IT Tips - July 2014

IT Tips – July 2014

Happy birthday to the United States of America! I hope everyone had a safe (and FUN) 4^th of July weekend.

What’s Inside:

Tech Section

      ·         Windows 8/Lenovo Yoga tips!

                  o   My ‘Set Regarding’ button is gone REDUX!! (Windows 8 /Yoga edition)

                  o   How do I reboot this thing (Windows 8 /Yoga edition)?! 

Windows 8/Lenovo Yoga Tips

First, I want to say sorry to the Window 7 users out there. Unfortunately, this tip isn’t for you. I know, it’s a sad day but you’ve been getting all the attention for years. Our now-Windows 8-Users in the field need some love.

Our wonderful field staff is now equipped with Lenovo Yoga ultrabook convertible laptops running Windows 8.1. This new version of Windows is not without its share of challenges so I thought I’d devote July’s tip to making the lives of our Windows 8 users a bit easier (there are a couple in the Home office as well). 

My Set Regarding Button is Gone (and I’m using Windows 8)!

Deja vu! Another IT Tip about the CRM Outlook client. However, this one is a bit different (which why I’ve been babbling about Windows 8).

You may find that on occasion your CRM buttons will be greyed out and un-clickable (or not there at all!). This occurs for the same reason as it did on your old laptop: you must always connect to the VPN before opening Outlook.

The good news is that Windows 8 machines with Outlook 2010 seem to recover a bit better from this condition. In most cases it’s really easy to fix the problem.

If the CRM buttons are not working on your Windows 8 computer, try these steps first:

1.       Reboot your PC.

2.       Connect to the VPN.

3.       Wait for the VPN to say that it’s connected.

4.       Open Outlook.

The new computers will often automatically fix the CRM buttons if you follow this method.

If the first method doesn’t work, follow these steps:

**Ensure that Outlook is closed and that you’re connected to the VPN**

- Click the Start button (bottom-left).

- At the Start screen, type diagnostics (remember that you can start typing on the Start screen anytime) and click the “Diagnostics” icon that appears.

- Go to the “Advanced Troubleshooting” tab and then click the “Enable” button.

- Click the Save button and then reload Outlook. Your CRM buttons will be ready for some clicking!

How do I restart my Windows 8 PC (Yoga)??

It may sound like I’m beating a dead horse but you should never underestimate the power of a reboot.

Knowing that a reboot fixes many computer problems is one thing. Knowing how to properly reboot your computer is another. There are multiple ways to shutdown/reboot your Windows 8 PC but none of them are tremendously obvious.

Pressing the power button or closing the lid on your laptop will just put it to sleep. That is not a reboot.

What’s more, Windows 8 handles power states a bit differently than Windows 7. Choosing "Shut down" also puts it in a sort of sleep state (like or closing the lid or pressing the power button). You have to choose "Restart" to clear everything out and fix your problems. 

Here are two easy ways to reboot your Windows 8 PC:

1.       Right click the Start button, mouse-over “Shutdown or sign out” and click “Restart”.

2.       Click the Start button to get to the Start screen. Then click the little power button on the top-right and choose “Restart”.

Have a great month, everyone!

-Keith

Please don’t hesitate to shoot me an email if you have a something that you think will make a good tip. You’ll get credit on the blog for your contribution and I might give you a high-five