Sunday, January 26, 2014

Time To Take The Battle To The Trolls

Internet trolling is probably one of the favorite pastimes of jobless people who are out to disrupt other people’s fun. Xbox Live is well known for its own dynamic brand of trolls, out to spoil the mood for the rest of the gamers with their antics. In an attempt to fight back, Microsoft is opting to implement new ways of getting the inline community rid of these pesky annoyances. At the start of the month, Microsoft announced the beta release of their new system labeled Xbox Enforcement United. This revolutionary system allows gamers to flag trolls as inappropriate and alert the Microsoft’s Xbox Live Policy and Enforcement Team to take action against such disturbances.
In a Xbox blog Microsoft stated, “Members who join the Enforcement United beta will participate by providing their opinions on whether particular content, initially Gamertags, violate the Xbox Live Code of Conduct.” This is a huge development in the gaming industry, and sure to make a huge impact to prevent trolls from becoming buzz killers. Microsoft also added that, “These decisions from participants feed into an algorithm our team developed. That algorithm takes several factors into account like how many participants believe there had been a violation and how reliably those individual members’ historical decisions aligned with the general consensus. The system can then determine whether or not to apply an enforcement action, like requiring a Gamertag change, or if the complaint should be escalated for one of our enforcers to review more closely.”
This attempt to remove the ever growing and pesky trolling community of such online interactive forums has been praised by many especially serious gamers who wish to enjoy Xbox Live. The trolling community has been rampant for many years now, and this is the first step by any organization to curb such annoying activities.
Microsoft claims that the new system has “built in a series of carefully designed controls.” This restricts the amount of authority that any individual gamer may possess. They also state the once implemented in its final form the new system would “continually calibrate itself to understand how reliable the data is and the sources it comes from.” That’s not all, though; dedicated gamers who contribute to preventing these nuisances earn rewards on a new community site that ensures that the Xbox Enforcement United initiative becomes a successful venture.
Those having issues with their Xbox can contact the Microsoft help line for technical advice. Experts at Microsoft help line offer excellent customer care, and are quick and thorough with addressing issues.

Uninstalling The Babylon Search Toolbar

Babylon search software is installed in your machine while you were browsing the internet. This Babylon toolbar is available for Internet Explorer and is capable of changing the default search engine and homepage settings of the browsers. However, if it is installed in your system, you can use the steps provided below to uninstall the Babylon search toolbar. To know more about how to remove Babylon toolbar, read the full article.

From the Control Panel
  • In Windows Vista and Windows 7 operating system, you need to click the Start menu seen in the left corner of your screen and click the option called Control Panel from the available window. Next, you need to click the option programs and features, followed by clicking the option labeled as uninstall Babylon Search.
  • However, this option is different in Windows XP. Windows XP users need to click the Start menu, followed by clicking the Control Panel option. Now, the control panel window will be seen in your screen and you need to click the option called Add/remove programs. This will show a window displaying all the programs and applications installed in your computer. From the list, locate Babylon toolbar and click the option called uninstall Babylon toolbar.
If you want to remove the Babylon toolbar from your browsers and want to change the default search engine
  • Open the browser by double clicking on its shortcut icon.
  • Navigate to Tools, then Options and finally the Search engine. 
  • Select the search engine that you want to make as default and set it. Always try to make sure that the Babylon Search entry is deleted.
Using Adwcleaner from Xplode

It is software used for removing threats like spyware including Babylon Search bar.
  • Download the Adwcleaner from their official site and run it in your computer where you want to remove the Babylon toolbar.
  • Finally, select the option called Delete.
Using MalwareBytes Anti-Malware

Download the MalwareBytes Anti-Malware software.
  • Install the downloaded software in your machine.
  • Download COMCTL32.OCX, if it is available.
  • Update to the latest version.
  • Boot your computer in the safe method.
  • Open the MalwareBytes Anti-Malware software in your computer and select the option called Perform full scan. Do not forget to select all the hard drives of your system.
  • After finishing the scanning process, click on the option called Delete.
The steps would remove the Babylon toolbar from your computer. To know more about how to remove Babylon toolbar, go through the other articles in this website.

Monday, January 20, 2014

Know About The Paid Support Service From Microsoft

Microsoft tech support is known for the extensive support that it provides to the users. Recently, Microsoft launched a support website wherein the users would have to pay $99 for one-two-hour sessions with the technicians. The technicians available in this website would fix most of the issues experienced by the users in their computer such as slow computer, malware attacks, or even problems with Windows or Microsoft Office.
However, the interesting fact is that unlike other promotions from Microsoft, this one was devoid of any fanfare or public announcements. Microsoft did not promote this news on its domain, nor did it mention this on its website. It however, appeared on the Microsoft Store site, the place where users can purchase software, the Xbox consoles and select different Windows desktops, notebooks, tablets and smart phones from Microsoft. Hence, it came as a surprise for many users, and most of them started calling the Microsoft problems and support chat number to know about it.
According to sources, Microsoft has made the latest support option as a low-key affair without publicizing it much. In a blog written by Blake Morrison, the name of the site mentioned is clearly a reference to the Answer Desks at Microsoft's store, which is modeled after Apple’s famous Genius Bar in-store tech support. As stated by the technicians at the Microsoft problems and support chat number, the rates for technical support range from $49 for an hour of personalized training, to $99 for one- or two-hour tech sessions. It primarily focuses on detecting in and cleaning a PC of malware, increasing the performance of the system, assisting the users by giving detailed information on Office, Internet connections, etc as well as managing files in the system.
The first chat with an Answer Tech would be free, but additional sessions would be billed as per the rates stated earlier, to the user’s credit card. In the FAQ section it is clearly mentioned by Microsoft that "If the Answer Tech cannot resolve your problem during that [complimentary session], and one of our service offers is appropriate for you, the Answer Tech will detail an offer and provide explanation of the service," stated the website. This simply means that there are chances that the customer would have to pay even in the initial session.
Hence, Microsoft promises to solve almost all the problems faced by the user in his computer, with this chat support. However, the fee that the company is charging is making most of the users reluctant to use it.

How To Fix The Disappearance Of Letters In Microsoft Word?

Sometimes, while typing in overtyping mode in Microsoft Word, you might have come across issues where the letters seem to disappear all of a sudden. It can also occur if you have a borderless text box that covers the text. According to Microsoft tech support, you can easily fix such Microsoft problems depending on their occurrence, such as:

In Overtype Mode

As mentioned earlier, while typing in Overtype mode, you can experience such issues where the letters in your Word documents disappear suddenly. Here, your text would be replaced instead of allowing the insertion of a new text.
  • You can fix this issue by clicking on the File menu, followed by Options to open that dialog. Now, click on the Advanced tab, then the Use Overtype check box under the Editing heading to remove the check box. Once it is removed, you can click OK to resume typing without the Overtype mode.
In Borderless Text Box
If the words disappear due to the borderless shape or text box, you need to follow these steps:
  • You need to click on the Insert tab, Text Box command and then drag on the screen and create a text box. Now, click on the Format option and select the white color from the Color drop-down box under the Line heading.
  • Once it is over, click on the OK option to close the dialog box. The text box would get disappeared but it would prevent any text under the box from displaying.
Text Color
Sometimes, the letters in Word can also disappear if their color matches the background color of the document, which is usually seen as white.
  • You can check if this is the actual cause of the disappearance of the words by clicking on the A icon on Microsoft Word's Home tab. Once it is done, you need to click the white color from the palette that appears.
  • According to the Microsoft tech support, such Microsoft problems occur because anything you type would result in a new content for the document, but you would not be able to see it until you have restored the color.
  • Hence, to fix this issue, you can double-click the hidden text, press Control and Space simultaneously. This would enable Word to change the text to the default formatting style.
By following these steps, you would be able to repair the problem regarding the disappearance of letters in Microsoft Word. If you have more queries, feel free to contact our technical support.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Mozilla Launches Firefox Aurora For Windows 8

Mozilla has recently launched the latest version of Firefox namely Firefox Aurora 26.0a2 and Firefox Beta 25.0b1. Although the Beta version has been uniformly supported by users, the Aurora alpha version seems to be one of the most talked about versions in the tech field. The main problem that several people cited was that to use Firefox Aurora alpha in Windows 8, it was required to set it as their default browser after installing.

According to the Mozilla Firefox support, the latest version can be termed as the introduction of a Windows 8 touch-optimized app in an alpha build, but it was previously available as a standalone pre-alpha release. Hence, the latest Firefox Aurora alpha version, which needs to be set as the default browser in the system after it is installed, would enable users to experience a Modern UI app that would comprise of a tile-based Start screen. Other notable features also support Firefox Sync, a Windows 8 touch as well as swipe gestures, and also the Windows Share integration. The users would also be able to snap and fill features with the latest Firefox Aurora alpha app.

According to Mozilla, Firefox Aurora 26.0a2 is a preview, and it would take some time before the actual version came out for the users. The preview has been released so that the company would be able to fix errors and bugs before they release the complete version for the Windows 8 users. According to the technicians at the Mozilla Firefox support, some of the features of the new Firefox Aurora app are as follows:

  • In the latest version, all the plug-ins have been defaulted to click-to-play by default. Hence, users must manually approve their use the first time a plug-in is evoked.
  • Here, users would be able to run more than one service at a time. This is possible due to the availability of the Firefox application named as SocialAPI. This would allow the users to switch between them, because it supports multiple notifications and chat.
  • Another advanced option available is the H.264 support on Linux, with the appropriate gstreamer plug-ins. The users can also decode MP3 on their Windows XP computer, as it includes support for all the versions of Windows.

These are some of the features of the Firefox Aurora 26.0a2 version developed by Mozilla. For more information, check Mozilla’s official website.

Monday, January 13, 2014

Microsoft Introduces IMAP Support For Outlook.com Users

Microsoft introduced Outlook.com a year ago, and since then users were expecting the software giant to introduce IMAP support for the program. Now, finally, Microsoft has decided to introduce IMAP support for the program, which is glad news for the millions of Outlook.com users.

The advantage of using IMAP protocol is that this protocol makes changes introduced in any of the device appear on other sets of devices where the email is configured. For instance, if you delete an email by accessing your account from your computer, you will find the email deleted when you access the Outlook email setup in your phone. This feature has many advantages, as most of the people access their accounts from multiple devices.

Since the introduction of Outlook.com, the program used Microsoft’s Exchange ActiveSync technology. However, the drawback of this technology was that some email clients and Mac programs did not support it. This created many problems and the users who relied on clients that did not use EAS technology had to use the POP protocol. The disadvantage of POP protocol is that it simply downloads the emails to the user’s machine and does not make changes in the email servers. Now, with Outlook.com ready with IMAP, let us see some of the important settings for the program.

Incoming mail server settings


For an Outlook email setup, you need to enter the following information in the client program without errors.

Server: The incoming mail server address for Outlook.com program is ‘imap-mail.outlook.com’

Port: The incoming port number is 993.

Encryption: Outlook.com supports SSL encryption.

Outgoing mail server settings

Server: The outgoing mail server address for Outlook.com is ‘smtp-mail.outlook.com’

Port: The outgoing port number is 587

Encryption: The encryption supported by the program for outgoing mails is TLS.

OAuth authentication


In addition to IMAP support, Microsoft has also said that the program would start supporting OAuth authentication. With this, third party applications can work together with Outlook.com. You can already find many services released for Outlook.com integration. For instance, if you integrate TripIt with your Outlook.com account, the program automatically identify travel confirmations and add them to the list. You can also make use of programs like OtherInbox and Unroll.me, which will help you to keep your inbox clean.

With the introduction of IMAP support and OAuth authentication, Microsoft has put up a tough fight against its competitor Google’s Gmail service.

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Fixing PST Files In Outlook

If you are a regular user of MS Outlook then you probably know quite a lot about PST files. Outlook saves all the relevant information like emails, calendars, journals, notes and contacts, in a PST file on the system’s hard disk. PST is the abbreviation for Personal Storage Table, which is a file extension used by Microsoft for products like MS Office Outlook. All the information is gathered from the Microsoft exchange mailboxes. Even though the PST file is stored on the system, it can be delivered to the server. By default, you will find these PST files of Outlook in the location specified by C: \Documents and Settings\USER\Local Settings\Application Data\MicrosoftOutlook . Here, USER is actually your Windows Login screen name. For your current mailbox, the default name of the file is outlook.pst, and archive.pst represents the archive file.

One of the prevalent issues MS outlook users have to face with PST files is their tendency to get damaged or corrupted. Once that happens, users are denied access to their MS Outlook accounts. Users will find they cannot start Outlook whatsoever.

You can either employ Outlook’s inbuilt tools to fix the corruptions, or you can also download some third party software that is capable of fixing Outlook PST file corruption.
MS Outlook typically tries fixing corruption on its own. If your Outlook program is trying to fix the PST files, a window will appear on-screen, informing about the repair process. Typically minor corruptions caused by file size extending limit or other issues can be repaired easily. If this automatic repair fails to fix the PST file then the user must see through the process and remove the corruption in the PST file.

  • Find the Inbox Repair tool. The name of the file or executable program is Scanpst.exe. If you chose to run the executable program, be careful not to have MS Outlook running simultaneously. 
  • A window will appear where you must type in the name of the PST file that is filled with corruptions. Browse to the PST file’s location and select it. 
  • Click Start to initiate the scan and repair process, if an error message appears make sure that you have Scanpst.exe in the file location mentioned. If not, find and run CNFNOT32.EXE, so that Scanpst.exe is installed. 
  • The Scanpst.exe program scans for errors and fixes any it finds. 

In case you still cannot start Outlook, then contact our support site for Outlook.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

How To Remove Auto-complete Drop Down List In Outlook 2010

By configuring an email client program in your computer, you can start downloading emails from the internet email servers to your machine. This will help you to view and work with these emails even when there is no connection to the network. Some of the famous email client programs are Microsoft’s Outlook, Outlook Express, Mozilla’s Thunderbird etc.
Among the above-mentioned email client programs, Outlook has been the favorite of majority of email client users. This is because Outlook has numerous useful features loaded in it. It not only helps you to download and view emails, but also helps you to add tasks, maintain a schedule of things etc.
When you compose an email, you need to enter the complete email address of the sender in the field for To. However, the frequently used email addresses are stored in your Outlook program, and it automatically gives you a drop down list of email addresses whenever you start entering an address. This can avoid the difficulty of entering the complete email address each time. However, some users may find this feature annoying and might want to delete these suggestions. In this help with Outlook section, we will take you through the steps involved in deleting these entries from your Outlook 2010 program.

Steps Involved
  • Select the option Start and go to All Programs. 
  • From the list of all installed programs in your computer, locate and click on Microsoft Outlook 2010 to launch the program. 
  • Select the tab File in the program and choose Options from the box that appears. 
  • Choose the option Mail, and this will give you the options associated with your email messages. 
  • Locate the option Send Messages in the window and select Empty Auto-Complete List. This will open a window, which would ask you to confirm your selection. 
  • Choose the option Yes, and this will delete all the email addresses stored in the auto-complete list. 
  • Select the option OK and this will take you back to the main window of the program. 
  • Restart the program and select the New email option. 
  • Enter an email address and you will find that the auto-complete drop down list no longer appears in the program. 
We hope that the above-mentioned steps have helped you to clear the auto-complete list from your Outlook program. If you need further help with Outlook program, you may contact Microsoft chat support or our technical support associates.