Ever since Windows Vista introduced User Account Control, there has been a need to occasionally run some programs as administrator for doing some functions. If the UAC setting is set to the highest level in Windows, then you get a UAC prompt when you open an app as administrator. But when the UAC setting is at a lower level, signed Windows EXEs are elevated silently. Also, there are some scheduled tasks which run as administrator and you can even create your own shortcuts that run elevated but you don't get the UAC prompt for them. In this article, we will see how we can determine if a process is running as administrator.
Category: Windows 8.1
Show numbers on taskbar buttons with 7+ Taskbar Numberer
Previously, we wrote about how you can use 7+ Taskbar Tweaker to improve your Taskbar usability and bring back many classic options. The developer of 7+ Taskbar Tweaker, has another tool called 7+ Taskbar Numberer. It shows numbers on your taskbar buttons so operating the taskbar using the keyboard becomes easier.
How to disable Metro edge swipes and touch charms bar gestures for trackpads (touchpads) in Windows 8.1 and Windows 8
One of the most annoying features of Windows 8.1 and Windows 8 are the touch gestures for indirect touch devices such as trackpads (touchpads). These gestures invoke various aspects of the Modern UI such as Charms, App Switcher, App bar etc. On the Desktop, these gestures aren't of much use and they often get triggered accidentally when you use your touchpad. Even if you disabled on-screen mouse pointer gestures for the Modern UI, which are triggered from hot corners, these annoying gestures remain enabled and popup at the most inopportune times. Let us see how to disable them.
How to logon automatically in Windows 8.1 using a Microsoft Account
Windows 8 shipped with a new feature - the ability to use a Microsoft account to sign in to a PC with Internet access. It has deep integration with Microsoft's cloud services like SkyDrive, Bing, Skype and Office 365 if it's installed. Additionally, Microsoft account users get free synchronization of their OS customizations and preferences. If you are logged in with the same Microsoft Account on each of your PCs, then you will get the same Desktop appearance (e.g. wallpaper and theme settings), Modern App settings and even the Quick Access Toolbar buttons will be synchronized with every PC from where you are signed in.
Aero Glass for Windows 8.1 released, download links inside
If you were a fan of the Aero visual style on Windows 7 and Vista with transparencies, blur, glow and other fancy effects, you would surely have missed it on Windows 8 and Windows 8.1. Many people were disappointed that the sleek, transparent glassy look of Windows 7 with rounded corners, glossy buttons and blur was gone in Windows 8 and replaced with flat, opaque colors without even as much as a gradient to make things look nicer. Well, you can have it back on Windows 8.1 and Windows 8. Here's how.
Launch your favorite apps with useful aliases from the Run dialog
Ever since Windows 95, Windows has had a cool feature known as app paths. It allows end users to create their own commands to run anything. Throughout its long history, this little known feature never gained much popularity, probably because it was initially designed for developers to prevent them from adding their apps to the system path variable. Even in Windows 8.1, this feature still exists without any changes, and is still secretly hidden from the eyes of the average Windows user. In this article, we will look at what app paths are and how you can create your own aliases to tremendously boost your working efficiency.
Windows 8 reboots (restarts) instead of shutting down
A number of Winaero readers write to me regularly saying they have various shutdown-related issues with Windows 8 (and now Windows 8.1). The most popular issue is that their PC reboots instead of shutting down. When they click shut down, Windows 8 doesn't shutdown, but instead restarts.
It is hard to tell what is the exact cause of such behavior, because the reason can be different from PC to PC, but in this article we will explore some solutions which can be helpful if you are facing this problem of the computer rebooting instead of doing a shut down.
How to disable or enable Fast Startup in Windows 8.1
Fast Startup is a new feature which is introduced in Windows 8 RTM. It allows your computer to start faster than normal by logging off the user session and then saving a part of system related files and drivers to a hibernation file. When you turn on your PC again, it resumes from hibernate and logs you in again. In other words, the fast startup feature combines the classic shutdown mechanisms with hibernation, so it can be called 'hybrid shutdown'. Hybrid shutdown is enabled by default in Windows 8 and its successor, Windows 8.1. Follow this article to learn how to disable the fast boot feature or enable it back, and why you may want to do so.
How to perform a clean boot of Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 to diagnose issues
If you suddenly got some unexpected behavior on your Windows 8 PC, then the first thing you should do is take a diagnostic approach by way of elimination. There are plenty of factors which can be the cause of issues like slowdowns, BSODs, freezes and even sudden reboots. The best way to detect what exactly is the cause of the trouble is to perform a clean boot. Using a clean boot, you can find if the OS is damaged by some third party app or a bad driver. By preventing them from loading, you can exclude the influence of these two factors.
How to use the Quick Access Toolbar of File Explorer with keyboard only
The Quick Access Toolbar is a feature of File Explorer which exists in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1. It is part of the Ribbon UI in File Explorer and is located in the title bar. I consider this toolbar very useful because it allows you to have fast access to any ribbon command with one click.
Using keyboard shortcuts, you can execute any command from the Quick Access Toolbar. Sometimes keyboard shortcuts are faster than the mouse and can improve your productivity and save your time.
