Microsoft is really getting annoying trying to get you to upgrade to Windows 10

Ever since Microsoft launched Windows 10 over the summer, Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users have been pressured to upgrade to the latest version of the operating system. It was relatively innocuous at first, but as months have passed, Microsoft has become increasingly obnoxious. The notifications were all but unavoidable, and now things have truly come to a head.

On Tuesday, InfoWorld shared the latest rendition of Microsoft’s message:

After bugging users incessantly, forcing them to download 3-5GB files in the background without their knowledge and even going so far as to launch the upgrade service “accidentally” on some computers, Microsoft is now resorting to the same tactics used by spammers and malware creators to push their software.

You can dismiss the message by clicking the “X” button in the top-right corner of the window, but it’s clear that Microsoft is intent on wearing down users until they’d rather upgrade than deal with the notifications.

To be clear, as a satisfied Windows 10 user, I fully endorse the upgrade. There are plenty of users who have had issues with the new OS and others who are concerned with the lack of communication from Microsoft regarding privacy and security, but I’m not one of those people. That said, I can’t imagine that Microsoft is going to win over any cautious Windows users by pushing them closer and closer to the ledge until they have no choice but to jump off.

Find My IPad (Iphone) is a treasure

If you have an IOS device, please, please, use your Find My Iphone app.  Turn it on and use it.  Recently, I have had the pleasant experience of seeing how it works.  I recently had an iPad Mini stolen.  The experience is awful, but I did have the app turned on and was quickly able to locate my device in a shady neighborhood, unfortunately, I was unable to pinpoint the exact location.  I think the thief was having some fun using it, surfing the internet.  It was my 8 year old's iPad, so not much was on it other than his extensive Minecraft worlds.  I tried reasoning with the thief, sending messages to him through the app to simply give it back or it would be bricked (a tech termed referring to turning it into a useless paperweight).  The thief seemed to think he was in the clear, until I indeed bricked the device.  Once I turned it on into Lost Mode, the device will not allow you to do anything until a password is entered, one I made up remotely.  I left a message asking them to call and simply return it.  Even offered a reward.  At this point, it was all about the principal of giving it back instead of actually needing it back.  To end the short story, the thief ended up discarding it in an alley where a good samaritan found it and called and I got it back.  All's well that ends well!!

Use Your Browser’s Web Inspector Tool To View Masked Passwords

Accidentally entering the incorrect password when logging into a service is a common enough occurrence, as is thinking you may have entered the incorrect password. The usual course of action under such circumstances is to delete the entire thing and type it again. There are browser extensions available that let you unhide the password momentarily however, for a quicker solution that doesn’t involve extensions or add-ons you can just use your browser’s built-in web inspector. This only works for desktop browsers since they’re the ones that are equipped with a powerful enough web inspector. All you have to do is make a small change in the page’s HTML to allow viewing the typed in password.

This should work for almost any and all password fields. Right-click inside the password field and select ‘Inspect element’ from the context menu if you use Chrome or Firefox. The option might differ from browser to browser but it should definitely be there. If you’re having trouble finding it, a simple Google search should tell you how to open the web inspector tool.

Inside the web inspector, edit the input type=”” field from Password to text. Hit enter and the text input in the password field will now be visible. You can input the password once it’s been unmasked and click ‘Log in’ when you’re done. If the password is correct, you’ll be logged into the service.

The change isn’t permanent and it applies to the password field on the page you changed it on only. If, for example, you unmasked the password field when logging into Facebook, the password field on Twitter will not be unmasked.

Find Budget Laptops Specifically For Gaming, Programming, Or General Usage

A laptop counts as one of the bigger purchases you make. When you buy one, you definitely want to make sure it’s the right one and that it will last you a few years. Finding the laptop is the hard part and it usually involves browsing thousands and thousands of product pages, reading specs, and more. Some of the biggest laptop manufacturers have truly unhelpful websites making it hard to tell which laptops are meant for a specific purpose. The bottom line is, unless you already know the kind of specs you need in your laptop, the search for the right one is going to be a very long one. LappyList is a web app that can help you narrow down the choices and even educate you on what kinds of specs you need and why.

Visit LappyList, and select what particular need you want your device to meet. The three broad needs are Gaming, Programming, and Mainstream. There isn’t a Entertainment or Design option. The other options include Ultraportable (laptops that are easy to move around with), and Convertibles (laptop & tablets in one).

Once you select a particular type, LappList will list all laptops that fit your need. The list shows detailed specs for each laptop and is categorized by budget i.e. ultra low, low, medium, medium-high, high, very high, and ultra high. If you mouse over a spec, you can read details about that particular component.

I mentioned early on that the LappyList also educates you on how to determine which specs matter for your particular need. On the home page, scroll down to the ‘How to pick what’s important to you?’ section and expand the CPU, GPU, Memory, etc options to read about what they do and what role they play in a laptop’s abilities.

The list on LappyList is updated fairly often. If you click a model name, it will take you to the vendor site where you can purchase it. The list gives you a great comprehensive look at the specs available in your budget. The laptops that suit you are narrowed down, and reading up on their specs is far easier.

Google makes Play Music Family Plan official - $15 per month for 6 members

Google’s family-friendly music streaming plan is now ready for the masses.

According to an announcement on the Official Android Blog, a Google Play Music Family Plan can be shared amongst six individuals for $15 per month. Each person gets their own account, so all the music preferences and saved albums will stay unique to each user.

While that price matches the family offering from Apple Music, Google sweetens the deal by throwing in YouTube Red (U.S. customers only right now). The new streaming service grants you ad-free access to nearly all YouTube content and promises original programming for next year.

Google says the option to start a new family plan or switch over from an individual subscription will be live in the coming days on Android devices. You won’t see any type of sign-up ability on iOS, as that would trigger a 30 percent cut for Apple.

Why this matters: While Play Music on its own may not be compelling enough for those who prefer Spotify or Apple Music, the inclusion of YouTube Red could tip the scales. For $15 per month everyone in your family group can have their own streaming account and the ability to save YouTube videos offline and avoid YouTube ads. It’s a package that finally gives Google an attractive alternative to other streaming services.

How to enlarge display text in Windows

You can easily enlarge the text on your screen by switching to a smaller resolution...but I don’t recommend it. You’ll lose all of the advantages of high-definition (and likely get a soft-focus visual effect), and you won’t be able to put as many windows on your screen.

You’d be better off changing the settings in Windows that control the size of your text and other objects, such as icons and the taskbar. Here are instructions for Windows 7, 8, and 10.

Windows 7 & 8

Open Control Panel’s Display tool. Here you’ll find three size options: Smaller (the default you probably already have), Medium (which increases the size by 25 percent) and Larger(increases it by 50 percent).

Want more options? In Windows 7, click Set custom text size (DPI) in the Display tool’s left pane.

In Windows 8, click Custom sizing options below the Larger option.

Either way, you’ll get to the Custom DPI Setting dialog box. Here you can select another size by dragging the the ruler image horizontally. (By the way, DPI stands for “dots per inch.”)

The size of your text won’t change when you close the dialog box. But you will have a new option in the Display tool.

Windows 10

Click the Start button and select Settings > System. You won’t have to go to the Display tab; it’s the default. You’ll see a slider bar for changing the size of your text and “other items.”

That slider bar looks like a big improvement over the limited three options of the earlier version. But try using it, and you’ll quickly discover that all it offers are the same three options: 100, 125, and 150 percent.

If you want another size, click Advanced display settings near the bottom of the window, then scroll down the Advanced Display Settings window and select Advanced sizing of text and other items.

This brings you to Control Panel’s Display tool. You can click set a custom scaling level to get the Custom DPI Setting dialog box discussed above—although Windows 10 recommends against it (I didn’t encounter any problems).

For additional fine-tuning, use the “Change only the text size” tool. It allows you to change font sizes in particular contexts, such as the Title bars or Tooltips.