Windows Phone 8 details leak: Huge changes ahead

A leaked video has shed light on Microsoft's upcoming plans for Windows Phone 8 including deep Skype integration, the elimination of the Zune PC software, BitLocker encryption, NFC, multicore processor support, and a fundamental rewrite of the core of Windows Phone, better aligning its code base with Windows 8.

We’ve been speculating about the next versions of Windows Phone since 7.5 (Mango) came out in late 2011, and it looks like it might be worth the wait. PocketNow claims to have intercepted an official Microsoft video intended for Windows Phone partners like Nokia. In it, Windows Phone Manager Joe Belfiore goes over a lot of new features of the upcoming “Apollo” update, which appears to somewhat merge the Windows Phone OS with the core of Windows 8. Details below. 

Multicore processors: Dual-core and, presumably, quad-core processors will be supported.microSD: Finally, Windows Phone will add support for SD storage devices.Higher screen resolutions: 4 new resolutions will be offered outside of 480×800 (current standard). We don’t know what they are yet, unfortunately.NFC: Near-field communication will be supported, allowing users to make mobile payments or connect to other devices by simply tapping their phone. He made special mention of the mobile “Wallet experience,” which will replace credit cards with a phone app.Skype integration: Finally, Windows Phone will get deep Skype integration that lets it act more like an extension of the phone than an actual app. This makes sense since Microsoft now owns Skype. DataSmart: Like Android 4.0, WP8 will have a feature that lets you view how much data you are using in a given day or month.Local Scout Wi-Fi search: This isn’t entirely clear, but it looks like WP8 will more easily find and join available Wi-Fi hotspots offered by wireless carriers or other safe entities. Using the Local Scout app, you’ll easily be able to find nearby hotspots.Web page compression: Like Amazon’s Silk browser or Opera Mini, Microsoft will use its servers to help compress Web sites to help them load “30 percent” faster on mobile. Using the core of Windows 8: This has been hinted at for a while now, but it looks like Microsoft may swap out a good portion of the core Windows Phone OS for a modified version of Windows 8. We do not know how this will affect app development or if the 50,000 current apps will work on Windows Phone 8. It appears to be a huge shift. Windows 8 developers will be able to “reuse, by far, most of their code” when porting an application to Windows Phone 8.

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No more Zune PC software: The Zune software is going away and will be replaced by a new application. What that is, we don’t know. Hopefully users don’t lose all of their song data or playlists they’ve made on Zune. Xbox Companion App for Windows 8: The Xbox Companion app for Windows Phone will get its own companion that will work for Windows 8 PCs. What exactly it will do, we don’t know, but Belfiore mentioned the ability to instantly have access to your music collection on your PC without the need for syncing.BitLocker encryption: That 128-bit full-disk encryption in Windows 8 will now be in the phone OS as well. 

These new features sound great, but they raise more questions than they answer. For example, if Microsoft is ridding itself of Zune and syncing, does it plan to completely revamp its music services? Will it still offer a subscription-based Zune Pass-like service or will it move to a cloud downloading service like Google Music or AmazonMP3? The way users consume movies, podcasts, and other media will be greatly impacted by how Microsoft handles its new software. Will the PC client still deliver updates to Windows Phone users? We just don’t know. The Skype integration is also a big question since wireless carriers do not like the idea of letting users make phone calls without using minutes on  a $40+ calling plan. Finally, Microsoft is essentially rewriting a good portion of the Windows Phone OS now. This will likely have many broad implications for developers and possibly users.

We’ll let you know when we find out more. The next version of Windows is rumored to arrive sometime later this year. 

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Posted in: ahead,changes,Details,Phone,Windows

How to Check and Fix Your Problematic Hard Drive [Windows 7]

There are many things that your computer depends on to function normally. For the computer to function at all, you need the big five: power supply, motherboard, RAM, hard drive, and CPU. Of the five, the hard drive contains the most important stuff required for you to use the computer – the operating system. When that component acts up, all sorts of funny things start happening.

What Happens?

If your hard drive starts acting nasty, you’ll know it because the computer loads much more slowly than usual, perhaps executing this behavior on one or two programs in particular. BSOD (blue screen) errors will happen more frequently than previously when they were absent. Although these also may be signs that your physical memory and other components might not work properly, you shouldn’t discount the possibility of the hard drive being the cause of this mess. Other problems that narrow down to the hard drive are CRC errors when transferring files from one folder on the same drive to the other. Other times, the progress bar just stays stuck in the middle and doesn’t move for hours.

Why Does This Happen?

Hard drives aren’t eternal, and neither are solid state drives (SSDs), contrary to what some may say. SSDs, in fact, are more volatile than hard drives. The degradation of a storage drive’s interior is something perfectly natural and happens after years of use, depending on the quality it was manufactured with. This degradation manifests itself in the form of bad sectors, which are small areas of the drive that can no longer be used due to physical damage. To ensure that your drive doesn’t risk being further damaged, you must run the disk checking utility in Windows to mark the areas that aren’t functional anymore. 

Notice how close the R/W heads come to the platters. The precision necessary makes the hard drive a very delicate instrument.

Before You Run Disk Checker

Try restarting your computer. There are times when your drive might have a minor fluke. Don’t restart your computer like you usually do. Shut it down, wait 20 seconds, and turn it back on. This gives the drive time to reset its read/write heads and bring the internal platters to a complete stop. If your hard drive is having errors only working with one file, try putting a copy of it somewhere else on the drive. See if it works after that. If it’s still not working, the file might have a problem, not the drive.

Running Disk Checker

To run the disk checker utility, access your command prompt. If you don’t know how to do this, click your “Start” menu, go to “All Programs -> Accessories -> Command Prompt“. Once in the command prompt, type “chkdsk /r” and press “Enter” on your keyboard. If and when you get a prompt, type “Y” and press “Enter.” Once you restart your computer, the disk checker utility will run on its own. Let it do its job and it will take care of your drive.
If you’re curious, the “/r” flag tells the “chkdsk” utility to scan the drive for errors and recover readable information from bad sectors. If the utility finds errors, it will also correct them because of the implication of the “/f” flag. If someone tells you to type both “f” and “r” flags, just use the “r” one and let them know that they don’t know what they’re talking about.

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Posted in: Check,Drive,Problematic,Windows

How To Setup, Connect, and Accept Remote Desktop Connections In Windows 7

 

Microsoft Remote Desktop Manager for Windows 7 allows you to connect to any computers in your network. This allows access to files, documents and Network resources on each PC as though you were sitting directly in front of it, regardless of the location.
Begin by allowing access to the workstation. If your OS doesn’t have it already installed, the Standard Edition is free and can be downloaded quickly. It has all the main features most people would need to connect to a remote computer. If you need something more heavy-duty, there is a paid Enterprise version for connection needs such as VPN. Here is a walk through of how to setup the free Standard Edition of Remote Desktop.

Setup For Remote Desktop Connections

1. Go to the “Start -> Control Panel -> User Accounts (If they are enabled) -> System & Security“.

2. Under System, select the Allow Remote Access Tab.

3. When you enable the Remote Desktop, you have two options:

• Select “Allow connections from computers running any version of Remote Desktop” and click Apply. This option is for having more than one version of Remote Desktop enabled.
• If you have a single version of Remote Desktop running, simply select the last option.  “Allow connections only from computers running Remote Desktop with Network Level Authentication“

4. Click the “Select Users” button, followed by the Add button.

5. Next, we will select the users who will have access to the Remote Manager. Choose ”Advanced -> Find Now”. A drop down list will be displayed where you can select the users, computer or domain name that can be granted access. Click on the name who will be given access and click OK to save your changes.

6.  Click OK 3 times to exit all of the open windows and begin the Connection steps below.
Note: To revoke a users permissions to access Remote Desktop, select the account in the steps above, then select Remove.

Setup For Accepting Remote Desktop Connections

For an administrator to connect to your PC, they must have permission to access your computer. This is particularly helpful in a training situation and is often used for troubleshooting by a technician.
1. Set up access by going to the “Start -> Control Panel -> System -> Advanced System Settings”.
2. Select the Remote tab, then select the Allow Remote Assistance connections to this computer. At the bottom of the screen, select “Allow connections from computers running any version of Remote Desktop“. Lastly, select Advanced which will open a new screen. Select ”Allow this computer to be controlled remotely” and press OK.

Note: Before you can connect to a Remote Desktop you will need to configure your Router and Firewall

• Connect behind a Router with a single computer – Configure your Router’s port forwarding to allow port connections on 3389 then type in your IP address supplied by your ISP.
• Connect behind a Router with multiple computers – For each computer you want to remotely connect to, you will need to configure each computer to listen to different ports to avoid port conflicts.
• If you have a Firewall running, you will also need to configure that to allow communication to the port you opened in your Router.

Connect To Your Remote Desktop

Now that you have done all the work to set up the Remote Desktop, you will only have to start at this step each time you want to access the computers in your network.
1. Go to the “Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Remote Desktop Connection”.
2. A box like the one below will open where you will enter the address of your remote computer. Click Connect to enter your credentials.

3. Entering your credentials at sign in, will connect you to the Remote Desktop where you can access the PC in your network

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Posted in: Accept,Connect,Connections,Desktop,Remote,Setup,Windows