Windows 8 themes are not different from Windows 7 themes, at least not when you look at them for the first time. The process for creating and customizing themes is the same in both operating systems but the theme files that result from the process have a different file extension and they are not compatible with each other. Why is that? I really wanted to learn the answer to this question and I decided to do a bit of research on my own. Here's what I have learned:

The simple and common way to install apps in Windows Phone is to use the Store. However, this is not the only way. If you have a phone with an SD card slot and a micro SD memory card inside, you can install apps from the micro SD memory card. But why would you do this? Well, if you have a cheap Windows Phone 8 device, with little storage space, this can help you save some space. Here’s how everything works.

When accessing network shared folders from your Mac is a difficult task to do, the only solution you have left is to map a network shared folder from your Windows 7 or Windows 8 computer, so that the Mac always remembers its IP address and the credentials required to login. Here’s how it works

What prerequisites must be met in order to be able to access, from Mac OS X, network folders shared by Windows 7 and Windows 8 computers? In this article I will detail all the dependencies that must be met in order for things to work well and also suggest a solution for what to do when things go wrong. Read on to learn more.

Maria Galea’s photographs show a keen eye and a sensitive nature hiding behind the viewfinder. Although she’s only 18, Maria, originally from Malta, shows great potential and an enthusiasm for learning new things and improving her technique. Her chosen subjects, often flowers and waterscapes as well as portraits, showcase a budding talent that is just beginning to shine. Still in highschool, she intends to pursue higher education in the future and loves all the arts, especially literature and photography. To learn more about Maria and download her Malta-flavored theme for Windows 7 and Windows 8, we recommend reading her interview below.

I recently encountered weird issues with my 27" Asus LCD display. When I plugged it in, the image displayed did not fill the whole screen, everything was blurry and it looked like there was something wrong with the monitor. If you have similar issues and you are using an AMD/ATI video card, don’t hesitate to read this guide. As it turns out, this problem can be fixed relatively quickly and you don’t need any special skills to do it.

The User Account Control (UAC) implementation in Windows 7 and Windows 8 is a lot friendlier than the one in Windows Vista. In a previous tutorial we explained what UAC does, how it runs and why you should keep it turned on. Now it is time to explain how to change between the available UAC levels, so that it works the way you want it to.

This is the first time we have published a weekly episode of the “Best of the Web for Windows Users” and we did our best to include some very good recommendations for your reading. The beginning of April really caught our attention with diverse events and good materials about Windows, Windows Phone and Microsoft. We hope you will enjoy them. And, if you are happy to see this monthly series transformed into a weekly one, do let us know.

Windows 8’s Family Safety allows you to police your children’s user accounts to ensure their safety and innocence while they use the computer. Microsoft provides a helpful web interface for this service that allows you to change your settings, monitor requests from your child to change permissions for pages and apps and monitor reports of your child’s usage. While this is a great feature that is sure to help a lot of users, it isn’t for everyone. If you don’t like the web interface, or would just rather manage your Family Safety reports locally, you have the option to disable the website for your user accounts. Keep in mind that this will disable the ability for your children to send requests from their account(s).

Avira has always received recognition for the effectiveness of the security provided by their products. They are also famous for their free antivirus solution. Therefore I was keen to learn if their latest commercial product - Avira Internet Security 2013 - brings any interesting new features & usability improvements and if it manages to remain a strong security product. Let’s learn more about what it has to offer from this lengthy review.

The region or the home location is a rather hidden setting in Windows 8 which is important when using the operating system and even more important when trying to find, access and use localized apps. If you have set the wrong region, you won’t be able to find certain apps or access relevant content for your location. Here’s how to change the location in Windows 8 so that you can solve such problems.

Do you have a network with multiple devices, computers and operating systems? What does it take to set up Windows 7 and Windows 8 so that you can easily share folders, libraries and devices with the other computers that are part of the network? It turns out that the answer is: "not much". All you have to do is to double check a few settings and adjust them where appropriate.