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I'm one of today's best-selling computer book writers, with more than 15 million books in print.

This website keeps you up-to-date on my books, and your computers. Each week, I answer a reader's question on-line.

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Archive for 'Windows 8.1'

Making the Mail app’s links open in the desktop’s Internet Explorer

Q: When I click on an e-mailed link in Windows 8’s Mail app, the Start screen’s version of Internet Explorer opens. I prefer that the link open in the “real” Internet Explorer that runs on the desktop. How can I make the desktop’s version of Internet Explorer open when I click a link in the […]

How does Windows 8.1’s “Update 1” change my computer?

Q: After running Windows Update this morning, Windows 8.1 now acts differently. What gives? Is there anything major I should know about? A: Microsoft continues to tweak Windows 8, a major overhaul to Windows that caught many computer owners off guard. Microsoft tried to repair some of the damage with Windows 8.1, and today Microsoft […]

Do I need to change my e-mail address to create a Microsoft Account?

Q: If I sign up for a Microsoft account in Windows 8 or 8.1, do I have to change my email address instead of staying with my current e-mail address? Will I have to pay a monthly fee, and will I have to notify everyone of my new email address? A: In a word, no. […]

Preventing desktop programs from running automatically in Windows 8

Q: When I enter Windows 8’s Desktop app, some programs start themselves automatically. In Windows 7, I stopped programs from loading automatically by removing their shortcuts from the Start menu’s Startup folder. But in Windows 8, I can’t find the Startup folder! How can I prevent unwanted Windows 8 programs from automatically loading themselves onto the […]