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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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?

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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.

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