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The Windows 8/Hardware SIG usually meets the on first Wednesday of each month.
Our next meeting will be be on February 1, 2012 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm
at the Pima County Medical Society.
Your questions, comments, and problems will be given top priority at all of our meetings!
If you bring us a laptop or desktop computer or a failed hard drive to work on, we will use our group expertise to help you with any hardware or software issues, like running various "Disk Management" utilities in "Windows.." or using a Linux virtual machine to fix a corrupted "Windows.." hard drive. Please let Francis or George know about what you want us to discuss or demonstrate or prepare a demonstration of computer software, hardware, or a Web-based "software as a service" to show us!
The purpose of this SIG is to explore and explain PC hardware, Windows operating systems, and the interaction between the two. We will discuss the purchase, upgrading, and configuration of both hardware, software, and the Windows operating system. We have access to every desktop version of "Windows" from 3.1 to 7.
Our activities, how-to's, and technical advice are documented in the "Meeting Notes" page.
Several of the attendees of the Windows 8/Hardware SIG have been visiting the Southern Arizona Transportation Museum (SATM) to provide technical support for their 4 "Windows XP" computers. TCS board member Ken Sandock also serves on the board of the SATM. If you would like to participate in this effort, please let us know.
Click here to view photos and notes from our meeting on December 7, 2011.
Here are some items of advice that we have presented at previous meetings:
Using the Free "Windows 8 Pre-beta":
Installing the "Windows 8 Pre-beta" into a Virtual Machine in a "Windows.." host computer
Installing the "Windows 8 Pre-beta" Into a Virtual Machine in a "Mac" "OS X" host computer
The Future of Windows As Seen Through the "'Windows Developer Preview' Pre-Beta"
Using Virtual Machines and Virtual Networks:
Using Virtual Machines to Save Real Money, Space, and Time
Using "Windows XP Mode" and "Windows Virtual PC"
Virtual Networking in "VMware Player"
Virtual Networking in "Oracle VM VirtualBox"
A Comparison Between "VMware Player" and "Oracle VM VirtualBox"
USB 3 versus USB 2 versus eSATA
"Internet Shortcuts" and "Pinned Site Shortcuts" in "Internet Explorer 9"
A step-by-step explanation of how to use the free GIMP software application to edit an
object inside a photo can be found at
http://aztcs.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/GIMP/edit_object.htm
Our how-to article on "Free and Low-Cost Computer Training in Tucson" is available at
http://aztcs.org/training/training.htm
The bottom half of this document tells you how you can get free online computer training and help from our Tech Support pages.
Our advice about free anti-virus/anti-malware software can be found at
http://www.aztcs.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/free/antivirus/antivirus.htm
and
http://aztcs.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/MSE/MSE.pdf
Our procedure for cleaning a computer that is infected with viruses and/or malware can be found at
http://aztcs.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/malwarecleanup/malwarecleanup.htm
Our how-to instructions for using a Webcam can be seen at
http://aztcs.org/webcam/webcam.htm
Our presentation notes for "cloud computing" including a list of free Internet-based "Software as a Service" applications is located at
http://aztcs.org/meeting_notes/cloudcomputing/cloudcomputing.htm
Our how-to instructions for using the fax function of "Windows Fax and Scan" to avoid having to buy/maintain a real fax machine can be seen at
http://aztcs.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/windowsfax/windowsfax.htm
Speeding Up "Windows.." Computers:
Our step-by-step instructions for speeding up a "Windows 7" computer are located at
http://aztcs.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/speedupWindows/win7speedup.pdf
Our step-by-step instructions for speeding up a "Windows Vista" computer are located at
http://aztcs.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/speedupWindows/vistaspeedup.pdf
Our step-by-step instructions for speeding up a "Windows XP" computer are located at
http://aztcs.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/speedupWindows/xp_speedup.pdf
Running a Time-Limited Trial of "Windows 7" for Free:
Our how-to on downloading and installing the free "Windows 7 Enterprise trial" can be found at
http://aztcs.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win7eval/win7eval.htm (html)
(pdf)
Step-by-step instructions for installing the free "Windows 7 Enterprise trial" into "VMware Player 3" are available at
http://aztcs.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win7intovmware/win7intovmware.htm (html)
(pdf)
Maintaining and Repairing Hard Drives for "Windows" Computers:
Maintenance and Repair Strategy
"Error-checking" in "Windows.." to Resolve Bad Clusters
"Soft Repairs" with Utilities in Linux
Data Recovery with Utilities in Linux
Differing Capabilities of Different Distros of Linux
Additional information on "Windows" and computer hardware issues is available at our expanded "Tech Support" pages.
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