The more software you install on your computer, the longer it may seem to take to start up Windows. Many programs add themselves to the list of programs started when you boot your computer, and that list can get long.
Most modern computers are capable of running a 64-bit operating system. But just because a computer supports it doesn’t mean that’s what’s running. Here’s how to tell whether you’re running a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Linux.
Your PC makes lots of Internet connections in a day’s business, and not all of them are necessarily sites you’re aware connections are happening with. While some of these connections are harmless, there is always a chance that you have some malware, spyware, or adware using your Internet connection in the background without your knowledge. Here’s how to see what’s going on under the hood.
Two-factor authentication provides an extra layer of security for your online accounts. Many online services are offering two-factor authentication, including Apple. However, Apple’s two-factor authentication needs some explaining, since it exists in two slightly different forms.
Most people use a graphical file manager to find files in Linux, such as Nautilus in Gnome, Dolphin in KDE, and Thunar in Xfce. However, there are several ways to use the command line to find files in Linux, no matter what desktop manager you use.
If you find that your guests are asking fairly often to use your computer temporarily to check their email or look something up on the web, you don’t have to let them use your personal account or create a special account for each guest.
Web browsers you use on your mobile phone or tablet remember your browsing history, just like browsers on your PC or Mac. Anyone who borrows your phone or gets access to it somehow can see which webpages you’ve visited. However, it’s easy to protect yourself.
Sometimes, when sending an email, you want the replies to go to a different email address than you sent the original from. You can do this in Outlook for individual messages or for all messages sent from a specific email account.
Chrome’s Incognito mode prevents websites from tracking you when you’re online. Because Chrome can’t guarantee that extensions aren’t tracking you, they are disabled in Incognito mode by default.
You can use Microsoft Outlook with just about any email account, including Gmail—but Outlook doesn’t provide a built-in way to sync your Gmail contacts. If you’ve amassed a bunch of contacts in either service, you’ll have to import them from the other manually to use them.
If you aren’t a fan of scrolling your pointer over to the lower right corner of your monitor to show the desktop, we have a cool tweak that will allow you to add the Show Desktop icon to the Quick Launch bar or anywhere on your Taskbar.
Most web browsers are installed in Windows as 64-bit versions by default, Firefox being the exception. If you installed the default download of Firefox, you have the 32-bit version, not the 64-bit version, even if you’re running a 64-bit version of Windows.
You’ve been taking photos and videos, downloading documents, and installing apps like there’s no tomorrow. All of a sudden you realize you’re running out of room on your phone. What do you do?
Firefox is available in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions for Windows 7, 8, and 10. If you’re curious which version you’re running, we’ll show a couple of easy ways to find out.
If you are heading out of town, you might want to put a note on your email to let people know you won’t be available, or to contact somebody else while you’re away.
Do you have an external drive connected to your Windows computer and would like to access it from the Taskbar? Here we show you a workaround that will allow you to pin it to Taskbar.
Do you ever feel annoyed that Outlook doesn’t mark messages as read as soon as you click and view them in the Reading Pane? Here we show you how to make Outlook mark them as read as soon as they’re opened.
When you delete sensitive files from your Dropbox account, you may think you’ve deleted them permanently. However, the files remain in a hidden cache folder on your hard drive for efficiency and emergency purposes that is cleared automatically every three days.
Outlook remembers every email address you’ve typed into email messages. These email addresses become part of the auto-complete list and matching items from that list are suggested as you type in the To, Cc, and Bcc fields.
The Quick Launch bar, which was removed in Windows 7, can be added back to the Taskbar in Windows 7, 8, and 10. You can also add any programs you want to the Quick Launch bar and we’ll show you how.
By default, when you start Outlook, the inbox of the first email account you added is automatically opened. However, that may not be the email folder you use most.
If you’re going to be out of the office for a while, Outlook.com makes it easy to set up automatic replies that are sent out when you receive a message, letting the sender know you won’t be reading or answering emails during that time.
If you’ve tried to install Google Chrome in Ubuntu Linux, you may have noticed that it’s not available in the Ubuntu Software Center. However, it’s easy to download a package file for Google Chrome and install it on your system, and we’ll show you how.
QR (Quick Response) codes are found in many places, such as advertisements, billboards, business windows, and on products. But you don’t necessarily need a separate app to scan them—if you use Google Chrome on your iPhone, it has a QR code scanner built-in.
Aero Peek is one of the more useful features added as of Windows 7. Simply move your mouse to the far right side on the Taskbar (on the Show Desktop button) for half a second to hide all open windows and see your desktop. But what if half a second is too long?
