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Hidden secret features in Windows 8.1 Update you may not have noticed

Windows 8.1 Update is a major update to the Windows 8.1 platform. It provides many UI and functionality improvements designed specifically for keyboard and mouse users. While most changes are obvious, there are some new features you might not have noticed even though you have Update 1 installed for a while. Let's explore some of these finer refinements.

How to add the power button to the Start screen on tablets

If you own a Windows 8.1 tablet and have installed Update 1, you might have noticed that the power button is missing on the Start Screen. This is by design - for some screen sizes, Windows 8.1 Update hides that button to save space on the screen. Also, if your device supports the Connected Standby feature, then the button will be hidden regardless of the screen size - Microsoft assumes that you will use the physical power button to control the power state. However, if you still want to enable the shutdown button on the Start screen, you can do so using the instructions below.

How to hide or show the minimize button for Modern apps

In Windows 8.1 Update 1, Microsoft made some changes to make the OS friendlier for keyboard/mouse users. Modern apps now have a title bar. You can make that titlebar visible by moving your mouse pointer to the top edge of the screen. We also showed you how to make the title bar show using a keyboard shortcut that opens the window menu. Today, we will see how to hide the minimize button if you prefer having a cleaner UI.

Registry tweak to disable Action Center notifications in Windows 7

In Windows 7, the Action Center informs you about various security and maintenance tasks. It displays a flag icon in the notification area and shows you balloon tooltips when Windows requires some action from you such as when updates need to be installed, files need to be backed up, or when you do not have an antivirus software working. You can turn off these notifications manually however, if you wish to turn them via the registry so that every time you install Windows, it does not nag you, here's how to do it.

Fix: Windows 8.1 Update fails to install, errors 0x800f081f and 0x80071a91

Microsoft recently made available the Windows 8.1 Update for all Windows 8.1 users via the Windows Update service. However, many users are facing an issue that prevents the update from being installed. It fails with some error code, usually 0x800f081f or 0x80071a91. If you have a similar issue, then you need to do the following steps.

How to enable Lock screen rotation in Android 4.3 and 4.4

If you own a phone or tablet with Android 4.3 or 4.4, you might be facing the issue that your lock screen does not support rotation. I noticed this when I upgraded my Nook HD+ to the latest CyanogenMod based on Android 4.4. The lock screen was always in portrait mode. While phone users might not consider this behavior problematic because phones are mostly used by holding them vertically, tablet owners might prefer landscape mode most of the time. If you have rooted your device, you can perform a simple trick described below to enable lock screen rotation.
Upd: according to our reader Tapatio, this trick also works on CyanogenMod 12.1 android version 5.1.1.

How to enable DirectWrite font rendering in Google Chrome

The latest versions of the Google Chrome browser (e.g. 34 stable, 35 beta) come with a new font rendering feature which uses the DirectWrite engine instead of the old GDI engine. This means that fonts in your Google Chrome will look smoother than before. DirectWrite takes advantage of advances in OpenType font technology and ClearType font subpixel rendering technology to enable high quality typography in Windows applications. At this moment, you can enable DirectWrite font rendering in Google Chrome using the experimental 'flags' because this feature is still in testing.

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