Fix Windows 8 Start screen Metro apps not working

After upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 8 I found that the Start screen apps would not work. When they were clicked the screen cleared to the solid colour with the app icon in the middle, but then went straight back to the desktop. No Start screen Metro apps would work and they started and immediately quit. The live tiles weren't live either.

I tried a few different things, but the last one and the one that appeared to fix the problems, was turning off the security software. I was using the latest version of Avast! and right clicked the icon at the right side of the taskbar and selected the option to turn it off for 10 minutes. After switching to the Start screen the apps were all working.

I uninstalled Avast! and Metro apps work fine now. Afterwards I discovered that Windows Defender was turned on. This is basically the Windows 8 version of Microsoft Security Essentials. I wonder whether just turning off Widows Defender would have worked. I prefer Avast! so I might reinstall it some time.

If Windows 8 Start screen Metro apps are not working for you, right click the bottom left corner of the desktop and select Control Panel. Open Windows Defender, select Settings and turn it off. If Metro apps still aren't working, turn Windows Defender back on and uninstall your anti virus/spyware software. Windows Defender is a reasonably good anti virus/spyware program, so you are still protected.

Read More

Blown away by Windows 8 demo

I've been quite critical of Windows 8, especially the Start screen, but I've just been blown away by the Microsoft launch event. Windows 8 is stunning, it's amazing, it's the most advanced operating system out there and makes others look primitive. The things they did on stage showing off Windows 8's features were absolutely fantastic and there's nothing that compares, not even Apple's OS X. But...

Right now I'm staring at Windows 8 thinking "How the hell did they do that?" Were they running a different version to me? I tried as hard as I could to follow what they were doing and how they did it, but half of it has gone. I've forgotten much of what they did and the bits I can remember I can't figure out how to do it.

This is Windows 8's Achilles heel. It's just not obvious what you can do or how to do it. It needs a manual the size of a telephone directory to reveal all the secret taps, swipes, clicks, drags, hovers, tricks and so on.

At one point in the presentation they showed how you could dock a (Start screen) app to the side of the Windows desktop. I've just spent 10 minutes trying to figure out how they did that and I failed. I can't do it.

I must admit that I'm running the final public beta at the moment as it's not on sale till tomorrow, but unless Microsoft has added a truck load of features in the final version that aren't in mine there is a serious usability problem. Whenever I want to do something in Windows 8, I have to Google how to do it.

If you want a fantastic operating system get Windows 8, but it'll irritate the hell out of you till you figure out all the secret ways of doing the cool things it is capable of.

Read More

Three simple tweaks to fix Windows 8

I love Windows 8, but I hate Metro. Well, that's not quite true. I love the Metro interface, but hate how it is implemented. Windows 8 could be a fantastic operating system if only Microsoft would make three very small changes. It wouldn't take much to fix Windows 8, just a few simple tweaks here and there. This is what is required...

1. Restore the Start button
The first thing that is needed is a Start button on the taskbar just like we've had since 1995 when it was introduced with Windows 95. (I actually prefer XP's pop-out panels to Vista/7's scrolling list, but I can live with the latest version.) This would take hardly any effort to put back as it's been there for so long and it is far superior to the Start screen when you have lots of programs installed. The Start button is essential.

2. Boot to the desktop
Windows should boot up to the desktop, just like it has done since, well, forever. I and many others, spend all day with desktop applications, running them with multiple windows open, switching from one to the other and so on. Desktop applications are more important than the lightweight apps that populate the Metro screen.

3. Make Metro an option
I like the new Start screen with its Metro interface. It's brilliant. I like the app store. OK, it's pretty barren right now, but just wait. It'll soon fill up with great apps. The thing is, I don't want it forced on me. I want to boot to the desktop to get my work done, then during lunch times, coffee breaks and so on I'd like to press a key (currently the Windows key, which is fine), and switch to the Metro Start screen and have some fun. Yes, the Metro interface is fun and there are some entertaining apps. I just don't want it getting in my way all the time. There could even be a startup option so people could choose between the Metro Start screen and the traditional desktop.

If I could switch to the Metro screen and its apps with a menu or hotkey I'd be happy and Windows 8 would be perfect. There's a lot to like in Microsoft's OS and really only one irritation, but it's a big one. It's not Metro itself, it's just the way it is implemented for people that actually work on PCs rather than play on them.

Apple has done a very similar thing with OS X and it has an iOS interface. However, the default is the traditional interface and I can run Launchpad (the iOS-like desktop) as and when I need it, or I can choose to completely ignore it. I can't remember ever using it to be honest. Tablet interfaces just don't work on desktop computers - Microsoft take note.

Read More

iPad Mini won't disrupt the 7in tablet market

A lot has been written about the iPad Mini and the comments range from the price, which many people have found disappointingly high, to the way it will disrupt the 7in tablet market and kill off all competitors. My opinions are opposite to these. It is not expensive and it will not disrupt the 7in market.

The reason it will not disrupt the 7in market is that the iPad Mini is not in the same category as the Google Nexus 7 or Amazon Kindle Fire HD. Those two products will continue to appeal to budget conscious buyers who want a great tablet without it costing them an arm and a leg. Both competitors are available for £159 (UK prices) whereas the iPad Mini is £269. That's a huge difference to someone on a budget and it is a whole different market.

At first sight the iPad Mini might look expensive compared to other 7in tablets, but it's not a 7in tablet. It has an 8in screen (near enough). As Apple pointed out in the presentation, it is bigger than other tablets like the Google Nexus 7. (Apple, this does not make it better, just different. Is the Microsoft Surface better than the iPad because it has a 10.7in screen instead of your 9.7in screen? And why did you delete all the cool widgets off the Nexus 7's screen to make it look boring? A cheap trick.)

In addition to having an 8in screen the iPad Mini also has a 5 megapixel camera. It's a different tablet in a different market to Amazon and Google's and the price is fair. It's not cheap, but it's not expensive either.

So who will buy the iPad Mini? Loyal Apple supporters will queue up on launch day to buy it of course, but looking beyond the obvious fans, I think it will appeal to people that want an iPad, but were put off by the price. There's now a new iPad that is slightly smaller, but a whole lot more affordable.

My next iPad will be an iPad Mini. I am going to wait for a second generation model though. Judging by the current iPad release schedule I should only have to wait six months!

Read More

Apple's shocking news - iPad 3 abandoned

Apple is one of the most secretive companies around and despite the well publicised leaks about the iPad Mini, there was a lot more new kit at the Apple event than anyone had imagined. There were surprises and shocks today.

The big problem I have with Apple's secrecy is that it screws customers. No-one expected the iPad 4 to be launched and the iPad 3 went on sale just a few months ago. Looking at the Apple store now, it is simply not there. The iPad 4 replaces it at the same price. Just imagine how those people feel that bought an iPad 3 last week. Apart from their iPad being abandoned by Apple, they could have had one twice as fast (with the A6X processor and other tweaks)  next week.

If only Apple had not been so secretive. Firstly, it should have warned people that there's a new model coming out. Secondly, they should have discounted the old model. Then customers could have had a choice - buy the iPad 3 with a discount or wait a week or so and order an iPad 4 at full price.

Customers have been well and truly screwed by Apple. Of course we expect  hardware to be upgraded and no doubt the iPad 5 will be even better than today's iPad 4, but to sell someone an iPad 3 just a week or two ago without warning them that they could get one twice as good for the same money if they waited a bit is shocking. They've been ripped off. I'd be mad if I'd bought an iPad 3 recently. Is there a law against this? Selling someone something with the full knowledge that next week there will be a replacement that is twice as good for the same money. If there isn't there ought to be.

Rules for purchasing hardware and software:

1. Never buy version 1 of anything.
2. Don't upgrade to the next version, skip a generation and buy alternate generations.
3. Always queue up and buy it on launch day. Wait six months and you could end up buying something that will be replaced very shortly.

Read More

How much is a Facebook like worth?

Everywhere we go on the web and scattered throughout our Facebook newsfeed are invitations to like products, services, companies and so on. A lot of time and effort can go into getting people to like stuff and then producing endless updates to post on their Facebook news feeds. Is it all worth it though? How much is a Facebook like worth?

There is an interesting infographic here that's worth looking at. It's a bit dull at the top, but gets more interesting as you go down the page. There is another interesting article here and it's brief, but it contains a collection of good links to other articles.

Here are my own thoughts on the matter.

• People that like a brand, product or service are more likely to click the like button than people that don't like it.
• People that like a brand, product or service are more likely to buy stuff than people that don't like it.
• Therefore people that click like buttons are more likely to buy stuff than people that don't.

What does this tell you? Not much. If you really want to know how much a like button is worth you would have to get a large group of people, split them into two, one of which clicks the like button while the other doesn't. Then you can see the difference, if any, between them.

I'm getting a lot of adverts - requests to like stuff - on my Facebook feed, so I'm on a mission to eliminate them. I click the like button and then when the company posts on my feed I click the little arrow at the top and hide it. You then get the option to hide all posts from the company, which I then click. The result is no more ads and no more posts from that company and I have a nice clean Facebook news feed. How much is my like worth?

Read More

How much memory does a tablet need?

Microsoft's new Surface tablet comes with a minimum of 32Gb of memory storage and this is double what is supplied with the iPad at the same price point. So does this make it twice as good or double the usefulness? Not necessarily. The question is, how much storage space does a tablet need?

I have a Google Nexus 7 with just 8Gb and I have been surprised how little memory I have used. The operating system requires memory to run and I have installed dozens of apps, yet I still have several gigabytes free. Home come?

The reason is that cloud storage is everywhere these days and there is no longer any need to use the device to store movies, music, photos, and other media. It is these files that use up all the space on tablets and by storing them elsewhere and streaming them when you need them, you can manage with very little memory on a tablet.

A computer, or a NAS drive, can act as a DLNA server and there are apps for tablets that turn them into DLNA clients. You run an app on the tablet, it connects to the computer or NAS drive and you can stream all the music or movies to the tablet. On iOS devices of course, there is iTunes library sharing facilities and you can connect to a computer running iTunes and play anything stored on it.

There are a couple of disadvantages and the computer or NAS drive must be running in order to act as a media server. There are some very energy efficient computers that you can leave on all day and NAS drives use little power and are designed to run all day anyway. My computer is always on most of the day because I'm always working on something or other.

The other disadvantage is that if you take your tablet out when you leave home you won't have access to your media. However, it is still possible to connect to a computer at home provided you have a Wi-Fi connection and these are increasingly common. Wi-Fi is everywhere these days.

If you don't want to host your media yourself and leave your computer or NAS drive on all day, there are lots of services that will host your media. Buy your music from Amazon for example, and it will be stored online and you can stream it to your Android tablet from anywhere with an internet connection. There are services like 4Shared and others that let you store media files online and stream them over the internet to your iOS or Android device too.

The main reason Microsoft Surface doesn't come in an 8 or 16Gb version is because the OS and apps take up so much space. I've not tried one yet, but I've heard that there's only 20Gb free on a 32Gb Surface, which means the system uses a massive 12Gb. That's more than the total memory on my Google Nexus 7!

I wouldn't get hung up on the amount of storage a tablet has. Once you get used to storing your media elsewhere and streaming it, you'll find you can manage with a lot less. The are only two differences between a 16Gb iPad and a 64Gb iPad and that is the memory size and the price. If the memory size is not important then you can save yourself a bundle of money. The same is true with Android and Surface tablets. Buy the cheapest and just stream your media.

Read More

Microsoft Surface sold out

I was going to blog about who on earth would buy the Microsoft Surface when in this morning's news I read that it has sold out already! It seems that a lot of people do want to buy it, or maybe Microsoft simply didn't order many).

Microsoft recently opened for pre orders and you can buy it right now with delivery at the end of the month in two weeks' time. The starting price is $499 or £399 if you are in the UK like me.

The problem I see with the Surface with Windows RT is that it is the same price as the iPad 3, which has a zillion more apps and a whole world of accessories. The Surface does have a clever cover/keyboard, but it's expensive and adds £80 to the price. A keyboard is not essential on a tablet though and this accessory is more applicable to the Surface with Windows 8 Pro. That's more like an ultra light laptop because it runs the full version of Windows 8 and Office. I can see businesses buying that instead of laptops. It's basically a smaller, lighter, laptop with a detachable keyboard and touch screen. The price of that has been announced yet.

There is the novelty value of a new tablet and the status of being the first among your friends to have the latest gadget, but I'm not sure a month after launch day the Surface will be selling that well.

I have two tablets, the iPad and a Google Nexus 7. These are at opposite ends of the tablet range and Apple dominates the top end while Android (Google and Amazon) dominate the bottom end. Surely Surface would be better as a mid-range tablet offering the best of both worlds - power without the price? Add a few accessories or a bit more memory to the Surface and it will cost more than a laptop. That would make me think twice about buying one.

And then there's the iPad Mini, not officially launched yet, but what else can Apple be launching next week? How will the Surface look when there's an even cheaper iPad rival? (Actually there is already, the iPad 2, which is still a great tablet, is £80 cheaper than the Surface.)  I foresee a price drop from Microsoft. I think I will wait and see what happens.

Read More

Mountain Lion breaks VirtualBox

If you are a VirtualBox user and are running OS X Mountain Lion on your Apple Mac, do not install OS X 10.8.2. After the update, VirtualBox will no longer be able to run virtual machines.

There is some fundamental change in the way that OS X 10.8.2 works that is not compatible with VirtualBox and it stops with an error that only one VT-x hypervisor can be running at once. Apparently Mountain Lion already uses this and so VirtualBox can't. It tries to start the virtual machine, but it hangs and you have to force quit it. The obvious thing to do is to turn off VT-x/AMD-V in VirtualBox settings, but this completely crashed my Mac and I had to hold down the power button until it switched off.

Fortunately, there has just been an update to VirtualBox and v4.2.1 should fix the problem. From reading the thread on the VirtualBox forum, it appears that it doesn't fix it for everyone though. Use the uninstaller that comes with VirtualBox and then reboot the Mac. Download the new version and extensions and install it. If it still doesn't work you'll just have to wait for a bug fix from Apple or VirtualBox.

Thankfully I installed Mountain Lion on a separate partition so I can still boot into Lion.

Read More

Windows 8 is Windows for the tablet generation

In just three weeks Windows 8 will be here and the big question is how people will react to it. A few people have said that they like it, but many have spoken out against it and it is all down to that Metro interface. (I know it's not officially called Metro any more, but the name is sure to stick.)  I think we're going to see some extreme reactions to it and it is something you will either love or hate.

Windows 8 is Windows for the tablet generation. There are people that have all but given up using computers and they use tablets for 95% of tasks. I know that for a fact. I have an iPad with a 10-hour battery life and it often needs charging up every day. I can hardly summon up the enthusiasm to turn it on, never mind use it, but other family members argue over whose turn it is to use it next, "You've had it for two hours, it's my turn now!" Most days the family computer never gets turned on.

Tablet users (and there are millions of them), are people with very simple needs and they use Facebook, Twitter, eBay, email, web browsing and a few other things. They use apps one at a time, full screen, and they don't do anything remotely complicated. They have an app store for finding new apps and fun, lightweight games, there is a music store where they can get the latest releases from their favourite artists, and there is even a book store where they can download ebooks. What else do they need?

I think these people will really like Windows 8. Those tiles on the Start screen provide one-click access to their favourite apps. It may require a bit of setting up first and just as with a tablet people will need to spend the first hour or two downloading their favourite apps from the app store, but once set up everything they need is on the Start screen. Those tiles are live too, so they can see the latest email message, Facebook or Twitter comment, the weather forecast and so on. It's perfect for them.

There is another group of people, and I count myself among them, that have little interest in this. I frequently have two, three or more windows open on the desktop. I'm switching between web browser, word processor and Explorer windows, I have a spreadsheet and my email open, I have a photo editor and web design app open and so on. For me, the Metro interface (or whatever it is now called), just gets in the way. It doesn't work the way I want it to and everything takes twice as much effort as it used to.

I know you can go to the desktop, but it's not the same - there's no Start button for a start, meaning a trip back to the Start screen to find apps I want to run. I'm pretty sure the Start screen will end up about 10 screens wide eventually and I'll have problems finding anything on it. I can see myself putting shortcuts on the desktop and taskbar to all the apps I use.

I have to upgrade and use Windows 8 because it's my job to keep abreast of the latest operating systems and applications, but I can see a lot of people either not bothering or installing it and then removing it and putting Windows 7 on instead.

Will businesses take to it? I suspect not. One reason is because the Start screen is a big distraction and it's too easy to get sidetracked by all the fun apps. Another reason, and perhaps the main one, is that Windows 8 is not intuitive. I have been using Windows for 20 years, ever since 3.1 in the early 1990s, yet on occasions when Using Windows 8 I have been stuck and couldn't work out how to do something. I have had to Google it. Don't laugh, but the first time I booted up Windows 8 I had to use Google to find out how to turn off the computer! Even now I'm still finding things out either by accident or on the web. Things that are obvious and simple in Windows 7. Would any business want to roll out an operating system upgrade that left users unable to use their computers? I'd think twice.

Will you love or hate Windows 8?

Read More

Is iOS 6 the most bug-riddled yet?

Nothing is perfect and anyone that has ever tried programming will know how hard it is to make software completely bug free. However, the number of problems with iOS 6 is worrying and problem after problem keeps cropping up. When will it end?

The first problem and one that everyone will be aware of unless they have been shipwrecked on a desert island without communications for the last two weeks is that Apple's Maps app has lots of flaws. I am a bit sympathetic here and mapping the world is a huge undertaking. There are 197 million square miles in the world and 58 million square miles of land. How on earth do you test a map that big? It's impossible. There's only one way and that is to crowd source it. Put it in the hands of millions of people and let them explore. That's what happened when Apple launched iOS 6. The problem is that Apple claimed that its maps app was the best in the world on its website (the wording of which has now been changed) and it clearly wasn't. The company should really have put a beta label on it with a feedback button to report problems. People would have been less critical and more understanding.

Some people have had problems with the Wi-Fi and connections are poor or sometimes not available at all. It depends on the Wi-Fi connection and some networks are fine and while others weren't. Perhaps it is the router - I've heard Netgear mentioned.

Some people reported that an iPhone would connect to a Wi-Fi network, but no data was transmitted. Another problem is that some people on certain mobile networks found that when their iPhone 5 is connected to Wi-Fi the data sent over Wi-Fi is being clocked up on their mobile data allowance. Wi-Fi data is free and this should not happen. You could potentially use gigabytes on Wi-Fi thinking it is free and then be hit by a huge bill from your mobile service provider. That's a scary thought. Bug fixes have been released for Wi-Fi problems - see Verizon users go here.

Some people have reported that the battery life is unusually short. This has affected iPhone 4 and 5 users, so it is not likely to be the hardware, but something in iOS. The suspicion is that an app is running in the background or that GPS is switching on and not switching off when you have finished with an app. (Double tap the home button, quit all apps, or reset the phone.)

Upgrading the operating system on any device or computer is always a risky process and in a few cases there have been a few glitches. People have reported that their music has disappeared. A purple halo effect on some photos has been reported and lines across the onscreen keyboard have been seen. I've seen this elsewhere too and the video driver seems a bit buggy.

I dont' think the screen is quite as responsive on the iPhone 5 as the iPhone 4 too. I've occasionally had to tap twice on something or I've mistyped a letter, which I didn't used to do on my iPhone 4.

None of this has put off buyers and millions of iPhone 5s have been sold already. Millions of people have upgraded older phones to iOS 6 too. The iPhone 5 and iOS 6 are definitely better than previous versions even with the bugs, but it is a case of two steps forward and one step backward. Overall progress has been made, but it's not perfect.

Read More

iOS apps are better than Android

I have both Android and iOS tablets - the Google Nexus 7 and an Apple iPad 2. The obvious question is which is better? From a hardware point of view, there isn't that much between them and both devices are superbly made and offer excellent performance. I haven't run lab benchmarks, but in general use with a wide range of applications I haven't ever thought "This is taking ages, it's really slow." Apps are always fast and responsive and I've never had a performance problem.

The screen on the Nexus 7 is clearly better than the iPad 2 and although it isn't called a retina display, it obviously is. I can't see the pixels because they are smaller than the smallest thing my eye can see. The iPad 3 with its retina display is probably slightly better, but there isn't a lot of difference. Both devices have great hardware.

iOS and Android are very different operating systems though, despite what Apple might claim in the courts. There may be half a dozen similarities, but there are a thousand differences. Just look at the home screens of iOS 6 and Android 4.1. I like both and both irritations too.

The Apple iPad and Android tablets like the Google Nexus 7 are very different, but many apps are the same and it is interesting to run the same app on Android and iOS and compare them. Skype, Facebook, and many others are available on both platforms. But which is best?

Without a doubt iOS has better apps. Apps seem to be developed for iOS first and then Android second. This means that the Android version often comes along later and is then a version or two behind. Skype, Facebook and others I have run on both tablets are good examples and the iOS version was better on both. I say 'was' because Android is catching up. Perhaps it is the popularity of the Google Nexus 7, the Amazon Kindle Fire and Samsung Tabs that is encouraging developers to put more effort into their Android apps. I didn't like Android Skype when I first used it, but after some updates it is now more or less equal to the iOS version. Facebook is better too.

Android apps are definitely getting better and in some cases they are as good as their iOS cousins, but you still come across apps that don't have all the features or the great design that the iOS version has. I'm not saying that all Android apps are poor and quite the opposite is true. There are some great apps (compare maps on Android 4.1 and iOS 6!) and I really like Android devices. Probably more so than iOS devices, partly because they are so much more affordable and having limited funds. Check out the price of the Amazon Kindle Fire, for example, and you can get great deals on the Samsung Galaxy SII, which isn't the latest model, but is still a great phone.

Android will only get better and as the market grows, developers will put more time and effort into Android apps, making them just as good as iOS versions.

Read More