How to Easily Turn Off Ringers and Alarms in Windows Phone 8.1

In this day and age, almost everyone has a cellphone. As useful as they are, they sometimes become irksome when they ring at the most inopportune time. Be it during a class session, a corporate meeting, at church, or while watching a movie, having your phone ring loudly in a quiet environment can be very embarrassing for you, but also quite annoying for the people around you.

With Windows Phone 8.1, it is now easier to silence and adjust your alerts and ringers. It even makes it easier to control your music volume. If you want to know how to easily turn off your ringers and alarms, check out the steps below:

Easily Turn Off Ringers and Alarms in Windows Phone 8.1

Press the volume up or volume down button to bring out the Ringer + Notifications drop-down.

Open the volume bar by tapping on the arrow down icon located on the top right corner of the screen. The volume bar houses the more advanced options for your ringer and media.

From here, you can adjust the volume levels of the sound you want by moving the slider from left to right. You can also turn vibrate on or off by tapping VIBRATE.

Since we want to turn off the ringers and alarms or notifications, move the Ringer + Notifications slider all the way to the left, or simply tap the bell icon.

The same process applies if you want to turn off the media and apps sounds. Simply move the Media + Apps slider or tap the musical note icon.

If you want to turn off the vibrate feature, tap VIBRATE ON.

That's about it! Your Windows Phone is now silence. Another good thing about this is that you can do this from the Lock Screen. So you can mute your phone easily without having to enter your PIN code.

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Highly Useful Out-of-the-Box Laptop Tips

At last, you finally bought your very first laptop computer. You carefully pull it out of its box and then fire it up for the first time. Next, you go through the Windows setup and you're all set. Wrong! Your brand new laptop is not yet good to go unless you perform some other tweaks to make it perfectly your own. Below are some handy out-of-the-box laptop tips that you may find useful, especially if you're a first-time owner of a brand new laptop.

TIP #1: Run All Windows Updates

Regardless of how recent your notebook computer since its date of release, there are still lots of Windows updates you may need to install since then. There's a big possibility that the minute you power on and connect your notebook to your network, it will automatically download the updates. However, it may be ideal to configure your laptop to get Windows updates to download manually onto your laptop's system. So here's how to do it:

On the Start Screen, click on the search icon (magnifying glass), then type "windows update" on the search field. Next, click on Check for updates from the search results, then click on the Check now button to start searching for updates on the Internet. If the software finds any new updates, click on View details, then check the Select all important updates box before hitting the Install button.

TIP #2: Transfer Files and Programs from Your Old Computer

Your laptop will feel yours once it contains all the important data and favorite applications. Depending on how many files you have on your old computer and where you stored them, this process may actually take a while to finish. Services like Dropbox can make the transfer easy if you've already backed up your old computer to the Cloud. Otherwise, you can use an external hard drive or a USB flash drive to move your files and applications back and forth. Make it a point to get all the contents on your Pictures, Music, Video, and Document libraries.

TIP #3: Install the Latest and Greatest Browser(s)

Windows 8.1 is bundled with a fresh copy of Internet Explorer 11 that automatically updates though there are a number of users who prefer Google's speedy Chrome browser or Mozilla's very flexible Mozilla Firefox browser. Download whichever browser you feel comfortable using with to start surfing the Web.

TIP #4: Install Some Great and Useful Freeware

It would be awesome if your new laptop is packed with new and powerful software as well. And since you just pulled it out of the box, this would be a perfect time to start installing some programs that will help you make the most out of your laptop. Check out these software that will be a great addition to your new portable system:

• Windows Essentials - Microsoft's free software pack for the desktop UI features a great email client, a competent video editor, an instant messaging app, blogging software, and a photo editor.
• Paint.NET - This software is a great alternative to Photoshop; providing a simple yet powerful image editing interface.
• Filezilla - This is the perfect tool if you need to upload or download files to and from an FTP server.
• WPS Office - This program is a free office suite that has a word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation application that can open and edit Microsoft Office-compatible files. Some new PCs come with a trial version of MS Office 2013, but WPS is totally free.

TIP #5: Pin and Create Hot Keys for Your Favorite Apps

Once you're done with installing all your favorite software, it's time to pin their shortcuts to both the Start Screen and the desktop taskbar to make them easier to launch. Creating hot keys for these apps is also great so that you can launch them without lifting your hands off of your keyboard. Here's how to accomplish this task:

Let's deal with creating a hot key first. Right-click on any desktop mode shortcut, then select Properties. Next, enter a key combination in the Shortcut key field, and then hit [Enter]. It would be better to use [Ctrl] + [Alt] + a key in order to avoid any conflict with other apps' shortcuts.

Next, pin your app's shortcut to the taskbar by right-clicking on a shortcut in the apps menu, Start Screen, or the desktop, and then selecting Pin to Taskbar. The icon of the app will take a permanent place on the desktop taskbar. If you want to pin the app to your Start Screen, right-click on a shortcut, then select Pin to Start. The app's icon will appear on the Windows 8 Start Screen afterwards.

TIP #6: Uncombine Your Taskbar Icons

Windows 8.1's desktop mode combines an applications' windows into a single taskbar icon with no descriptive text by default, which makes the taskbar look more like the Dock in Mac OS X. This can be difficult for some to keep track of the windows or distinguish between a pinned shortcut and a running program. To get separate icons for every window, right-click on an empty area of the taskbar, then select properties. Click the drop-down menu next toTaskbar buttons, then select Never combine. Click the Apply button to save your changes.

Those are just some of the things you can do after getting your laptop computer right out of the box. This will make it more easier, personalized, and enjoyable to use because you've just customized it the way you want to it to be.

How to Fix and Prevent a Hacked Email Account

What could be more violating and alarming than learning that your email account has been hacked? And you will never know about it until a friend or relative informs you, which by that time your hacked account has already sent dozens of email to all your contacts about a video or attachment that they really should click and see. We all know the feeling -- it's awkward, embarassing, and frightening, but what can you do about it?

If ever you got the shortest straw and fell as victim of email hacking, check out the guidelines below to learn what you should do next and how to protect yours email account from getting hacked again.

Get into your email account

First thing you need to do is to assess the damage. Hackers don't normally change their victim's email password. Most of the time, they would simply log in, send out a mass email to your contacts, and then proceeds to their next victim. Try logging in to your email account, now if in case you're unable to log back in using your password, you may opt to use the Forgot your password? link at the sign-in screen to reset your password and be able to get back into your account. You may either need to answer some security questions or recover it using an alternate email address.

You may also want to check both your inbox and trash folders for any password reset emails from other services or accounts linked to your email address that you haven't made. There is a possibility that the hacker may have attempted to change your password on other sites, using access to your email to perform password change.

Avoid using easy passwords

This would probably be the best time to change your password, whether or not the hacker changed your password. For a guide on how to create hard-to-crack passwords, click here. You may also want to consider using a password manager such as LastPass and DashLane, which stores your passwords and auto-generates complex and strong passwords, making it lesss vulnerable to hacking.

When creating a password manually, make it long and strong, using multiple cases, numbers, and special characters. Also, avoid using real words. It's better to change it once you're able to get back in to your account before it's too late. It is also important to change your password for your other accounts with other services such as Facebook, Twitter, PayPal, or your Internet banking account that may have the same password.

Re-enter your password on other devices

Once you have set a new password for your email account, make sure to re-enter this on your other mobile devices to make sure that you will still receive your emails normally.

Check for spam

Many hackers compromise email accounts so that they can attack your contacts. They use your email address to send out spam or phishing emails to trick them into thinking that you need help, buy something, or give out your personal information. Though it can be difficult to determine if your email account is being abused this way, it will help you identify if someone in your contacts is being targeted by making a quick check on your sent mail or inbox folders.

If you do see someone contacted by the hacker, inform them immediately thru other means of communication that you did not send them the email, if possible.

Check your settings

Concerning your email account settings, make a thorough check on your settings to make sure that the hacker did not change anything that will give them easy access to your account in the future. For example, check if your secondary (recovery) email is still accurate.

Another thing you might want to check is make sure that the hacker did not set any forwarding rules, because if there is, emails that you will receive will be sent to them as well.

Let your friends and other contacts know about the incident

Using a different email address or other forms of communication, immediately warn your contacts not to open anything from your hacked email address. Suggest them to use the most up-to-date firewall and antivirus protection available. Tell friends who have received emails from you to ignore or delete the email, and then run a scan using their antivirus software and make sure that all their security patches are updated.

Protect yourself

Here are some things you can do to minimize the risk of having your email account or other services hacked:

• The longer the password, the better. The more characters your password have, the longer it will take for the hacker to break it, which may give them second thoughts of pursuing your account.

• Use a mixture of numbers, lowercase, and uppercase letters and special characters because it increases the complexity of your password and its strength.

• Avoid using words that can be found in the dictionary as your password. Using a real word as your password has a great chance of being broken by cybercriminals.

• Never use a password twice.

Aside from having a stronger and longer password, a different type of security mechanism called two-factor authentication is becoming largely available. This serves another form of identification aside from your usual username and password, which normally consists of a code generated by a key fob or a smartphone app, that has to be put in during your login time and changes every minutes or so.

This means you keep something that the hacker cannot get to, thus securing your account with another layer of protection. Banks have already been using two-factor authentication, some giving out card readers that force you to enter your PIN to generate a code to input into your Internet banking account. Today, most email providers and other online services offer two-factor or two-step authentication for free. This extra layer of security is definitely worth activating on your account(s) if it is available.

15n Hidden Features of Google Search

Google is by far the most popular search engine to date. If you want to know anything under the sun, you can just "Google it" and you'll get the answer you are looking for. However, there is more to Google than what you think. Here are some of Google's hidden features you might not have heard of:

15 Hidden Features of Google Search

Do a Barrel Roll

This is probably one of the most well-known Google tricks out there, but sadly, a lot of people don't know this funny trick.

When you go to Google search, simply type "do a barrel roll" and watch as your page roll on end. This fun trick is in reference of the classic video game Star Fox.

Explore Mars

Want to see Mars from Google Earth? Simply go to www.google.com/mars to explore the different Regions, Mountains, Canyons, Dunes, Plains, Ridges, and Craters. You can even see the positions of where the spacecrafts have landed.

Askew or Tilt

This is another fun trick Google has up its sleeve. Just type "askew" or "tilt" into the search bar and see what happens.

Site Search

Google can return results from one website by using the keyword "site." Say for example, you want to search for stories on FIFA World Cup 2014 on CNN, simply type "site:cnn.com FIFA World Cup 2014" on the search bar. The search result will only display stories on FIFA World Cup from CNN.com.

Exclude Search Terms

When you want to search for a term that has a second meaning, or a close association with something else, it can be difficult to find the results you want. With Google search, you can exclude irrelevant results using the "-" sign. For example, you want to search for "apple" without having the word "iPhone" associated or used, simply enter "apple -iPhone" on the search bar.

Related Search

To search for web sites that have similar content to another website, type "related:<website address>" into the Google search bar. Say for example, you want to know websites related to food network, simply type "related:foodnetwork.com" into the search bar and you will get a list of other food related websites.

Synonym Search With a Tilde

If you want Google to include any related search terms or synonyms you may have missed, try adding a tilde (~) to your search terms. Doing this will improve your results page and can help you find exactly what you are looking for.

Calculator

The calculator function in Google is far more powerful than most people realize. It can do more than basic math. It can do logarithmic calculations as well as functions like Sine and Cosine. It even knows constants like pi and e. Google can also translate simple numbers to binary codes.

Unit and Currency Conversions

You can find the unit and currency conversions by using the syntax: <amount> <unit1> in <unit2>. For example, type "325 F in C" or "1 GBP in USD" and you will receive an instant result.

Time Zones

If you want to find out the local time of a specific place, simply type "time in <place> " to get the local time as well as the time zone of that specific location.

Weather Forecasts

Google search can also be used to identify the weather today, including levels of precipitation, humidity and wind, as well as the forecast for the next week based on the data from The Weather Channel. Simply type the name of the city followed by "forecast" into the search bar.

Use Google as a Proxy

If your school or office blocks you from accessing certain websites, you can use Google to avoid the block by typing "cache:WEBSITENAME.com" into the search bar.

Track Packages

Google search made tracking packages much more convenient for everyone. If you have a tracking number from UPS, FedEx, or USPS, there is no need to log in to their website to track your package. Simply type the tracking number in the Google search bar and Google will let you see exactly where it is.

Check Flight Status

Google search can be used to track flights without having to contact the airline itself. Simply type the desired airline and the flight number into the Google search bar to see the flight details, including the arrival and departure times, as well as the status of the flight.

Search for Local Film Showings

You can use the Google search to look for films that are showing in your area. Just type "films" or "movies" followed by your postcode.