Ah Windows 8, when it's all said and done and everyone's gleefully praising Windows 9, I'll look back at you and think, "You were just misunderstood."  You see, for all the public backlash against the new "Windows Interface," the rest of the operating system is actually pretty solid.  One of my favorite new features is the simplicity of a clean install and by extension, removal of all that typical, preloaded bloatware.

Windows 8 computers take advantage of having their activation key tied to the new EFI BIOS these new computers utilize.  I won't bore you with the details, but what it basically means is that new PC has an activation key tied to the inner workings of the computer itself.  That's right - no more lengthy activations keys, trying to decipher them from the underside of the laptop, or drawn out calls to the Microsoft activation center.  This also means no "borrowing" Windowskeys from those license stickers on every new PC - they just ain't there no mo.

The biggest benefit of this latest licensing method is it make it super easy to boot your new computer for the first time off a Windows 8 flash drive or DVD and completely wipe out all the crazy pre-installed "customizations" from the manufacturer as well as more disk partitions than a Japanese Bullet Train.  Really guys?  Do we need all of these:

 

So the big secret here, is there is no big secret.  You do a reinstall.  Now because Windows 8 is already pre-licensed at the BIOS level, ANY legit copy of a Windows 8 installer will automatically recognize the version and license key associated with your PC.  Plus, Win 8 installs faster than any version of Windows to date.

Now in the not so distant future, this can get a little more burdensome.  With Windows 8 relatively new, the majority of the hardware on the computer is going to get automatically recognized either by the install media or Windows Update.  Once new network adapters get introduced, it's going to require you finding the necessary drivers, but that's not exactly rocket science and to get rid of 40+ extra running background processes running on a typical out-of-the-box installation, a small price to pay.

Now get rid of UAC and install startisback, and you've got yourself a pretty solid new PC!

As Always,

Stan

As we come to the end of another long, hot summer I thought I'd share with you one of my favorite ways I get my PC to beat the heat.  You're probably well aware heat + computers = baaaaaaaaaad.  Here in Los Angeles, computers have been suffering meltdowns from the heat lately, and I'm here to tell you, it doesn't have to be like this!  For those of you who still have a Desktop PC, especially one you like to keep running all the time, it's a good idea to give it a break.  So do like the baby bear and get to hibernating.  Let me 'splain . . . 

In the hottest months, you're a lot more likely to see computers overheat, and the occasional power surge or outage can wreak havoc on some of the more critical components.  While most PC's go to sleep automatically, sleep still keeps the system in a low-power consumption mode.  That's great, but if the power drops or surges your computer shuts off, possibly damaging something in the process.  What I'm gunning for here is a NO-power consumption mode.  Enter my good friend, hibernation.

Hibernation on Windows 7 Desktops is where things get a little tricky.  The Windows laptops have hibernation options right there on the shutdown menu, but with a desktop, you've got to do a little tweaking.

To get the hibernation option on a Windows 7 Desktop you'll have to following:

1. Download and run this registry tweak that our good friends at Sevenforums.com have so generously provided.  

2. Now to set your computer to hibernate whenever you'd like, the easiest method I've found is to create a hibernate shortcut.  Go to the Desktop, right click, and select New, and choose Shortcut.

Next Paste this text into the location box:
C:\Windows\System32\rundll32.exe powrprof.dll,SetSuspendState 0,1,0

If you like to get cute with it, you can edit the icon for the shortcut.  Right-Click on the new Hibernate shortcut you created, choose properties.  Go to the shortcut tab and choose Change Icon.  Browse for the power icons at this location: %SystemRoot%\System32\powrprof.dll

Yeah, that's more like it.  Now you can drag the shortcut to your start button, choose Pin to Start Menu, and you'll always have convenient access to hibernation.

Man, I'm getting sleepy just talking about this!