Sending a Fax

Every once in awhile I need to send a fax to some place. Many have purchased a 3 in 1 printer that prints, scans. and faxes. Of course they require a phone connection to do the faxing and with so many just using cell phones that feature is worthless. I have a laser printer and a simple scanner, printer, copier from HP that works great. No need for a fax... until today!

I find it interesting that you cannot scan the necessary document and email it as a PDF to them, but I have yet to find anyone who will accept that form of communications. I think it is a legal thing; the law allows for faxes but not emails.

Off I went to Google to look for a way to send a fax from my computer. There are many possible sites out there, but most require a download and come with a cost, usually monthly. All I wanted to do is send one fax.



I ended up at faxzero.net. It allowed me to send the fax and displayed a confirmation that it was received. It is all online; nothing to install on your PC. The items to be faxed may be PDF, DOC, or DOCX files. And you can send multiple files in the same fax. It was a perfect fit for what my needs were.

Lost My Windows Password

I had an old computer and forgot the password to sign in. It was not what I currently use and I tried everything I could think of to sign in. Even the password help I had set up did not give me a clue.

I went where I always go, Google, and searched for how to recover a password. I found some software I could buy to display them and a quick way to do it right from Windows.



At the sign-on screen, I pressed Ctrl+Alt+Del on the keyboard twice. Another sign in screen displayed allowing me to type in the username and password. I entered the username administrator and signed on. I  created a password when I setup the machine and fortunately I knew what it was. If I had not entered an administrator password during the original install, the password would have been left blank.

Windows started up and I was able to go into the Control Panel and Users and change the password for my normal account. I shutdown and restarted using the new password and I was back in business.

Windows 8 Classic Start Menu

I really like Windows 8. It boots faster, shuts down faster, and comes back from hibernation faster. There are some neat new apps and the Metro style Start Screen is fun to use. BUT. Yes there is a but for me...

I really wanted the machine to boot right to the desktop and I missed the easy access to applications, folders, and system areas I had with XP, Vista, and Windows 7. Sure I could poke around between the desktop and the Start Screen, but a lot more clicking was required.

Enter an app called Classic Menu. It is free forever and places the start button back on the desktop view. Windows key or click on the button to open the classic start menu. To get back to the Start Screen for Windows 8, Shift+Windows.

When you first boot the machine you go right to the desktop. Oh, you get to choose which start menu format you want to use, XP. Vista, or Windows 7. Works great and you can turn it off if you want; perhaps for training someone on basic Windows 8.

Download it at http://classicshell.sourceforge.net/

Playing Movies in Windows 8

Windows 8 is fast and clean. It is pretty and customizable for those that like to do that. You can change how things look on the start screen and even add your own icons and links.

You can use the start screen or go right to the familiar desktop view. Except for the missing start button, you might think you were still using Windows 7.

But unlike previous versions of Windows it does not have a way to watch a movie! If that is something you want to be able to do you must purchase an additional program. Windows movie player does not come with Windows.

It is available until January 31st as a free download. After that you will have to pay for it. I believe it will cost $10.

So if you have Windows 8 take advantage of the free registration while you can.

The link is http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/feature-packs