By default, Windows 8.1 and Windows 8 have a new graphical environment for various recovery actions including an automatic repair engine due to which Microsoft has hidden the Safe Mode feature. When the system does not boot, it tries to analyze and fix startup problems automatically on its own without user assistance. However, you might need to enter Safe Mode for several purposes, i.e. to troubleshoot some issue with drivers and apps. In this tutorial, we will review three simple ways to get the Safe Mode feature back in Windows 8.1 and Windows 8.
Author: Sergey Tkachenko
Enable the full keyboard (standard keyboard layout) in the touch keyboard of Windows 8.1
Windows 8.1 (and its equivalent Windows RT edition) includes a touch keyboard for computers and tablets with a touch screen. When you touch any text field on your tablet, the touch keyboard appears on the screen. If you don't have a touch screen, then you have two options to run it. By default, it appears with a limited set of keys and lacks Function keys, Alt, Tab and Esc keys. In this article, we will look how to enable those missing keys in the touch keyboard, and, as a bonus, we will look for two possible ways to launch the touch keyboard.
Disable Windows 8.1 store upgrade offer prompt
While Microsoft is strongly recommending everyone to upgrade Windows 8 to Windows 8.1, not every user would like to go ahead with this upgrade. If you are too busy to upgrade your OS and are happy with Windows 8 while it still remains supported, then there is no reason to upgrade right away. However, by default, it is not possible to decline the offer because it has no options in the user interface. It will be displayed every time you visit the Windows Store. In this article, we will see how to disable the Windows 8.1 store upgrade offer if you don't want to upgrade yet.
How to disable ads in Skype 6
If you are annoyed by Skype ads during the chat or during a call, there is a brilliant solution for you. It does not require files to be patched or modification of the operating system or even administrator rights. We can disable ads with a simple and native way. Let's discover the trick!
How to uninstall Skip Metro Suite
Ever since I made my Skip Metro Suite application portable, there are lots of users asking me how to uninstall it. I have no idea why those people want to uninstall A PORTABLE APPLICATION, but never mind, here are detailed instructions how you can uninstall Skip Metro Suite by Winaero.
How to close bottom notifications (notification bar) in IE11 with a hotkey
When you are using Internet Explorer, a notification bar will be displayed at the bottom for several tasks you do in the browser.
When you start a download, it shows as a notification. When you complete a download, it notifies you again. The same notification bar also becomes visible when Internet Explorer prompts you to disable addons to improve its performance or when some site is trying to install an ActiveX control. When you delete IE's history or when a popup is blocked, it shows again. When a website becomes unresponsive, IE notifies you again via the notification bar. So this is a very frequently used element of the user interface. Unfortunately, Microsoft made its keyboard usability very poor.
There is a secret hidden shortcut which allows you to close the notification bar directly using the keyboard only. Let's discover it right now.
How to get the bookmark star button back into the address bar of Firefox
With a future update to Firefox, Mozilla plans to roll out a new user interface for the browser, called Australis. Here at Winaero, I have often covered ways to make Firefox get the classic look. Today, I would like to walk you through the steps to restore the good old 1-click bookmark star button in the address bar, because I do not like the big combined star+bookmarks menu on the Australis toolbar.
How to fix Windows 8 apps slow start or app errors
Sometimes you may notice that your Modern/Metro Windows 8 apps are starting too slow or do not load at all. This is definitely annoying. On a fresh install of Windows 8.1 and Windows 8 those apps are fast, but sometimes the app might get stuck on the screen with the loading circle animation and the app logo. In this article, we will review some workarounds to reduce the startup time of Metro Apps in Windows 8.1 and Windows 8 with very simple steps. We will also see what can prevent apps from working and take steps to correct those issues.
Turn on inline autocomplete for File Explorer of Windows 8.1
Today, I am going to share with you a brilliant tip which will significantly improve the usability of File Explorer in Windows 8.1. The inline autocomplete feature will save a lot of your time when you work with the Run or Open/Save File dialogs. Let's see the details.
How to disable suggested sites and URLs in IE11 in Windows 8.1
Internet Explorer 11 has introduced one feature which is enabled by default. The browser automatically suggests you web addresses and search results based on the text which you type in the address bar. Moreover, this URL suggesting is on by default. If you are not happy which this behavior and would like to disable the suggested sites feature, follow this simple tutorial.
