If you’d like to install Windows but don’t have a DVD drive, it’s easy enough to create a bootable USB flash drive with the right installation media. Here’s how to get it done for Windows 10, 8, or 7.
Windows makes it possible to change the welcome screens that appear when you start your computer to just about any image you want to use. It’s easy to do in Windows 8 and 10, but fairly well-hidden in Windows 7.
Got some files you don’t want other people to see? Or maybe they’re just cluttering up your Documents folder, and you want to hide them? Here are a few different ways to obscure your files, and when you might want to use each.
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?
Aero Peek is a feature that’s been available in Windows since Windows 7, and is on by default (except in Windows 8). It allows you to temporarily peek at the desktop behind any open program windows.
If you’ve ever had a window somehow get moved off your screen, you know it can be frustrating not being able to drag it back. We’ve got a couple of ways you can move these rogue windows back to your desktop, though.
The Quick Launch bar was introduced in Windows XP, and sat on the far left side of the Taskbar next to the Start button. It provided a quick and easy way to access programs and your desktop.
Windows 10’s File Explorer opens to Quick Access by default, and Windows 7’s Windows Explorer opens to the Libraries. If you’d rather the Taskbar icon open in a folder of your choosing, though, here’s how to make that happen.
Notepad is a Windows staple that hasn’t really changed in years. It’s fine as a basic text editor, but if you’d like to replace it with something a bit more powerful, then read on.
Personalizing your icons is a great way to make a PC uniquely yours. Let’s take a look at the different ways Windows lets you customize your icons.
Many people familiar with prior versions of Windows are curious what happened to the built-in Administrator account that was always created by default. Does this account still exist, and how can you access it?
BitLocker’s full-disk encryption normally requires a computer with a Trusted Platform Module (TPM). Try to enable BitLocker on a PC without a TPM, and you’ll be told your administrator must set a system policy option.
If you need to install Windows or Linux and you don’t have access to a CD/DVD drive, a bootable USB drive is the solution. You can boot to the USB drive, using it to run the OS setup program, just like a CD or DVD.
When you’ve got a PC completely infected with viruses, sometimes it’s best to reboot into a rescue disc and run a full virus scan from there. Here’s how to use the BitDefender Rescue CD to clean an infected PC.
If you use multiple USB drives, you’ve probably noticed that the drive letter can be different each time you plug one in. If you’d like to assign a static letter to a drive that’s the same every time you plug it in, read on.
There may be times when you want users of a computer not to be able to change the screen saver. Here’s how to prevent it from happening.
Sometimes, documents you’re printing get stuck in the printer’s queue, preventing further documents from being printed. Here’s how to fix it when that happens.
It’s good to to power off your PC when you’re not using it, but do you ever forget and leave it on? Here’s how to configure Windows to automatically power down at night, but only if you’re not using the PC at the time.
HomeGroups in Windows are great for sharing files between computers on a local network. At some point, though, you might find it necessary to disconnect from a HomeGroup. Here’s how to do it.
HomeGroups make sharing files and printers with other PCs pretty simple. But if you don’t use it and would prefer not to see it in File Explorer at all, it’s not too hard to disable.
Maybe you’ve changed your mind about what you want to share with your HomeGroup. Or maybe you just want to double-check what you’re sharing. Either way, it’s not too hard to do. Let’s take a look at how.
Have you ever wished that Windows displayed the full date instead of the short date format in the Windows 7 Taskbar? With this easy tutorial, you will have Windows displaying the date exactly how you want it to.
Windows HomeGroups are great for setting up quick and easy sharing on home and small business networks. Here’s what you need to know to use them.
In the Windows XP days, changing the icon for a specific file type—such as TXT or PNG—was easy. But since Windows 7, you’ve actually had to do some Registry hacking to make it happen. Here’s a great little freeware utility that makes it much faster and easier.
If your Windows PC is throwing an error message at you before it even begins to load Windows, it’s possible that the boot sector on your system partition is damaged, corrupted, or has missing files. Here’s how to troubleshoot those problems.
