Futurelawyer

How to Reinstall All Windows 8 Modern Apps on a New PC

How to Reinstall All Windows 8 Modern Apps on a New PC. I don't know when Metro became Modern. But, the apps you install from the Windows 8 store that sit on the main Windows 8 screen, and which are optimized for Windows 8 are now called Modern Apps. I will continue to call them "the apps formerly known as Metro". But, I digress. What if you get a new Windows PC? Or you wipe the old one? Much like Google Play Store, the new Windows 8 Store gives you a one click option to reinstall all your Metro (Modern) apps. Easy.

First, There Was Start8 - Now There Is ModernMix

How to Run Windows 8 Metro / Modern Apps in a Regular Desktop Window. Stardock is fast becoming one of my favorite software developers. First, it allowed me to have the security and speed of Windows 8 without dealing with Metro, and allowing me to restore my trusty Windows 7 Start button. All for the huge price of $4.99. Now, for the same price, I can run Metro apps (some of which can be useful) in a Window on my computer, which doesn't have a touch screen. Some of the Metro apps are very nice; but, I am not going to leave my Windows desktop to use them. Microsoft is so desperate to make us use the Metro interface, that going to the desktop makes all the Metro apps disappear. Thanks, StarDock, you've done it again. 

Note: I refuse to stop using the Metro name for the new interface. I am tired of saying "the interface formerly known as Metro" or some other combination. Brevity and clarity are my watchwords.

SkyDrive Or Google Drive? How About Both?

Sign in to your Microsoft account. I am a Google person. I use GMail, Google Calendar, Google +, Google Reader, and a host of other Google connected apps. I store documents, and other stuff on Google Drive, and pay extra to get 50 Gigabytes of storage. Why on earth would I also set up a Microsoft SkyDrive, and store files and documents there? Why not? Redundancy is always good; witness Curiosity, which just had to switch to its redundant computer after Computer A failed. And, SkyDrive is actually quite easy to use, and comes with web enabled versions of Word, Excel, Presentations, and a free 10 Gigabyte storage box. You can never be too thin, too rich, or have too many apps. I will never be thin. I will never be rich. So, at least I can have a bunch of apps.

 

Do Not Try This At Home!

Windows 8- Run everything as Administrator - Neowin Forums. Okay, some things about Windows 8 are pretty annoying. User Account Controls, made famous in Vista, want you to run everything as a Standard Account, which prohibits you from doing things that Windows thinks may not be safe. The trouble is that, as a Standard User, I am always running across legacy software that doesn't get it. They require administrator privileges. If you try the tips in this Forum listing, you will make your computer less secure. However, you won't get any more annoying warning messages and you will have full Administrator control again. The poster who recommends using the Slider control to turn off notifications, doesn't realize that Windows 8 won't let you change from Standard user to Administrator any more. It requires the registry hack in the third post down. Not for the faint of heart, but I did it. Just type PowerShell in the command line box. Then past the registry code provided. The system will restart, and you will have the power of God over your machine again. This does involve some risk; but, then, what is life without risk?

Delete Those Unwanted Files Permanently In Windows

How To Overwrite Free Space Securely in Windows. As a keeper of client confidential data, lawyers have higher obligations than the average computer user. We must always exercise reasonable controls over the data we store, and restrict its access to the best of our ability. That means taking reasonable safeguards to protect that data. But, what about the stuff we delete? What about the stuff we no longer need? When we hit the delete button for a document, what happens to the data? Well, long time computer users know that the OS merely deletes the indexing data to the document, and does not delete the document itself. The bits and bytes remain on the disk, until another program writes new data over it. Low level software can easily recover that data, and all that is needed is possession of the drive. In the case of investigations by proper authorities, this can be a good thing. For us lawyers, however, it is a bad thing if we intend to protect our clients' documents. Using simple command line commands, as an Administrator on a Windows computer, the user can write over data in the open space on the drive as many times as is necessary to make it inaccessible to anyone. Check out this article to learn how. And, learn this before you pay good money for a commercial software package that promises the same result.

PDF Converter Professional 8 - Lawyer's Best Friend

PDF Converter Professional - PDF Converter Professional | PDF Converter Solutions Create PDF - Nuance. Longtime readers are aware of my problems, in  year's past, with Nuance, who acquired the best paper and scanning file system software, PaperPort, and who also now own and sell Dragon Naturally Speaking voice recognition software. However, since the coming of Version 12 of PaperPort, and now Version 14, Nuance has got its game together, and PaperPort 14 is the software I use to save every scanned document, and all pleadings and papers from my cases. Now the Florida is going full bore into mandatory Efiling, having moved into the Probate arena last year, and also requiring, since last September, that all documents be served on other attorneys via email, the choice of PDF software and scanning software has become more important. Since PaperPort scans all documents into PDF format, it is a simple task to serve a copy via email, and it will be a simple task to efile the document with the appropriate Court Clerk. The new version of PDF Converter Professional permits the manipulation and use of PDF files, and supports Windows 8. $99 for full function PDF software...It's a bargain.

Bins Is Another Stardock Utility I Can't Live Without

Bins%u2122, by 1UP Industries. I am already addicted to Start8, which, for $5, has enabled me to bypass Metro, and go straight to the Desktop when I boot. In fact, it feels just like Windows 7, except faster. Additionally, I got my Start button back, and I couldn't get along without it. Now, for another $5, I have downloaded and installed another Stardock utility, Bins, which allows me to group apps in the taskbar. I use the Taskbar all the time, to launch my most used apps with one click. However, I sometimes have so many that the Taskbar goes to two levels, which is a pain. Now, I have half of the TaskBar back, and my apps are grouped according to use and category. Stardock and the FutureLawyer...dedicated to making your Windows 8 experience as unlike Windows 8 as possible.

First Microsoft Surface Pro Tablets Are Here - Do We Care?

First Microsoft Surface Pro tablets come off the production line | ZDNet. And in the category of "It's About Time!", the winner is Microsoft, which is finally releasing Surface Pro tablets to the consumer. Windows RT was dead on arrival, since the original Surface tablets would only run Microsoft Office and other Microsoft software. Most of us run a bunch of legacy Windows apps by third party developers, and we live and die with them in our businesses. There are 20 or 30 of them that I use every day in my law practice, and I couldn't get along without them. The only compelling thing about Windows 8 is that it can be used, in its Pro incarnation, on both tablets and notebooks. If done properly, some of us could get along with just one device other than our phones. However, the Surface Pro must be light enough to use as a tablet, and have enough power and memory to replace our ultrabooks and notebooks. Well, Microsoft? 

Lenovo Helix Convertible - CES 2013 Winner

How about that? Lenovo may have the first business oriented, Windows 8, Convertible that meets the FutureLawyer specs for the perfect notebook tablet combination. At $1499 to start, it has a Core I7 processor, a removable tablet that looks great, up to 256 Gig SSD drive for all your Windows legacy software, and the perfect carry around ultrabook sized screen at around 12 inches. A really cool innovation is the flip around tablet screen. Flip the notebook and attach the screen, and the keyboard becomes a tablet stand. Very nice. Check out the video for a hands on look.

 

You Can DownGrade Windows 8 Pro To Windows 7... But You Shouldn't

How to Downgrade Windows 8 Pro to Windows 7 - How-To Geek. If you hate Windows 8, and you want Windows 7 back, there is a path to downgrade, provided by Microsoft, which is outlined in this post from How-To Geek. But, please don't. Windows 8 is faster, and more secure. It's annoyances, for the most part, can be removed. And, using Start8 or another utility, you can run it without ever seeing the tiled start screen, and you can replace the Windows 7 start button. So, before you do this, take a look at options that make Windows 8 look and work like Windows 7. You'll be glad you did.