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Organize your intranet with SharePoint hub sites

New SharePoint hub sites make organizing and connecting your intranet easy. 

As business goals and team structures evolve, so too must your sites and the content that lives within them. Ideas must flourish and grow, not become rigid or stale. SharePoint hub sites bring flexible, dynamic building blocks to your company intranet – connecting collaboration and communication. Associating sites together in a hub site enhances discovery and engagement with content, while creating a complete and consistent representation of your project, department or region.

Microsoft first disclosed SharePoint hub sites during Ignite 2017. And recently they announced that they are now rolling out to Targeted Release customers in Office 365. Microsoft encouraged by early adopter feedback, can’t wait for every customer to use and adopt them.

SharePoint hub sites bring the following new capabilities to you and your intranet:

  • Cross-site navigation – increase visibility of and navigation among associated sites
  • Content rollup – read aggregated news and discover related site activities
  • Consistent look-and-feel – establish a common theme to improve visitor awareness of connected sites
  • Scoped search – focus on finding content that resides within the hub site’s associated sites

Hub sites support good governance, giving admins a growth framework to maintain relationships between sites over time. They are easy for admins to establish and bring efficiencies for people who work inside and across the sites on a day-to-day basis. And when managing change within the business, it is easy to move a site from one hub site to another.

 

Getting started with SharePoint hub sites in Office 365

You can convert an existing communication site or modern team time into a hub site, or you can start with a brand-new modern site. We recommend selecting a communication site as the hub site. You can associate multiple team sites and communication sites to model and promote an intranet that reflects the way your people organize. It is easy for admins to create one or more hub sites. After a hub site is created, approved site owners can associate existing team sites and communication sites with the hub site.

 

Use the SharePoint Online Management Shell to establish your hub sites

Admins, you are the enablers. And the SharePoint Online Management Shell (aka, PowerShell for SharePoint in Office 365) is your enabling tool of choice.

The PowerShell cmdlet you’ll want to get most familiar with is: Register-SPOHubSite https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/HR (where HR URL is the full-path address of the existing site that you want to convert into a hub site). You then will assign a unique security group to designate approved site owners that can associate sites to this new hub. You simply create a mail-enabled security group and add the users. You then run an additional PowerShell command to give that group permissions to associate their sites to the hub site.

Note: You must be a SharePoint administrator or above in Office 365 to create SharePoint hub sites. Site owners, however, can associate a SharePoint site with a hub site that already exists.

Learn more how admins create and manage hub sites.

 

Associating a site under a hub site

Once a hub site is established, it’s then a two-click process to associate to the hub site.

As the site owner, go to the site you want to have associated to the hub site. Click Settings (gear icon) > Site information > hub site association and select the desired hub.  You’ll only see the hubs you have permission to associate to. And then click Save. You will see the hub navigation appear above. The site itself will inherit the hub theme, and news and activities will begin to flow up to the hub site home page – along with a search crawl of content for any site associated to the hub site. And at any time, per a reorg or change in business direction, you can easily move sites between hub sites. This is the power of a dynamic intranet, one that can change and adapt with the ebb and flow of your ever-changing business landscape. Note: individual sites can only be associated to one hub site at a time.

Note: Sites associated with a SharePoint hub site don’t inherit the permissions of the hub site or any other sites associated with it. Each site, including the hub site, will retain their current permission settings. And as easy as it is to associate a site to a hub site, you, too, can dissaciate from one.

Learn more how to associate and dissociate your sites to and from hub sites.

 

Design your layout and choose you theme

Once the hub site has been established, you’ll then want to further set it up and refine it for that organization — so the hub site carries the right name and logo, the preferred navigation elements, a preferred theme, and the desired layout for news, sites and highlighted content. And all will re-flow and present beautifully within the SharePoint mobile apps.

The SharePoint mobile apps will display hub sites, and their pages, news, and content, with smooth navigation between associated sites and the scoped search experience. Find what you need on the go and get going! Install or update the SharePoint mobile app today: aka.ms/getSPmobile.

Microsoft teases Windows 10’s sleek new look for the future

“Project Neon” will give your Windows 10 PC a fresh coat of paint later in 2017.

Microsoft’s planning a sleek visual refresh for Windows 10, and the company quietly teased its first official glimpse of what’s coming in the future during the Windows Developer Day keynote on Wednesday.

There aren’t many details being shared about “Project Neon” right now—as the refresh was called in earlier leaks—but the new visual look will focus on animations and transitions. The basic concept is “to add fluidity, animation, and blur to apps and the operating system,” as first reported by Windows Central. The new design language also hopes to make it easier for developers to create attractive apps.

The design refresh should extend to all Windows 10 devices including PCs and tablets, HoloLens, Xbox, and the few surviving Windows Phones, according to Windows Central.

Twitter user Tom Hounsell shared a clean version of Microsoft’s first look at Windows 10’s forthcoming design tweaks. The image shown on the livestream had large text overlaid on top of the screenshot.

As you can see, this isn’t a huge change, but the visual refresh gives Windows 10 a sleeker, more modern feel. The taskbar icons look a little more dynamic and bolder. Cortana is using the icon instead of the search box, though it’s not clear if this will be the default look. The clock on the taskbar is also bolder, and the usual notification area icons including the Action Center are notably absent. The open Groove Music window itself looks more polished and Aero-esque as well, with no title bar to be seen—just unobtrusive options in the app’s upper-right corner.

The impact on you at home: Windows Central says that some of the code for Project Neon is already available in recent Insider Preview builds of Windows 10; however, it’s unlikely the visual refresh will be ready in time for the massive Creators Update this spring. Microsoft is expected to share more information about Neon during the Build conference in May. The Creators Update is expected to roll out in late March or early April, followed by a second major update later in 2017.

Have questions?

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Call us at: 856-745-9990 or visit: https://southjerseytechies.net/

South Jersey Techies, LL C is a full Managed Web and Technology Services Company providing IT Services, Website Design Services, Server Support, Network Consulting, Internet Phones, Cloud Solutions Provider and much more. Contact for More Information.

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Use multiple monitors with Windows 7’s Remote Desktop Connection

In Windows 7 you can connect to a remote computer and take full advantage of your local system’s multiple monitors. Here’s how.

If you’re using multiple monitors on your system setup and you regularly connect to other systems via Remote Desktop, you know how frustrating it is to go from a multiple-monitor display to a single-monitor display for your remote connection. If so, you’ll definitely want to learn how you can take advantage of multiple monitors in Microsoft Windows 7’s Remote Desktop Connection.

However, before going any further it is important to understand right off the bat that multiple-monitors support in Windows 7’s Remote Desktop is available only on Windows 7 Ultimate and Windows 7 Enterprise. (It is also available in Windows Server 2008 R2.) Furthermore, both the local and remote systems must be running one of the supported versions. For example, Windows 7 Ultimate is running on the local and Windows 7 Enterprise is running on the remote.

As long as you have the proper configuration, Windows 7 provides you with real multiple-monitor support as opposed to the monitor-spanning feature that was introduced in the previous version of Remote Desktop Connection. This means that in Windows 7 you can use this feature to connect to a remote computer and take full advantage of your local system’s multiple monitors on your remote system.

In this edition of the Windows Desktop Report, we’ll describe Windows 7’s Remote Desktop support for multiple monitors and show you how to configure it for connecting to other Windows 7 systems. we’ll also show you how to use Remote Desktop’s monitor-spanning feature when connecting to, and from, Windows versions that do not support the multiple-monitors feature.

What’s the difference?

Before we get started, let’s take a moment to discuss the different types of Remote Desktop monitor configurations you can have when using a system with multiple monitors. In the standard type of connection, Remote Desktop displays the remote system in a window on one monitor. In a connection configured with the monitor-spanning feature, Remote Desktop displays the remote system in a window on one monitor but allows you to drag or span that window across multiple monitors. In a connection configured with the multiple-monitors feature, Remote Desktop makes the remote system behave as if it were physically connected to multiple monitors. Each of these configurations is illustrated in Figure A.

Figure A

There are three types of configurations you can use when using Remote Desktop on a system with multiple monitors.

Configuring a multiple-monitors connection

If you have the proper setup, configuring Windows 7’s Remote Desktop multiple-monitor feature is easy. To begin, Launch Remote Desktop Connection and select the system you want to connect to with multiple-monitor support from the Computer drop-down list. Then, click the Options button to expand the Remote Desktop Connection window so that you can see all the tabs. Next, choose the Display tab and select the Use All My Monitors for the Remote Session check box, as shown in Figure B. To complete the procedure, return to the General tab and click the Save button.

Figure B

Selecting the Use All My Monitors for the Remote Session check box is all that is needed to enable the multiple-monitor feature.

When you connect to the remote system, the remote system’s monitor will instantly fill your multiple monitors, just as if it were physically connected to the monitors.

Configuring a monitor-spanning connection

As mentioned, in a connection configured with the monitor-spanning feature, Remote Desktop allows you to drag or span the window across multiple monitors. However, there are a couple of caveats. First your multiple monitors must have the same screen resolution. Second, the monitors must be aligned, or positioned, side-by-side. Third, the combined screen resolution of your multiple monitors must be under 4096 x 2048.

To launch Remote Desktop Connection with monitor-spanning support, just click the Start button and type the following command in the Start Search box. (Alternatively, you can open a Command Prompt window and type the same command.)

Mstsc /span

When you do, you’ll see the standard Remote Desktop Connection dialog box, and you can launch the connection as you normally would. As soon as you make a connection, you’ll immediately see the desktop of the remote system spread across your multiple monitors. If you need to have access to both the local and remote desktops, you can reduce the size of the remote system’s desktop to only one monitor by clicking the Restore Down button on the Remote Desktop window. As a shortcut, you can also use the keystroke: [Ctrl][Alt][Break].

Once the window is on one monitor, you use click and drag to resize the window to completely cover a single monitor. Keep in mind that when you reduce the size of a spanned remote widow, it will display both horizontal and vertical scroll bars, as shown in Figure C, that you’ll have to use to see the entire screen. However, you can instantly span the window by clicking the Maximize button.

Figure C

When you resize the remote desktop’s spanned window, you’ll have to use scroll bars to view the entire screen.

Creating a shortcut

Of course, using a command line to launch your Remote Desktop connection isn’t the most convenient way to use the monitor-spanning feature. Chances are that you already have a Remote Desktop Connection RDP file saved on your desktop. If so, you can create a standard Windows shortcut that will incorporate both the special command line and your RDP file.

To begin, right-click anywhere on the desktop and then select New | Shortcut from the context menu. When you see the Create Shortcut wizard, just type mstsc /span and the path to the RDP file in the text box, as shown in Figure D. Be sure that you enclose the path to the RDP file in double quotes if the path has spaces in it. To continue, click Next and give the shortcut an appropriate name, such as Saturn – Remote Spanning, and then click Finish.

Figure D

You can create a standard Windows shortcut that will incorporate both the special command line and your RDP file.

You can now use this shortcut to launch your remote desktop connection and span the Remote Desktop window across all the available space on your multiple monitors. Of course, the spanned desktop won’t exactly behave like a multiple-monitor setup when you open multiple windows. As such you’ll have to use a little creative click-and-drag resizing to reposition the windows on the spanned desktop.

Have questions?

Get answers from Microsofts Cloud Solutions Partner!
Call us at: 856-745-9990 or visit: https://southjerseytechies.net/

South Jersey Techies, LL C is a full Managed Web and Technology Services Company providing IT Services, Website Design Services, Server Support, Network Consulting, Internet Phones, Cloud Solutions Provider and much more. Contact for More Information.

To read this article in its entirety click here.http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/windows-and-office/use-multiple-monitors-with-windows-7s-remote-desktop-connection/

Change and customize Windows 7’s Logon screen wallpaper

In this edition of the Windows Vista and Windows 7 Report, we show you how to change Windows 7’s Logon screen wallpaper.

While experimenting with several Microsoft Windows 7 systems recently, we spent a lot of time staring at the Logon screen. During that time, we began to think about changing the Logon screen wallpaper. Now, we have changed the Logon screen wallpaper in just about every version of Windows we’ve used, so we know that there had to be a way to do so.

When we began to investigate the procedure in Windows 7, we discovered that changing the Logon screen wallpaper in the newest version of the Windows operating system is easy, once you know the steps — and you don’t even need any third-party software to do it.

In order to make it easy for OEMs to customize Windows 7, Microsoft built the ability to change the Logon screen wallpaper right in to the operating system. In this edition of the Windows Vista and Windows 7 Report, we’ll show you how to change Windows 7’s Logon screen wallpaper.

A Registry tweak

The process begins with a very minor Registry tweak. Even for those who would not normally feel comfortable editing the Registry, this one’s a piece of cake. To begin, click the Start button and type Regedit in the Search box. Then, select the appropriate result and press [Enter]. When you do, you’ll see the User Account Control, shown in Figure A, and will need to click the Yes button.Note: Editing the Windows Registry file is not without its risks, so be sure you have a verified backup before making any changes.

Figure A

You will encounter a UAC when you launch the Registry Editor.

Once the Registry Editor launches, locate and right-click on HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE key and select the Find command. When you see the Find dialog box, type OEMBackground in the text box and make sure that only the Values check box is selected, as shown in Figure B.

Figure B

Type OEMBackground in the Find dialog box.

When the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Authentication\LogonUI\Background key opens, locate and double-click the OEMBackground value. When you see the Edit DWORD dialog box, change the value data from 0 to 1, as shown in Figure C. (If the OEMBackground value doesn’t exist in the Background key, you’ll need to pull down the Edit menu from that key and select New | DWORD (32-bit) Value).

Figure C

Change the value data from 0 to 1.

To complete this part of the operation, click OK to close the Edit DWORD dialog box and then close the Registry Editor.

Creating folders

In the second part of the operation, you’ll need to create a couple of folders. To begin, launch Windows Explorer. Then navigate to the C:\Windows\System32\Oobe folder. Once you access the Oobe folder, click the New Folder button in the Windows Explorer toolbar. You’ll see a confirmation dialog box, like the one shown in Figure D. When you click Continue, the new folder will be created and you can name it info.

Figure D

When you click the New Folder button, you’ll encounter a confirmation dialog box.

Then, open the info folder, click the New Folder button again, work through the confirmation dialog box, and then name the second new folder backgrounds.

Configuring the wallpaper

You can use any image that you want for your new Logon screen wallpaper. However, the image has to be in JPG format and you need to name it backgroundDefault.jpg. When you copy your file to the Windows\System32\Oobe\info\backgrounds folder, you’ll encounter and will need to work through a confirmation dialog box similar to the one shown in Figure D.

Two other things to keep in mind: First, the actual file size of backgroundDefault.jpg cannot exceed 256 KB. Second, you’ll want to use an image whose dimensions match the screen resolution that you are using. If you use a file whose dimensions are smaller, the image will be stretched and may appear distorted.

Altering shadows

As you know, the button and the text used to identify your user account on the Logon screen have shadows behind them to give them a 3D-like look, and these shadows work well with the default Logon screen wallpaper. Depending on what image you use for your new Logon screen wallpaper, these shadows might not work so well.

In addition to making it easy to change the Logon screen wallpaper, Microsoft also made it easy to adjust or disable the text and button shadows to accommodate your particular image.

To alter the shadows, launch the Registry Editor again as described above and access the

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Authentication\LogonUI folder

Once you open the LogonUI folder, you’ll create a new DWORD value called ButtonSet, as shown in Figure E. You can then configure the shadow by setting the value data to one of the following numbers:

  • 0 — Light shadow
  • 1 — Dark shadow
  • 2 — No shadow

Figure E

The ButtonSet value allows you to adjust or disable the text and button shadows.

Have questions?

Get answers from Microsofts Cloud Solutions Partner!
Call us at: 856-745-9990 or visit: https://southjerseytechies.net/

South Jersey Techies, LL C is a full Managed Web and Technology Services Company providing IT Services, Website Design Services, Server Support, Network Consulting, Internet Phones, Cloud Solutions Provider and much more. Contact for More Information.

To read this article in its entirety click here.

Microsoft Releases Emergency Fixes for Windows Server, VPN bugs

Microsoft has released emergency out-of-band (OOB) updates to address multiple issues caused by Windows Updates issued during the January 2022 Patch Tuesday.

January 2022 Patch Tuesday

This update addresses issues related to VPN connectivity, Windows Server Domain Controllers restarting, Virtual Machines start failures, and ReFS-formatted removable media failing to mount.

All OOB updates released are available for download on the Microsoft Update Catalog, and some of them can also be installed directly through Windows Update as optional updates. You will have to manually check for updates if you want to install the emergency fixes through Windows Update because they are optional updates and will not install automatically.

Windows 10 – KB5010793
Details Here

Option 1: Run Windows Update, KB5010793 will appear under optional download.

Option 2: Download the patch from there: Microsoft Update Catalog
Please download the matching Windows 10 Version.

Windows 11 – KB5010795 or KB5008353 (may vary based on Windows Edition)
Details Here

Option 1: Run Windows Update, KB5010795 will appear under optional download. Select and install.

Option 2: Download the patch from there: Microsoft Update Catalog

If you have any questions, please email us at support@sjtechies.com or call us at (856) 745-9990.

 

L2TP VPN Connections Break as part of January 2022 Patch Tuesday

Update 1/28/2022: South Jersey Techies has released OOB updates to fix the Windows L2TP VPN connection issues.

Microsoft released Windows updates to fix security vulnerabilities and bugs as part of the January 2022 Patch Tuesday that came with fixes for six zero-day vulnerabilities and a total of 97 flaws.

These updates also included KB5009566 for Windows 11 and KB5009543 for Windows 10 2004, 20H1, and 21H1.

Problems are being reported rapidly from Windows 10 users and administrators who are trying to make L2TP VPN connections after installing the recent Windows 10 KB5009543 and Windows 11 KB5009566 cumulative updates and receiving the error below. L2TP VPN connections are being reported as broken when attempting to connect using the Windows VPN client by Windows users.

You will also receive an error code in the Event Log entries, code 789, stating that the connection to the VPN failed.

The bug is not affecting all VPN devices and seems only to be affecting users using the built-in Windows VPN client to make the connection. Some users have reported the bug affecting their Ubiquiti Site-to-Site VPN connections for those using the Windows VPN client. The bug also affects connections to SonicWall, Cisco Meraki, and WatchGuard Firewalls, with the latter’s client also affected by the bug.

How to fix the break?

Admins have been forced to remove the KB5009566 and KB5009543 updates, which immediately fixes the L2TP VPN connections on reboot.

However, you face the risk of removing all fixes for vulnerabilities patches released during the January 2022 Patch Tuesday when removing the update due to Microsoft’s bundling of all security updates in a single Windows cumulative update.

Weighing the risks of unpatched vulnerabilities versus the disruption caused by the inability to connect to VPN connections is something all Windows admins need to consider, carefully.

Microsoft’s January 2022 Patch Tuesday fixed numerous vulnerabilities in the Windows Internet Key Exchange (IKE) protocol (CVE-2022-21843, CVE-2022-21890, CVE-2022-21883, CVE-2022-21889, CVE-2022-21848, and CVE-2022-21849) and in the Windows Remote Access Connection Manager (CVE-2022-21914 and CVE-2022-21885) that could be causing the problems.

Unfortunately, there is no known fix or workaround for the L2TP VPN connection issues at this time.

If you have any questions, please email us at support@sjtechies.com or call us at (856) 745-9990.

How Microsoft rebounded to outshine Apple

As more consumers grow disenchanted with Apple, Microsoft has taken the opportunity to cash in on the growing popularity of Surface devices.

Microsoft claims that more people are switching to Surface devices from Macs than ever before. That’s a concept that would have been hard to picture when Microsoft first released the Microsoft Surface RT and Surface Pro in 2012 and 2013, respectively. The Surface RT suffered from a watered-down version of the new — and generally disliked — Windows 8 operating system and, while the Surface Pro featured the full desktop version, it came with hardware limitations and a high price tag.

In a sea of clam shell notebooks, all vying to be thinner and lighter than the last, the Surface clumsily debuted as a confusing mashup of a tablet and a laptop. And people didn’t like it. RT users complained of the limited functionality and never-ending bugs, while Surface Pro users were forced to pay a high price just to avoid Windows RT. In fact, the Surface RT did so poorly that Microsoft had to take a $900 million dollar write-down after drastically cutting the price of the device.

The backlash even made some question whether or not we were witnessing the end of Microsoft. It might seem dramatic now in 2016, but in 2013, people really missed the Start menu. Instead, Microsoft listened to consumers’ complaints to find a balance between the company’s vision and what consumers wanted. And it worked — Microsoft has regained credibility and popularity by creating new products that didn’t simply mimic or improve upon what was already out there.

Apple’s identity crisis

For a company once targeting modern, creative professionals, it’s hard to tell who Apple makes products for anymore. Apple’s devices now feel tailored to a low-tech crowd, or people who like new tech, but just aren’t that interested in specs. They want a reliable, easy-to-use device that just works. But where does that leave the original fan base of creative workers who need high-performance and cutting edge features? Apple hasn’t left this industry with many options — and at this point, you can get more for your money in graphics and performance on a Surface Book than a Macbook Pro. Plus, with the newly announced Microsoft Studio, there is finally a strong alternative to the iMac — with a touch display, no less.

Apple’s compromise is the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, which features a dynamic touch bar replacing the row of function keys on the keyboard. The display changes depending on settings and the app you’re using; it’s a cool feature, and certainly useful, but it’s a confusing message. If the iPad Pro is competing with hybrid notebooks like the Surface Pro 4, but Apple doesn’t think people want touch-displays on a notebook, then does that make the iPad Pro a giant iPad?

Microsoft is focused on touch-based input — in fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find even a mid-ranged PC that doesn’t at least offer the option of an upgrade to a touch display. The two companies have taken different stances, but in siding with touch, Microsoft has more to offer in each of its devices. If you want a notebook that can sometimes be a tablet, or a tablet that can sometimes be a notebook, you can purchase just one device instead of two.

Microsoft has focused on developing a family of Surface devices that can suit a wide range of users. It starts with the lower-end Surface 3, which is a great device for anyone who just wants a computer to surf the web and use basic apps. The Surface Pro 4 acts as a step up in size and hardware, with configurations for anyone from light users to those who need more performance. And now, with the Surface Book and Surface Studio, even those who need the highest end configurations for heavy-duty video or image editing have an option.

The Surface in pop culture

Remember when Windows users were the boring, out of touch, suit-wearing nerds in commercials, and a Mac user was the hipster CEO of a startup — that guy in 2006 who wore hoodies and scootered to all his meetings? That landscape has changed a lot since then, and now Microsoft is the one calling out Apple on selling outdated hardware and falling behind the curve.

Microsoft has clearly made a push to get the Surface in front of consumers anyway possible — CNN commentators used the devices in this year’s debates, but it was later discovered they were using them to hide their iPads. Hulu’s The Mindy Project also features Mindy Kaling’s character using a Surface Book, with one very obvious instance of product marketing, where she very purposefully ejects the display from the keyboard. And what New Englander can forget when the Surface Pro 4 made headlines after Patriot’s coach, Bill Belichick, became so frustrated with the technology that he spiked it onto the field.

These might not be the most positive representations of the brand, but the visibility of the device seems to be working. In places where it used to be a sea of aluminum notebooks, featuring the familiar, backlit Apple logo, we’re starting to see some diversity.

Just as it wasn’t the end of Microsoft in 2013, it’s now Apple’s chance to step out of the spotlight and make some changes. But there’s nothing like a little healthy competition to help spark new, creative designs and that’s exactly what motivated Microsoft to step back, refocus and come back strong.

Have questions?

Get answers from Microsofts Cloud Solutions Partner!
Call us at: 856-745-9990 or visit: https://southjerseytechies.net/

South Jersey Techies, LL C is a full Managed Web and Technology Services Company providing IT Services, Website Design Services, Server Support, Network Consulting, Internet Phones, Cloud Solutions Provider and much more. Contact for More Information.

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Killer keyboard shortcuts to help you master Windows

These Windows keyboard shortcuts help you navigate your PC faster, master documents, wrangle various virtual desktops, and shut down and secure a computer, using just a few keys.windows-keyboardDespite notable advancements in speech-recognition technology and voice input, and the popularity of tablets, the humble PC continues to be the workhorse device of choice for many workers around the world. And whether you’re an office-bound professional slouched behind a desktop PC, or a globetrotting executives armed with the latest ultrabook, the “physical” hardware keyboard continues to play a crucial role in productivity.The last thing you want in the heat of the moment is to fumble around for a mouse or have to take multiple steps to complete a task that could be done with a quick keyboard shortcut. Of course, learning and remembering such shortcuts can be hard work, and you’ll need to take some time to find the appropriate shortcuts for you.We’re here to assist. This list of valuable Windows keyboard shortcuts will help you work smarter and faster.

Keyboard shortcuts for the Windows surfer

windows-surfer

If you hope to master Windows keyboard shortcuts, you should start with the Windows desktop. The following shortcuts let you toggle between app windows and quickly resize them without having to reach for a mouse or align your apps.

  • Windows key (a.k.a., “Winkey“) + D.  Minimize all app windows and jump straight to the desktop. Hit the shortcut again to bring all apps back to the foreground.
  • Winkey + Comma. Take a quick peek at your desktop, and then release the keys to snap all apps back to the foreground.
  • Winkey + Left Arrow, or Winkey + Right Arrow. Dock your app windows to the left or right of the screen.
  • Winkey + Down Arrow, or Winkey + Up Arrow. Maximize or minimize a selected app. Or dock your app windows to the top or bottom of your display, when app windows are already docked to the left or right.
  • F11 – Toggle an active window in and out of full screen mode.
  • Ctrl + Esc – Bring up your Start menu. (This is particularly helpful if you use a keyboard that doesn’t have a Winkey.)

Windows keyboard shortcuts for the Kung Fu typer

These useful shortcuts help zoom the cursor around your page much quicker than if you use a mouse or trackpad.

  • Ctrl + Right Arrow, or Ctrl + Left Arrow. Move the cursor one word to the right or left.
  • Ctrl + Down Arrow, or Ctrl + Up Arrow. Move the cursor to the start or end of the next or previous paragraph.
  • Ctrl + Z, or Ctrl + Y. Undo or redo almost any action, as long as the app supports the feature.

Windows keyboard shortcuts for virtual desktop Jujutsu

Long a staple feature in Linux and the Mac, Microsoft finally officially incorporated virtual desktops into its Windows 10 OS. The indispensable feature lets you create additional desktops to better manage multiple app windows.

  • Winkey + Ctrl + D, or Winkey + Ctrl + F4. Create or close a virtual desktop.
  • Winkey + Ctrl + Left Arrow, or Winkey + Ctrl +Right Arrow. Toggle through your virtual desktops.
  • Winkey + Tab. Display the “Task View” interface for an overview of all virtual desktops. You can use the Arrow keys to toggle through desktops if you also hit Tab when in this mode. Hit Enter to jump to a selected desktop.

Windows keyboard shortcuts for the browser ninja

You’ve probably used a web browser for as long as you’ve had a computer, but do you take full advantage of keyboard shortcuts for browser navigation? These browser shortcuts all work the in latest versions of Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome.

  • Alt + D. Put the cursor into the browser’s address bar.
  • Ctrl + W, or Ctrl + T. Close or open a new browser tab.
  • Ctrl + Shift + T. Reopen the last browser tab you closed. (This comes in handy when if you hit Ctrl + W too quickly.)
  • Ctrl + Plus sign, or Ctrl + Minus sign. Zoom in and out on a web page. Reset the zoom level with Ctrl + 0.
  • Ctrl + Tab, or Ctrl + Shift + Tab. Toggle to the next browser tab from left to right, or from right to left.
  • Alt + Right Arrow, or Alt + Left Arrow. Browse forward or backward through recently visited websites. These shortcuts perform the same function as a browser’sForward and Back buttons.

Windows keyboard shortcuts for locking up and shutting down

This guide wouldn’t be complete without some shortcuts that help you shut down your PC and then lock things up.

  • Winkey + L. Immediately lock your PC.
  • Ctrl + Shift + Esc. Open the Task Manager to monitor app or forcibly shut down frozen programs.
  • Alt + F4. Close an active app. Using this shortcut key when your desktop is at the forefront invokes the “Shut Down Windows” prompt.

Have questions?

Get answers from Microsofts Cloud Solutions Partner!
Call us at: 856-745-9990 or visit: https://southjerseytechies.net/

South Jersey Techies, LL C is a full Managed Web and Technology Services Company providing IT Services, Website Design Services, Server Support, Network Consulting, Internet Phones, Cloud Solutions Provider and much more. Contact for More Information.

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Office 2010 is Retiring

The popular Microsoft Office 2010 is reaching end of support in a few months. To avoid security risks, it’s time to upgrade to a newer version of Office. The good news is that you have options.

drawing of a man holding a laptop in front of a very large laptop with "update" on the screen and a wrench in front

What Does End of Support Mean?

Microsoft Office 2010 has been a popular version of the application over the last decade. The unfortunate news is that support for it ends this fall — on October 13, 2020, to be exact. All of your Office 2010 apps will continue to function. However, using an unsupported version of any software exposes your computer to serious and potentially harmful security risks. Microsoft will no longer provide technical support, bug fixes, or security fixes for Office 2010 vulnerabilities that may be subsequently reported or discovered. This includes security updates that help protect your PC from harmful viruses, spyware, and other malicious software.

  • You’ll no longer receive Office 2010 software updates from Microsoft Update.
  • You’ll no longer receive phone or chat technical support.
  • No further updates to support content will be provided, and most online help content will be retired.
  • Another difficulty you may face is incompatibility with some of the newer programs and file formats.

If you’re using Office 2010, it’s probably a good time to upgrade your version of Microsoft Office.

Upgrade Options

The best way to protect yourself and your organization is to upgrade to a newer version of Office:

  • Cloud upgrade: Subscriptions to Microsoft 365
  • On-premises upgrade: Office Standard 2019

Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 is an all-in-one cloud solution with a number of different licensing options to fit your organization’s needs. The best part about cloud-based applications is that you no longer have to worry about retirements, patches, and end of support. Cloud licenses are automatically updated with new features, new applications, and security updates. Many cloud subscriptions also include installed (or desktop) versions of the application, so you can have the same look and feel of the Office applications you are accustomed to using, but built with more robust features and benefits.

Microsoft Office Standard 2019

Microsoft Office Standard 2019 is the latest version of the on-premises version of the office suite and is a good option for you if you are not ready for the cloud version at this time. This version of Office includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, and Publisher.

If you have any questions, please email us at support@sjtechies.com or call us at (856) 745-9990.

Teams Vs. Zoom

6 Microsoft Teams features Zoom doesn’t have

One of the major news in March 2016 was that Microsoft was considering bidding $8 billion to purchase Slack. However, Bill Gates and the team decided that instead of buying Slack, they would develop their own chat app tool. Teams is mostly a Slack alternative, but it’s also meant to replace Skype for Business, which up until recently was Microsoft’s corporate video conferencing service. The app’s main functionality is the group chat that comes with plenty of features. Some of these features include editing, deleting, pinning messages, as well as starting a new thread and sharing files. You can even send .gif images, as well as emojis. Possibly due to Skype’s legacy, Teams includes a bunch of video features that Zoom doesn’t. There are real-time captions, built-in meeting notes, and a bizarre feature where you can pretend you’re in the same room as your coworkers!

To be clear: Zoom is a perfectly capable and liked solution. That doesn’t mean other apps are not offering anything interesting, and Microsoft in particular is trying a bunch of new things in the space. Here are a few highlights.

  1. Built-in meeting notes
  2. Persistent chat with rich formatting
  3. Blurred background
  4. Virtual classroom with your coworkers
  5. Live captions
  6. Included with Microsoft subscription

1. Built-in meeting notes

Zoom is a video conferencing app—and that’s about it. What happens if you’re in the middle of an important meeting, but need a way to take some notes? You think you’d have to use Microsoft Word or another program, but did you know that Teams has its own meeting notes feature, too? Microsoft Teams is built around the idea that it will be the all in one tool you use for all collaboration: team chat, video calls, and even internal documentation.

Meeting Notes in Microsoft Teams

Click Meeting notes, and a new tab for meeting minutes will be created in the current channel.

Notes get saved as part of the meeting itself, and can go anywhere with you, and will be saved for later or for sharing with your coworkers.

Meeting notes link in the Teams channel

This is a quick way to ensure there’s a written record of the meeting in a place where everyone can access it, which is very slick.

Meeting Notes in Teams is a great way to capture every detail about your meetings on the platform. You can take and access notes before, during, and after a meeting in Teams. So, keep all your notes in one place while sharing them with your colleagues.

2. Persistent chat with rich formatting 

Zoom chat is very simple. Microsoft Teams’ chat for meetings, on the other hand, has more formatting features than AIM.

Formatting in Teams' meeting chat

We’re not sure if you have the multitasking skills to format text during a meeting, but it’s there if you want it. And this is just the beginning—there’s a large sticker collection and, for some reason, a meme creator. Imagine how much fun this can make your meetings!

Meme generator in Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams also keeps a record of the chat from every meeting and posts all comments in the channel.

Meeting chat record in Microsoft Teams

Have you ever lost track of helpful links and information during a Zoom meeting? With Teams, you can review the comments after the meeting, and any points made there can be found using search alongside the rest of your chats. It’s easy to see why this is useful.

3. Blur your background

Zoom backgrounds are, at this point, an important part of our collective human culture—the ultimate form of self-expression. With this best practice, you can have your meeting almost anywhere, and disguise whatever happens in the background around you. Naturally, Microsoft Teams offers custom backgrounds for meetings.

4. Pretend you’re in the same room as your coworkers

Zoom  has two views that you can switch between. Speaker View and Gallery View: essentially, you can see the person talking right now or see everyone at once. Microsoft Teams adds another: Together Mode. Everyone on the call is shown as though they’re sitting next to each other in some kind of classroom, or sporting event like we’ve seen on TV with the NBA,MLB, NHS and NFL.

Together Mode in Microsoft Teams

This is optional, and turning it on only changes things on your screen. 

Is this useful? No. Will it make you feel slightly less alone during a year in which in-person interaction is rare? No. Is it somewhat amusing? Yes.

5. Live captions

Teams can detect what’s said in a meeting and present real-time captions. And, if you’ve turned on the new meeting experience, your captions will include speaker attribution—so you’ll see not only what’s being said, but who’s saying it. 

Zoom offers a closed captioning feature, but someone has to manually type them out. Microsoft’s system recognizes speech automatically. Live captions can make your meeting more inclusive to participants who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, people with different levels of language proficiency, and participants in loud places by giving them another way to follow along.

6. There’s a good chance you’re already paying for it

Zoom is free, but the free version limits meetings to 40 minutes. Microsoft Teams’ free version has no such restrictions for video meetings.

There’s also a good chance you’re already paying for the full version. Microsoft Teams is included with every version of Microsoft 365 for business. This means that, if your company pays for a Microsoft Office subscription, you already have access to Teams. You should probably give it a chance and consider not paying for Zoom and/or Slack on top of it.

Features

  • Group and private chat.
  • Video calling, audio calling, and screen sharing.
  • Schedule video calling.
  • Thread messaging.
  • Works seamlessly with any other Office app.
  • Up to 250 people per video call.
  • Over 270 integrations.
  • Available in 53 languages.

Best for

  • Microsoft-centric teams.
  • Organizations that want to keep ideas organized and compartmentalized.

If you have any questions, please email us at support@sjtechies.com or call us at (856) 745-9990.

 

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