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| The spider web is one of those things that are great to look at as long as it isn't in your face. It is amazing to think how the spider can navigate these thin lines with speed and grace. I thought it was a great metaphor for the 7 1/2 hours I spent on-line with Microsoft Customer Support this past week in the attempt to resolve an issue that rendered my new Windows 8 computer unusable. I felt helpless as the fly that falls prey to this spider web. Read more below. | In This Issue |
| June 2013 | Microsoft Account Windows 8 Subscription Software |
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Microsoft Account (aka Windows Live) Saga Microsoft has maintained personal information a very longtime. With the development of MSN, Microsoft Passport, Microsoft
Until something goes wrong. What could possibly go wrong. Well it is computer software and sometimes there are bugs. This is the beginning of my saga this past week. I have a new Windows 8 computer for home where I do a lot of my work with photographs, web sites, file management, and work with the Sterling Historical Society. My new computer was awesome until I attempted to make a change the Ribbon options in File Explorer (new name for Windows Explorer). Windows File Explorer crashed and never ran again. That is, never when I was signed on to my computer with my Windows Account sign in. The one that I have had since 1997? Yes that one. So on-line I went to Microsoft Online Support. A service known as the Answer Desk. This is a pay-by-occurrence service which costs $99 for Premium Software Support. We are told to take a closer look. "Get expert help", "Complete PC Diagnostics", Dedicated Attention", "...make sure your software issues are resolved". Sounded great. I spent the $99. My Microsoft Account knew immediately which credit card to charge. To make a long story somewhat shorter, I spent 7 1/2 hours over 3 days trying to resolve the problem. I permitted them to take over my computer. I removed all my files and software (a process that takes me 8-12 hours to install). I performed a clean refresh of Windows, I reinstalled Windows. I Reformatted my drive and started from scratch. And my results were the same in all cases. If I signed on using my Microsoft Account, I could not run Windows File Explorer. So to get a refund on my $99, I must invest more time and contact Microsoft by phone, 800-642-7676. We will see if they pay my invoice for $1,125. The problem in a nutshell: Microsoft provides no way of editing specific personal preferences, program settings and general settings that they store in the cloud. You can, in theory, remove ALL personal preferences (here) but they will tell you that they may not be deleted immediately. "Until the next scheduled clean-up". I will follow up with a blog post with an update should this problem ever get resolved. My immediate solution is to set up a local user for my Windows 8 computers, give up Skydrive and other features of shared preferences.
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Windows 8 I have been using Windows 8 for some time. I use it on a touch screen desktop PC, a Windows Surface Tablet and a multi- That said, I do have a general sense of where Microsoft is going with Windows 8 and I certainly have my opinion. Here it is. Windows 8 is Windows 7 with a cover. At first, the cover is pretty to look at but hides Windows 7. At first, the cover lets you do things you might do on a mobile or a tablet or XBox. Like watch Netflix, see the latest DOW or what Bing has to tell us. But where is Windows 7. Well its right there. Click Windows button and D and Enter and there it is, your old desktop. Ahhhh, that feels better. But where is my Start button? Well sorry, Microsoft thought it best to remove your primary method of moving from application to application. Yes, that shows a degree of brilliance. We will call that Microsoft Bright! And we will define it by saying that Microsoft has an arrogance that is only slightly diminished by our friends at Apple. So what does a business user do to make his life a little easier? He uses the task bar. That little bar at the bottom of the screen that contains icons or folders that you use all the time. If you like, you can use your desktop just like before to paste shortcuts of programs or files as you see fit. The point is that nothing has really changed all that much. But, if you have a Windows phone, or a Microsoft Surface, then the new cover is at your disposal. So don't be too upset. If you need a hand, please let us know.
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Subscription Software So what is a company to do when 35% of their revenue slips through the hands of pirates? Stop selling it altogether. Really? Adobe provides their complete array of design tools for $50 per month per user which supports up to two computers. Not as attractive as Microsoft, but workable for those of us that require at least 3 or 4 Adobe products. Will we no longer be able to obtain software in a box? I am sure we will. At least for a while. But this is yet another example of how the Internet is taking over the way we do business. Keep in mind subscription software is different from SaaS (Software as a service). SaaS is a software that runs in the cloud like Quick Books Online, Microsoft Office Web Apps or TRI's Ordertrack services. So expect to see more and more subscription software.
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Wallet, Windows Live and XBox Live, Microsoft has created a database the size of the NSA. Well maybe not. But it is big. Now with the addition of Windows 8, your Microsoft Live account stores your Windows preferences. Things that you used to set for each computer can now be automatic and synchronized between all your Windows 8 computers. Sounds great, doesn't it? Your favorite web sites, Smartdrive file sharing, your Windows themes, your background picture and even your Ribbon Menu customized settings. Sounds fabulous.
screen desktop PC. I do not use it in the office! I do not have XBox 360. I do not have a Windows phone. So my level of understanding a screen swipe is limited to an iPhone, iTouch and iPad. 
Yes, this is the trend we see in Microsoft and now Adobe. We see it in anti-virus software like Trend Micro and news publications like Time Magazine. As you know, we have been a proponent of Office 365 for a while now. It is inexpensive and provides the latest available software. We also see other companies following suit. Autodesk, Azimio, IBM, Intuit, and others.
Copyright 2013
All Rights Reserved
All Photographs Copyright 2013 by Robert McKay Jones
Artists Sketch byBruce Davidson
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produced in 1986 where the climax of the movie is the viewing of the green flash. According to Jules Verne, when one sees a rare green flash at sunset - our own thoughts and those of others are revealed as if by magic. I hope you all have the chance to see this phenomena and share your thoughts with those around you.
since the days of the Civil War. It was first observed on May 30, 1868 when flowers were placed on the graves of the Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. It is observed today for all those that have died serving our country. 
8x8 using Comcast Internet. We gained services and reduced costs. It is an acceptable service and worked for us for more than a year. This year, we changed to Microsoft Lync which is part of their unified communication platform. Lync runs on your computer, tablet and iPad. However there is no real functionality on the iPad. On a Windows device, you can: 
own company, JB Systems. Joe will continue to specialize in IT Support. He is a Microsoft MCP and extremely qualified. Joe continues to work with us, especially on projects in which he is intimately involved. 
tool to publish and host. We are using Wordpress. We have used Wordpress since 2009 for our 
magnetically into place making it look more like a laptop than a tablet. It starts quickly and easily with Windows 8 Pro which I will talk about in the next section. IT has a USB port (awesome) and a Micro SD memory card slot. It also has an earphone jack and an interesting magnetic connector for power or pen. The USB port is wonderful because you can connect a mouse or normal keyboard or a USB Hub so you can connect multiple USB devices. Being able to use a mouse and full keyboard makes seem like a laptop or desktop.
especially tablets. It might be a natural for Xbox 360 users because that is the interface that you will first see.
a much nicer acceptance of your finger as a pointer and selection tool. The iPad Store has more than 300,000 Apps available compared to Microsoft Store under 20,000. The iPad is 4G compatible which means you don't need to be near a hot spot to be connected. Lastly, the iPad is just plane fun!