Top 5 Best Free Notepad alternatives

Notepad is the default text editor in Windows. It’s simple, light-weight and fast and most people use it as their main text editor because of its simplicity. But for some power users it might just not be enough. And if that is the case with you, then you’ll most likely need another text editor.

Fortunately, there are several free and feature-rich Notepad alternatives to choose from.

5 Best Notepad Alternatives

There are a number of free Notepad alternatives, however, here we’ll take a look at the 5 best Notepad alternatives.

Notepad++

Notepad++ is probably the most popular and most feature-rich text editor around, it is especially loved by programmers because it supports a wide array of programming languages including C, C++, C#, HTML, XML to name just a few. It also supports Syntax Highlighting, multi-editing, auto-completion e.t.c.

If you want Notepad with a bit of advanced functionality like Spell Check and Hyperlink functionality then you can use it out of the box, otherwise you can configure it according to your needs. Almost every single thing is customizable in Notepad++.

Some of the Notepad++ features are listed below.

• Syntax Highlighting and Syntax Folding
• User Defined Syntax Highlighting and Folding: screenshot 1, screenshot 2, screenshot 3 and screenshot 4
• PCRE (Perl Compatible Regular Expression) Search/Replace
• GUI entirely customizable: minimalist, tab with close button, multi-line tab, vertical tab and vertical document list
• Document Map
• Auto-completion: Word completion, Function completion and  Function parameters hint
• Multi-Document (Tab interface)
• Multi-View
• WYSIWYG (Printing)
• Zoom in and zoom out
• Multi-Language environment supported
• Bookmark
• Macro recording and playback
• Launch with different arguments

You can download Notepad++ from here, they also have a portable version. Keep in mind that portable version does not allow automatic updates.

ElitePad Lite

ElitePad Lite is another free portable Notepad alternative, if you are intimidated by the interface of Notepad++ then this program is fro you. It does not have Syntax Highlighting or any other advanced functionality that is available in Notepad++, however, that isn’t really a bad thing if you’re not a coder. Some prominent features of ElitePad Lite are listed below.

• Large file and long line support.
• Full Unicode support, including complex scripts and right-to-left scripts.
• Direct editing of text files using Windows, UNIX, and mac Mac text encodings (code pages) and line breaks.
• Tabbed interface for working with many files.
• Unlimited undo and redo for all open files, even after saving.
• Automatic backup and working copies prevent data loss.
• Powerful search-and-replace with literal search terms and regular expressions that can span multiple lines.

It has a simple interface and is quite customizable, perfect for those who want Notepad with features like multi-text editing, multiple undo/redo and autosave.

Notepad 2

Notepad 2 is also an open-source text editor, just like ElitePad Lite it features a simple interface and looks exactly like the original Notepad. It also features Syntax Highlighting for many web languages including but not limited to PHP, CSS, Java, SQL.

Some features of Notepad 2 are listed below.

Features

  - Syntax highlighting: HTML, XML, PHP, ASP (JS, VBS), CSS,
    JavaScript, VBScript, C/C++, C#, Resource Script, Makefiles, Java,
    Visual Basic, Pascal, Assembly, SQL, Perl, Python, Configuration
    Files, Apache Config Files, PowerShell, Batch Files, Diff Files
  - Drag & drop text editing inside and outside Notepad2
  - Basic regular expression search and replace
  - Useful word, line and block editing shortcuts
  - Rectangular selection (Alt+Mouse)
  - Brace matching, auto indent, long line marker, zoom functions
  - Support for Unicode, UTF-8, Unix and Mac text files
  - Open shell links
  - Mostly adjustable

It very fast and allows lots of customizations, you can even make it look transparent. There are lot of modified version as well, you can download one of them from their site.

MetaPad

Metapad is an open-source basic text editor. It has a very simple interface and looks much like Notepad. It does not support Syntax Highlighting and other advanced functionality hence is not suitable for coders.

It provides lots of customizations, like the ability to change background and stuff. Some of the features of MetaPad are listed below.

• Persistent window placement
• Dirty file notification
• Intelligent Find and Replace
• External viewer support (e.g. web browser)
• Usable accelerator keys (Ctrl+S, Ctrl+N, etc.)
• Dual customizable font support
• Optional Quick Exit (Esc key)
• Configurable tab stop setting
• Auto-indent mode
• Go to Line/Column
• Seamless UNIX text file support
• Block indent and unindent (Tab, Shift+Tab)
• Recent files list
• No file size limit! (under Win9x)
• Hyperlink support
• Portability mode (INI mode)
• Over 30 customized UI language plugins

AkelPad

AkelPad is an open source editor for plain text. It is very light and fast and is good Notepad replacement for those who don’t need more advanced features. Some of the features of AkelPad are listed below.

• Single window (SDI), multi-window (MDI) and pseudo multi-window modes (PMDI);
• Full support of Unicode strings on Unicode systems (NT/2000/XP/2003/Vista/Seven);
• Support of Unicode codepages (UTF-8, UTF-16LE, UTF-16BE, UTF-32LE, UTF-32BE);
• Support of any codepage installed in the system;
• Support of DOS/Windows, Unix and Mac newline formats;
• Preview file open;
• Correct pseudographics displaying;
• Column text selection;
• Multi-level undo;
• Fast search/replace text strings;
• Remember file codepage and caret position;
• Printing of a document and print preview;
• Support of language modules;
• Plugins support (syntax highlighting, folding, auto-completion, scripts execution, keyboard macros and much more).

Even though AkelPad is a simple text editor, you can add more features to it by installing plugins. There are a lot of plugins available so that you can customize AkelPad to your liking.

Here are the 5 Best free Text Editors. If you use any other text editor or find another text editor better from the ones mentioned in this article then comment below.

Top 5 Free Antivirus of 2015

So you are looking for a replacement for the built-in Windows Defender? If so, then you’ve come to the right place. Because i’ll tell you about the top 5 Antivirus products that will provide you much better protection than the built-in Windows Defender without paying a cent.

Top 5 Free Antivirus of 2015

The simple task of downloading the Antivirus can be extremely frustrating and confusing. The reason is simple, there are hundreds of Antiviruses and they all claim to provide the “best protection” for your PC. But the question is, how many of them are telling the truth? And how can we believe that they won’t cripple our PC with useless crapware? Unless we test all of them, and surely we wouldn’t want to do that. So hopefully, I’ll try to make your life a bit easier by providing you the list of best FREE Antivirus out there.

5: AVG FREE Antivirus

AVG is one of the more popular choice for Antivirus. It has one of the best web protection tools. Last year it was updated with a new UI overhaul, becoming much user friendly than before.

Pros:

• Good malware & virus detection.
• Solid web protection suite.
• Light on System resources & optimizes the performance of the PC.
• Quick scanning is actually very quick.
• Includes AVG Zen for managing scans remotely.

Cons:

• Bad malware protection rate, mostly it won’t even recognize crippled links/malware.
• Shows annoying pop-ups telling user to upgrade.
• Installs “PC TuneUp 2015”.

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4: Avira Free Antivirus

Avira is one of the older Antivirus available out there. It is still one of the best FREE Antivirus available out there. Provides protection against malware, viruses and phishing. It also provides the ability to sync to Dropbox.

Pros:

• Solid virus and malware detection rate.
• User friendly Interface.
• Cloud Protection Technology.
• Built-in browser plug-in for web protection.

Cons:

• Full features of web protection are not available.
• Uses a lot of System Resources while a scan is in progress (It is recommend that you don’t do anything while it is scanning).

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3: BitDefender FREE Antivirus

Bitdefender is one of the best Antivirus available in the market at the moment, even thought the paid version is far superior than the free version. The FREE version is actually pretty good. It provides a solid protection against both Malware and Viruses and is a good all around Antivirus. However, if you can afford, I’d highly recommend you to check out their paid version as nothing beats it when it comes to the premium features.

Pros:

• Easy to configure.
• Very light on System Resources, you might not even notice that your AV is running at all.
• Excellent Virus & Malware detection.
• Good Phishing protection.

Cons:

• Requires that the user sign in with a social media or create an account within 29 days of installation.
• Non-user friendly. Very hard to restore quarantined non-malicious executable.
• Compatibility issue’s with Firefox.
• Hard to uninstall. You have to run into Safe Mode to completely uninstall it.
• Poor tech support.
• On some hardware’s it may cause massive slowdown of the system.

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2: avast! FREE Antivirus

There was once a time when avast! was considered the best Antivirus. That changed when the developer behind avast! decided to cripple their product with crapware and malware, and all of a sudden avast! became one of the worst Antivirus ever. Ashamed by their doing the team behind avast! decided that they will bring avast! to it’s former glory, thus removing all the crapware that was bundled with it before. And now once again avast! has restored it’s position of being of the best FREE Anitivirus available. So guys that is the sad past of avast! lol, but really avast! is actually one of the best FREE antivirus. It comes with a lot of useful tools like Firewall, SmartScan, Browser cleanup e.t.c that helps you keep your PC safe.

P.S: While avast! FREE is pretty good, avast! Premium is horrible and acts more like a malware than an Antivirus. Stay away from it.

Pros:

• Light on System Resources.
• Good Virus and Malware detection.
• Home-Network Protection Tools, which can scan and fix most of your network problems.
• SmartScan for one-click virus scan.
• Good at blocking malicious URL.
• User friendly interface.

Cons:

• Horrible customer support.
• Annoying pop-ups and adds in the application.
• Mediocre phishing protection.
• Some tools may not fully work until you purchase them.

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1: Panda Free Antivirus 2015

Unlike AVG, Avira & Avast, Panda is new to this Antivirus business. However, being new doesn’t mean that it is bad. In fact it has already surpassed most of it’s predecessors. It has one of the best malware & virus detection rate, and is extremely light. Panda FREE Antivirus utilize the unique “Cloud” based protection, meaning everything is done on cloud, which in turn gives you near zero System Resource usage. Despite being light-weight, it boasts one of the best real-world protection.No annoying pop-ups whatsoever. So you are telling me you are a gamer? Well all the more reason to install this AV, it’s light, it’s fast, it’s solid at protecting your PC & it’s fast. Oh did I mention that it’s fast? Well it is very fast and light on System Resources.

If you are looking for the best fast, light-weight Antivirus with one of the best malware & virus detection rate than look no further. Because when it comes to FREE Antivirus, nothing beats this beast.

P.S: You might wanna turn off the “Panda News” in the settings.

Pros:

• Extremely fast & light, utilizes very little System Resources. Perfect for gamers.
• One of the best real-time protection.
• Extremely solid URL & Web filtering.
• Solid malware & virus blocking.
• User friendly interface and is very easy to install.
• Real good phishing protection.
• Automatic cloud updates keeps the program up-to-date.
• Provides very useful set of tools.

Cons:

• Possibly a bit intimidating user-interface for. Needs a little time to get used to it.

Yeah, that’s probably the only problem I see with this product. Terrific AV program. I switched from avast! Pro to this and I’m more than happy with my decision. Really there is no better AV than this one.  If you want the best ever AV, without paying a cent than go with this, I promise you won’t regret it.

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That’s it guys. Now you can surf the web or download stuff with ease. These are the top 5 Antivirus’s that can keep your PC safe. However, i’ll highly recommend you to download Malwarebytes | Free Anti-Malware as a companion app, as nothing beats it when it comes to removing malware. It is compatible with all the AV’s and doesn’t interferes with them making it a really nice choice for a full-on protection. It is also light on System Resources.

I personally use Panda FREE Antivirus  & Malwarebytes premium and the combination is perfect. I’m really happy with the protection. And I have not encountered any problem with either product.

No matter what AV you end up going with, I’d highly recommend you to install Malwarebytes, simply because it’s just too good at removing malware and is compatible with all the AV’s listed.

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Know something that I don’t? Something wrong with this tutorial? Want to share some tips? Whatever it is, sound off below and let me know.

Cortana might make it’s way to iOS & Android

As weird as it may sound, but it’s highly possible that Microsoft will release it’s very own personal assistant for other mobile platforms as well. And soon Siri and Google Now might have to compete with Cortana. Microsoft already integrated Cortana in Windows 10, and they are expecting Cortana to be globally available by early 2015. So it’s highly possible that they might release Cortana for iOS and Android after the final release of Windows 10.

It would be a standalone app, available in the Google Play and Apple App store. However, it will work just like it does on Windows Phone. Despite being in BETA, Cortana is already out-performs Siri and Google Now in a few things and it will interesting to see that how many people will use Cortana on their Android or iPhone devices.

How to keep your Windows PC running Fast and Smooth

Microsoft’s Windows OS holds more than 90% of the PC market share. And honestly, it shouldn’t be surprising because of the fact that millions of application’s & games are available for the platform, it’s no wonder that most people prefer Windows OS. It’s not all sunshine though, being the most popular OS also means that viruses will ruin your day. And thanks to the internet it’s much easier for your PC to get infected, it gets more horrible when you consider the fact that you’re living in the era where almost everyone uses internet. Of course it’s not because Windows is less secure than Mac or Linux, it’s simply because of Windows popularity. Since Windows OS is so popular, most people tend to make hackwares/viruses for Windows instead of other OS’es. And once you’ve started using Windows OS, it’s performance will gradually start decreasing to the point that your Windows PC might not even be able to boot. Surely none of us would like to face this kind of situation.

Fortunately there are some really nice people on the earth, who have created some incredibly useful Software’s to help you keep your PC clean.

How To Keep Your Windows PC Clean

There are so many software’s that can help you with the PC-Cleaning task, however, I will recommend you to use the one’s I mention because they are simply better than others. Please note that it doesn’t matter what Windows you are using, because most if not all things are going to be the same. So if even if you use the unsupported Windows XP, you’ll still be able to do all of these things.

Before starting, download this file from here. These are some of the tools/software’s you’ll need. It’s compressed so you’ll need to extract it. You can use WinZip, WinRAR or 7-zip for this purpose. I’d recommend 7-zip, since it’s completely free. So download and install any of the mentioned softeware, and extract the “PC maintenance tool” folder somewhere on your desktop.

Install the software’s within the folder. There is absolutely no virus in them. So just install them and read the instructions.

Once done, then you can move on to the good stuff.

1: Keep your PC up-to-date

Most of us don’t even bother with the Windows update thing. However, it is extremely important to update your PC, because this way you not only get new features but also the patches and fixes for the security loop-holes in the OS.

To do this open Start Menu and type “Windows Update” (Press Windows+S together if you are on Windows 8, also you might wanna check out my guide on how to make Windows 8 look like Windows 7).

You can turn on automatic updates by going into the “Change Settings”  section.

2: Defrag your Hard Drive’s

Hard Drive’s are like the back bone of the CPU, because everything is stored on them and as the time passes their performance decreases. This can lead to frequent System-Crashes and if your are really unlucky than the rare Data Loss. To avoid this it is very important to perform defragmentation of your Hard Drive’s. You can use Windows own Defragger for this purpose which you can open by right-clicking on your Drive and opening the “Tools” section.

Even though the built-in tool works just fine, some people may find it painfully slow. So I’d recommend using Auslogics Disk Defrag. It’s much better and faster than the built-in Windows defragger.

Pro Tips:

• Defrag your Drive’s daily
• Optimize them once a week
• Check for errors before defragging or optimizing Hard Drive’s
• Don’t use your PC while defragmentation/optimization is in process
• Use Auslogics Boot time optimization for more effective optimization of the Drive.

You can use Auslogics Disk Defrag to check and eliminate errors, but I recommend using CMD for this purpose. To eliminate errors using CMD, open an elevated command prompt. To do this, open Start Menu (Windows 8 users need to press Windows Key+S together, or go to Charm Bar and select the Search Icon) and type “cmd” right-click on it and hit “Run as administrator” after that type in “CHKDSK” and hit Enter. You might have to reboot your PC to complete the process.

3: Remove unnecessary programs

Sometimes when you a download/install something from the non-authentic source, there is a good chance that you’ll also download some sort of malicious program with it, and which then installs other programs without your permission. This can lead to serious problems like system lag, data corruption, loss of internet and whatnot. To remove them you can use Built In Windows uninstaller, but I’d recommend CCleaner or even better Should I Remove it?, it is a free software so download and install it. Basically it helps you find out what applications are adware/bloatware/crapware. I highly recommend using it if you are not sure what to remove.

Uninstall any software that you don’t use. To remove malware items, I recommend using Malwarebytes.  Scan your PC using Malwarebytes and remove items it detects.

4: Disable unnecessary start-up items

Disabling unnecessary start-up items can greatly reduce your PC boot time. So disable everything you think you don’t need at start-up of Windows.

To do this, go to Start Menu (Windows key+S for Windows 8 users) and type “msconfig” without quotes and hit Enter. A Windows will open, go select the “Services” Tab and Check the ‘Hide all Microsoft Services” option in the lower left bottom of the Window. Now disable every unnecessary service.

Once done, go to the “Startup” tab and click on “Open Task Manager” and then disable unnecessary startup items.

Once done, just close the Task Manager using the close button and click on the “OK” button on the msconfig Windows, it will ask you to restart, so just click Restart Now.

You can also use CCleaner for this job, as it gives you deep access to startup items, for example you can turn off Startup browser extension using it.

You should also remove start-up items from “Startup ” folder. To do this open Start Menu (Windows 8 users need to press Windows Key+S together, or open charms and select the “Search Icon”) and type “run” and hit Enter. Now type “shell:startup”, and click OK.

A new Explorer Windows will open, and there you’ll be able to see all the programs that start when you boot your Windows, delete all the unnecessary shortcuts from the folder.

5: Clean up junk from your PC

When you use Windows, it stores a lot of Junk and Temporary data. This can be removed using CCleaner.

So make a habit of using this application more often. Sadly CCleaner has it’s own limitations and can’t remove all the useless junk, like Windows Update leftover data. To remove this type of data, use Windows built-in Disk Cleanup utility.

Open My Computer and right-click on the drive you want to clean and select “Disk Cleanup” once done, it will scan files and than a new Windows will open, click on the “Cleanup System Files” on this Windows. It will scan again then it will open a Windows where you can select what to clean. Check Windows Update, Temporary Data, Old Windows Installation and Old Prefetch data. I’m naming these stuff, because CCleaner can’t delete them. It can take a while so leave your PC until it’s done.

6: Clean Registry Errors

When you install and uninstall lot of programs, your registry will become cluttered. While not the main cause, but this can play a role in slowing down your PC. So cleanup your registry using CCleaner.

Open CCleaner, go to Registry Tab and click on “Scan For Issues” wait for it to complete and then click on “Fix Selected Issues” it will ask you to backup, click on “Yes” and save the backup of the registry somewhere in your Hard Drive, just in case it deletes something important.

Once you have created the backup click on “Fix Selected Issues” to clean your registry.

Clean your Registry every week using CCleaner, or you can try Auslogics Registry Cleaner, personally I never had any problems with CCleaner.

7: Get Rid of the viruses

Now comes the final and perhaps the most important step, virus removing. Virus can literally destroy your PC. Thankfully Windows comes with built-in antivirus, Windows Defender. Which is more than enough for people who don’t download much and do their regular Office work. However, for those who download a lot of stuff might need a better software. There are numbers of free Antivirus’s out there including, but not limited to;

• avast! FREE Antivirus
• AVG Free Antivirus
• Bitdefender Antivirus FREE Edition
• Panda Free Antivirus
• Norton Antivirus (30-Day Trial)

Honestly, it comes down to your personal preference, all of them are great. I personally use avast! Pro Antivirus. It has lots of great options like Firewall, Sandbox, Web Shield e.t.c

For now we will use Windows Defender, because it is actually pretty good.

I’d recommend doing a Full System Scan. Once done, remove everything malicious or harmful. You should scan your PC every 2-3 days.

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That’s it Guys, these are the basic things to keep your Windows PC well-maintained. But honestly it’s more than that, you have to be careful about what you download. Don’t just download straight away, I’d also recommend staying away from download that needs survey’s because more often than not, they will give you some kind of bad virus/malware. Before installing something make sure it’s from a trusted source. Make a System Restore Point every now and then, just so you are prepared for the worst case scenarios. If your PC is too hot, shut it down and give it some time to cool down.

I’d also recommends using System Mechanic, they have a free version and it’s actually pretty good. It offers a wide array of tools that can help you keep your PC maintained. So I’d highly recommend you to give it a try.

But in the end, it all comes down to you. Because the more you care about your PC, the better your PC will perform.

If you have any question, ask them in the comment section below.

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Know something that I don’t? Know something that should be added to this tutorial? Want to share some tips? Whatever it is, sound off below and let me know.

How to make Windows 8/8.1 look like Windows 7

Windows 8 represents a fundamental shift in the way Windows works and is far more touchscreen-orientated for use on tablets as well as traditional PCs. This is why it is much less popular when compared to it’s predecessor, Windows 7. However Windows 8 is much faster and less resource intensive than Windows 7. This is one of the many reason to switch to Windows 8, however the modern UI is not for everyone and this is why it’s not as popular as Windows 7 or even it’s 15 years old brother Windows XP.  So what if you love the speed and security of Windows 8, but miss the transparent look of Windows 7?

Here is how to make Windows 8 look exactly like Windows 7.

Make Windows 8/8.1 look like Windows

So are you ready to change the appearance of your copy of Windows 8 to the simple and classy look of Windows 7? Yes? Then let’s begin.

First you have to go here. Download the file named “Windows Tools” and then extract it somewhere on your desktop. You’ll need WinRAR to extract it, which you can download from here.

You’ll find these files in the folder you just downloaded.

Now let’s make our Windows 8 more cool.

1: Bring Start Menu Back

First of all we’ll bring back the ever coveted Start Menu, to do this just run the file named “StartIsBack+”.

Just run the setup and install it, after that Restart your PC, then you should have Start Menu.

To edit settings of your Start Menu right click on the Start Icon and click on properties.

Now we’ll bring back the old look of Windows Explorer.

2: Bring Old Look of Windows Explorer

To do this, open the folder named “OldNewExplorer” and run the application named “OldNewExplorerCfg”. A window will open, make sure you only tick the boxes that you see in this picture.

Once done, just hit the install button. After that open task manager and restart Windows Explorer.

Now we’ll bring the Transparent look of Windows 7 back.

3: Bring the Transparent Look Of Windows 7 Back

Open the Win8.1 AeroGlass and run the Aero Glass for Win 8.1. After that just restart your PC and you’ll have the transparent effect of Win 7.

Once the installation is complete restart your PC. Now run AeroGlassGUI from the same folder and select the exact same options.

Now just click on save and close this program.

If you are on a laptop then you’ll need to make some registry changes.

To do this, open Start Menu and type “regedit” and hit enter.

Now navigate to, HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE  > Microsoft > Windows > DWM and modify the the registry value of “DisableGlassOnBattery” to 1 to 0 by right-clicking on it.

You might have to restart your PC after this.

4: Bring Back Desktop Gadgets

It’s really simple just run the “8GadgetPackSetup” and install it, after that you’ll have Desktop Gadgets.

5: Apply Windows 7 Theme

Now comes the final step, we’ll apply Windows 7 theme to Windows 8/8.1.

First install the UxTheme Patcher.

After this, install the “Setup_AeroVs _1.3”. Now right-click on desktop and click on personalize. You’ll see that you have new themes. Apply “Windows Aero Rounded [Default]”.

Once done, your Windows should look something like this.

That’s it guys, enjoy your Windows 7 looking Windows 8.

Know something that I should include in this post? Want to share something? Whatever it is, let me know in the comment. 

Microsoft Is Giving Away 100 GB Of Free OneDrive Storage To Dropbox Users

Microsoft is giving away Free 100 GB of OneDrive storage to drop box users. The offer is limited to current Dropbox users. The offer is limited and will end soon, so act fast and get your free 100GB of OneDrive space.

Redeem Free 100GB Of OneDrive Storage

To do this you need to be an existing Dropbox user. You also need a Microsoft Account, so if you don’t have one, now is the time to create one.

To redeem 100GB just go to this OneDrive Preview page, and login with your Microsoft ID. Once you log in, the OneDrive Preview will ask you for permission to access your information, which includes, Sign n automatically, View your profile info and contact list, Access your email address & Add or Remove Bonus Storage.

Once you click on “Yes”, a new Windows will open and you’ll have to log into your current Dropbox account. Once you log in, a PDF File named “Getting Started with OneDrive” will be uploaded to your Dropbox account and after this you’ll be redirected to a new page where you’ll see the message saying  “Your bonus storage was successfully applied!”.  Now you’ll have 100GB of free Storage in your Microsft account. Unfortunately, this bonus storage will only last for 1 year and after that you’ll have to buy the service. But you can always use Bing Rewards to buy OneDrive Storage if you live in U.S. Even if you don’t opt to buy the service, you still get a decent 15GB free OneDrive storage.

So act fast and get your free 100GB Storage Space.

Know something that I missed? Or maybe you want to share some tips with everyone? Whatever it is, sound off below and let me know.

How to Install Windows 10 Technical Preview

How to install Windows 10 Technical Preview on your PC/Laptop

It’s been a while since Microsoft released the Technical Preview of their upcoming Windows 8 successor, Windows 10. Many of you might not know this but anyone can install Windows 10 Technical Preview.

So are you ready to install Windows 10 Technical Preview? I bet you are, but before that I’ll highlight some of the new features that are introduced in Windows 10.

New features in Windows 10 Technical Preview

Microsoft’s new OS comes with slew of new features, including, but not limited to

• Start Menu

• Cortana

• Continuum

• Task View

• Snap Assist

First thing you’ll notice is that Windows 10 brings the legendary Start Menu back, but it’s not the Start Menu that you used in Windows 7. It’s actually a mixture of Start Menu and Start Screen, which in my opinion looks great. Windows 10 also brings Cortana, Microsoft’s own Personal Assistant and their answer to Apple’s Siri and Google’s Google Now. Other features are “Continuum” which allows you to switch from tablet mode to PC mode simultaneously. Snap View allows you to Snap your screen into two, so you can get more work done. While Task View replaces Windows 8 task switcher, so user can switch between virtual desktops.

I’m not gonna go into the details of these features, i’ll do that in a separate post. So let’s just jump straight to the topic.

Before you install Windows 10 Technical Preview

What is meant by Technical Preview? Technical Preview is basically the preview version of the Windows 10 OS, so essentially it’s the Beta version of the OS. Which means that running into bugs/errors is highly possible. But Microsoft is working hard to improve their OS and it’s a lot more stable now when compared to it’s first released.

Still I wouldn’t recommend you to install it on your daily driver. You should use a secondary PC or a Virtual Machine. If you do install it on your daily used machine, do it at your own risk. It’s called Preview for a reason.

Furthermore, your PC should meet some hardware requirements in order to install Windows 10.

Windows 10 Hardware Requirements

• Screen Resolution: 1024×768
• Processor: 1GHz or faster with support for PAE, NX, and SSE2
• RAM: 1GB (32-bit) or 2GB (64-bit)
• Hard disk space: 16GB
• Graphics card: Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver

Please keep in mind that these are the minimal requirements, so if you have less than 1 GB RAM or less than 16 GB Hard Disk space, you won’t be able to install Windows 10 Technical Preview. But I doubt these things are going to cause any problems. It’s 2015 after all.

So now when important thing’s are out of the way. Let’s move on to the good stuff. Shall we?

Things you need

• Microsoft Account
• Little Knowledge about ISO file

That’s really it. Let’s continue with our installation.

Windows 10 Technical Preview installation

I bet this is the part you guys have been waiting for, so without further ado let’s install Windows 10.

1:

First of all you’ll need to quickly sign-up for the Windows Insider Program. To do this, follow this link and sign-in with your Microsoft account, you’ll have to accept the Terms & Conditions including this part;

“The Program Services include experimental and early prerelease software. This means that you may experience occasional crashes and in rare cases data loss. To recover, you may have to reinstall your applications, the operating system, or re-flash your device. Using the Program Services on some devices may impact your warranty (check with your device provider). By participating, you agree to frequently backup your data.”

If you agree with these Terms & Conditions then proceed.

Make sure you click on download ISO, alternatively you can download the setup.

2:

Once you’ve singed up for the Windows Insider Program, you’ll be redirected to a new page where you can download the ISO Image file, select your language and the download will begin . It’s around 4GB in size, so it can take a while if you have slow internet connection.

3:

Once the download is complete you’ll have to burn it to a DVD. If you are installing it on another OS, take Windows 8 for example then all you have to do is put the ISO file in drive where you want to install Windows 10, we’ll take Drive C as an example. After that it’s as easy as right-clicking on the ISO Image file and clicking “Mount”.

4:

Once ready run the “setup.exe” and you’ll be greeted by the Installation Wizard. The Wizard will guide you through the steps and you’ll be installing Windows 10 Technical Preview in no time.

The installation takes around 20-25 minutes, depending on the speed of your PC/Laptop. While the installation your PC might reboot several time, don’t worry it’s normal. So just sit back and relax, while you wait for the installation to complete.

Once done you can enjoy the new OS from Microsoft. This guide is fairly simple, still if you run into any problem don’t hesitate to ask, leave a comment below or just let email me the problem you are facing and i’ll try to get back to you ASAP.

Pro Tips

• Enable Automatic Updates, so that you get the latest fixes/patches from Microsoft.
• Backup you data regularly. Even though it’s much more stable than it’s first release, you should still backup your data. Because it’s still BETA.
• Make a Restore Point before you install anything.

That’s it folks, next i’ll post about the features of the Windows 10. So stay tuned till then

Know something that I missed? Or something that should be added in this guide? Or you just have some tips that you want to share. What ever it is, sound off below and let me know.