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6/10/2014

How to fix Windows 8 not recognizing my DVD drive

This is so frustrating and below is patch under Method 4, you can add to your registry. Easy.
Thank you askvg.com

Many times Windows users face strange problem when they can't see the icon of optical drives in My Computer window. The drive icon doesn't show in Explorer but the drive works fine even in other computers.
If you are also facing this problem and can't see your optical drives (CD/DVD Drives/Writers) in My Computer window, this tutorial will help you.
Simply follow these simple steps to fix the problem:
METHOD 1:
1. Type regedit in RUN dialog box and press Enter. It'll open Registry Editor.
2. Now go to following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\ {4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
Delete_UpperFilters_LowerFilters_Keys.png


3.
Look for "UpperFilters" and "LowerFilters" strings in right-side pane. If you find them, delete them.
4. Restart the system and now you should  have access to your optical drives.
METHOD 2:
If the above method doesn't work for you or if you can't see "UpperFilters" and "LowerFilters" keys in Registry, then following steps will help you:
1. Open Registry Editor and go to following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\atapi\
2. Create a new key Controller0 under atapi key.
3. Select the new Controller0 key and in right-side pane, create new DWORD EnumDevice1 and set its value to 1
3. Close Registry Editor and restart your system.
That's it. Now you'll be able to see your CD/DVD drive in My Computer window.
METHOD 3:
If the above mentioned method doesn't work for you, you can directly add the DWORD in Registry by executing following command in Command Prompt:
reg.exe add "HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\atapi\Controller0" /f /v EnumDevice1 /t REG_DWORD /d 0x00000001
Make sure you open Command Prompt as Administrator as mentioned here.
METHOD 4:
If you don't want to modify Registry yourself, download following ZIP file, extract it and you'll get a ready-made Registry script which will modify Windows Registry automatically:
Download Registry Script to Fix CD/DVD Drive Missing in Windows


PS: You can also check out solutions for other common PC problems in following exclusive topic:


[Help & Support] Frequently Asked Problems with Solutions
Source: http://www.askvg.com/optical-drives-are-not-showing-in-my-computer/


6/03/2014

Modern Reader: Best Google Reader App For Windows 8

Many of us spend far too much of our day using Google Reader. As most of you know, it’s the best service out there to easily read all feeds from one place and includes decent set of options. And the best thing is it’s completely free.
There are hundreds of free Google Reader clients available for Windows desktop. But if you are a Windows 8 RT tablet user or a Windows 8 desktop/notebook user who likes the Modern Style apps and UI, you may want to install a good Google Reader app. While there is no official Google Reader app is available for Windows 8 as of now, a good third-party app is now available at the Store.
Modern Reader is a free, quality Google Reader app for Windows 8. The user interface and layout of the app is good and includes all the features and options you would like to see in a good Google Reader app.

Best Google Reader app for Windows 8 Picture1

It comes with a set of five themes or colors: creamsicle, bubblegum, classic, and midnight black. The current version of Modern Reader lets you change the text size (you have to chose between small, medium, or large). To change the default color, bring up the Charms bar by moving the mouse cursor to the upper right-hand corner of the screen, click Settings and then click Settings again.

Best Google Reader app for Windows 8 Picture2

While reading your feeds, right-click on anywhere on the app to see add feed, remove feed, rename feed, mark unread, start feed, refresh, and sort (newest to oldest or oldest to newest) options. It also includes an experimental version of Web View feature which lets you quickly open the source of the feed (webpage) within the app.

Best Google Reader app for Windows 8

The only downside of the app is that it doesn’t allow you resize columns.

Best Google Reader app for Windows 8 Picture5
Best Google Reader app for Windows 8 Picture3

Overall, Modern Reader is the best Google Reader app available for Windows 8 now. Please note that the free version of Modern Reader displays ads on the upper right of the screen. You need to buy the app ($1.49) to remove ads. So, if you don’t mind ad on the screen you can continue using the free version.
Modern Reader is compatible with x86, x64 and ARM-based processors. Launch the Store app, search for Modern Reader to read more about the app and install the same.

Source: http://www.intowindows.com/modern-reader-best-google-reader-app-for-windows-8/

6/02/2014

How to Control Location Tracking in Windows 8.1


For the first time in any version of Windows, this version has location tracking. You have to tell Windows 8.1 and specific applications that it’s okay to track your location, but if you do, those apps — and Windows itself — know where you are.
Location tracking isn’t a bad technology. Like any technology, it can be used for good or not-so-good purposes, and your opinion about what’s good may differ from others’. That’s what makes a horse race. And a lawsuit or two.
Location tracking isn’t just one technology. It’s several.
If your PC has a GPS chip — they’re common in tablets, but unusual in notebooks and rare in desktops — and the GPS is turned on, and you’ve authorized a Windows app to see your location, the app can identify your PC’s location within a few feet.
image0.jpg Source: Infineon
GPS is a satellite-based method for pinpointing your location. Currently two different commercial satellite clusters are commonly used — GPS (United States, two dozen satellites) and GLONASS (Russia, three dozen satellites). They travel in very specific orbits around the earth — they aren’t geosynchronous orbits, but they’re good enough to cover every patch of land on earth.
The GPS chip locates four or more satellites and calculates your location based on the distance to each.
image1.jpg Source: Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research
If your Windows PC doesn’t have a GPS chip, or it isn’t turned on, but you do allow Windows apps to track your location, the best Windows can do is to approximate where your Internet connection is coming from, based on your IP address (a number that uniquely identifies your computer’s connection to the internet). And in many cases, that can be miles away from where you’re actually sitting.
When you start a Windows 8.1 app that wants to use your location — the tiled Weather app being a good, innocuous example — you see a message like this one.
image2.jpg If you’ve already turned on location services, each time you add another app that wants to use your location, you see a notification that says, “Can [Windows 8.1 app] use your location?” You can respond either Allow or Block.

Blocking all location tracking in Windows 8.1

To keep Windows from using your location in any app — even if you’ve already turned on location use in some apps — follow these steps:
  1. Swipe from the right or hover your mouse in the upper-right corner to bring up the Charms bar. At the bottom, choose the Settings charm.
  2. At the bottom of the Start Settings pane, tap or click the Change PC Settings link and then select Privacy on the left. Choose Location.
    The Location Privacy screen appears.
    image3.jpg
  3. To turn off location tracking — even if you’ve already given your permission to various and sundry applications to track your location — set Let Apps Use My Location to Off.
    That’s all it takes.

Blocking location tracking in a Windows 8.1 app

If you’ve given an app permission to use your location, but want to turn it off, without throwing the big Off switch described in the preceding steps, here’s how to do it:
  1. Bring up the app you want to throttle.
    In this example, you start the Windows 8.1 Weather app.
  2. Swipe from the right or hover your mouse in the upper-right corner to bring up the Charms bar. At the bottom, choose the Settings charm.
  3. Select Permissions.
    Depending on the app, you see a screen like the one shown.
    image4.jpg
  4. Under Privacy/Allow this App to Access Your, slide the Location slider to Off.
    The app loses its permission.
Some apps keep a history of your locations, or searches that may pertain to your location. If you want to verify that’s been deleted, too, bring up the Charms bar, choose the Settings charm, and select Settings. If the app saves history files, you see a choice to Clear History and/or a slider that allows you to turn off Search History.

Source: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-control-location-tracking-in-windows-81.html?cid=dn_article