Essential guide to Windows 8

Essential guide to Windows 8

Microsoft's most ambitious operating system since Windows 95 is out today! Although there is a high learning curve to Windows 8, our editors have put together a great series of guides that walk you through how to use just about every feature in Windows 8.

Here you'll find in depth articles about the new Charms Bar, how to get the Start menu back, and how to backup before upgrading to Windows 8. There's tons of information to get you ready for upgrading and getting to know the new operating system.

We'll be updating this post with more Windows 8 guides and coverage in the next week so remember to check back here. Without further ado, here's our essential guide to all things Windows 8.

The master list:

• 10 best Windows 8 apps

• Windows 8 vs. Windows RT: Which version is right for you?

• 5 reasons to upgrade to Windows 8

• Windows 8 Guide: Add a Start menu to Windows 8

• Windows 8 Guide: how to install Windows 8

• 5 reasons not to upgrade to Windows 8

• How to: prepare for a Windows 8 upgrade

• Windows 8 Guide: in-depth look at the Charms Bar

• Windows 8 Guide: Uninstall an app on the Windows 8 Modern UI

• Windows 8 Guide: Install an app on the Windows 8 Modern UI

• Windows 8 Guide: The new Modern UI control panel

• Windows 8 Guide: integrating social media and services

• Windows 8 Guide: touch commands

• Windows 8 Guide: How to control Windows 8 with a mouse and keyboard

• Windows 8 Guide: How to configure your Windows Live account

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The best Magic Mouse software

If you've got yourself a spanking new Magic Mouse for your Mac, you may be more than just a little bit disappointed with some of its functionality.Fortunately, a mini-cottage industry of Magic Mouse software is already developing to fill the gap left by Apple. There still isn't much out there at the moment but here are a few essential software downloads to get the best out of your Magic Mouse. Note that all of these work for Trackpads too:

BetterTouchTool

This is completely free to use and amazingly simple. BetterTouchTool is the work of a single German developer who has produced an easy way to customize Mighty Mouse actions. These include the all important pinch in/out (zoom), single finger taps and even three finger swipes. Note that it only works with Snow Leopard.

MouseWizard

A more polished Mighty Mouse enhancer software which adds three extra buttons, namely, 'pinch', 'bloat', and 'tap to click' gestures and allows you to customize almost every aspect of your Mighty Mouse. You can even put your Magic Mouse to sleep using it. The main interface is very easy to use, allowing you to configure which type of clicks do what such as configuring a middle-click for Exposé or a fourth click to open Spotlight etc. If you get stuck, a handy wizard takes you through the configuration process by telling you where to place your hands on the Magic Mouse. The disadvantage is that it's not free (although only costs a modest $2.50).

MouseZoom

If it's just the speed of your Magic Mouse cursor that is annoying you, MouseZoom is a simple solution that speeds it up even if your Mac OS X native mouse speed slider is set at maximum. Simply use the slider to set the speed you want. Although this isn't designed specifically for the Magic Mouse, it does work with it.

These are the main tools that should cover most of your Mighty Mouse needs. However, if you haven't updated it, you should download Wireless Mouse Software Update from Apple which allows you to use all of the Multi-Touch features in your Magic Mouse. The download also features lots of useful tutorial videos to help you get started.

MagicPrefs

MagicPrefs is a toolbar application which significantly improves the functionality and configuration options of Magic Mouse. These include such things as the MagicMenu which gives you a holistic display of your Magic Mouse features plus the the ability to configure the middle click, hold down both mouse buttons plus access Spaces, Expose and the Dashboard. You can even control the taps using MagicPrefs' Tap Sensitivity feature which allows you to use a slider to determine how hard you want to tap the Magic Mouse. One other very welcome feature for Magic Mouse users is MagicPrefs' ability to change Tracking Speed which the developer's claim adds an extra 25% to the speed of your mouse cursor.

 

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TuneUp Utilities 2013

TuneUp Utilities 2013 is a PC analysis and optimization tool that is a great way to help speed up your lagging PC. It has 1-click maintenance options, as well as a variety of different features to ensure your PC is running its best. These include methods to optimize your system during startup, clean broken keys in the Windows Registry, restore accidentally deleted files, and check your hard drive for errors, to name just a few.

The newest version of TuneUp Utilities was just released, and we have 10 licenses to give away!

Be sure to read the terms and conditions. Then leave a comment in this post below using a valid email address, and you'll be entered into our drawing. Entries will be accepted up to October 3rd, at which time we'll do a drawing to select the winners.

New features for 2013

TuneUp Utilities 2013 comes loaded with a bunch of great features. Here are some of the highlights of what you can expect to get from this useful optimization app:

• New: TuneUp Disk Cleaner 2013 - Your computer collects a lot of data clutter on a daily basis, which clogs your hard drive and can ultimately lead to system crashes and privacy breeches. Disk Cleaner 2013 scrubs a variety of different PC files, like chat logs, history lists, and even cached files from more than 150 popular programs.
• New: TuneUp Browser Cleaner 2013 - This feature can clean various traces such as Flash cookies out of your browsers to help protect your privacy. Browser Cleaner is compatible with Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Opera, Safari, and Firefox.
• New: TuneUp Live Optimization 2.0 - Programs that run in the background when not in use can eat up RAM and slow down your computer. Live Optimization 2.0 can set resource-heavy programs that aren't currently in use on "standby" with one click. In the same vein, you can create exceptions for programs you want to keep running.
• Enhanced: TuneUp Registry Cleaner - Registry Cleaner is a simple and easy to use tool that scans and cleans areas in your registry to help prevent clutter.
• Enhanced: TuneUp Shortcut Cleaner - This feature has been enhanced to clean orphaned shortcuts, defective Windows history lists, and other programs on your hard drive.

The newest version of this app also supports Windows 8.

Read our review for TuneUp Utilities 2013 here.

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