Just a quick post to describe how to enable Safe Mode in Windows 8 Developer Preview.
If you are reading this post, probably you have already tried to boot in Safe Mode for whatever reason using classic F8 key during WIndows boot, to discover that Windows Recovery Environment (with Metro style ) is what you get. This is how you can get to boot into Safe Mode and leave it there in case you would need to.

1.- At home screen, type “cmd” in home screen to access it. To run it elevated, press Ctrl+Shift and then click on cmd icon. Accept User Account Control prompt.

2.- At command prompt, use bcdedit /enum /v to list the boot entries. The first entry will have “Windows Boot Loader” as description. The second will have “Windows Developer Preview”. Copy the identifier GUID, {23fc82d2-….} in the picture below.

3.- Duplicate the entry by using the following command (use your entry’s GUID ). You can use whatever description you want:

bcdedit /copy {23fc82d2-….} /d “Windows Developer Preview (Safe Mode)”

4.- From command prompt, invoke msconfig.exe. In there, select the newly created boot item and enable Safe Mode for it by selecting the checkbox shown in the picture below. Also mark the checkbox “Make all boot settings permanent”. Then hit OK, and Yes again in warning message. You will be prompted then to exit msconfig with or without restart. Up to you . You may also change timeout so it takes just a few seconds before normal start.

5.,- When you reboot you will get the following:

6.- If you click in “choose other options” text (not much intuitive in Developer Preview ) you will access other special boot options:

7.- If you select the boot option you created before, you will access Safe Mode, after warm boot.

Hope you find this useful.

Enjoy!

1. Click on the tile that you want to resize.

2. You will now get the option to make it larger or smaller in the bottom.

3. Click the option and the tile will be resized.

Get the first look at the Metro style communications apps in Windows 8, including Photos, Mail, People, Calendar, and Messaging.

Microsoft is working on several Windows Live Metro apps for Windows 8 that will be made available alongside the new operating system. The applications are not currently available in the Windows 8 Developer Preview build but Microsoft is expected to ship them in beta form once the first Windows 8 beta is available.

It’s been just 4 days since the launch of Windows 8 developer preview and everybody has been looking to play with the first version of Windows 8 on their PCs. Many tricks and tips on Windows 8 have been posted on various forums and blog posts. Last time, I shared how to get Windows 7 Classic menu in Windows 8 in which you had to manually edit registry values to disable the metro start screen.

Here’s another utility for Windows 8 that will disable Metro start screen and Explorer Ribbon on Windows 8 in a single click.  Metro UI Tweaker – created by thewindowsclub, enables you to choose between the following 4 options on the app interface:

• Disable Start Menu Screen
• Disable Explorer Ribbon
• Disable Both Start Menu Screen and Explorer Ribbon
• Enable Both Start Menu Screen and Explorer Ribbon

The option is set to the 4th one by default. In my previous post, I mentioned there was no power or shutdown tile on the start page and provided a way to add shutdown shortcut to the start menu screen. Now you don’t need to add Shutdown shortcut manually as Metro UI Tweaker will also take care of this thing. It allows you to add Log Off, Shutdown, Restart, Lock, Switch User, Sleep or all the options to the start menu screen in a single click.

Moreover, you can add any app or file that you visit most frequently directly to the start screen menu through the browse button and select the path of the app/file. In a nutshell, it’s a all-in-one utility for Windows 8 that will tweak the interface and make your life easier. You can download Metro UI Tweaker here.

Have you tried Windows 8 yet? Do let us know what do you think of Windows 8, by leaving your comments.

How to Add Quick Launch Bar and Show Desktop Icon to Windows 8’s Taskbar

Quick launch bar which lets you quickly access apps on Windows is disabled by default  inWindows 7 same the case in Windows 8 developer preview, (you can pin the apps shortcuts to the taskbar hence it is disabled), here is how to add Quick launch bar to Windows 8 taskbar.

1 .Right-click on the taskbar and select “New toolbar” from Toolbars

2. For Folder dialog box type or paste below path
%userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch and click “Ok”

3. Right-click on the taskbar and uncheck for Lock the Taskbar

4. Right-click on the Separator and uncheck for  “Show Text” and “Show Title” and make sure “small icons” is not selected under View menu and lock the taskbar.

By adding Quick launch bar, you’ll also get show desktop icon on Windows 8 and Switch between Windows along with other app icons. You can drag and drop app shortcuts to the Quick Launch bar for quick access, Quick Launch bar for Windows 8 is ready.

For many enthusiasts there’s nothing quite like getting your hands on a shiny new release of Microsoft’s Windows operating system. And that’s precisely why the web is buzzing with all things Microsoft, as the software giant has made available a Developer Preview of its next flagship OS, Windows 8.

The preview is strictly a pre-beta version of Windows 8 for developers to get to grips with, and Microsoft is keen to stress that it “may not be stable, operate correctly or work the way the final version of the software will”. But still, this is Windows, and those short provisos aren’t going to prevent everyone who’s curious from trying it out.

If that sounds like you, and you’re wanting to install the preview without donating a blank DVD, here’s a brief guide on how to install Windows 8 from a USB pen drive.

There are a couple of ways of doing this, but we reckon the method we’re about to outline is the easiest of them all. In order to make it happen, here’s what you need: a USB pen drive (4GB or greater in size), the Windows 8 Developer Preview disk image file (64-bit download here, 32-bit download here), Microsoft’s Windows 7 USB tool (download here) and of course a working PC.

Once you have all those, follow these steps:

1. Install and run Microsoft’s Windows 7 USB tool. In the subsequent window (pictured below), browse to the 32-bit or 64-bit Windows 8 disk image file you’ve already downloaded. Hit next.

2. With your USB stick plugged in (remember, it’ll need to be at least 4GB in size for a 64-bit install), choose USB device as your media type.

3. Select the correct removable device from the drop-down menu, then click begin copying.

4. Sit back, relax, and make a cuppa while the USB tool formats your pen drive, makes it bootable, and copies over all of the Windows 8 files.

5. Once the process is complete, the USB drive can be used to boot a PC and run the Windows 8 setup process.

That’s all there is to it. You’ll save yourself a blank DVD, the Windows 8 setup process should be quicker from flash-based media, and it’s of course a must on netbooks or laptops lacking an optical drive.

MusicWithMe syncs your iTunes library to your Android phone over 3G or Wi-FI, and for free!

The app used to cost $15.00, but the developer is now offering it for free, perhaps to generate some positive publicity for a short time.

MusicWithMe was called “dead simple to use” by Lifehacker, and also includes social networking functionality so you can share your recently played and downloaded songs on Facebook and Twitter. The app even has a “Free” tab where you can download albums and songs for free.

All you need to do is tap the artists, albums, or songs you want–and MusicWithMe downloads them over the air to your device.

Price: free on the Android Market

[via Lifehacker]

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/wirelessly-sync-your-android-with-itunes-for-free-with-this-app-2011-3#ixzz1Y21NcOXg

Microsoft has just released a preview of Windows 8 to developers at the Microsoft BUILD conference. To download the Windows 8 developer preview, just head on to Microsoft’s developer site and download it. Alternatively, use the download links provided below. The download size ranges from 2.8 GB to 4.8 GB depending on which version you chose. You’ll need a PC with a 1GHz or faster processor, 1GB of RAM (2GB for 64-bit), 16GB of hard disk space (20GB for 64-bit), DirectX 9 graphics with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver. To take advantage of touch input, you will need a touch screen monitor.

The Windows 8 Developer Preview carries a build number of 8102, which is the most recent one currently available on the web. To run the preview, no activation is required but the build expires on March 2012. Of course, by that time we should get the Betas and possibly the release candidates. The developer preview will continue to update through Windows automatic update, but there will be no support, which is expected.

Here are the direct download links.

Windows Developer Preview with developer tools English, 64-bit (x64)

DOWNLOAD (4.8 GB)

Sha 1 hash – 6FE9352FB59F6D0789AF35D1001BD4E4E81E42AF

All of the following come on a disk image file (.iso). See below for installation instructions.

• 64-bit Windows Developer Preview
• Windows SDK for Metro style apps
• Microsoft Visual Studio 11 Express for Windows Developer Preview
• Microsoft Expression Blend 5 Developer Preview
• 28 Metro style apps including the BUILD Conference app

Windows Developer Preview English, 64-bit (x64)

DOWNLOAD (3.6 GB)

Sha 1 hash – 79DBF235FD49F5C1C8F8C04E24BDE6E1D04DA1E9

Includes a disk image file (.iso) to install the Windows Developer Preview and Metro style apps on a 64-bit PC.

Windows Developer Preview English, 32-bit (x86)

DOWNLOAD (2.8 GB)

Sha 1 hash – 4E0698BBABE01ED27582C9FC16AD21C4422913CC

Includes a disk image file (.iso) to install the Windows Developer Preview and Metro style apps on a 32-bit PC.

Torrent Links

Microsoft’s servers are currently being pounded by downloaders, and as a result download speeds are frustratingly slow. If you want faster downloads, use the Torrent or magnet links below.

Windows 8 Developer Preview 32 bit English

Torrent Link | Magnet Link (2.83 GB)

Windows 8 Developer Preview 64 bit English

Torrent Link | Magnet Link (3.64 GB)

In yesterday’s article we showed you how to make the Windows 7 taskbar work more like XP or Vista, but we left one thing out: the Quick Launch bar. It’s really not too difficult to add it back, although it will take a few more steps.

You should note that the new Windows 7 taskbar allows you to dock items to the taskbar, combining the features of both the normal taskbar as well as the Quick Launch. For more on this, be sure to read through our coverage of the Windows 7 beta if you haven’t already.

The above screenshot is the Windows 7 taskbar after changing back to XP/Vista mode, and adding the quick launch bar back. Looks just like Vista doesn’t it?

Adding the Quick Launch Bar Back to Windows 7

To add the toolbar back, you’ll want to right-click on an open area of the taskbar, and choose Toolbars \ New Toolbar from the menu. You should probably also unlock the taskbar at this point.

Now’s the slightly tricky part… you’ll want to paste the following path into the location bar:

%appdata%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch

Make sure that the location bar shows the full path, like the next screenshot, before you choose the “Select Folder” button.

You’ll immediately notice the Quick Launch toolbar on the taskbar, but it’s all the way over on the right, so you’ll want to click on the dotted lines and then drag the toolbar all the way to the left (which is slightly tricky sometimes). Note that you’ll need to right-click and unlock the taskbar before you can move the toolbar.

There we go, it’s over on the left… but now you’ll want to adjust the regular taskbar toolbar to be closer to the left, so use the dotted lines to drag it over as well.

The normal Quick Launch that we’re used to doesn’t have text, so right-click on the dotted lines and uncheck “Show Text” as well as “Show Title” from the menu.

Once you’re sure it’s the way you want it, you should check the “Lock the taskbar” again.

And there you are, the quick launch bar has returned and there’s virtually no way anybody would know this is Windows 7.

While many think the new taskbar feature in Windows 7 is a great improvement, others may not want to use it.  Today we take a look at how to get the Vista style taskbar back on Windows 7.

The new Windows 7 taskbar does take some getting used to for sure.  However, if you need to get things done on your new OS quickly, you don’t have time to learn how it works.

To get the Vista style taskbar back Right-click an open area on the Taskbar and select Properties.

The Taskbar and Start Menu Properties windows opens up where you will want to click the box next to “Use small icons” and select “Combine when taskbar is full” from the drop down next to Taskbar buttons.

Now the Taskbar look similar to how it did in Vista.  It doesn’t look exactly the same but has similar functionality.

Another tweak is to unpin all programs from the Windows 7 Taskbar.

Then follow The Geek’s tutorial on adding the Quick Launch Bar in Windows 7 to get a look and feel that is exactly like Vista with the Quick Launch Bar enabled.

This should help you out when you are too busy to sit and learn the new Windows 7 Taskbar or simply are not a fan of it.