If Windows isn’t starting properly, you can often use the integrated “startup repair” tool to fix it. This recovery tool will scan your PC for problems like missing or damaged system files. It can’t fix hardware issues or Windows installation problems, but it’s a great first place to start if you’re experiencing trouble booting into Windows.
How to Fix Startup Problems with the Windows Startup Repair Tool
If Windows isn’t starting properly, you can often use the integrated “startup repair” tool to fix it. This recovery tool will scan your PC for problems like missing or damaged system files. It can’t fix hardware issues or Windows installation problems, but it’s a great first place to start if you’re experiencing trouble booting into Windows.
If you’ve got a lot of AVI videos in your media collection, you might want to be able to play them on your DVD player—or even more likely, give a DVD to a family member to watch. Here’s how to create your own DVDs easily.
Figuring out whether you’re running a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows only takes a couple of steps and the tools are already built into Windows. Here’s how to find out what you’re running.
If there’s an Android application you really love and wish you could run on your computer, now you can: there’s a dead simple way to run Android apps on your PC or Mac without the fuss of moonlighting as an Android developer.
There are all kinds of ways to open a Command Prompt window from File Explorer—and you can even run commands right in the File Explorer address bar—but did you know it’s just as easy to open a File Explorer window from the Command Prompt?
If you’re worried about someone trying to guess your Windows password, you can have Windows temporarily block sign in attempts after a specific number of failed attempts.
You are no doubt reading this article because you’ve stumbled across the Console Window Host (conhost.exe) process in Task Manager and are wondering what it is. We’ve got the answer for you.
Whenever an application wants to make itself accessible over the network, it claims a TCP/IP port, which means that port can’t be used by anything else. So how do you check open ports to see what application is already using it?
We have shown you a lot of tips and tricks over the years that involve modifying Local Group Policy. If you would ever like to see all the Group Policy settings in effect on your PC, here’s how to do it.
If you’re tired of the way certain keys on your system work, you can re-map them to function as a different key by using a free utility named SharpKeys. Here’s how it works.
Windows plays a startup sound and other sound effects regularly, and they can get obnoxious. They’re especially annoying on Windows 7, where Windows plays a click sound every time you switch folders in Windows Explorer. You can disable them entirely—or even set custom sound effects, if you prefer.
You’re likely reading this because you noticed a gigantic hiberfil.sys file sitting on your system drive and you’re wondering if you can get rid of it to free up some space. Here’s what that file is and how you can delete it if you want to.
Web browsers are our constant companions, so having a browser that feels slower than it should—or even crashes on you—is no fun at all. Here are some ways you can get Chrome running like new again.
The built-in backup utilities in Windows are pretty solid. Let’s take a look at how to create a full backup image of your PC without the need for a third party utility.
So you’ve just unpacked that spiffy new monitor, and it sits fresh and new on your desk putting your other little displays to shame. Now you have to give it some sartorial splendor: a kick-ass wallpaper from the online repository of your choice. But now comes the conundrum—what if you want to use different images on different screens?
RELATED: Make Windows 7, 8.x or Vista Log On Automatically
On occasion you will need to edit the hosts file on your machine. Sometimes because of an attack or prank, and others so that you can simply and freely control access to websites and network traffic.
Many older (or cheaper) Windows laptops come with traditional mechanical hard drives—which these days, are pretty outdated and slow. Upgrading to a new, super fast solid state drive (or SSD) is the surest way to speed up an old computer. There’s one problem: moving your Windows installation can be tricky, especially since SSDs are often smaller than their traditional hard drive counterparts.
If you’re already running a full anti-malware suite, you might not even realize that Windows Defender is already installed with Windows, and is probably wasting precious resources. Here’s how to get rid of it.
Windows hides many files and folders by default, preventing users from deleting or modifying files they shouldn’t touch. But you can make Windows show these hidden files by changing a single setting.
If you bought your PC from a vendor, you’ve likely seen the manufacturer information in the “System” window. But did you know you can change it—or even add it if you build your own PCs?
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.
Taking ownership of files or folders in Windows is not simple. Both the GUI and command line take too many steps. Why not add a simple context menu command that lets you take ownership of any file or folder?
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.
Auto-hiding the taskbar can be a great way to add a little extra space to your desktop. But occasionally, it can stubbornly refuse to hide when it’s supposed to. Here are a few tips that might get that Taskbar hidden again.
