Welcome to Geeks in Phoenix, your go-to destination for expert computer repair and tech support in Phoenix, Arizona! Are you ready to unlock the full potential of your Windows 8.1 system? Look no further! Our skilled technicians have compiled a comprehensive list of Geek Tips tailored to enhance your Windows 8.1 experience. Whether you're a seasoned tech enthusiast or a casual user, our tips cover everything from performance optimization to essential shortcuts, allowing you to harness the power of your Windows 8.1 operating system like never before. Discover the ultimate Geek Tips for Windows 8.1 at Geeks in Phoenix!
The following is a complete list of our Windows 8 / Windows 8.1 Geek Tips
Are you looking for an easy way to synchronize your files to another computer on your network? Or maybe you want to sync to an external drive or the cloud. If so, then take a look ...
With more and more people working from home, keeping your personal computer safe and secure is important. There is always somebody out there that will want to get your information ...
Do you have two personal computers and would like to remotely access one from the other? Looking for a really easy way to do it? You can do just that for free with the personal version of ...
Many people took advantage of the Get Windows 10 upgrade promotion, and some did not. If you are one of those people that did not get your version of Windows 7 / Windows 8.1 ...
Looking for an e-mail program that has a ton of features? One that has a calendar, task scheduler and can handle multiple e-mail addresses? Then look no further than Mozilla Thunderbird.
For most people, there is nothing better than a brand-new computer. But of course, you cannot get a new computer every few months. But you can get that same feeling. Here is ...
Have you ever downloaded an ISO file and did not know what to do with it? More and more software companies are now distributing their software using ISO files. Here is what you can ...
It happens to all of us. You get a pop-up on your computer screen or a phone call telling you that your computer is infected. More than likely it is bogus. So here is how to handle a ...
Did you know that there is a limit to how long a file name can be? Did you know that the folder name is also include in that limit? And what about the path? Let's take a look at long folder ...
Being a computer repair technician, I get asked allot of questions. Quite a few of them are about what software do I recommend. And since I am frugal, I will usually suggest ones that are ...
When it comes to repairing computers, every technician has what I call a digital toolbox. It is software that they use for specific tasks, like finding information on hardware or cloning drives. So here ...
There may be a time when you need to run a program in Windows that does not have a shortcut to it. Usually it is a program that is not used that often. So here is how start a ...
With the recent outbreak of data encrypting malware, keeping your computer secure is a major issue. There isn't just one thing that you can do to secure your computer, but multiple ...
Are you having problems finding Windows drivers for your older hardware? Or have you had an update to Windows recently fail to install and want to manually install it? Then the ...
Even though we primarily work on Windows based computers, there are times when we need to access Mac formatted disks. And being able to do that from inside of Windows is ...
Got a video or music library and want to see how large it is? Maybe you downloaded a really big file and cannot remember where it is? If so, Space Sniffer may just be what you need.
Are you getting a low disk space warning in Windows? Or maybe you have been prompted to delete a previous version of Windows to gain some disk space? If so, here's how to quickly ...
So over the years you've been purchasing software on CD's / DVD's and now have quite the collection. So what do you do with all of the media you are no longer using? How about creating ...
Sometimes it is fun to go back and play the DOS video games I grew up with. But it can be tough since Windows doesn't utilize DOS anymore. But you can still run your old DOS games ...
The Microsoft Management Console (MMC) is a program that is used to create, save, and open collections of administrative tools, called Consoles. Consoles contain items such as snap-ins ...
Have you ever wanted to insert a letter or symbol into a Windows document that was not shown on your keyboard? Maybe a copyright, trademark or tolerance symbol? You can do just that ...
Do you have a company logo or a simple graphic that you would like to use often in a Windows program, like Microsoft Word or Excel? Maybe your line of work has special characters that you ...
When it comes to communication, e-mail is by far the fastest and easiest way to exchange thoughts and ideas. But it can also be one of the fastest ways to spread viruses / malware too. But you can protect yourself and your ...
Let's face it, some of the software we use on a daily basis has become subject to security vulnerabilities and exploits. Software manufacturers do their best to develop and test fixes / patches ...
With Microsoft giving away free Windows 10 upgrades to Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users, the one question that I keep getting asked is "Should I upgrade to Windows 10?" The real ...
When it comes to repairing Windows based computers, there seems to be a couple of problems that I get allot of requests for help with. One of them is when a computer cannot get updates ...
When it comes to computer repair, the most common problem I find is browser corruption. Malicious web sites with infected flash ads are the most common way a browser can get corrupted.
Internet browsers are prone to getting compromised. It can happen by opening an infected e-mail to viewing a malicious ad on a web page. But knowing how to get your browser back ...
In repairing computers for a living, the one thing I find myself doing constantly is cleaning up and resetting web browsers. Removing adware, malware and viruses can really screw up ...
With the release of Windows 10 comes the inevitable upgrade from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, And with the upgrade being free for the first year, why not upgrade to Windows 10? But before ...
Does your Windows 8 computer take a long time to boot up or open programs? Does it seem like the hard drive light is always on? Then you might be able to speed up your computer by using ReadyBoost inside of Windows 8 and ...
One of the biggest complaints I hear from customers is how their computers go into sleep mode when at the most inconvenient times. It happens mostly with laptop computers that are stationary and are using the ac power charger. The ...
Keeping your computer secure has always been tough. It seems like every week there is another exploit making the rounds. Nobody can predict what kind of attack hackers will use next. But you can protect your computer from the ...
External storage devices like flash drives or hard drives are so convenient for carrying data between computers. Just plug and play, as they say. But did you know it's not the same for when you unplug your drives? Here's how to safely ...
Doing computer repair, I see allot of different issues. But there is one problem I am seeing over and over again, start up corruption. This most commonly occurs when the computer is not turned off properly. And it appears that laptops are ...
Your computer has two types of memory, Random Access Memory (RAM) and Virtual Memory. All programs use RAM, but when there isn't enough RAM for the program you're trying to run, Windows temporarily moves information ...
Did you know that Windows 8 has some great ways of managing your user files? From adding additional folder locations in the Libraries to completely moving your user documents to another location. You can do all of these and more.
It seems like every day a new software exploit or vulnerability is found. Software vendors' work hard at keeping their software secure, but it can take time to test and deploy patches. So what can you do to protect your ...
When it comes to getting the best performance out of your computer, nothing can beat a Solid State Drive (SSD). Right out-of-the-box they are extremely faster reading / writing data than a Hard Disk Drive (HDD). But there are a ...
One of the things I like to do besides repairing computers is creating graphics. Over the years I have used many different image editing programs, including Photoshop and CorelDraw. Recently, one of my favorite freeware image ...
Most computers (laptop & desktop) nowadays come with a Hard Disk Drive (HDD) as standard equipment with a Solid State Drive (SSD) as an option. Each drive type has its pros and cons: HDD's are cheaper and have more storage, ...
With the release of the Windows 8.1 Update, all new users have a new group of tiles on the Start screen: This PC (My Computer), PC Settings, Documents (My Documents) and Pictures (My Pictures). If you're a ...
Microsoft recently released the Windows 8.1 Update (actual name), the latest refinement of Windows 8.1. Most the changes are targeted at keyboard / mouse users, like me. The update comes only months (10/17/13) after the ...
It seems whenever I tell someone that I repair computers for a living, I almost always get asked the question "What do you recommend for anti-virus software?". I tell them that I use a layered approach to security, not relying on just one ...
Repairing computers for a living requires working on different versions of Windows. Windows 8 must have the most changes out of all the Windows releases I've seen in the last decade or so. It seems like what worked in ...
Microsoft recently released the Windows 8.1 Preview, the future upgrade to Windows 8. Some of the changes are subtitle and are quite easily over looked, others are not. Changes included in Windows 8.1 are B.Y.O.D. (Bring Your ...
The biggest complaint I have heard about Windows 8 is that the Start button and Start menu are gone. No doubt this was a radical change in the way users interact with Windows. Being a Windows logo key fanatic since its ...
When performing computer repair on a Windows based system, the one feature I really like is the Advanced Boot Options menu. By pressing the F8 key at start up, you would get the advanced boot option menu, where you could ...
I've been using Windows 8 for some time now and there has been one thing I really wanted to change, but couldn't. It's the limited choice of colors and images you could use on the Start screen. Come to find out the folks over at ...
As many of you know, I've been using two monitors on my personal workstation for over ten years. I like being able to view two or more programs all at the same time. So when Windows 8 came out, I was happy to see better ...
Being in computer repair, I have to keep track of a lot of client files and folders. The Search charm in Windows 8 works great, but sometimes the files or folders I'm looking for are not in any of the default (libraries, off-line files and ...
There are so many new features introduced in Windows 8, I wouldn't even know where to begin. Microsoft even renamed Windows Explorer to File Explorer. But they didn't add any truly 'new' features to File Explorer. In fact ...
When I'm working on my computer, the one thing I hate having to do is navigating File Explorer to get to a folder. Windows 8 has a really useful feature built-in called Libraries. With Libraries, I can get to my documents, ...
A while back I wrote an article on left hand keyboard shortcuts for Windows. I like to use them so I don't have to take my right hand off of the mouse. With the release of Windows 8, Microsoft added in more shortcuts, primarily for the ...
Being organized is a necessity when you are an IT consultant. You have to know where things are, so when you need them, you can find them. The same is true for the Windows 8 Start screen. If you can't find it, you can't use it. So ...
When it comes to doing computer repair, there are some things you do quite often. Restarting and shutting down computers has to be at the top of the list. So when I found that there was no easy way of doing this in Windows 8, I ...
There may come a time when your Windows based computer starts to run improperly. Installing and uninstalling software, viruses and malware are just a few things that can corrupt the integrity of system files. When it comes to ...
Did you know that you can use your voice to control your Windows 8 computer? With Speech Recognition inside of Windows 8, you can start programs, open menus, click buttons and other objects on the screen, dictate ...
The Task Scheduler inside of Windows 8 automates scheduling system tasks, which perform actions at a specific time or when a certain event occurs, such as checking for updates or running scripts. Task Scheduler provides an ...
During the normal use of your computer, you will accumulate a number of unnecessary files (temporary setup / internet files, recycle bin, etc.). You can remove these files with the built-in Disk Cleanup (cleanmgr.exe) utility ...
Desktop and Start menu shortcuts are links to various different items. It can be to a program, file, folder, another computer, etc. Here is a quick way to create a Desktop and Start menu shortcut in Windows 8.
Have you ever had to squint to see something on your computer screen? Maybe you couldn't recognize all of the characters in an online 'captcha'. If so, Windows 8 includes a great tool just for this called Magnifier. Magnifier is ...
Windows 8 comes with a basic screen reader called Narrator that reads text on the screen aloud and describes events like error messages so you can use your PC without a display.
File History in Windows 8 automatically backs up files that are in your libraries, contacts, favorites, Microsoft SkyDrive and on your desktop. If the originals are lost, damaged, or deleted, you can restore all of them. You can ...
Have you ever opened a filing cabinet and couldn't find the file or folder you were looking for? The same thing can happen to your computer when your hard drive becomes fragmented. To keep all of your files in the right place, ...
Keeping your hard drive free from errors is essential to the performance of your Windows 8 computer. When it comes to computer repair, this is one of the first things I do. So, if your experiencing problems opening an application or file, it ...
During the course of using your Windows 8 computer, you may need to run some commands from the Command Prompt. But most of them require you do it with Administrative privileges. Here's how to open a Command Prompt ...
Is your network connection running slow? Or maybe your Internet browser isn't
allowing you to go to specific websites? Installing / uninstalling applications
or viruses / malware / spyware can add unwanted entries into the network ...
In 1995, Microsoft introduced Windows 95 with a new feature
called the Start menu. To make easy to use, they added a key to
the standard keyboard and called it the Windows logo key.
Microsoft even added a hand full of ...
Recently Microsoft introduced the Windows 8 Release
Preview, and with the major changes with the Start menu
and the Metro apps, I really wanted to get 'under-the-hood'
of this new operating system. Now, for the record, I never ...
I really wanted to install Windows 8 on one of my production
systems, but didn't want to perform an upgrade to my existing version
of Windows 7. I have had dual-boot systems in the
past, so why not try it with Windows 7 and ...
With the new Metro interface for Windows 8,
finding things can be kind of hard. So I thought I would give the 'God'
mode trick from Windows 7 a try and sure enough it works. The
way it works is you create a new folder and give it a ...
You would think that doing computer repair for a living, the last thing I would
want to do is try out a beta operating system. But I have to admit that I love
playing around with new operating systems (been doing it since Windows
....
By now, you have probability started hearing the buzz about
Windows 8. Maybe it's the new interface, Metro,
which brings touch screen ease of use and the simple tile look
of the Windows 7 phone to the desktop. Or maybe it's the ...