Removing Bing Search Override From Web Browser

DivX Browser bar can be useful if you are DivX browser fan but it may not be necessary for all and thus takes unnecessary display space. Many a times (mostly) it is installed unwittingly, while installing some other software from third party websites. Even with Bing toolbar, it is the same issue. You then start searching for help on how to remove Bing toolbar.

In the latest update, there is an option to install the DivX Browser by Conduit and it is powered by Bing search. If you accept the offer/option or if the boxes to accept are checked by default, then you would have to uncheck them in order to opt out. Then this will automatically change the default search to Bing.

Now, you can disable DivX Plus Web Player HTML 5 extension only through the Firefox Add-ons menu. Therefore, in order to remove it, you need to uninstall the DivX Plus Software, and this includes the DivX Plus Web Player. But the thing is, this extension is completely unrelated to the DivX Browser Bar or the Bing Search override by Conduit. So, unnecessarily even the DivX Plus Web Player, which you might be using for viewing and listening to Multimedia, will get uninstalled. So, uninstalling DivX Plus Software might not be actually desirable.

Now, in case you do not want the search override and you want to leave the DivX Browser Bar installed on IE, then you can uninstall the program called Search Protect from your computer. Here are the instructions that will guide you to do this.

• At first, you need to go to your computer’s Control Panel. 
• Then, go to Programs and Features (Add/Remove Programs) if you are on Windows XP. Then you need to find Search Protect in the list of programs and remove it. 
• Finally, you need to reboot (or restart) your computer for the changes to take effect. 

Now, if you want to uninstall both the search override and the DivX Browser Bar, then you can follow the steps mentioned above to remove Search Protect. Then you can follow the same steps to remove or uninstall DivX Browser Bar from your browsers. Again the steps are same for how to remove Bing toolbar. Not all browsers function the same way. So, since each web browser is a little different, the toolbar has to be installed from each one individually. Or help with that, call our tech support and they’ll walk you through the procedure.

Microsoft Adds Office 365 Email Enhancements

Microsoft is planning to improve their Outlook Web App email experiences by adding two new features to their commercial Office 365 service offerings. There are many new features that are expected to arrive later this year. They include one that will help decrease email clutter together with a collaboration enhancement for the Outlook Web App, which is the browser enabled email client of Microsoft. In addition to this, Microsoft has indicated that it will release an Outlook Web App for the Android-based smart phones by the end of this year.

Groups Integration

Microsoft also has plans to integrate its Groups capability that was introduced as a SharePoint feature before a few months, broadly across its Office 365 services. Groups show public and private groups for the employees to join, together with the individual conversations in Yammer like social networking style. Their idea is to support a collaborative and user-friendly business environment. This was confirmed after contacting the Microsoft help team.

Steve Chew, who is the senior product-marketing manager in the Exchange group, wrote, “Conversations that happen in public groups can lead to better information sharing, and free exchange of ideas connects people and makes the org more productive.” This is an idea that may or may not be welcomed by the users in today’s work environments, but it reflects Microsoft’s acceptance of Yammer enterprise social networking solution that was purchased more than a year ago. At the time of purchase, they had indicated that they planned a broader integration of Yammer across Office 365, and they are now forecasting that the integration will start to take place this year.

Outlook Web App Features

An upcoming “Clutter” Outlook Web App feature aims to unburden the Outlook users from their less relevant email messages. This makes use of the new Office Graph technology to learn what the users value and what they do not value in their email inboxes. The important and valued mails get displayed in the Outlook Web App, while the rest of the email messages get archived at the bottom of the window in a link that is named Clutter. The user can right click here to change the status of a message if it was incorrectly marked as clutter. The name Clutter is considered to be a code name. Microsoft may call it some other name when it is released.

If you wish to know more on the Outlook Web App email, you can contact our Microsoft help team.

Start Menu Reviver Adds The Start Menu To Windows 8

Windows 8 is the latest operating system released by Microsoft. It came with some new changes in the user interface and does not have the traditional Windows Start button. This led to the development of many third party tools, which would help you get the original Windows Start button back. One such third party tool is Start Menu Reviver. If you are expecting a Windows Start menu just like in Windows 7, then it is best for you to go with applications like Iobit's Start Menu 8 or Stardock's Start8. However, the Start Menu Reviver gives a blend of both Windows 8 UI and Start menu.

When comparing Windows 7 vs Windows 8, one thing that the Windows 8 lacks is the Start menu. The Start Menu Reviver opens with the large size icons by default, when you first install the Start Menu Reviver. This will be more useful with touch screen devices. However, when installed in PC or desktop monitors, it looks very big and consumes much of the screen space. However, it is possible to customize the Start Menu Reviver according to the aspect ratio of your computer screen. This Start Menu Reviver can be seen a little bit right of the location where the original Start button should be seen. Like the other third party tools, it is possible to change the icons according to your taste.

Generally, the common Windows programs like Network, Task Manager, username and Run are seen in a column on the left side of the Start Menu Reviver. Likewise, the right part of the Start Menu Reviver shows Internet Explorer, link for the modern UI, and My Computer. This will also show the tiles corresponding to the modern UI and legacy applications.

The Search box in the Start Menu Reviver is similar to the traditional one. However, the fields or sections in the Start Menu Reviver are not neatly organized when compared to the traditional Start menu. It allows a faster way of navigation only when it is used with both keyboard and mouse. Besides these advantages, there are some disadvantages too. The switching between desktop and the modern user interface is not that smooth and is difficult.

Microsoft has decided not to include the Start button in the new Windows 8 operating system. However, by using tools like Start Menu Reviver, it is possible to put back the Windows Start menu in the Windows 8 OS. You can download the Start Menu Reviver free and start enjoying the traditional Windows Start menu.

For more discussions and Windows 7 vs Windows 8 comparisons, visit our Microsoft support posts online.

Microsoft Commits Yet Another Blunder

Microsoft released an Office 2013 non-security update as part of the massive Patch Tuesday, but the update has created more issues than it’s solved. This update is responsible for blanking out folder panes in Outlook which invited a lot of criticism over the Microsoft support page forum. On Wednesday however Microsoft acknowledges that a serious flaw existed within the patch and has removed the original one from the Microsoft support forum. Urging users to uninstall the update immediately, Microsoft also claimed that they are working on a workaround for the issue.

Identified as KB2817630, the objective of the update was to remove the stability and performance issues prevalent in many if the Office suite applications like Excel, SharePoint Server and Lync. These issues would cause Office to freeze when any document was opened in the Protected Mode. However the fix ended up emptying the folder pane. Kick starting a long support thread was a comment by Trevor Sullivan stating, "I can't view my list of e-mail accounts, folders, favorites, etc.," soon the thread got flooded with similar complaints from other users. On the same thread another user commented, "Same problem on multiple fully-updated Windows 7 Enterprise Edition, Windows 8 Enterprise Edition and Windows 8.1 Enterprise Edition workstations... all with Office 2013 32-bit."

However within a short span people stated reporting that the folder pane gets restored as soon as you uninstall the update. But this did not fix everything, and Microsoft failed to comment on that. Users commented that the original update has been yanked off the Windows Update and Windows Server Update services. While the former is used by small businesses or customers as a patch service the latter is a Microsoft provided patch delivery and management tool typically used by major or large companies.

This incident is a real embarrassing one for Microsoft, but it is definitely not the company’s first faux pas. It was in the month of August that the software giant had to pull out the Exchange securities update claiming that the patches had not been tested properly. Earlier in April another update designed for Windows 7 ended in crippling many systems around the world. The April update notoriously known as Blue Screen of Death, caused a lot of issues in thousands of machines prompting the Redmond-based company to pull it out immediately. The update was later released two weeks earlier.

These strings of events have ended in a public outcry asking the company to be more accountable. Comments from Triple Helix which said "Yeah, another Microsoft Update Tuesday Blunder" followed by "Someone on [Microsoft's] update testing team needs to get fired," added by The Computer Butler" have added salt to Microsoft’s wounds. More on the update can be found on Microsoft support page.

Various Available Windows 8 Password Reset Software And Methods

Microsoft has been providing an excellent feature to protect your precious data from malevolent persons. But, being human means you have a helpless habit of forgetting things, especially important things like passwords. So once in a while you’d need to reset or recover a Windows 8 password. In case you are having difficulty with that, remember that most Windows 8 problems or issues are resolvable by the user, and there are many efficient methods for resetting Windows 8 password. This article will guide you in detail, no matter whether you are familiar with your computer or not. There are two methods given, and you can choose whichever you feel best to put into practice.

Change your password to reset it

Most of the time we set a simple password when we create a user account. Though this is easy to remember, it is also easier for your password to be guessed by others who don’t exactly wish you well. Following is one of the best ways to resolve your Windows 8 problems concerning the password reset. Here some simple steps:

• Initially, you need to press down Ctrl+Alt+Delete, and then click on Change a password, for opening the related screen.
• Then you need to type in the old password, new password, and also password hint, and then click on the Next button.
• In case you get the message The password has been changed, then it means that you have changed your password successfully. After that, you need to click on the OK button to close the screen.

Reset password using computer management

In case you are still able to log on to your computer, then you can reset the Windows 8 password with your account, or other local user accounts.

• You need to point the mouse to the bottom-left corner, then right-click on the Start button, and then you can select Computer Management.
• Then, on the left you can expand the Computer Management panel: System Tools\Local Users and Groups\Users.
• After that, double-click on Users for opening the user list, and then right-click on the target user account name, and then select Set Password…
• You can read about the prompt, in case you decide to change the password this way, and then click on Proceed.

You can enter and reenter the new password, and then click on the OK button to save the change.
Do the above and you shouldn’t have any problems with the password reset operation in your Windows 8 system. 

Microsoft To Launch Windows 8.1 RTM For Hardware Partners

As they have promised before when they announced about the upcoming Windows 8.1 operating system, Microsoft released the Windows 8.1 RTM version for their hardware partners for test purposes. Windows 8 installation of the RTM version was a bit complex for the manufacturers as they had to make certain changes in the hardware for the operating system to function smoothly. Therefore, Microsoft promised its hardware collaborates that they will be able to test the new Windows 8.1 operating system before the public gets access to the operating system.

A company official was heard stating, “Unlike past RTM moments, this milestone represents progress in Microsoft’s new rapid release cycle and optimizes the overall customer experience, while highlighting the handoff to OEM partners and wide array of devices expected this fall.” The company also stated that it hopes that since the developer version is now released to the manufacturers, more Windows devices will roll on in the next holiday season. The company intends to recapture the lost tablet and smartphone industry with the launch of the Windows 8.1 operating system.

One of the company officials was spotted saying, "Over the next several months we’ll see beautiful, powerful devices, from the smallest tablets to the most lightweight notebooks to versatile 2-in-1s, as well as industry devices designed for business.” Well the release of the developer version of the operating system this fast is not surprising as Microsoft’s chief marketing officer Tami Reller had announced that the operating system will be released to the hardware partners in early August at their Worldwide Partner Conference. However, it will take a little longer for normal customers to lay their hands on the new Windows 8.1 RTM OS. It will be a good idea for you to adhere to Windows 8 installation steps for getting the new operating system.

If you happen to have a Windows 8 RTM device, then you can download the Windows 8.1 RTM for free from the Windows Store. Microsoft has scheduled October 17 as the release date for the new advanced Windows 8.1 operating system, so you will be able to get the OS from that day onwards. According to sources in Microsoft, the new operating system has fixed all the important bugs that were found in the Windows 8 operating system and will provide better performance than its predecessor in every way.

One of the important features of the new operating system is the re-entry of the Windows Start button that was removed from the Windows 8 operating system previously. 

Creating A Signature In Outlook 2010

Are you looking for the steps to add a digital signature to all your email messages or business cards that you send from your Outlook email client? If yes, this article will surely help you. Microsoft Outlook 2010 gives users the ability to add digital signatures to all the email messages that they send. It saves the users from the typing hassles and a great deal of time. The users will not have to manually type in their identity every time they send a mail or attachment. The Outlook email setup to create a default signature in the Outlook 2010 program is explained below.

Instructions

• Open the Microsoft Outlook program and click on the File tab. From the File tab, select Options. From the Options window, select  the Mail tab on the left side, click on Create or modify signatures for messages and then click on the Signatures button. Highlight the E-mail Signature tab in the Signatures and Stationary window and select New. Provide a name to the signature in the New Signature box and then press the OK button. You will now see that the name appears under the box Select signature to edit.
• Now you can edit the signature under Edit signature field. Users have the option to choose from a variety of font styles, make business cards or add images. When done, you can click on the OK button. Click on OK twice to close all the windows and save the changes.
• If you have more than one email account and want to make signatures for all of them, navigate to the Signatures and Stationary window with the above mentioned procedure and you may then select the email account from the drop-down menu on the right hand side under the name Choose default signature. When you are done, you can exit the Options window.
• You will now be able to see a default Signature option in the compose window, every time you compose an email message. You may click on the drop-down menu near to Signature tab to add a desired signature to the email messages that you create.

These are the Outlook email setup steps to include a default signature to all the email messages that you create. If you have any more doubts, you can contact our technical support team for further help. They will clear your doubts and will help you to complete the steps successfully.