How-To Geek - For Geeks, By Geeks.

What Is “Windows Modules Installer Worker” and Why Is It Running on My PC?

If you hear your computer’s fans spin up and feel it getting hotter for no apparent reason, check the Task Manager and you might see “Windows Modules Installer Worker” using a lot of CPU and disk resources. This process, also known as TiWorker.exe, is a part of the Windows operating system.

How to Add a Link to Your Snapchat Snaps

With Instagram’s new Story feature proving popular, Snapchat is having to compete hard. They’ve recently added a whole host of new features, if only, it seems, to make Instagram’s developers waste time copying them. One of these new features it the ability to share links through your Snaps. Here’s how to use it.

How to Safely Observe the Upcoming Solar Eclipse

Around a month from now, North Americans will be treated to a spectacular solar eclipse. But you can’t just run outside on your lunch break and take a peek without proper precautions. Let us help you prepare now to enjoy the solar eclipse safely.

What Is the “Queue” Tab in the Alexa App?

The Player tab in the bottom right-hand corner of the Alexa app is a recent addition—there, you can see what media your Echo is currently playing. However, within that section there’s a mysterious “Queue” tab. Here’s what it actually does.

How to Make the Mouse Cursor Bigger or Smaller on Your Mac

The macOS cursor isn’t tiny, but some people have trouble seeing it. If you’re one of them, you might want to make it bigger, and it’s not hard to do so.

How to Stop Facebook Videos From Playing Sound Automatically

In Facebook’s endless quest to make your life “better” (where better has a very subjective meaning), it has added a feature to its mobile app that will automatically play sound when a video starts. If you’d rather turn this annoying feature off, here’s how.

How to See Who Logged Into a Computer (and When)

Have you ever wanted to monitor who’s logging into your computer and when? On Professional editions of Windows, you can enable logon auditing to have Windows track which user accounts log in and when.

How to Avoid Abusive Online Gamers

A wise man once said that a normal person, plus anonymity, plus an audience, equals…well, something we can’t reprint on a family-friendly website. But the tendency for anonymous crowds to be abusive is well-known, and adding in the competitive nature of online multiplayer games doesn’t help things.

How to Add a Voice Filter to Your Video in Snapchat

Snapchat has always been the most fun social network. It’s a place where you send bad photos without fear that your boss will see them. To that end, Snapchat has broken one of the features previously only available as part of Lenses into its own thing: Voice Filters.

What Is the AppData Folder in Windows?

Windows applications often store their data and settings in an AppData folder, and each Windows user account has its own. It’s a hidden folder, so you’ll only see it if you show hidden files in the file manager.

How to Figure Out the Size of Screws, Bolts, and Nuts

If you have some stray screws and bolts (a.k.a. fasteners) lying around and aren’t quite sure what size they are, or if you need to replace a missing bolt on a piece of machinery and need to know what size to get, here are some methods to easily figure that out.

How to Test Your Internet Speed from the Command Line

Want to quickly check the speed of your current Internet connection? With speedtest-cli you can run a test in the command prompt, on any operating system.

What Is Xbox Game Pass, and Is It Worth It?

Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass promises access to over 100 games for a $10 per month subscription fee. Microsoft wants Xbox Game Pass to be the “Netflix of video games”—but is it really worth it?

How to Erase and Format a Drive in Windows

Most hard drives come “preformatted” and ready to use these days. But you occasionally might need to format one yourself.

What Is Intel Optane Memory?

In the quest for ever-faster computers, Intel is constantly introducing new upgrades to its products to try and get a bit of extra cash out of enthusiasts and corporate customers. One of the company’s most dramatic introductions as of late has been its branded Optane memory, launched alongside the seventh generation of Core-series processors.

How to Mute (Most) Spam Accounts and Trolls on Twitter

I love Twitter, but there’s no denying it has long had a spam and troll problem. Tweet about a popular product or service, and you’ll often get weird replies from random accounts. Poke your head out and take a political stance, and anonymous trolls will try to cut you down.

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Volkswagen Sells More Of What Thing Than They Sell Cars?

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10 Handy Uses for Your Old iPad or Android Tablet

Tablet sales are slumping at the moment, probably as a result of big smartphones and convertible laptops chip away at a tablet’s usefulness. But if you have one or more tablets at home gathering dust while you happily poke away at your giant smartphone, there are probably some good ways to put them to use rather than selling them or recycling them. Here are a few ideas.

How to Find and Remove Duplicate Files on Windows

Duplicate file finders scan your hard drive for unnecessary duplicated files and help you remove them, freeing up space. Here are our picks for the best duplicate file finders, whether you’re looking for something easy to use, an application you may already have installed, or a powerful tool with the most advanced filters.

Amazon Echo vs. Google Home: Which One Should You Buy?

Amazon blew the industry wide open with its release of the Echo back in 2014, and has since become the company’s most popular hardware product. However, Google has since gotten in on the fun with the Google Home, a direct Echo competitor that aims to reign supreme. But which one should you buy if you’re in the market for a virtual home assistant? Here are some key points to know about both devices to see which one might be best suited for you.

Which Carrier Has the Best Unlimited Plan? AT&T vs Verizon vs Sprint vs T-Mobile

All of a sudden, it seems all the mobile carriers are offering unlimited plans. So, how do they stack up?

What’s New in Windows 10’s Creators Update

The Windows 10 Creators Update—codenamed Redstone 2—will begin rolling out on April 11, 2017. Like other updates to Windows 10, it’s free, and includes a host of new features. It will be rolled out slowly like the Anniversary Update, so it will be a few months before Microsoft offers it to everyone.

How to Get Windows 10’s Creators Update Now

Microsoft will start rolling out Windows 10’s Creators Update starting April 11, but it will be a few months before every PC gets it. If you don’t want to wait, you can download the Creators Update from Microsoft right now.

Basic Computer Security: How to Protect Yourself from Viruses, Hackers, and Thieves

People often think of computer security as something technical and complicated. And when you get into the nitty-gritty, it can be—but the most important stuff is actually very simple. Here are the basic, important things you should do to make yourself safer online.

Microsoft, Please Stop Breaking My PC With Windows 10’s Automatic Updates

Hey Microsoft, could you please stop breaking my PC? The latest WPD driver update released on March 8, 2017 is just the latest in a long string of bad updates. If Windows 10 is going to force these updates on my system, the least Microsoft could do is test them properly first.

How to Get HD TV Channels for Free (Without Paying for Cable)

Remember TV antennas? Well, they still exist. A digital TV antenna allows you to watch local TV stations for free, all without paying a dime to a cable provider.

Windows 10’s Settings Are a Mess, and Microsoft Doesn’t Seem to Care

It’s been over four years since Microsoft first released the PC Settings interface with Windows 8, but the Control Panel and Settings app are still a confusing, split experience. There still isn’t a single interface, as there is on other operating systems, and Microsoft is seriously dragging their feet on consolidating them.