Windows 8.1 FAQ for IT Professionals

General 

Will I have to learn new ways to perform familiar tasks?

IT professionals will perform most familiar tasks in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 the same way as they do in Windows 7. The same keyboard shortcuts work in Windows 8 (e.g., Windows key + E and Windows key + R), and Windows 8 adds some great new ones. The same desktop experience is there, including the taskbar, pinned desktop apps, thumbnail previews, and more. You copy files, manage tasks, and administer the computer with the same tools.

Can you offer any tips for using touch, a keyboard, and a mouse with Windows 8?

The key thing to remember is that using touch is about the screen edges, and using the mouse is about the screen corners. For instance, swiping in from the right edge of the screen and tapping Start is the same as moving the mouse pointer to the upper-right corner of the screen and clicking Start. The mouse shortcuts that you have always used are still there. To open app commands in a Windows Store app, simply right-click the app. Last, the keyboard shortcuts that you know and love are still in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1. A new one that IT professionals might love is the Windows key + X, which opens a menu of administrative tools. For more information on keyboard shortcuts, see Windows 8 Shortcuts.

Can I use my Microsoft account if I log onto my computer by using a domain account?

Yes. To associate your Microsoft account with your domain account on the local computer, press Windows key + I, clickPC Settings, click Accounts, and then click Connect your Microsoft account.

Are there any new features in Windows PowerShell?

Windows 8.1 includes Windows PowerShell 4.0, which makes using Windows PowerShell easier, especially for managing remote computers. Windows PowerShell Desired State Configuration, new for this release, lets you manage configuration data for software services, and the environments in which those services run. You can debug remote scripts, and you can now debug Windows PowerShell workflows by using the Windows PowerShell debugger, in both Windows PowerShell ISE (“graphical PowerShell”) and the Windows PowerShell console. The Save-Help cmdlet now lets you save updatable help for modules that are installed on remote computers, but not necessarily installed on a local client. For more information about all of the new features in Windows PowerShell 4.0, see What’s New in Windows PowerShell.

Chrome the Battery Killer!

Google admits Chrome is killing laptop batteries and promises a fix

A recent report shed light on a major bug in Google’s Chrome web browser that causes the batteries in Windows laptops to drain much faster than normal. In fact, the issue could cause laptop batteries to die 25% quicker. The bug causes laptops’ processors to wake up and look for tasks 1,000 times each second instead of 64 times per second, as they should, and users have been advised to avoid using Chrome on Windows machines if they value battery life.

But help is on the way: A new report states that Google has acknowledged the issue and is currently working to fix it.

A report on Thursday from PCWorld stated that Google is not only aware of the issue, it has a team working to fix it and has made it a top priority.

“In a statement to PCWorld, the company noted that the bug has been assigned internally, and that the Chrome team is working to fix it—though only after Morris shined a spotlight on the issue,” PCWorld’s Jared Newman reported. “The long-standing bug report has been bumped up to priority one.”

Unfortunately, no timeline was given for a fix.

SOURCE

Password Recovery Kit Forensic 13.5

What's In The Box

• Passware Kit Forensic - 1-User License (Server)
• 100 Passware Kit Agents (distributed password recovery on up to 100 computers, both Windows and Linux platforms)
• Support for an unlimited number of GPU cards for hardware acceleration
• Passware Kit Forensic Subscription to Updates - 3 years

Key Benefits

• 64-bit version
  Works efficiently with thousands of files in batch mode and larger dictionary files


• Recovers password for 200+ file types
  Including MS Office, PDF, Zip & RAR, QuickBooks, FileMaker, Lotus Notes. Cracks passwords for Android backups, Apple disk images, BestCrypt files, FileMaker databases, Apple keychain, etc.


• Batch processing
  Runs password recovery for groups of files without manual intervention.


• Live Memory Analysis
  Extracts encryption keys for BitLocker, TrueCrypt, PGP, MS Office files, as well as passwords for websites, Windows and Mac users from memory images and hibernation files.


• Accelerated password recovery
  To achieve the highest performance, Passware Kit Forensic uses GPU hardware acceleration (NVIDIA and ATI), distributed password recovery and cloud computing.


• Portable Version
  Portable USB version that does not require installation on a target computer included.

More Features

• Batch password recovery with support for an unlimited number of files, regardless of their types
• FireWire memory imaging tool included
• Encryption scanning and password audit included
• Integrated with other forensic software: Guidance EnCase, Oxygen Forensic Suite
• Easy-to-use, customizable all-in-one user interface
• 3 years of software updates subscription included

This Software Seems rather promising - I will test it at a later date - The companies website is HERE

With a Price Tag of $3995 Thats £2338.88