Daily Bing #43 theme for Windows 8
Author: Sergey Tkachenko
Disable the taskbar transparency in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 with this freeware
Some time ago I created a little application, Opaque Taskbar to make the taskbar in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 non-transparent so that the white text on it becomes more readable. Today, I am proud to introduce a special native code build of Opaque Taskbar which is coded in pure C++ for faster performance and lighter resource consumption than the .NET app. It has some improvements over the .NET-based Opaque Taskbar app.
Enable the new Translator Bubble UI feature of Google Chrome
If you use the popular Google Chrome browser, you might be familiar with its built-in translation feature. It is enabled by default and allows you to translate some page which is not in your preferred language with one click to the language of your choice. It shows a bar on the top of your Chrome window with translate button. In recent versions of Google Chrome, there is a new user interface for the translator. It is disabled by default, but you can unblock it by performing these simple steps.
Change the notifications timeout in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1
Windows 8 features a new Metro-style toast notification which pops up for many events and activities you do on your PC. For example, if you have installed some new app, received an email message in the Metro Mail app or have just inserted a USB flash drive, then the following notification popup will appear on the screen:
Windows 8 allows you to change the timeout of these notifications so you can set how long such messages stay visible on the screen. Follow the article instructions below to adjust the toast notifications timeout before they are automatically closed.
How to disable ‘you have new apps that can open this type of file’ notification
In Windows 8, Microsoft removed the ability for program installers to associate automatically with file types. Instead, when you open a file type which multiple programs on your PC can handle, you get a Metro-style toast notification: "You have new apps that can open this type of file". If you click it, you are able to choose the default program that you wish to use for that file type. If you want to get rid of this annoying notification, follow this simple tutorial.
How to download APK files of Android apps directly from Google Play without Google account
Google Play is a common way to install apps on Android devices. Almost all Android phones and tablets are shipping with Google Play preinstalled. The content in the Google Play store is not limited to software. It also includes books, music and other goodies which vary from country to country. If you own an Android phone, probably you have it preinstalled. One limitation of the Google Play store is that you cannot download APK files of the desired app directly. In this article I will show you how you can directly get the APK file which installs the app from Google Play.
How to sign up on Google without creating a Gmail account
Google is a company that does not require any introduction. I am sure that every Winaero reader has used it at least once. During its long history, Google has created a bunch of useful services which are used by millions people everyday.
Almost all Google services require a special account called simply the "Google account". When you are signing in with Google, it creates a new Gmail account for you automatically, so you will always get a new email address and inbox. Although most users consider Gmail as a useful service, you might have your own opinion about it and have no plans to use Gmail. In such a case, you can create a Google account without Gmail. Here is how you can do it.
How to delete Windows.old folder after upgrading from a previous version of Windows
If you choose to install Windows on the same drive where an existing installation is already present, the setup program creates a folder named Windows.old in the root of the drive. This folder is used to store a full backup of the previously installed OS, including the boot manager and installed apps. This is very handy if you plan to uninstall the currently installed Windows version and return to the previously installed release. It can also be handy if you forgot to transfer some files or settings to the new installation. However, if you are already finished with the migration, then Windows.old just wastes your disk space for no reason. Here is how you can delete it and why it is better to use the built-in OS tools.
How to pin modern Store apps to the taskbar in Windows 8.1 Update 1
In Windows 8.1 Update 1, a useful change in addition to showing apps on the taskbar is the ability to pin them. Let us see all the ways in which you can pin Modern apps to the taskbar.
