How to Customize Your Icons in Windows
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.
How to Use BitLocker Without a Trusted Platform Module (TPM)
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….
The Best Free Tools for Creating a Bootable Windows or Linux USB Drive
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….
How to Use the BitDefender Rescue CD to Clean Your Infected PC
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….
How to Assign a Persistent Drive Letter to a USB Drive in Windows
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….
How to Prevent Windows Users From Changing the Screen Saver
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.
How to Make Your PC Shut Down at Night (But Only When You’re Not Using It)
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….
How to Remove Your PC from a Windows HomeGroup
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.
How to Disable the HomeGroup Feature in Windows (and Remove It from File Explorer)
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.
How to Change What You Have Shared with a HomeGroup in Windows
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….
How to Customize the Date Format in the Windows 7 Taskbar
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….
Everything You Need to Know About Using HomeGroups in Windows
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.
How to Change the Icon for a Certain File Type in Windows
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 util…
How to Repair Windows Bootloader Problems (If Your Computer Won’t Start)
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…
How to Copy a Folder’s File List with a Right-Click
Say you have a folder full of files, and you want to save or print a list of those files. With a couple of quick Registry edits, you can add a right-click command for copying a folder’s contents to the clipboard….
How to Tweak ClearType in Windows for Better Screen Readability
ClearType is font-smoothing technology built into Windows to help make text more readable on LCD monitors. If your text is looking a little blurry, tweaking your ClearType settings can definitely help….
How to Display a Message During Windows Startup
If you use a company-owned PC, you may have seen a legal notice displayed before you sign in to Windows. Here’s how you can do the same thing on your own PC and display a message with any text you want….
How to Disable Access to the Windows Registry
Messing around in the Windows Registry can cause all kinds of problems if you’re not careful. If you share your PC with others, you can prevent less experienced users from accessing and editing the Registry….
How to Modify the Icon of an EXE File
Let’s face it: some apps have really ugly icons. Sure, you could always create a shortcut to your EXE file and then change the icon for the shortcut, but what fun would that be? Here’s how to change the icon for the EXE f…
How to Change the Priority of Wireless Networks in Windows 7
If you’ve got multiple wireless networks or you’ve got one of those dual-band Wireless-N routers that have two separate networks, you might wonder how to tell Windows what network to try to connect to first. Here’s the …
How to Customize Folder Views with Windows’ Five Templates
If you’re particular about how Windows displays the contents of your folders, you can cut your customization time down considerably by taking advantage of File Explorer’s five built-in folder templates….
Disable the Irritating Sticky / Filter Keys Popup Dialogs
Have you ever been doing something, like playing a game, and had that obnoxious Sticky Keys dialog pop up? You answer No and it goes away… and then shows up again the next day. Here’s how to make it go away for good….
How to Add a Defragment Option to the Right-Click Menu for a Drive in Windows
Modern versions of Windows defragment drives during regular maintenance schedules. But if you defragment manually—maybe you keep your PC turned off when not in use—you might appreciate a faster way to access the command….
How to Connect to a VPN in Windows
We’ve covered virtual private networks and when you might want to use them before. Connecting to a VPN is easy, as Windows and most other operating systems offer built-in VPN support.
How to Add the Control Panel to Windows’ File Explorer
If you use the Control Panel a lot, you may find it helpful to add it right to the “This PC” section of Windows’ File Explorer window. Here’s how to do it.
