Windows guides
How to Rebuild the BCD in Windows 10 or Windows 8.1
Repair Boot Configuration Data from Windows Recovery Environment, using Startup Repair first and Bootrec or BCDBoot only when needed.
THE JOURNAL
Windows 8
19 articles
All articles in this collection
Troubleshooting
Use DISM to Repair the Windows 8 or 8.1 Component Store (Historical)
Check and repair Windows 8/8.1 component-store corruption with DISM, then run System File Checker to repair protected system files.
Troubleshooting
SysTools Hard Drive Data Recovery for Windows — 2014 Review (Historical)
An edited archive of a 2014 hands-on review of SysTools Hard Drive Data Recovery, with current product context separated from the original test results.
Tech & reviews
Ultimate Windows Tweaker 3 for Windows 8/8.1 — Historical Review
A historical review of Ultimate Windows Tweaker 3 for Windows 8 and 8.1, with the original feature set separated from newer UWT releases.
Windows guides
How to Enable the Built-in Administrator Account in Windows 8.1 (Historical)
Enable the built-in Windows 8.1 Administrator account only when necessary, set a strong password, and disable it again after troubleshooting.
Windows guides
Windows Live Mail on Windows 8 for POP Accounts (Historical)
A historical Windows 8 guide explaining why users installed Windows Live Mail for POP support; Windows Essentials 2012 is now unsupported and unavailable from Microsoft.
Windows guides
Set Up and Sync a Microsoft Account in Windows 8 (Historical)
Historical Windows 8 guide to adding a Microsoft account and enabling the operating system's original settings-sync experience across Windows 8 devices.
Windows guides
How to Use the Settings Charm in Windows 8 — Video Guide (Historical)
Historical Windows 8 Settings and Charms guide: app search, sharing, Start, device actions, version differences and five original videos.
Windows guides
Set Up a Second Screen or Multiple Monitors in Windows 8 (Historical)
Choose and verify a Windows 8 multi-monitor layout, distinguish detection from arrangement problems, and isolate cable, input and driver faults.
Troubleshooting
Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery — 2013 Review (Historical)
Archived 2013 hands-on review of Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery after recovering files from a 2 TB drive that appeared as RAW in Windows.
Windows guides
Block USB Storage Access in Windows 8/7/Vista/XP (Historical)
Historical guidance for restricting USB mass-storage access without disabling unrelated USB keyboards, mice, printers, and other peripherals.
Troubleshooting
Repair the Master Boot Record in Windows 8 (Legacy BIOS/MBR Only, Historical)
Use Windows Recovery and Bootrec to repair master boot code on a Windows 8 installation that actually uses legacy BIOS/MBR booting.
Troubleshooting
Using Recovery Options Quickly in Windows 8 (Historical)
Historical Windows 8 guide to opening Windows Recovery Environment and choosing repair, restore, refresh, or command-line tools.
Windows guides
Understanding the Reimagined Task Manager in Windows 8 (Historical)
A tour of the redesigned Windows 8 Task Manager, including Processes, Performance, App history, Startup, Users, Details, and Services.
Windows guides
How to Disable Automatic Restart on System Failure in Windows 8, 7, Vista, and XP (Historical)
Historical Windows guide to keeping a blue-screen stop message visible by disabling automatic restart after a system failure.
Troubleshooting
Refresh Your PC in Windows 8: Repair Windows While Keeping Personal Files (Historical)
A historical Windows 8 Refresh guide covering file and app consequences, backup preparation, Windows 8/8.1 entry points, recovery failures, and the original video.
Tech & reviews
Windows 8: Reimagined Era of Computing Now Begins (Historical Launch-Day Commentary)
Original Windows 8 launch-day commentary with a checked 2012 RTM, MSDN/TechNet and public-release timeline, plus historical upgrade-offer context.
Windows guides
SSD Performance Tips for Windows 8, 7, Vista, and XP — Historical Guide
Updated historical SSD guidance explaining AHCI, TRIM, Windows drive optimization, indexing, write caching, and what not to disable on modern SSD-aware Windows releases.
Windows guides
Microsoft Introduced Its New Logo in 2012 — Historical Archive
Archive note on Microsoft introducing its four-color square logo and Segoe wordmark in August 2012, its first major corporate logo change since 1987.