How to Find Your Computer’s Uptime and Installation Date
RELATED: How to Use the New Task Manager in Windows 8 or 10
What is a Windows Domain and How Does It Affect My PC?
Windows domains are typically used on large networks — corporate networks, school networks, and government networks. They aren’t something you’ll encounter at home unless you have a laptop provided by your e...
Yes, You Can Use Electronics During Takeoff and Landing: What You Need to Know
Regulatory agencies in the US, Canada, and Europe now allow you to use electronics during takeoff and landing. This is called “gate-to-gate” device use — you could be using a device the entire time you’...
How to Change the Default Search Engine on Your Phone or Tablet
Search engines are becoming ever-more integrated into mobile operating systems, but you can still change your default search engine on your smartphone or tablet. You don’t have to stick with the search engine the device...
Using Firefox on Linux? Your Flash Player is Old and Outdated!
Adobe is no longer developing the Flash for Firefox on Linux. You’re still getting security updates, but that’s it — your Flash Player plug-in is already several major versions out-of-date....
21 Windows Administrative Tools Explained
Windows is packed full of system tools, and many of them are in the Administrative Tools folder. The tools here are more powerful and complex, so they’re hidden where most Windows users won’t stumble across them....
How to Make BitLocker Use 256-bit AES Encryption Instead of 128-bit AES
Windows’ BitLocker encryption defaults to 128-bit AES encryption, but you can choose to use 256-bit AES encryption instead. Using a 256-bit AES key could potentially offer more security against future attempts to access...
How to Find Drivers for Unknown Devices in the Device Manager
Unknown devices show up in the Windows Device Manager when Windows can’t identify a piece of hardware and provide a driver for it. An unknown device isn’t just unknown — it’s not functioning until you ...
How to Install and Use Another Desktop Environment on Linux
Each Linux distribution comes with a single default desktop environment chosen from the many different desktop environments available for Linux. But you don’t have to stick with the default.
What is a Custom Recovery on Android, and Why Would I Want One?
Want to install a custom Android ROM — in other words, a third-party version of the Android operating system — like CyanogenMod? You’ll probably be instructed to install a custom recovery, too....
How to Create an Encrypted Container File With BitLocker on Windows
BitLocker normally encrypts entire drives and partitions, but you can also create encrypted container files with tools built into Windows. Such encrypted VHD files can easily be moved between systems, backed up, and hidden wh...
How to Install, Remove, and Manage Fonts on Windows, Mac, and Linux
Whether you want to use a new font in a Word or just change your operating system’s system font to give it a different look, you’ll first have to install the font on your operating system.
How to Remotely Track Any Lost Smartphone, Tablet, or PC
Whether your device was stolen or simply lost, you can remotely track, lock, and wipe it. Don’t wait until you’ve lost your hardware to think about this — these features need to be enabled ahead of time....
Linux Distribution Basics: Rolling Releases vs. Standard Releases
Linux distributions tend to use two different types of release cycles: standard releases and rolling releases. Some people swear by rolling releases to have the latest software, while others like standard releases for being m...
How to Track, Disable, and Wipe a Lost iPhone, iPad, or Mac
Apple’s phone, tablet, and computer-tracking tools are the best in the business. You can remotely locate your device, disable it with a lock and message that persists through factory resets — the so-called “...
Android USB Connections Explained: MTP, PTP, and USB Mass Storage
Older Android devices support USB mass storage for transferring files back and forth with a computer. Modern Android devices use the MTP or PTP protocols — you can choose which one you prefer.
How to Monitor Your Internet Bandwidth Usage and Avoid Exceeding Data Caps
Internet connection data caps are becoming more widespread in the US. Internet service providers may claim their data limits are good for “millions of emails,” but emails are small and HD videos on Netflix are muc...
How to Remotely Turn On Your PC Over the Internet
If you use remote desktop, remote file access, or other server software, you may leave your computer on at home or work when you leave the house. This uses more power. Instead, you could remotely power on your PC whenever you...
MIME Types Explained: Why Linux and Mac OS X Don’t Need File Extensions
Coming from Windows, file extensions on Linux and Mac OS X can seem a bit strange. The operating system seems to know what files are without relying on the file extension — it does this using MIME types....
6 Upcoming Linux-Based Smartphone Operating Systems That Aren’t Android
Android, iOS, Windows Phone, and BlackBerry 10 aren’t the only smartphone operating systems vying for a place in your pocket. There are other smartphone operating systems in development — and they’re all Lin...
Linux Was Once Hard to Install and Use — Now It’s Easy
Linux is easier to install and use than ever. If you tried installing and using it years ago, you may want to give a modern Linux distribution a second chance.
How to Create Saved Search Folders on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X
All mainstream desktop operating systems include powerful search features. They all offer the ability to create a “saved search,” which functions as a virtual folder. The saved search folder appears to contain the...
5 Cooling Solutions to Prevent Your PC From Overheating
Computers need cooling to remove the heat their components generate during use. If you’re building your own PC — especially if you’re overclocking it — you’ll need to think about how you’ll...
What You Need to Know About Creating System Image Backups
System images are complete backups of everything on your PC’s hard drive or a single partition. They allow you to take a snapshot of your entire drive, system files and all.
5 Ways to Access Your PC’s Files Over the Internet
Homegroups and network file sharing make it easy to access your PCs file from another PC on the same local network, but accessing your PC’s files over the Internet takes a bit more setup.
