1BLY3vv7IkBDSSq4mSm21g8_NzZkAd2uE640l3SqVqBNJqV7sR0Bo2TZL_FdUMExiQi8pj0bgSjMvQZZgSmvPiFiHrojn0fUmq_gU4S5usGoPWhtBb4HSXCwwQhkjvlMWB0cugtS_npR/s1600/2-780995.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5952444487369093650" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju1BLY3vv7IkBDSSq4mSm21g8_NzZkAd2uE640l3SqVqBNJqV7sR0Bo2TZL_FdUMExiQi8pj0bgSjMvQZZgSmvPiFiHrojn0fUmq_gU4S5usGoPWhtBb4HSXCwwQhkjvlMWB0cugtS_npR/s320/2-780995.png" /></a><br></p><h2>Out of date</h2> <p>While not posing much of a real-world threat now, Darlloz demonstrates a major shortcoming with most Internet-of-things devices available today—they typically run Linux or other types of open source code that are woefully out of date. Making matters worse, many Internet-connected consumer devices can't be updated because their lightweight hardware can't handle the requirements of newer code versions. Hijacking one of these devices thus becomes much easier than exploiting, say, an up-to-date version of Windows, OS X, or Linux.</p> <p>Darlloz exploits a <a href="http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/53388">vulnerability in the PHP scripting language</a> that was patched 18 months ago. Devices that use older versions of PHP to provide a Web-based interface to make configuration changes may be vulnerable to the attack. With minor modifications, the worm could potentially be reprogrammed to exploit dozens of patched vulnerabilities that still haven't made their way into most consumer devices.</p> <p>Readers who want to tighten the security of their routers and other devices should consider doing research ahead of purchases and buying only gear that can be updated easily. For existing devices, update to the latest available version, change default passwords, and block incoming POST requests and other types of HTTP calls if at all possible.</p><br></div>

New Linux worm targets routers, cameras, “Internet of things” devices

Too many Internet-connected devices run code that's woefully out of date. Researchers have discovered a Linux worm capable of infecting ...

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Hate Typing Passwords? Log into your Mac Computer with your iPhone

<div dir="ltr"><p><br></p><p>Knock to Unlock is a new <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/knock-unlock-your-mac-your/id692929970?mt=8" target="_blank">iPhone app</a> ($3.99) that lets you easily log into your locked Macbook using the iPhone in your pocket. While you are near your locked Mac, just know the screen of your iPhone twice and the app will automatically enter your password on the computer.</p> <p>Knock has two components – the desktop app that runs on your Mac and the iPhone app. When you knock on the iPhone screen, the Mac app automatically enters your password and unlocks the computer. Your Mac is still protected with a password, the app just saves you from the hassle of typing that long password every time you sign-in.</p> <p>And if your iPhone isn't around, you will still be able to sign in to your Mac by manually typing the password. </p> <p><a href="http://www.knocktounlock.com/" target="_blank">Know to Unlock</a> is currently available for Mac only but a Windows version is also in the works. You need an iPhone running on iOS 7 and not a very ancient Macbook or iMac running on Mountain Lion or Mac OS X Mavericks.</p> <p>One iPhone can only be paired with one Mac computer though the website says that support for multiple Macs is coming very soon.</p><p><br></p></div>

Hate Typing Passwords? Log into your Mac Computer with your iPhone

Knock to Unlock is a new iPhone app ($3.99) that lets you easily log into your locked Macbook using the iPhone in your pocket. While yo...

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Multiple display, power and misc Apple's newest OS is good news for power users

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><h1 class="" style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 32px; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 1em; margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top;">Multiple display, power and misc</h1><h2 class="" style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: -0.5px; line-height: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Apple's newest OS is good news for power users</h2><div><h1 class="" style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 32px; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 1em; margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top;"><div style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; width: 500px;">The fullscreen mode introduced with OS X Lion was no doubt an attempt to bring to the Mac the kind of singular focus iPad apps provide.</div><div style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px 0px 0px; width: 500px;">The drawback was that Apple clearly had no idea what to do with multiple-monitor set-ups. Its solution: tile a linen background on all but your primary display, turning them into very expensive wallpaper.</div><div style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px 0px 0px; width: 500px;">Mavericks revolutionises fullscreen, and works very nicely indeed across multiple displays. Apps can be made fullscreen on any display, and those on other screens continue on as normal. To cater for app navigation on displays without fullscreen apps running, the menu bar appears, albeit only in opaque fashion on the screen with the current in-use app.</div><div style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px 0px 0px; width: 500px;">If Mission Control is invoked, it also provides an overview of what's going on for each display, handily numbering each desktop.</div><div style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px 0px 0px; width: 500px;">In theory, the Dock can also move between displays, but we could only get that to work when it was pinned to the bottom of the screen and set to auto-hide - and even then it took seconds to make an appearance.</div><div style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px 0px 0px; width: 500px;"></div><img alt="OS X 10.9 Mavericks" src="http://cdn0.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/software/Apple/Mavericks/Mavericks%20review/multiple-monitor-580-100.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; vertical-align: middle;" width="580" />One of two displays we ran for this review. Note 'Desktop 1', top left<div style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; width: 500px;"></div><div style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px 0px 0px; width: 500px;">Some people will doubtless find fault with Apple's new implementation. There's now no means of spanning a single window across multiple displays, and the semi-transparent menu bars can be horribly indistinct with certain backgrounds; unfortunately, there's no "look, just stop already with the translucent menu bars" option lurking in the Desktop System Preferences pane.</div><div style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px 0px 0px; width: 500px;">Still, fullscreen now broadly feels like a feature fit for power users, whereas previously it was more like Apple wanted your Mac to become a giant iPad and for you to unthinkingly hurl your other displays out of the window.</div><div style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px 0px 0px; width: 500px;">With Apple having been accused of thumbing its nose at professionals for a while, Mavericks in part aims to make such users deliriously happy. Finder tabs and enhanced fullscreen are two prominent ways of doing so, but the latest OS X also includes a number of power-saving features.</div><div style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px 0px 0px; width: 500px;">These involve a mix of best practices, rethinking background processes, and an "App Nap" feature/API, the combination of which in theory makes OS X snappier and increases battery life.</div><div style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px 0px 0px; width: 500px;">App Nap is invoked if a number of conditions are set, including an app's windows being hidden or minimised and it not being audible. The idea is, for example, if an app is devouring resources in the background, it'll be temporarily but intelligently frozen should it be entirely covered.</div><div style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px 0px 0px; width: 500px;">The feature can be overridden on a per-app basis for those apps that support it (in the Get Info dialog), although during testing, we never thought it negatively impacted on performance.</div><div style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px 0px 0px; width: 500px;"></div><img alt="OS X 10.9 Mavericks" src="http://cdn0.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/software/Apple/Mavericks/Mavericks%20review/activity-monitor-energy-580-100.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; vertical-align: middle;" width="580" />Energy hogs can be tracked down in Activity Monitor<div style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; width: 500px;"></div><div style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px 0px 0px; width: 500px;">Power hogs can also be spotted and eradicated in Activity Monitor's new Energy tab. The numbers are a bit opaque, but we imagine if everything's doddering along in low single figures, but your Mac's fans are going nuts and Safari's sitting there with a guilty expression and an "Energy Impact" of 52.7, it's probably a candidate for quitting if your battery's running low.</div><div style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px 0px 0px; width: 500px;">It's hard to quantify the impact of Apple's efforts in this field over the short time we've been running the final build of Mavericks, but an ageing MacBook Pro's battery life reduction seemed to drop by about 10–15% under general use. As ever, your mileage may vary.</div></h1><h3 style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 20px; letter-spacing: -0.5px; line-height: 1em; margin: 20px 0px 10px; padding-bottom: 10px; width: 480px;">Other features</h3><h1 class="" style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 32px; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 1em; margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top;"> <div style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; width: 500px;">Smaller features and changes also add to Mavericks, improving the overall experience. Offline dictation now exists (at the one-off expense of a 785 MB download), and worked flawlessly during testing.</div><div style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px 0px 0px; width: 500px;">iOS-like responsive scrolling improves the feel and flow of Apple's native apps if you tend to rapidly scroll through pages. And the Mac App Store can download and auto-update apps, without you doing anything (although, bizarrely, the settings are in System Preferences and not the Mac App Store app itself).</div><div style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px 0px 0px; width: 500px;"></div><img alt="OS X 10.9 Mavericks" src="http://cdn3.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/software/Apple/Mavericks/Mavericks%20review/mac-app-store-580-100.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; vertical-align: middle;" width="580" />The Mac App Store can now auto-download/auto-update apps<div style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; width: 500px;"></div><div style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px 0px 0px; width: 500px;">Notification Center's had a minor overhaul. App update notifications can mercifully now be snoozed (for an hour, to "tonight" or to "tomorrow"), meaning you're no longer forced to dismiss them by clicking "Details."</div><div style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px 0px 0px; width: 500px;">Some notification types are also actionable, such as those from Messages, although there's a usability issue in including a Cancel button but not one for Submit.</div><div style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px 0px 0px; width: 500px;">Tweets, oddly, can't be replied to in this manner, instead bumping you to Safari. A "do not disturb" section in System Preferences rounds everything out, providing the means to block notifications during certain time periods and/or when mirroring to TVs and projectors.</div><div style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px 0px 0px; width: 500px;"></div><img alt="OS X 10.9 Mavericks" src="http://cdn2.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/software/Apple/Mavericks/Mavericks%20review/accessibility-580-100.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; vertical-align: middle;" width="580" />New accessibility options are always welcome. More, please, Apple<div style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; width: 500px;"></div><div style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px 0px 0px; width: 500px;">Elsewhere, the Internet Accounts pane (formerly known as "Mail, Contacts & Calendars") now includes LinkedIn, Control+Command+Space brings up a pop-up Emoji panel, and Accessibility settings now cater for switch controls and captions.</div><div style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px 0px 0px; width: 500px;">Sadly, there's still nothing to assist people with balance disorders, despite OS X increasingly being packed full of vertigo-inducing animations and transitions.</div></h1></div></div>

Multiple display, power and misc Apple's newest OS is good news for power users

Multiple display, power and misc Apple's newest OS is good news for power users The fullscreen mode introduced with OS X Lion was no dou...

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Finder, Safari and Keychain Apple's newest OS is good news for power users

<div dir="ltr"><h1 class="" style="font-size:32px;line-height:1em;letter-spacing:-1px;vertical-align:top;margin:0px 0px 8px;padding:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,arial,sans-serif">Finder, Safari and Keychain</h1> <h2 class="" style="font-size:20px;line-height:1em;letter-spacing:-0.5px;margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(102,102,102);font-weight:normal;font-family:Helvetica,arial,sans-serif">Apple's newest OS is good news for power users</h2> <div><p style="font-size:14px;line-height:20px;width:500px;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,arial,sans-serif">Apple's long been criticised for doing little with Finder, but that might change with Mavericks, which brings two major new features to the OS X file manager: tabs and tags.</p> <p style="font-size:14px;line-height:20px;width:500px;margin:10px 0px 0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,arial,sans-serif">Tabs are reminiscent of those in Safari. Command+T adds a new tab to any window, and documents can be moved/copied between tabbed windows by dragging/Option-dragging them to a tab.</p> <p style="font-size:14px;line-height:20px;width:500px;margin:10px 0px 0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,arial,sans-serif">The system has frustrating shortcomings. It's easy to drag out a tab so it becomes a standalone window, but not to return it to a tabbed window elsewhere. There is a "Merge All Windows" command, but that proved flaky during testing, sometimes being greyed out.</p> <p style="font-size:14px;line-height:20px;width:500px;margin:10px 0px 0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,arial,sans-serif">Generally, though, Finder tabs are useful and usable, matching third-party efforts at bringing this kind of functionality to the Mac, and finally allowing Finder to make some sort of sense in fullscreen mode.</p> <p style="font-size:14px;line-height:20px;width:500px;margin:10px 0px 0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,arial,sans-serif"></p><img alt="Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks" src="http://cdn1.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/software/Apple/Mavericks/Mavericks%20review/finder-580-100.jpg" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: middle; margin: 0px auto; display: block; height: auto;" width="580">From left to right: new Finder tabs, Finder tags, and the 'View Library' setting<p style="font-size:14px;line-height:20px;width:500px;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,arial,sans-serif"> </p><p style="font-size:14px;line-height:20px;width:500px;margin:10px 0px 0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,arial,sans-serif">During testing, we found tags less successful by some margin. They resemble enhanced OS X Finder labels, but with user-definable extensibility. Tags can be added in Finder or when files are saved, and then used for organizing and grouping documents.</p> <p style="font-size:14px;line-height:20px;width:500px;margin:10px 0px 0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,arial,sans-serif">The major benefit over labels is that multiple tags can be assigned to a single document. But ropey implementation has left tags a mess. In Finder, tagged items display tiny overlapping dots that are meaningless in isolation - although there is at least an optional Tags column in List view, which shows comma-separated assigned terms for each tag.</p> <p style="font-size:14px;line-height:20px;width:500px;margin:10px 0px 0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,arial,sans-serif">Only allowing seven colors provides backwards compatibility with old OS X labels, but at the expense of true extensibility. Also, the Tags section in Finder's preferences is baffling, an example of dreadful interface design.</p> <p style="font-size:14px;line-height:20px;width:500px;margin:10px 0px 0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,arial,sans-serif">The net result for us was liking the general concept behind tags, but wondering whether we'll actually use them in the long term: if we do, it's something that will remain rooted to Open and Save dialogs, rather than being used to spot certain documents in Finder by their tags.</p> <p style="font-size:14px;line-height:20px;width:500px;margin:10px 0px 0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,arial,sans-serif"></p><img alt="Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks" src="http://cdn0.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/software/Apple/Mavericks/Mavericks%20review/tags-being-added-580-100.jpg" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: middle; margin: 0px auto; display: block; height: auto;" width="580">Adding tags in a Save dialog, where they're actually usable<p style="font-size:14px;line-height:20px;width:500px;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,arial,sans-serif"> </p><p style="font-size:14px;line-height:20px;width:500px;margin:10px 0px 0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,arial,sans-serif">There have also been other, more minor, changes to Finder, for better or worse. Better: the ability to show the Library without a Terminal command (go to your Home folder and use Command+J to access the View Options window). Worse: translucent column headers wheeled in from iOS 7, which reduce clarity.</p> <h3 style="font-size:20px;line-height:1em;letter-spacing:-0.5px;width:480px;margin:20px 0px 10px;padding-bottom:10px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,arial,sans-serif">Safari and Keychain</h3><p style="font-size:14px;line-height:20px;width:500px;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,arial,sans-serif"> Safari's one of Apple's most inconsistent products, at times being an industry-leading browser but often being a buggy and unstable embarrassment. Of late, it's tended very much towards the latter.</p><p style="font-size:14px;line-height:20px;width:500px;margin:10px 0px 0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,arial,sans-serif"> New underlying technology has improved things dramatically under Mavericks. Safari now finally uses a process per tab, which seemingly eradicates the maddening "webpages are not responding" dialog that then forced every open tab to be refreshed.</p> <p style="font-size:14px;line-height:20px;width:500px;margin:10px 0px 0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,arial,sans-serif">In theory, tabs can also be quit individually in Activity Monitor, but they unhelpfully lack any kind of differentiating label. Still, this all means Safari works - at least for now. We might update this review in a few months with a huge *<em>sadface</em>* GIF if Safari suddenly lurches back to rubbishness.</p> <p style="font-size:14px;line-height:20px;width:500px;margin:10px 0px 0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,arial,sans-serif">Back to the present and performance is further boosted by bundled plug-in management. You can turn off the likes of Flash and QuickTime entirely within Safari, or set plug-ins to be allowed or blocked for each individual site.</p> <p style="font-size:14px;line-height:20px;width:500px;margin:10px 0px 0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,arial,sans-serif">Additionally, there's also an option buried in Safari's Advanced preferences, "Stop plug-ins to save power." This attempts to freeze auto-playing components until you request them, and during testing it intelligently didn't stop videos we wanted to see but did block adverts. These controls when combined are impressive enough that we'd consider reinstalling Flash on our Macs, rather than using Chrome as a Flash ghetto.</p> <p style="font-size:14px;line-height:20px;width:500px;margin:10px 0px 0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,arial,sans-serif"></p><img alt="Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks" src="http://cdn3.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/software/Apple/Mavericks/Mavericks%20review/safari-plug-ins-580-100.jpg" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: middle; margin: 0px auto; display: block; height: auto;" width="580">If you hate Flash, turn it off on all but a handful of websites<p style="font-size:14px;line-height:20px;width:500px;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,arial,sans-serif"> </p><p style="font-size:14px;line-height:20px;width:500px;margin:10px 0px 0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,arial,sans-serif">Beyond performance, Safari adds a minor interface revamp to its sidebar and Top Sites page, push notifications, and iCloud Keychain.</p> <p style="font-size:14px;line-height:20px;width:500px;margin:10px 0px 0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,arial,sans-serif">The sidebar now has bookmarks and shared links alongside Reading List. Shared links are pulled in from configured social networks (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn), and you can search and retweet, respectively, from within the sidebar or at the top of the shared page. Top Sites has a rather simpler overhaul, which is a flat grid of large thumbnails, boosting usability.</p> <p style="font-size:14px;line-height:20px;width:500px;margin:10px 0px 0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,arial,sans-serif"></p><img alt="Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks" src="http://cdn2.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/software/Apple/Mavericks/Mavericks%20review/safari-top-sites-sidebar-580-100.jpg" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: middle; margin: 0px auto; display: block; height: auto;" width="580">Top Sites is now flat, and Safari's sidebar is usefully deployed<p style="font-size:14px;line-height:20px;width:500px;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,arial,sans-serif"> </p><p style="font-size:14px;line-height:20px;width:500px;margin:10px 0px 0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,arial,sans-serif">The iCloud Keychain is less of a usability success, in part because it's a pain to set up. During first launch, you must define a passcode and SMS number. Because we were updating various devices at once, our test Mac and iPad both seemingly refused to acknowledge iCloud Keychain's existence.</p> <p style="font-size:14px;line-height:20px;width:500px;margin:10px 0px 0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,arial,sans-serif">On smacking everything with a digital wrench, the feature finally fell into line and mostly did its job, autofilling passwords and payment card details. However, it was less reliable than 1Password (especially on forums), which has the added advantage of working with non-Apple browsers and platforms.</p> </div></div>

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